Chapter 24

"Big brother, can you smell that?"

"Yes! What's that delicious smell?"

"Delicious? I smell something foul."

"Mencius said: Therefore, when Heaven is about to confer a great office on any man, it first exercises his mind with suffering, and his sinews and bones with toil, it exposes his body to hunger—hunger, huh? What's that strange smell?"

"Sir, it's time to take your medicine!"

"Cough, cough, cough, Xiaoping, what medicine did you cook today? It smells so good."

"Sir, that strange smell seems to be coming from outside."

"From outside... cough, cough, cough, put the medicine here, take me to see it quickly."

"Lady, Lady."

"Xiaotao, why are you so flustered? What happened?"

"Lady, did you smell that strange smell?"

"Yes, I did smell a strange smell just now."

"I heard on the street that this strange smell is coming from Zui Xian Ju."

"What? Could it be—go and check it out quickly."

"Yes!"

---

That day, a "strange smell" suddenly spread throughout Bianjing with the speed of a bolt of lightning. Soon, the whole city was in an uproar, and the citizens put down their work to find the source of the smell.

It didn't take long for them to find the source.

At the entrance of Zui Xian Ju, a long queue had formed, stretching all the way to the other side of the river, with no fewer than three or four hundred people. There were scholars, butchers, fishermen, maids, servants, and even merchants and innkeepers. The scene was incredibly grand, much like the ticket sales for a Michael Jackson concert.

At the front of the queue, a large stove was placed, with a pot of boiling oil on top. In the oil, about a dozen pieces of dark green, equally sized tofu were floating.

In front of the stove stood a young man, his head wrapped in a white cloth and his body covered in a blue apron. He held a pair of long chopsticks in one hand, quickly flipping the tofu in the oil, and a long spoon in the other, scooping out the fried tofu and placing it in a small bowl. Then, he took a few more pieces of tofu from a basket and threw them into the pot.

This young man was Li Qi.

"Everyone, please line up, don't rush, one by one." On Li Qi's right, Wu Xiaoliu stood on a stool, shouting loudly, looking extremely pleased. Today, he finally felt vindicated. When he started working at Zui Xian Ju, it was during its darkest period. They hardly saw two customers a day, and the worst part was that any customer who entered the shop would almost always scold him harshly before leaving in a rage.

Today was completely different. These customers were vying to put silver into his pocket. Seeing the coins pour in, Wu Xiaoliu's face lit up with joy. Today, he finally understood what business was all about. Hmph, this is how you do business.

However, Wu Xiaoliu wasn't the happiest person there. The happiest was Wu Furong, the two-generation patriarch of Zui Xian Ju. From this morning until now, his smile had never faded. In the past few days, he had been extremely anxious, unable to sleep well. Today, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing so many people vying to buy stinky tofu, he was so moved that his eyes welled up with tears. Even if he were to die now, he would die content.

Every time Li Qi scooped a spoonful of tofu into a bowl, Wu Furong quickly added a seasoning made from garlic, mustard, ginger, and sauce to each piece of tofu, then handed it to the customers.

Compared to the two of them, Li Qi was much more low-key. He didn't say a word from start to finish, focusing entirely on frying the tofu. This was his first battle in the Northern Song Dynasty, and he couldn't afford to fail!

"Hey, young man, how much do you sell this tofu for?" At this moment, a pale-faced scholar who had just caught the smell asked Wu Xiaoliu.

Wu Xiaoliu pointed to a wooden board beside him and said, "It's written there, go ahead and read it."

The scholar looked at the board and saw that it read, "Ancestral Secret Stinky Tofu, made from eight premium ingredients, 300 coins per serving (four pieces), no haggling. Due to limited quantities, each person is limited to one serving, until sold out. Please bear with us."

Stinky tofu? Just the name was enough to catch people's attention. Most dishes here were named with fancy terms, but using the word "stinky" to name a dish was unique in the entire Song Dynasty. Combined with its distinctive strong smell, it was truly flawless.

The scholar frowned and looked at the oil pot again, puzzled. "Just a few pieces of tofu for 300 coins?"

300 coins for four pieces of tofu was indeed a sky-high price in the Northern Song Dynasty, but rarity makes things valuable. Who else in the world could make it besides Li Qi? If you went elsewhere, you wouldn't be able to find it.

Wu Xiaoliu shook his head and sighed, "Sir, you don't know, do you? These few pieces of tofu aren't worth much, but as it says, they are made from eight premium ingredients, so we don't make much profit."

Although he said this, he was secretly delighted. What premium ingredients? They were just the brine that everyone else discarded. This Li brother was really good at convincing people.

These words were naturally taught to him by Li Qi. In terms of acting, Li Qi had great confidence in Wu Xiaoliu.

At this moment, a maid at the front of the queue asked, "What ingredients are used to make this stinky tofu?"

Wu Xiaoliu chuckled and said, "Miss, I already told you, it's our ancestral secret recipe. If I told you, it wouldn't be a secret anymore, and my master would beat me to death. Don't you think so?"

"Ha ha...!"

Wu Xiaoliu's comical actions and his pitiful expression made everyone burst into laughter. The maid's face turned bright red.

Hey! This little Li, daring to make up stories about me on the street. Li Qi barely suppressed his laughter, glared sideways, and shouted at Wu Xiaoliu, "Xiaoliu, stop talking nonsense and go inside to get some more tofu."

"Okay, okay, I'll go right away." Wu Xiaoliu hurriedly responded. He didn't dare to disobey Li Qi's orders and quickly jumped off the stool and ran inside.

As soon as he entered the hall, he heard various praises.

"Mmm—delicious, really delicious!"

"This stinky tofu is really good!"

"Brother—hey—look, I've finished my stinky tofu. How about we split your last piece?"

"Get lost! If you try to take my stinky tofu, we won't be brothers anymore."

...

Seeing everyone devouring the tofu, Wu Xiaoliu felt extremely pleased, his face beaming with satisfaction.

At this moment, a burly man dressed as a butcher ran out of the shop with an empty bowl, smiling obsequiously at Li Qi. "Young man, your stinky tofu is truly amazing. I've never tasted anything so good in my life. Hehe, can I have another bowl?"

Li Qi smiled slightly and said, "I'm sorry, but our boss has ordered that each person can only buy one serving. If you want more, come early tomorrow."

The butcher smacked his lips, still craving more, and sighed, "Ah, your boss really doesn't know how to do business. If my pork shop had such good business, I'd be willing to sell my own flesh."

Sweat! I'm not in the business of making human meat buns. Your muscles, even if you gave them to me, I wouldn't want them. Li Qi barely suppressed his disgust and gave the butcher a polite smile.

"Alright, alright, I'll come back tomorrow." The butcher shook his head, put down the bowl, and glanced longingly at the stinky tofu in the oil pot, taking a deep sniff before leaving with regret.

The butcher's words were undoubtedly the best advertisement. Those who hadn't tasted it were drooling, almost covering the ground.

---

Regarding updates, due to my recent busy work schedule, I can't guarantee two chapters a day, but I will definitely update one chapter between 2 PM and 3 PM.

As usual, I shout for recommendations and collections.

{Piao Tian Literature}