TATSD Chapter 94

When Chen Mingsheng knocked on the door of the Ji family home in the west alley, a tall, burly, dark-skinned, and honest-looking man opened it. Chen thought to himself, Can such a big, simple guy make such delicate pastries? You really can’t judge a book by its cover.

“Who are you looking for?” Zhao Hu frowned, eyeing the well-dressed middle-aged man at the door. “We don’t sell things here anymore. If you want to buy something, go to the Wei Jue shop on North Street.” With that, he started to close the door, but Chen Mingsheng quickly stopped him.

“Wait, Brother Ji, hear me out! I’m Chen, and I’ve come here to discuss some business with you…”

Before he could finish, Zhao Hu cut him off.

“Sorry, you’ve got the wrong place. I’m not Ji Wei, and he’s not here.”

Chen Mingsheng was surprised and looked Zhao Hu up and down before dropping his polite demeanor. “Then who are you?”

“I’m the manager here. Ji Wei is on North Street. If you need him, you’ll find him there. I’ve got work to do, so I won’t be entertaining you.” With that, Zhao Hu slammed the door shut.

Chen Mingsheng, left frustrated and a bit angry, grumbled under his breath as he walked away. He rarely came to Changliu Town and had no idea a new shop called Wei Jue had opened on North Street. He grabbed someone to ask for directions, half-expecting to ask a few more people along the way.

To his surprise, the person he stopped said, “What a coincidence!” with a knowing look, and even asked if he’d come from another town just for this. When he confirmed, the person enthusiastically guided him there, waving goodbye only when the coachman saw the shop.

Chen told his coachman to find a spot to wait, grabbed two finely wrapped gift boxes, and made his way to the shop.

“Hey, hey, hey! What are you doing? Don’t you know there’s a line?” As he passed, a man who had been waiting for almost fifteen minutes pointed at Chen and shouted. He was buying treats for his wife, who loved sweets, and, though he didn’t like waiting, he tolerated it because everyone else was following the rules.

When he saw Chen trying to skip the line, his anger flared up, and he shouted again, causing a bewildered Chen to turn around, point to himself, and ask, “You mean me?”

“Yes, you! Who else?” The man replied, rather rudely.

“Brother, you misunderstand. I’m here to see someone, not to buy anything,” Chen said politely, mindful of his status.

“You think you can just say that and slip through? Even if you’re buddies with Master Ji, you still have to get in line! I’ve been here fifteen minutes!”

“Fifteen minutes?” Chen raised his brow, skeptical.

He’d been selling pastries at a low price lately, so business had been up by thirty to forty percent. But even so, waiting fifteen minutes seemed like an exaggeration. This guy is probably embellishing, he thought.

Chen, brushing off the man’s complaint, took a step closer and addressed a sturdy clerk who was collecting payments. “I’m here to see your master. Could you let him know?”

The clerk noted Chen’s fine clothing, recognizing he wasn’t a typical customer, and nodded, turning back and yelling toward the rear courtyard, “Master! Someone’s here for you!”

After two calls, someone in the back heard and went to inform Ji Wei.

Expecting a big customer, Ji Wei quickly wiped the cream off his hands with a cloth and hurried out, momentarily surprised to see a stranger. He immediately smiled warmly, as if they were old friends. “Hello, hello! If you have business to discuss, please, come this way.”

“I’m here to talk about a business proposition, though I’m not sure—”

“If it’s about these products, then I’ll have to ask you to wait in line, as we serve on a first-come, first-served basis. If it’s not about the products, I’m afraid I won’t be of much help,” Ji Wei replied, smoothly shutting down Chen’s words, leaving him somewhat speechless.

With a springlike smile, Ji Wei’s gaze flicked over the two elegant gift boxes Chen held, then gestured politely toward the back of the line. Reluctantly, Chen stiffened his expression and joined the end of the line.

As he waited, Chen turned to a middle-aged woman and asked, “Ma’am, how is it that a line of about ten people takes fifteen minutes?”

The woman, who was friendly and patient, unlike the grumpy man earlier, laughed. “It’s because business is booming! The goods sell out as soon as they’re ready. We all have to wait if we want some. Fifteen minutes isn’t bad—I’ve once waited nearly half an hour for a batch of piping-hot, crispy cookies. Fresh out of the oven, they’re so fragrant and crunchy! My son loves them.”

Chen forced a polite smile but felt an urgent determination inside.

No matter what, I have to make this deal happen!

“Hey, Master Ji, what’s that man here for?” As soon as Ji Wei returned to the courtyard, someone curiously asked him, peeking out to get a look.

“I don’t know. In any case, he’s going to leave empty-handed.” Ji Wei chuckled. “By the way, have you finished pounding that shredded pork floss?”

The person gave an awkward laugh and quickly ran back to work with a rolling pin in hand.

After mixing a small bowl of salad dressing, Ji Wei was called out again. Realizing he couldn’t avoid Chen, he led him into a small room.

“Master Ji, you’re quite open! Aren’t you worried I’ll steal your secrets?” Chen asked with a raised brow.

“If it were that easy, I wouldn’t be where I am today,” Ji Wei replied indifferently, taking two small cakes from the table, spreading some dressing on them, adding pork floss, and handing one to Chen.

“Would you like to try?”

“What is this?” Chen asked, taking a bite out of curiosity. Instantly captivated by the soft and crispy texture, he closed his eyes, a look of pleasure and fascination crossing his face.

“This is called Meat Floss Cake,” Ji Wei said, casually making one for himself to eat as well. “You’re early, Master Chen; I haven’t even put these out for sale yet.” He took a bite, and then asked what kind of business Chen was proposing.

Chen Mingsheng pushed the two gift boxes in his hand toward Ji Wei, inviting him to accept them.

Ji Wei didn’t even glance at the boxes. He finished his cake, brushed off the crumbs, and smiled. “There’s a saying that says one shouldn’t accept gifts without earning them. We’re not exactly friends, Master Chen, so I’m afraid I can’t accept this.”

Chen rubbed his fingers together, feeling a bit nervous. “I came here today to discuss a potential partnership between our two businesses.” Seeing that Ji Wei was about to speak, he quickly continued, “I know you’ve already talked to the Zhang family, but if you agree to work with me, I guarantee I’ll offer better terms than they do. That’s my promise to you.”

“Such a pity…” Ji Wei sighed theatrically, shaking his head.

“What’s the pity?”

“Just that you arrived a little too late.” Ji Wei stood up, turned his back on Chen, and took a few steps. “I’ve already signed a contract with the Zhang family. My role is to make the pastries, and they handle everything else. If you want to do business, I’m afraid you’ll need to take it up with Old Master Zhang.”

As soon as Chen heard he’d have to talk to Old Master Zhang, his expression darkened. “Isn’t there another way? With your skills, why let that old man control you? If you agree, I can find someone to nullify that contract—”

“I’m just a small business owner with a lot of work to do. If you have further matters to discuss, you’d best take them up with Old Master Zhang. It’s probably been a while since you two last met—you must have plenty to talk about.”

Chen still wanted to press the issue, but Ji Wei preemptively called over his assistant. “Brother Tian, I’ve got work to do. Please see Master Chen out.”

Chen reluctantly left, looking back every few steps. Ji Wei noticed, grabbed the gift boxes, and handed them back to Chen. “These are expensive gifts, Master Chen; you’d better hold on to them.”

After finally getting rid of the troublesome guest, Ji Wei breathed a sigh of relief. He had anticipated that Chen Mingsheng would approach him and had planned accordingly. Chen saw Old Master Zhang as his archrival and, even if it meant a financial loss, would never go to him for a partnership. Ji Wei’s tactic of deflecting Zhang had perfectly hit Chen’s sore spot.

“By the way, I think I left my book at my younger brother’s place yesterday,” Liu Chengyin said, looking worried after searching for it everywhere.

“You promised to go to town with me today. Are you planning to break that promise?” Chen Peizhi replied, loudly enough that several people in the classroom turned to give them annoyed looks.

“I wouldn’t dare. But the teacher assigned homework that requires that book, so if I don’t retrieve it, how can I finish by tonight?” Liu Chengyin replied, looking troubled.

“Oh, that’s easy. Zhang Xiaoman!” Chen Peizhi suddenly called out, making Liu Chengyin jump. A timid voice answered from the corner, where a skinny young man hesitantly raised his hand.

“W-what’s up?” He looked terrified of Chen Peizhi.

“Just a tiny matter. You can handle that, can’t you?” Chen’s face was calm, but Zhang Xiaoman trembled and nodded quickly.

“Of course, Chen. Whatever you need, just say the word.” Zhang Xiaoman rushed over and lowered his head, speaking in a low voice.

Zhang Xiaoman came from a poor family, with only an unmarried older sister and a disabled mother at home. They’d sacrificed everything to put him through school, but his timid nature made him a frequent target for bullying. Even if it wasn’t Chen Peizhi, someone else would hassle him. Although Chen Peizhi was harsh, he had never physically hurt him.

“My friend left his book with his brother. You know who his brother is, right?” Chen Peizhi’s intense gaze made Zhang Xiaoman nod despite the chills running down his spine.

“Yes, of course. It’s Spring and Autumn Annals, Commentary of Gongyang?”

“That’s right.”

“Listen carefully: go to the dorms and bring back that book before the hour is up.” Chen’s tone suddenly dropped. “If I don’t see it by then…”

Zhang Xiaoman didn’t dare look up. He rushed back to his seat, gathered his books, and bolted from the room.

After he left, Chen Peizhi clapped Liu Chengyin on the shoulder and chuckled. “Chengyin, I underestimated you!”

Feigning ignorance, Liu replied modestly, “You give me too much credit.”

“Alright, let’s drop it. When this is over, you owe me a meal!”

“Of course.”

With a loud laugh, Chen Peizhi threw his arm over Liu Chengyin’s shoulder, and the two walked off together.