Chen Xu sat down, listening to the sharp voice of the Mouse Demon, feeling a sudden chill run straight up his spine.
Lin Qi possesses evil energy; is he not a good person?
Chen Xu's face remained impassive, but his mind was racing rapidly.
If he were to assume that his current misfortune was indeed caused by a villain, as the Mouse Demon suggested, could it be that the villain harming him was none other than Lin Qi?
After years of studying together, Chen Xu was reluctant to think ill of his good friend based on a few demon-words, but he thought it wouldn't hurt to be cautious right now.
Chen Xu's thoughts whirled as he displayed a bitter expression, sighed, and said, "Dear Brother Mu, though you speak of a famous doctor, can such a renowned physician truly heal my leg injury?
For you to know, the greatest cruelty in the world is to find hope only to have it snatched away. Laugh at me as a coward if you will, but I will not seek treatment for this leg injury today."
"This…" Lin Qi was quite taken aback by Chen Xu's reason for refusal, rendering him momentarily speechless.
A moment later, regaining his voice, he quickly persuaded, "Dear Brother, why so stubborn? This famous doctor is a northern recluse, rarely seen. He won't stay long in Jichuan County; miss seeing him today, and it will be hard for you to meet him again!"
Chen Xu merely shook his head with resolute determination, displaying a look of utmost despair, and said quietly, "Dear Brother Mu, there's no need to persuade further. Missing it is my fate."
Fate!
When had Chen Xu ever been willing to submit to fate?
He uttered these words while subtly observing Lin Qi's expressions for any changes.
The anxiety, helplessness, and even anger on Lin Qi's face appeared genuine and reasonable.
"Brother Chen, are you truly not going?"
"I am not going!"
"Even at the cost of ruining your future, with no chance to rise again, you still won't go?"
"I am not going."
"What if I knock you out and take you with me?"
"Brother Lin jests."
"You… sigh! Chen Xu, oh Chen Xu, you really are something!"
Lin Qi flung his sleeves and stood up, striding out of the kitchen.
His steps were initially hurried and heavy, but they gradually slowed down, eventually stopping by the courtyard gate.
Lin Qi stood with his back to Chen Xu, his silhouette seemingly filled with helplessness and desolation.
Such a display was virtually flawless.
But was it truly without flaws?
No, the subtle changes in a person's demeanor are hard to completely control.
Just now when Lin Qi mentioned wanting to knock Chen Xu out, his eyes turned red and suddenly deepened, and the vaguely greedy look was almost identical to the look of Old Lady Lai next door when eggs were mentioned!
At that very moment, a phrase from Chen Xu's morning dream flashed through his mind: "No envy for sheep, bones decay."
Horror flooded his chest as Chen Xu tightly gripped his cane, slowly standing up to catch up with Lin Qi by the courtyard gate, deciding to fully commit to the act.
Lin Qi turned around, and the two scholars met eyes, as the early spring's cold wind swept abruptly through the courtyard.
As the atmosphere took a sudden downturn, Chen Xu unexpectedly flung open the courtyard gate with a bang, gesturing outward.
"Brother Lin, let me see you off with a journey, please!"
Creak—
At the same time, the gate of the east neighbor suddenly opened a crack.
This was because the sound of Chen Xu opening the door had alerted the always inquisitive Old Lady Lai!
Old Lady Lai's gray-haired head peeked out of the door crack, her murky eyes gleaming with curiosity as she looked over.
Lin Qi's expression immediately changed, showing a wry smile, "Forget it, things indeed shouldn't be forced. Dear Brother, please take care of yourself, I will visit you another day."
With that, he cupped his hands and turned to leave with large strides.
Old Lady Lai curiously watched until Lin Qi's figure disappeared completely, then asked Chen Xu, "Scholar Chen, is that your classmate? Dressed in silk and jade, isn't he much wealthier than you?"
Chen Xu gently exhaled, his palm holding the cane growing slick with sweat.
He had deliberately opened the door loudly just now to provoke Old Lady Lai's curiosity.
Lin Qi had retreated immediately, either because he did not intend to break with Chen Xu yet, or he cared about his reputation and order, not daring to break with him at this time.
No matter how you looked at it, it proved that even if Lin Qi had some sinister methods, they should be limited and not entirely unbeatable.
Of course, strategically you could underestimate the enemy, but tactically you need to take them seriously.
Chen Xu was deeply enveloped in a sense of crisis, and he dismissed Old Lady Lai with a few words, closing the courtyard gate as soon as he finished, quickly returning to the kitchen.
He currently possessed three talents, the core of which was: [As long as I am praised by diners, I can grow stronger]!
Food Cauldron Celestial Book Prompt:
[1. For every 10 compliments from diners, my Qi Blood will increase by +1]
[2. Accumulate 100 compliments to unlock Essence Element Pass and Divine Soul Pass]
[3. Accumulate 1000 compliments to unlock the Food God Cultivation Technique Scroll]
Chen Xu decided to immediately expand his diner base, with the short-term goal of quickly gathering a hundred compliments!
In the kitchen, Chen Xu was contemplating his next steps while clearing the tableware on the small table.
There was still half a pot of porridge left, the egg pancakes were all eaten, so Chen Xu took out all the eggs and flour in the kitchen and made 30 more pancakes.
He put aside a bowl of porridge using the bowl the Mouse Demon used last night and reserved five egg pancakes, then cut the remaining 25 egg pancakes into small pieces and packed them in a basket.
The basket was covered with a steamer cloth, and Chen Xu carried it out of Ping'an Lane.
Walking slowly with his cane, he reached South Market Avenue, lifted the steamer cloth, and distributed the egg pancakes to the vendors on the street.
He started with the Tofu Beauty at the street corner.
Rong Fourth Madame' eyes were almond-shaped and flying, her voice crisp and tinged with the fierceness of a market woman, "Oh, what's this? The scholar from Ping'an Lane isn't studying, is he changing professions to be a cook?"
The bystanders laughed, but Chen Xu, unfazed, made up a story, "The ancient sages said, the five flavors within the cauldron are like the five flavors of life, and also said that reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles.
I am foolish and cannot understand deeply, so I thought of a clumsy way to interpret the five flavors of life with this mortal cooking smoke.
Lady Rong, please taste it, if you find this egg pancake acceptable, a small piece of tofu in exchange will suffice. If you don't find it tasty, then consider it a gift from me."
He started with "the sages said," which immediately silenced the crowd.
In those days, people revered scholars, saying that all trades were inferior, only studying was high, and ordinary people found it hard to see beyond, only knowing to hold merit and fame in awe.
Originally, Chen Xu was a lame scholar, down-and-out, handing out food on the street inevitably invited scorn.
But he began with a couple of "wise quotes," so who dared to scorn him easily?
Rong Fourth Madame' wouldn't dare either, so she busily wiped her calloused hands on her apron and cautiously picked up a piece of egg pancake to taste.
Then, her eyes widened.
"How, how could it be this delicious?"
[Praise +1]
Rong Fourth Madame' was filled with incredulity, blurting out, "Oh my, it's even better than the piece my late husband sneakily stole from his mother's pot ten years ago!"