Along the way, Meng Zhao witnessed the unique scenery of Huainan. Moreover, the air here always carried a touch of humid freshness, which was more livable than the dryness of the north and the heat of the south.

When they found the shop according to the address, Meng Zhao and Huang Cui were both stunned. Huang Cui rubbed her eyes and said, "Shopkeeper, the decoration and size of this shop are exactly the same as the shops in our Qingshi County."

Meng Zhao nodded in agreement, "That's right, I almost thought we were home."

As the group entered the shop, a woman in work clothes greeted them with a smile while clearing away the dishes and chopsticks used by the previous customers. "Please come in, sirs. We've just freed up two tables." She then quickly cleared the tables, wiping them as she warmly greeted them, "You all look unfamiliar. Is this your first time at our shop?"

Meng Zhao replied with a smile, "I guess so. I just happened to be here and was thinking of finding a place to grab a bite."

"Then you've come to the right place. Everyone in the surrounding area praises our food. It just so happens that the weather is hot and humid today, so we've prepared some refreshing dishes. We have tangy and crispy cold noodles and cold rice noodles, as well as spicy and fragrant cold pot skewers. We even use our Huainan specialty, Sichuan peppercorns. We guarantee you'll never forget what you've tasted."

The woman was very quick and efficient; in the blink of an eye, she had tidied up the newly vacated table perfectly. Moreover, her cheerful voice made everyone feel happy.

Meng Zhao and his group discussed and ordered a few signature dishes. The woman had an excellent memory and remembered them after hearing them only once. While waiting for the food, a young waiter came over with sliced ​​braised meat. "We have a lot of customers today, so the food will have to wait a while. Here is the braised meat you ordered. Let me bring it up for you to try first."

After walking for a while, everyone was hungry and picked up their chopsticks. Huang Cui had just tasted a piece of braised meat when her eyes lit up: "Mmm—this is the taste! I haven't had it for over a month, and I've been craving it so much."

Meng Zhao asked with great interest, "Then what do you think is the difference between this braised meat on the table and the branches in Qingshi County and the capital?"

Upon hearing this, Huang Cui immediately sat up straight and began to taste the food with great seriousness, as if racking her brains to find a difference. But in the end, she shook her head in frustration, "Ugh, I really can't taste it." Then she smiled broadly, "I know it's just as delicious!"

Meng Zhao was amused by her appearance and waved her hand, "Alright, alright, just eat as much as you want." Then she turned to look at Xiao Youzhi, who was eating slowly and methodically across from her, "And you? Have you noticed any difference?"

Xiao Youzhi gracefully put down his bamboo chopsticks, his fingertips lightly tapping the table. "The braised meat from Qingshi County has an exceptionally rich aroma. In comparison, the meat from the capital and this Huainan branch is rather bland."

Meng Zhao nodded approvingly: "That's because the pork used in Qingshi County is all from our own pig farm. The pigs there are all..." Suddenly realizing that it wasn't appropriate to say this to a man, she said tactfully, "They all have special breeding methods, so the meat is more delicious."

Xiao Youzhi looked up at Meng Zhao, a hint of amusement flashing in his eyes. Her method of castrating pigs was no secret at this time. In many places, there was even a profession of pig castrator. Perhaps Huainan was too far away and had not yet spread to this place.

Thinking about it, he found it somewhat amusing. How could a young woman like her have come up with such a wicked plan? Even with his extensive experience, he was stunned for a long time when he first heard about it.

He asked with a half-smile, "The method you came up with for raising pigs is really... too unique. But I'm curious, why do you want to spread that method?"

Meng Zhao picked up a piece of braised meat, dipped it in the sauce, and said while eating, "There's no other way. There are too many things to consider when building a pig farm. First of all, it has to be far away from villages, otherwise the smell will be unbearable. We also have to prevent the pigs from running out and ruining the crops. But it can't be too far from towns, otherwise the cost of transporting the meat will go up."

Furthermore, when choosing a site, you also have to consider water sources and feed. Right now, I've only built pig farms next to a few starch workshops, since we can use starch residue as feed and pig manure can be made into fertilizer to fertilize the fields.

But I'm always on the go, I can't just eat meat from my own pig farm wherever I go, can I? It would be better to spread this method around, and in a few years, maybe everyone will be able to enjoy delicious pork wherever they go."

Since Meng Zhao's method of castrating pigs spread, the number of pig farmers around Pingyang County has increased significantly. This method, though seemingly simple, has truly changed the entire pig farming industry. Castrated pigs not only have less of that annoying fishy smell, but their meat has also become tender and delicious, making pork more acceptable to more people and naturally increasing demand.

What's even better is that castrated pigs are mostly docile, focusing only on eating and growing fat, reducing the risk of fighting among themselves and injuring people. As a result, farmers can raise two or three pigs peacefully even if they only have a small plot of land in their backyard. By the end of the year, selling these fat and strong pigs can bring in a considerable amount of money for ordinary farming families.

Thinking of this, Xiao Youzhi's gaze unconsciously fell on Meng Zhao, who was enjoying his meal across from him. Among the current meat options, wild game is difficult to raise, raising cattle is too costly and has too many restrictions, and raising sheep yields too little meat. Compared to these options, raising pigs is the most cost-effective business.

Does she really not know the value of this method? Xiao Youzhi gently shook her head. How could someone as shrewd as her not know? She is clearly deliberately handing over this way of making money so that more people can eat pork and ordinary farmers can have another way to make a living.

From a businessman's perspective, he might laugh at her for being too kind-hearted, but as a man, Xiao Youzhi felt an unprecedented surge of warmth in his heart. How could he bear to let go of such a person? How could he be content to be just a business partner? And how could he bear to watch her give her tender feelings to someone else?

After eating some braised meat, the other dishes we ordered also arrived one after another. Meng Zhao made a point of checking the quality of the cold noodles and cold rice noodles first. These kinds of cold dishes are all about freshness. If they are left out for too long, they are very easy to spoil and breed bacteria.

Seeing that the cold noodles in the bowl were smooth and translucent, soft and elastic, and had a rich rice aroma without sticking to the teeth, Meng Zhao nodded in satisfaction.

Then they sampled some other food. When they had almost finished eating, the shop was much emptier. The woman who had served them earlier took a break and sat down to rest. Meng Zhao took the opportunity to chat with them.