Traveling through Thailand

Ming, having sold enough, counted the money in his bag, feeling quite animated along the way. He saw someone standing in front of the house, mumbling something, his brow furrowed, thinking something had happened. Not in the mood to pay attention to the money, he quickened his pace, approached him, and called out several times, but received no response.

Helpless, he leaned in and whispered, "Tu? What are you daydreaming about?"

Tu Cha, who was brought back to her senses by Ming's loud voice, covered one of her ears and looked at him with displeasure: "Why are you shouting so loudly? It's not like I can't hear you."

"I saw you were in a daze, and I called you several times but you didn't respond. Otherwise, I wouldn't have called you so loudly."

The more he spoke, the more aggrieved he felt. It was already exhausting to toil away every day shouting and battling those swindlers, and now he was yelled at again when he got home. He said that at this moment, his soul was under attack.

"I came back early today. Are they sold out?"

Fortunately, Tucha already had her own way of coping with this situation. Ming's aggrieved face immediately broke into a smile as soon as this was mentioned: "Well, this time we met a wealthy family that bought up all the remaining food."

"That's it."

Tu Cha wasn't as surprised as he was when he first heard the news. This kind of thing happened every now and then, and he had gradually become immune to it.

"By the way, the demand is getting bigger and bigger now. Why don't you talk to Aunt Man and ask her to quit her job?"

Ming picked up another basket of crabs and went to the side to clean them. "I told her that a long time ago, but she didn't listen. She said she was working at the master's house during the day and would come back to help during her break."

"Okay. Then be careful not to let her get tired."

Ming's mother is nostalgic. Many people would leave after saving enough wages, but she chose to stay here. However, her loyalty is not appreciated by those in power, who only think that this is what she should do.

In the evening, Ming went to pick up his mother. Tucha waited for a long time but they didn't come back. Confused, he looked outside, only to find it pitch black everywhere.

Why haven't you returned yet? Normally, you should have returned by this time, right?

When he was thinking about whether to go out and take a look, Man came into his sight, supporting his son. Tu Cha quickly stepped forward to help: "What happened? How did you get hurt? Who hit you?"

Carefully letting him sit down, Man took out the medicine for bruises from the cabinet and placed it in front of him: "Apply the medicine, it will feel better."

Sitting aside, I watched him struggle to apply medicine to myself: "Give it to me. You can't wipe off the bruises on my back."

Ming endured the pain from the application of the medicine while looking at his troubled mother. "After something like this happened today, you still wanted to stay there? If I hadn't rushed over in time, you would have been the one to get beaten. And my good friends told me that it wasn't what he said. This means he was deliberately looking for trouble."

"Intentional?"

"Well, Tu, you don't know what happened to that foreign master today. My mother was clearly lighting the fire normally, but he insisted that my mother almost burned down his house. Tell me, is he looking for trouble?"

Mr. Yang? Is he the one I saw last time?

"Well, it's over now, so let's not talk about it anymore."

"Don't mention it? How can I not mention it?! Today's incident is in the past, but what about after that? What if you find another excuse? If it were me, I'd tell you to quit your job tomorrow."

"But."

Before his mother could finish, he interrupted her, saying, "No buts. Starting tomorrow, come with me to set up a stall."

Ever since Ming started setting up shop to earn money, his influence in the family has grown. Of course, this only applies to him and his mother. When it comes to Tucha, he remains the same as always, strictly following the rules he sets.

So the next morning, Ming dragged his reluctant mother to find the mistress and explained the purpose of their visit. After everything was done, he took his mother on a boat ride to the central market to set up a stall.

As business became more and more popular, they changed from setting up the stall every day to setting up the stall every three days. Almost every day, the goods could not meet the demand. They began to discuss the issue of recruiting staff.

As the rules were gradually taking shape, a stranger arrived at the house. The three people in the house heard the strange voice outside the door, and their first thought was: Could someone have found their house and come to place an order?

Ming went out to greet him, and a few minutes later he walked in with a very grim expression. Seeing him like this, Tu Cha knew that the man's purpose in coming here must be impure.

His mother pulled her son and said, "What's wrong? You look so bad. And what's the matter with that person coming to our house?"

"He came here to buy the secret recipe for pickled river shrimp."

"Secret recipe?"

Man was puzzled. She knew how to make this dish. Just add those ingredients and anyone can make it. It was such a simple dish to go with alcohol, and yet someone would ask for the secret recipe! This puzzled her.

Ming looked at Tu Cha, feeling both aggrieved and angry. "I told him the secret recipe, but he said I was lying. What's wrong these days? Doesn't anyone believe the truth anymore?"

"So, is that person gone?"

"Gone. Said he'd come back this afternoon."

"?" What are you doing here this afternoon? Don't you believe it?

"I told him we would make pickled crab this afternoon. I asked him to come over and see if I was lying to him."

Seeing his childish appearance, Tu Cha shook her head helplessly: "Since you have an appointment this afternoon, then you should quickly go wash those shrimps, crabs, and other things, as well as those vegetables, because we will be using them this afternoon."

"Ah."

In the afternoon, the man I met in the morning arrived as promised. But this time he wasn't alone. There was also another person who looked like a cook. However... I seemed to have seen this cook somewhere before.

While Tu Cha was thinking about where she had seen him before, she put the seasonings into the jar step by step in front of them.

After all the steps were completed, I scooped a small portion and handed it to them: "You can taste it and see if it tastes the same as you have tasted before."

The two men exchanged glances, then each picked up their portion and began to taste it. Because it had been cooked so quickly, the seasoning hadn't fully absorbed, but they could still taste the flavor in the outer layer. Of course, they took this portion home too.

After returning, they stood in front of the boss and didn't dare to breathe.

He paced back and forth several times, staring at the food in the jar several times: "Are you sure you have read all the steps carefully?"

"Yes, the little one didn't blink from the moment she started making it to the moment she finished it."

After getting the answer, he looked at the other person sharply: "You too?"

"Yes, Master Yang."

"That's strange. Same seasoning, same steps, but why does the taste of others' food be different from theirs?" This question lingered in his mind and did not dissipate for a long time.

After watching them leave, Tucha and the others breathed a sigh of relief. The price they'd quoted alone showed that the owner behind them must be someone of high status. It was best not to mess with ordinary people like them.

"Okay, everyone's gone. Let's pickle the remaining food and sell it tomorrow."

"Ah."

The three of them began to walk around the jars.

"Tu."

Tu Cha, who was busy and having fun, heard a familiar voice behind him. He turned around and looked: "Ah, Jom brother, why are you here today?"

"Christmas is coming up in a few days. How are you going to celebrate it?"

"Christmas?"

"Well, don't you know?"

Tu Cha shook her head: "I don't know."

"So... do you want to spend that day with me?"

Hearing him say this, Tu Cha knew what he was planning.

He hooked his arm around the man's neck and gave him a malicious smile: "Why, do you want to eat the food I cooked?"

"Yeah, I do. Ever since we separated, I've been thinking about your 'craft'."

The two of them chuckled, as if to say, "You understand what I mean, I understand your expectations."

The day finally arrived. As promised, Tucha stood at the dam entrance, waiting for Jom to appear. But could anyone explain why Jom was followed by Master Yai? Hadn't they agreed that this day was their free day?

Jom's face was filled with embarrassment. They had agreed to meet up for a KFC family bucket somewhere quiet and scenic. Unfortunately, plans couldn't keep up with the unexpected. As soon as he was ready and heading out the door, Yai stopped him and asked if they could spend Christmas together.

After greeting each other, Yai said to Tucha with a smile, "Do you mind having one more person?"

He didn't dare to speak his mind when questioned. He put on a smile and said something insincerely: "No, no. With you here, this Christmas will definitely be more fun." What the hell!! With you here, how am I supposed to explain the origins of all that food? Say I made it myself? Well, that's not impossible.

I took Yai to the quiet spot I had found yesterday. A dusty cloth had already been spread there, and on it were the pickled vegetables he had prepared. The most attractive part was the golden fried chicken in the middle.

After Yai settled in, the two of them sat down. Although he told them not to pay attention to these things outside, they just listened and would do what they had to do, never crossing the line. Of course, Tucha would definitely stand firm, but as for Jom, she didn't know.

"This golden food smells so delicious, what is it made of?"

Here it comes, he began to ask questions with confusion.

Tucha kept smiling as she looked at Jom, saying that Jom would be the one to answer the question. Jom also wanted to let Tucha handle the lie, but when he made a look, Tucha turned around and pretended to appreciate the surroundings.

Seeing that fake look of emotion, Jom really wanted to enroll him in an acting class so that he would know that acting was not the way he acted.

Jom's eyes accidentally met Yai's, and it was clear he was also trying to get an answer from him. Helpless, Jom just said, "It's fried with chicken. Tu invented a new way to eat it."

Then he picked up a piece of chicken wing and handed it to him: "Try it, it tastes very good."

Yai took the chicken wing he handed to her and took a bite under his expectant eyes.

"Mm, the surface is crispy, and the meat inside is tender and delicious. It's a dish I've never eaten before."

"Isn't it." Hearing his praise, Jom narrowed his eyes happily and took a piece for himself.

He was thrilled to get the chicken nuggets. Who knew how long he'd been craving them? He had to be by Yai's side every day, and Tu had so much to do, so finding time to share a craving was a rare opportunity. Fortunately, this time, he finally got to savor them to his heart's content.