Fable
The teahouse no longer boils the same pot of water from scratch every time
The mountain-road teahouse received travelers every day. Many asked the same things: how many li to the east ferry, where one could change horses, which road would collapse in the rain. Every time a waiter was asked, he ran to the back yard to leaf through the road register, while the stove burned and guests queued.
The shopkeeper first had the assistant answer faster. Faster it was, but someone used yesterday’s sunny road conditions to answer today’s heavy rain, and two trucks got stuck in the mud. If convenience ignores whether information is old or new, it will also save the wrong answers.
Later the shopkeeper placed a small wooden box at the counter, writing the most frequently asked, short-term stable answers on plaques: distance to the east ferry, location of the stables, city gate hours. Behind each plaque was noted when it was written and when to recheck. When rain, landslides, or official road closures occurred, the plaques were immediately flipped over and voided.
The clerk also learned to distinguish: for 'how many li to the east ferry', he could take the answer directly from the box; for 'which route is safest to take porcelain today', he had to consult the ledger and ask the porters, and could not be lazy. Only repeated and equivalent questions deserved an answer taken from the box.
The teahouse first posted common questions and answers on the wall. On sunny days it was fine, but after rain it was a mess; the ferry was open in the morning, but stopped when the water rose in the afternoon. If the assistant only memorized the old answers on the wall, the more skilled they became, the more dangerous it was.
The old shopkeeper switched to two layers of signs: stable matters were written on wooden boards, while things that change—road conditions, ship schedules, horse prices—were written on erasable wet boards, with the last checked time marked. When a guest asked the same question again, the assistant first checked whether it was still fresh; if fresh, answer quickly; if expired, go back to the back room to recheck. The premise of saving time is knowing when the answer will go bad.
The servers also learned which replies must never be given lazily. Directions could be answered from the old board, but a cave-in had to be checked against the new report; tea prices could be answered directly, but whether the apothecary was open had to be confirmed again. Between a fast answer and an accurate answer, there must be a judgment of old versus new. The servers also learned which replies must never be given lazily. Directions could be answered from the old board, but a cave-in had to be checked against the new report; tea prices could be answered directly, but whether the apothecary was open had to be confirmed again. Between a fast answer and an accurate answer, there must be a judgment of old versus new.
The teahouse soon quieted down, leaving firewood and manpower for matters that truly required judgment. Remembering reusable answers is not laziness; it removes the cost of repetition. But if boundaries are unclear, old answers become new trouble.