Chapter 29

The next day, the sky was still gray when Li Qi got out of bed. After washing up, he picked up the conical hat and a long, slender bamboo fishing rod that he had asked Wu Xiaoliu to find for him the night before.

Li Qi put the hat on his head, shouldered the fishing rod, and was about to go out when he suddenly saw a black shadow standing right in front of him. He jumped back in fright and shouted, "Ghost!"

"It's me, Brother Li, it's Xiaoliu. It's already light, where did you see a ghost?" Wu Xiaoliu said, looking aggrieved.

Xiaoliu? Li Qi looked closely and saw it was indeed Wu Xiaoliu. He felt relieved and patted his chest, thinking he had almost died before he could even start. He took a deep breath to calm down.

After calming down, Li Qi's body trembled, and he glared at Wu Xiaoliu, saying angrily, "You little brat, do you want a beating? Running around my door so early in the morning, do you know that scaring someone can scare them to death?"

Wu Xiaoliu looked aggrieved, pouted, and shook his head honestly.

Seeing his pitiful look, Li Qi didn't want to argue with him and waved his hand, saying, "Forget it, forget it. I was just careless. What bad luck. By the way, are you here to see me?"

Wu Xiaoliu nodded vigorously, opened his mouth, and then noticed Li Qi's strange appearance with the hat on. He asked, "Brother Li, are you going out?"

"Yes, didn't I tell you yesterday? I have some things to do today," Li Qi nodded.

"Where are you going dressed like that?" Wu Xiaoliu asked curiously.

"I'm going to—why do you ask? Remember, you have to work hard for me today. If anything goes wrong, I'll beat you to death," Li Qi "threatened."

"Uh!" Wu Xiaoliu nodded, his eyes showing a hint of tension.

"Hey, by the way, what do you think of Brother Li's outfit today?" Li Qi pulled the brim of the hat down low, only exposing his chin, and struck a few poses, smiling, "How does it look? Isn't it very cool?"

"Huh?"

Wu Xiaoliu's dark eyes scrutinized Li Qi, scratched his head, and said honestly, "Brother Li, your face is all covered, how can I tell?"

"You—You shallow brat, you have no sense of aesthetics at all." Li Qi lifted the hat, glared at Wu Xiaoliu, and seeing his confused look, sighed and asked, "Tell me, what do you want?"

"Oh, it's like this, Brother Li, I didn't sleep all night," Wu Xiaoliu said, looking troubled.

Can't sleep? If you can't sleep, why come to me? I'm not a psychologist. Li Qi rolled his eyes and asked casually, "Thinking about Xiaotao?"

Wu Xiaoliu nodded subconsciously, then quickly shook his head, blushing, "Brother Li, I don't have time to think about those things now."

Pfft! You're thinking about them less. Li Qi squinted his eyes and said impatiently, "Then why couldn't you sleep?"

Wu Xiaoliu lowered his head and said, "I've never cooked in front of so many people before, so—"

I get it, you were nervous and couldn't sleep. Li Qi knew Wu Xiaoliu's character; he was the type who would get nervous easily. He patted his shoulder and said earnestly, "Xiaoliu, I understand how you feel, but everything has a first time. I saw you practice the technique of frying stinky tofu very well last night, so don't be nervous. Just do it like you did last night. I have confidence in you. Just focus on frying the tofu, and don't worry about anything else. Your uncle will help you. Remember, as long as you do your best, you will get the customers' approval. As a chef, you need to have confidence, got it?"

"I understand, Brother Li. Don't worry, I won't let you down." After Li Qi's encouragement, Wu Xiaoliu's confidence increased, and his nervousness disappeared. He stood up straight and said confidently.

Li Qi patted his shoulder and smiled, "You can be taught. Alright, I think it's about time. Go get the tofu from the jar and tell your uncle to prepare to open for business. I have something to do, so I'll go first. Remember, you can do it."

"Okay!" Wu Xiaoliu nodded vigorously.

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After leaving Zui Xian Ju, Li Qi walked west along the river to a place with clear water and green mountains, where few people lived. The clear river flowed quietly, and the warm spring breeze gently blew, making the leaves rustle. The orioles sang, and the crickets played, making the scene truly refreshing.

Li Qi stood on the grass by the river, stretched lazily, took a deep breath, and said, "Refreshing! Low-carbon life? Ha, I'm living a 'no-carbon life'!"

Actually, Li Qi had nothing to do today. He just wanted to take a break and relax, and at the same time, cultivate his character. Most importantly, he really didn't want to smell the stinky tofu anymore. Just thinking about it made him feel nauseous.

Li Qi himself wasn't particularly fond of stinky tofu, but his father and father-in-law both loved it. So he had tried various flavors of stinky tofu. The stinky tofu he made now combined the strengths of Changsha Huagong and Shaoxing stinky tofu, creating a new type of stinky tofu.

Wu Furong still thought he was doing something important and was worried about him.

Of course, Li Qi wanted to tell Wu Furong the truth, but as a leader, he couldn't set a good example by slacking off and skipping work at such a critical time. It would demoralize the team. Therefore, he had to resort to this tactic. Besides, frying stinky tofu wasn't difficult, and Wu Xiaoliu could handle it.

After resting for a while, Li Qi picked up the fishing rod and threw it into the river without any bait. He then stuck the other end of the rod into the soil, patted his hands, and took a deep breath. He walked to a big tree nearby, leaned against the trunk, and covered his face with the hat, falling into a deep sleep.

Fishing? Li Qi didn't have the patience for that. He admired the idea of "those who are willing will come" like Jiang Taigong.

Although he had been exhausted these past few days, he felt his life was more fulfilling. He wasn't as aimless as when he first arrived, and his thoughts of his wife and parents had diminished. Unconsciously, Li Qi had gradually adapted to this era.

He didn't know how long he had slept when he suddenly heard someone calling, "Young Master, Young Master, the fish is on the hook."

Damn! There really are people who are willing to be caught. Sages are sages; they do things with reason. Li Qi suddenly woke up, got up, and looked toward the river, but his expression froze. He rubbed his eyes and said in surprise, "Huh? Where's my fishing rod?"

Just as he said that, he heard a giggle from the side. He turned his head and saw a beautiful face smiling at him.

She was a young woman in her early twenties, with a delicate face, arched eyebrows, and a jade hairpin. Her eyes were like clear water, and her lips were red and her teeth white. She wore a snow-white silk dress, with a slender waist, exuding a quiet and elegant aura.

Li Qi suddenly saw her delicate hand holding a long, slender bamboo rod. It looked familiar! He pointed at the rod and said in surprise, "Huh! Isn't this my bamboo rod—no, my fishing rod?"

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Wishing everyone a happy Singles' Day.

{Piaotian Literature}