Chapter 77

After a while, a young monk of about fifteen or sixteen years old suddenly walked in from outside the door. He stood in the middle, performed a Buddhist bow to everyone, and said, "Honorable benefactors, due to a momentary lapse by the kitchen staff, the vegetarian meal was burnt. The kitchen is now working hard to prepare a new one. Please bear with us for a little longer. We apologize for the inconvenience, Amitabha."

"Are you kidding me? I'm about to starve to death, and you haven't even cooked the meal yet. Do you want to see corpses littering this peaceful Buddhist sanctuary?" Hong Tianjiu immediately complained angrily upon hearing this.

Isn't that a bit exaggerated?

Li Qi saw that Hong Tianjiu looked full of energy and vigor, not at all like someone who was about to starve to death. He inwardly chuckled, thinking this kid really enjoyed stirring up trouble.

Zou Zijian also expressed his dissatisfaction, saying, "That's right. We've been waiting for a long time. Since you burnt the meal, why don't you just get some food from a restaurant outside? Do you mean to say that your National Temple can't afford it?" He wasn't really that hungry, but he had been harboring resentment due to Li Qi's earlier actions and was looking for an outlet. The young monk just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

With the lead of these two, the crowd began to protest.

These were all prominent figures from Bianjing, and the young monk, standing in the middle, was at a loss, on the verge of tears.

Seeing this, Li Qi narrowed his eyes and thought, since the Drunken Immortal Inn is about to open, why not use this opportunity to create some buzz. After a moment's thought, he asked the young monk, "Little Master, how do you plan to handle the burnt meal?"

Seeing Li Qi's friendly smile and gentle tone, the young monk hurriedly replied, "The top layer that isn't completely burnt will be given to the kitchen staff, and the bottom layer will be thrown away. Please rest assured, our temple will not serve this meal to any of you."

Li Qi nodded and said, "Very well. First, bring me the burnt bottom layer."

The young monk was slightly taken aback, not quite understanding what Li Qi meant.

"Hey, little baldy, didn't you hear what Brother Li said? Hurry up! It's a waste that my father donates so much incense money to you every year. You're not worth it if you can't even handle a small task like this," Hong Tianjiu slammed the table and shouted loudly.

Bai Qianruo shook her head helplessly, thinking it was no wonder Zou Zijian always avoided this little demon.

The young monk recognized Hong Tianjiu and knew he was not someone to be trifled with. He thought it best to report to his master first and said, "Yes, I will go and do that." He then performed another Buddhist bow and turned to leave.

After the young monk left, Hong Tianjiu immediately asked Li Qi, "Brother Li, what do you need the burnt rice for?"

Sweat! Hearing your tone just now, I thought you knew what I was planning.

Li Qi smiled awkwardly and said, "I'm not sure yet. I'll tell you later."

After a while, two young monks each carried in a large bowl of rice crust, and the smell of burnt rice quickly filled the entire dining hall. Everyone waved their wide sleeves to dispel the smell.

Smelling the odor, a glint of joy flashed in Li Qi's eyes. When the young monk placed the bowl of rice crust on the table, Li Qi was surprised to see so much rice crust. This National Temple was indeed a royal temple, and the cooking utensils must be even larger than those at the Drunken Immortal Inn.

Upon closer inspection, he saw that only the middle part of the rice crust was black, while the rest was golden yellow, clearly not completely burnt. However, the burnt smell had ruined a good pot of rice. Otherwise, they could have served the top layer to the guests.

Li Qi smiled and said to the young monk, "Please bring me a pot of good tea, remember, it shouldn't be too hot or too cold."

Hong Tianjiu seemed even more anxious than Li Qi and shouted, "Hurry up!"

The young monk nodded hurriedly and then turned to leave.

Everyone was very curious and focused their attention on Li Qi's table.

"What do you plan to do?" Bai Qianruo asked curiously.

Li Qi chuckled and said, "I plan to make a delicious dish for you all."

"Can this thing be made into a dish?" Hong Tianjiu exclaimed in disbelief.

Li Qi smiled and said, "We'll see in a moment."

After a while, the young monk returned with a pot of steaming tea and said to Li Qi, "Honorable benefactor, the tea you requested is here."

"Thank you."

Li Qi smiled, took the teapot, lifted the lid, smelled it, and then tested the temperature of the teapot's outer wall. He nodded and said, "The tea is good, but it's still a bit too hot."

Taking advantage of this moment, Li Qi called for a few sets of bowls and chopsticks.

Everyone's curiosity was fully piqued, and they all widened their eyes, craning their necks to see. Some even moved to stand behind Li Qi to get a better view.

Soon, the bowls and chopsticks were brought in. Li Qi tested the temperature again, nodded slightly, and then used the chopsticks to break the rice crust into small pieces. He discarded the black piece in the middle.

Next, he poured the tea into the bowls, stopping when the tea just covered all the rice crust, and then put down the teapot.

Then, Li Qi served a bowl of tea-soaked rice crust to each person and said, "Eat up."

"Is that it? You can eat it like this?" Hong Tianjiu was surprised. He never expected Li Qi's dish to be so simple.

"Of course, try it."

Madam Qin, Wu Furong, and Bai Qianruo had already been won over by Li Qi's culinary skills. Since he said it was ready, they didn't hesitate and picked up their chopsticks to try it.

Bai Qianruo took a small bite of the rice crust and heard a few light crunches. A look of surprise flashed in her eyes, and she nodded, saying, "Mm—, I didn't expect the burnt rice, after being soaked in tea, to not only lose its burnt smell but also become crispy and delicious."

"Combined with the aroma of the strong tea, it's quite a delicacy," Madam Qin said with a faint smile, praising it.

"Is it really that good?"

Hong Tianjiu gave her a skeptical glance, picked up a large piece of rice crust, and put it in his mouth. After a few bites, his eyes widened in disbelief. "Wow! It's really delicious. Brother Li, you're amazing." He then ate two more pieces, stuffing his mouth.

Seeing this, the others were eager and couldn't wait. A middle-aged man dressed as a scholar came over, swallowed hard, and pointed to another bowl of rice crust, saying, "Young man, what about this bowl—"

Li Qi smiled and said, "We can't eat all of it. You can take it."

The middle-aged man nodded eagerly, took the bowl in one hand and the teapot in the other, and left happily. The others also gathered around, vying to eat.

Seeing this, Hong Tianjiu was very unhappy and pouted, saying, "I haven't had enough yet. How can you let them take it away? No, I have to get it back."

Li Qi quickly stopped him and said with a smile, "It's not a big deal. You can make it at home. Just soak the bottom layer of rice crust in tea. You can even add some dried plums for flavor. It's very simple."

Hong Tianjiu nodded and smiled, "Sure, sure, I'll have it made when I get home."

"Li Qi, how did you come up with this idea?" Bai Qianruo asked curiously.

Li Qi chuckled and said, "It's nothing special. After cooking a lot, you naturally come up with ideas."

In fact, his method was inspired by the Japanese tea-soaked rice, and rice crust is already a very delicious dish. If it hadn't been burnt, it would have been even better.

For a moment, the dining hall was filled with the sound of crunching as everyone enjoyed the dish, wishing there was more.

At the same time, some people were asking about Li Qi's identity, and the words "Drunken Immortal Inn" could be heard.

Li Qi smiled and whispered to Wu Furong, "Uncle Wu, I've paved the way for you. Do you know what to do next?"

Wu Furong nodded vigorously.

The rice crust was only enough to tide them over as a snack. After they finished the late vegetarian meal, Li Qi and the others left.

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{Piaotian Literature}