As soon as the arbitration tribunal of the Taiji Chamber of Commerce opened its doors, it was swept by two gusts of "garlic-scented tornadoes"—an elderly garlic vendor was dragging Auntie Wang, who sold garlic-flavored steamed buns. Clutching garlic cloves and buns to their chests, the two looked like walking statues carved out of garlic. Huwa, wearing a judicial coronet woven from braids of garlic, struck an abacus-shaped gavel: "Order! Order! Let's get one thing straight first—whoever throws garlic at people today again will be sentenced to ten mu of garlic fields!" Ten mu of garlic fields!
Case One: The "Metaphysics" of Garlic Prices
The elderly garlic vendor hoisted a withered garlic clove and cried injustice: "She bought garlic from me, turned it around into steamed buns, and hiked the price threefold! If this isn't profiteering, what is?" Auntie Wang immediately broke open a bun to reveal golden-yellow bits of garlic: "Mine are 'Imperial Garlic Buns' made with a secret recipe, and they can cure indigestion!" With that, she shoved one into Huwa's mouth. Chewing the bun, Huwa's eyes lit up as he turned to look at the arbitration bench: "Master, does this count as 'value-added technology'?"
Chapter 558