Chapter 409 - 359: This Master Doesn’t Play by the Rules

Chapter 409: Chapter 359: This Master Doesn’t Play by the Rules

Li You told the two women to feel at home and keep eating.

Towards the end of the meal, all four of them mixed the dry meat sauce with their rice.

It was delicious.

...

「The next day.」

At 6:30 in the morning, Li You, Xia Xiaoyue, and Mu Qingye were all up.

Li You cooked a small bowl of Yangchun Noodles for each of them. Then, he took out two takeout containers and filled each with some of the dry meat sauce.

Each container held about a pound of sauce, enough for them to have with many meals.

Of course, if they decided to share it with their classmates, it would probably be gone in a single sitting.

After Xia Xiaoyue and Mu Qingye finished their noodles, they paid.

Li You hadn’t intended to charge them, but the two insisted. They said that him treating them last night was a separate matter. If they were eating here again today, they absolutely had to pay.

Accepting the dry meat sauce Li You handed them, both were overjoyed. After thanking him repeatedly, they said their goodbyes. "Boss, we’ll be leaving now."

"Alright. Drive safe."

"Will do!"

After the two left, Li You started on the day’s prep work in the kitchen.

At 9 AM, Ling Xiaoru came downstairs.

She also ordered a small bowl of Yangchun Noodles. After she finished eating, Li You handed her her portion of the dry meat sauce.

Ling Xiaoru took it and asked, "Boss, how much do you have left?"

Li You said, "Plenty. Xiao Yue and Mu didn’t take very much."

Ling Xiaoru nodded. "I’ll be off then."

"Alright. Ride safe."

"Okay."

After Ling Xiaoru left, Li You’s prep work in the kitchen was also all done.

He lay on the rocking chair at the entrance to rest for a while.

’I wonder when a game dungeon will appear again.’

Li You thought about it. ’To get the four main ingredients for Wensi Tofu—shiitake mushrooms, winter bamboo shoots, ham, and chicken breast—the best way is still to enter a game dungeon.’

The main problem was getting the winter bamboo shoots and ham.

It was just about the start of summer now, but winter bamboo shoots could only be harvested around November.

There was no way to get them now.

While he could substitute them with summer bamboo shoots, it was best to use the winter variety if possible.

Then there was ham.

Ham is a traditional delicacy. It originated before the Tang Dynasty, though the specific term for it first appeared in writing during the Northern Song Dynasty.

Su Dongpo clearly recorded the method for making ham in his work, *Gewe Cutan: On Food*: "Boil ham with two pig pancreases until the fat is rendered. Store the ham in grain, and it will not go rancid for decades; some say to use rice bran."

Ham could be made from the legs of pigs, cattle, or sheep—even chickens. It was a type of cured meat, produced through a process of salting, smoking, fermenting, and drying.

Many places throughout the country produce ham.

Among them, the hams produced in Jinhua in Zhejiang Province, Rugao in Jiangsu Province, Anfu in Gan Province, and Xuanwei in Yunnan Province are the most famous.

With so many varieties available, it wasn’t difficult for Li You to buy ham.

However, buying *good* ham was a different story. Making it required immense skill and experience, so it was hard for the average person to produce a quality product.

Even among the hams from famous places like Jinhua, Rugao, Anfu, and Xuanwei, it was rare to find one of truly exceptional quality.

’So, to get a good supply of high-quality ham, my best bet is still to enter another game dungeon.’

’Even if I enter a game dungeon, there’s no guarantee ham will drop, but at least there’s a good chance.’

So, Li You hoped a new game dungeon would appear soon.

Just as he was pondering this, he saw a taxi drive into the parking lot.

Judging by its appearance, it was a taxi from the county seat.

The car door opened, and two people got out.

When Li You got a clear look at one of them, he was pleasantly surprised.

It was Guyi.

Guyi had finally come.

After officially adding Nine-Turned Pork Intestines to the menu, Li You had called Guyi to let him know.

Over the phone, Guyi had been ecstatic, repeating the word "wonderful" several times and promising to visit the restaurant again soon.

And now, here he was.

Li You had been looking forward to Guyi’s visit. He really hoped Guyi would get to eat his Nine-Turned Pork Intestines.

Since Guyi was from Lu Province and had mentioned last time that his favorite dish from Lu Cuisine was Nine-Turned Pork Intestines, Li You was eager for him to try his version. Thanks to the system-rewarded recipe, Li You was confident he could make the best Nine-Turned Pork Intestines in the world, and he wanted Guyi to experience it.

Now, Guyi was finally here.

The only thing that surprised Li You was that Guyi hadn’t come alone this time.

Accompanying Guyi was an ordinary-looking elderly man of about the same age.

’He’s probably not just some ordinary old man, though.’

’Anyone who travels with Guyi couldn’t be ordinary.’

’Then again, maybe not. For a free spirit like Guyi, a master hiding in plain sight, it would be perfectly normal to be accompanied by an ordinary person.’

’In any case, I’ll probably find out soon enough.’

Li You stood up and walked towards the parking lot.

...

Meanwhile, in the parking lot, the taxi had already left. Guyi was smiling as he said to his companion, "Old Liu, see that shop up ahead? That’s the one."

The companion, whose surname was Liu and name was Liu Bai, replied, "It looks quite ordinary. But a shop like this, tucked away in the mountains, ought to look ordinary. Otherwise, it would seem out of place. It has a nice feel to it."

Guyi nodded. "Well said. Come on, let’s go. This place has three marvels: its food, its wine, and its tea. You’ve already tried the tea, so today, I’ll let you experience the food and wine."

At the mention of tea, Liu Bai’s eyes lit up. "Old Gu, that tea truly deserves to be called the finest in the world. Its aroma is unparalleled."

Guyi said, "It’s not just the tea that’s unparalleled... hmm?"

As he spoke, Guyi looked up and saw Li You walking toward them. He immediately smiled. "Boss Li You is coming over."

Liu Bai also saw a young man approaching from the restaurant and smiled as well. "The young man is quite handsome. Reminds me of myself back in the day."

Guyi said, "Old Liu, you’re an old man now. Stop trying to sing your own praises."

Liu Bai retorted, "Old Gu, you’re just jealous."

Guyi ignored him.

He walked towards the restaurant.

Once they were closer, Li You greeted them with a smile. "Elder Gu, I’ve been eagerly awaiting your return."

Guyi chuckled. "Thank you for such a warm welcome, Boss Li You."

The two parties drew close.

Guyi spoke again. "Boss Li You, let me make an introduction. This old fellow’s surname is Liu, Liu Bai. He shamelessly insisted on tagging along today to freeload."

’Liu Bai?’

Li You was slightly startled. He knew that name.

The great master of calligraphy, hailed as the foremost calligrapher of our time, was named Liu Bai.

Like Guyi, most people only knew his name but not his face.

This was because he, too, almost never made public appearances, whether on social media, in newspapers, or through any other channel.

But now, there was no doubt: this was the man, this seemingly ordinary elder standing right before him.

Of course, though he was an elder, he didn’t look old, much like Guyi.

In fact, his face was ruddy and he was brimming with vitality.

’Definitely not an ordinary person.’

Li You quickly said, "So you are Master Liu Bai. It’s a great honor to meet you, Master."

Liu Bai waved his hand. "Please, don’t call me Master. I just scribble a few words when I’m bored; it’s nothing special. You, Boss, are so handsome. Looking at you is like seeing my younger self. Ah, how time flies!"

"Uh..."

For a moment, Li You didn’t know how to respond.

’This master certainly is unconventional!’

Guyi cut in, "This old fellow has recurring episodes where he forgets what he looks like. Don’t mind him, Boss Li You."

Liu Bai said, "Old Gu, you’re jealous again."

Li You couldn’t help but smile.

...