TTTQF Chapter 55

Being Tricked

Just as Jiang Miao expects, they can’t figure out the recipe for Thirteen Spices from just that bit of powder. 

After Wu Youde brings the powder back to Yingke Lai, the cook sniffs it and his eyes light up. “This should be it. It smells fresh and fragrant. If added to certain dishes, it should make them taste better.” After saying that, he casually makes a small dish, adds the powder, and the dish indeed tastes significantly better.

Manager Sun tastes a few bites and smiles. “Xiao Wu, you’ve done a great job. Once we figure out the recipe, I’ll promote you to a small manager position.” Then he turns to the cook, “Old Li, can you figure out this recipe?”

The cook looks troubled. “This powder seems to be ground from several spices. I can only smell cinnamon, star anise, and fennel. Stronger flavors overshadow the lighter ones. It won’t be easy to figure out the entire recipe.”

Manager Sun frowns, “Even you can’t figure it out?” This cook is known for his discerning nose and palate. For ordinary dishes, he can replicate them after tasting just once or twice. Even unique recipes, he can mimic seven to eight-tenths of it after a few tries. Although this method is somewhat dubious, it has attracted many customers to Yingke Lai, and over time, they no longer feel ashamed of it but rather proud.

Recently, a new restaurant opened on the next street. Their innovative and delicious dishes attract many customers. They explicitly state that Yingke Lai’s people are not welcome. Even if they manage to get in, they won’t be served, and can’t take any dishes out. Manager Sun can only watch in frustration as their business grows day by day. This is why he is so concerned about the recipe.

Wu Youde listens nervously on the side. If they can’t figure out the recipe, won’t all his sneaky efforts be in vain?

“Xiao Wu, we still need your help. Since you managed to get the seasoning from Jiang Miao’s kitchen, you should be able to find out the entire recipe. If you can do that, not only will you become a manager, but I’ll also give you an extra silver reward. How about that?” Manager Sun begins to entice him again.

Different people require different approaches. For someone like Daniu, who is simple and has no connections, threats and temptations usually make him comply. But for a tough nut like Jiang Miao, who frequently threatens to report to the authorities, conventional methods won’t work.

While investigating Jiang Miao, Manager Sun hears a few things that make him realize that the vendor is definitely not someone to be trifled with.

Xiao Wu is extremely conflicted. Naturally, he doesn’t want to remain a mere waiter forever. If he can be promoted to manager, overseeing a dozen people, it would bring him much more respect when talking about marriage. However, doing those sneaky things today already scares him a lot. If he gets caught while trying to find out the recipe, it would be really bad.

Seeing that Xiao Wu is still hesitating, Manager Sun’s face darkens, and he says indifferently, “I won’t force you if you’re unwilling. You may leave.”

The cold tone makes Xiao Wu make a decision immediately. He knows that if he doesn’t agree today, his fate will be the same as Daniu’s. Such a good job is hard to come by. If he loses it, what will happen to his parents and siblings in the countryside?

“Manager, I’ll do it. But Brother Jiang is very shrewd. I’m afraid I won’t be able to get anything out of him.”

Manager Sun’s expression softens, and he generously says, “Just go ahead and try. If you really can’t get anything, I won’t blame you. How about this, take the next few days off to gather information.”

Wu Youde thanks him profusely. After leaving the room, he immediately turns around and spits. It feels good to vent his anger, but the task still has to be done. How can he get the recipe from Jiang Miao’s mouth?

Wu Youde thinks of the person living next door to him. That old lady seems to have a good relationship with Jiang Miao.

When he returns to the courtyard, he sees Aunt Liu sitting outside picking vegetables, so he approaches her and tries to get close to her. Aunt Liu is very discerning; she can see through sincerity and pretense at a glance. Not only does she not reveal anything, but she also gives him a thorough scolding.

Wu Youde is furious, but since there are many people in the courtyard, he can’t lose his temper. He has to go back to his room and think of another way.

The next day, he gets up early and watches through the door crack, planning to strike up a conversation when Jiang Miao comes out. However, he doesn’t see Jiang Miao but instead sees Daniu. Although Daniu often comes over, Wu Youde has never seen him. Working at Yingke Lai is tough; he has to leave before dawn and only returns after dark. If it weren’t for the three meals a day, everyone would probably complain.

Daniu, of course, doesn’t know he is being watched. He comes to get the filling and then goes back home to make buns. Wu Youde sees him leaving with a bucket and knows it must be the filling that Jiang Miao has prepared. If Jiang Miao makes this much filling every day, wouldn’t he run out of those spices?

Thinking of this, Wu Youde’s eyes light up as he suddenly comes up with an idea. When Jiang Miao runs out of spices, he will definitely go buy more. As long as Wu Youde follows him and sees what he buys, won’t he get the recipe?

He can’t help but feel smug about his cleverness. So, for the next two days, he hides behind the door, watching Jiang Miao’s movements. Finally, one morning, he sees Jiang Miao leave with a basket.

He quickly locks his door and secretly follows Jiang Miao, watching him as he walks and stops along the way, either greeting street vendors or chatting with old customers. Wu Youde grows a bit impatient but has no choice. Fortunately, it isn’t long before Jiang Miao goes into a grain and oil shop.

Wu Youde doesn’t dare to follow him in; he only watches from outside as Jiang Miao leans against the counter, talking to the manager. Shortly after, an assistant brings out several paper packages and puts them into his basket. Jiang Miao pays, says a few words, and then heads to another shop. This time, it is a Southern goods shop. As before, Jiang Miao stands by the counter, chats with the manager, and an assistant brings out the items.

Afterwards, Jiang Miao doesn’t go anywhere else. He heads straight back to the courtyard with a basket full of goods. Wu Youde leans against his door and hears the sound of grinding. He then finds an excuse to come to the door and indeed smells that unique fragrance in the main room.

Feeling triumphant, Wu Youde leaves. 

Just as he leaves, Aunt Liu comes in. She immediately tells Jiang Miao about Wu Youde’s suspicious behavior of eavesdropping at his door, warning him to be careful as Wu Youde might be planning to steal something.

Jiang Miao smiles and thanks Aunt Liu for the heads-up. He has actually been prepared for Wu Youde’s behavior, although he initially thought it would be the manager of Yingke Lai who would come to spy.

When Wu Youde returns to Yingke Lai, Manager Sun immediately asks, “Did you get it done? Where’s the recipe?”

Wu Youde replies, “I don’t know the recipe yet, but I have thought of a way.” He tells Manager Sun what he saw and says, “… As long as I find out exactly what he bought, Brother Li should be able to figure out the recipe.”

“Haha, well done!” Manager Sun beams and pats Wu Youde on the shoulder. “In that case, go over and ask, and buy those things as well.”

Wu Youde agrees verbally, but his eyes dart around as if he has a concern. Manager Sun thinks for a moment, then understands and takes a small silver ingot from his sleeve, handing it over. Wu Youde happily accepts it and immediately leaves to make his purchases.

He first goes to the grain and oil shop. Manager Wang has already gone out, so he finds the assistant who helped Jiang Miao earlier in the morning. The assistant says, “Brother Jiang bought one jin of rice cakes, one jin of rice crackers, two jin of glutinous rice, and three jin of millet.”

These items sound very ordinary, but Wu Youde hesitates for a moment before deciding to buy them. What if they are part of the recipe?

He then goes to the Southern goods shop. Just as he is about to ask the assistant, Manager Wu comes to greet him in person. “This young man looks unfamiliar. Is this your first time here? We sell Southern goods here. Many items from the south, I have them all. They’re high quality and fairly priced, and we never shortchange anyone,” Manager Wu says enthusiastically.

“Uh, I just wanted to ask, does Brother Jiang, the bun seller, often buy things from this store?”

Hearing him mention Jiang Miao, Manager Wu’s expression changes slightly but quickly returns to normal.

“Yes, Brother Jiang’s buns are delicious, so he often buys things from my shop. Just today, he bought quite a few items!”

This is exactly what Wu Youde has been waiting for. He immediately asks, “I wonder what Young Brother Jiang bought?”

Manager Wu smiles, “How can we casually disclose what our customers buys?”

“Well, it’s just that I’m too lazy to think about what to buy myself. Rest assured, I’ll buy everything he bought, so you won’t lose any business.” Wu Youde immediately senses that Manager Wu is hinting for benefits. Sure enough, Manager Wu smiles immediately after hearing what he says.

“Helping others is helping oneself. Since you put it that way, I’ll tell you. He bought eight liang of cinnamon, one jin of star anise, one jin and three liangs of fennel seeds…”

The first three items match exactly what the cook has smelled, so Wu Youde immediately believes him. As for the rest, such as “one jin and two liang of dried mushrooms, two jin and one liang of dried scallops, one jin and five liang of goji berries, and one jin of dried tangerine peel,” he also buys them all without question.

These items fill his basket to the brim, making it quite heavy. He counts carefully and finds that Jiang Miao has bought a total of thirteen items. So this is the Thirteen Spices! If he had known, he wouldn’t have gone to the grain and oil shop and could have kept that money.

“How much?”

“That’ll be five silver taels.” Manager Wu quickly calculates on his abacus, arriving at an exorbitant total.

“What did you say?!” Wu Youde is greatly shocked. He has never been to a Southern goods store before, so he naturally doesn’t know the prices of these items. Manager Sun has only given him two silver taels in total, so where is he supposed to get five silver taels to pay the bill? “How could these things be so expensive?”

“Are you saying I’m cheating you? My goods are painstakingly transported from the south, taking both land and water routes, and they are all premium quality. Isn’t it reasonable to sell them at a high price?” Manager Wu’s friendly expression turns stern, and he looks at Wu Youde darkly. The shop assistants also gather around, each one tall and imposing, causing Wu Youde, who is standing in the middle, to tremble with fear.

“I… I didn’t mean that. It’s just that it’s really too expensive, and I don’t have enough silver on me. How about this: let me go home to get the silver, and I’ll leave these items here. I won’t take them with me, okay?” Wu Youde thinks of a way to escape and pleads bitterly.

Manager Wu is unyielding. He snorts coldly, “The goods have already been packed and weighed for you. If you run away, who will I sell these things to? Here’s what we’ll do: I’ll send someone to accompany you and help you carry the goods back, and then collect the payment.”

“These items were specifically ordered by our Manager. If you must send them back, then send them to ‘Yingke Lai’!” Wu Youde is afraid that they will rob him if he doesn’t have enough money, so he immediately mentions ‘Yingke Lai.’

“You’re a worker from ‘Yingke Lai’? That’s fine. I’ll call a couple more people to help deliver the goods. If you still can’t pay later, well, let’s see how it goes!” Unspoken threats often carry more weight. 

Wu Youde trembles as he walks between the large men, his face turning pale with fear.

“Who are you people?” Hearing that someone is looking for him, Manager Sun comes out and sees four men surrounding Wu Youde.

“We’re from Wu’s Southern Goods Store. Your worker bought some items from us and said he didn’t have money to pay. He’s come back to get the money, so we’re delivering him back. Please, Manager, pay up so we can report back.”

Manager Sun frowns, but considering the recipe is still in Wu Youde’s hands, he has to pay the money to solve the matter.

“How much?”

“Five silver taels.”

Manager Sun is also shocked: “Just these things in the basket, they actually cost five taels?” There are only a dozen or so paper packages; how could they cost so much?

Five silver taels isn’t a lot to him, but no businessman wants to make a loss.

“If the Manager is unsure, you might as well open the basket and check the contents. As an experienced restaurant manager, you should be able to assess the value of these items,” says the leading assistant.

Manager Sun opens the basket and unwraps a few paper packages. He is immediately enraged. Inside are various expensive items like dried scallops and sea cucumbers, all high-quality and plump!

Fuming, he pays the money to send the men away and slaps Wu Youde as soon as they are gone.

“I told you to get the recipe. What did you bring back instead?”

Wu Youde feels wronged, “But today, Jiang Miao bought these items to grind into powder. It’s probably because the ingredients are precious that the powder turned out so delicious.”

Manager Sun’s chest heaves with anger. Despite his efforts to control himself, he slaps Wu Youde again.

“A street vendor buys five taels worth of ingredients to make powder—how does he make a profit? Tell me! You idiot, you must have leaked information. We’ve been tricked by him!” Manager Sun is so angry that his teeth itch.

Tricked? Wu Youde is bewildered. He recalls what he has done but still doesn’t understand where he has made a mistake or how he has been tricked.

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