The next day at noon, Fatty had already found out who bought Qin Jing.
With the news, I naturally followed Fatty without any hesitation.
On the way, Fatty told me that he had been caught yesterday while inquiring about the whereabouts of the person.
"Brother Xiang, you wouldn't believe it, that bodyguard was huge... with my build, he lifted me up with one hand."
"Get to the point," I said.
"They took me to a place, and I met an old man. The old man asked me why I was inquiring about him..."
At this point, Fatty glanced at me.
Seeing his expression, I asked, "Did you tell him everything?"
"How could I! Do I look like someone who would betray a friend? I told him I had a friend who was interested in that mirror, and when the old man asked who it was, I gave him your name."
"What's the point of giving my name?"
Fatty grinned and gave a thumbs-up, "I said you're the guy in the antique world of Guangling, a renowned master in Guangling, and not only that, but you're also an expert at tomb raiding from the Central Plains school... You wouldn't believe it, but when the old man heard that, he squinted and thought for a while, then said he'd invite us to dinner today."
Hearing this, I became a little puzzled.
From what Fatty said, anyone with a brain could tell it was fake. I didn't believe the other party hadn't realized that.
But if he knew, why would he still invite me to dinner? This was quite intriguing.
No matter what his intentions were, a visit would reveal them.
Fatty drove me to a parking lot, and we didn't get out. I asked him where the person was, and he said, "He told me to come here yesterday, but he didn't tell me the specific location."
Just then, a person approached our car and knocked on the window.
Fatty rolled down the window, and the person said, "Boss Bi sent me to pick you up. Please get out."
This person was wearing casual clothes and was very large. When Fatty saw him, the fat on his face visibly twitched.
If I guessed correctly, this person was likely the bodyguard who had caught Fatty yesterday.
We got out of the minivan and got into a Mercedes-Benz with a tiger-head emblem. The license plate wasn't from Yanjing, but a "Jiang A" plate.
I was a bit surprised, thinking to myself, was this person from my hometown too? I knew that Jiang A was a license plate from Jiangdong.
About ten minutes later, the car passed Sanyuan Bridge and headed towards the Second Ring Road. Soon, the bustling tall buildings came into view.
At first, I thought they were going to treat us to dinner at a star-rated hotel, but the car soon arrived at a hutong called Yangfang Hutong.
Looking at the surrounding buildings, I glanced at Fatty. He leaned in and whispered in my ear, "Brother Xiang, we're in for a treat today."
I didn't understand what he meant. Could there be some special snacks hidden in this hutong?
The car stopped in front of a small courtyard with the house number "Yangfang No. 11". As I got out of the car, I looked around.
Fatty said, "I've heard of this place after staying in Yanjing for so long, but this is my first time here."
I asked him what kind of place it was, and he leaned in to explain, "This is the famous Yangfang No. 11, Li Family Cuisine."
"Li Family Cuisine?" I asked, a bit confused.
Fatty said excitedly, "Speaking of Li Family Cuisine, it has a great background. The founder of Li Family Cuisine was surnamed Li and named Zijia. He was from the Bordered White Banner and served as the governor of the Imperial Household Department during the Tongzhi and Guangxu eras."
I knew about the governor of the Imperial Household Department; that was an official in charge of the imperial palace's kitchens.
Fatty continued, "Cixi and the Emperor's meals were all prepared by him. After the Qing Dynasty fell, these imperial dishes were passed down to the common people. The descendants of the Li family, having inherited their ancestors' true teachings, opened this Li Family Cuisine here."
After listening, I nodded and asked, "Going by what you said, there should be many people coming to eat here, why does it look so deserted?"
"Oh, Brother Xiang, do you really think this is a small restaurant? You can't just come here to eat if you have money!" Fatty said. "As far as I know, you not only have to make a reservation in advance, but they also have to be willing to cook for you. That Boss Bi, I think he's quite influential. He said he'd treat us to dinner yesterday, and today we're here. I guess he has an unusual relationship with the owner here."
Hearing Fatty's explanation made me want to go in and experience it.
However, after walking into the small courtyard, I was quite disappointed. The interior decoration was extremely simple.
As we walked, Fatty continued to tell me that this place only hosted one table of guests per week, and our last-minute arrival was considered special treatment.
I couldn't quite understand. Isn't opening a restaurant about doing business?
How could they make money by hosting only one table a week?
Then Fatty told me, "I heard from a friend that a meal here costs at least ten thousand yuan..."
Hearing this, I was stunned.
Ten thousand yuan for a table of dishes? And that's the minimum.
If they hosted four tables a month, wouldn't that be over a hundred thousand?
We arrived at a private room converted from a siheyuan. As soon as we entered, I saw an old man, about sixty years old, sitting and sipping tea.
When he saw us enter, he smiled slightly, gave a thumbs-up, and extended his palm in a "please" gesture.
Fatty said with a smile, "Boss Bi, thank you for your generosity in treating us to a meal here. I'm truly honored today."
Seeing his lack of dignity, I felt a wave of helplessness.
I sat down generously, and the old man looked at me and said, "My name is Bi Zhengxiang. May I know how you address yourself?"
"Xiang Fei."
"May I know which Xiang and which Fei?"
Before I could answer, Fatty quickly said, "The Xiang from Xiang Yu, and the Fei from airplane."
The old man smiled slightly and said, "A place of talent gives birth to Xiang, a thousand-mile pagoda flies from the mountain... A good name."
I didn't expect this old man to break down my name like that; it surprised me.
Seeing his politeness, I clasped my hands in a salute and smiled, "My name instantly became more distinguished when spoken by Old Master Bi."
"Based on your accent, Brother Xiang, are you from Jiangdong?"
"Yun County, Jiangdong."
"Yun County is a good place, it has produced many remarkable people."
Bi Zhengxiang smiled and said, "Shall we chat while we eat?"
With that, he asked his bodyguard to notify them to serve the dishes.
"Is this your first time dining here?" Bi Zhengxiang asked.
I nodded, and Fatty grinned, "I've always wanted to come, but I never had the chance. Today, I'm fortunate to be here thanks to you."
"Then, do you two know the cooking methods used here?"
Seeing that he wasn't getting to the point but was talking about other things, I didn't want to say too much, so I said, "I hope Old Master Bi can enlighten me."
"I can't say enlighten, but I have a pretty good relationship with the owner here, so I know a little about it," Bi Zhengxiang said with a smile.