Chapter Forty-One: Forbidden Herbs

This time, Feng Weizhi was truly at his wit's end. If they didn’t have those few spices, there was no way their flavors could ever compete with Chen Huajiang’s.

Meanwhile, Da Guang recounted last night’s events to Chen Huajiang in detail. Chen Huajiang considered the situation—perhaps he could make some money selling these spices? After all, now that he knew Yu Ping, all he had to do was visit Shencheng and get in touch with Yu Ping to get what he needed.

“Da Guang, go back and tell your father that we can sell them some, but the price will be high.”

“But what if we don’t have enough for ourselves after selling some?” Da Guang voiced his concern. Even though they’d bought back two full sacks of spices, if business picked up, it might only be enough for a year or so. If they ran out, it would be troublesome to make another trip to Yunnan.

“I have my ways, so you don’t need to worry about that. Ten yuan per jin—if they want it, they can buy it; if not, then forget it.”

That price was sky-high; some people barely earned ten yuan a month. To charge ten yuan for a jin of herbs was clearly exorbitant.

“Brother Jiang, at that price, they definitely won’t buy—it’s just too expensive,” Da Guang laughed. Even as straightforward as he was, he knew the price was outrageous.

“That’s the point—I want to make things difficult for them. Otherwise, they’ll keep thinking we have spices and might try to steal them when we’re not looking.”

“You’re right, Brother Jiang. I’ll tell my father just as you said,” Da Guang agreed immediately.

As evening approached, Chen Huajiang took Da Guang to Dongzi’s place. Dongzi’s location was a bit far, so even riding their old bicycles, it took them half an hour to get there.

When they arrived, they saw Dongzi’s place was already buzzing with people—business was clearly booming. Dongzi and his girlfriend were both busy, running around to serve everyone. When he saw Chen Huajiang, Dongzi greeted him warmly.

“Brother Jiang! Business is good, but who knows how long it’ll last. Here, try some of my grilled lamb skewers.”

He handed them a few skewers. The two tasted them—the flavor was decent, thanks to the time Dongzi had spent learning from Chen Huajiang.

“The flavor is fine, but you’re a bit disorganized at first. If you number the tables like we do, you’ll avoid mistakes,” Chen Huajiang remarked, feeling that everything else was satisfactory.

“I understand, Brother Jiang. It’s just the first day, so we’re all over the place,” Dongzi replied with a sheepish grin.

Chen Huajiang and Da Guang didn’t stay long and soon returned to their own snack shop. Now, with enough staff and a few apprentices, Chen Huajiang rarely had to worry about the evening rush.

On the other hand, Wu De and Gou Weidong’s side was short-staffed—the chef they’d hired still hadn’t arrived. Seeing how good Chen Huajiang’s business was, they couldn’t help but feel a pang of jealousy.

“How can his food smell that good? There must be something going on. How is it possible?” Gou Weidong was puzzled, especially by the aroma of Chen Huajiang’s lamb soup.

If it weren’t for his grudge against Chen Huajiang, he might have already gone over to buy a couple of bowls himself.

“I’ve been thinking about this too. Maybe they’re putting something in there that they shouldn’t,” Wu De mused, but he hadn’t figured it out.

That evening, Feng Weizhi appeared once again at Chen Huajiang’s snack shop. He believed neither Chen Huajiang nor Da Guang knew who he was, but in fact, they’d already recognized him. Still, the two pretended he was a stranger.

The moment Feng Weizhi got close to the lamb soup, the rich aroma hit his nose.

“What do you put in here to make it smell so good?” Feng Weizhi asked with a smile.

“It’s our special recipe; no one else can replicate it. Would you like to try some?” Chen Huajiang replied courteously.

He understood perfectly that Feng Weizhi’s real purpose was to see the effect of the spices. Of course, Feng Weizhi immediately sensed there were other herbs in the soup.

“No, thanks. I prefer something lighter,” Feng Weizhi said, then walked over to Wu De and Gou Weidong’s side.

Seeing a new customer, they hurried to greet him and asked what he’d like to eat.

After sitting down, Feng Weizhi smiled, “With their place next door, you’re losing business. Aren’t you going to do something about it?”

Feng Weizhi was an old fox; he knew Wu De and Gou Weidong had opened their snack shop to compete with Chen Huajiang. He guessed, rightly, that these two didn’t much care for Chen Huajiang.

“They’re all cheats over there—who knows what they’re putting in their food? Ours is all-natural,” Wu De said, not hiding his disdain for Chen Huajiang’s shop.

Feng Weizhi glanced at them and whispered, “I’m the owner of Wei Meixian. I came today to check out the competition. You don’t like him either, do you?”

Wu De and Gou Weidong were stunned. Wei Meixian was one of the larger restaurants in Nanming City. For the owner to come in person meant Chen Huajiang was a genuine threat.

“So you’re Boss Feng? It’s an honor. Is it their braised pork that’s affecting your business?” Wu De asked shrewdly.

“A bit, but it’s not a big deal. I just can’t stand their smugness. Besides, they’re definitely using something illegal in their seasonings—that’s why it smells so good,” Feng Weizhi replied, deliberately planting the idea in their minds. His intention was simple: he wanted Wu De to file a report.

“We’ve thought about it too, but what could they possibly be using?” Wu De still didn’t understand.

“My guess is poppy shells. They went to Yunnan recently, and the border area is full of poppies. Once you add poppy shells to the seasoning, the aroma is intoxicating—and people get addicted. But the Food Administration strictly forbids this. If they really are using it, just report them and their business will be finished.”

It had taken Feng Weizhi all day to come up with this malicious scheme. He couldn’t do it himself, so he sought out Wu De and Gou Weidong. Of course, he wasn’t foolish—he’d already looked into them beforehand and found that they’d been at odds with Chen Huajiang for some time, though so far, they’d failed to bring him down.

“So that’s what he’s using. That stuff is strictly forbidden—if they get caught, they could go to jail,” Wu De said, recalling that he’d heard about poppy shells before. The state had banned them outright. Still, some people secretly used them as seasonings.