Xu Cui immediately answered, "Oh dear, the officials are still inside. Who dares to ask? We only heard that those thugs left quickly, and apparently they didn't see Wang Liu when they left. That's all we know..."
Cheng Ruyi turned to look at Cheng Yan, who shook his head.
Well, since the system said the task completion rate was A, it means the result must be good for her. Wang Liu was left on the ground all night yesterday, he should be seriously injured even if he doesn't die.
"Then let's just ignore him. Evil people will be punished by heaven!"
“That’s right! Heaven will definitely not let someone as wicked as him get away with this!” Cheng Yunping echoed. Ever since he confirmed that Wang Liu was the one who caused his mother to hit her head, he had been determined to take revenge. “It’s just a pity I didn’t run into him, otherwise…”
"Brother, I think you should stop thinking about it. If you run into him, you'll only get beaten up." Cheng Yun'an bluntly interrupted her brother's fantasy.
Even Xiaoman frowned and advised, "Yunping, you absolutely mustn't confront that person head-on!"
Cheng Yunping was very indignant and wanted to refute everyone, but after seeing the worried look in his wife's eyes, he could only compromise and nod, saying faintly that he understood.
Seeing that the topic had been shifted, Ruyi immediately seized the opportunity to bring up the most important thing for the day, "Alright, you all hurry up and finish your breakfast, and then let's all sort out our spoils. I guarantee you'll be in for a big surprise!"
Upon hearing this, everyone's attention was immediately diverted. Yesterday, they had only heard Xu Cui ramble on incoherently, and after the items were brought back, they were immediately locked in the room, so they hadn't had time to check them.
Upon hearing Cheng Ruyi's words, they quickly finished their breakfast and appeared neatly in the Cheng family's timber warehouse.
Right in the middle of the room, there were eight burlap sacks neatly arranged, and around the sacks, there were eight people, including a baby being held in his mother's arms.
The baby was sleeping very soundly, occasionally making smacking noises, presumably having sweet dreams, seemingly oblivious to the screams and shouts coming from around him.
"There are about two shi of white rice and ten dou of white flour here. Even if we eat as much as we want, it's enough to last us for more than half a year!" Cheng Ruyi said as she opened the sack. Looking at the full sack of grain, she felt very reassured.
Upon seeing this, Xu Cui couldn't help but exclaim again, "So much white rice, and all of it is top-quality new rice, just sitting there like that, it's such a waste! Those damned bastards!"
"They weren't wasting food, they were just in such a hurry to leave that we were able to snag some bargains. I actually wish they had wasted a little!" Cheng Ruyi didn't seem to care. "Besides rice and flour, there are some mountain produce here. It's not much, but we can cook some occasionally to add flavor. Of course, the most important thing is this!"
Ruyi took out two hams and showed them to everyone, saying, "Aunt Cui said these are Jade Mountain hams, and it's said that one ham is worth a hundred taels of silver!"
The Cheng family members, who were carefully examining the ham, were startled upon hearing this. They suddenly felt as if the ham in their hands was incredibly heavy, unsure whether to hold it or put it down.
"Ahem, I was thinking about it last night, and I seem to recall Ayun mentioning Yushan ham before. She even told me a few ways to cook it, like honey-glazed ham and ham and cabbage soup. I heard it's quite delicious, so I'll make it for everyone to try tonight!"
As Cheng Ruyi spoke, she wiped away non-existent drool from the corner of her mouth.
"This... wouldn't it be too wasteful for ordinary people like us to eat this?" Cheng Yan couldn't help but speak up to stop him. He had never eaten anything so expensive in his life. He felt like he was holding a hundred taels of silver instead of pork. How could he possibly eat such a valuable amount of money?
The rest of the Cheng family members nodded in agreement.
Yun An had a different opinion: "Mother, how long can this Jade Mountain ham be preserved? Can we sell it later and exchange it for silver?"
"Oh?" Cheng Ruyi looked at her eldest daughter in surprise. Not bad, she has a business mind and is teachable!
“The production process of this ham should be similar to that of cured meat. If stored properly, it should last for two or three years.” Ruyi saw the light in Yun’an’s eyes and was reluctant to shatter her daughter’s hopes. “However, this Yushan ham is not something that ordinary people like us can afford. If we rashly take the ham to sell, we’ll probably get into a lot of trouble, since we really have no way of explaining where we got it.”
Yun An was extremely disappointed after hearing this, as if he had lost hundreds of taels of silver.
Ruyi found her eldest daughter rather cute, but she never expected her to be such a little money-grubber. However, children are children, and their thoughts are written all over their faces. Doing business this way will only lead to losses.
"So instead of letting them gather dust, let's make the most of them and turn them into delicious food!"
After Cheng Ruyi finished speaking excitedly, she saw that everyone still looked distressed and understood that it would take them some time to accept the fact that they were eating 100 taels of meat.
However, she was confident that once everyone had eaten the ham, they would probably be reluctant to sell it. Nevertheless, she comforted everyone, saying that they should eat a little to celebrate and try to save the rest for future sales if the opportunity arose. After hearing this, everyone felt a little better.
Ultimately, it's because the family wasn't wealthy. If they were rich and used to all sorts of delicacies, they wouldn't have valued this ham so much.
Ruyi felt once again that she must find a way to make money after the lockdown was lifted, not only to make her family's life better, but also to have more security in these chaotic times.
In the afternoon, everyone finally finished sorting out the food, locking most of it in the basement, leaving only half a month's worth in the kitchen, and then they all went back to their rooms to rest.
For days, everyone had been having trouble sleeping for various reasons. Now that they saw that there was plenty of food at home, they finally felt a little more at ease. In just fifteen minutes, the sound of snoring, both loud and soft, could be heard from the yard.
Cheng Ruyi was standing in the kitchen, holding a huge ham in her hands and examining it closely.
The whole ham weighs about ten kilograms, with smooth skin, slender claws, more lean than fat, and a plump center. It has no red spots, damage, cracks, or insect or rodent bites. It has a clean appearance, a bright yellow color, and a pleasant aroma, so it should be a premium grade ham.
According to the tradition of Jinhua ham, a whole ham can be divided into five parts: the dripping section, the middle section, the upper section, the ham hock, and the ham claw. Each part has its own characteristics and features, so the cooking method should take advantage of each part to achieve the best eating experience.
After all, these are ingredients worth a hundred taels of silver; we can't just waste them.
The lean meat content of the dripping ham is relatively low. Because the ham is hung upside down to air-dry and ferment, all the oil and salt produced pass through this part, making it the saltiest and fattest part. Precisely because of its high salt content, the dripping ham is more suitable for stewing or making stock.
When necessary, this is also a good way to replenish salt.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com