The next night, the duo had their shop setup right inside the gate just like the attendant had said they could. The oxen were a little way away, all mended, and they ate from a hay bale that sat near the carriage. Mei scurried around outside and pulled some tables and chairs and got them setup in front of the carriage. There were three tables and nine chairs all ready for customers.
Inside the carriage, Jin's hands danced across a cutting board. The echoes of the dull thudding the knife made as he cut aromatics rang out in the rhythm of a song he held in his head. Since there were expecting a good volume for the night, Jin decided he would do something he did little, barbeque. Truth be told, he was sorry he didn't do more of it; he loved cooking it, loved eating it, anything about slow cooked and smoked meats just tantalized the food lover.
Just behind the carriage, he had a small smoker going. It was a nice little vertical metal box with a fire to the side that he worked wood in to give the meat the delicious smoke flavor that he was looking for. He had pork ribs, some chickens he cut in half, and even a larger cut of beef known as a brisket. That went on very early in the morning and Mei griped when he woke to get it going. He just hoped he had everything timed properly so not only everything was finished cooking but also properly rested in time for service.
Mei walked up and stood at the window of the carriage and looked in at her husband. He was pouring in the aromatics into a large wok that was in low heat. She gave a smile and leaned her elbow against the window and her head into her hand while she watched. Mei lamented a moment about how she didn't take the time to love and adore him as he did her. She was more focused on other things, though. No, that isn't right. She couldn't explain it, she decided, not even to herself. He loved her, and she loved him and they were together. That's all there was to it. She gave a firm nod to herself.
"How are you doing? Do you need help with anything?" she asked him finally as the smells of garlic and onion hit her nose. She breathed it in deeply and closed her eyes. Garlic. How this girl loved garlic. There was never enough in anything she ate.
Jin turned and looked at her and smiled. "No, thank you, my love. How are you? Do you have things for the night? Maybe we can make some income that way as well," he asked and put his fists on his hips, letting his gut pop out.
She grimaced. She hated when he stood like that. He looked so, well, he looked so fat. Not that he wasn't, but when he stood there like. She was sure he did it just because it bugged her. Always the one to poke the bear so he could give a chuckle. "I have a few things I could sell. I…" Mei paused and looked at him, exasperated. "Do you think we have enough money for the sauce?"
Jin sighed and shrugged and turned around to work the wok once more. He poured some pureed tomato in the work and mixed everything together. The other thing he did that drove Mei wild. He always shied away from the heavier topics, preferring to ignore the problems and hoped they went away. That sweet acidic smell hit her now, and she smiled as it intermingled with the garlic still in her olfactory.
"Jin," she said finally.
Jin sighed in response and turned back around after he added some sugar to the wok, and shrugged. "I don't know. It's an auction. I hope we do. That product can really help us. I think it would help us take our food to the next level. We don't really need it though, do we? If it costs too much. It would be nice to have, but at the end of the day, it's just some soy sauce."
Mei nodded her head. It was true. It was just soy sauce. It was the best sauce though, made from the best manufacturers and if it imbued with spiritual properties? They could market themselves to cultivators even more. That meant more money and more customers for her other business. Regular mortal people didn't really want to buy flying swords and the like.
"I have some things I might trade towards it as well. I think just a bottle will help us," Mei told him and rubbed at one of her spirit rings.
Jin nodded his head and smiled. "See there. I think we'll be able to snag a bottle, and then that'll help secure our position so we can get access to the stuff on a more permanent basis," he nodded his head firmly as he slung his side towel over his shoulder. He stepped out of the door and around the back where the smoker was setup. "Also, our brisket should be ready to pull."
Mei followed him around and watched him open the smoke box. She laughed a little as she watched cough and sputter and pull his head back. He had his head right in front of the opening to the smoker so when he opened it he was met with a faceful of the eye watering smoke. He gagged and sputtered and shook his head.
"Hun, what did you think was going to happen?" she asked him and crossed her arms against her chest with a grin.
He looked at her with a sheepish grin and blinked away the tears before he offered a shrug. Once he recovered, he pulled a thin metal probe from a pocket and reached back into the smoker. He thrusted the probe into the meat a few times before he was satisfied and pulled his head back and looked at Mei with a smile.
"It's done," he announced. "Grab some cloth and the insulated box, will you, my love?" he asked as he reached back into the smoker and pulled out the large cut of meat.
Mei disappeared into the carriage and he headed in behind her, trying to keep the juices from the brisket from dripping down onto his robes. This was one of the perks of not only being a cultivator, but a fire cultivator. This piece of meat was hot, and he could barely feel anything. Granted, he had also been a cook his whole life and his fingers had calloused over quite well, but just grabbing a hot piece of meat from something like that would still hurt a mortal man.
When he walked in, she had some cloth laid out and he wrapped it up in the cloth, making sure it was wrapped up tight. The cloth instantly became soaked from the juices as he wrapped it nice and tight and then looked at Mei.
"Throw it in the box, will you? I need to check on the rest of the meat and close the smoker," Jin said as he went back outside.
Mei did so and then went about packaging up some of the other things he had already made earlier in the day. Jin really tried to go all out when he set up the smoker, and for this, it would hopefully really come in handy. He made various kinds of dried meats, some spicy, some peppery, some with a sweet salty mix of teriyaki. She put all the different meat in different jars so she could hand out the sticks he made.
Then there were the smoked cheeses. These she would sell as small blocks and they had everything from cheddar to muenster. This was something they normally couldn't do and only received so much cheese from the Manor's private chef. There was one kind, a specific aged cheddar that was nutty and crumbly and every time Jin had a piece, he groaned in pleasure. Mei decided she'd keep that as a snack for themselves, even though it would probably have the highest price tag.
Mei didn't even realize anyone was watching them until Jin came back into the carriage and said hello to the would-be customer. She gave a little jump and then smiled at the man. If Jin was rotund, this man was large, with sweat on his brow and thick eyebrows as well as mutton chop sideburns. The thing Mei really noticed, though, was the colors of his robes. The inside was a dark pink color. Maybe salmon? The outer robes were pale blue. She'd know those lush looking colors anywhere.
"Oh, I'm sorry I didn't see you. From the Moon Lotus Pavilion?" Mei asked him as Jin walked past her and to the window.
"What can we get for ya? You're a bit early, so most of the things I was looking to sell are still cooking. I can maybe do you up something else if you know what you want. Or we have some dried flavored meat and smoked cheese if that tickles your fancy?" Jin asked him and went into his friendly shopkeeper mode.
The man gave a sneer to Mei but smiled at Jin before he nodded his head. "No, no need to make anything special," he said before he looked back at the bubbling sauce behind where Jin stood.
Jin saw the man's mental wheels turning and could tell the man wasn't too happy, saying that he just smiled and held up a jar of the jerky. "Some meat then?"
Mei held up a brick of cheese. "And cheese? We also have some nuts and bread. We can make you a nice little lunchbox."
That actually wasn't a bad idea. She had some small rectangle containers that folded up. Hm. Something to explore for later. For now, though, she already had one in her hands and was busy assembling it for him.
The cultivator watched them. His beady little eyes drifted back and forth between the two of them before he settled on Jin. "What sort of meat is there?"
"Oh, it's all beef, trimmed by myself from the best cuts of meat I could find. Few different flavors, some spicy, some not so much." Jin had started.
"Yes, make me a box please," he interrupted Jin from finishing. "Just give me a good mix of everything, will you?" he asked Mei as she closed the top to it.
Mei smiled and handed the box over to him through the window. "Yes, it is already done. Thank you…" she left it out in the air and hoped to get his name.
"Taimei," he smiled and took the box from Mei. His fingers gripped the box like he thought someone might run up and take it from him. "How much?"
Mei ran the numbers in her head. She included a couple of small pieces of each of the cheese, one of each of the jerkies and then some cashews, crackers and some jam. "Five bits," she said after she took a moment to think about it.
The man narrowed his eyes at her, but then shrugged and dug through a pocket in his robe and handed over the coins. He supposed it was worth it. The container had a good weight to it, which meant there was a good little of snacks in here. On top of that, these two had a reputation for being wonderful cooks, and the man was known to be able to imbue his cooking with aura. Taimei hadn't really heard of someone being able to do that before, and since the cook didn't feel like he was in the spiritual realm of cultivation yet, it was quite a feat.
"I look forward to tasting the treats, and then dinner later," Taimei told them before he turned and left the carriage.
They watched him leave before the pair turned to look at each other with smiles. Mei nodded her head and Jin responded in kind. "I think we'll be okay," he told him.
Jin nodded again. "Yes, he seemed like an alright enough guy," Jin agreed.
Mei looked back out of the large window on the side of the carriage that opened up while Jin returned to his barbecue sauce.
"He didn't seem to like me very much. Ran over everything I said." She narrowed her eyes. The Moon Lotus cultivator was now far in the distance, sitting in a garden with a two other people in the same colors. One male and one female and they were sharing the little snack box he bought.
Jin shrugged. "You aren't here to be liked, are you?" He nudged her shoulder with his own. "That's my job. I'm the likeable one. You're the one who organizes and keeps the riffraff at bay."
"Yes, I suppose," Mei said and shrugged. She didn't mind it. Not really. She had everything she needed in life, as far as she could tell. Her husband, their business, and this cart. She gave a definitive nod to herself. After a deep exhale, she looked at him. "Alright, how is everything looking?"
Jin nodded his head and rubbed his stomach before he looked at her. 'Delicious."
It was a couple of hours later and the pair had an entire line up outside of their window. Mostly hungry mortals who came to visit the estate and tour the land. There were a few cultivators mixed in, wearing various sect colors. The Chens met more than one more from the Moon Lotus Pavilion.
There were even one or two individual cultivators. Those that dared to battle the Heavens by themselves and wanted to reach immortality beholden to no man or organization. Jin and Mei were technically considered part of this group, but they never thought of themselves as it. They had each other, they weren't just wandering monkeys by themselves.
Jin was in the cart with his back turned towards the window. He almost looked like a ballet dancer as he weaved around Mei, grabbing ingredients he needed to fulfill whatever order she threw at him. They had only a few dishes they were serving today to keep it simple and fast. Maximum output for maximum profit.
They had the smoked chicken served with fried rice and vegetables on top. They served the half chicken whole so people knew exactly what they were getting. The chicken was so juicy one older lady who sat at the table outside of the cart exclaimed it was too juicy and tried to get Mei to pay to wash her robes. She had grease and chicken juices all the down front of her.
He made a slightly spicy sauce to go with the chicken and rice. Something spice forward and pinched your mouth. The rice is a little more salty to keep the tastebuds tantalizing and keep the heat going. This dish was not for the feint of heart.
Next were the ribs, served as either quarter, half, or you could get an entire rack of the baby back pork ribs. This Jin decided to do a more sweet vinegar flavor profile. The ribs themselves were sticky from the brown sugar he finished them with in the smoke box. The sauce had a smoky vinegar hint at the back to cut through the fattiness of the rib and get you ready for the next bite.
These were served with a small dish of macaroni and cheese. This was another idea he got from the chef on the manor. The man said he had a lot of cheese, and making a dish like this would help it go far. Spread it out with a milk sauce, the chef told him, and people will love it. The people, as the chef said, loved it indeed. The umami flavor was a like to the punch to the mouth. To finish the dish, there was some simple corn, served right on the cob covered in salt and delicious butter.
Finally, the main star of the show, the brisket. The pieces were cut nice and thick and seasoned simply with salt, pepper and garlic. You didn't want too much on the brisket, unlike the pork, which was loaded with Jin's own barbecue blend of spices. This wasn't served with a sauce unless someone asked for it. In some places in the world, it was sacrilegious to serve such a delectable cut of meat with any sort of sauce that would cover up the flavor of the beef. The spicy sauce from the chicken seemed to be people's favorite for those that wished to put sauce on it, however.
It was served with roasted potatoes and green beans. The vegetables Jin served were heavy with garlic and a butter jus as he called it. Finally, each plate, no matter what dish they got, was served with a simple slice of white bread. It was custom Jin told Mei when she asked why. Good barbecue always came with a simple piece of bread.
Mei shrugged and promised she would most likely be extra smelly tonight whenever they wound up going to bed thanks to all the garlic he used on them. Jin smiled and laughed and shook his head at his wife.
"I know you love it," he told her and she just nodded her head and rubbed her stomach softly before she went to help the next customer in line.
Once the line slowed down and the duo started to clean and reassemble things they were supposed to be for traveling, Taimei walked back up. Jin was the first to notice, since he was busy scrubbing out the crevices of the open carriage window. He patted Mei on the back as she was on her hands and knees scrubbing the oven clean. By the time she stood, the mutton chopped man stared at them with a smile.
"Dinner was very good," he said and rubbed his protruding belly. "Between me and my three companions, we tried everything you two sold. That pasta dish… the mac and cheese, as you called it?"
Jin nodded his head and smiled. "That's something new for me," he confirmed.
"Well, you should definitely keep making it. It was even better than the family chef here on the manor. Though, you'll excuse me if I don't tell him that," Taimei said.
Jin gave a belly laugh, and Mei just gave a nervous chuckle. "Of course, I ask that you don't," Jin responded.
Taimei nodded. "Well, the auction is the first thing in the morning and I'm told you two are planning on taking part?"
This was where Mei would shine, and she nodded her head and stared at him shrewdly. "Yes, we will be there."
"Good, me and my colleagues look forward to seeing you two there. We're hoping everyone can get something that they're looking for," he said and gave them a little bow. "If we all can't, well, hopefully we're all able to come to sort of understanding."
Mei mentally counted the money she had stowed away. Between the money they made tonight, her spirit stones, and maybe some other items, she was confident they'd walk away with what they wanted. "Yes, hopefully." She seemed wary of what the man was saying.
Taimei simply bowed his head and then wandered off without saying goodbye.
Mei looked at Jin, and he shrugged. "That was weird," she said.
"Maybe, but it is an odd sect."
"An odd sect that has a lot of money," Mei griped, and Jin just shrugged again.
"It'll be fine."