Crossing the Mountains

Chapter 39 In the Light and in the Dark
Following her gaze, Shen Tuzhuo noticed the vendor and asked quietly, "Is there something wrong with this person?"

Tan Huaike told the truth: "I overheard him discussing some sapphire beads with the people at Guangde Pawn Shop, but it wasn't necessarily the one the princess gave me."

Shentu Zhuo nodded: "Okay, let's go and find out what he has to say."

They pretended to pass by the stall casually. Shen Tuzhuo casually picked up a silver chain decorated with red gravel and gestured to Tan Huaike's head: "Well, I think you are more suitable to wear jewelry from the Western Region."

Pei'er was a little confused: "How do I hang this thing on my hair?"

Tan Huaike coughed lightly, took the jewelry from Shentu Zhuo's hand, and demonstrated to him: "Uncle, this is not a hair ornament, it is worn on the wrist, and then the chain here and here are put on the finger. It is usually worn by the nobility."

Feeling completely foolish, Shen Tu Zhuo said awkwardly, "I'm sorry for being so rude. My brother repeatedly asked me to give my sister a piece of jewelry on his behalf. Unfortunately, I'm not very good at these young ladies' things... Oh, by the way, didn't my brother say last time that the sapphires from the Western Territory would suit you best? Seller, do you have any jewelry made of sapphires?"

Tan Huaike thought, what did your brother tell you? Did he tell you in a dream? You lie so easily.

But she pretended to be unwilling and said angrily, "Alas, your brother was just saying it casually. Sapphires are precious. Uncle, please don't spend money on them."

Pei'er was amazed at the chemistry between the two. When did this performance start? How did it transition so smoothly to the sapphire jewelry?

Seeing the business coming in, the stall owner, wearing an ochre sand-proof headscarf, eagerly displayed two sapphire ornaments. "This pendant, though small, is in excellent condition. It came from Wuxu. This hairpin is a Daxuan style, but the sapphire inlaid on it came from Mohe. It's average quality, but it's exquisitely crafted."

Tan Huaike picked and looked at them and asked him, "Anything else?"

The stall owner said embarrassment, "My stall is small, and sapphires are indeed rare. These are the only two I have right now. I also had a bead necklace a few days ago. It was in average condition and roughly polished, but it had many large gemstones. Unfortunately, it was already sold."

"Bought it?" Shen Tu Zhuo said unwillingly, "No matter how ordinary the quality is, it's still a lot of large sapphire jewelry. The buyer must be quite wealthy."

"Don't be angry, sir," the stall owner said with an apologetic smile, "Buying jewelry is all about fate. If you missed it, you can't force it."

"It's a pity that neither of these two pieces suits my taste..." Tan Huaike said listlessly, "Shopkeeper, where did you get that necklace? Can you find me another one?"

The stall owner immediately became alert: "Madam, it's not easy to ask where the goods come from in our black market."

Shen Tuzhuo chimed in: "My sister-in-law wants and likes a sapphire bead necklace like that. Just get her another one, or tell us where the buyer is. We'll pay a high price for it."

However, the stall owner still became suspicious and put away all the jewelry he had shown them. A look of fear appeared in his eyes: "You, you are not here to buy jewelry... Go away, leave!"

Pei'er said angrily: "How do you run a business? Why are you chasing customers away?"

The stall owner, however, was not listening. He hurriedly packed up his stall, picked up the sack of goods, tightened his sandproof headscarf, and dived into the crowd: "I don't know, I don't know anything, don't come to me..."

He was obviously very familiar with the terrain of North Fifth Lane and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

And since then, the vendor with the ochre headscarf has never appeared in the black market of Zhangye County again. It is said that he left the city and went to other places to do business.

Afterwards, they went to see Xiao Yu at the Guangde Pawnshop and, under the pretext of redeeming Wu Chou's stolen goods, inquired about the whereabouts of the sapphire beads. However, Xiao Yu knew very little, saying only that the beads had been pawned twice: the first time it was completely lost, the second time it was sold on the black market, and then it was quickly redeemed, possibly for the reward money.

As for who was offering a reward for the beads and what their purpose was, he had no idea.

This clue was cut short. However, Shen Tuzhuo still saw the clue and said with certainty: "Someone is setting up a trap."

Tan Huaike also agreed with his statement. The man took great pains to investigate layer by layer just to find the original source of the sapphire beads. It was very likely that he was targeting the princess for her marriage.

Either the assassin doesn't want to let the fish slip away, or the contact person has come?
In any case, that person is now in the dark and they are in the light, so they should act cautiously and be careful in the future.
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And so the days go on.

Recently, the firewood room in the side courtyard of Shentu Mansion has been full. The woodcutter named Zhali delivers chopped firewood on time every ten days, which keeps Tan Huaike's small kitchen prosperous.

That day, Zhali delivered firewood to the door as usual. As soon as he entered the door, he said, "Wow, Chamagu mutton soup!" He limped down and put down the firewood, took the silver from Pei'er, and was not in a hurry to leave. Instead, he stayed at the door of the kitchen.

Tan Huaike was already used to his behavior and was even happy for him to stay. He said, "Uncle Zhali's nose is still as sharp as ever. Why don't you wait a moment and I'll serve you a bowl of mutton soup."

Zhali didn't hesitate to answer her. He twirled his curly reddish-brown beard and said, "Okay, I smell the chamagu in your soup. It smells good. It's fresh and sweet. Please control the heat a little bit so that it doesn't get mushy."

"Okay." Tan Huaike agreed, turned down the air damper a little, and said, "I also want to make fried pork noodles. Uncle Zhali, can you give me some advice?"

"Fried noodles in oil? That's a bit difficult," Zhali rambled on. "After you marinate the beef, you have to fry it in oil first, then stir-fry it with onions, garlic, onions, and chilies. Then, stir-fry the fried meat and vegetables together. Make sure the heat is high enough to allow the fat in the meat to absorb. Finally, add the cooked noodles. Make sure to mix thoroughly to combine the aroma of the oil, meat, and noodles." (Note: Onions are onions.)
"Oh, I see. I always felt that the food I made myself was not fragrant enough and a bit greasy. This time I want to try your method." As she prepared the dishes, she asked Pei'er to serve him a bowl of Chamagu mutton soup.

Zhali sipped the mutton soup and said, "Stir for another half an incense stick, and it will be just right."

Tan Huaike was busy in the kitchen, following Zhali's instructions, pouring the fried meat and vegetables into the wok and frying them. However, after just two stirs, he heard Zhali say disapprovingly, "You can't do this! Your skinny arms can't make anything tasty!"

As he said this, he put down the soup bowl, rolled up his sleeves, took the wok and spatula from Tan Huaike, and quickly lit the fire. The whole kitchen was filled with a rich aroma, which made people's mouths water.

Soon the two dishes were ready. Tan Huaike winked at Pei'er, who immediately added a pair of chopsticks.

Tan Huaike said, "Thanks to Uncle Zhali's guidance, I'll treat you to lunch today."

Zari didn't refuse, but smacked her lips and said, "Why do I feel like you planned this all along? You dragged me along for this meal. Honestly, what's your motive?"

Tan Huaike smiled and said, "I'll tell you my intentions later. First, let me ask you, uncle, what do you think of the Western cuisine I cooked?"

Zhali sipped a large mouthful of mutton soup and commented, "It's barely edible. The mutton soup is okay, and the naan is pretty good, but the samsa from last time was lackluster, and the fried noodles were even worse."

Samusa is a kind of baked bun. Tan Huaike loves to eat it, but he can never make it well.

She frankly admitted, "I'm not very good at rolling noodles. When we made them at home, my grandfather would roll them for us." She then asked, "So, Uncle Zhali, what do you think of the food at the Western Restaurant over on Xiangling Street?"

Zari snorted coldly: "It tastes as bad as shit."

He spoke bluntly and crudely, and Tan Huai Ke Pei'er almost couldn't help laughing.

Tan Huaike said, "Uncle Zhali, to be honest, I want to open a Western Restaurant on Xiangling Street. I wonder if you would be willing to be our chef?"
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　Next chapter: He insists on holding a grudge against me, what can I do?

　　
　
(End of this chapter)