Chapter Thirty-Nine: A Solution?

Although he hadn’t managed to persuade Zhao Mu to become his personal chef, Zhao Mu casually demonstrated a couple of his skills that alone were enough to keep the Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion thriving for quite some time. Since they had reached a partnership, Zhao Mu would surely share more recipes from time to time to ensure the restaurant’s continued success.

“Brother Qin, now that I’ve taught you how to make the spicy chicken, I’ll take my leave for now,” Zhao Mu said, clasping his fists in respect. “We’ll meet at the city gate three days from now!”

Qin Jian hadn’t expected Zhao Mu to leave so soon and hurriedly stopped him. Zhao Mu paused, puzzled. “Brother, is there something else?”

Qin Jian explained, “Since you’ve helped me so much, I’d feel uneasy if I did nothing in return. So I had someone prepare a cart outside. I’ll have them help you push it when you leave.”

Zhao Mu was surprised that Qin Jian had prepared a cart for him. Although it was just a simple handcart, in these times, not everyone had one.

“I...” Zhao Mu instinctively wanted to decline, but Qin Jian immediately stopped him.

“Brother, if you refuse again, it’ll seem like you look down on me. Besides, it’ll be more convenient to have a cart when you’re transporting fish into the city, won’t it?” Qin Jian said sternly.

Hearing this, Zhao Mu reluctantly nodded in agreement.

“In that case, I gratefully accept!” Zhao Mu said politely, then left the Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion through the back door.

Outside, a servant was already waiting, pushing a handcart. Seeing Zhao Mu, the servant hurriedly asked, “Master Zhao, where shall we go?”

Zhao Mu glanced at the cart; it looked new, likely purchased recently at Qin Jian’s behest before Zhao Mu started cooking. On the cart sat a small sack of grain—Qin Jian’s gift, but knowing Zhao Mu would be leaving the city and that the outskirts were full of refugees, he hadn’t dared to give too much. Just enough to sustain Zhao Mu for a day or two.

Since it was Qin Jian’s kindness, Zhao Mu felt it was improper to refuse repeatedly. As Qin Jian said, he did need the cart to transport fish, and the grain would help stave off hunger.

“I’ll push the cart back myself,” Zhao Mu said.

Zhao Mu didn’t like troubling others, so he wanted to handle the cart on his own. The servant quickly stopped him. “Master Zhao, you are the shopkeeper’s esteemed guest. The shopkeeper instructed me to deliver the cart to you. If you push it back yourself, the shopkeeper will surely fire me.”

Unable to argue, Zhao Mu let the servant help push the cart.

By the tea stall, Wang Wu and the others had already eaten their fill. When they saw Zhao Mu return with the cart, they were surprised.

After the servant set the cart down and left, Zhao Mu wanted to give him a few copper coins as thanks, but he was penniless and could only offer verbal gratitude.

Once the servant departed, Wang Wu and Wen Zhi immediately surrounded Zhao Mu. “Brother Mu, what’s the story with this cart?”

Zhao Mu smiled. “Shopkeeper Qin gave it to me, saying it’d make it easier for us to deliver fish in the future.”

At the mention of delivering fish, everyone’s expressions turned serious.

Wang Wu had already recounted Zhao Mu’s partnership with Qin Jian when he returned. They were surprised but also enlightened.

On their journey fleeing disaster, those fish had been their lifeline.

Taiping County wasn’t far from Fengshui River—some places only about ten miles, others no more than twenty or thirty. So transporting fish to Taiping County could be a lucrative venture.

However, Zhao Mu only had a shabby fishing net before. Catching a few fish to feed the group wasn’t a problem, but delivering them to the Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion was a different matter.

Sauerkraut fish was all the rage now, requiring at least dozens of fish daily.

Moreover, the road was swarming with refugees, so there was no guarantee the fish could be safely brought to the city gate.

“Brother Mu, what’s your plan now?” Wang Wu hesitated but asked his doubt aloud.

Zhao Mu understood their concerns and smiled. “Don’t worry about catching fish. Once we leave the city, we’ll find a place outside the walls. I’ll teach you how to catch fish. As for how to get the fish into the city...” He looked around at everyone, then fixed his gaze on Wang Wu and Wen Zhi.

“Brother Wang, Brother Wen, if I’m not mistaken, you two must be former soldiers of the Vanguard Camp, right?”

Zhao Mu shared his earlier guess.

Wang Wu and Wen Zhi were stunned. Neither had ever spoken of their military past, yet Zhao Mu had seen through it.

“How... how did you know?” Wen Zhi stammered.

Zhao Mu smiled. “Brother Wen mentioned you fought the Hu tribes before this morning. Besides, from your and Brother Wang’s vigor and spirit, it’s clear you’re not ordinary soldiers. The most elite troops defending against the Hu were from the Vanguard Camp—hence my guess.”

Upon hearing this, Wen Zhi and Wang Wu were amazed, feeling as if Zhao Mu was a prodigy.

Though partly a lucky guess, Zhao Mu had indeed hit the mark.

They had both served in the Vanguard Camp.

Soldiers from the Vanguard Camp were elite everywhere and immediately stood out.

“I’m impressed!” Wen Zhi shook his head, sighing. “Brother Mu, your mind is truly incredible!”

Wang Wu said nothing but nodded appreciatively.

Zhao Mu smiled. “Since you two were from the Vanguard Camp, your skills must be excellent. With Huzi and me, if we break through forcefully, we might just be able to push through those refugees!”

Wen Zhi and Wang Wu were a bit stunned. They admired Zhao Mu’s intelligence but thought his plan was too simplistic.

Just charging straight through? There were thousands of refugees!

As the saying goes, two fists can’t fight four hands. If surrounded, no matter how skilled they were, they wouldn’t be able to fight effectively.

They’d just stand by helplessly as the fish they had painstakingly caught were snatched away.

“Brother Wang, Brother Wen, do you think my idea is too simple?” Zhao Mu asked, noticing their uneasy expressions.

Wen Zhi said nothing, but Wang Wu forced himself to speak. “There are too many refugees. Just charging through might not work. How about delivering the fish at night?”

Zhao Mu shook his head. “Though darkness hides us, the stillness of night means any noise could easily awaken the refugees. Besides, the city gates close early at night.”

Wang Wu thought for a moment. “What about midnight, then? We leave early and reach the city gate at dawn.”