Chapter 39

Chapter 39

The crooked handwriting on the pristine paper seemed particularly jarring. Li Shuchen's temple twitched involuntarily as he covered Qi Huan's hand with his palm, grasping her slender fingers to guide her stroke by stroke.

Sensing that the young lady in his arms was spacing out, he gently admonished her, "Focus!"

Qi Huan scowled, unable to concentrate.

His hand was covering the back of her hand, and his broad chest was pressed against her back...

Most distracting of all were Li Shuchen's exhalations beside her ear, leaving her flustered and restless.

"Li Shuchen, could you please let go of my hand? It's improper for a man and woman to have such close contact..."

"There's no need for such formalities between teacher and student."

"Oh, I see." Qi Huan nodded suddenly in realization. "Since you're my teacher for life, I can just treat you like my father..."

With that thought, the previous sense of intimacy instantly dissipated.

Her heart settled, and she began practicing her calligraphy in earnest.

What she failed to notice was that behind her, Li Shuchen's face had darkened like charcoal when she suggested treating him like her father.

Even when it was nearly bedtime, Li Shuchen still could not let it go.

"Do I look like a father?" he asked.

His question brought the other three in the room to a halt as if they had been struck by paralyzing blows.

...At least he didn't look like their fathers.

Li Shuchen asked again, "Or do I just look old?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Yan Qinghe chimed in, "Some people, despite their young age, always have a cold expression. You could say they're mature for their years, or you could say they just look old."

That morning he had called Li Shuchen "brother", so now he had to regain some face.

But as soon as he finished, he felt the chill of two icy stares directed at him.

Yan Qinghe followed their gazes to see a hint of anger on Yan Wu's face as well. He quickly explained, "Brother Yan Wu, I wasn't talking about you, I was talking about Shuchen. Let me explain..."

"No need. An extra hour of practice tomorrow."

Yan Qinghe immediately wilted.

His father was often away from home, so Yan Wu acted as his martial arts instructor - a half-teacher he could not disobey. He could only mumble in acquiescence, "Yes."

"Oh, let's go inside to talk then." Qi Huan pushed open the noodle shop door, gesturing for him to enter.

Once in the main hall, Nuan Dong heard them and quickly brewed a pot of hot tea to bring over.

After taking a seat, Qi Huan pushed a cup of tea towards Lin Xiang and inquired about the unfinished topic.

"Mister Lin mentioned a business deal. What kind of deal did you have in mind?"

"Recently, one of the staff from the Shengyan Building in Lingzhou visited his hometown in Mo County. After tasting the unique flavor of the spicy noodles made by your Qi Family Noodle Shop, he brought some back to Lingzhou. Our boss tasted them and couldn't stop raving about how delicious they were, so he sent me to discuss purchasing the spicy noodles from you, Owner Qi."

Thrilled at the business opportunity, Qi Huan gave a slight smile and asked, "What kind of arrangement did your boss have in mind?"

"I don't know if the Owner is willing to sell the recipe for the spicy noodles?"

Qi Huan nodded. "That's possible."

Lin Xiang was surprised at how easily she agreed, his eyes flickering with a hint of astonishment. But he quickly regained his smiling demeanor and continued, "Then may I ask the Owner to name a price?"

"Mister Lin may not be aware - the spices used to make the spicy noodles are a secret family recipe passed down through generations. Even if I sell you the recipe, you won't be able to replicate it without those spices."

At her words, Lin Xiang's smile faltered slightly. He had a feeling it wouldn't be that simple.

But he persisted hopefully, "Then...would the Owner consider selling the recipe for the spices as well?"

"I'm afraid not." Qi Huan shook her head apologetically.

Making spice powders like chili powder was simple enough - just grind the spices into a powder. But the issue was that she had never seen chili peppers in Mo County, so even if she told Lin Xiang, he wouldn't be able to find the ingredients.

However, she couldn't let this opportunity slip away either.

Taking a sip of tea to clear her throat, Qi Huan continued, "But Mister Lin need not be discouraged. I have a proposal for you to consider.

I'll sell you the recipe for the spicy noodles for one hundred taels of silver. As for the required ingredients, you can send someone to Mo County each month to collect them - mainly tapioca starch, chili powder, cumin powder, and five-spice powder. The tapioca starch is one tael per pound. The other spice powders are more difficult to obtain, so two taels per pound.

One pound of spices can make quite a lot of spicy noodles. Moreover, as a prefectural capital, Lingzhou is far more prosperous. I'm sure you'll be able to adjust the prices accordingly when you sell the spicy noodles there. It won't take long before you've earned back your investment and turned a tidy profit.

What does Mister Lin think of this proposal?"

The proposal seemed feasible. As long as there was profit to be made, Lin Xiang would not let the opportunity pass.

He tried to negotiate a lower price several times, but Qi Huan refused to budge.

After all, if he didn't buy it, there would eventually be other restaurants that would discover this business opportunity. Qi Huan was in no hurry.

Seeing her calm and confident demeanor, Lin Xiang finally gritted his teeth and nodded in agreement.