Dealing with False Rumors Like This (5)
The children were starting to take interest.
"A secret song?"
"What's that?"
"Tell me too!"
"I can't... but since you said I look like a Ja-mu doll, I'll let you in on it."
This was exactly the method I'd come up with.
Changing perceptions of Ja-mu dolls through a song.
It was partly to catch the rat from the Sichuan branch, but I'd come to Sichuan Province in secret for this very reason.
People instinctively reject anything contrived. That's why I was borrowing the power of children.
After all, kids were one of the most natural existences in the world.
That way, the shift in perception would happen completely organically.
And to execute this plan, reliable and capable people had been dispatched to each province.
After teaching the song to the children, I stood up.
"Now let's go grab some lunch."
"Honestly, now that we're in Sichuan, shouldn't we eat some real Sichuan food?"
It had been a day since we arrived, but up until now, we'd only eaten plain noodles and dumplings—no signature Sichuan dishes.
Palgap looked a bit fed up with it.
At his words, I glanced at him for a moment before asking,
"Have you ever tried Sichuan food before?"
"No, sir."
"You confident with spicy?"
"I'm from Sungyang County, too, sir."
Sungyang County bordered Hunan closely, so its cuisine was similar to Hunan's.
Hunan food was spicy.
But Sichuan spice was different.
Hunan's heat carried a hint of sweetness, while Sichuan's was numbing—ma spice that made your tongue tingle and go numb.
Just one bite of that Sichuan numbness had sweat pouring down your face.
No wonder Sichuan locals boasted they feared no spice.
The first time I'd tried Sichuan cuisine was five years from now, in my previous life.
I'd come to Sichuan while managing the Eunhae fabric shop and had to inspect the silk in person.
In a fit of bravado, I'd ordered ma la xiang guo.
My uncle had tried to dissuade me, but I'd boasted I was fine.
In the end, I'd spent the night wracked with stomach pain.
Ah...
Thinking back made a wave of embarrassment surge up.
I let out a sigh.
"Just don't eat it. If you really want to, wait till we get back to the merchant group."
Watching me, the Yi Pil warrior spoke up.
"Sometimes people learn best from direct experience. And honestly, I'd love some hometown food after so long."
Hometown food?
"You're originally from Sichuan?"
"Yes, sir."
"Then no worries about the food for you."
We headed to a nearby dumpling shop.
I ordered plain dumplings. Not all Sichuan food was spicy, after all.
The Yeo Eung-am warrior ordered dumplings too.
"I'm not keen on learning through suffering. Haha."
"Wise choice."
Palgap and the Yi Pil warrior, meanwhile, went for ma la xiang guo.
The food arrived soon.
Vegetables and meat packed into a small wok, stir-fried with spicy spices.
"Whoa! Looks delicious."
"Yeah, dig in."
Looks delicious, right?
I counted precisely to three.
One,
two,
three.
And Palgap... didn't betray my expectations one bit. Not even close.
"Oh? This is good, sir. That numbing kick gives it real character."
"..."
The Yi Pil warrior burst out laughing.
"Hahaha! So Palgap knows his stuff! Whew! Real food after ages."
They shoveled it down with satisfied expressions.
"..."
I eyed Palgap's face, but there was no sign of him forcing down tongue agony.
He was just enjoying it.
It was like watching a bear chomping through a honeycomb, stinger buzzing away ignored.
Palgap... was his tongue a bear too?
After finishing the meal, I set out again to teach the song to more children.
Days passed like that.
In a marketplace in Sichuan.
Children walked along humming the song.
"Ja-mu dolls with souls inside, Ja-mu dolls that make you money...."
Hearing it, the adults in front of a tavern chatted over rice wine.
"Come to think of it, I've been hearing that song a lot lately."
"Oh, the one about Ja-mu dolls making you money?"
"Yeah. And I hear there's truth to it?"
"What?"
"We've all heard the rumors about souls in Ja-mu dolls."
"That's why the local cloth merchant's wife shoved hers in the warehouse—it creeped her out."
"But now they say that doll soul brings wealth. Folks have actually made a fortune from it."
And that talk began spreading—not just through Sichuan, but across the entire Central Plains.
The head of the Dan Merchant Group was receiving a report from his subordinate.
"So, all the Ja-mu dolls sold out?"
"Yes, sir."
"In less than a month? Didn't you say we'd have leftovers?"
"We did, but... seems like it's that rumor."
"Rumor?"
"Yes. The one about Ja-mu doll souls bringing wealth."
He'd heard the rumor too.
But he knew it was fake. After all, the souls-in-dolls rumor was fake to begin with.
And he knew better than anyone—he was the one who'd started it.
"Source of the rumor?"
"We're investigating, but it's unclear. It's spreading through kids' songs, but we can't pinpoint who started it."
"..."
The Dan Merchant Group head frowned and clicked his tongue.
"Whoever came up with this ploy has a sharp mind."
"Pardon?"
"This has Eunhae Merchant Group's fingerprints all over it. They're turning our rumor against us."
"Then why don't we use it too? Say our dolls bring money, not just theirs."
After pondering the subordinate's cautious suggestion, the head nodded.
"Good idea. Make it happen."
"Understood."
"But why no word from that guy?"
"Pardon?"
"The mole in Eunhae's Sichuan branch. He should've tipped us off about this."
He stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"Guess the pay's not enough. Time to send more gifts."
"That much investment?"
"Fine. We'll squeeze out more than that."
I gazed at the moon through the inn window.
Seven weeks had passed since I arrived here.
Turning to Palgap, I asked,
"No stomach issues at all?"
"None, sir."
"..."
Lately, Palgap had developed a taste for Sichuan food and kept eating it.
Yet no digestive woes.
Palgap... were his guts a bear too?
"By the way, sir, about that rumor going around."
"Ah, the one saying Dan dolls bring money too?"
"Yes, that one."
"They finally bit."
"Pardon?"
To the tilting-headed Palgap, I smirked and said,
"They took the first bait I planted in this scheme."
I was aiming for two things.
First: revenge on the Dan Merchant Group who'd devised the original plot against us.
I wasn't just changing perceptions of Ja-mu dolls via the song I'd spread.
Ja-mu doll owners were usually wealthy.
From the outside, it was hard to tell if they profited from the dolls or just had money anyway.
That small opening was enough—the rumor snowballed on its own.
Eventually, it'd be exposed as false.
But seeing Ja-mu dolls sell because of it, the originators of the soul rumor would latch on.
Just like now.
People aren't fools.
One or two related rumors? Fine. But three? Suspicious.
What happens then?
The latecomer Dan dolls' reputation tanks.
Dan Merchant Group would naturally have to debunk their own bandwagon rumor.
Which would drag the soul-in-Ja-mu-dolls rumor down as fake too.
Three doll rumors in two months? People would smell something off.
Would they trace it back?
Yes.
And Dan's reputation would plummet further.
Palgap nodded at my explanation.
"Ah, so that's it, sir? As expected from you! Scary smart, sir."
"I am pretty clever."
"But sir, the rumor boosted Ja-mu doll sales. Won't we lose that profit if it fades?"
"No, it needs to die quick."
"Why, sir?"
"If it lingers, the bureaucrats will stir. Calling them deceptive dolls would be trouble."
I continued,
"So Dan has to quash it fast, even knowing it'll hurt their rep more."
"Ah..."
"What I want is people loving Ja-mu dolls for what they are—no rumors needed. They shine on their own."
A few days later.
The Dan Merchant Group head received a report in his office.
Bam!
"Damn it!"
He slammed his fist on the desk.
"Our doll sales dropped even more? What's the reason?"
"Well..."
The subordinate continued,
"People's view of our dolls is souring. They're rejecting them."
"Rejecting? Why? They bring money!"
"Our buyers are affluent enough to use dolls as decor..."
"So?"
"They say ours look low-class compared to Ja-mu dolls."
"What?"
"Low-class, so riding the rumor coattails..."
"Gasp! Low-class? Dolls adorned with Central Plains' four great silks—Sichuan silk—and four great embroideries—Sichuan embroidery?"
"..."
He forced down his anger.
"What now?"
He knew his customers: proud elites.
If they shunned his dolls as tacky, it was a danger signal.
They might all bail.
"And the magistrate warned us. Higher-ups might move soon."
This had to end here.
"Send people out now. Correct the rumor—our dolls don't bring money. It's false."
"Understood."
Having issued the order, he foresaw the fallout.
Conclusion by his own hand.
Reaping the scheme he'd sown.
But even this might not salvage our reputation.
The thought struck him.
Did the counter-plotter foresee even this?
No.
He dismissed it.
Anyone hellbent on crushing Dan wouldn't stop at half-measures.
I was eating dumplings at a shop.
Beside me, Palgap and Yi Pil warrior devoured Sichuan fare.
I didn't want just dumplings either.
But no choice—past suffering from that stuff.
Maybe train my tolerance now for future Central Plains foods?
Tsk...
Then, voices drifted from the next table.
"Dan dolls bringing money? False rumor, huh?"
"Yeah, I heard."
"So does that mean the Ja-mu doll one is fake too?"
"Probably."
"Makes sense—how could a doll make money?"
"Now that you mention it, weird."
"What?"
"Lots of doll rumors lately, right?"
"Yeah."
"Maybe all fake? Think: souls in Ja-mu dolls, their souls bring money, and now Dan dolls do too?"
"But Dan's is confirmed fake?"
"So all of them?"
"Who's spreading this crap?"
"Who else? The ones behind the first and third rumors."
"Whoa, Dan Merchant Group, shady."
"Outrageous."
I chuckled.
People aren't fools, I said again.
Now, time to catch that rat?