OR-4 Pickled Potherb Mustard

Welcome to Ding Feng Lou.

Wow... So this is the place everyone's talking about.

Are you... nervous?

Huh? Don't think I should be.

The competition is nigh, and yet, I feel... apprehensive, somehow...

I mean...

Nothing to fear! The Young Chef said it was fine.

Besides, it's not like we're trying to be cooks here. We're just on the hunt for that legendary chef, right? To ask him for his tangerine cake recipe.

Cold comfort, but I suppose at this point that's all I'm getting...

It's about time. All spectators please remain here for now. Competitors, follow me.

If you get anything difficult thrown at you, don't bluster, just keep calm and think. There's always a way...

Relax, okay? I'll see you.

Please, sit.

While I know you're here for the exam, you're still one of our guests. Please, let me offer you some tea first.

For a competition, you're all being pretty friendly here...

Well, can't say I haven't been thirsty. Thanks!

This pot of tea is infused with several ingredients. Please write them down.

PFFTH—

*cough* *cough* *hack*... What?!

Could I, uh... have another cup?

Today looks like a bust to me. They've gone through dozens of people since morning, and nobody's even passed the first stage.

Our head chef is being too harsh on them. It's like a revolving door over there—No one can last longer than a minute.

A chef's third eye is their tongue. If their tongue's not good enough, they can't be that good a chef.

So, no point wasting the head chef's time if they can't even pass stage one. May as well send 'em home sooner.

Hey, hey, 'scuse me, madam, this is the kitchen. Are you—

Judicial Review Office investigation. If I could have both your assistance.

Keep calm... keep calm...

What did Mechanist tell you? The human tongue can only taste four flavors, but the nose can tell between over a hundred...

Not that I ever smelt anything from his 'Machine Oil' moonshine, though...

Smells flowery. That's probably jasmine...

No, not just jasmine, there's a kind of... right, chrysanthemum! Just like the table tea at the Young Chef's place!

Okay, aside from that, there was definitely a sweet-sour kind of flavor as I drank it...

None of the initial flavors were sour, so what was that aftertaste...

Sweet, acid, and a little puckery... kind of familiar?

Why'd you want me to try this plum wine, anyway?

It's a specialty here in Baizao, you see.

There's a plum forest north of the city. When summer sets in June and the plums are fresh and ripe, the people pick them to steep in wine—ideally a Xiaohan wine.

Mmm... wine made from mossoats like this just has a particular flavor to it. It goes perfect with plum.

Steep it for about three months, and it's ready just in time for Mid-Autumn.

Plum wine, huh... So it's got history?

Earlier, you asked me what happened to all the people we lost building Baizao, right?

I wouldn't say it's got history, really. It just strikes me... during those awful times back then, pickled plums were a worker's staple.

And some years after finishing Baizao, that plum forest sprang up in the mountains north of us. No one knows exactly when it did, nor who planted it.

So it's a way of... remembering them, kind of?

At least they were never forgotten.

Once the plums are ripe next year, we can go to the mountains to see together.

Here's my answer.

Jasmine, chrysanthemum, green plum, Mount T'ien blossom, rock sugar... Xiaohan wine?

I've heard there's a plum forest north of Baizao.

The plums in June get brewed for Mid-Autumn. I'm guessing the plums in this were picked earlier than that, which is why there's still a mouth-puckering taste in it.

The alcohol steamed away while boiling the tea, and left just the sweet-sourness of the plum. Plus the mild and subtle aroma from the flower...

It wasn't obvious when I drank it down, but the aftertaste really stays with you... I'd really like another cup!

Identifying the first few flavors is reasonable enough, but you're the first one today who's been able to point out the use of Xiaohan wine.

So... I'm right?

Are you not sure about your own answer?

No! No, of course not! Of course I don't... Haha...

Then congratulations on passing the first stage.

Please, follow me upstairs.

First stage...? How long is this thing...?

Here you are, madam. The list of chefs at Ding Feng Lou.

If you don't mind me asking, what are you investigating exactly...?

...The case is confidential. I'm not at leisure to tell you for now.

Okay...

The head chef here, their name is Mo Bufu?

Yes. I don't think there's a cook in Baizao who doesn't know of Chef Mo.

Do you know what his occupation was prior to Ding Feng Lou?

That, I have no idea. Chef Mo arrived... just under ten years ago? Not quite a long time, but not short either. His cooking skills are the real deal, they're sublime. Almost straight away, he succeeded the previous head chef.

Where is he now? I need to see him.

I'm really sorry, but he's holding an exam right this moment. There's no way he can meet you.

Exam? What exam?

You could call it an enrollment exam for Ding Feng Lou? It only happens once every few years.

If you're interested, we're televising it right here!

That contestant...

Blaze...?

This is...

Isn't this a restaurant...? How come this room's set up like a study?

In its centuries of history, Ding Feng Lou has hosted countless reputed celebrities. We set aside this room to safekeep any pieces of calligraphy or painting gifted by them.

Delicacies, calligraphies, paintings... all are works of art that take years of practicing.

All of these are... names of dishes...

As you're no doubt aware, Ding Feng Lou is hiring chefs in the runup to the Feast of a Hundred Delicacies. This calls for cooks who are not just culinarily skilled, but who grasp the significances behind the dishes they make.

Every dish here originates from a past Feast of a Hundred Delicacies. Pick one placard, and tell me the dish's history. That is today's second stage.

(From the FEASTS? How the hell should I know any of these?!)

(Whatever, I've gotten this far—)

What's this...?

'Medley of Whites'?

Blaze barely knows how to cook anything. Passing the first stage was already a miracle.

She spent basically her whole life in Victoria. How could she possibly know any of these stories...?

Blaze... I really wish I could help you...

You have a time limit. Do you know the origin of this dish?

......

About fifty years ago, give or take, Yan's Grand Preceptor presented the True Lung with a dish—the simplest, plainest, stewed radishes.

But the special thing was, the radishes she used came from all over the land, and each one had a massively different flavor and texture.

But having been stewed for long enough, they absorbed enough broth and were all equally tasty.

I hear Yan's always put education first, but because the country's so big, and every city has wildly different circumstances anyway, the farther out you go, the harder it is for students to really achieve.

The Grand Preceptor was trying to tell the True Lung that every student, no matter their background, should have equal opportunity.

The True Lung took the Grand Preceptor's advice, advocated hard for educational reform, tore down any regional restrictions and brought equality to educational resources.

The next year, when Baizao Academy announced its successful applicants, students from remote regions made up more than a half of the thousand-plus that qualified.

In the decades after that, the Tianshis buried in their Bureau's books, the students studying like hell in their academies, all of them thanked the Grand Preceptor for boldly advising...

That, if I'm not mistaken, is what Medley of Whites represents...

(How... did Blaze know that?)

(And why would the exam writer leave the name of this dish in there...?)

(You don't just mention her, not in front of everyone...)

Did I, uh, say something wrong...?

Interesting.

After so many years, I didn't think anyone would remember this.

Nice to meet you, um...

The story you've told is far older than you. Girl, how come you know it?

Well, someone from my family told me it, a long long time ago.

He said he was one of those students in poverty, all the way back then.

To know the spring of your water... I imagine your relative was a grateful and righteous man.

But as for you...

Just what motive brought you here?

I... well, I'm... here to compete, of course...

Seeing as you've made it here, I'll give you one chance.

Final stage. No frills, no fuss. Make me a 'dish'.

Come.

Excuse me...

You, young man! Help me out!

I was in a hurry this morning and forgot my money. You're a well-to-do boy, anyone can tell! Be a kind man, spot me a little!

Er...

I'm not here to rip you off. Here, take this family jade for now. Once I grab the money later, I'll pay you back.

Not that I mind lending you... but couldn't you just tell the owner instead...? We're total strangers—how would you find me and pay me back?

No, no, no, you see, this jade's not your average thing, it's not fit for just anyone to take. I'm only entrusting it to you because I can tell, you've got a rare air about you.

A-Alright...

When do you plan to pay me back...? Where would we meet?

We'll meet if we do and we won't if we don't. And if we don't, you can just go ahead and pawn this jade off.

Relax, relax. You've made a favorable deal today, young sir.

Pawn... it off?

There's my dish. Pretty good job, wouldn't you say?

...Longevity noodles?

......

These noodles... this soup base, who taught you this?

It was this tiny little chef. I really put my back into learning it, too...

The owner of 'Savors at Yu's'. Who is he to you?

How come you know...?

I thought so...

...The disgrace of him!

Huh...?

I see he has talent and give him the chance to display his skills. He's not grateful for that, fine. But now, now he even sends an amateur to humiliate me!

What's happening? Blaze finished it up with no trouble... nothing should be wrong with the flavor.

...Does Mo Bufu know the Young Chef somehow?

Wait! Okay, hold on!

I'm sorry! I know you can probably tell I suck at cooking at a glance, but I didn't come so I could wreck your competition!

I just have a question that only you can answer!

......

I grew up in Victoria, see, and this relative of mine who lived far away in Yan would always send me these tangerine cakes. They were so sweet and tasty...

I've been on the hunt ever since I came to Baizao, but I still haven't found that flavor...

I was thinking, since you're the best chef in all of Baizao, maybe you would know!

A single pastry? You thought it was worth entering this competition to meet me, over a single pastry?

I have tons of other questions still! But this is the only one I can solve on my own. This is the one clue, the one link I have to my family!

You...

...The greatest taboo when making tangerine cakes is to blindly add sugar. That is, to mask the poorness of your craft and ingredients with sweetness.

I don't know of anyone skilled enough to make tangerine cakes that are sweet and yet taste good on their own.

You've asked your question. Now go.

Wait—

Why is it leaking in here...?

No... this is oil!

Get outta here!

Watch out!

What even—

*cough* *cough* *cough*!

You... go... I'll be fine!

Cover your mouth and nose! Don't talk!

I'm not too good with this move yet... let's give it a try.

'Scuse me, just duck.

What a skill you have... Could you be...

...Duoxie.

You're welcome—

Hm?

Mo Bufu, move!

Are you alright there?

Leizi?! What are YOU doing here?

...Maybe I should ask, what are you doing here?

I...

But we can talk about you later...

Could this be a repeat of the Ding Feng Lou fire last month...?

...!

Blaze, stay here! Keep Mo Bufu safe!

Hey! Where are you going?

*cough* *cough*... Jeez, this smoke is killing me.

*cough* *hack*... On that pillar there, there's a breaker...

There's, uh... a lot of them here... Which one do I pull...?

Hold it!

Move another inch, and the next bolt is hitting your head.

Answer my questions.

......

Why set fire to Ding Feng Lou? Is your target Mo Bufu, or someone else?

All the previous incidents, they were your doing too, weren't they?

Also... the scrollery?

......

You... and your accomplices, must have some aim in all these actions—what is it?

......

Not talking? Then I'll take you back to the Judicial Review Office, for a nice long questioning—

Deputy Minister Lin, surely you wouldn't ask if you didn't know the answer already?

Can you not see the truth, or do you simply pretend you can't because you don't dare to?

What—

The Office is a good place, but I don't plan on visiting it for now.

Besides, when your will wavers, the thunder you throw isn't so frightening.

It's time you opened your eyes.

Wait—

Leizi—

You alright?

Dammit.

The customers are all safely out of the way, there's just a few in shock. Thank goodness no one was injured...

We've reported it to the authorities. The mandarins should be here any moment...

Don't we have a mandarin here already?

......

Head Chef... you're...

I'm fine... I owe it to this girl.

There's nothing left for you to do here. Go on, go home.

Mr. Mo, if I could have a word or two with you.

You know this girl, madam?

She's a friend of mine.

Chef Mo, she's on the trail of a really important case. Would it be alright if you, uh, tried to answer her questions...?

Hmph... I don't like what the mandarins get up to, but I don't like to spurn a favor either. You saved my life today, and that's more favor than I'll ever repay.

Go ahead, then. Ask away.

I'm looking for one of your restaurant's chefs. He's a witness in a case.

I believe ten years ago, he was working in the Ministry of Justice death row prison, making last meals for convicts.

A chef who only makes last meals... How exactly did he pass the Ding Feng Lou exams?

Ding Feng Lou serves all manner of mandarins every year at the Feast of a Hundred Delicacies. That means every chef's background must be clear as day for the record.

I imagine he shouldn't be hard to find.

What exactly do you want me to say, madam?

First my restaurant catches fire for no reason. Now you say we have a chef who made meals for dead men. Should I even bother to open Ding Feng Lou again?

I understand your situation, sir. That's why I'm choosing to ask you these things in private.

Whatever. It's not like I can't admit to my own past.

The chef you're looking for, the death row caterer Mo Xiaoliu, that was me.

What?!

I thought so...

And making last meals is nothing shameful. The powerful need to eat, and so do the powerless.

My cooking skills come from that prison, making last meals for death row convicts from all corners of the country.

As for changing my name and hiding my identity, I just didn't want to make any trouble for this restaurant.

I'm beginning to... sort of admire you.

Do you remember, ten years ago, a convict admitted to the prison by the name of Gu Quan?

If you don't remember the name, you should at least remember that some decades ago, he was the one and only person to be released from death row.

What?!

Wait! You mean my dad? Why'd my dad get the death penalty?

Blaze!

You mean Gu Quan? He was your father?

Yeah...

So you remember him...

I do... all too well.

I spent so many years in there making last meals. I met countless horrific scoundrels, endless connivers. As each one of them ate before they left, the look in their eyes, it was always more or less the same.

But I'd never seen someone whose eyes were so clear, so clean, so free of anything.

He wasn't like the other convicts. In his time, he never wept, never howled, and never screamed injustice, not even on the day he was imprisoned.

Even I found it strange how a man like him could end up on death row.

Why would... my dad...

Then do you know, at the time, what charges Gu Quan was sentenced to death on?

Not at the time...

Not at the time?

But one year later, when I joined Ding Feng Lou and began taking part in the Feast of a Hundred Delicacies, I came across a menu for a Feast from a few years before—

That was when I learned that at that Feast, Gu Quan served a dish to the True Lung. It just so happens, that was the same dish this girl pulled down earlier. 'Medley of Whites'.

But next to that dish, he placed a steamed flour bun, and in it... was a filling of red pickled tofu.

So... what does it mean? Why would he get locked up just for serving that?

......

Lin Qingyan, aren't you gonna say anything?

Your relative told you the story of the Grand Preceptor, but never told you her eventual fate?

Her... fate?

......

Forty years ago, the Grand Preceptor plotted to assassinate the True Lung. She committed suicide after it failed. Every single one of her underlings was arrested and trialed, and their numbers were over a thousand...

When Gu Quan served that dish at the Feast, it signified redressing her for her treason. It made the True Lung furious.

No way... my dad told me so many times, the Grand Preceptor was loyal to the country, the people, the whole realm! How the hell could she be a traitor?!

The history books have it that way, yes.

And they're right?!

Lin Qingyan, if everything written in them is true, what the hell are you investigating?!

......

And... and besides, my dad didn't actually get killed, right? Doesn't that prove, like, at least some people from the court believed the Grand Preceptor and my dad were both innocent?!

That's a sticking point, yes. If Gu Quan was imprisoned as part of the Grand Preceptor case, why would they free him afterwards?

It stuck with me too... You see, after entering prison, Gu Quan had two visitors, and both were people I happened to know...

One was the person delivering his meal. Yu Cheng, deputy minister of the Office at the time.

And the other was the one who brought him out... former Minister of Rites, Ning Shu.

What...?!

Quick! This way! Surround the place immediately!

Dammit... why now...?!

What a coincidence. One step ahead of me, Deputy Minister Lin.

I'd just arrived. A coincidence, indeed.

The Judicial Review Office is investigating the Ding Feng Lou fire. I ask all of you to be cooperative.

Lin Qingyan, and the girl next to you, come with me.