“Because we just started taking out, we sold quite a few boxes. However, since the boxes are light, Yu Jijiu even bought seven boxes at once. In the future, there may not be as many as in the past few days, but there will definitely be people who will buy these boxes.” At this point, Ji Cai paused and said, “Of course, our public kitchen still sells food. As long as the food is well cooked, there will be no problem.”

Wen Mingtang nodded and looked at the account book that Ji Caimai pushed over: In the time of an evening meal, the officials of the Dali Temple alone brought a lot of income to the public kitchen. After deducting the cost and the money that went into the public kitchen account, the remaining money was their net profit dividend.

“I think if things go well in the future, the money earned from the take-out will not be less than your monthly salary!” Ji Caimai was obviously in a very good mood.

These words made A Bing and Tangyuan very happy. Wen Mingtang also smiled and said, “Fragrant wine fears no dark alley¹. When they take the food out and share it with family and friends, and if everyone likes it, they will naturally tell their friends’ friends. In this way, the food from our Dali Temple public kitchen will also make a name for itself!”

This was much better than the “one battle to fame” of the Dali Temple public kitchen in the past!

Ji Caimai also understood this truth. Hearing this, he couldn’t help but sigh, “It should have been like this long ago. This is what it means to make a living by your skills!”

With hope, Wen Mingtang and others will be more attentive when making food. Ji Caimai also listed the snacks that were easy to take on the wooden food boxes for takeout.

Bīngfěn, sweet-scented osmanthus sour plum drink, mung bean cake, tea eggs, etc. had all become items bought by frequent customers for takeout. The income was much better than Ji Caimai imagined. There were even strangers who often came to buy takeout food after tasting the food in the public kitchen.

These days, Ji Caimai couldn’t stop smiling when he saw Wen Mingtang, until a few days later, when Master Sun, who had “taken sick leave”, was supposed to come back.

On this day, after breakfast time, Wen Mingtang came out of the public kitchen and met Ji Caimai with a frown on his face.

“Master Wen!”

Seeing Wen Mingtang and others, Ji Caimai called them and asked, “Have you seen that guy Sun Dingren?”

The three of them shook their heads and said, “We were busy in the public kitchen all morning, and we didn’t see Master Sun!”

“He should have come!” Ji Caimai said, looking up at the sky, “I went to see him yesterday and asked him if his sick leave was over. He was humming a little song and was in a very good mood! I thought he would come back, but now I don’t know where he is?”

Ah Bing, who was eating the pancakes in his hand, heard the words and said, “How about finding someone to go to his house to check?”

Ji Caimai thought about it and was about to speak when he heard a voice coming from behind him.

“No need to go!”

Everyone turned around and saw that it was Wei Fu who was talking with several runners. Seeing them turn around to look at him, Wei Fu shook his head with a complicated and subtle expression: “The person is here!”

Master Sun was here? Where was he? Ji Caimai and others subconsciously looked around but did not see Master Sun. Just as they were about to ask, they saw several runners carrying a corpse over. The corpse was followed by Wu Bucai, the coroner of the Dali Temple. From the corner of the white cloth that was lifted, they only saw a piece of black stuff.

Wen Mingtang and others were startled and looked at the black corpse. When they came to their senses, it was Wen Mingtang who spoke first. She asked: “Is this Master Sun?”

How did it become like this?

Wei Fu pointed to the half-wet ground under his feet and said: “Didn’t it rain early in the morning?”

There were many thunderstorms in summer. The rain at dawn also scared Wen Mingtang. The rain came quickly, lightning tore through the sky, and thunder rumbled.

“I heard from a night watchman and the owner of a breakfast shop that they saw him passing by the door at dawn. As soon as he stepped into the alley next door, he saw a flash of thunder in the sky, and a scream was heard in the alley. The two were startled. When they rushed over, they saw…” Wei Fu said this, shook his head, glanced at the black corpse, and said, “He was struck to death by lightning.”

Hearing this, Wen Mingtang fell silent.

After hearing this, several officers passing by looked at each other. One of them couldn’t help but say, “Didn’t he say that he swore not to be a demon? He also said that if he did, he would be struck by lightning and die a miserable death.” After a pause, several people touched their noses, and the one who spoke muttered, “It seems that it really came true!”

The poisonous oath really couldn’t be made casually.

After swearing, Master Sun bought Croton and prepared to be a demon. Look… he was struck by lightning and died!

Several officers left with emotion, but Wei Fu, who was talking, was hesitant to speak. Seeing this, Ji Caimai stepped forward and asked Wei Fu, “But is there another hidden story behind Master Sun’s death?”

Although Sun Dingren’s own demon-making oath had nothing to do with him, it was he who asked Sun Dingren to swear the poisonous oath. If the poisonous oath really came true, Ji Caimai would still feel a little uncomfortable.

Wei Fu shook his head and said, “It’s true that he was struck by lightning, but it can’t be said that the poisonous oath came true!”

It was true that Master Sun was struck by lightning and died, but at the same time, there were many broken roof bricks around him. A large area of ​​bricks and tiles on the roof of an abandoned house nearby was crushed by someone, and an iron rod was tied to the roof by someone unknown, with a lot of paper scraps and ashes left under the iron rod.

From this, it could be inferred that Master Sun was struck by lightning when he climbed up to the roof to get something tied to the iron rod.

“So, it was man-made!” Ji Caimai breathed a sigh of relief, but a little sad.

Wei Fu looked at them for a moment, thought about it, and said, “Sun Dingen actually didn’t buy the Croton to harm Master Wen.”

Oh? What was it bought for? Ji Caimai said to Wei Fu, “To be honest, considering the character of Sun, this is really hard to believe!”

Wei Fu said, “Yesterday, an envoy from Goguryeo suddenly had a stomachache, so he went to the toilet several times. In the afternoon, he went to the toilet again, but this time, he didn’t come back for a long time. Someone got anxious and went to the toilet to look for him, but…”

At this point, Wei Fu looked at everyone with a subtle expression, “Have you heard of the story of Duke Jing of Jin?²“

Wen Mingtang and others: “…”

During the Spring and Autumn Period, the death of Duke Jing of Jin was indeed unusual. He fell into a pit and drowned.

“This envoy has followed the old path of Duke Jing of Jin!” Wei Fu said.

Everyone fell silent again, but Ji Caimai recalled: “No wonder Wu Bucai hurried to take a shower after returning from the autopsy last night. He was not so diligent in the past!”

Wei Fu nodded, looked at everyone, and said: “No one was willing to take over the body last night, so Wu Bucai had to go. This trip was not in vain. Wu Bucai found a footprint behind the man. He must have been kicked from behind when he was using the toilet and fell and drowned.”

Although the way of death was a bit bizarre, it was still homicide in the end.

If the person who kicked him was the main culprit, then the one who gave the envoy a stomachache last night was an accomplice.

“Later, we found ground croton in the tea in the envoy’s room, and many people confirmed that Master Sun appeared in the inn yesterday,” Wei Fu said here, and sighed helplessly, “We were originally going to find Master Sun to question him, but unexpectedly…”

Unexpectedly, Master Sun suddenly died at this time.

(End of this chapter)

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Footnote

1. Good quality products don’t need advertisement.
2. Duke Jing of Jin, also known as Ji Zhou or Duke Jing of Jin, was the ruler of the state of Jin during the Spring and Autumn period of Chinese history. He reigned from 599 to 581 BCE. According to historical records, Duke Jing of Jin died under mysterious circumstances. There are different accounts of his death: Forced Suicide: One account suggests that Duke Jing of Jin was forced to commit suicide. The powerful minister Zhao Dun, who held significant influence in the state, was involved in a power struggle with Duke Jing. Under pressure from Zhao Dun and other ministers, Duke Jing was compelled to take his own life. Illness: Another account indicates that Duke Jing of Jin may have died from an illness. This version of the story is less dramatic but highlights the natural causes of death that were common during that era. Regardless of the exact cause, Duke Jing of Jin’s death marked a significant event in the history of the Jin state, leading to further political turmoil and power struggles among the ruling elite.