Chapter 95 Harvest Festival

"Ten years from now, Jingyuan might truly fall apart. Although it appeared in my dream, the Red Lotus Sect is indeed growing stronger every day; we haven't been able to destroy them in over a decade." Li Xi suddenly felt immense pressure. He needed to gather enough intelligence to inform the court before he could…

It was impossible for her to ignore it; she was already deeply involved.

Li Xi looked out the window, her heart filled with mixed emotions. She knew she couldn't extricate herself now; she could only forge ahead.

"Xiaoxi, don't think about it anymore, go to sleep early. You have to go to the docks tomorrow." Chairman Wang turned over and was almost asleep. This was Li Xi's room. Although she was almost ten years older than the three girls, there was no distance between them.

The four of them would occasionally sleep and chat together like ordinary best friends.

Chairman Wang had a lot of ice delivered every day. When the weather was hot, putting ice basins in the room would cool things down a lot, and Ling'er and Meng Zhelan would also feel drowsy.

Qin Xiaolin, who was away on business, finally returned to Kyoto on the third day after the small market opened.

Having received the invitation that Li Xi had sent to the Duke's mansion earlier, he rushed to the dock without stopping, appearing before Li Xi with a disheveled appearance and no time to freshen up.

"Hmm? Brother Qin, you're back? How many days have you been without sleep? You look so haggard." Li Xi couldn't help but feel sorry for Qin Xiaolin when she saw his somewhat disheveled appearance. Huh? Feel sorry? Why would she think that?

"It's nothing, I was out running errands. I just got back by boat and happened to get off here. What a coincidence, to run into you here." He pretended to be nonchalant.

"You must be starving. Come on, let's have some tea and snacks here." Li Xi pulled him to sit down at Shangdianji and ordered about ten more tea and snacks.

The aroma of tea filled the air, a truly delightful experience. Li Xi picked up a cup of clear tea, savoring its unique fragrance. The tea leaves slowly unfurled in the hot water, releasing a profound aroma that not only filled the entire space but also brought a sense of peace and tranquility to the soul.

"This place is wonderful, it has a warm, homey feel." Qin Xiaolin was indeed starving, and the tea and snacks on the table were quickly devoured. His stomach was completely satisfied, and he exclaimed, "A feast for the senses!"

"Haha, Brother Qin, you look so funny right now. It's rare to see you in such a disheveled state." Li Xi poured him a cup of tea.

Qin Xiaolin felt a little embarrassed. He couldn't very well say that he hadn't showered for days, especially since he wanted to get back to Kyoto as soon as possible. "Brother Li, you flatter me. There's no need to be too particular when you're traveling. Could you show me around?"

"Okay, let's go." Li Xi was also thinking of taking a walk around to see if there was anything wrong so that she could make timely corrections.

Qin Xiaolin put down a fifty-tael silver ingot, but Li Xi quickly stopped him, saying, "No, Brother Qin, we're so close, you don't need to pay me."

"Brother Li, consider this your support. I didn't prepare any congratulatory gift to celebrate the opening of your small market." Qin Xiaolin stuffed the silver into Li Xi's hand.

She couldn't refuse any longer, so she accepted, saying, "Brother Qin, feel free to come and eat whatever you like next time."

“Alright then.” Since Qin Xiaolin went to the Northern Frontier to accompany Li Xi in martial arts training at the beginning of the year, the relationship between the two has progressed rapidly, transforming from casual acquaintances to close brothers.

At that moment, Shen Xu was still in Jiangnan on business, and had gotten into some romantic entanglements. By the time he rushed back to the capital, the green leaves had gradually turned golden, announcing the end of summer and the arrival of autumn.

Li Xi and her team arranged for farmers in various regions to plant their chili peppers in March and April, and the harvest season arrived in September. Almost every household grew chili peppers to some extent, all within the framework of ensuring their own food needs. The money earned from selling the chili peppers was considerable, enough to meet the government's tax collection requirements.

Chairman Wang had already set up chamber of commerce branches in various places to purchase chili peppers and then arrange for people to transport them to nearby workshops to make various chili pepper products.

Once products such as chili sauce, dried chilies, chili powder, and chopped chilies are produced, they can be labeled "Laolaji" and sold to various regions.

Li Xi pondered the idea of ​​opening a hot pot restaurant, "President Sister, let's open a hot pot restaurant."

Chairman Wang perked up immediately, "What good ideas do you have now? I used to listen to you and opened chamber of commerce branches in various places. Now it's so convenient to get things done."

Currently, the chili product output of Zhuangzi Workshop on the outskirts of Beijing can meet the needs of Kyoto and nearby towns. It will take some time to reach other places, and Chairman Wang has dispatched his capable managers to various locations to supervise production.

The head of the Qiyang Chamber of Commerce branch, President Wang, used people recommended by Li Xi. Most of them were disciples trained by the Hidden Sect, who were thorough in their work and skilled in both literature and martial arts, making them more than capable of serving as branch presidents.

"I'll ask Ling'er to make a hot pot base. I'll make one for you all to try tomorrow." Li Xi recalled the various hot pots she had eaten in her previous life, as well as the packaged hot pot base.

She has a habit of reading the instructions on the back of the packaging, and she has also tried making her own base sauce, but it never tastes as good as the ones sold outside.

3 tablespoons of broad bean paste, 1 tablespoon of fermented black beans, 1/2 tablespoon of soy sauce, 1/2 tablespoon of fermented rice wine, about 3 ounces of pickled cabbage, 1 tablespoon of Sichuan peppercorns, 1/2 ounce of dried chili peppers, 1 ounce of scallions, 1 ounce of garlic sprouts, 1 piece of ginger, 1/2 head of garlic...

Li Xi and Ling'er had been working on perfecting the spicy hot pot broth, and the fermented bean paste was even made in their workshop. They also prepared another light and nourishing mushroom broth hot pot base, made with exceptionally fresh ancient wild mushrooms.

A gentle autumn breeze caresses the cheek, carrying a touch of coolness and the scent of harvest. The leaves begin to quietly don their golden attire, swaying softly in the wind as if telling the story of autumn.

Li Xi had three custom-made tables set up in the courtyard, with a copper pot placed in the middle, separating the two sides: one side with a bright red spicy broth, and the other with a sweet and nourishing mushroom broth.

Soon, guests began to arrive one after another, and the courtyard became lively. Li Xi bustled about, always with a smile on her face. She warmly greeted each guest, personally arranged seats for them, and gave a detailed introduction to today's special hot pot.

The small table next to it was filled with sliced ​​beef, tripe, honeycomb tripe, mutton, venison, and various fresh vegetables and fruits.

In addition, Li Xi also prepared a secret-recipe soul sauce; everything was ready except for the final touch.

A short while later, Meng Zhelan led Prince An in, and everyone bowed to him.

"No need for formalities, you are all family, no need to stand on ceremony." Prince An raised his hand to signal them to rise, then walked to the main seat and sat down. Meng Zhelan followed closely behind, and everyone then took their seats.

Qin Xiaolin and Meng Zhong sat on either side of Prince An, while Li Xi, with Li Yi and Shen Xu, also sat down nearby.

"Young Master Qin, it seems that Young Master Shen is also a regular at Tingfeng Courtyard." Prince An looked somewhat weak. Today, he had invited Meng Zhelan to his home for a medical consultation, and having heard that she had some new dishes, he came along.