TTTQF Chapter 12

Committing a Taboo

Before dawn, Jiang Miao and Da Niu are already up to prepare. Last night, they knead a lot of dough and make two steamers full of buns. They have to steam them here first so they can sell them directly later.

This large courtyard houses quite a few people, mostly small business owners, who don’t need to prepare early and are still asleep at this hour.

Jiang Miao’s room is close to the kitchen, so they don’t worry about making too much noise and waking others. Once the buns are steamed, Jiang Miao uses chopsticks to pick a few for Da Niu, then starts eating himself.

“These buns are even better than yesterday’s!” Da Niu praises.

Jiang Miao smiles, thinking Da Niu probably feels that way because he is hungry. To Jiang Miao, today’s buns taste no different from yesterday’s.

“I heard from my grandma before that she bought buns from your family, and they had a special aroma. Now that I’ve tasted them today, I believe it,” Da Niu says, eating with great enjoyment. Yesterday he was quite nervous and hadn’t paid attention to the taste of the buns, but after Jiang Miao gave him a bonus, he has already regarded Jiang Miao as a very kind person and is now more relaxed around him.

“Haha, the buns your grandma bought back then might taste a bit different from these. We used shrimp powder back then, but now we use something else.”

“Shrimp powder? Is it made from ground shrimp? Wow, that must be expensive!” Da Niu is a bit surprised, and his voice unconsciously grows louder. Liangjing is not near the sea, with the closest being 100 to 200 miles away, so seafood is quite expensive. When he worked at Yingkelai, the shrimp there cost at least 200 wen per plate, and even then, they only served the small ones to the guests.

“It’s not exactly shrimp. What I buy are dried goods, made from grinding small dried shrimps.” Jiang Miao feels a bit embarrassed. They are running a small business and have to control costs; high costs wouldn’t be sustainable.

However, even small dried shrimps are considered a luxury to Da Niu, so even as they head out, he is still imagining what buns with shrimp powder would taste like.

As they chat on their way to the stall at the foot of Luohua Mountain, they naturally don’t notice that their conversation is overheard by someone. Upon hearing it, that person quickens their steps, overtakes them, and hurries to a house ahead.

If Jiang Miao were to see the residents of that house, he would find them somewhat familiar. After all, he set up his stall near them all day yesterday and was watched by them with inscrutable eyes all day.

“Are you sure? That guy really uses shrimp in his buns?”

“Brother Xu, don’t worry. I heard it with my own ears! That guy probably thinks most people haven’t eaten shrimp before and won’t be able to tell, so he secretly adds it to enhance the flavor of his buns!” The speaker sells sugar cakes, while Brother Xu sells buns. Yesterday, after Jiang Miao set up his stall, it significantly impacted Brother Xu’s business, making it the first time during the Buddhist festival that he has to take home leftover ingredients.

In fact, it isn’t just him; others are also affected to varying degrees. So, when the sugar cake seller overhears the conversation, he comes to report it in such a hurry.

“Hmph, I was wondering why that guy’s buns were selling so well! Turns out he added shrimp! He dares to use meat at a Buddhist festival; he’s in for trouble later! Here’s what we’ll do…” Brother Xu gives a sinister smile. If he doesn’t have any leverage, it wouldn’t matter, but since the guy is courting death, don’t blame him.

Jiang Miao has no idea that someone is plotting against him. When he arrives at the same spot as yesterday, he notices they are still relatively early. After showing the management their permit, they go to their previous location and set up the stall.

Da Niu initially thinks they can set up a bit further in front today since they arrived early, but Jiang Miao refuses. He noticed that the vendors who arrive today are setting up in their same spots as yesterday. If he suddenly takes someone else’s spot, it might cause unnecessary disputes. Besides, the customers from yesterday already know where his stall is. If there are returning customers or people recommended by others, not finding them could mean losing a lot of business.

As Jiang Miao had anticipated, the customers who bought his buns yesterday have spread the word to varying extents. Jiang Miao’s buns are good, he is good-looking, and his constant smile leaves a positive impression on the customers. As soon as they set up the stall, customers start coming over to buy buns.

Jiang Miao is naturally very happy because today, he sells nearly half a basket as soon as he opens. This happiness makes him even more charming, and he sweet-talks the customers, making them more willing to spend money.

When Brother Xu and his group arrive later, they are annoyed by Jiang Miao’s appearance and want to expose him right away. But Brother Xu stops them, thinking that it is still early and the number of people coming to offer incense isn’t high yet. If that guy is thick-skinned and just moves his stall elsewhere, it would be for nothing. He wants to make sure that guy will never dare to set up a stall at Puling Temple again!

As the sun gradually rises, dispelling the darkness and bringing warmth, more people from the city come to offer incense. Besides the local Liangjing accent, one can occasionally hear voices from out-of-towners. Most of these people have directly or indirectly benefited from Puling Temple and have traveled a long way just to offer incense and donate to the temple.

At this time, most people haven’t eaten much. To avoid the trouble of climbing the mountain or offering incense on an empty stomach, they buy some food nearby. For this annual grand event, most people don’t mind spending a bit of money. “Since we’re here” is a phrase that applies universally, no matter the era.

As people are choosing what to buy, a sudden outburst of angry shouting from a small stall draws everyone’s attention.

“Bah, how could you be so malicious? There’s meat in these buns! I’m about to go up the mountain to pray. What if the Buddha thinks I’m insincere and my wishes aren’t granted?” The man shouts angrily, then throws the bun on the ground with force, causing the juices to splatter. People around him step back, afraid of getting it on themselves.

“Oh, isn’t this harming people?”

“Yes, daring to eat meat at Puling Temple, do you even have the Buddha in your heart?”

“Exactly…”

Supportive voices chime in, clearly trying to steer the crowd into thinking it is a disrespect to the Buddha.

Jiang Miao is furious, his whole body shaking with anger. But he knows now is not the time to get angry. He stops Da Niu, who is flushed and eager to explain. If they don’t handle this well, they might not be able to set up their stall here in the future.

When this customer comes to buy buns, Jiang Miao already feels something is off. The person keeps tiptoeing to look at the wooden tubs holding the ingredients. Jiang Miao thinks he might be trying to steal his recipe but doesn’t expect that it is even worse than he thought!

“This customer, I don’t quite understand what you mean. You claim there’s meat in my buns, so let me ask the other customers who bought buns. Did any of you taste meat in them?” Jiang Miao takes a few deep breaths to calm down and then looks at the other customers standing by, who are still holding their buns but haven’t dared to take another bite.

The other customers, suddenly called upon, are stunned for a moment and then say, “We just ate the buns, and there’s no meat in them.” They are sure they haven’t tasted fish or meat.

“You heard it too. Why did others not taste meat while you did? Everyone saw that you only took one bite before throwing the bun down. How can you be certain you didn’t make a mistake?” Jiang Miao’s reasoning is sound, and his steady demeanor makes the surrounding crowd start to believe he is wrongly accused.

But the man who falsely accuses him doesn’t show any guilt after being exposed. Instead, he remains confidently assertive, which makes the crowd uncertain again.

“You say there’s no meat? Then tell me, what makes your buns so delicious? Everyone here has eaten buns before. Have they ever tasted like this? These are supposed to be vegetarian buns!” The man sneers, his face full of mockery.

The crowd, prompted by his words, becomes curious. Indeed, it is rare for someone to make vegetarian buns taste so good.

Ignoring his provocative tone, Jiang Miao almost feels like the man is inadvertently advertising for him. Is he being falsely accused just because his buns taste better? It’s absurd! Before Jiang Miao can speak, someone else chimes in.

“Hey, Brother Jiang, just admit it. We’re all bun sellers here. Making vegetarian buns taste like meat—unless you added something, how could it be possible? Just admit your mistake to the customers, and I’m sure they’ll forgive you.”

The speaker is Brother Xu, who has a sincere and honest look. His tone is familiar, addressing Jiang Miao in a way that suggests they are acquaintances. To those who don’t know better, his earnest advice makes it seem like they are good friends. Seeing this “friend” so concerned, some might start to believe Jiang Miao really did put something inappropriate in the buns.

Suddenly, the customers who bought the buns are angry. They have come all this way sincerely to worship Buddha. Even if they can’t avoid meat every day, they certainly wouldn’t eat it on the day they climb the mountain to worship. It would be disrespectful to Buddha. Naturally, they are furious at Jiang Miao for potentially causing them to commit a taboo.

Facing the crowd’s questioning looks, Jiang Miao becomes even calmer. He realizes that he has been set up. This customer has intentionally tried to frame him. He isn’t sure if the vendor who spoke is a collaborator or just someone taking advantage of the situation. However, he won’t let their scheme succeed, no matter what.

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