Chapter 43: The Dust Settles

Chapter 43: The Dust Settles

After finalizing the details, Li Qi stood up to take his leave.

As soon as Li Qi left, Cai Laosan immediately walked up to Cai Minde and whispered in a low voice, "Master, isn't this price a bit too high?"

"Little San, we are businessmen. We must look at the bigger picture."

A sneer appeared at the corner of Cai Minde's mouth as he said, "The only reason the Drunken Immortal House has managed to hold on until now is because of this stinky tofu. If our Emerald Pavilion can also make stinky tofu, do we still need to fear them? When the time comes, we just need to drive the prices down, and the closure of the Drunken Immortal House will only be a matter of time. Sixteen thousand strings of cash, indeed! Old man Wu, let's see how you die then."

Upon hearing this, Cai Laosan suddenly understood completely. He hurriedly nodded and said, "What the master says is true. With this secret recipe, the Drunken Immortal House is already in the master's grasp."

"It's just that this young man surnamed Li is indeed a talent. If he could be put to use by me, that would be even better," Cai Minde said with a hint of regret.

During the game of wits just now, Cai Minde had always believed that he was the one in control. However, after everything was settled, he vaguely felt that it had all gone far too smoothly. From the very beginning, every word Li Qi spoke followed his own intentions. Whenever there was something he wanted to know, Li Qi answered without reservation, and every point he made was logical and well-founded, leaving no room for doubt—as if all of this had been meticulously designed by Li Qi long in advance.

Yet, thinking of Li Qi's age, Cai Minde decided he was just overthinking it. How could someone so young possess such deep scheming? It must simply be because he was inexperienced in the world that he was so open and sincere with him.

Knowing that Cai Minde had always loved recruiting talented individuals, Cai Laosan quickly chimed in, "Master, you needn't worry about this. Once the Drunken Immortal House falls into our hands, this fellow surnamed Li will certainly have nowhere else to go. By then, he will have no choice but to come and pledge allegiance to you."

"Right! What you said is right! As long as we buy out the Drunken Immortal House, this kid will definitely come to work for us," Cai Minde said with a sudden, joyful laugh.

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When Li Qi returned to the Drunken Immortal House, Wu Furong and the others had already packed up their stall. At this moment, Wu Furong was once again hiding behind the counter, clicking away at his old abacus.

Seeing this, Li Qi felt a particular warmth in his heart. He knew that Wu Furong was doing this simply to find an excuse to let him stay, so he called out, "Uncle Wu, I'm back!"

Wu Furong looked up and, seeing it was Li Qi, hurriedly stepped forward and motioned for Chen Xiaozhu to pour a cup of tea for Li Qi.

After the two sat down and chatted casually for a moment, Li Qi noticed Wu Furong's worried expression and asked, "Uncle Wu, is something weighing on your mind?"

Wu Furong paused slightly, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Master Li, the fifteen-day deadline is almost here, but the money we've earned these past few days is still somewhat short of a thousand strings of cash. Besides, the customers coming to buy stinky tofu these past two days have also been dwindling. I'm afraid that when the time comes..."

Although Wu Furong did not finish his sentence, Li Qi knew what he wanted to say. He chuckled and said, "Uncle Wu, you don't need to worry about this. I've already taken care of the money matter. Someone will bring the money over tonight."

Wu Furong's expression shifted in surprise. He grabbed Li Qi's sleeve and said, "Master Li, are these words true? Please don't deceive this old man."

Li Qi smiled and nodded, "How would I dare to deceive you?"

Seeing his confident demeanor, Wu Furong believed him by seventy or eighty percent. Joy instantly bloomed across his face as he asked, "May I ask who is going to deliver the money?"

"I can't say that just yet. After tonight passes, I will tell Uncle everything," Li Qi smiled mysteriously, then continued, "By the way, where is Little Liu?"

Seeing that Li Qi was unwilling to tell him, Wu Furong did not press further and replied, "Oh, Liu-zi and Dachu are cleaning the kitchen. Hehe, ever since you came, that kid has become much more diligent overall."

Hearing this, Li Qi felt deeply gratified. Modestly, he said, "That's only because of Uncle's proper guidance in the past. Alright, I'll go find Little Liu to brief him on a few things. You go back to what you were busy with, Uncle."

That night, when Wu Furong saw Cai Laosan and four porters carrying two large wooden chests into the shop, he was utterly dumbfounded.

When Cai Laosan had the porters open the two chests, Wu Furong, his nephew, and the Zhu brothers collectively drew in a sharp breath. They leaned forward with their heels pressed together—a rather comical sight.

As it turned out, the two large wooden chests were piled high with strings of copper coins. By visual estimation, there were at least over a thousand strings of cash.

Among the four of them, apart from Wu Furong, the other three were seeing this much copper money for the very first time. Their eyes were practically popping out of their heads.

Seeing the four of them in this state, Cai Laosan felt secretly proud. However, noticing that Li Qi's expression remained completely calm, he felt a wave of profound astonishment, thinking to himself, "The master was right; this kid is truly extraordinary."

Li Qi did not offer Wu Furong and the others too much explanation. He simply told them to put the money away properly, and then, taking Wu Liu-zi along with a jar of brine prepared in advance and a dozen pieces of unfried stinky tofu, he followed Cai Laosan out the door.

In truth, Wu Liu-zi had no idea what Li Qi was planning to do either, but he knew that following Li Qi would definitely not be wrong. Before leaving, he even shot a smug glance at the Zhu brothers, as if to say: "Look at that, this is the special treatment reserved for the chief senior apprentice."

Upon arriving at the Emerald Pavilion and seeing the luxurious interior, Li Qi was secretly amazed. Putting everything else aside, the kitchen alone was several times larger than the one at the Drunken Immortal House.

Cai Minde, who had been waiting in the main hall, saw Li Qi's expression and a triumphant look crossed his face. He had no intention of letting the restaurant's chefs learn how to make this stinky tofu from Li Qi tonight; instead, he planned to handle it himself, seeing as he was a chef by trade.

Li Qi was rather surprised by this, but he also understood that Cai Minde was doing this simply to prevent more people from learning the secret recipe of the stinky tofu.

Li Qi first handed the recipe he had written that very afternoon to Cai Minde. When Cai Minde saw the crooked, clumsy handwriting on the paper, he was utterly shocked. He never would have imagined that Li Qi—the very person who had effortlessly matched the couplets of the White Lady and Young Master Song—wrote handwriting so terribly ugly.

Li Qi cast a nervous glance at Cai Minde, knowing full well what he was thinking. His face turned beet red in an instant, and he thought to himself: *I must find a way to get a fountain pen; writing brushes are truly unsuited for someone like me.*

Fortunately, Cai Minde was neither a refined scholar nor a literary figure, so he didn't dwell on it too much, quickly shifting his attention back to the contents of the secret recipe. Seeing that the ingredients for the stinky tofu were so remarkably cheap, he almost leaped for joy. He thought to himself: *Oh, you old Wu, using such cheap ingredients to sell at such a high price—who would have thought this old man could be so ruthless?*

Little did he know, this entire idea had been cooked up by Li Qi.

When Li Qi saw Cai Minde's ecstatic expression, he regretted it so deeply his intestines turned green. He silently reproached himself: *Why didn't I think of this sooner? If I had told him the cost price of this stinky tofu earlier, perhaps the price of the recipe could have been driven even higher. I've lost out, I've really lost out! It seems I still have quite a gap to bridge when it comes to doing business compared to my future father-in-law!*

After both parties signed the previously negotiated agreement, they headed together to the kitchen.

The two of them fussed about inside the kitchen for over an hour before finally coming out.

However, their expressions upon emerging were polar opposites. Li Qi was utterly exhausted, so tired he could barely lift his head. Just moments before, he had explained every single step and detail of making the stinky tofu to Cai Minde in thorough detail, and had even taught him hand-in-hand how to fry it.

There was not the slightest bit of trickery in this!

Even if Li Qi's courage were ten times larger, he wouldn't dare play tricks here. He knew Cai Minde was a chef who had come from Minister Cai Jing's household. Cai Jing's palate was notoriously fastidious—as recorded in historical texts—and being a chef in his household proved that Cai Minde's culinary skills were extraordinary. To play cheap tricks in front of such an expert was simply courting death.

Cai Minde, on the other hand, was full of high spirits. Indeed, great joy brings a fresh, vibrant spirit!

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Thanks to the reader "Soul-stirring Seven-Three-Seven-Four" for the tip. The author is not a chef, merely a pure foodie.

(End of this chapter)