Birds of a feather flock together, a timeless truth. With just a word of encouragement from the shopkeeper, the owner can come up with a terrible idea. Who would believe they're on the same wavelength?
Hai Shengping whispered something in the shopkeeper's ear for a while, and then the shopkeeper, Li Yan, went to make the arrangements with a smile.
That day, when Chunru and Lamei were inspecting the ingredients, they discovered that the amount of chili powder in the jar was significantly less than a finger's width.
Since these two came to the county branch, their wages have increased, and they have also learned that there will be opportunities for promotion in the future.
Therefore, they worked even more diligently.
Every evening when they finished work, the two of them would take stock of all the ingredients, including chili powder, one of the most precious seasonings.
The method is very simple: every night when we finish work, we use a small shovel to flatten the chili powder, and then carefully draw a mark on its edge with lard.
The next day, upon arriving, I would first check if any items or materials were missing, and carefully wipe away any lard stains.
When I came over to do the inventory today, I noticed something was wrong and reported it to Liu Qing. The three of us discussed it and decided to hold back and observe secretly, while also sending a message to the master.
After receiving the letter, Huang was speechless. She called the women in her family over to discuss what to do.
It wasn't that Madam Huang couldn't come up with a suitable solution, but rather that she was constantly looking for opportunities to improve the problem-solving abilities of the women in her family.
The only thing Liu Xiaohua, the eldest sister-in-law, could think of was reporting it to the authorities.
"Grandma, I'm thinking that if this person dares to extend their reach into our kitchen, they must be a mole. And it's unlikely they only stole this once."
After reporting to the authorities, our family has now been formally recognized by the county government, and we have a legitimate reason to deal with the person if they are arrested.
Second cousin-in-law Zhang Cuicui said,
"Reporting to the authorities might alert them, so it's better to observe secretly first, and also see which restaurant in the county has spicy dishes."
This way, we'll know who the mastermind is.
Zhao Qingyi said:
Even if other families make spicy dishes, there's no way to prove they stole the chili powder from our house.
In our Divine Dragon Kingdom, it's not that no one grows chili peppers, but most of them are in flowerpots. It's not impossible that someone might discover they're edible.
As everyone chimed in with their own opinions, Madam Huang looked at Zhao Qingyan.
Zhao Qingyan touched her nose; she didn't know anything about these ancient investigative methods.
"This needs to be done in several steps. Reporting it to the authorities is also necessary. After all, if something is lost, that's one thing, but if something else is stolen, that would be troublesome."
However, when investigating cases at the county government office, the officials and constables still need to wear civilian clothes so as not to alert the suspects.
Let's try another process of elimination. The kitchen is locked every day, so when did the thief get into the kitchen?
The person must have had a kitchen key on them; the possibility of embezzlement cannot be ruled out.
It's also possible that someone who had access to Chunru and Lamei took advantage of their inattention to steal the key, make a mold, and secretly make a key.
In our county's kitchen, besides those with fixed contracts, there are a few with flexible contracts and those who are hired.
Those with fixed contracts are less likely to have ulterior motives, while those with flexible contracts are more likely to be hired.
Of course, this is not absolute; we need to investigate these people's family circumstances.
Even if they were bought, they might be mentally unstable, and their relatives might have made a mistake because one of them was begging and the other had no choice.
Therefore, the investigation should focus on the families of these individuals.
Someone suddenly found a sum of money and started spending it lavishly, or someone's spendthrift son suddenly found he could pay off his gambling debts, and so on.
The investigation will likely proceed in these directions.
Although Zhao Qingyan did not provide a practical solution, she did open up a new avenue for catching thieves.
Zhao Qingyi wrote a letter and sent it by fast horse to Liu Qing in the county.
Liu Qing is truly capable; he quickly made the arrangements.
Within three days, the thief was caught; it was none other than the hired hand, Jin Ping'er.
After reporting to the authorities, Liu Qing explained his and his master's thoughts, emphasizing that they should not alert the enemy.
Magistrate Qiu was a foodie, especially fond of the meat skewers from the Zhao family. When Liu Qing told him that thieves could both steal and store things, Magistrate Qiu was terrified.
He didn't want to lose his life over a few bites of food, and the thought of not being able to eat delicious meat skewers again made him furious.
"Wang Wen, you are quite slender. Why don't you play the role of a young lady for the next few days and go undercover at Zhao's Snack Shop, working in the kitchen?"
At most, it'll be washing vegetables or something; I won't make it difficult for you to cook.
If the mission is successfully completed, the master will reward you with one tael of silver.
Wang Wen was so upset by the arrangements made by the county officials that he almost cried.
"Sir, I'm a grown man, and I'm not married yet."
How can we know how the young ladies behave? What if we give ourselves away, wouldn't that be like alerting the enemy?
Liu Qing was also amused by Lord Qiu's arrangement, and it took him a while to suppress his laughter.
"Officer Wang, I'm begging you. The thieves at my Zhao Family Snack Shop are counting on your help."
After this is done, my Zhao's Snack Shop will treat you to free meat skewers for two months, up to 50 skewers each time, no matter what kind. How does that sound?
When Wang Wen heard that he could eat for free for two months, fifty skewers each time, he thought it was a great deal, and most importantly, it was delicious.
Therefore, I am less resistant to playing a woman.
After Liu Qing finished making his promise, he looked up and saw that Lord Qiu, seated at the head of the table, had a strange expression on his face. He bowed deeply again.
"The county magistrate is the official in charge of our Qingyang County. He is very busy with many affairs every day. He must be very tired."
"As long as the magistrate is in Qingyang County, our Zhao Family Snack Shop will open its doors to him free of charge."
Magistrate Qiu's eyes lit up. Although he had enough money to eat, he was still craving food.
In fact, he was also short of money. His wife was strict with him, and the allowance she gave Magistrate Qiu each month was not enough for him to go out for a treat.
"This isn't appropriate. You're just the manager, not the owner. Aren't you afraid of being punished by your owner for making such boastful remarks?"
Magistrate Qiu tried hard to suppress his excited voice.
Liu Qing quickly bowed and said,
"Our master has always admired the magistrate's integrity and upright character. He is a true upright official who serves the country and the people."
This is a blessing for our Qingyang County.
I've always wanted to invite the county magistrate to our home for a meal and drinks, but alas, I am of humble status and feel unworthy to even step foot in your door. I've written quite a few invitations.
I didn't dare send a single one, for fear of disturbing the adults' important matters.
If the owner knew that the master liked the food in the shop, he might even reward me with some silver.
Liu Qing had calculated it all. Every time Lord Qiu went to the shop to eat meat skewers, it cost several hundred coins, and he still had to give him a 50% discount. Why not just give it all away for free?
I can't possibly go to the store every day to eat bastard food, can I?
The fact that the county magistrate can eat at the restaurant for free means he will have to rely on the Zhao family in the future. If the Zhao family falls from grace, he won't be able to eat anything at all.
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