Chapter 38: To Each Their Own Means of Survival

"Uncle Wu, you handled that very well!"

Li Qi nodded and then asked, "By the way, did that Old Third Cai ask about me?"

Wu Furong shook his head and said, "He didn't mention a word about you, Young Master. He did, however, ask a few questions about the stinky tofu."

Could my assessment have been wrong?

Li Qi narrowed his eyes, a look of confusion crossing his face.

Seeing Li Qi’s solemn expression, Wu Furong asked curiously, "Young Master Li, why did you think that Old Third Cai was looking for you earlier? Could it be that you two knew each other before?"

"It’s because—never mind, there’s no use talking about it now."

Li Qi sighed, his brows furrowed as he paced back and forth in the room.

Wu Furong sat to one side, not daring to disturb him, waiting quietly.

After a while, Li Qi suddenly stopped and exclaimed in surprise, "I understand now!"

Startled, Wu Furong gathered his wits and hurriedly asked, "Young Master Li, what have you realized?"

"Oh, nothing, nothing at all!"

Li Qi gave Wu Furong a dry laugh, the cloud over his face instantly clearing. He thought to himself, *So this old fox was trying to kill two birds with one stone. He must have seen that the Zui Xian Ju is gradually rising in momentum. The longer he drags this out, the harder it will be to buy the restaurant. He must have also investigated my background and discovered that I was originally just a homeless drunkard on the streets. He wanted to offer a high price to buy the Zui Xian Ju, and once I had nowhere else to go, I would have no choice but to rely on him. At that point, the secret recipe for the stinky tofu would naturally fall into his hands.*

*A clever scheme, indeed.*

*But you surely didn't expect that your 'Master Li' has already become the half-owner of the Zui Xian Ju.*

Seeing Li Qi standing there in a daze with a sly grin on his lips, Wu Furong asked curiously, "Young Master Li, what are you thinking about?"

"Oh—I—I was thinking about how to reply to that Old Third Cai," Li Qi stammered slightly, feigning seriousness.

"And have you thought of a response?" Wu Furong asked.

Li Qi narrowed his eyes, slapped the table, and said, "If he wants to buy the Zui Xian Ju, fine, we’ll sell it to him."

Wu Furong’s expression tightened. He gasped, "Young M—Young Master Li, are you saying you want to sell the Zui Xian Ju to that Master Cai?"

"Of course."

Li Qi chuckled, "Sixteen thousand guan. Not a single coin less."

Upon hearing this, Wu Furong nearly bit his tongue. He exclaimed in shock, "Six—sixteen thousand guan? Young Master Li, that’s the price of two Zui Xian Jus! If you say that, you might as well just turn him down directly."

"Uncle Wu, you are mistaken!"

Li Qi smiled faintly. "Think back to when the Zui Xian Ju was at its lowest point; it was still worth eight thousand guan. Now, humph, it’s not me boasting, but who in all of Bianliang City doesn't know the Zui Xian Ju? Just for the sake of this reputation, even if we sold it for eight thousand, we wouldn't be making much."

*Not making much?*

Wu Furong broke into a cold sweat and shook his head. "I don’t think Master Cai will ever be willing to pay such a high price."

"That is his business. I have already laid out our terms. As for whether he buys it or not, that’s not up to us. Besides, we didn't intend to sell it anyway, right, Uncle Wu?" Li Qi spread his hands and laughed.

"Exactly, exactly! You’re right, we never intended to sell." Wu Furong nodded, but then added, "But what if he is actually willing to buy it?"

Li Qi laughed heartily. "Then what else is there to say? Of course we sell it to him! Then, with those sixteen thousand guan, we build an even more luxurious restaurant right next to the Zui Xian Ju and drive him out of business. When that time comes, we’ll buy the Zui Xian Ju back for four thousand. By then, Master Cai will be so angry he'll want to jump off a building."

Wu Furong listened, and the two looked at each other, bursting into laughter in unison.

After laughing for a good while, they finally stopped.

Li Qi said sternly, "Uncle Wu, if that Old Third Cai asks for me tomorrow, continue to say that I went out early. If he probes for information about me, tell him the truth, but you absolutely must not mention that I bought the Zui Xian Ju. Just tell him I’m a cook."

Wu Furong drew a breath, confused. "Why is that?"

Li Qi put on a mysterious expression, smiling without saying a word.

***

The next day, before dawn, Li Qi quietly slipped out and didn't return to the shop until evening.

"Brother Li, you've been running out every day these past few days. What exactly is so important?"

As soon as he stepped through the door, Wu Xiaoliu greeted him, asking with curiosity.

"Why are you asking so much, you child?"

Li Qi waved his hand and sat down at a table. Chen Xiaozhu very consciously brought him a cup of tea. Li Qi took a sip and asked Wu Xiaoliu, "Did anything happen today?"

Wu Xiaoliu shook his head and giggled. "What could happen? It was just everyone scrambling to buy the stinky tofu."

Over the past two days, Wu Xiaoliu had been the center of attention; people had even started calling him "Master Six."

"That’s good!"

Li Qi rested for a moment, looked around, and not seeing Wu Furong, asked, "Six, where is your uncle?"

"My uncle is..."

At this point, Wu Xiaoliu lowered his voice and whispered in Li Qi’s ear, "Brother Li, that Old Third Cai from across the street was just here."

"No way!"

Li Qi stood up abruptly and asked nervously, "Where is he?"

"He just left! My uncle went to see him off; I think he’ll be back soon."

*Damn it! You scared the hell out of me!*

Li Qi breathed a sigh of relief and sat back down.

Seeing Li Qi’s jumpiness, Wu Xiaoliu was very puzzled and asked, "Brother Li, why do you think that Old Third Cai keeps coming to our shop?"

"How would I know! By the way, weren't you here earlier?"

"Sigh, it’s my uncle’s fault. They were talking in the room and didn't give me any chance to eavesdrop. Otherwise, I could have helped you get some information." Wu Xiaoliu looked full of regret.

*What kind of attitude is this?*

Li Qi glared at him and said, "You brat, always meddling in other people's business. If you’ve got nothing to do, go to the kitchen, find a cucumber to slice, and practice your knife skills. When I have some free time, I’ll teach you my family’s 'Little Li’s Blade Technique'."

*Little Li’s Blade Technique?*

It sounded like something very impressive.

Wu Xiaoliu quickly replied, "Understood, understood, I’m going right now."

With that, he skipped off toward the kitchen. The Zhu brothers, having overheard, also snuck in behind him, looking as though they were very eager to learn that "Little Li’s Blade Technique."

*Finally, some peace and quiet!*

Li Qi leisurely sipped his tea when he suddenly heard Wu Furong’s voice outside.

"Young Master Li, you’re back!"

Li Qi turned to see Wu Furong and quickly stood up to meet him, asking, "Uncle Wu, how did the discussion go?"

Wu Furong looked left and right, then signaled with his eyes, "Let’s talk in the room."

The two went into Wu Furong’s room.

After Wu Furong shut the door, he said, "Young Master Li, you should have seen it. When I told that Old Third Cai the price you gave me yesterday, it nearly scared him under the table."

Li Qi chuckled and asked, "What did he say?"

"He said we were deliberately mocking him. Then I repeated what you told me yesterday, and he had nothing left to say. He said he would go back and ask Master Cai," Wu Furong laughed.

"I think asking is a waste of time."

Li Qi sneered and asked, "Did he mention me?"

"He did!"

Wu Furong nodded quickly, a look of admiration on his face. "Young Master Li, just as you predicted, while we were talking, that Old Third Cai kept using the stinky tofu as an excuse to fish for information about you."

"And what did you say?"

"I said exactly what you told me to."

"That’s good!" Li Qi nodded.

Seeing Li Qi’s excited expression, Wu Furong frowned with a trace of worry. He lowered his voice and said, "Young Master Li, judging by Old Third Cai’s tone, the Emerald Pavilion seems very interested in the stinky tofu. In this old man’s opinion, Master Cai must have malicious intentions toward your secret recipe. You must be careful."

*Malicious intentions? Humph, I’m not afraid. I’m only afraid he won't have any.*

Li Qi gasped, feigning fear. "Is that so?"

Wu Furong looked at him suspiciously and nodded. "I suspect that in a few days, Master Cai will come looking for you. When he does, he will surely try to tempt you with a large sum of money, just like last time, to get you to sell the secret recipe."

Having said this, Wu Furong recounted how Master Cai had stolen the secret recipe for "Drunken Sculpture" from the Zui Xian Ju.

Li Qi had known about this for a long time. He also knew that Wu Furong was testing him. He waved his hand dismissively and said sternly, "Uncle Wu, don't you worry. Do I look like the type of person who is blinded by money? No matter how much he offers, I will never sell it to him."

"Yes, yes!"

Wu Furong looked delighted and nodded. "Young Master Li, you may not know this, but a secret recipe is the lifeblood of a restaurant. Over the years, Master Cai has sent people everywhere to collect secret recipes, and it has already caused several restaurants to close down. We aren't afraid of him grabbing it openly, but we must be on guard against his underhanded tactics."

Li Qi nodded modestly. "That’s true, that’s true."

*Underhanded tactics?*

Li Qi naturally wasn't afraid. Who knew who was outmaneuvering whom?

*As for grabbing it by force?*

Li Qi wasn't afraid of that either.

He had already made inquiries. It was true that Master Cai had come from the Grand Preceptor Cai’s household, but that was only because he had been caught stealing and was kicked out; he had no connection to the Grand Preceptor anymore. The only reason he was so arrogant was because he had befriended some officials back when he was in the household, and it was rumored he sent bribes to their estates every year.

As long as Cai Jing wasn't backing him, Li Qi had nothing to fear.

Besides, Madam Qin’s family was also a prominent and influential clan. In terms of strength, both sides were evenly matched. They were both business people, and they would just have to rely on their own skills to make a living.