Culinary Expert

Chapter 12: A Potential Conspiracy

[The Host has currently sold 3 Supreme Tea Eggs. The proceeds of 30 yuan have been transferred to your bank card. Please check your account. You are currently 97 units short of completing the “Money Galore” quest. Keep up the good work, Host. ] Bai Xiaobai checked his mobile banking app—sure enough, the 30 yuan had been credited instantly. But 30 yuan really is too little; even a bowl of good beef noodle soup in Jianghai City costs more than that. Hang in there! Good things come to those who wait! Nothing in life goes completely smoothly. No matter how big the obstacle, you have to overcome it! I must become a master chef who blends Eastern and Western culinary traditions and reach the pinnacle of my life. After comforting and encouraging herself, Bai Xiaobai felt energized and full of passion, as if she’d been injected with a shot of adrenaline. However, she didn’t open for business as usual that afternoon; instead, she closed the shop and went to the Red Star Building Materials Market to buy construction supplies. A part of the window or door in his second-floor bedroom had been broken for a while and was long overdue for replacement, but Bai Xiaobai hadn’t found the time to fix it lately because he’d been busy completing the Newbie Quest and the Qian Duoduo Quest. Bai Xiaobai rode his bike to the Red Star Building Materials Market, with Xiao Hei wiggling his big belly as he scampered along behind the bike. Right behind him, Pangtou walked into Wang Tuzi’s restaurant next door to Bai Xiaobai’s, carrying three fish. “Mr. Wang, the fresh grass carp you ordered has been delivered.” As soon as Pangtou walked in, he saw Wang Tuzi smoking in silence. “Hey, Mr. Wang, why the long face? Has business been slow lately?” “Business is so-so, but there’s something bothering me,” Wang Tuzi said nonchalantly, exhaling a ring of smoke. Wang Tuzi was Pang Tou’s regular customer; he bought at least a dozen fish a week, all supplied by Pang Tou. Over the years, this had earned Pang Tou quite a bit of money. If his regular customer was unhappy, Pang Tou’s business might not go so well in the future either. Pang Tou pulled out a chair with interest and sat down. “Mr. Wang, something’s bothering you? Tell me about it.” Wang Tuzi took a drag on his cigarette and, without beating around the bush, asked Fat Head directly, “What do you think is a reasonable price for a tea egg?” Hearing this, Fat Head was a bit puzzled. Had Wang Tuzi hit his head on a door? How could this veteran Restaurant owner be asking him—a fishmonger—such a simple question? “One yuan fifty, I’d say—two or three at most,” Fat Head replied. “Then guess how much a tea egg costs at the shop next door.” “You mean Da Bai’s place? Didn’t that go out of business a long time ago?” “His son, Xiaobai, has reopened it.” Hearing this, Pangtou looked completely surprised. No wonder he was surprised—after Bai Xiaobai’s parents had that accident, the shop had indeed been closed for several months. Bai Xiaobai had only reopened it later, and since Pangtou had rarely delivered fresh fish himself in recent years, he had no idea the shop next door had reopened. “That little brat is selling tea eggs now?” “That’s right. He only sells tea eggs now. Guess how much they cost each?” Fat Head blurted out a price off the top of his head: “Three yuan?” “Wrong. That’s too low.” “Too low?” Pangtou felt he’d actually guessed too high. Even at train stations and tourist spots—where prices are doubled just to rip people off—tea eggs never cost more than three yuan. If anyone dared to jack up the price any further, it’d be like a fat pig running into a butcher’s shop—asking for trouble. If they randomly hiked prices and got reported by the ripped-off customers, the relevant authorities would definitely come knocking. Wang Tuzi pointed to a jar of deer penis wine sitting on the counter and said, “Fathead, take two more guesses. If you get it right, I’ll give you that jar of top-quality deer penis wine I brewed for free.” This deer penis wine was brewed by Wang Tuzi using a collection of top-grade medicinal ingredients from all corners of the country, including deer penises from Northeast JL, red ginseng, and deer antlers, Cistanche, dodder, epimedium, seahorses from the South China Sea, and Cordyceps… All of these herbs were top-quality ingredients that Wang Tuzi had personally spent a great deal of time and effort collecting. Fat Head had once accidentally tried some at Wang Tuzi’s shop, and the effects that night were absolutely incredible. It left his wife feeling “itchy” every other day, wondering if he’d taken some Viagra that day. Lately, Fat Head naturally couldn’t stop thinking about that deer penis wine either, but Wang Tuzi was incredibly stingy and wouldn’t give him another drop. He never imagined Wang Tuzi would be willing to stake the deer penis wine on a bet, so Pangtou became more cautious in his guesses. “You’re not seriously asking ten yuan for a tea-egg, are you?” Even Pangtou felt a bit uneasy as he said this. Wang Tuzi waved his hand. “Too low. Guess again.” “Holy shit, you say that’s too low? ” Pangtou’s face paled, and a chill ran down the corner of his mouth as he asked, “Are you saying a tea-egg costs thirty?” As he said that price, Pangtou startled himself—he’d just been throwing out a random number. The price of a single tea-egg was almost as much as one of his big grass carp. Seeing that Fat Head had guessed three times without getting it right, Wang Tuzi cut to the chase and revealed the price: “It’s fifty. The place next door sells a tea-egg for fifty.” “Holy crap, you’re saying a tea-egg costs fifty?” Fat Head repeated the price in disbelief, his eyes nearly popping out of his head. “Who’d pay that much? Only someone who’s had their head caught in a door. ” “Believe it or not, a few people who’ve really had their heads caught in a door have actually walked into the shop these past few days,” Wang Tuzi said, stubbing out his cigarette butt with a fierce flick, a shadow of gloom crossing his face. Pangtou had been grinding it out in the business world for over a decade and understood the ways of the world. Seeing that Wang Tuzi was in a bad mood, so he said ingratiatingly, “He’s just a green, wet-behind-the-ears kid—what does he know? A latecomer like him can’t hold a candle to you, a veteran of the revolution. I’d guess those people are just so-called ‘friends,’ or else paid shills he hired. Look at that con artist playing chess under the bus stop sign—isn’t he also using shills to drum up business?” Fathead’s words struck a chord with Wang Tuzi, and his earlier frustration eased considerably. Come to think of it Fifty yuan for a single tea-egg—anyone who buys it is either a fool or a friend showing support. Even if it’s a friend showing support, once they see such a rip-off price, they definitely won’t come back next time. After all, who has that much spare cash to eat fifty-yuan tea-eggs every day! The more Wang Tuzi thought about it, the more he felt his analysis made sense. Seeing that Wang Tuzi seemed to be in a slightly better mood, Fat Head’s eyes darted mischievously as he leaned in close and whispered, “Old Wang, let me be completely honest with you. If you’re still feeling down, I actually have a way to deal with him.” As soon as Wang Tuzi heard there might be a way out, he quickly pulled out a cigarette and handed it to Fat Head. “What’s the plan? Let’s hear it.” Fathead took the cigarette, put it between his lips, lit it, took a deep drag, and said calmly, “He’s inflating his prices—that’s illegal. My nephew works at the Municipal Administration for Industry and Commerce. If I get him to step in, it’ll be a surefire success—we’ll get him shut down for rectification right away.” When Wang Tuzi heard “suspension of business for rectification,” he felt an indescribable sense of satisfaction, but upon closer reflection, something didn’t quite add up. “He’s displaying his prices openly—it’s a case of ‘one willing to hit, one willing to be hit.’ The nature of this is different; it doesn’t count as fraud, does it?” Seeing that Wang Tuzi was starting to waver, Fat Head continued to spin his web of persuasion: “It’s pretty much the same thing. As long as my nephew steps in and adds a little something extra, that shop will have to shut down. All you have to do is throw in a little something.” Fat Head made no attempt to hide his intentions; after speaking, he rubbed his fingers together a few times. Wang Tuzi caught on and asked directly, “How much?” “This much for some deer penis wine,” Fat Head said, holding up his palm to form a big “five.” Wang Tuzi was startled. “That expensive?” Fat Head laid it all out in the open. “I’m doing you a favor here—it’s not too much to ask for some deer penis wine, is it? Besides, my nephew might not want a penny, but his guys under him will need a little something. This amount isn’t excessive—it’d be gone in a single meal out.” Wang Tuzi shook his head. “We’ll talk about it later.” He could bring himself to part with the deer penis wine, but when it came to money, the usually stingy Wang Tuzi hesitated. In his view, given the current foot traffic at Bai Xiaobai’s shop, it wouldn’t be long before it went out of business on its own. “Mr. Wang, if you ever need anything, just give me a call—I’ll just let my nephew know.” Fat Head stubbed out his cigarette, made no further small talk, and hurriedly took his leave from Wang Tuzi. Walking down the street outside. Fat Head turned back and cast a meaningful glance at both Wang Tuzi’s shop and Bai Xiaobai’s store. ‘Wang Tuzi, I know better than anyone about the grudges and dirty dealings between you and Old Bai back in the day. If his son’s shop ever takes off, you’ll definitely reach out to me—I’m definitely getting my hands on that jar of deer penis wine.’ The afterglow of the setting sun turned half the sky crimson. Breezes of the evening carried away the day’s heat. After Bai Xiaobai went to the building materials market to buy parts, he stopped by the big supermarket to pick up some daily necessities. By the time he returned to the shop, it was already five o’clock in the evening. After replacing the window parts on the second floor, Bai Xiaobai went downstairs into the kitchen and made a few more Supreme Tea Eggs. He’d only made five Supreme Tea Eggs today; after selling three at lunchtime, he’d just eaten the remaining two. As he skillfully prepared the “Supreme Tea Eggs,” Bai Xiaobai glanced out the kitchen window from time to time, hoping a customer would walk in. Come on, customers! Bai Xiaobai silently chanted to himself. It was just past 6:00 p. m. , right in the middle of rush hour, and the streets outside were bustling with people. After a busy day at work, the female office workers in the city were already physically and mentally exhausted, just waiting to enjoy a delicious dinner to relieve their fatigue. Zhu Yufei was one of them. Although Chaotianmen Street was backed by bustling commercial buildings, it was considered a somewhat run-down area, so real estate prices weren’t sky-high. As a result, quite a few restaurants managed to survive here. In addition to Bai Xiaobai and Boss Wang’s shop, there was also a beef noodle shop, a fast-food restaurant, and a chicken cutlet shop. It was peak hour, and with the exception of Bai Xiaobai’s shop, every single one of the other restaurants was packed to the brim. Zhu Yufei looked at the packed restaurants and furrowed her brow slightly. These days, you have to wait no matter which restaurant you go to. And waiting was exactly what she hated most. With her stomach growling, Zhu Yufei looked around Chaotianmen Street to see if she could find a restaurant that wasn’t quite as crowded. She had just started a new job and wasn’t familiar with the nearby shops at all. After walking for quite a while, Zhu Yufei noticed a secluded little restaurant at the end of Chaotianmen Street. “Xiaobai Restaurant?” That name was actually pretty funny. Zhu Yufei, who was still a bit of a kid at heart, thought of Xiaobai from *Crayon Shin-chan* and couldn’t help but let the corners of her mouth curl up, forming a stunning smile. From the outside, the restaurant looked clean and bright, with very simple decor. Under the soft, warm glow of the lights, a busy figure could be faintly seen inside the glass-walled kitchen right in the center of the restaurant. At this hour, there wasn’t a single customer inside, which puzzled Zhu Yufei a bit. Could it be that the food here wasn’t very good? With her stomach growling, Zhu Yufei couldn’t afford to be picky anymore. Feeling a bit anxious, she walked into the restaurant at a leisurely pace.