Chapter 80

Li Qi put a lot of thought into "The One and Only," so its grand entrance was certainly not going to be low-key.

Just then, five young girls, each carrying a tray, walked out from the back room. On the trays were two exquisite, high-quality ceramic wine pots, elegant and grand.

As soon as the wine was served, everyone couldn't wait to taste it.

A pale green stream of liquid slowly flowed from the wine pots, bright and crystal clear, incredibly tempting.

Instantly, a rich aroma of wine filled the entire tavern, even passersby outside stopped to look in.

"Wow! This wine is so beautiful!"

The guests stared at the small cup of "The One and Only" in front of them, dumbfounded.

After a while, everyone recovered from their shock, picked up their cups, and drank it in one gulp, smacking their lips and applauding.

On the third floor, in the Heavenly Realm private room.

Zhao Yun looked at the wooden, cylindrical wine pot that had just been served and glanced downstairs, feeling very surprised. He asked, "Madam, why is our wine pot different from others?"

Madam Qin smiled faintly and explained, "Actually, 'The One and Only' is just a series name, which includes eight types of wine. They are drinking the Green Plum Wine that the shop launched today. Tomorrow, the shop will continue to launch Golden Pear Wine, and so on. The wine in this wooden pot is the best of 'The One and Only,' called 'The Peerless One and Only,' which is not yet available for sale."

"The Peerless One and Only?"

Zhao Yun's eyes sparkled.

Madam Qin nodded to the female bartender beside her.

The female bartender, receiving the instruction, immediately stepped forward, picked up the wooden wine pot, and began to pour wine for the distinguished guests.

A pink liquid, as delicate and noble as cherry blossoms, flowed from the wooden pot, crystal clear and fragrant.

Just the aroma alone made Zhao Yun applaud, "Truly the Peerless One and Only! Excellent wine! Excellent wine!"

Bai Qianruo was also seeing the Peerless One and Only for the first time, feeling both surprised and amazed. She had never seen such beautiful wine in her life.

As for Song Yuchen, he was completely dumbfounded.

"Please."

"Please."

The few of them raised their cups, toasted to each other, and took a sip before finishing the cup in one gulp.

"Smooth and flawless, the lingering fragrance on the tongue is unforgettable. Excellent wine, excellent wine!" Song Yuchen said, shaking his head in admiration.

"Brother Song is right. To be able to taste such fine wine today is truly a worthwhile trip!" Zhao Yun said, still savoring the taste.

Madam Qin nodded, "Thank you for your kind words."

"Madam is too modest."

Zhao Yun laughed, "Madam, to be able to brew such fine wine, you must be a wine lover yourself."

Madam Qin shook her head, "This wine was not brewed by me, but by the shop's head chef, Li Qi."

She knew very little about wine, so she didn't dare take credit for it. If anyone asked more questions, she would be exposed. She could only credit Li Qi.

"Oh, so it was Brother Li who brewed it. No wonder! No wonder!" Zhao Yun laughed heartily. In a good mood, he even rewarded his little attendant with a cup of the Peerless One and Only.

Song Yuchen was secretly amazed. Li Qi looked ordinary, but he could brew such fine wine. No wonder Cai Yuwai treated him with such importance that day. It seems I underestimated him before.

Bai Qianruo, hearing their praise, felt a surge of joy, though she didn't understand why.

At the same time, the guests had many questions about "The One and Only."

"Brother Zhang, I heard the bartender say that 'The One and Only' includes eight types of wine. We are drinking the Green Plum Wine, but why does this wine not only have a green plum flavor but also a hint of sugarcane sweetness?"

"That's right, I also tasted other flavors."

"This is truly strange."

"Should we ask another bartender?"

"I already asked, but they don't know."

...

Wu Furong, standing at the door to welcome guests, almost couldn't stop laughing at these comments.

Back then, he had seen Li Qi pour water, fruit juice, and egg whites into the wine, turning a barrel of wine into more than a barrel, making a huge profit.

After distillation, the wine was still over 40 degrees, but by adding water or fruit juice, the alcohol content was reduced, making "The One and Only" more suitable for the taste of the Northern Song people. The color, aroma, and taste of the wine were also greatly improved, and the profit became even more substantial, truly a win-win situation.

Of course, this wasn't just a matter of adding anything. It required careful adjustment, but for Li Qi, who had a bartender's certificate, it was very simple.

As for the "Peerless One and Only" that Zhao Yun and the others were drinking, it was actually red wine, but it wasn't the true "Peerless One and Only" because it still contained some egg whites and fruit juices. To taste the true "Peerless One and Only," one would have to wait at least three years.

The secret of this, apart from Li Qi, Wu Furong, and Chen Anan, no one else knew, not even Madam Qin.

The steaming hot pot, with its extremely free style of eating, where you could throw anything you wanted into the pot, became delicious and mouth-watering after being cooked in the flavorful broth, truly turning the ordinary into the extraordinary. Paired with the dazzling "The One and Only," it was absolutely flawless.

However, the mastermind behind all this, Li Qi, was in the kitchen, expressionless, preparing some river delicacies like shrimp and crabs, completely calm, as if everything was within his expectations.

Suddenly, an excited voice came from outside, "Big Brother Li, Big Brother Li."

Xiao Jiu?

Li Qi was slightly taken aback, remembering the unexpected young master.

In no time, Hong Tianjiu had rushed into the kitchen, followed by three young masters of similar age, but they stopped at the door and didn't enter.

Seeing Hong Tianjiu come in, Li Qi frowned inwardly. In the past, if anyone entered the kitchen without his permission, he would have scolded them so badly they wouldn't recognize their parents.

But times had changed.

Li Qi composed himself and smiled, "Xiao Jiu, you're here."

"Uh-huh, Big Brother Li, quickly serve us that thing, oh, the Hot and Sour Pot, and the 'The One and Only.' I can't wait anymore." Hong Tianjiu rubbed his hands, excited.

It seemed the lively scene outside had infected him.

Li Qi laughed, "No problem."

"Xiao Jiu, can you hurry up? Haven't you heard that a gentleman stays away from the kitchen?" A fat young master with a red flower in his hair stood at the door, looking very unhappy.

Stay away from the kitchen?

Li Qi almost burst out laughing, looking at the three young masters, then asked Hong Tianjiu, "Who are these young masters?"

Hong Tianjiu quickly introduced them, "This fat one is Zhou Hua, the third son of the Zhou family's silk shop," pointing to a long-faced young master, "This is Xu Fei, the sixth son of the Xu family's rice shop," and pointing to a short young master, "This is Wan Fuchun, the third son of the Wan family's trading company—they are all my sworn brothers. I specially invited them to support you today."

Damn! All big customers!

"Alright, alright, alright!"

Li Qi was overjoyed and hurriedly greeted the three young masters with a bow.

The three young masters didn't look at him, a mere chef, with much respect, just giving a casual bow, all for Hong Tianjiu's sake.

Li Qi didn't mind and said to Hong Tianjiu, "Xiao Jiu, Big Brother Li has reserved a private room for you. I'll have someone take you up there, and I'll join you after I finish here."

Saying this, Li Qi found a female bartender to take the group of young masters to the third-floor Prosperity private room. After they went up, Li Qi called Chen Anan and said, "Anan, have Xiao Yu serve Xiao Jiu and the others—oh, and have Xiao Yu bring four gold membership cards up."

Xiao Yu, whom Li Qi mentioned, was quite clever and good at reading people. He knew these young masters were difficult to please, so he sent Xiao Yu to avoid any trouble on the first day of opening.

"Alright, I'll go right away."

Li Qi returned to the kitchen, finished his work, and then went to the Heavenly Realm private room.

By then, the "Peerless One and Only" had been mostly consumed, and everyone's faces were flushed.

Seeing Li Qi come in, Zhao Yun immediately put on a dissatisfied expression, "Brother Li, you're too unfair. You have such good wine but didn't let your brothers taste it earlier. You should drink three cups as punishment."

"Right, right, and the gold membership cards, you didn't tell me about such a good thing earlier. I didn't bring enough money, and Madam Qin had to lend me this card. You should drink six cups as punishment." Song Yuchen waved the membership card, complaining.

Sweat! Not bringing enough money for a meal, is that my fault?

Of course, he couldn't say that. Li Qi laughed dryly, "Sorry, I've sworn not to drink anymore. I hope you can let me off. How about I drink tea instead of wine?"

Hearing Li Qi had sworn not to drink, both of them were very surprised but didn't ask. Zhao Yun nodded, "Alright, but you still have to drink six cups of tea."

"Alright, six cups, six cups."

Li Qi had someone bring a pot of tea and drank six cups in a row.

Speaking of the membership cards, Zhao Yun's interest was piqued. He asked curiously, "Brother Li, how did you come up with the idea of membership cards?"

Li Qi smiled, "It's simple, everything is for the customers."

Bai Qianruo, hearing this, pursed her lips. Clearly, it was all for profit, but he made it sound so noble.

"Everything is for the customers?"

Zhao Yun repeated it softly, laughed, and said, "Right, everything is for the customers. Just for that, I, as a customer, should toast you."

"Me too, as a customer." Song Yuchen also raised his cup.

Sweat! You really can't say things carelessly at a dinner table. Looks like I'll have to visit the restroom later.

"Alright, let's all drink this cup. I need to get back to the kitchen. I don't trust those few guys."

...

After leaving the private room, Li Qi immediately rushed to Hong Tianjiu's private room. As soon as he entered, the mess inside stunned him.

It had only been a short while, at most half an hour. But the table was already piled high with plates, at least twenty or thirty, and there were five or six wine pots on the table. This was really excessive.

However, Li Qi was quite pleased with this consumption rate.

Seeing Li Qi come in, Hong Tianjiu, excited, dragged him in and slurred, "Big Brother Li, your Hot and Sour Pot is so delicious, and—this 'The One and Only' is even better. Come, come, Xiao Jiu toasts you."

"Burp—!"

Zhou Fatso burped, stood up, and came to Li Qi's side, putting a big hand on his shoulder and grinning, "Since you're Xiao Jiu's big brother, you're my big brother too. I also want to toast you."

The strong smell of alcohol almost made Li Qi faint.

"Big Brother Li, I also want to toast you."

...

Damn! I've walked into a den of wolves.