novelraw Chapter 84 : To Huashan (2)
Chapter 84 : To Huashan (2)
The noodle dishes of Huashan are the best in the world. High-quality flour and the cool water flowing from the valley. And it is the result of the 'quickly, quickly' shouting nature of the Huashan people.
"It's delicious."
"I see."
"Really."
"Yes, yes."
"Jang So-gil. Delicious."
Ye-er's eyes sparkled as she slurped the noodles. The noodles she was eating looked different from ordinary noodles. It was because the way the noodles were made was completely different from the methods of other regions.
Jang So-gil stared at the noodles and then raised the corners of his mouth.
"So this is knife-cut noodles. It is truly a delicacy of the world."
It was not the method of making hand-pulled noodles by kneading the flour, stretching it, and folding it several times. It was noodles made by shouldering a large lump of kneaded flour and then cutting it not with a knife but with a slightly curved, thin plate.
The noodles made in that way were thick yet tender, and they absorbed the broth to create a rich taste, so if one were to call this the best noodle in the world, no one would be able to refute it.
"They say the people of Shaanxi Province are quick-tempered and magnanimous. To think they would cut the noodles whole like this and cook them."
He could guess how quick-tempered they were just by the cooking method, without having to experience it directly.
Of course, since the result was so excellent, such a disposition could not be a shortcoming. On the contrary, wasn't it a strength?
He slurped the rich, dark brown broth.
It was rich, truly rich.
The rich beef broth, the savory taste of the quail eggs that could be faintly felt, and the cool taste of the bok choy. Jang So-gil let out an exclamation of admiration.
The price was also conscientious. This was eight coins. It was a noodle dish that could be bought for just 8 wen.
Considering that an ordinary noodle dish was 1 wen, it was on the expensive side, but if one were to make and sell such a dish in Sichuan, they would have to receive at least one silver tael.
Noodles made with the skill of a master who cut the flour dough so thickly and yet uniformly. On top of that, there was nothing lacking in the quantity or the taste. For the sake of the cook's dignity, one would have to receive one silver tael for the calculation to be right. 8 wen could be said to be a truly absurd price.
By the time Jang So-gil, who had finished a bowl in an instant, wiped his mouth, Ye-er was finishing her third bowl. How on earth was such an appetite hidden in that small body?
While admiring, Jang So-gil raised his hand.
"Waiter, another bowl here."
"Yes. Thank you. Seeing that you are from out of town, you seem to have taken a great liking to our inn's knife-cut noodles."
There was not a single wrinkle on the face of the waiter who approached, smiling. It was not an easy thing for a waiter to have such a face. Was it possible because there were no ruffians in the inns of Huashan, which were under the protection of the Huashan Sect?
Jang So-gil said with a feigned smile.
"The swords and noodles of Huashan are the best in the world. I thought such a rumor was an empty name, but if the noodle dish is this excellent, I have no choice but to be convinced."
"Of course. The swords and noodles of Huashan are the best."
"It's worthy of being proud of as the best. What's surprising is this taste at this price. You used expensive beef spine to make the broth, and there are also several slices of thinly sliced beef as a garnish. On top of that, there's a generous amount of fresh bok choy that multiplies the taste of the meat several times. And what about the quail eggs used as a hidden taste? They're smaller than chicken eggs, so they take a lot of effort to prepare, and they're hard to get in large quantities, so the price is actually more expensive. So it's hard to find an inn that uses quail eggs like this. It means the cook's skill is good and he's not stingy with the taste. But while satisfying all of this, the price is just eight wen. The word 'conscientious business' is not enough. Do you even make a profit selling this?"
At the praise that flowed like flowing water, a smile spread on the lips of the cook who was cutting noodles in the kitchen.
The waiter brought a new bowl and replied.
"The customer seems to have a very sensitive tongue. You are a gourmet."
"Just as the 'mi' in 'gourmet' is not 'taste' but 'beautiful’. This knife-cut noodle is a beautiful noodle. I can't help but praise it."
"Thank you for the praise. Everyone will be happy."
"Jang So-gil, why aren't you answering my question?"
"What?"
"I asked if you even make a profit selling this. Why are these knife-cut noodles eight wen?"
It was not a difficult question. The waiter answered with a smile.
"Because eight wen is a price that people with refined palates can eat every day."
"Still, with beef, bok choy, and quail eggs, aren't you making a loss the more you sell?"
"People from out of town may not know, but the prices in Huashan are very cheap. The price of beef is also cheaper than in other regions, and vegetables like bok choy grow so well because the water is good, so they're practically free compared to other places."
"What about the quail eggs?"
"Wouldn't there be plenty of hands to catch, raise, and prepare the quail eggs?"
"Why?"
"Because this is Huashan."
Since Huashan was safe under the protection of the Huashan Sect, many slash-and-burn farmers and displaced people gathered there. What was important to them was whether their safety was guaranteed or not, and in that respect, there was no better place to live than Huashan.
And since the locals who lived in Huashan could employ those wanderers for cheap wages, it meant that even quail eggs had to be cheap. Jang So-gil, who was listening to the story, was impressed and slapped his knee.
"I see, I see. So that's what it was. Jang So-gil."
Jang So-gil grinned.
"Since most of the shops and farms in this area don't pay taxes, the ingredients are cheap. And since they use wanderers for labor, the labor cost is cheap. Since everything is cheap, it means that even if you sell it cheap, you can still make enough profit. You thieves."
"C-c-customer?"
"You bastards who think only you are conscientious and treat others who abide by the law and live diligently as fools. Who wouldn't want to sell cheap and delicious food? Who wouldn't want to see only good things and say only good things and live? You live comfortably while taking only what is advantageous to you, is it so good?"
At Jang So-gil's suddenly changed demeanor, the waiter erased his smile.
The first ability one gains while living as a waiter is being quick-witted. With that developed quick-wittedness, the waiter quickly stepped back.
'D-dangerous fellow. Very, very dangerous.'
It would be better if it were a horse-riding bandit or a mountain bandit who ran wild with an axe. Even with the protection of the Huashan Sect, such an idiot who didn't know their place would appear about once a year. But since such fellows could be dealt with in an instant by the Daoist cook, who was a secular disciple of the Huashan Sect, they were not very dangerous.
But this out-of-towner was different. He was smiling brightly and then suddenly exuded an absurd pressure.
From his long experience as a waiter, fellows like this were more dangerous than stupid thieves. It was highly likely that he was a completely crazy bastard. He could feel the aura of a powerful, unreasonable customer that he could not handle with his own abilities.
'Cook-nim, Cook-nim!'
The waiter, calling for the cook in his mind, sent a look. At Jang So-gil's unusual remark, the hand of the cook, who had been humming and putting his strength into the flour dough, had also stopped at some point.
At the same time as he turned his head, Jang So-gil took out the jade plaque from his bosom.
"I am an inspector of the Martial Alliance. From now on, I will begin an investigation into the Maejin Mun, a secular sect of the Huashan Sect. The charge is the crime of declaring a disguised sect opening to abuse the tax exemption privilege for Daoist sects, and then operating as an inn as if nothing had happened. In other words, embezzlement and deception. If you have any objections..."
A silver crescent moon flew, cutting through the wind. It was the curved iron plate used to make knife-cut noodles.
Catching it with his index and middle fingers, Jang So-gil smiled.
"Try to protest with a sword like a martial artist."
"You bastard-!"
The sharp kitchen knife, which had sliced through even large and burly pigs, was not much different from a weapon. The cook took out the kitchen knife, took a big step forward, and jumped.
The 'Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword', the secret peerless skill of the Huashan Sect, was not passed down to secular disciples. What was passed down to them was the 'Four Directions Sword', the pre-pre-stage of the Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword. It was the so-called basic martial art that was the foundation of the sect.
But no matter how basic a sword study it was, it was the sword that was the foundation of Huashan, the best sword in the world. While simultaneously cutting in the four directions of east, west, south, and north, its movements flowed gracefully, so it was a sword art that had speed, grace, connection, and illusion at the same time.
The cook's achievement was also excellent, and there was no waste in his movements. The footwork that blocked the attack from below by jumping high, the movement of the kitchen knife that blocked the attacks from the left and right. And the high jump that blocked the attack from above. It meant that the level of his Four Directions Sword was considerable.
Watching it closely, Jang So-gil opened his mouth.
"Dharma Protector Ye."
"Ah."
She had learned to move when called. Ye-er slurped the knife-cut noodles in one go and then threw her body like an angry bison. The wooden floor of the spot she had jumped from was completely shattered, and the cook who had been hit by her body slam was also shattered.
The cook, who had flown for a while, breaking one side of the inn's wall, fell vertically. He lost consciousness after one convulsion.
To think that the cook, who had beaten horse-riding bandits and mountain bandits, had lost consciousness with a single body slam from a young barbarian brat!
The waiter, who had been watching blankly, fell to his knees. Then Jang So-gil approached and placed a silver tael in his hand. When he looked as if he didn't know what was going on, Jang So-gil smiled faintly.
"It's for the meal."
* * *
Ye-er tied up the cook tightly with a rope. The waiter hung up the 'closed for business' sign and then cleaned the broken floor and the messy wall.
Jang So-gil found the ledger, flicked the abacus, and hummed a tune.
"Three years from the start of business until now. If we calculate the amount unfairly taken, the tax that should have been paid so far is about four hundred and forty-two silver taels. To think that the tax alone is over four hundred silver taels in three years, you guys must have been doing quite well."
"Ha. Hahaha. We were doing well."
"Well, it would be more unfair if you weren't doing well with this taste and quality. Anyway, the Maejin Mun will pay the price it deserves. The waiter will have to find a new job."
"Hehe, I was actually preparing to change jobs soon anyway."
"That's a very wise choice."
Jang So-gil snorted and took out a brush to finish the calculation.
Taxes were originally to be paid not to the Martial Alliance but to the imperial family. If he did not calculate it clearly, Jang So-gil himself would be punished for embezzlement and excessive collection.
"Out of the four hundred and forty-two, the tribute to be paid to the Martial Alliance is forty-four. The rest is the imperial family's share. My, my, now if a fine is added to this, you will have to pay a lot of money, but from my point of view, after taking out this and that, it's a truly small amount."
"Forty-four is a lot of money. Jang So-gil, you're a big spender."
"That's a lot of money for other people. I'm a person who has to earn two thousand taels to make a profit. Among the fifty-two sects, the ones presumed to be ghost sects are about thirty. I hope a bigger one gets caught next time."
The Sun-Shooting Sword Art, the Cloud Dragon Nine Forms, and the Soul-Stealing Ice Art were all peerless divine arts, so even if he just mastered these to the extreme, there would be no shortage in becoming a peak master.
But Jang So-gil was greedy, and the god of martial arts was a petty bastard, so no matter how greedy he was, what he actually gave him was saltier than a handful of salt.
The more he was greedy, the more thirsty he became. Now he wanted to get his hands on another new divine art. To do that, he would have to fill up two thousand taels and set foot in the martial arts library once more, but at this sluggish pace.
In front of Jang So-gil, who was frowning, the waiter carefully raised his hand.
"Excuse me, Inspector-nim, may I say a word?"
That look of smiling while glancing around. It seems he has good information.
Flicking a silver tael, Jang So-gil smiled back.
"The ears of the Martial Alliance are always open for the common people. Speak."
(End of Chapter)