Chapter 23

The next morning, Li Qi called Wu Xiaoliu to the kitchen.

Wu Xiaoliu, though unclear about what exactly happened at the Qin residence yesterday, knew that following Li Qi would definitely be a good move. He smiled obsequiously and said, "Brother Li, did you call me here to teach me how to cook?"

"Exactly!" Li Qi nodded.

"Really!" Wu Xiaoliu exclaimed, his face beaming with joy. "So, what dish do you plan to teach me today?"

Li Qi shook his head and said, "Let's not rush into that. I want to ask you, do you know what the most basic requirement is for a chef?"

Wu Xiaoliu thought seriously for a moment and said, "Cooking skills?"

Li Qi shook his head again.

"Talent?" Wu Xiaoliu suggested.

Li Qi still shook his head.

Wu Xiaoli frowned and said, "Is it knife skills?"

Knife skills? Do you think this is a martial arts movie? Li Qi glared at him and said, "The most basic requirement for a chef is hygiene."

"Hygiene?" Wu Xiaoliu asked, puzzled.

Li Qi explained, "In simple terms, 'hygiene' means cleanliness."

"Oh, I understand that," Wu Xiaoliu nodded quickly.

"You must remember, as a chef, no matter what you do, you must always prioritize hygiene. We must be responsible for every customer who comes to eat here. The most basic requirement for customers is health. If they get sick from eating our food, who would dare to come here again? So you must remember this."

Saying this, Li Qi suddenly reached out and slapped Wu Xiaoliu's hand, which was scratching his head, and said sternly, "Are you treating my words as if they were just passing by your ears? I tell you to be hygienic, and you start scratching your head in the kitchen. Do you know that dandruff is a big taboo for chefs? If I see you scratching your head, or picking your nose or ears in the kitchen again, you'll have to go back to being a bartender."

"Don't, Brother Li, I won't do it again. Please don't make me go back to being a bartender," Wu Xiaoliu shuddered and begged.

"That depends on your future performance," Li Qi said sternly, knowing that Wu Xiaoliu was the type who only responded to strictness. He continued, "Now, I'll explain the hygiene rules for chefs in detail." Wu Xiaoliu's head felt like it was going to explode. The concept of "hygiene" in Li Qi's words seemed to have never existed in his life. Not bathing for days and not washing hands for a day were very common for him.

Seeing Wu Xiaoliu's depressed expression, Li Qi knew it would be unrealistic to expect him to change immediately. He would need to supervise him more in the future. He then said, "Do you know what to do now?"

Wu Xiaoliu nodded and then shook his head.

Li Qi glared at him and pointed to the kitchen, "Do you think our kitchen meets the hygiene standards I just mentioned?"

Wu Xiaoliu looked around and shook his head.

Li Qi nodded and said, "Good. I'll give you one day to clean this place. Clean the tables, the stove, and wash the bowls and chopsticks. My requirement is simple: spotless. Also, get rid of all the sticks, hoes, and other things we don't use. This is a kitchen, not a storage room."

Wu Xiaoliu almost collapsed, his face full of despair. "Brother Li, this is too much work."

"Too much?" Li Qi smiled and patted his shoulder. "It might seem like a lot the first time, but you'll get used to it after a few times. Your first task every day will be to clean the kitchen. This is your required course."

"Ah—?" Wu Xiaoliu's legs went weak, and he almost fell to the ground.

Just then, Wu Furong's voice came from outside, "Young Master Li, Young Master Li."

Sweat! I haven't even officially taken over Zui Xian Ju, and you've already changed the way you address me. This is too fast. Li Qi smiled bitterly and replied, "Uncle Wu, I'm in the kitchen."

A moment later, Wu Furong rushed in. Seeing Li Qi's relaxed expression, he asked anxiously, "Young Master Li, what are you doing here?"

Li Qi chuckled and said, "Oh, I'm teaching Xiaoliu how to be a real chef."

"What?"

Wu Furong was taken aback and slapped his thigh. "Oh, Young Master Li, what time is it now? How can you have such leisure time? Have you forgotten the promise you made to the lady?"

"Uncle, what promise?" Wu Xiaoliu suddenly chimed in, curious.

"Go away, do your work," Li Qi waved him off and gestured to Wu Furong. "Uncle Wu, let's go inside to talk."

The two went to Li Qi's room. Li Qi poured Wu Furong a cup of tea and sat on the bed, smiling. "Uncle Wu, don't worry, everything is under control. Someone will bring me money soon."

"Someone will bring you money? Who?" Wu Furong asked curiously.

"You'll know when the time comes. If I tell you now, it might go wrong," Li Qi said mysteriously.

Wu Furong was skeptical. "Really?"

Li Qi smiled innocently. "Of course, how could I deceive you?"

You've deceived me enough. Wu Furong gave him a suspicious glance.

Li Qi smiled awkwardly. "By the way, when you go back, don't tell the lady the truth. Just say I'm out on business—hey, don't look at me like that. I just don't want the lady to worry."

In fact, Li Qi had already predicted that Lady Qin would send Wu Furong to gather information.

Wu Furong's face turned red, and he nodded. "Don't let the lady down."

Li Qi smiled and nodded.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Four days passed in a blink. During these days, Li Qi either stayed in the kitchen with Wu Xiaoliu or hid in his room. Wu Furong visited the shop twice but left disappointed each time. Later, he moved back to the shop and followed Li Qi around every day. Li Qi didn't mind and continued with his usual activities.

One evening, a burly man driving a donkey cart covered with a white cloth arrived at the back gate of Zui Xian Ju. The man first tied the donkey to a tree beside the gate and then knocked on the door.

The door opened, and Wu Xiaoliu was there. "Oh? Aren't you Uncle Zhang from the mill on East Street? Are you here to see my uncle?"

"No, no, no, I'm here to see Young Master Li," Uncle Zhang waved his hands.

"Is it Uncle Zhang?"

At that moment, Li Qi and Wu Furong also came out. Seeing Li Qi, Uncle Zhang said hurriedly, "Young Master Li, I've brought the goods you asked for."

"Thank you, Uncle Zhang."

Li Qi bowed to Uncle Zhang and walked to the donkey cart. He lifted the white cloth and saw several wooden boxes, each filled with 5 cm square pieces of tofu.

"Young Master Li, there are 40 pounds of tofu, 546 pieces in total. I counted them, and they are all made according to your instructions. Do you think they are okay?" Uncle Zhang smiled.

Li Qi hummed and picked up a piece, tearing off a small piece and putting it in his mouth, chewing it carefully.

"Very good, this is exactly what I wanted."

Li Qi nodded in satisfaction and took out a dozen copper coins from his pocket, handing them to Uncle Zhang with a smile. "Uncle Zhang, thank you very much."

Uncle Zhang waved his hands in refusal. "Young Master Li, how can I accept this? You've already paid me. I can't take your money. No, no, I can't accept it."

Li Qi liked dealing with such honest people and forced the copper coins into his hand. "Just take it. I'll need your help for the next few days."

Uncle Zhang, unable to resist, took the copper coins. Then, following Li Qi's instructions, they moved the four boxes of tofu into the wine cellar of Zui Xian Ju.

After Uncle Zhang left, Wu Furong noticed four large jars in the wine cellar and asked Wu Xiaoliu, "Xiaoliu, who brought these jars?"

"I brought them in," Li Qi said.

"You?" Wu Furong was surprised and asked, "Young Master Li, what's inside these jars?"

"You'll know soon."

Li Qi smiled and suddenly lifted the lid of one of the jars. A pungent, sour smell immediately filled the air. Wu Furong quickly covered his nose and said, "This smell is...?"

"Ha ha, you guessed right. This is the leftover brine from pickled amaranth," Li Qi smiled and then instructed Wu Xiaoliu, "Xiaoliu, there are some white cloths in the low cabinet in my room. Go and get them for me."

Wu Xiaoliu responded and ran out. A moment later, he returned with several square white cloths. "Brother Li, I've brought the white cloths."

Li Qi nodded. "Good. Wrap the tofu in these white cloths and put them all in the jars."

"Ah?" Wu Furong exclaimed, looking at Li Qi in disbelief.

Wu Xiaoliu, seeing Wu Furong's surprised expression, laughed. "Uncle, you don't know. A few days ago, Brother Li poured several jars of fine wine into the brine. These boxes of tofu are nothing compared to that."

"You talk too much, and you're not working," Li Qi glared at Wu Xiaoliu and scolded him with a smile.

Wu Xiaoliu laughed and immediately squatted down to work.

Pouring wine into the brine? Wu Furong had never heard of such a thing and drew a sharp breath. "Young Master Li, what are you planning to do?"

Li Qi's lips curled up. "I plan to give it a—stinky熏Lianjing (a play on words, referring to a stinky dish)."

{Piaotian Literature}