Li Zhichen looked in the direction Qi Lixiao was pointing.
There stood an extremely imposing and magnificent building. Above the plaque were three large characters written in gilded, flamboyant calligraphy - Gui Xiang Lou.
The system timely reminded her, 【Gui Xiang Lou is the largest tavern in this town. A large number of diners and travelers come and go every day.】
Hearing this, Li Zhichen observed it carefully. Sure enough, it was not even noon yet, but there were already quite a few people sitting in the tavern. The delicious smell of food wafted through the air, and wisps of smoke rose.
From time to time, the sounds of zithers and drums came from inside the building. The exquisite carved lattice windows reflected the criss - crossing figures of people. It was really bustling.
It took Li Zhichen two seconds to react, and she immediately understood what Qi Lixiao meant.
It turned out that Qi Lixiao had no intention of setting up a stall on the street at all. Instead, he wanted to sell these fish directly to the tavern.
Gui Xiang Lou had a huge flow of customers every day, and its demand for food ingredients was also extremely large. If she could cooperate with this tavern and become a supplier of river fresh produce, it would be equivalent to having a fixed income. Wouldn't this be much more suitable than selling fish in the market?
Thinking of this, Li Zhichen's look at Qi Lixiao became even more appreciative.
As a native of this world, Qi Lixiao must be more familiar with the prices in this world than she, a person who had traveled through from the end - of - the - world era. It seemed that he really had a business mind!
As soon as Li Zhichen parked the flatbed cart beside the tavern's door, a waiter immediately came out to greet them. His voice was high - pitched and resounding.
"Sir, please come inside..."
But before the waiter could finish his shout, he saw Qi Lixiao lying on the flatbed cart and was immediately stunned.
His voice stopped abruptly, and he felt very puzzled.
Was this a... paralytic?
A paralytic couldn't even move. What was he doing in the tavern?
The waiter quietly sized up Qi Lixiao and Li Zhichen. He saw that they were both wearing long gowns that had been washed until they were a bit faded. They didn't look like people from wealthy families at all. Immediately, a bit of contempt welled up in his heart, and he raised his voice and asked,
"Are you here to dine?"
Their flatbed cart was quite eye - catching, and the waiter deliberately raised his voice. For a moment, several inquisitive looks converged from all directions and landed on Qi Lixiao.
Qi Lixiao showed no expression on his face. He calmly looked ahead, ignoring everything around him.
Let these people look if they wanted to. Qi Lixiao didn't care.
After all, he couldn't huddle in the house for the rest of his life. Sooner or later, he had to learn to face things.
In the past, when he was alone, Qi Lixiao was not afraid even if he was trampled into the dust.
But now it was different. Li Zhichen was by his side. His life was given by Li Zhichen.
Li Zhichen was so good to him. If he still belittled himself like in the past, wouldn't he be simply wasting Li Zhichen's kindness?
Qi Lixiao wanted to live well and show the world that he could make something of himself. He would never rot in this mire!
Li Zhichen didn't know what Qi Lixiao was thinking. She stepped forward slightly and quietly blocked those inquisitive looks for Qi Lixiao. Then she said to the waiter,
"Please call your shopkeeper out. We have a business deal we'd like to discuss with your tavern."
The waiter was stunned for a moment and couldn't help sneering, "Our shopkeeper is such an important person. Do you think you can just see him whenever you want?"
As the largest tavern in the town, there were at least eighty and perhaps a hundred merchants who came to sell food ingredients and wanted to cooperate with Gui Xiang Lou every day.
But the shopkeeper had extremely high standards and was almost overly demanding when it came to food ingredients. There were very few successful business deals.
Moreover, in front of him were just a woman and a helpless paralytic. What good things could they possibly sell? They must be some worthless rural things!
At the same time, the waiter glanced at the few shabby, chipped wooden barrels on the flatbed cart and became even more certain of his thoughts.
His attitude immediately became impatient. There was even a bit of contempt in his look at Qi Lixiao as he taunted, "Are you selling diapers or crutches? What business could Gui Xiang Lou possibly have with you?"
His voice was shrill, and every word hit right in the heart.
As soon as he finished speaking, someone in the main hall couldn't help but let out a series of snickers. The waiter felt a bit proud, tilted his cheeks slightly, and became even more energetic in his taunts.
"Get out of here! If you're not going to eat, don't stand at the door and delay our business! If you're paralyzed, just stay at home quietly. Why are you wandering around so early in the morning? It's really bad luck!"
After saying that, the waiter waved his hand forcefully, as if trying to fan away a foul smell and drive the two of them away.
Li Zhichen's face gradually darkened, and finally her eyes suddenly turned cold.
Just as the waiter's hand was about to touch the flatbed cart, he seemed to see the woman give a cold smile, and then she suddenly punched him in the stomach!
In an instant, an invisible pressure swept over, knocking him backward!
The onlookers around hadn't even reacted yet when they saw the waiter fly out half a meter like a broken - string kite and then fall heavily to the ground!
The waiter was completely disoriented. It took him a while to come to his senses. He suddenly pointed at Li Zhichen and cursed, "You... You're here to cause trouble, aren't you? Do you believe I'll report you to the officials?"
Just as the waiter shouted a few words, a dark shadow suddenly flashed in front of his eyes. When he looked closely, he saw a chopstick sticking exactly a few inches away from his crotch. The lower half of the chopstick was deeply embedded in the ground.
If it had been a bit off, he probably wouldn't even have had the chance to scream.
The waiter was immediately scared out of a cold sweat. He tremblingly looked up at Li Zhichen.
He saw Li Zhichen slightly lift her eyelids and glance at him. Her slender fingers gently tapped beside the chopstick holder. Her condescending posture made people can't help but feel a bit of submission.
"I don't have much patience. You'd better be quiet. We'll talk after I've seen your shopkeeper."
The waiter trembled and immediately nodded like a pecking chicken, stammering, "Please wait a moment. I... I'll go call someone right away."
Seeing the waiter stagger towards the second floor, Li Zhichen's expression gradually calmed down. She turned around and carried the wooden barrels off the flatbed cart one by one. Then she said to Qi Lixiao, "I'll help you in."
She slowly helped Qi Lixiao up from the flatbed cart, gently grabbed his shoulders, and carried him on her back. Step by step, she walked to the dining table and carefully placed him on the chair.
After about half a cup of tea time, a middle - aged man in gorgeous clothes walked quickly down the wooden stairs. He was Shang Hongbo, the shopkeeper of Gui Xiang Lou.
He scanned the main hall and then turned to the waiter with a bit of hesitation and asked, "You rushed to call me here. Where's this business you're talking about?"
The waiter didn't dare to look Li Zhichen in the eye. He carefully pointed in Qi Lixiao's direction.
"Th... They are."
Shang Hongbo squinted and sized up Li Zhichen and Qi Lixiao. When his gaze fell on Qi Lixiao's legs wrapped in a thick quilt, he was slightly stunned.
He had already heard most of what had happened from the waiter upstairs. He thought these two were here to cause trouble and disrupt his business.
But he, Shang Hongbo, had seen all kinds of storms!
The reason he was able to establish a foothold in the suburbs of the capital and develop Gui Xiang Lou into such a large business was naturally because he had some courage.
If these two just wanted money, he could just give them a few strings of coins and send them away.
Thinking of this, Shang Hongbo put on a bit of a businessman's smile. He strode into the main hall and then casually turned to the waiter and ordered, "Tea."