The porridge at Jincheng Caravan’s camp was fragrant and steaming, its warmth especially welcome on the chilly autumn morning.
Lin Wu stood beside the large pot, ladling porridge for the workers waiting in line. Her expression was calm, as though nothing had happened the night before.
Zhao Sanniang held her daughter’s hand and watched Lin Wu bustle about with composed efficiency from a distance. Her expression was complicated and difficult to read.
“Mother, the porridge that auntie made smells so good. It’s warm, too,” the pale little girl beside her whispered, tugging at her sleeve.
Zhao Sanniang suddenly tightened her grip on her daughter’s hand and murmured, “In a few days, we’ll be able to eat it too. Just a few more days…”
At the same time, Lin Jing slipped through the crowd like a nimble little fish and found Xiao Zhao, who was sitting with his head lowered as he ate his porridge.
When Xiao Zhao saw Lin Jing, he swallowed the mouthful in his mouth and asked, “What is it? Xiaojing's mother didn’t feed you enough?”
Lin Jing said nothing. He merely put on a solemn little face and crooked his finger at Xiao Zhao.
Amused by the child’s serious expression, Xiao Zhao grinned and leaned closer. “Hey, I’m not sharing my porridge with you. Go ask your mother to make you something special.”
Lin Jing immediately leaned close to his ear and whispered a few words.
As Lin Jing spoke, Xiao Zhao’s brows drew together, and the grin slowly faded from his face. “Why can’t there ever be a moment’s peace?”
He shoveled the remaining porridge into his mouth in two or three bites, then patted Lin Jing on the shoulder and said quietly, “Don’t be afraid. Leave this to me. Go back and tell your mother not to worry. I know what to do.”
With that, he put down his bowl and strode directly toward the carriage where Manager Zhang was staying.
After breakfast, the caravan packed up and continued on its way. The weather was clear, the road smooth, and Lingzhou was not far ahead.
During the midday rest, Xiao Zhao wandered leisurely around the camp, his eyes scanning the area without drawing attention.
“Little Zhao, what’s with the patrol today? Are you trying to steal all the brothers’ jobs?” one of the familiar guards teased him with a laugh.
“Ah, don’t mention it! The kitchen made the flatbreads too hearty, and I ate until I was stuffed. I’m just walking around to help settle my stomach.” Xiao Zhao rubbed his belly and answered with a grin.
“Don’t say that. After traveling with this caravan, we’ve all become spoiled by the food. Just thinking about how we probably won’t get to eat it again makes me feel awful.”
“If the kitchen helpers and Cook Lin, who’s still recovering in Wucang County, hear you say that, you’d better be ready to eat pig feed for every meal from now on!”
“Cook Lin’s skills really are something else. Hopefully the assistant cook managed to learn a trick or two these past few days!”
“Give me a break. If the two cooks hear that they’ll have to reveal all their best recipes every time they run into our caravan, they’ll probably start taking detours to avoid us next time!”
The men were still joking around when Zhao Sanniang appeared in the crowd, carrying her daughter, who was coughing incessantly. After looking around, she finally seized the right moment and walked toward Xiao Zhao.
Xiao Zhao had already caught sight of her from the corner of his eye. He thought to himself, Here she comes!
But nothing showed on his face. When she reached him, he even asked warmly, “Sister-in-law, were you looking for me?”
Before Zhao Sanniang could speak, tears began to fall. Her voice trembled with sobs. “Young sir, please, I beg you—save my daughter! This isn’t an ordinary cough. Her old condition has flared up—phlegm from the cold is blocking her lungs, and she can hardly breathe. She looks as though she’s about to pass out…”
“Oh, sister-in-law, you must be desperate if you’ve come to the wrong person,” Xiao Zhao said hastily. “I’m not a physician.”
“Young sir, I know that. After what happened yesterday, I could tell that you have some influence with the manager. I truly had no other choice, so I came to ask for your help.” Zhao Sanniang gently patted her daughter’s back to help her catch her breath as she spoke.
“Back in the capital, a physician specifically told us that when her illness attacks and there’s no medicine at hand, the safest remedy is to use aged, high-quality dried tangerine peel with old ginger and polished rice to make porridge. It can warm and transform the cold phlegm, regulate the qi, and ease her breathing. I only ask that you help me find out whether Jincheng Caravan has any good dried tangerine peel. I’m willing to pay for it. I just need enough to save my child in this emergency!”
Xiao Zhao feigned surprise. “Well, sister-in-law, you really did ask the right person! How did you know our caravan keeps some good dried tangerine peel?”
A spark of joy appeared on Zhao Sanniang’s face, as though she had seized a lifeline. She hurriedly explained, “I was desperate. I thought that a caravan as wealthy as Jincheng Caravan, with such particular standards for its kitchen ingredients, might keep some on hand. I never expected to be right!”
Xiao Zhao nodded with a knowing air. “To be honest, we do have some. It’s used in the kitchen to add flavor and fragrance, and the owner and managers sometimes steep it in tea to soothe their throats. However, I can’t make that decision myself. I’ll have to report to the manager first.”
“Of course, of course! Thank you, young sir!” Zhao Sanniang thanked him repeatedly.
Before long, Xiao Zhao returned with Uncle Hu, who was in charge of purchasing supplies.
“Sister-in-law, this is Uncle Hu, the man in charge of our stores. He handles everything that comes in and out of the caravan.”
As he spoke, he led Zhao Sanniang toward the supply wagon.
Uncle Hu nimbly climbed into the wagon, muttering, “I remember clearly. The dried tangerine peel is kept in the spice cabinet…”
Anxious, Zhao Sanniang gripped the edge of the wagon and leaned in to look.
Uncle Hu quickly found the cabinet, but after carefully checking its contents, his expression immediately changed.
“One bundle is missing!”
“How could one be missing?” Xiao Zhao frowned. “Uncle Hu, are you sure you haven’t remembered incorrectly?”
“Impossible,” Uncle Hu replied firmly. “All relatively valuable spices have to be recorded by me whenever they’re taken out. There’s absolutely no way I could have made a mistake!”
Zhao Sanniang grew anxious as well. “Could it have been shaken loose by the jolting on the road and rolled into some corner?”
Uncle Hu shook his head. “Dried goods this valuable aren’t left lying around. They’re kept in separate storage compartments. There’s no way one could simply fall out.”
“Could someone have knocked it loose while taking out another dried ingredient?” Zhao Sanniang suggested. Then she suddenly sniffed the air. “When I lived in the capital, my family always kept some at home. I’m very familiar with its scent. If you trust me, would you allow me to climb up and help search? My eyesight is still quite good, and I’m sensitive to the smell. Perhaps I can find a clue.”
Xiao Zhao nodded at once. “That would be wonderful. Thank you, sister-in-law! A single bundle of dried tangerine peel is a small matter, but it’s a serious offense for anything to go missing from the caravan without explanation. We have to get to the bottom of it.”
With permission granted, Zhao Sanniang nimbly climbed into the wagon.
She first examined the area around the shelves, sniffing from time to time. Then she crouched down and searched through the corners. Before long, her gaze settled on an inconspicuous little bundle lying in the corner of the wagon, and she slowly moved toward it.
“This…” Zhao Sanniang crouched inside the wagon, her face hesitant.
“Sister-in-law, how is it? Did you find anything?” Xiao Zhao called up from below.
Zhao Sanniang looked as though she wanted to speak but held herself back, her expression troubled.
“If you’ve found something, don’t hesitate to say so. Finding out where the missing goods went is what matters,” Xiao Zhao urged.
Zhao Sanniang drew a deep breath and pointed at the little bundle.
“I—I can smell dried tangerine peel coming from inside it.”
She paused, then added, “It should be unmistakable. I know this scent far too well.”
“Sister-in-law Zhao, are you certain?” Xiao Zhao asked, his brows drawn tightly together as his expression turned grave.
“The fragrance is distinctive. I’m at least eighty or ninety percent certain,” Zhao Sanniang said firmly.
Hearing this, Xiao Zhao’s face darkened. He turned to Uncle Hu. “Uncle Hu, this is no small matter. Keep watch here while I fetch the manager and the cooks.”
Before long, everyone concerned had arrived.
Several people who had been resting nearby noticed the commotion. Eager for a bit of excitement, they came over in twos and threes.
Manager Zhang’s expression was composed. His gaze settled on the two cooks as he got straight to the point. “Mrs. Lin, Li Sanniang, one bundle of premium dried tangerine peel is missing from the communal stores. The matter must be investigated thoroughly.”
Lin Wu and Li Sanniang were both startled. They exchanged a glance, while the onlookers’ expressions changed as well.
Lin Wu stepped forward first. “How should the investigation be conducted, Manager? Please give your instructions.”
Li Sanniang also came to her senses and hurriedly nodded. “Yes, yes, Manager, please investigate fairly. We keep a record of all the ingredients we use each day. The assistant cooks and Uncle Hu can all vouch for that. We would never dare to act improperly.”
Xiao Zhao raised a hand and pointed at the shabby gray bundle. His voice betrayed not the slightest emotion. “Manager Zhang, Sister-in-law Zhao claims that the scent of dried tangerine peel is coming from this bundle. By the rules, it must be opened and searched.”
The moment Li Sanniang saw the bundle, she abruptly turned her head and stared at Lin Wu in shock. Her lips moved, but in the end, she did not speak at once.
Amid the utter silence, Lin Wu glanced at Zhao Sanniang before taking half a step forward and picking up the bundle.
“Manager, this is my bundle.”
She met Manager Zhang’s gaze openly. “I swear to Heaven that since joining the caravan, I have never stolen so much as a needle or thread from the kitchen, much less touched anything that did not belong to me.”
“Whether you’re innocent or not, we’ll know after we search it.” Manager Zhang’s tone was calm but left no room for argument.
Lin Wu’s expression remained unchanged. She simply handed the bundle to Uncle Hu. “A person of integrity need not fear shadows. Go ahead and search it.”
Uncle Hu stepped forward and untied the small bundle.
When several old articles of clothing were moved aside, a long object carefully wrapped in oiled paper was revealed. Once the paper was peeled away, a string of fine dried tangerine peel lay glaringly before everyone’s eyes.
The stolen goods had been found in her possession!
Li Sanniang sucked in a sharp breath and stared at Lin Wu in disbelief.
Manager Zhang, however, remained composed. His gaze shifted to Lin Wu. “Mrs. Lin, what else do you have to say?”
Lin Wu showed no sign of panic. She merely raised her eyes to meet Manager Zhang’s and replied calmly, “Since it was found in my bundle, I have no way to argue with the evidence. However, there are still a few things I do not understand. I would ask Manager Zhang and everyone else to let me raise a few questions, and I hope you’ll all consider them carefully.”
Manager Zhang nodded.
Lin Wu raised her voice slightly—not loudly, but clearly enough for everyone to hear. “Manager Zhang, Uncle Hu, and everyone in the kitchen all know that the caravan’s premium dried tangerine peel is stored together in one lot. I’m only a temporary cook, and every ingredient I use each day has to be collected from Uncle Hu and entered in the records. Everyone here can testify: over the past few days, have we used even a single piece of dried tangerine peel in our meals?”
Li Sanniang hurriedly shook her head. “Yes, yes. We haven’t used any dried tangerine peel in the meals these past few days.”
Lin Wu nodded and continued, “Even if we take a step back and assume I truly intended to steal it, the safest method would have been to deliberately prepare dishes requiring dried tangerine peel over the past few days, then take one or two extra pieces each time when I collected the ingredients. Wouldn’t that be far less likely to arouse suspicion? Why would I take an entire string at once, as though I were afraid no one would notice?”
At her words, many of the people surrounding them fell into thought and nodded secretly.
Lin Wu then abruptly shifted the focus of her argument and turned her gaze toward Zhao Sanniang. “There is another point. Today’s incident began with Sister-in-law Zhao claiming that her daughter was seriously ill and urgently needed dried tangerine peel to save her life. With her child’s life at stake, she should have been frantic with worry. Yet from what I can see, the girl’s breathing and complexion have already steadied considerably. Sister-in-law Zhao doesn’t seem to be in much of a hurry to boil the medicine anymore, does she?”
Everyone followed Lin Wu’s gaze toward Zhao Sanniang and her daughter. The child was clinging tightly to Zhao Sanniang’s leg, her face hidden from view, but she no longer seemed to be in any serious condition. Zhao Sanniang’s face had gone pale. One hand continued patting the girl’s back as she murmured words of comfort.
“Thank you for your concern, Mrs. Lin,” Zhao Sanniang replied, forcing herself to remain composed. “Perhaps the child felt better after smelling the fragrance of such fine dried tangerine peel.”
Lin Wu did not respond to that. Instead, she continued questioning her. “Earlier, Sister-in-law Zhao, you came to me asking to exchange for some flatbread, saying you had rushed out with your child and hadn’t had time to prepare anything. But this time, you came to the caravan alone to borrow dried tangerine peel to cook porridge.
“May I ask, Sister-in-law Zhao, do you now have japonica rice and a cooking pot, but happen to be missing only this one ingredient from the Jincheng Trading House?
“What’s even more puzzling is that Jincheng Trading House carries a great many goods. Even Uncle Hu had to search for quite a while. Yet you, an outsider, came straight to my bundle without the slightest hesitation. It almost seems as though you already knew exactly where it was hidden.”
Her questions pointed directly at Zhao Sanniang.
The crowd’s eyes shifted in unison from Lin Wu to Zhao Sanniang.
Zhao Sanniang staggered slightly, and her eyes immediately reddened.
She was a delicate-looking woman to begin with, and with tears shimmering in her eyes, she appeared all the more helpless and pitiful.
“Mrs. Lin… why would you do this?” Her voice caught, as though she had suffered some great injustice. “You acted improperly and were discovered. Why must you drag an unfortunate woman like me into this?”
She pulled her daughter tightly against her side with one hand, while the other pressed helplessly against her chest. “Is it because you think that my child and I are alone, with her so frail and no one to rely on, and that we’re easy to bully?”
By the time she finished, she was nearly sobbing. She patted her chest repeatedly to catch her breath before barely managing to continue, “I only saw Little Zhao anxiously searching for something and, thinking that we were both travelers on the road, kindly offered to help look. When I first smelled the scent, I was extremely hesitant. I didn’t dare accuse anyone lightly, for fear of ruining an innocent person’s reputation. It was only after Little Zhao repeatedly assured me that everything would be cleared up once the matter was investigated that I—I finally…”
She dabbed at her tears with her sleeve. Her voice trembled, yet she still struggled to maintain a coherent account. “Mrs. Lin, it’s only natural that you should defend yourself. But how could you make baseless accusations and force such a vicious charge onto me?
“Yes, what you said is true: I am an outsider and couldn’t possibly have known which cart held the dried tangerine peel or where inside it was stored. Just now, it was this young man and Uncle Hu who led me here. How did that become me making a beeline for your bundle?
“Besides, everyone, please think about this. Would any of it make sense? Mrs. Lin and I merely met on the road. We’re strangers with no grudge between us. Why would I go to such lengths to set an elaborate trap and frame you? What could I possibly gain from it? What would I be after?”
She paused for a moment at this point, turning her gaze to Manager Zhang, who had not uttered a single word the entire time, and spoke with a sorrowful, trembling voice. "As for the stove, rice and other supplies needed to boil the medicinal porridge, it's true that I haven't prepared them yet right now. But I know very well that on this merchant caravan route, rice and flour are easy to come by, and a stove can be borrowed. The only thing that is hardest to find is aged tangerine peel with sufficient years and fine quality. I thought that as long as I could get this most critical medicinal ingredient first, for everything else, even if I had to swallow my pride and beg every household one by one, I could always find a way to gather them all. Saving my daughter's life is the top priority by all means!"
Her words were so earnest and perfectly reasonable that the crowd all found them convincing.
"Sounds... that does make sense."
"Right, saving a life is what matters most. Who would wait until everything is perfectly ready before acting?"
"She's a stranger here, how would she even know where the tangerine peel is stored?"
"There's no grudge between her and anyone here, why would she try to harm others?"
While the crowd was whispering among themselves, Lin Wu calmly glanced at Madam Zhao, who was now crying as if her heart were breaking, then turned to face Manager Zhang again, her voice still steady. "Manager Zhang, please see clearly, and all of you, please listen to what I have to say. This string of tangerine peel appeared in my bundle, and I knew about it all along."
The moment these words left her mouth, everyone present widened their eyes in shock.
Lin Jing, who had been huddling tightly right by Lin Wu's legs the whole time, also lifted his head at this moment. There was not a trace of fear in his eyes, and his small chest puffed out slightly.
Zhao Sanniang's crying came to an abrupt halt, and she looked up at Lin Wu in utter astonishment.
