Since the plaque was delivered to the shop on Xishui Street, Meng Zhao hung it directly on the shop's entrance. However, she had two shops, and one plaque wasn't enough to go around.
Asking the county magistrate to write another one is obviously not going to work; she's not that overeating.
But making a fake one wouldn't be appropriate either. If someone found a reason to sue her, she'd be in deep trouble.
After thinking it over and over, I still couldn't come up with a good idea until one day when I came home and saw Shen Qinghe painting. That's when I had an idea.
"Second brother, draw me a cartoon."
Upon hearing this, Shen Qinghe was slightly taken aback, a look of confusion appearing on his face. "Comic? What kind of drawing?"
Seeing his blank expression, Meng Zhao gave him a brief introduction and then drew a rough outline on the blackboard with chalk for Shen Qinghe to try.
Shen Qinghe not only excelled in his studies, but also had a talent for painting. Although it was the first time he had tried the format suggested by Meng Zhao, he was willing to cooperate. With Meng Zhao's guidance, he made revisions little by little and drew several pictures, finally satisfying Meng Zhao.
The result was a simple four-panel comic strip. The first scene showed imposing constables escorting a plaque, with a background shot of a lion dance troupe hired by Zhao's Braised Pork, making it look even more festive.
The second scene shows Meng Zhao leading people to wait at the shop entrance to receive the plaque, followed by constables from the yamen helping to hang the plaque, and finally, a picture of the finished plaque after it has been hung.
Meng Zhao was satisfied and sent the painting to be framed. It would then be hung on the shop on Tongfu Street, so that even without a signboard, diners would know about it when they saw it.
After staying at home for two days, Meng Zhao returned to Xishui Street. Now, Zhao's Braised Pork across the street no longer poses a threat to her.
Although some diners go there specifically for the drinks, the size of the shop means that wealthy young men who can afford to spend a lot of money won't come to a braised meat stall to drink.
Most customers order a couple of plates of braised meat and drink for an hour or so. They don't usually care much about the taste of the snacks; they just want to drink. However, because the shop specializes in braised meat and its alcohol is inexpensive, the price per serving has never been able to go up.
Their business wasn't doing well, so Meng Zhao was naturally in a good mood, happily preparing the braising ingredients in the backyard.
Not long after, Lin Qiuniang hurried over. Seeing that she looked a little flustered and her eyes revealed an undisguised unease, Meng Zhao noticed her unusual behavior and asked softly, "Qiuniang, what's wrong? Just tell me what's wrong."
Lin Qiuniang hesitated for a long time before finally mustering up the courage to stammer out the truth.
It turns out that recently, a neighbor near her home has been frequently visiting, subtly inquiring about the shop.
"Qiu Niang, the braised meat at the shop where you work is so delicious, didn't you learn a few tricks?"
Since they were neighbors, Lin Qiuniang didn't think much of it and answered truthfully, "I'm only responsible for cutting meat and watching the pot. As for how to make the braised meat, that's done by the owner and the old people in the shop. I just help out and don't learn anything."
The man looked incredulous. “Even if you’re just helping out, you should at least keep an eye on things. Braised meat is so profitable. If you secretly learn how to make some and sell it to us neighbors, you can earn a lot more money. Then your son won’t have to go out to work on the boat. It’s so dangerous. What if something happens to him?”
“How can I learn it so easily? The shop uses ready-made spice packets, so I can’t learn it at all. I’ll just do my job well. The employer pays me well anyway. I’ll save up and when my son comes back next time, I won’t let him go out.” Lin Qiu’s mother had been worried about her son, but seeing how much the man cared about her, she didn’t suspect anything.
The man looked at Lin Qiuniang with a disappointed expression. "Isn't that easier? Why don't you just find a way to steal a few packets of ingredients?"
Lin Qiuniang then realized something was wrong. If this person wanted her to earn more money, why would they instigate her to steal? This person clearly had ill intentions. Her face immediately turned cold, and she said sternly:
“Greetings, Lord. You know my husband has a broken arm, and you always think of me when you have something good to eat. If I were to do something like that, wouldn’t I be heartless?”
After saying that, she chased the person out and told her husband, "If she ever comes to our house again, you must never let her in."
She originally thought that this person was just jealous because she had found a good job, and that she should just avoid him in the future. But who knew that this person would come to her door again last night and say that he would give her thirty taels of silver if she stole a few packets of materials.
Lin Qiuniang secretly calculated in her heart that thirty taels of silver was more than a year's wages for her. If she could get this money, her son would no longer have to go out and risk his life on the boat. Thinking of this, even the usually honest and upright Lin Qiuniang couldn't help but be tempted, so she didn't refuse directly.
That night, she tossed and turned and couldn't sleep much. She was about fifteen minutes late for work today, but Meng Zhao only told her to be more careful next time. Seeing that she didn't look well, he also said that if she was not feeling well, she could rest when she wasn't busy. If she was really feeling unwell, he would give her a day off.
Meng Zhao's care and tolerance made Lin Qiuniang feel even more guilty. After hesitating for a long time, she finally decided to tell Meng Zhao the truth.
“I’m that person’s neighbor, and I know her family’s financial situation very well. Let alone thirty taels, she would be lucky to come up with three taels of silver. This definitely wasn’t her idea; someone must have instructed her to do it,” Lin Qiuniang said with a face full of guilt. She also felt extremely remorseful for having wavered in her decision.
Upon hearing Lin Qiuniang's account, Meng Zhao frowned slightly, considering all the possible suspects in her mind. Her main suspect was Zhao Ji across the street, but it was only a suspicion. After all, her business was doing so well, and there might be others who harbored resentment towards her.
Seeing that Lin Qiuniang was still nervous, he gently comforted her, "Qiuniang, thank you for telling me this."
Lin Qiuniang quickly waved her hand, "What are you saying? I'm the one who should apologize. I... I not only didn't refuse directly, but I actually thought about stealing the material package today at work."
"But in the end you didn't take action, and you could have kept it a secret from everyone, but you still risked being blamed to remind me. Of course I want to thank you." Meng Zhao gently patted Lin Qiuniang's shoulder and continued.
"You were able to pull back from the brink at this critical moment, which shows that you are kind-hearted, honest and reliable. Don't worry, I won't blame you."
Lin Qiuniang was relieved. Fortunately, she hadn't made any mistakes today, or she would have regretted it too late.
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