Chapter 16 Making Trouble and Stealing the Secret Recipe
With two large buckets of perilla drink missing, the three of them walked much faster on the road and set up their stall much earlier.
As soon as the three arrived at the dock, a regular customer came to the stall. "Why didn't you bring any drinks today, young lady?" Xu Zhiheng asked, fanning himself.
Lin Yao looked up and saw that it was the scholar.
The scholar was wearing a pink robe today, looking much more understated than his flamboyant appearance last time, though the color made his skin look a bit dark.
Lin Yao snapped out of her thoughts: "Young master, the weather is getting cooler, so it's not suitable to sell these drinks anymore. But I've come up with a new dish—iron plate pork belly fried rice. It's delicious. Would you like to try some?" As she spoke, Lin Yao pointed to the gleaming iron plate and the prepared ingredients beside her.
"That's a pity. My son really likes the drinks you make here, madam," Xu Zhiheng frowned slightly, his tone tinged with regret. "Last time he drank some and kept asking for more."
Lin Yao looked apologetic. "I'm really sorry. Next summer, I will definitely prepare a variety of drinks to satisfy you. Today, you might as well try our sizzling fried rice. It's cooked to perfection and has a unique flavor."
Xu Zhiheng raised an eyebrow, a hint of curiosity flashing in his eyes: "Teppanyaki fried rice?"
Upon seeing this, Lin Yao immediately began to enthusiastically introduce the product: "Young Master Xu, this fried rice is made with the finest pork belly and white rice, along with our own rendered lard. It's stir-fried on this iron plate to maximize the aroma of the pork belly and rice. We also have large, medium, and small portions. A small portion is three coins, a medium portion is eight coins, and a large portion is only ten coins. You can try a small portion first, and if you like it, you can always order a large portion next time."
“I have already tasted your cooking skills, young lady, so I trust them.” Xu Zhiheng smiled slightly, his gaze sweeping over the prices of the three different portions of fried rice. “Give me two large portions of fried rice, two catties of braised pork offal, and two ‘Family Reunion’ steamed buns. Send them all to the porridge shop next door.”
After saying that, Xu Zhiheng and Jin Yu sat down at the porridge shop, ordered two bowls of fish porridge, and ate while waiting.
As Lin Yao heard Xu Zhiheng order one dish after another, her smile grew more and more genuine, and she was overjoyed inside.
This person is really generous today, spending sixty coins on a single meal. She immediately and quickly began preparing, and the tempting sizzling sound of the hot plate rang out again. The pork belly quickly changed color on the hot plate, emitting a rich aroma.
At the same time, Lin Cheng also hurriedly prepared braised pig offal and "family reunion" steamed buns.
Lin Yao skillfully stir-fried the rice, and in no time, two steaming large portions of fried rice were ready. Lin Song took a large bowl of fried rice and followed his sister to the porridge shop.
In the porridge shop, many diners were drawn to the food that Lin Song brought out.
"This rice looks delicious!" a young man couldn't help but ask.
Xu Zhiheng said loudly, "This is the new sizzling pork belly fried rice from next door, along with braised pork offal and 'Family Reunion' steamed buns. This fried rice uses the best pork belly and white rice, paired with lard, it's incredibly fragrant!" He opened one of the fried rice portions, and instantly, the aroma filled the air.
Then, he picked up a piece of braised pork offal. "This braised pork offal is also extremely delicious. The offal is cleaned very thoroughly, the braising flavor is rich and mellow, and it's very chewy. And this 'Family Reunion' steamed bun is full of delicious fillings, including braised pork, fried eggs, and this secret braising sauce. One bite and it's packed full. I've never eaten such delicious braised pork!" He then picked up a piece of braised pork offal with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth, looking completely delighted.
An elderly man couldn't help but say, "Now that you mention it, I'd like to try it too."
The woman next to her chimed in, "Yes, it looks delicious. I'll bring some back for my family too."
As everyone chimed in, more and more people started ordering pork belly fried rice at the stall.
The sudden increase in customers kept Lin Yao busy. She had originally prepared to spend a lot of time persuading customers to buy her pork belly fried rice, but in less than half an hour, the rice in the pot was gone.
Lin Yao was filled with suspicion. This person had only bought food a few times before, and although the amount purchased each time was not small, he always left in a hurry after buying it. But today, he sat down next door and praised their food in a grand manner. This behavior was really strange.
However, her usual style is to not think about things she can't understand. Anyway, praising her own food is only beneficial to them.
Lin Yao withdrew her gaze and continued to focus on the fried rice. Her spatula flew up and down, as if she wanted to create sparks. Today's situation was far beyond her expectations; there were an unusually large number of people buying large portions of fried rice.
It turns out that many people are buying large portions in pairs, so that each person only needs to pay five coins to get half a large portion. This portion is more than a small portion and more affordable than a medium portion, naturally attracting more people to choose it.
The food on the stall was sold out, and the three siblings packed up and were about to go home when a sharp female voice rang in their ears, "Fellow villagers, come and see! These three siblings have secretly taken the family's secret recipe to set up a stall. They are truly disobedient and unfilial!"
Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw a middle-aged woman with a bloated figure and a mean face walking aggressively towards them. She pointed at Lin Yao and her brother, her face full of anger and dissatisfaction.
Lin Yao was startled. She recognized Hu Shi from the eldest branch of the Lin family. She usually liked to bully the second branch of the family. She wondered what kind of trouble she was going to cause this time.
When Lin Yao decided to set up a stall, she knew this day would come. They couldn't keep doing it secretly forever. You can't guard against thieves forever. They would deal with whatever came their way.
Passersby cast curious glances and began to whisper among themselves.
"What's going on? What secret recipe?"
"Didn't that young lady from the Lin family say that she used a family secret recipe for braised pig offal? Could it be that she really stole it?"
Seeing that everyone's attention had been drawn to her, Madam Hu became even more pitiful and continued to shout loudly, "Their braised pork offal uses our Lin family's ancestral secret recipe. They're selling it without the eldest son's permission. Isn't that theft?"
Lin Yao frowned, about to speak, when Lin Cheng, standing to the side, shielded his younger siblings behind him and said angrily, "Aunt, don't make false accusations! We've already separated our family and have nothing to do with your Lin family's eldest branch. Stop twisting the truth!"
Madam Hu feigned heartache: "Cheng-ge'er, what are you saying? Your braised pig offal uses the Lin family's ancestral secret recipe. It's not that we don't want you to use it, but how can you children take away something passed down from your ancestors? Your parents are gone, and there's no one to discipline you. Today, your aunt has to teach you on behalf of your parents. Using the ancestral secret recipe without permission is stealing!"
Lin Cheng realized that Hu Shi was openly and secretly cursing their parents, and he was immediately enraged, his clenched fists trembling slightly.
Lin Yao stopped Lin Cheng, pinched her thigh hard, and tears streamed down her face from the pain. "Aunt, why are you hitting our sore spot? We are children without parents, but who in Huaihua Village doesn't know that my father went to war in place of my uncle and that's why he disappeared? The day after the news reached the village, our second branch was separated from the family. The government has all of this on file."
She wept bitterly, and Lin Song beside her also cried, looking utterly pitiful. "After the family split up, my mother struggled to raise the three of us all by herself. If my aunt truly cared so much for our family, why wouldn't she open the door when we just begged her for some rice gruel when my mother was seriously ill? My mother didn't even get a full meal before she died!"
“I admit that I lied to my fellow villagers. This is not a secret recipe passed down through the Lin family, but it is indeed made from a secret recipe.”
Lin Yao wiped away her tears and continued, "When my two siblings and I went to bury our mother, we met a wandering Taoist priest. We were hungry and exhausted, and the old priest took pity on us and gave us a brocade pouch, saying it contained a way for us to survive. That's how we started our business today, making braised pig offal according to the old priest's recipe. We're honest and hardworking, earning money with our own hands. We haven't stolen or robbed. Why is my aunt slandering us like this? Does she really want to force us to our deaths?"
Madam Hu spat, "You jinx who killed your parents, do you think you can just say whatever you want? And the old Taoist priest gave you a recipe? Do you even have the right to that?"
Lin Song suddenly rushed out like a cannonball, crying out, "You're not allowed to insult my second sister! You're not allowed to insult my second sister! My father isn't dead! He's still looking for his way home!"
When Hu saw Lin Song coming toward her, she raised her hand to push him away.
Grandpa Wang, who was standing nearby, reacted quickly and grabbed Lin Song.
He ran over after hearing the commotion, and stood by the food stall, worried that the Lin siblings might be taken advantage of.
Lin Song kept sobbing. Grandpa Wang was worried that the child would faint from crying, so he patted Lin Song's back and said, "You are really heartless. You are driving these children to their deaths."
In this day and age, many families lose all contact with their members after they are conscripted for military service or corvée labor, and some even tragically die far from home. The plight of the Lin siblings has touched upon many people's deeply buried sorrowful memories, bringing them profound grief.
A middle-aged man in the crowd, his eyes reddening, said loudly, "These kids have it so hard. They have to make a living on their own, and they still get bullied like this."
Lin Yao calmed herself down and said, "Since Aunt insists that it is the Lin family's secret recipe, then we will go to see the authorities."
Aunt Li, who had been watching from the sidelines for a long time, couldn't stand it any longer and couldn't help but scold, "What are you doing? Can't you stand to see others doing well? You've become envious just because these three children have earned some hard-earned money through their own efforts, and you want to forcibly seize the secret recipe? You even have the audacity to say that it's your Lin family's secret recipe. If you really have that kind of confidence, then stop making a scene here and just go with Miss Ye to see the officials and let them judge the matter!"
Ancient secret recipes are extremely precious. A single recipe can be passed down through generations of a small family as the foundation of their household. Therefore, stealing a secret recipe is no small matter.
Lin Yao knew that if they didn't figure this out today, their business might not be able to continue.
In this era, the government symbolizes unquestionable authority. Lin Yao's proposal to seek justice at the government office was intended to demonstrate that she felt no remorse and acted with integrity and uprightness. Regardless of whether this dispute ultimately reaches the government, their proactive attitude in seeking a fair judgment is enough to prove their innocence.
A note from the author:
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