Chapter 54

One day, very early in the morning, Li Qi said goodbye to Wu Furong and set out alone. He didn’t mention where he was going, but Wu Furong was already used to it.

Li Qi wandered around the city for a while, and only after making sure no one was following him did he head straight for the Wangchun Gate.

After passing through the Wangchun Gate, he walked a few miles to the eastern outskirts of the city, where he arrived at a blacksmith's shop. It was a wooden house of about forty square meters, with a simple shed in front. Under the shed was a large furnace, and next to the furnace was a big anvil.

At that moment, three men were standing in front of the furnace, working with hammers. They were a middle-aged man in his forties or fifties and two young men in their twenties.

The three men looked somewhat alike, clearly a father and his two sons.

"Master Liu! Eldest Son! Second Son!"

Li Qi greeted them as he approached.

"Master Li!"

...

Seeing Li Qi, the three men quickly put down their work and came forward to greet him.

Liu the blacksmith rubbed his hands on the burlap at his waist, bowed to Li Qi, and said, "Master Li, why have you come today?"

"I just happened to have nothing to do today, so I came to visit," Li Qi chuckled.

Liu the blacksmith extended his hand in a gesture of invitation, saying, "Master Li, please come inside."

Li Qi clasped his hands and smiled, nodding, "Thank you."

"Stay here and watch. I’ll go inside to talk with Master Li," Liu the blacksmith instructed his two sons, then led Li Qi into the house.

Inside, iron tools and various iron items were scattered everywhere, and the floor was covered with iron filings, making it very messy. In the middle of the room was a small wooden table and three wooden stools, which they used for meals. On the left was a closed wooden door.

After inviting Li Qi to sit down, Liu the blacksmith took out a bowl, poured a cup of tea for Li Qi, and handed it to him, saying, "Master Li, please have some tea."

Seeing Liu the blacksmith's blackened hands, Li Qi felt a bit nauseous, but he couldn’t bear to refuse his hospitality. He took the tea and sipped it lightly, then asked, "Master Liu, how many have you made?"

Liu the blacksmith replied, "Thirty-two, and we still need to make sixty-eight more."

Li Qi was surprised by the speed of their handiwork and nodded in satisfaction. He then asked, "How many more days will it take?"

Liu the blacksmith thought for a moment and said, "Probably about twenty more days."

"Twenty more days?"

Li Qi frowned and thought for a moment, then said, "Alright! By the way, where are the ones you’ve already made? I’d like to take a look, if it’s convenient."

"Of course, of course. Master Li, please follow me."

Liu the blacksmith stood up and led Li Qi to the closed wooden door. He opened it, and a white cloth came into view.

Liu the blacksmith lifted the white cloth, revealing dozens of iron pots of uniform size underneath.

The pots were round, about a foot in diameter, with a conical iron tube about ten centimeters high in the middle. The base of the pot was also iron, ten centimeters high and fifteen centimeters in diameter, conical in shape, narrower at the top and wider at the bottom, hollow inside, with a round hole just large enough for a fist to fit through.

Li Qi picked one up and examined it closely, tapping it lightly. He heard a clear "ding ding ding" sound.

After looking at it for a while, Li Qi suddenly put the pot down, sighed, and shook his head.

"Master Li, is there something wrong with it?" Liu the blacksmith asked, his face full of concern.

Li Qi was slightly taken aback and smiled at Liu the blacksmith, saying, "Very good, I’m very satisfied."

Although he said that, Li Qi actually had many complaints about the iron pots. For example, the weight of the pots was much heavier than he had expected. However, with the current technology, this was the best they could do. He had originally hoped to use copper, but the government had already banned the use of copper, so he couldn’t risk it and had to use iron instead.

Hearing this, Liu the blacksmith immediately turned from worried to happy, chuckling a few times.

Li Qi took out several silver ingots from his pocket and handed them to Liu the blacksmith, saying, "Here are ten taels of silver. Take it first. I’ll give you another twenty taels when everything is completed."

Liu the blacksmith quickly took the silver, grinning widely. This was already the second payment from Li Qi. He had received ten taels at the beginning, so in total, Li Qi would pay him forty taels. For Liu the blacksmith, this was a big deal, and he couldn’t help but cherish it. He nodded and promised, "Yes, yes, Master Li, you can rest assured. We will do our best to finish the one hundred iron pots as soon as possible."

Li Qi shook his head and said, "I’m not in a hurry right now. The most important thing is to ensure the quality—oh, to be meticulous in the work."

"Yes, yes, I understand," Liu the blacksmith nodded.

Li Qi nodded and added, "Apart from you three, I don’t want anyone else to know about this. Also, I don’t want anyone else to see these iron pots."

Liu the blacksmith nodded, saying, "Don’t worry, Master Li. I know what to do."

"Alright! You can get back to work. I’ll be on my way."

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

After leaving the blacksmith's shop, Li Qi took a deep breath.

Clearly, those iron pots were old-style charcoal hot pots.

Hot pot!

This dish, with its strong Chinese characteristics, would be the key to whether Zui Xian Ju could successfully launch its first major hit. It was also a crucial card in Li Qi’s hand.

Although in the Northern Song Dynasty, hot pots were already available in the winter in Kaifeng’s taverns, they had not yet become widespread. The culture of hot pot was still in its early stages, with a limited variety of flavors and a lack of understanding of the essence of hot pot.

However, Li Qi, a chef from 900 years later, was extremely familiar with hot pot. He knew how to make over a dozen famous hot pots from all over China, such as Chongqing spicy hot pot, Beijing mutton hot pot, and Guangdong seafood hot pot, and he could make them with very authentic flavors. Not only that, he had also explored some famous hot pots from abroad. He had even considered using the Japanese paper hot pot, but unfortunately, he didn’t know what material the special paper was made of, so he had to give up on that idea.

The word "hot pot" alone contained hundreds of dishes, and it was flexible enough to satisfy the diverse tastes of most customers.

But that wasn’t the reason Li Qi chose hot pot.

At the moment, only Li Qi himself could be considered a qualified chef at Zui Xian Ju. Wu Xiaoliu and the brothers Zhu were at best just helpers. In the past, Li Qi would never have allowed people of their skill level to enter his "domain," but now he had to accept this reality.

Li Qi had considered hiring chefs from outside, but the skilled chefs had already been hired by other taverns or wealthy families. Moreover, he didn’t trust people he didn’t know, as he couldn’t be sure if they were spies from other taverns.

If the skill levels of the chefs in a tavern were too different, it would be unacceptable.

Therefore, Li Qi chose hot pot.

Because preparing the hot pot base didn’t require many people, and he could handle it alone. This way, he could have more control over the entire kitchen.