Chapter 61 Beaming with Joy

When Li Qi placed the plate of fruit salad in front of Bai Qiannuo, she was instantly struck dumb, her eyes filled with pleasant surprise. It took her quite a while to snap out of her reverie, and she asked with curiosity, "Is this a dish?"

"Of course it is."

Li Qi gave a wry smile and introduced, "This dish is called 'Smiles All Around'."

He had thought of this name long ago. If he had simply called it a fruit salad, and Bai Qiannuo asked why it was called a salad, he really wouldn't have known how to explain.

"Smiles All Around?"

Bai Qiannuo was slightly taken aback, a flash of appreciation crossing her eyes as she said, "That's a rather lovely name."

"Just so-so!"

Li Qi gave a rather cocky smile and said, "Hurry up and taste it, and by the way, give me some feedback. You are the very first person to try it, you know."

Bai Qiannuo let out an acknowledgment, picked up the spoon, but hesitated for a long time without taking a bite, her expression deeply uncertain.

Seeing this, Li Qi asked with curiosity, "What's wrong? Do you not like it?"

Bai Qiannuo shook her head and said, "It's your fault for making it look too pretty. I can't bear to mess it up."

As it turned out, the smiling face Li Qi had crafted out of fruit even carried a slight cartoonish style. Since Bai Qiannuo was seeing this kind of patterned art for the very first time, naturally, she wanted to admire it a little longer.

Sweating profusely! Li Qi smiled wryly and said, "I made it like this just to show my sincerity. If you don't eat it, then all my busywork will have been for nothing."

"Oh."

Bai Qiannuo nodded, scooped up a spoonful into her mouth, and chewed gently for a moment. Her eyes lit up, and immediately she scooped another spoonful into her mouth. This time, a brilliant gleam flashed through her eyes, and the speed at which she wielded her spoon grew faster and faster. Gradually, she almost forgot about Li Qi's existence, plunging body and soul into that plate of "Smiles All Around".

Seeing that she was eating with such relish, Li Qi decided not to disturb her. He looked around to the left and right; by now, the sky had long since grown dark. In this era, there were no electric lights, and illumination relied entirely on candlelight. The yellowish candlelight gently cast its glow upon Bai Qiannuo's fair and mesmerizing face, making her exceptionally alluring.

Li Qi could not help but watch somewhat entranced. After a moment, he gave a slight start, smiling wryly as he shook his head. He never would have imagined that a candlelight dinner in ancient times would turn out to be so cheap.

Before long, Bai Qiannuo had completely wiped out the entire plate of "Smiles All Around".

"How is it? Is it delicious?" Li Qi asked with a smile.

Bai Qiannuo shook her head.

No way? Could it be that women of this era didn't even like fruit? Li Qi asked in astonishment, "You don't like it?"

Bai Qiannuo shook her head again and said, "It's not that. Um—I just don't know how to describe this taste. Because every time it enters my mouth, the flavor is different. With every bite it makes you look forward to what the next bite will taste like. It's truly marvelous. Perhaps, just as you said, this is a delicacy that brings joy."

Good grief! And she called that not knowing how to describe it? She had gone ahead and said everything herself. Li Qi chuckled and asked, "Then are your anger levels gone now?"

Bai Qiannuo pretended to ponder for a moment before speaking, "In consideration of this plate of 'Smiles All Around', I won't hold it against you this time."

Hearing this, Li Qi let out a genuine sigh of relief in his heart, rubbed his hands together, and said bashfully, "Then what about our business partnership?"

Bai Qiannuo was slightly stunned. With a swish, she abruptly stood up, turned her back, and walked straight down toward the lower floor.

Damn it! She wanted to slip away the moment she finished eating! That was simply too lacking in sportsmanship.

Li Qi was momentarily dazed, but quickly stepped forward to block her path, asking in bewilderment, "Lady Bai, what are you doing now? Did I say something wrong?"

Bai Qiannuo tilted her head, her tone indifferent as she said, "Tomorrow morning at the Hour of Chen, wait for me at Wangchun Gate. The hour is late, and it is improper for a young maiden to linger. Farewell." With that, she skirted around Li Qi and went downstairs.

Li Qi gazed at Bai Qiannuo's departing back and scratched his head, thinking to himself that this woman must be losing her mind. Just a moment ago, things were going so well; how could she suddenly change like a completely different person? Tomorrow morning at the Hour of Chen? Why couldn't it be tonight?

Li Qi stood at the top of the stairs pondering for a long time, yet still failed to figure out why Bai Qiannuo had suddenly left. He could not help but sigh, "To think that women in this patriarchal society are still just as hard to please."

Just as he was about to head downstairs, he suddenly noticed four sneaky figures hiding in the corner of the stairwell. Li Qi rolled his eyes and said, "Come on out."

Thump, thump, thump, thump!

Wu Xiaoliu and his gang emerged one by one, every single one of them wearing an awkward smile.

Looking at these "disciples of his," Li Qi shook his head helplessly.

"Brother Li, why did Lady Bai storm off just now?" Wu Xiaoliu forced out a few laughs and asked, brimming with gossip.

Li Qi cast a cold glance at him and replied indifferently, "Maybe her 'great aunt' is visiting."

"Great aunt?"

Wu Xiaoliu blinked his eyes and asked the other three, "Did any of you see Lady Bai's great aunt?"

The other three shook their heads one after another.

Suppressing his laughter, Li Qi walked down. As he passed by Wu Xiaoliu, he gently patted him on the shoulder and said, "Tonight's kitchen cleanup is all on you. Oh right, remember to clear the bowls and chopsticks from upstairs later." With that, he walked straight away.

Wu Xiaoliu stood blankly for a good while before suddenly shouting hysterically at Li Qi's retreating figure, "Brother Li, I was wrong—"

Not long after Bai Qiannuo left, Wu Furong returned. He informed Li Qi that the tofu matter had been successfully settled, and it had turned out much simpler than imagined. Since Master Cai had contacted several mills to grind tofu for him, and Third Uncle Zhang's mill happened to be among them, there would be no problem at all even if Master Zhang demanded the goods by tomorrow.

Upon hearing this, Li Qi smiled faintly and said, "It seems that Master Cai really is my lucky star, completely tuned in to my wishes."

Treating Cai Minde as a lucky star?

I'm afraid Li Qi was the only person on earth who could utter such words.

Wu Furong gave a laugh of absolute exasperation and asked, "Then how long do you plan to stall?"

Li Qi frowned, pondered for a moment, and said, "A week—seven days should do it. Anyway, his Yang Pavilion has been in the North City for so many years, it won't collapse all of a sudden. But you must tell the mistress that once the terms are negotiated, she must first sign a contract with Master Zhang, determining the quantity and price, and making him pay a deposit upfront."

"Ah, this old servant will remember. Tomorrow I shall make another trip to the residence."

Wu Furong nodded, then suddenly seemed to recall something and hurriedly asked, "Young Master Li, the mistress also asked this old servant to inquire when our Drunken Immortal Restaurant will reopen."

"Oh, I was just about to discuss this with you," Li Qi nodded and said.

A look of joy appeared on Wu Furong's face as he asked, "Could it be that you've already picked an auspicious date?"

"There's no rush for that yet."

Li Qi waved his hand and said, "I want to renovate our Drunken Immortal Restaurant first."

A flash of disappointment crossed Wu Furong's eyes as he said, "Young Master Li, our funds on hand are still not very abundant right now. Perhaps we could postpone this matter."

At present, all the capital possessed by the Drunken Immortal Restaurant amounted to the two thousand-plus strings of cash Li Qi had earned from stinky tofu, which really wasn't all that much for a large tavern.

Knowing that Wu Furong had always been extremely cautious, Li Qi patiently explained, "Since we are reopening, we naturally must give our guests a fresh, brand-new feeling, so they will know that today's Drunken Immortal Restaurant is no longer the deserted establishment it used to be. Therefore, no matter what, we must spend this money. But don't you worry, I only intend to do a simple renovation; it won't cost all that much."

Hearing this, Wu Furong felt there was some reason to it, thinking that a simple renovation wouldn't cost a fortune.

However, when he heard the details of Li Qi's "simple" renovation plan, he never dared to think that way again.

When Li Qi said a simple renovation, in truth, it was not simple at all.

First, he requested that all tables, chairs, and benches be repainted, and all bowls and chopsticks be replaced with brand-new ones.

Second, he wanted to combine the kitchen and the storage room in the back, add five more stoves, and open up four additional windows.

Finally, he planned to set up the first floor as a mass dining hall, the second floor as private booths, and the third floor as VIP private rooms. In particular, for the VIP private rooms on the third floor, he demanded that every single object placed inside must be of top-tier quality.

After listening to all of this, Wu Furong stood in a daze for a long while before suddenly standing up and walking toward the counter with a blank expression.

Li Qi asked in astonishment, "Uncle Wu, where are you going?"

"To find the abacus."

Wu Furong replied without looking back.