LGSLAW : Chapter 22 – Good Vegetables

If it were ordinary vegetables, Manager Jin might not care about someone making a bit of profit on the side. As long as the tea house found the purchase price reasonable, how the intermediary dealt with the farmers was their business. 

But not this time!

Even Master Qu himself had come to taste these vegetables and personally selected them. No matter what, they had to find the actual farmer growing these vegetables! Otherwise, if the greedy Wu Mian found out that these vegetables were a crucial resource for the tea house, how could he not leverage this knowledge to continuously extort higher prices?

Manager Jin narrowed his eyes. “Brother Wu, what you’re saying isn’t fair. As a tea house, how could we not thoroughly investigate the source of our produce? If the quality were to fail, how could we come to you for accountability? Could you bear such responsibility?”

Wu Mian was unfazed, well aware of some internal workings from his time at the Liang household. “While that’s true, Manager Jin, it seems you’re quite satisfied with these vegetables, which is why you hurried to ask me. If you’re still skeptical about the farmer, why not simply stop buying? Hehe, honestly, that box of vegetables was the finest I’ve ever seen, truly rare.”

To say nothing of the fact that one box had fetched more than three taels of silver, almost the price of two chickens! 

Vegetables could be traded for chickens; he’d never seen such valuable vegetables!

Manager Jin suppressed his anger, his eyelid twitching as he spoke, “If you tell me which farmer it is, the tea house will give you three taels of silver, how about that?”

But Wu Mian, confident that they would never find out the source of these vegetables and seeing the potential for ongoing profit, shook his head firmly, “Even ten taels wouldn’t make me reveal it. Manager Jin, would you forgo long-term benefits for short-term gains?”

Manager Jin’s face darkened further. “Do you think we can’t find out?”

Wu Mian laughed and shrugged, thinking they certainly couldn’t. He himself had yet to ask the second chef. But if the tea house sent someone to ask at the Liang household, they would likely get the answer that it came from the second chef’s uncle’s family. After all, the box he used was quite distinctive. It seemed the second chef had used a tightly sealed box to avoid detection when returning such good vegetables. Thus, the true source was known only to the second chef.

Manager Jin flung his sleeve. “Eight taels!”

Eight taels could hire a maid, equivalent to two years’ wages for a town worker!

Wu Mian put on a serious face. “Even ten taels wouldn’t make me budge. Manager Jin, you should reconsider my proposal.”

Accustomed to high regard as the manager of the tea house, frequently interacting with dignitaries and officials, Manager Jin was incensed at being manipulated by a small-time player like this. His face turned slightly green with anger.

“Fine. I’ll go back and reconsider carefully.”

Despite his anger, the shrewd Manager Jin did not let slip any threats. The first thing he did upon returning was to inquire at the Liang household.

Meanwhile, Wu Mian was in no hurry. He expected the tea house to inquire and was sure the second chef would not reveal the truth. Once that was done, he would then approach the second chef for information. The profits might need to be shared, but this would prevent the second chef from threatening him for profit before the tea house made their inquiries.

Wu Mian’s plan seemed flawless. However, he underestimated Manager Jin’s capabilities. As an amiable-looking man who had risen to the position of manager, Manager Jin’s interpersonal skills were exceptional. His connections included even the Liang household.

Thus, Manager Jin didn’t just privately ask the gatekeepers but directly presented his card and soon found himself in front of Master Liang. He straightforwardly inquired about the box of vegetables dispatched from the Liang household on a certain date. Given that Master Qu had instructed this, he dared not make any mistakes.

“Vegetables? What vegetables? I have no idea,” Master Liang was puzzled.

Manager Jin firmly replied, “There’s no mistake. These vegetables were delivered by one of your servants, and the box, which I inspected closely, had distinctive waterproof nail holes on the edges, a signature feature of your household. Today, I even had the box brought along. It’s outside the manor. Would you like to see it?”

Curious about the exceptional vegetables that warranted such meticulous tracking, Master Liang agreed. 

And upon seeing the box, he immediately recognized it as the one sent to Brother Yang’s family! 

The distinct red lacquer, specially requested by his wife for cheerfulness, was unmistakable. Typically, they used black lacquer, but for a patient, his wife preferred red.

Thus, Master Liang was even more confused.

However, knowing the origin of the box made tracing it straightforward. Skipping over the second chef and Wu Mian—unaware of their involvement—he summoned the gatekeepers who had been on duty that day and cross-referenced their accounts with the steward’s.

It became clear that the vegetables had indeed been sent by Yang’s family through a referral by the medical student Ji Guang.

Master Liang’s demeanor changed immediately, eyes sparkling. “Brother Jin, since these vegetables were sent by Yang’s ge’er for my son, we can’t deprive him of something he enjoys. If my son likes them, we should keep some for our household too, don’t you agree?”

Manager Jin, thrilled to have found the source, now faced a new challenge. He begrudgingly agreed, “Of course, it’s only right to set aside a portion for the young master.” The rest would go to the tea house.

Unaware of the potential issue, Master Liang smiled broadly. “Very well. I’m delighted to have facilitated this connection for Brother Yang. How about we visit Miao family Village today to finalize this?”

Manager Jin, equally eager, beamed. “That’s excellent! Thank you, Brother Liang, for your great assistance!”

Wasting no time, Master Liang had a carriage prepared, and they set off for Yang Dalang’s home. Meanwhile, Miao He had finally overcome his shyness and was conversing normally with Yang Dalang. He was preparing lunch, a fragrant pot of cabbage stew. The stew included dried shrimp, mushrooms, and dried flatfish from the Liang family’s provisions, along with pork strips, minced garlic, and the magical-soil-grown cabbage.

To aid Yang Dalang’s recovery, Miao He had also added pigskin to increase the collagen. The thick, soft, and fragrant stew’s aroma wafted through the air, even reaching the incoming guests.

Before knocking, Manager Jin’s eyes lit up. “What smells so good?! Cabbage stew? Having fresh cabbage this season must mean it was preserved from last winter!”

Master Liang, slightly embarrassed, realized he had lost track of time in his excitement. His wife often reminded him of his impulsiveness. “It seems we’ve come at mealtime. Should we walk around and return later?”

However, Manager Jin, unable to contain his anticipation, suggested, “Though it’s a bit impolite, we won’t stay long. Besides, I’m here representing the tea house, bringing our sincere intentions. I’m sure Brother Yang will understand.”

Before Master Liang could respond, the door opened. Miao He, having heard the carriage arrive but noticing no one calling, came to check. 

Miao He welcomed the guests and led them inside. It was indeed lunchtime, with Yang Dalang already seated at the table. A large pot of cabbage stew and two bowls of rice were on the table. A small black cat was happily eating at the table’s edge.

Seeing the guests, Yang Dalang stood to greet them but was stopped by Master Liang. After brief introductions, they all sat back at the table.

“It seems we’ve come at mealtime. Have you both eaten? If not, please join us,” Miao He invited warmly, hopeful that Master Liang’s visit indicated interest in his vegetables.

Master Liang quickly declined, “No need to trouble yourselves. It was impolite of us to come at this hour.”

Manager Jin, however, couldn’t take his eyes off the cabbage stew. Though he didn’t immediately accept out of politeness, he also didn’t refuse.

Smiling, Miao He insisted, “It’s no trouble at all! I’ve cooked a large pot, plenty for everyone.”

Without waiting for further refusals, Miao He quickly fetched two more bowls and chopsticks from the kitchen. Yang Dalang also encouraged the guests to join them.

Master Liang, whose stomach growled at the aroma, finally relented, feeling it would be rude to refuse further. As he took a bite of the cabbage stew, the tender leaves easily broke apart, and he couldn’t help but swallow eagerly. The soft, sweet cabbage and perfectly balanced seasoning made him understand why Manager Jin had gone to such lengths for these vegetables.

Manager Jin, equally impressed, savored each bite, feeling gratified.

This is the quality! Master Qu’s discerning taste was indeed sharp and accurate!

Originally intending a brief meal, both men ended up eating seriously. Miao He even had to fetch a second pot of stew from the kitchen.

Master Liang felt slightly embarrassed but consoled himself that it would be rude not to let the host refill their food. Silently, he resolved never to let his wife know about this!

After they finished eating, Miao He served a plate of tomatoes. These weren’t entirely from the magical soil but had been grown from the main plant propagated elsewhere. The subsequent fruits, though ordinary, still maintained a good standard.

He prepared a dipping sauce of soy sauce, sugar, and grated ginger. The sweet, salty, and slightly spicy sauce complemented the tomatoes’ tartness, refreshing the palate.

Manager Jin’s eyes lit up again, unable to contain himself as he spoke about their visit.

“I won’t hide our purpose. Today, I asked Brother Liang to bring me here mainly to purchase your vegetables. The vegetables you sent to the Liang household ended up at our Yangzhou Teahouse by chance. We were so satisfied with the quality that I couldn’t wait to meet you and make an arrangement.”

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