Chapter 71

While brewing the wine, Li Qi also did not neglect the preparation of the dishes, which was—hot pot.

The pot, Liu the blacksmith had already prepared, and all that was left was the hot pot base.

Making the hot pot base was much easier than brewing wine.

Although the seasonings of today were not as complete as those of the future, the flavors were essentially fresh, sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, and salty, and there was nothing that could not be substituted.

No chili peppers? No problem, Sichuan pepper, mustard, and Evodia could be used as substitutes.

No monosodium glutamate? Chicken broth would do.

Moreover, the seasonings of today did not contain preservatives; they were all natural and could be used with confidence, and the taste was naturally pure and authentic.

The only thing that Li Qi found somewhat regrettable was that the Northern Song Dynasty prohibited the slaughter of cattle, and one had to wait for the cattle to die naturally before they could be slaughtered and sold, leading to a severe shortage of beef.

However, this did not affect much, as the upper-class families of the time preferred mutton, and there were also fish, dogs, and pigs.

After the hot pot base was prepared, Li Qi put it into the jars he had prepared in advance and sealed them with oilcloth.

Even before doing business, he had already spent a considerable amount of money on these jars and pots.

After Liu the blacksmith delivered the pot, Li Qi made a hot pot that night for everyone to try.

Uncle Wu and his nephew had eaten warm pots before, but they had never tasted such delicious hot pot. They also did not expect that some wild vegetables and mushrooms, which were usually unremarkable, would become so delicious when cooked in the hot pot.

If the shop's renovation had been completed, Wu Furong would have wanted to open the shop the next day. The hot pot, paired with the unparalleled stinky tofu, would have been even more sensational than the stinky tofu.

Since Li Qi did not know how well their stove worked, he repeatedly warned them at the dinner table to eat less and wait until the food was cooked before taking it out.

However, Wu Xiaoliu, who had a good appetite, ignored Li Qi's warnings and ate whatever he threw into the pot, whether it was raw or cooked, without any restraint.

As a result, the next day, Wu Xiaoliu held his mouth and ran to Li Qi, crying that he might have been poisoned. He not only had a mouth full of blisters but also had diarrhea all night.

Seeing Wu Xiaoliu's swollen lips, Li Qi almost burst out laughing. He kicked him away and let him fend for himself. Li Qi had warned him many times the night before to eat less, but the boy had ignored him. Now, he came for help, and Li Qi would not pay him any attention. However, privately, Li Qi asked Wu Furong to get him some cooling medicine.

Several days passed, and the renovation of Zui Xian Ju was finally completed.

The first floor had thirty tables, the second floor had twenty private rooms, and the third floor had only four private rooms and one hall.

The opening day was set for the tenth day of this month, which was four days away.

On the other side, Yanglou, with the help of Zui Xian Ju's stinky tofu, launched a major counterattack, catching Cuizui Xuan off guard.

Cai Mindao never expected Zui Xian Ju to play such a move right under his nose. He did not anticipate that Zui Xian Ju would choose to sell stinky tofu directly to others. Now, he was regretting it, but fortunately, Li Qi had sold the stinky tofu to Yanglou a few days later. Due to the accumulated popularity in the past few days, Cuizui Xuan's branch in the West City had managed to establish itself, and it was not easy for Yanglou to defeat Cuizui Xuan in one go.

The two sides were evenly matched, and the competition was fierce, leaving no time to pay attention to Zui Xian Ju.

Li Qi, of course, hoped to see this situation.

On this day, Li Qi and Bai Qianruo brought the group of refugees to Zui Xian Ju.

After a period of rest, the children were no longer as weak as before. They were all energetic, and after Li Qi's training, their behavior had greatly improved. They were well-behaved and did not talk or move around unnecessarily.

When Wu Xiaoliu saw so many boys his age, he was overjoyed and jumped around. Chen Anan was also excited and kept giving Li Qi a look of longing.

Li Qi knew that Chen Anan had been bored accompanying him in brewing wine, so he let him stay at Zui Xian Ju.

Li Qi entrusted all the arrangements to Wu Furong and went with Bai Qianruo and a few well-dressed women to the Qin residence.

The large residence had only two servants, Xiao Tao and Chen Dama, which was rather embarrassing. Therefore, Li Qi planned to send them to the Qin residence to work as servants, just to maintain appearances.

Upon arriving at the Qin residence, Li Qi handed the women over to Chen Dama and then went to the back hall with Bai Qianruo.

At that moment, Lady Qin and Xiao Tao were sitting at a round table, with a long red silk ribbon on the table.

"Seventh Sister, you're here too," Lady Qin said with a smile as she saw Bai Qianruo.

Bai Qianruo was the seventh daughter in her family, and she should have been called Bai Qianruo, but due to her fame, people called her Bai Niangzi.

"Hey, Sister Wang, it's been a few days, and you look much better. You must have taken some miraculous medicine," Bai Qianruo said with a smile, glancing at Li Qi.

"Lady Bai, what are you saying? Lady Qin is always beautiful, and she will remain so for eternity. Even if you come back in seventy or eighty years, she will still look the same," Li Qi said with a grin.

This boy really said anything.

Bai Qianruo burst out laughing, and Xiao Tao could not help but giggle.

"Don't talk nonsense," Lady Qin said, blushing. Since Li Qi moved into the Qin residence, her appetite had improved, and she now ate at least two bowls of rice per meal, making her figure more plump and alluring.

Li Qi chuckled and stopped there.

"Sister Wang, what is this red silk for?"

Bai Qianruo picked up the red silk and saw that it had several large red flowers folded on it. "Did you fold these flowers?"

Sister Wang nodded and asked Li Qi, "Do you think it's okay?"

"Sure, it's perfect," Li Qi said with a smile.

Lady Qin glanced at him, speechless. In recent days, Li Qi's attitude toward her had changed completely. No matter what she said or did, whether good or bad, Li Qi always praised her to the skies, acting like a sycophant.

"Did you arrange this?" Bai Qianruo asked, glancing at Li Qi.

Li Qi nodded with a smile.

"Then what is it for?"

"Ribbon-cutting."

"Ribbon-cutting?"

Bai Qianruo looked at Li Qi, puzzled.

Li Qi then explained the concept of the ribbon-cutting ceremony to Bai Qianruo.

Bai Qianruo was taken aback and said, "Did you come up with this idea?"

Li Qi nodded with a thick face and said, "Right, Lady Bai, you should come that day."

"Do I have a part in it?"

Sweat! If you guys don't come, why would I go through all this trouble?

"Of course, how can a ribbon-cutting ceremony be without a beautiful and wise lady like you? Oh, right, I have something else to give you."

Li Qi then took a rectangular copper plate from his chest and handed it to Bai Qianruo.

Bai Qianruo took it and saw that one side was engraved with "Zui Xian Ju" and the other side with "Supreme Member Card." She asked, puzzled, "What is this?"

"A membership card, it's written there," Li Qi said, puzzled.

"I know," Bai Qianruo said.

"If you know, why ask?"

"I want to know what this copper—this membership card is for," Bai Qianruo said, almost on the verge of breaking down, gritting her teeth.

"Oh, you mean that. Even if you didn't ask, I would have told you."

Li Qi smiled, paused for a moment, and then said with an exaggerated expression, "The use of this membership card is not just ordinary. First, only the cardholder has the right to eat the dishes I personally cook. Second, whenever I develop a new dish, the shop will send someone to invite the cardholder to try it for free, but if you want to eat it again, you'll have to pay. Lastly, and most importantly, this Supreme Member Card is unique. I have only prepared one, and the cardholder not only enjoys the two benefits I mentioned but also gets to eat at the shop for free, forever. Listen carefully, forever free, but only for you."

"Forever free?"

Bai Qianruo was surprised. "Why?" She could not understand why Li Qi, who was usually so stingy, would be so generous today.

"Seventh Sister, you've been running around for Zui Xian Ju, providing housing for the servants and teaching them to read. We are just showing our gratitude, which is nothing compared to what you've done," Lady Qin said with a grateful smile.

"Sister Wang, you don't need to be so polite. Besides, I didn't do much."

Bai Qianruo blushed and said, "Sister Wang, this Supreme Member Card must have been your idea."

Lady Qin smiled and shook her head, glancing at Li Qi. "This idea was his, and he suggested giving the card to you."

"It was you?" Bai Qianruo asked, surprised.

Damn! What kind of look is that?

Li Qi shrugged and said, "Not exactly. It's from Zui Xian Ju, and you should invite more friends to eat at Zui Xian Ju."

"I knew you weren't that generous."

Bai Qianruo huffed and said, "By the way, from what you said, there seem to be other membership cards?"

Li Qi nodded and said, "Of course, we also offer regular and gold membership cards."

"Are they expensive?" Bai Qianruo asked, puzzled.

Li Qi shook his head vigorously and said, "Not at all, not a single coin."

"What?"

Bai Qianruo was shocked. "Not a single coin?"

"Of course."

Li Qi nodded and then said, "However, if you want to get a regular membership, you must deposit thirty guan in the card, and for a gold membership, sixty guan. The money is still yours, but it will be temporarily stored at Zui Xian Ju. You can use the card to pay for your meals, and cardholders will also get certain discounts when they eat at Zui Xian Ju, making it a great deal."

Bai Qianruo was stunned.

Lady Qin saw Bai Qianruo's reaction and smiled. When she first heard about the membership system a few days ago, her reaction was exactly the same.

"It seems that Mr. Cai will have a hard time from now on," Bai Qianruo said, sighing after a moment of thought.

Of course, I am the black and white impermanence of that old fox.

Li Qi's lips curled into a cold smile.