Chapter 49

It’s really something, it’s almost the third watch of the night, and it’s pitch black with no streetlights. We have to walk back, and I don’t mind, but Uncle Wu is so old. What if he falls? What will we do? I just can’t believe that the Qin family, being so large, doesn’t even have a guest room. How stingy can they be?

After leaving the back hall, Li Qi had many complaints about Lady Qin, muttering to himself.

When he arrived at the front hall, he saw that only Wu Furong and his nephew Wu Xiaoliu were sitting there. It seemed that Wu Xiaoliu had just been scolded by Wu Furong, as he was now hanging his head, looking unhappy.

“Uncle Wu!” Li Qi chuckled.

Wu Furong gave Li Qi a sidelong glance, snorted heavily, and turned his head away, but his eyes betrayed a hint of doubt.

Wu Xiaoliu was about to call out “Brother Li,” but seeing Wu Furong’s angry expression, he swallowed his words and looked at Li Qi with a pained expression.

Li Qi waved at Wu Xiaoliu, signaling him not to speak, then walked up to Wu Furong and bowed, saying, “Uncle Wu, it was my fault just now. Please forgive me.”

“Hmph! I dare not, I dare not! I can’t afford to bear it,” Wu Furong said coldly.

Seeing that Wu Furong was not appeased, Li Qi was not bothered and asked with a smile, “Don’t you want to know what Lady Qin said to me just now?”

This was something Wu Furong really wanted to know, but he couldn’t bring himself to ask Li Qi. He opened his mouth but said nothing.

“Sigh! What a pity, what a pity!” Li Qi suddenly sighed deeply and shook his head.

Wu Xiaoliu asked casually, “What a pity?”

But as soon as he spoke, he regretted it, nervously glancing at Wu Furong. Seeing that he didn’t seem to be about to explode, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Li Qi smiled and said, “It’s a pity that your uncle’s days at Zui Xian Ju might not be long.”

Wu Furong was startled and said angrily, “What are you talking about? And what did you say to Lady Qin just now?”

Li Qi spread his hands and said, “I didn’t say anything just now. Lady Qin did all the talking. She said that when Zui Xian Ju reopens, she will take charge of it. So I said that in a few years, you might be able to retire like Master Zhou.”

“Is that true?”

Wu Furong’s heart leaped, and he hurriedly asked. Even if retirement was not immediate, if Lady Qin could manage Zui Xian Ju’s business, it would be a great blessing for him.

Although he was still relatively healthy, at his age, he often felt that his strength was not up to the task. With only Lady Qin left in the Qin family, if she could take charge, it would be a great relief to him both mentally and physically. He would no longer worry about what would happen to Zui Xian Ju if he were to pass away.

Li Qi chuckled and said, “Of course, I wouldn’t dare to lie to you. If you don’t believe me, go ask Lady Qin yourself. And from now on, I will officially become the old—owner of Zui Xian Ju.”

What a turn of events!

Wu Furong frowned at Li Qi, then burst out laughing, “I finally understand. You said all that just to get Lady Qin to take charge of Zui Xian Ju.”

You’re a bit slow, aren’t you?

Li Qi laughed and said, “I did it to reduce your burden.”

Wu Furong clearly didn’t believe him and said irritably, “If you scare me less in the future, I’ll be grateful!”

“Of course not!” Li Qi said with a smile.

He held Wu Furong in high regard and owed him his life. In his heart, he already considered Wu Furong a family member.

Although he knew that Li Qi had not intentionally insulted Lady Qin, when he thought about what Li Qi had said, Wu Furong still felt a bit uneasy. He advised, “Young Master Li, I know you meant well, but what you said to Lady Qin was a bit too much.”

“I know, but I had no choice. If I hadn’t said those things, do you think Lady Qin would have agreed?” Li Qi rolled his eyes.

He had a point.

Wu Furong nodded and said, “But you should have let me know beforehand!”

Li Qi said irritably, “If I had told you beforehand, would I have had the chance to say those things?”

...

Wu Furong was left speechless.

At this moment, Wu Xiaoliu suddenly leaned in and asked with a grin, “Brother Li, Uncle, what are you talking about?”

When did this kid come over?

Before Wu Furong could speak, Li Qi glared at Wu Xiaoliu and said, “Go away, kid. What do you know? You need to focus on improving your cooking skills, or else, you know the consequences.”

“No!”

Wu Xiaoliu shook his head vigorously and said with a pained expression, “I want to practice, but you haven’t taught us anything!”

Hey! This kid is getting cheeky!

But—maybe I haven’t taught them much.

Li Qi knew he was in the wrong but wouldn’t admit it, saying, “Didn’t I teach you how to clean? And didn’t I always have you cut cucumbers? These are all basic skills. If you can’t do these well, you won’t be able to learn anything else.”

“Okay!”

Wu Xiaoliu lowered his head in response.

“This kid always tries to be smart. You need to keep an eye on him,” Wu Furong glared at Wu Xiaoliu and then said to Li Qi.

Li Qi nodded and said, “You’re right, Uncle. I haven’t been strict enough with them.”

The two of them talking like this made Wu Xiaoliu break out in a sweat. He thought to himself, if they team up, what will I do? I need to go back and discuss a strategy with Dazhu and Xiaozhu.

Even if Wu Xialiu hadn’t said anything, Li Qi had already planned to use this time to supervise their cooking practice, as they didn’t have much time left.

However, learning to cook isn’t something that can be done overnight. It’s like learning martial arts; it requires long-term practice to improve. But Li Qi wanted to use this time to teach them some basics, such as knife skills, washing vegetables, buying ingredients, and understanding food.

He didn’t want to be busy doing everything himself when Zui Xian Ju officially opened. As for seasoning and cooking, he planned to teach them when he cooked himself.

The next morning, Li Qi first had the brothers Dazhu and Xiaozhu fry tofu at the door, while he taught Wu Xiaoliu cooking skills in the kitchen, starting with sharpening knives.

Don’t underestimate sharpening knives. Li Qi had sharpened knives for three years with his father. A chef who can’t sharpen a knife isn’t a chef.

After sharpening knives for a few years, you can naturally tell which knives are good.

When Wu Xiaoliu first heard that Li Qi would teach him cooking, he was very excited. But when Li Qi told him to start with sharpening knives, his enthusiasm quickly waned.

Li Qi didn’t explain, as this is something you have to experience yourself.

After the brothers Dazhu and Xiaozhu finished their task, Li Qi also had them join Wu Xiaoliu in sharpening knives, teaching them the techniques and sharing his own experience.

Next, Li Qi taught them knife skills, such as slicing, chopping, and mincing, as well as techniques for cutting food into strips, segments, cubes, and other shapes.

These skills alone would take them months to learn.

Whenever they practiced, Li Qi would constantly remind them not to slack off and to practice diligently.

These knife skills directly affect the color, aroma, taste, and appearance of a dish. It’s like the foundation of a building. If the foundation isn’t solid, even if the building is magnificent, it will still be a dangerous structure.

Among the three apprentices, Wu Xiaoliu had the highest talent, but he wasn’t as diligent as the brothers Dazhu and Xiaozhu. After a few days, their skill levels were about the same.

Actually, the kitchen is only a chef’s second battlefield. The first battlefield is the market.

Buying ingredients is also a skill. Being able to select the best and most suitable ingredients from a pile of mixed materials is crucial for a chef.

One day, Li Qi took the three apprentices to Xiong Butcher’s pork shop on Muxing Street.

“What kind of meat is this?” Li Qi pointed to a piece of lean meat on the cutting board.

“Pork.”

The three answered in unison.

Li Qi rolled his eyes and said, “This is hind leg meat.” He sighed and continued, “This meat is tender and smooth. How should it be cooked?”

Wu Xiaoliu laughed and said, “Good meat can be cooked in any way.”

The brothers Dazhu and Xiaozhu nodded in agreement.

“You don’t know, do you?”

Li Qi glared at them and said, “You can slice it, cut it into strips, braise it, stew it, or marinate it.” He then picked up the piece of meat and handed it to Wu Xiaoliu, asking, “How much does this piece of meat weigh?”

Wu Xiaoliu weighed the pork, saying, “More than a pound.” He then passed it to the brothers Dazhu and Xiaozhu.

Chen Xiaozhu tried it and said, “I think it’s less than a pound.”

“I say it’s one and a half pounds.”

“What one and a half pounds? It’s one pound and two ounces.”

Li Qi sighed, shook his head in dissatisfaction, and handed the meat to Xiong Butcher, saying, “Uncle, I’ll take this piece of meat.”

Xiong Butcher weighed it and was surprised, saying, “Young sir, you have a good eye. It’s exactly one pound and two ounces.”

Li Qi smiled politely and said to the three apprentices, “As a chef, knowing the weight of ingredients is a basic skill. You need to have a clear idea of how much you need. If you’re asked to cook two dishes of the same size, and one uses a pound of meat while the other uses half a pound, the customers will surely complain. When you grab seasoning, how much do you grab? Do I have to hire a helper to weigh it for you? Remember, no matter what you buy, pay attention to the weight. Understand?”

“Understood.”

Li Qi had them take the meat and then went to a fish vendor on the street, pointing to a large basket of carp and saying, “Pick out the three freshest fish.”

The three immediately squatted down to examine the fish.

After a while, each of them picked what they thought was the freshest fish.

Li Qi glanced at the fish they had chosen, seeing that each one was larger than the last, and almost fainted in anger. He said, “Do you think you’re picking gold? The bigger, the better? Look at the fish you picked. Their eyes are sunken, and their bodies have lost their luster. It’s clear they’re not fresh. You’re so kind, you’ve picked the worst ones and left the best for others.”

The three were scolded into silence, hanging their heads.

Li Qi then took the three around the market, explaining the taste, uses, and health benefits of various foods and seasonings. He also told them stories about food to increase their interest.

Although Wu Xiaoliu and the others had poor basic skills, they were diligent and serious, and they dared to ask questions when they didn’t understand.

Li Qi patiently explained to them over and over again until they understood.