Chapter 28: Everything Under Control

"Do you know about stinky tofu?"

"Have you tasted stinky tofu?"

"What time are you planning to go queue up at Zui Xian Ju tomorrow?"

Whether in taverns, tea shops, or on the streets and alleyways, "stinky tofu" and "Zui Xian Ju" had become the most indispensable topics of conversation. With everyone chiming in, the stinky tofu became increasingly mysterious. Some claimed it was made from eight precious medicinal herbs, including ginseng, lingzhi, and snow lotus. Others insisted it was crafted from eight types of venomous creatures, such as vipers, scorpions, and spiders. Some even took it a step further, claiming that this so-called "tofu" wasn't tofu at all, but actually made from abalone.

Li Qi was delighted by these rumors. To build a reputation, a bit of hype was inevitable.

After Li Qi and his uncle, Wu Furong, rested for the entire afternoon, Old Man Zhang San delivered another seven hundred pieces of dried tofu that evening—two hundred more than the first batch, just as Li Qi had requested.

Once the three of them had poured all the tofu into the vats, Li Qi took Wu Xiaoliu to the kitchen to teach him, step by step, how to fry the stinky tofu. Since time was tight, Li Qi didn't go into great detail, focusing instead on how to observe the state of the tofu in the oil, when to flip it, and when it was ready to be scooped out. Wu Xiaoliu, who had always been passionate about cooking, learned quickly and soon mastered the knack.

After finishing the lesson, Li Qi left Wu Xiaoliu to practice on his own and went to the main hall with Wu Furong to get some fresh air.

"Young Master Li, I truly admire you. Just as you said, everything is entirely under your control." Once seated, Wu Furong shook his head in disbelief, then let out a hearty laugh. His face held more smiles today than it ever had before.

"Uncle Wu, please don't say that, or I'll get big-headed," Li Qi chuckled.

"Haha!"

Wu Furong stroked his beard and suddenly asked, "By the way, Young Master Li, I’ve had a few questions on my mind all day that I haven’t been able to figure out. I was hoping to ask for your advice."

"Uncle Wu, you are too kind. Please, feel free to ask anything; I shall tell you everything I know." A smile played on Li Qi's lips; he knew exactly what the old man wanted to ask.

Wu Furong cleared his throat and asked, "It’s like this: since you anticipated that the stinky tofu would be so popular, why limit each person to only one portion?"

Actually, he had wanted to ask this since early morning, but they had been so busy he never found the chance. Now that they were finally free, he couldn't wait any longer.

Li Qi smiled and replied, "Uncle Wu, you might not know this, but stinky tofu is a deep-fried food and is quite 'heaty.' Eating too much at once is bad for the body. If a customer felt unwell after eating our food, that would not be good news for us."

Wu Furong nodded, then asked, "But even so, why didn't you ask Old Man Zhang to prepare more? Is it because of a lack of funds?"

Li Qi shook his head. "That’s part of it, but not the main reason. Think about it: what does Zui Xian Ju lack the most right now? Popularity. Everyone is scrambling to eat the stinky tofu just for the novelty. If they eat it once, they might not return. I must control the quantity to ensure we maintain an overwhelming level of popularity every single day."

"I see. How much money did you prepare for all this? If it's not enough, I still have some savings," Wu Furong offered with concern. He had never asked where Li Qi got the money to buy the tofu. Having been in business for many years, he knew well what should be asked and what should not.

Li Qi waved his hand and laughed, "Thank you for your concern, but I didn't spend much—less than a hundred taels. Plus, I've already paid Old Man Zhang for the tofu for the next eight days, so you don't need to worry about the silver." In reality, even if he were desperate, Li Qi would never touch Wu Furong's money; that was the old man's life savings. Taking someone's funeral fund to do business was something Li Qi couldn't bring himself to do.

"Less than a hundred taels? You'll earn back the capital by tomorrow!" Wu Furong exclaimed in surprise.

Li Qi nodded with a smile.

"Young Master Li, I won't lie to you—I've never done such a profitable business in my life," Wu Furong said, shaking his head with a grin.

"You call this profitable?" Li Qi joked. "Don't be satisfied just yet. This is only the beginning. You are the pillar of Zui Xian Ju, so you must always maintain a sense of hunger—that way, our business will only grow larger."

"A sense of hunger? Haha, interesting, very interesting!"

Wu Furong laughed, then added, "Young Master Li, look at how many people are fighting to buy this stinky tofu. Don't you think we could raise the price? To be honest, last night I thought three hundred coins a portion was too expensive, but today, I feel it’s a bit too low."

Li Qi shook his head and smiled. "I'm doing this for the future of Zui Xian Ju."

"For the future?" Wu Furong asked, puzzled.

"Exactly!" Li Qi nodded. "Although Bianjing is the most prosperous city in our Great Song Dynasty, the number of customers who can afford to dine at a restaurant of our scale is not actually that large. Anyone who can afford to spend three hundred coins on a few pieces of stinky tofu that won't even fill their belly clearly has the means to dine in our restaurant. We should hold onto these customers firmly. As for those who lack the financial means to eat here, we should let them go. However, if the price is too high, we risk losing a portion of our potential regulars. Since Zui Xian Ju is just starting out, I don't want any mistakes."

"Yes, yes, you are right. You are always so thorough; I was being too short-sighted," Wu Furong agreed quickly.

Li Qi smiled, then suddenly remembered something. "By the way, Uncle Wu, there's something I’d like to discuss with you."

"What is it?"

"I want to hire more people to help out," Li Qi said earnestly. With a restaurant this size, having only three people was pathetic. If they didn't hire help soon, they would be exhausted before they even finished selling the stinky tofu.

Wu Furong laughed upon hearing this. "Don't you worry about that. I've already found two brothers. Their parents used to be servants at the Qin estate, and they are very honest people. They will be here first thing tomorrow morning."

"That's wonderful. I was worried you wouldn't have enough hands tomorrow," Li Qi said with a laugh.

"You?" Wu Furong asked, confused. "Young Master Li, are you going out tomorrow?"

Li Qi slapped his forehead. "Oh, I almost forgot to tell you. I have a very important matter to attend to tomorrow, so I won't be able to help. I've already told Xiaoliu to take my place."

"A very important matter?" Wu Furong took a breath. "Do you need my help?"

"Huh?" Li Qi paused, then immediately waved off the gesture. "Oh, no need. I can handle it alone. You need to stay here and keep an eye on them; if you aren't here, I wouldn't be at ease."

"Oh, very well then. Go ahead, I'll take care of them," Wu Furong nodded.