Chapter 90 Ramen Shop 2: Side Dish Scandal
The small dish of pickled vegetables was dark in color, soaking in a dark sauce, and gave off an indescribable sour and astringent taste.
Its appearance was quite different from any of the side dishes that had been delivered before, and you couldn't quite put your finger on what was wrong.
Your gaze swept over the spots where the side dishes, the staff, and the manager had stood, finally landing on Xiao Dong and Xiao Mei across from you.
Could they know something?
You can't help but think of that tall, thin man at the cherry blossom viewing party.
He was acting strangely at the time, so you suspected that he had attracted the settlers, but you couldn't find any evidence afterward, so you had to put your doubts aside.
But if the settlers haven't given up on hunting you down, are they still thinking of using the same methods against you?
You casually picked up your chopsticks, gently tapped the edge of the plate, and said with a smile, "Hey, what's this?"
Ask in a relaxed tone, while secretly observing Xiaodong and Xiaomei's reactions.
Xiao Dong frowned, seemingly unaware that something was wrong. She tilted her head, looked at the side dish, and then shrugged: "Hmm...looks like some kind of pickled vegetable?"
You continued to act nonchalant, casually remarking, "The side dishes at ramen shops in Japan are quite particular; it seems like each shop has a fixed combination? I remember the side dishes here are usually lightly pickled, right?"
Xiaomei nodded and said, following your words, "You know what, the previous dishes were mostly pickled radishes and pickled cucumbers, I've never seen anything this dark in color before."
"Right?" You smiled slightly, looked down at the side dish, picked up a piece, and held it up as if you didn't want to eat it, slowly saying, "...Then why is it different this time?"
The atmosphere at the table froze subtly for a moment after those words were spoken.
Xiao Dong and Xiao Mei were both momentarily stunned, then exchanged a glance.
Xiaomei immediately leaned over, picked up a piece with her chopsticks, and smelled it. A hint of hesitation appeared on her face: "Maybe it's just a different taste. Does the shop only use one kind of brine for marinating? Let me try it first."
As she spoke, she was about to put it in her mouth.
You waited a few seconds, and seeing that she really wanted to eat it, you quickly poked her and knocked it away.
"What's wrong?" Xiaomei blinked blankly, looking at you with some confusion, completely unaware that there was a problem. After a moment, her expression changed drastically. She looked at you in disbelief, then at Xiaodong, and finally looked around the entire store in a panic.
You didn't speak, put down your cutlery, and lowered your head to think.
It's no wonder you suspect them. You've been feeling uneasy ever since yesterday, and their behavior has been inconsistent, sometimes good and sometimes bad.
But honestly, if they knew the true purpose of this little dish, or if they were being "used" to lure you into the game, their attitude would likely be different. Even if they didn't deliberately avoid it, they would try to urge you to try it.
Unless their acting skills suddenly improve dramatically, this reaction is too natural and ordinary.
Your doubts eased a little, and looking at the two people's faces, each with their own story, you gave a wry smile: "It seems we still couldn't escape it."
At that moment, their expressions were filled with confusion, and even a hint of surprise at your words.
"Dodge—what?" Xiao Dong asked.
If they really knew, their first reaction should be vigilance or panic, not simply surprise and fear.
—And they didn't even know the existence of the liquidators.
After you gave your explanation, both of them seemed to have had their understanding of the world opened up.
"What do we do now? I'm sorry, we insisted on inviting you out for dinner." Xiao Dong held your hand, her tone somewhat downcast.
“Yes, yes,” Xiaomei chimed in.
"It's alright. I was thinking of saying that I've dragged you all into this." You shook your head. As for what Xiaomei had wanted to ask but Xiaodong gave her a look and she didn't, you pretended not to see it.
The only question now is: what rules have been altered?
You close your eyes, exhale a frustrated breath through your nose, and quickly organize your thoughts.
Known information: This restaurant has very strict and complicated rules, and changing them one by one would likely take a lot of effort. It's highly probable that they'll only try to confuse you and lure you in, just like they would with this small dish.
When the shop assistants served the side dishes, their attitude was noticeably different from before. The attitudes of these locals in the instance only change drastically when it comes to the rules, which shows that even if the rules are changed, the initiative is still firmly in the hands of the locals in the scene.
Regardless of whether the other party is a shop assistant or the shop manager
You open your eyes and look up at the atmosphere inside the store.
The other diners were focused on eating their noodles, heads down, while the staff chatted quietly, occasionally glancing in your direction. The air was filled with the steaming aroma of ramen, but you felt no warmth whatsoever.
The atmosphere of this store has changed.
The enthusiastic welcome you received has vanished, and all the genuine, human interaction has disappeared.
You look again at the side dishes on the table, your pupils shrinking—
The problem with this dish isn't just its color and taste, but its essence.
Compare the store's previous rules with the situation in front of you.
—"Only the seasonings provided in the store may be used; you may not bring in any other seasonings without permission."
This rule already existed in the store, and logically it was to ensure that the flavor of the ramen made by the ramen chefs was not compromised.
But... is this side dish provided by the restaurant?
If it is an "extra" side dish that is not on the menu or included in the default complimentary dishes, then its very existence violates this rule.
If it wasn't provided by the store, it means its origin is unknown.
If its origin is unknown—
Therefore, this side dish has already violated the "rules" themselves.
You took a deep breath, picked up the plate, and slowly glanced at the other diners in the restaurant.
They lowered their heads to eat noodles, the sounds of chewing and slurping rising and falling. Most of the people eating at the ramen shop were men, and they ate very quickly, often replacing the side dishes on the table with noodles long before.
There was only one man whose hand was trembling slightly, and in front of him was a plate of the same small dish as the ones on your table.
He gritted his teeth, his face turned pale, and his fingers gripped the chopsticks tightly... but he didn't touch the dish.
He knew.
He was trying his best to endure it.
Alarm bells are ringing in your head.
So, whether you eat this side dish from the "waiter" or not, you might be punished, right?
Be natural and don't show any doubt about the food provided by the restaurant.
You put the plate back, your tone unchanged: "Ramen is better eaten plain. Let's try the noodles first, and then we can get some side dishes to cleanse our palates." You deliberately stammered out this sentence in Japanese, making sure to save face.
The three of you continued eating your noodles, while you quietly observed everything that happened in the shop.
The shop assistants' movements were stiffer than before, as if they were following a set of behavioral patterns that didn't belong to them.
You whispered to Xiaomei and Xiaodong, "Have you ever heard of a rule that 'you must finish the complimentary side dishes'?"
Xiao Dong shook his head: "No, these kinds of shops usually don't force customers to finish everything, right?"
“Yes, the complimentary items should be something the guests can choose to eat or not, right?” Xiaomei frowned as well. “Generally speaking, apart from the Flower Kingdom, people in other places don’t care much about food waste.”
You think what they said makes sense, but you watch helplessly as the male customer who also noticed the problem with the new side dish is dragged into the kitchen by several employees who are shouting, "You're insulting our dedication to food! You're despicable!" and "Don't underestimate our bond with pickled foods!" because he refused to eat it.
Before long, a strange aroma of meat wafted from there.
The three of you looked at each other and swallowed hard.
...headache.
If you don't eat the side dishes, you'll be seen as a spoilsport and an unruly diner who disregards fine dining. However, the restaurant stipulates that customers cannot use external seasonings to maintain the authenticity of the restaurant's flavors.
But this side dish itself... wasn't on the menu, and it wasn't even served by a waiter who was sent by the manager and treated you like a VIP.
So, does it count as an "external seasoning"?
If this dish is essentially an "outsider," then following the new rules will violate the old rules.
You jolted, your pupils contracting slightly.
The contradictions between rules are the weaknesses of those who tamper with them!
You raise your hand, wait for the waiter to come over, pick up your chopsticks, and gently move the side dishes aside, revealing an empty space on the table.
You said in the calmest tone, "Your food is so delicious, I really can't resist. But what I love is the taste, not anything strange. Don't try to fool me, I'm a connoisseur of all kinds of food. Could you please tell me what it is?"
The shop assistant's expression froze.
You continue to exercise your power under the unspoken rule of the Japanese service industry, "the customer is king," and slowly and logically throw the question at the waiter: "I remember the store's rule is 'no external seasonings,' so, was this side dish provided by the store?"
"This isn't how it tastes at all. If you change the recipe without permission, isn't that a desecration of the food? If you didn't make it yourself, are you just buying some half-finished product from somewhere to deceive my taste buds?" You used the wrong tense, but it doesn't matter. Your attitude is very imposing and enough to intimidate the locals in Japan.
"No, of course we cooked it ourselves..."
"Oh? Then let me see your ingredients? A century-old shop like yours, claiming to have a time-honored braising liquid, yet the food marinated in it looks different, must have new braising ingredients, right? Feel free to show them to me for testing." You exclaimed confidently, your aura commanding. "Isn't this the proper attitude towards food?!"
You were still a little flustered, but you noticed the change in the waiter's attitude, which meant that these heavily pickled side dishes were definitely not prepared in advance.
You'd better see what the waiter does. Will he admit they used non-homemade side dishes, or will he obediently remove the dishes and help you resolve the crisis?
The air fell into a moment of deathly silence.
"Red bean paste, private Marseille!" The shop assistant gritted his teeth and immediately knelt down to apologize.
Not only you, but Xiao Mei and Xiao Dong were also so surprised that they leaned back.
"It's alright. Your family has been a long-established ramen shop for a while now. People will keep coming back if you cook with care. It's good that you admit your mistake. Please remove all of these dishes. There's no need to call someone to apologize again. I... I'm not really hungry anymore. We'll finish eating soon and leave." You asked the waiter to remove the dishes and made arrangements for your immediate departure.
Even as you watched the waiter leave, you weren't truly at ease.
Xiao Dong and Xiao Mei naturally look at you with admiration.
"You're really good at this," Xiaomei exclaimed sincerely, wishing she could write it all down in a little notebook.
You sighed and said, "Let's eat quickly and get going. Afterwards—if you still want to chat, you can go to the dormitory common area."
You just want to leave as soon as possible. You have a vague feeling that this time the purgers are different.
The other party is most likely the same person as the previous one—after all, you don't know what's so special about you that would make them send so many companions to surround and kill you.
If you manage to break through the opponent's rule-altering traps twice in a row without being countered, then the opponent is indeed in a difficult position.
You know this won't just happen once.
The other party is most likely still here; she won't let you off easily.
You lowered your head, took a sip of ramen soup, and continued eating your noodles as if nothing had happened, but out of the corner of your eye, you were observing the actions of everyone in the store.
The manager reappeared, but he seemed to have completely forgotten that you were the restaurant's big eater and star. No one would treat you as a VIP or pay attention to you anymore; yet it seemed as if someone else was closely watching your every move.
The liquidators were indeed here.
Your gaze sweeps back and forth, and suddenly, something catches your eye—
There is an extra pair of chopsticks on your table.
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