Chapter 89

When Li Qi came out of the back yard, Zhao Jing was already nowhere to be seen.

"Fortunately, you ran fast, or I would have made you taste the power of my little Li cleaver," Li Qi said through gritted teeth.

"Big Brother Li."

As soon as Li Qi came out of the back yard, he heard Hong Tianjiu's voice from behind. Turning his head, he saw Hong Tianjiu running towards him with a worried look on his face.

"Big Brother Li, you're really not being fair," Hong Tianjiu said with a sullen face as he ran up to Li Qi, not even catching his breath.

When have I ever been fair? Li Qi was taken aback and said, "Little Nine, what do you mean by that?"

"You just lied to me about going to find materials for that chrysanthemum dish, making me wait in the kitchen for a long time. Fortunately, An Nan just told me that you were actually making the chrysanthemum dish for that young master in Mr. Wu's room. What is this chrysanthemum dish? Is it really that mysterious that even Six and I aren't allowed to see it?" Hong Tianjiu scratched his cheek, feeling both depressed and curious.

This sounds a bit strange. What do you mean by making the chrysanthemum dish for that young master? It's really disgusting, fortunately, that was a fake young master.

Li Qi frowned and said angrily, "This An Nan, always spreading rumors about me. When I find him, I'll give him a good lesson." Then he smiled at Hong Tianjiu and said, "Little Nine, there's actually no such dish as chrysanthemum. That young master is actually my friend, just playing a prank on me."

"I don't believe you," Hong Tianjiu said, pouting.

Just now, Li Qi's shrimp dish had already amazed Hong Tianjiu. Moreover, before leaving the kitchen, Li Qi had said he was going to find materials for the chrysanthemum dish. Later, Chen An Nan found him and Zhao Jing hiding in the back yard. All of this was too strange. Now, Li Qi was saying there was no such dish as chrysanthemum, how could Hong Tianjiu believe him?

Seeing Hong Tianjiu's expression, Li Qi knew that no matter what he said, he wouldn't believe him. He turned his eyes, sighed, and said, "Alright, since you've found out, I'll teach you the secret recipe for the chrysanthemum dish."

"Really?"

Hong Tianjiu exclaimed excitedly, grinning, "I knew you were lying to me just now."

Sweat! My reputation is so bad.

Li Qi smiled wickedly and said, "Actually, making the chrysanthemum dish is very simple. First, you need some high-quality chrysanthemums, preferably freshly picked, tender ones. Then find a stick and forcefully insert it—oh no, crush it, then add some milk or horse milk, mix it well, and cook it over a low heat for an hour, and that's it."

"Is it that simple?" Hong Tianjiu asked in surprise.

"Exactly," Li Qi confirmed.

Hong Tianjiu tilted his head, counting on his fingers, muttering the steps to make the chrysanthemum dish. It seemed he was very interested in it.

Seeing his expression, Li Qi couldn't help but think, it seems I really shouldn't tell the truth.

"Little Nine, you're here."

At that moment, a voice came from behind.

Li Qi turned his head and saw the fat Zhou Hua.

"Third Brother?"

Hong Tianjiu, seeing Zhou Hua, asked curiously, "Third Brother, why are you in such a hurry to find me?"

Zhou Hua grinned and said, "I just heard that Feng Xingshou will be singing at the Phoenix Inn tonight. Are you going?" Then he winked and gave Hong Tianjiu a knowing look.

"Of course I'm going."

Hong Tianjiu's eyes lit up, excited. At that moment, he had forgotten all about the chrysanthemum dish. He then asked Li Qi, "Big Brother Li, are you going?"

Seeing their excited expressions, Li Qi asked curiously, "Who is this Feng Xingshou?"

"Ah? You don't even know Feng Xingshou?"

Hong Tianjiu looked at Li Qi as if he were a monster.

Why should I know? Li Qi shook his head and said, "I don't know."

Hong Tianjiu looked at Li Qi with a disappointed expression and then explained in a disjointed manner.

Lack of education is truly terrifying.

After listening for a long time and thinking for a while, Li Qi finally understood. It turned out that Feng Xingshou was called Feng Yinnu. To put it nicely, she was a celebrity from the future, and to put it bluntly, she was a singing prostitute who only sold her art, not her body. A typical case of wanting to be a prostitute and a lady at the same time.

When Li Qi heard that Feng Yinnu only sold her art, not her body, he immediately lost interest. However, when he heard that the Phoenix Inn was a combination of a theater and a brothel, he felt a bit itchy inside. He couldn't remember how long it had been since he had had any fun. Now, Hong Tianjiu's words had completely unleashed his desire, and he couldn't suppress it anymore. He grinned and asked, "Do the girls at the Phoenix Inn provide bed services?"

"Bed services?"

"Uh, bed services, that is— a man and a woman in bed— you know what I mean," Li Qi said shyly.

"Oh—I understand."

Hong Tianjiu blinked his big eyes and nodded vigorously.

"How much does it cost for one bed service?"

"For the uglier ones, just 500 coins, and for the prettier ones, about one guan," Zhou Hua interjected, clearly an expert in such places.

That's not too expensive. I've been here for so long, it's time to visit a brothel. Even if I don't do anything, it's good to have some experience.

Li Qi rubbed his chin, struggled with his thoughts for a moment, and then nodded, "Alright, I'll go tonight."

As soon as he said that, a cold laugh came from the back yard, "Where do you plan to go tonight?"

Madam?

Li Qi drew a sharp breath and turned his head. He saw Madam Qin coming out of the back yard. Looking at her face, Li Qi knew he had been overheard. He stammered, "I—I plan to go to the—poetry club with Little Nine, yes, to the poetry club to cultivate my—soul."

"Right, right, the poetry club, the poetry club," Hong Tianjiu nodded vigorously.

Madam Qin glared at Li Qi and said, "You're not going anywhere tonight. Stay in the shop and behave yourself." Without giving Li Qi a chance to argue, she took Xiao Tao and went into the shop.

"How does she walk without making any sound? Damn, this is so unlucky," Li Qi scratched his head, annoyed.

"Then—Big Brother Li, are you still—going tonight?" Hong Tianjiu asked.

Li Qi put on a self-righteous expression and said, "Of course I'm going. I'm just going to listen to the music. Madam is misunderstanding me."

Hong Tianjiu and Zhou Hua looked at each other, as if to say, "You're going to listen to the music? No one will believe that."

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

In the Jade Pavilion.

In Cai Mindel's private lounge.

"Bang!"

The sound of a broken porcelain.

"Li Qi—, it's really you causing trouble. Good, very good."

Cai Mindel, with his hands behind his back, paced back and forth in the room, looking furious. On the ground was a shattered teacup.

At that moment, besides Cai Mindel, there were two other people in the room. One was Cai Lao San, and the other was a middle-aged man.

"Master, what should we do now?" Cai Lao San asked.

Cai Mindel stopped and turned to the middle-aged man, "Wenye, what do you think?"

This middle-aged man was the fisherman who had led the four shrimp to challenge the Drunken Immortal Inn at noon, Huang Wenye.

Huang Wenye said, "In my opinion, we should quickly come up with the mandarin duck pot. The weather is getting colder, and once winter comes, the mandarin duck pot will be even more popular."

Cai Mindel nodded, "That's right. Do you have the confidence?"

"The mandarin duck pot is similar to the warm pot. The key is the broth. I believe with some time, I can create it, but the taste might not be as good as the Drunken Immortal Inn's."

"That's fine. As long as the taste isn't too different, we can attract customers by lowering the price."

Huang Wenye nodded in agreement with Cai Mindel.

Cai Mindel then asked, "What about the peerless wine?"

Huang Wenye shook his head, "I've never tasted such wine before, so I'm not sure yet."

Cai Mindel sighed, "It's all my fault. If I hadn't been so eager to beat Yanglou, I wouldn't have rushed to buy the stinky tofu recipe, and that boy's trick wouldn't have succeeded. If you had been here, it would have been different."

Huang Wenye nodded, "Actually, Master, there's no need to worry too much. The Drunken Immortal Inn is still new. Although it has a good reputation, its strength can't compare to ours. As long as we take precautions, the Drunken Immortal Inn is nothing to fear."

"That's right. With his small amount of money, he can't possibly defeat the Jade Pavilion. It's just a pipe dream."

Cai Mindel laughed coldly, his expression easing a bit as he sat down and said to Huang Wenye, "Wenye, do you know why I called you back?"

Huang Wenye shook his head.

Cai Mindel said, "I recently heard from a chef at the Cai Taishi's residence that he plans to host a crab roe banquet next month and invite the head chefs from major restaurants. This is a great opportunity to gain fame, so I plan to go personally. I want you to be my assistant."

"Oh? Is that true?" Huang Wenye asked in surprise.

Cai Mindel nodded and smiled, "It should be correct. I believe the Cai Taishi's residence will soon send out invitations."

Huang Wenye bowed, "I will do my best to assist Master."

"Good, good. But you haven't been back for a long time. Will there be any problems in Jinling?"

"Please don't worry, Master. I've already made arrangements in Jinling. There won't be any problems."

"That's good, that's good."