Chapter 37: A New Dish

Zhao Mu smiled, finding nothing unreasonable about Qin Jian’s perspective. If he were in Qin’s shoes, he certainly wouldn't want to personally haul fish from outside the city either. After all, as the finest establishment in Taiping County, Tianxiang Pavilion had plenty of other dishes to serve even if they ran out of fish. Spending valuable manpower on transporting fish felt like a poor return on investment.

"Manager Qin, you can rest easy on that score," Zhao Mu said with a smile. "Once our partnership is settled, I will see to it that the fish required by Tianxiang Pavilion is delivered to the city gates of Taiping."

Qin Jian paused, puzzled. "Why the city gates instead of Tianxiang Pavilion itself?"

Zhao Mu gave a wry smile and shook his head. "Manager Qin, you must be aware that, apart from Brother Wen, none of us possess household registrations or identity tallies for Taiping County. Even if we reached the gates, we wouldn't be allowed inside. Furthermore, relying on Brother Wen alone isn't enough to transport such a large quantity of fish to the pavilion. Therefore, you will still need to send your own men to bring the fish from the gates to the restaurant."

After hearing this explanation, Qin Jian nodded in understanding. Zhao Mu’s assessment was accurate; the officials of Taiping County had long since decreed that only those with local residency or official identity tallies could enter the city. Moreover, it had to be residency within the city walls themselves. Even those from the surrounding villages and towns under the county’s jurisdiction were barred.

After all, the villages outside Taiping had long since been emptied, leaving them desolate. Those few who remained were little better than refugees. Letting them into the city would not only invite a host of problems but would also be an eyesore. Of course, where there is a policy, there is a loophole. If the rules were strictly enforced, Wen Zhi would never have been able to bring Wang Wu and the others into the city in the first place, nor would the human traffickers at the gates be able to brazenly trade three measures of moldy grain for a young girl, only to resell her elsewhere to be trained as an entertainer. Generally, if a city resident vouched for them, refugees could enter. But the problem remained: even if a refugee had an acquaintance inside, how could they possibly reach them? The guards at the gates were like ferocious tigers blocking the path; without hefty bribes, getting them to run an errand was nearly impossible. And since the refugees were destitute, few could afford such bribes.

Consequently, the vast majority of refugees were left to starve outside the walls, with only a lucky few gaining entry.

"How about this?" Qin Jian hesitated for a moment. "I will handle the household registrations and identity tallies for you and Brother Wang. With those, you can come and go as you please, and—"

As he spoke, the urge to recruit Zhao Mu surfaced once again. He knew Zhao Mu’s culinary skills were genuine; whether or not his ancestors were imperial chefs, the two dishes he had produced were undeniably excellent. He was certain that beyond the pickled fish and the spicy chili oil, Zhao Mu possessed other unique recipes. However, before he could finish his thought, he dismissed the idea. Zhao Mu might be seeking his help, but he positioned himself as a partner, not a subordinate. It was clear that Zhao Mu was not a man content to live under another’s shadow.

"Never mind," Qin Jian decided, shaking his head. "Forget the 'and.' Leave the matter of your registrations and tallies to me."

Even without the intent to recruit him, Qin Jian felt a measure of guilt toward Zhao Mu. Since the introduction of the pickled fish, business at Tianxiang Pavilion had flourished, far surpassing its previous peak. Other restaurants had racked their brains trying to pry the secret recipe from Zhao Mu, but he had remained tight-lipped, even when offered substantial sums. Yet, all he had received from Qin Jian was a mere two taels of silver. Furthermore, Qin Jian had recently doubted Zhao Mu’s intentions, suspecting him of ulterior motives, only to find that Zhao Mu had no desire to leverage his skills for excessive gain or manipulate him. As a businessman, these factors combined were enough to stir his conscience. Moreover, precisely because he was a businessman, he wanted to secure a good relationship with Zhao Mu. The cost of such an alliance was merely an early investment. Just like running a restaurant, building a bond with Zhao Mu was a long-term venture; he didn't expect an immediate windfall.

Zhao Mu looked at Qin Jian in surprise and quickly cupped his hands in a gesture of thanks. "I appreciate your kindness, Manager Qin, but let us proceed as I suggested. When I have earned enough money later on, I can handle the registrations and tallies myself."

In truth, acquiring these documents wasn't difficult; it only required two things: silver and connections. Zhao Mu lacked the silver now, but he was confident he would earn it in the future. As for connections, since Qin Jian had already agreed to assist, it would be a simple matter to ask for an introduction later on.

Qin Jian looked at Zhao Mu with surprise, struck by his high aspirations. Since Zhao Mu had spoken, he did not press the matter further.

"Master Zhao, since you don't require help with the documents, is there anything else I can assist you with?" Qin Jian asked tentatively. If he couldn't help Zhao Mu, it would not only fail to assuage his guilt but also leave him without a way to invest in their relationship.

Zhao Mu shook his head politely. "I am well aware of your good intentions, Manager Qin. If there comes a day when I truly need your help, I hope you will not have forgotten me."

They exchanged formal pleasantries, and once the formalities were out of the way, they returned to business.

"Even if I head out today, I likely won't find a suitable place immediately, so the fish deliveries might be delayed by a day or two," Zhao Mu said, deep in thought. "How about we set the date for three days from now? By noon, I will have my men bring the fish to the city gates, and you can send your people to receive them."

Qin Jian nodded, agreeing immediately, and promised to be at the gates himself to meet Zhao Mu.

With the business concluded, Zhao Mu prepared to leave. "Manager Qin, please bring me some paper and a brush. I will write down the steps for preparing the pickled fish so they can be delegated."

As Qin Jian brought the writing materials, Zhao Mu promptly outlined a series of steps designed like an assembly line. Looking at the process, Qin Jian was pleasantly surprised. "To think it could be done this way! This way, even if we open branches in the future, this method of keeping the secret can be maintained, and it will greatly increase the efficiency of our service!"

Zhao Mu smiled. "Manager Qin, the truth is, the pickled fish isn't difficult to make. Give other chefs enough time, and they will eventually figure it out."

Qin Jian’s expression shifted slightly. "Do you have a way to prevent that?"

Zhao Mu shook his head. "There is no real way to stop it. After all, it isn't a particularly complex dish. However, even if other restaurants manage to replicate it, the initial wave of hype will have already passed. In other words, you will have already eaten the meat, and they will be left with nothing but the soup."

Hearing this, Qin Jian’s expression softened, though he knew this wasn't ideal. Seeing this, Zhao Mu added, "How about this? I am in a good mood today, so I will gift you one more dish. That way, even if the elite diners grow tired of the pickled fish, Tianxiang Pavilion will have a new specialty ready to launch immediately!"