Ma Hu led a few of his men into the hot pot restaurant, which was full of customers, including the private rooms upstairs.
Because the restaurant was already packed, Ma Hu and the others could only take a number and wait on the side.
"Boss, it's so lively here!" one of Ma Hu's men couldn't help but exclaim.
Ma Hu nodded and said, "Yes!"
Ma Hu's number had already reached over 300. Judging from the number, Ma Hu knew he wouldn't be able to get hot pot today; he'd probably just be there for the fun of it.
Many people in this restaurant came for the half-price hot pot today, while many others came for the whole roasted lamb.
Ma Hu overheard a few people whispering that several private rooms upstairs had been booked by a group of wealthy young men from Kyoto.
"Yun'an, have you ever eaten roasted whole lamb?" Wei Qiyu asked curiously.
Ji Yun'an shook his head and said, "No."
Wei Qiyu said with some surprise, "You've never eaten lotus before!"
Ji Yun'an gave a wry smile. This whole roasted lamb was a dish that Lu Lin had recently come up with, and it seemed to have been kept secret. He hadn't tried it yet, but Xiaomai had, and it was said to be quite good.
Wei Qiyu asked expectantly, "What exactly is this whole roasted lamb?" "You'll find out soon enough."
"They're here, they're here."
A roasted lamb, its body slightly reddish, was carried onto the table in front of the hot pot restaurant.
The roasted lamb is adorned with a large red flower on its head, and green vegetable leaves float on its body. These otherwise unremarkable vegetable leaves are perfectly complemented by the roasted lamb.
None of the people in the shop had ever seen a whole roasted lamb before, and immediately, exclamations of surprise rose and fell.
"Wow, it really is a whole roasted lamb!" Wei Qiyu slapped his palm, slightly excited.
It's said that there's only one whole roasted lamb available today. If you don't buy it today, you'll have to wait until next month to eat it. It's such a rare treat, and it would be a shame to wait a whole month. Besides, his family is urging him to go back home. He might not even be here next month.
Wei Qiyu's gaze swept around, and he realized that there seemed to be quite a few competitors.
“This whole roasted lamb is a delicacy that can’t even be found in the capital,” Wei Qiyu said, licking his lips.
"Quiet down, everyone. This whole roasted lamb is our newest product. Due to the scarcity of ingredients, we only sell one a month. I'm sure many of you have come here specifically for this lamb. With limited supply, it's best to bid the highest. The starting price is one tael of silver." The shopkeeper, standing on the platform, raised his voice.
"Two taels of silver." No sooner had the shopkeeper's voice faded than someone shouted.
"Two taels of silver, and you want to buy such a big roasted lamb? Five taels."
"Eight taels."
"Twenty taels."
"Fifty taels." Upon hearing someone bid fifty taels, a gasp of surprise erupted in the room. At the beginning of the bidding, some wealthy people from Sha County participated, but later it became the domain of the visitors from the capital. The difference between twenty taels and fifty taels was huge, hence the gasp of surprise when the bid came out.
"Eighty taels." The customer, who had just been shocked by the fifty taels offer, was once again stunned by the price of eighty taels.
Ma Hu frowned and glanced at Gao Jun, who was calmly quoting prices upstairs. The young master upstairs was dressed in gorgeous clothes and had an extraordinary demeanor, which made Ma Hu feel somewhat ashamed.
The roasted whole lamb looked incredibly tempting. Ma Hu had even considered buying it to try if it were cheap, but the price quickly skyrocketed several dozen times. The competition for roasted lamb had become the domain of a few young masters from the capital. It wasn't just about a lamb anymore; it was about saving face.
In the end, the whole roasted lamb was auctioned off to Gao Jun of the Gao family for eighty taels of silver.
Gao Jun was the highest-ranking disciple among the Gao family members who came this time. Having won the bid for the whole roasted lamb, Gao Jun, along with several other guests from Kyoto, bowed to each other, looking very pleased with himself.
The fifty taels of silver was the price Wei Qiyu had quoted. After that, Gao Jun quoted eighty taels. Wei Qiyu considered it for a moment and decided it was best not to compete with Gao Jun, so he didn't quote any more.
Many customers in the store were stunned by the fierce competition that had just taken place.
Many guests started discussing it, and they were all very excited.
Chen Xiaocai mingled in the crowd, secretly relieved.
Chen Xiaocai figured that with this auction going so smoothly, the reputation of the whole roasted lamb should be established.
To prevent the auction from going too badly, Chen Xiaocai had specially hired a few people to act as shills in the crowd. If the crowd was lukewarm, he would buy the sheep himself. However, judging from the situation, the young masters from the capital were all wealthy, spending eighty taels of silver to buy a sheep without even blinking an eye.
Ma Hu arrived late, and seeing that the auction was over, he realized that he wouldn't be able to have hot pot anytime soon, so he left with a few of his men.
As he left the restaurant, Ma Hu felt somewhat dazed and confused.
"Young master, I never expected that a sheep could sell for so much money. It's almost as good as a fine horse."
Ma Hu nodded and said, "Yes." He worked so hard to make a round trip and only earned a few dozen taels of silver. If he encountered bandits on the way, he might lose everything. But Chen Xiaolai easily earned eighty taels of silver.
Ma Hu had thought he was someone important, but when he suddenly discovered that a sheep could sell for eighty taels of silver, he became somewhat disheartened. "I thought Sha County was very poor, but I didn't expect there to be so many rich people here."
"The locals in Shaxian are still quite poor, but many of the young masters from the capital and the merchants are wealthy!"
Ma Hu glanced at the hot pot restaurant's sign, his mind racing. There were rumors in Lin Town that Chen Ershao was a business genius, which Ma Hu had always been skeptical of. However, after visiting the hot pot restaurant, Ma Hu suddenly had a feeling that there were always people more capable than him, and that there was always something beyond his reach.
After winning the bid for the whole roasted lamb, Gao Jun enthusiastically invited several acquaintances to try it together.
Wei Qiyu and Gao Jun were somewhat acquainted, so he joined in and had a couple of bites.
The whole roasted lamb is delicious in every way – its color, aroma, and taste are all perfect; it's an exceptionally tasty meal.
The group of people from Kyoto were used to eating rich and meaty meals, but the taste of roasted whole lamb still felt very novel to them.
"I never expected that this place would have such unique delicacies."
"Eighty taels of silver is a bit expensive, but being able to try delicacies that can't even be found in Kyoto makes the trip worthwhile," Gao Jun said with some pride.
"We are able to enjoy such delicious food thanks to Brother Gao!" "Yes, this seasoning is probably the restaurant's secret recipe; you probably can't find it anywhere else."
"I never expected that roasted mutton would taste so good. I usually eat stewed mutton at home, but I never thought that roasted mutton would taste so good."
The crowd surrounded Gao Jun and showered him with compliments, making Gao Jun very proud.
This roasted lamb looks like a lot, but when it's divided among a dozen or so people, each person only gets about three-tenths full.
Everyone was still a little unsatisfied, so Gao Jun treated a few more people to hot pot.
Wei Qiyu came out of the shop, somewhat excited. "This whole roasted lamb tastes really good!" Even the nobles in the capital probably haven't eaten it before. The bones were roasted until they were crispy and crunchy. It's a pity that so many people ate it that no one got to have more than a few bites.
Ji Yun'an glanced at Wei Qiyu and said, "I see you've eaten quite a lot! Several Gao family disciples are glaring at you."
Wei Qiyu smiled and said with some disdain, "Those guys put on airs and are all about manners, but when they eat less, they complain."
Ji Yun'an smiled and said, "He's a disciple of the Prime Minister, so naturally he has to be mindful of his manners. You should also be mindful of your manners."
Wei Qiyu glanced at Ji Yun'an and said, "You seem quite calm, and you haven't eaten much. But then again... your little husband will probably give you special treatment, so you don't need to compete with us for it."
The shop owner said that he only gets one whole roasted lamb a month. However, in Wei Qiyu's opinion, that was just a gimmick. No matter how precious the ingredients are, there shouldn't be only one a month. Scarcity makes things valuable. This whole roasted lamb is so big that not many people are willing to buy it. By taking a high-end approach, he can actually make more money.
Today's auction has undoubtedly boosted the reputation of roast whole lamb.
Ji Yun'an glanced at Wei Qiyu and said, "You're overthinking it. Roasting a whole lamb requires roasting an entire lamb at once, which is too extravagant."
Wei Qiyu curled his lip and said, "Who are you trying to fool? This sheep should only be worth about one or two taels of silver. This Second Young Master Chen made dozens of taels of silver with ease. I heard that Second Young Master Chen is the best at doing business. It seems that he really is."
Ji Yun'an smiled and said, "Xiao Cai is indeed very capable."
Wei Qiyu looked at Ji Yun'an with some worry and said, "Your brother-in-law seems to be someone you shouldn't mess with. I heard he killed a tiger and kept Magistrate Lu completely under his thumb. Your second brother-in-law is also quite formidable. He's said to be a cunning merchant who hides a knife behind his smile. If you marry his young master, you'd better be careful!"
Ji Yun'an said helplessly, "It's not as exaggerated as you say!" Chen Xiaomi seems to have a pretty good temper, but it seems that the fact that the other party killed a tiger is also true.
The news that Chen Xiaocai had sold a roasted lamb for eighty taels of silver also reached the military camp.
The marriage of Ji Yun'an and Chen Xiaomai brought the patrol battalion and the county government closer together. Chen Xiaocai's business was booming, and the people in the patrol battalion felt proud of it.
"Mr. Liu, this young master Chen is making money way too fast."
"To be honest, people from Kyoto are really too rich."
"Mr. Liu, I've heard that roasted whole lamb is a rare delicacy. Once you've tasted it, you can die in peace."
"Mr. Liu, I've heard that this whole roasted lamb is even better than the imperial cuisine."
Liu Yun glared at the speaker and said, "You talk as if you've ever eaten royal food."
The soldier who spoke chuckled awkwardly. He had never eaten imperial cuisine before, but since everyone said so, he would just follow suit.
"Mr. Liu, when do you think we should get a whole roasted lamb to eat?" Liu Yun glared at the speaker and said, "That thing costs eighty taels a lamb. Do you want to put the entire year's budget into it?"
The veteran who had spoken chuckled awkwardly and said, "I was just saying."
Liu Yun frowned, thinking to himself: "Recently, more and more people are coming to Shaxian. These people all seem to be here for the peace talks between the two countries, but once they arrive, they all seem to be eating and drinking instead of doing any real work. This whole roasted lamb has been talked about like a miracle, almost like it's made of immortality meat."
"Boss, this Young Master Chen is too good at making money. I thought he would lose everything on the hot spring project."
Liu Yun thought to herself: The real talent isn't Chen Xiaocai, but Lu Lin. This whole roasted lamb was prepared by Lu Lin, but because Lu Lin is an official, he couldn't show his face, so he gave all the credit to Chen Xiaocai.
"Lu Lin's hot spring project is really too expensive," Liu Yun couldn't help but mutter.
Several soldiers nodded quickly, feeling that although Chen Xiaocai earned a lot, he also spent a lot and was too wasteful.
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