Several suppliers returned home with a mountain of legal troubles, temporarily abandoning their get-rich-quick scheme.
People aren't stupid. Just because they can't figure out these technical things doesn't mean they can't understand them.
Even though I understand it in my heart, I still feel uncomfortable. Such a great opportunity to make money...!
That councilor Hu still harbored resentment. If Jiang could use soy sauce to cook, why couldn't he sell some to others? Ultimately, it all came down to selfishness; he didn't want others to profit!
Councilor Hu mentally labeled Jiang Shan as a "shady businessman" and stirred up trouble for "Jiang's Private Kitchen" within the Chamber of Commerce.
Yuzhou, a dispatch warehouse of Chengbang Logistics.
Magistrate Pei led a group of about ten men, including his subordinates and guards, to the warehouse in a grand procession.
First, we look at the order list that came with the ship, then we look at past and present transaction records, then we verify the prices, and finally we count the quantity of goods.
The group spent half a day making a fuss, and the person in charge didn't mind the trouble and accompanied them around.
The accountant brought by Magistrate Pei didn't see anything wrong and, holding his breath, asked the steward, "Why haven't we seen any seafood?"
The manager nodded and bowed, smiling, "The seafood isn't in the warehouse. The goods for the next few days were all pre-ordered by the merchants. After they disembark, they will be directly distributed to various delivery points for the merchants to pick up themselves!"
Magistrate Pei's goatee twitched with anger. "You didn't say that yesterday! You said a large batch of seafood would be delivered today. I came here specifically to inspect this shipment, and you dared to conceal it. What is your punishment?"
The manager slowly straightened up, his smile fading. "Sir, you've seen the order, checked the transaction records and prices, and verified the quantity. When have we ever lied to you?"
"In this sweltering heat, the seafood can't afford any delays, so it's natural to send it to the delivery point as quickly as possible. The merchants have been waiting there for ages, so what's wrong with that?"
"Even if there is a real problem with the quality, the merchant should file a complaint with the authorities and go through a lawsuit before a crime can be determined. How can you, sir, just open your mouth and convict us like this?"
Magistrate Pei's expression darkened slightly. He stared intently at the steward for a few moments before asking in a cold voice, "Let me ask you, which merchants have placed orders for seafood today?"
The steward leaned slightly forward, stretched one leg out, and leaned his shoulder against Magistrate Pei, counting on his fingers, "There are many! Xue's Restaurant in the east of the city, Wu's Restaurant, Tianxiangzhai Restaurant in the south of the city, Mo's Fish Shop, several other restaurants, and those in the west of the city..."
"Alright, alright, do you have any of the Tong family's private dishes?" Magistrate Pei interrupted the steward impatiently.
"Private kitchens...yes, yes, yes! Jiang's Private Kitchens are big clients. Crabs the size of washbasins are incredibly expensive, and they buy them by the boatload. They also have shrimp as thick as an arm! My goodness!"
"I'm asking about the Tong family's private dishes, not the Jiang family's private dishes!" Magistrate Pei's beard twisted with anger.
The manager paused for a moment, then said "Oh," before turning around a beat later, scratching his head, and tentatively asking the waiter behind him, "When did another Tong's Private Kitchen open in Yuzhou City?"
Magistrate Pei was so angry he nearly fell backward!
He pointed a trembling finger at the manager, unable to speak for a long time.
The waiter behind him whispered, "Tong's Private Kitchen has also placed an order, three hundred catties of seafood, and it's all been delivered!"
The manager slapped his forehead and said with a grin, "Yes, yes, three hundred catties, delivered, all delivered!"
Why didn't you say so earlier?!
Magistrate Pei turned and left!
As I reached the door, I kicked over a wooden bucket, and several colorful fish jumped out and rolled around on the ground.
Mr. Tong squatted in front of the crabs, which were as big as washbasins, looking somewhat troubled. He poked the crab legs with his finger and muttered to himself, "This thing isn't that delicious. Can we really sell all of these?"
The shopkeeper stood behind him, crouching low, and said carefully, "I've heard my son say that the fresh seafood tastes really good, sweet and fresh, especially with soy sauce..."
Boss Tong stared intently at the shopkeeper, grinding his teeth as he asked, "What's wrong with pairing it with soy sauce? Why aren't you saying anything? Hmm?"
The shopkeeper's face changed color repeatedly, turning from red to green, before he finally said with a bitter expression, "Master, please don't be offended. That kid is a good-for-nothing who only cares about eating, drinking, and having fun all day long. Please don't take him seriously. I will never let him set foot in Jiang's again!"
"No! Let him go!" Boss Tong stood up, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes.
"Have your son figure out a way to bring back a bottle of soy sauce and MSG from Jiang's Private Kitchen! If he does it well, he won't have to pay when he comes to eat here. If he can't, you can go back and eat, drink, and have fun with him. We don't need you here anymore!"
The shopkeeper's face paled, and he swallowed hard. "Yes, boss, I'll go back and tell them right away."
The shopkeeper had barely left when Magistrate Pei entered the shop.
Boss Tong greeted him with delight, saying ingratiatingly, "Brother-in-law, we have some good stuff today. Why don't you bring your sister and nephew over tonight, so we can have a family gathering?"
When Magistrate Pei saw the crabs as big as washbasins, he nodded in satisfaction, but spoke with great restraint, "Don't spend too much. These seafoods aren't cheap. Don't waste your money!"
At dinner time, Magistrate Pei took his wife and two young children to Tong's private restaurant.
Accompanying them were Boss Tong and his eldest son.
The table was laden with a sumptuous spread of dishes, including seafood, beef and mutton, and various fresh vegetables.
Pei Tongpan's two young children were only in their teens, and no matter how much they tried to be reserved, they couldn't hide their gluttonous nature.
"Brother-in-law, sister, Jun-ge, Hui-jie, we're all family, no need to be polite, eat up! Brother-in-law, try this steamed crab leg meat, it's so fresh!"
Looking at the table full of top-quality seafood, Pei Tong felt both proud and overly extravagant. This feast alone cost over a hundred taels of silver, equivalent to several months' salary for her husband!
"Brother, we're all family. There's no need to spend so much money in the future. How much would all these crabs and shrimp cost?"
While serving food to his nephew and niece, Boss Tong said without thinking, "It's alright, there's plenty. It would be a waste if we couldn't finish it!"
Pei Tongpan stopped eating half of the crab leg meat and asked in confusion, "This is a restaurant, and the seafood is so fresh, how could you waste it? How much seafood did you order?"
Boss Tong slowly held up three fingers, "Three hundred jin."
Three hundred catties... Magistrate Pei put down his chopsticks, wiped his mouth with a cotton towel, and his expression darkened slightly.
In the first few days after Tong's Private Kitchen opened, it couldn't even sell 300 catties of seafood a day. Now that Jiang's Private Kitchen has entered the market, it's hard to sell even 100 catties, let alone 300 catties!
The seafood I ordered, which cost several hundred taels of silver, was all lost!
This is a classic case of lifting a rock only to drop it on one's own foot.
What an idiot!
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