The moment her figure disappeared, Uncle Wu's expression became more serious, and he sighed after a moment.
"Sigh... even if the master were here, he would probably agree!"
After saying that, he looked at the remaining crab roe and crab meat on the table and chuckled softly.
"But this stuff is really delicious, a rare find! The Qin family really knows how to find good things!"
Qin Qing had no idea what Uncle Wu was talking about. Since there was still time in the morning, she quickly hired some quick-handed women to help her process the crab meat for one coin each!
They bought a lot of firewood and put it in the yard, just waiting to collect the crabs in the afternoon and steam them!
After everything was ready, it was almost afternoon, and she hurriedly went to Shangkang Village…
As soon as Qin Qing approached the village, he noticed that there wasn't a single woman at the village entrance who was usually harvesting crops. From a distance, it looked like a deserted village!
After she went inside, there was hardly anyone in sight. Just as she was wondering what was going on, the old village chief came from a distance and saw her, his expression somewhat strange.
Seeing this, Qin Qing quickly walked over and then noticed the cages and crowd behind him. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the entire village was there! However, the villagers' expressions of anticipation and excitement were different from those of the old village chief!
"Madam Qin...that strange...we've caught the crab."
Seeing his strange expression, Qin Qing suppressed her doubts and looked down. There were indeed many crabs of all sizes in the cage, and their claws and fangs were clearly full of vitality!
"Village chief, please speak frankly!"
Upon hearing this, the old village chief hesitated for a moment, glancing at the villagers behind him, before speaking.
"It's not convenient to talk here, please come with me for a moment!"
Qin Qing was taken aback when she heard this, but she still asked the villagers to wait a moment, and she would come out to settle the accounts immediately.
When no one was around, the old village chief's worry and unease quickly became apparent!
"Madam Qin, you really don't need to pity us like this! I know you mean well, but using the guise of buying strange insects to give us money is not a good thing for us! I'm not trying to be mean, but if you stop giving us money one or two times, the village might start raising these strange insects on a large scale! Then no one will be able to take care of the crops, and what will we do then?"
It turns out that the old village chief was worried that Qin Qing was just pitying them, so he pretended to collect crabs to get them to catch them and then give them money, since no one really wants to eat crabs!
The old village chief's concerns were quite sharp. If Qin Qing acted impulsively, and their village started to focus on crabs, what would happen to the crops?
Qin Qing suddenly realized what the old village chief meant, recalling how the fields by the roadside were deserted when he arrived, as all the villagers had gone to catch crabs…
She smiled. Did she really look like a saint who asked for nothing in return and saved all living beings?
"Village chief, you're joking! I didn't just do it on a whim. This crab is indeed a rare delicacy, though it's a bit troublesome to prepare. If someone doesn't know any better, they might get a stomachache if they eat it. But if it's prepared properly, the taste of the crab will definitely leave you wanting more!"
At this point, she suddenly had a flash of inspiration and exclaimed excitedly.
"According to what you just said, Shangkang Village can become a crab farming area?"
Yes, this village has a very unique location, being both near mountains and water, with many low-lying areas. Although the weather may not be very good recently, it is the best place for crabs to survive!
Seeing her serious expression and knowing she meant no other, the old village chief finally began to believe that Qin Qing's purpose was indeed for those...crabs!
"To be honest, the crabs have been in the village for a long time. However, their shells are hard and their claws are sharp, making them difficult to swallow. This has become a major problem for us. We have tried to drive them away many times, but to no avail. Moreover, their numbers are numerous, they grow rapidly, and they have no natural enemies! This season is when they are rampant again, which is really giving this old man a headache!"
As Qin Qing listened to his complaints, she became even more excited. Shangkang Village was simply a natural crab farming base!
But seeing the old village chief's helpless expression, Qin Qing didn't want to appear too happy, so she smiled gently and said...
“I understand. But these crabs are indeed useful to me, and if nothing unexpected happens, they will probably be useful in the future! How about... I sign a contract with the old village chief? I will process the crabs and be responsible for selling them in various inns and restaurants in the capital, while you only need to be responsible for having the women in the village raise the crabs and deliver a batch every day. As for the money, it will certainly not be less!”
Then, to the old village chief's bewilderment and surprise, the capital city will soon welcome an unprecedented crab feast!
Within days, the famous dish "Abundant Fortune" from Manyuelou Restaurant quickly gained fame throughout the capital...
This unprecedented delicacy was praised by even the emperor, and its price was an astonishing two hundred taels for a small bowl!
Even Qin Qing was stunned when she found out the price... She bought crabs for ten coins each, and a small bowl only contained four or five crabs. She sold four or five crabs to Manyuelou for only twenty taels of silver, but they were able to sell them for the sky-high price of two hundred taels of silver.
Even so, crab meat is now extremely rare and highly sought after! Even the emperor, high above in the palace, couldn't help but admire it!
After teaching several women how to clean crabs, Qin Qing bought a shop outside for them to clean crabs. In order to ensure the freshness and quality of the crab meat, she would put the cleaned crabs into her space to keep them fresh.
After repeating this process for seven or eight days, Qin Qing finally realized that doing all this by herself was too tiring, so she started planning to hire more workers.
Qin Zifeng also returned home at this time. After all, the imperial examination was next year, but he did not want to go into politics. He studied only to improve his arithmetic and literacy!
Upon hearing Qin Qing's plans, the thirteen-year-old boy volunteered to take on the job of recruiting and transporting workers...
Qin Qing was initially hesitant, but not wanting to discourage the boy, she agreed. However, Qin Zifeng seemed to be born a businessman. He not only quickly recruited workers but also planned the route, including transportation, storage, and a series of other processes.
Qin Qing was astonished by what she saw, so in the half month after Shaoyao left, the two of them started their own business.
However, good business also attracts the envy of others. Full Moon Pavilion not only has a powerful backer but also a reputation, so naturally no one dares to offend it. But Qin Qing, as a supplier, is a woman with a boy, and she quickly attracts attention!
That day, Qin Qing and Qin Zifeng were driving their carriage to Manyuelou. After settling the payment, they left, leaving behind a trail of followers…
As soon as the two arrived at the shop and retrieved the crab meat that the women had prepared, Qin Qing gave them a raise without saying a word, settled the bill on the spot, and said with a smile.
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