Chapter 6

"我没有自由啊！没有自由啊！伤心，痛心，我眼泪流...我眼泪流！——啊！真无聊啊！"

It was already noon, but Li Qi was still lying in bed, his hands propping up his head, his legs crossed, staring blankly at the ceiling, looking completely idle.

He had been in the Northern Song Dynasty for almost half a month. Apart from the fresh air, the biggest feeling he had was boredom. No TV, no computer, not even a newspaper. The popular poetry and couplets here didn't interest him. He couldn't afford to visit brothels, and even if he had the money, he wouldn't dare to go. In this era, security measures were so poor, and there weren't even condoms. If he caught some disease, whether it could be cured was questionable.

This tmd really isn't a life for a human.

Li Qi cursed fiercely in his heart, sat up, and glanced outside. Thinking that sitting around was just a waste of time, he decided to go see if Uncle Wu needed any help, otherwise he would really die of boredom.

Li Qi hummed a tune and came to Zui Xian Ju, which still looked desolate. In the first-floor hall, only Wu Xiao Liu was sitting on a bench, looking even more bored than Li Qi.

Another pitiful kid! Li Qi sighed, looked around, and didn't see Wu Fu Rong, feeling very surprised. He came to Wu Xiao Liu and asked, "Xiao Liu, where is Uncle Wu?"

In Li Qi's impression, Wu Fu Rong was an absolutely excellent employee, never late or early to leave, let alone absent. Seeing him not at his post today, Li Qi was very curious.

Wu Xiao Liu answered listlessly, "Uncle and Master Zhou were called to the mansion by the lady early this morning for a meeting."

The lady Wu Xiao Liu mentioned was the true owner of the restaurant. Wu Fu Rong was just an employee, a fact Li Qi learned from Wu Xiao Liu.

Not holding meetings at the company but at home? Could there be something fishy? Some dirty and vulgar images involuntarily popped up in Li Qi's mind. In his time, such things were common.

Wu Xiao Liu asked casually, "Young Master Li, you didn't go out today?"

The title "Young Master Li" was quite sarcastic.

Wu Xiao Liu looked down on Li Qi, which Li Qi had long known, but he didn't care. No matter how Wu Xiao Liu mocked him, he always wore a playful smile. He wasn't so immature as to argue with a minor.

"I won't go, it's too dangerous outside. It's safer here." Li Qi shook his head and smiled. After being intimidated by Zhao Jing, he hadn't left the house for several days. Who knew if that girl was looking for him. If he couldn't avoid her, he could at least hide.

Wu Xiao Liu was taken aback but didn't ask further, thinking Li Qi had drunk himself silly. He smiled, "That's good. Anyway, you probably won't stay here for long."

"Why? Am I causing you trouble?" Li Qi's face changed, and he asked hurriedly. This was a matter of his future survival, so he couldn't help but be nervous.

"That's not it. One more or one less, it doesn't make much difference." Wu Xiao Liu shook his head and sighed, "Just—sigh, wait until Uncle Wu comes back, and you can ask him yourself."

"Oh!"

Li Qi pursed his lips, feeling uneasy. Here, besides Uncle Wu and his nephew and Master Zhou, he had no other acquaintances. If Zui Xian Ju didn't take him in, he would probably have to sleep on the streets again.

If he had known this would happen, he should have found a job. It was all that damn woman's fault, making him afraid to even leave the house. If he really starved to death on the street, he wouldn't let her off even as a ghost. Li Qi felt more and more frustrated.

"Zui Xian Ju, hmm, good name."

At this moment, two guests suddenly came in. The one who spoke was a young man in his twenties, wearing a soft silk cap, a purple embroidered robe, and holding a white paper fan. He was tall and slender, with a face like a jade crown, walking gracefully, smiling before he spoke, exuding a noble and elegant aura, clearly not an ordinary person. Behind him was a young attendant, about the same age as Wu Xiao Liu, with rosy lips and white teeth, looking obedient and clever.

Seeing them, Wu Xiao Liu immediately went forward, smiling apologetically, "Two guests, I'm sorry, the shop is not doing business today."

The young man in the purple robe raised his eyebrows, slightly displeased, and asked, "Why is that?"

Wu Xiao Liu bowed and smiled, "Today, the shopkeeper and the chef are out on business, leaving only me to watch the shop. I hope the guests can understand."

Li Qi, hearing this, was very anxious, secretly cursing Wu Xiao Liu for being stupid. In business, you don't drive away customers, especially such noble guests. Without a chef, you could get some dishes from other places. How could the business be so bad?

The young man in the purple robe looked around, seeing no other guests, and sighed regretfully, "I see." He then asked his attendant, "Do you know of any other taverns nearby?"

The attendant nodded, "Young Master, I heard there's one called Feicui Xuan across the street."

"Alright, let's go there." The young man in the purple robe nodded.

"Two guests, please wait a moment!"

Just as the master and servant were about to leave, Li Qi suddenly stood up and called out.

The young man in the purple robe turned around, looking curiously at Li Qi, and asked, "Young man, is there something else?"

Li Qi smiled slightly, "It's mealtime now. Other taverns are probably full. Even if there are seats, you'd have to wait. Since you've come to our shop, it's a matter of fate. If you don't mind, I can cook a few dishes for you. What do you think?"

Wu Xiao Liu was shocked. He had already seen that the young man in the purple robe was no ordinary person. If he offended him, he couldn't afford the consequences. He kept giving Li Qi warning looks, but Li Qi ignored them.

The young man in the purple robe was taken aback, "Who are you?"

"I'm a guest staying at this shop, but cooking a few dishes is no problem." Li Qi smiled confidently.

The young man in the purple robe looked at Li Qi for a moment, finding his words reasonable, and smiled, bowing, "Alright, then I'll trouble you, young man."

"Sure, sure!" Li Qi bowed and then whispered to Wu Xiao Liu, "Why don't you go serve the guests?"

With no other choice, Wu Xiao Liu hurried forward, smiling, "Two guests, please come upstairs."

A while later, Wu Xiao Liu came down and saw Li Qi still standing there, shocked, "Oh, Young Master Li, why are you still standing here?"

Li Qi's face turned red, and he laughed awkwardly, "Hehe, I just don't know where the kitchen is."

Wu Xiao Liu was almost driven to despair by Li Qi, "Come, come, I'll take you. Oh, you really are a pain."

Li Qi followed Wu Xiao Liu and asked, "By the way, what dishes did the guests order?"

This was the most pressing issue for Li Qi. Although he was very confident in his cooking skills and knew a lot about ancient dishes, he had only studied famous dishes. He knew nothing about the everyday dishes common people ate.

Wu Xiao Liu answered, "The guests didn't specify what they wanted, just said to make a few dishes you're good at."

Li Qi immediately felt relieved, "That's perfect."

Wu Xiao Liu asked curiously, "What's perfect? By the way, Young Master Li, can you really cook?"

Li Qi smiled, "You're the first to ask me that."

Li Qi started learning to cook from his father at the age of six and became a master chef at fifteen. During his university years, he worked as a head chef in a high-end business club. After graduation, he joined his father-in-law's ultra-luxury hotel and won the title of China's Top Chef at the age of 23.

If he couldn't cook, no one could.

Wu Xiao Liu led Li Qi to a room at the back, pointed, and said, "There, that's the kitchen." He then pushed the door open.

As soon as the kitchen door opened, a terrible smell hit them. Li Qi quickly covered his nose, "Wow! What is this smell?"

"Isn't this the smell of the kitchen?" Wu Xiao Liu said irritably.

Li Qi opened his eyes wide, shocked, "You—your kitchen always smells like this?"

Wu Xiao Liu, seeing his reaction, worried, "Of course! Haven't you ever been in a kitchen before? Seriously, Young Master Li, can you really cook?"

This is endless. Li Qi glared at him, "Why don't you do it?"

Wu Xiao Liu was speechless. If he could, why would he need Li Qi?

Seeing Wu Xiao Liu's anxious look, Li Qi patted his shoulder and smiled, "Alright, I was just joking. Just get the fire ready, and I'll take care of the rest."