Dried oysters were marketed as a beauty product, immediately piquing the curiosity of many people in Kyoto.
Many people don't believe that oysters can improve skin, but that doesn't stop many from giving them a try, thinking it's better to believe it than not.
Many noblewomen in Kyoto would gather together all day, doing nothing but discussing various beauty secrets.
Ji Yun'an had someone package and sell the dried oysters that Lu Lin had sent.
Oysters quickly became popular among the upper-class nobility in Kyoto.
The aphrodisiac properties of oysters seem to have been "discovered," causing their price to rise continuously.
Dried oysters packaged in beautifully crafted wooden boxes cost several taels of silver per box, and this was a popular gift in Kyoto at the time.
The oysters caught by the fleet were processed and continuously sent to Kyoto.
Next to the fleet's dormitory, several women were busy processing oysters.
"This stuff is valuable, so be careful," Qin Lang warned.
"Boss Qin, who can we sell this to?" a fisherman asked.
Qin Lang glanced at the fisherman who had asked the question, "What do you care who Young Master Chen sells it to? Anyway, the higher-ups are willing to buy it. If you think the price is right, then you can sell it."
Qin Lang thought to himself: This thing seems to be known as a "health-enhancing and beauty-enhancing product" and is very popular in Kyoto.
This stuff is plentiful here, it's everywhere, but it's relatively rare in Kyoto.
But now that we're going to sell this stuff for money, we can never have too much.
The fisherman nodded and said, "Young Master Chen's purchase price is very reasonable! We won't lose money, will we?"
These oysters aren't anything particularly rare, but recently the authorities have been buying them up, so everyone's been putting in a lot of effort to collect them. If the harvest is good, they could buy a whole dormitory in two months.
After a few months, the fishermen were happy because the purchase prices of dried squid, dried oysters and other products had gone up, and everyone had some money to spare.
Qin Lang smiled and said, "Losing money? You don't need to worry about that. Young Master Chen's family is very wealthy. Even if he loses money, he won't care about such a small amount."
Qin Lang thought to himself: Chen Xiaocai is so shrewd, how could he suffer a loss? However, the fishermen heard this differently. Several fishermen secretly thought that it was true. Young Master Chen was doing business at a loss. Young Master Chen was indeed a good person.
On the shore, several fishermen are mending fishing nets and repairing their boats.
"Old Zhang, are you getting married too?" a fisherman said.
The fisherman who was called out scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly. Some time ago, he found a strangely shaped turtle, which Chen Xiaomai bought for three taels of silver. After receiving the silver, he bought a dormitory room.
"It's all thanks to the good benefits from above," Old Zhang said.
"Yes! Lord Lu is a good official. It is said that when Lord Lu left Shaxian, many people saw him off. The people of Shaxian were very reluctant to part with Lord Lu," said a fisherman.
Many who initially worried about being betrayed by their superiors have now become loyal supporters of the fleet.
During this period, more and more fishermen are getting married. Previously, people looked down on fishermen for being poor, but now many believe that fishermen in fishing fleets have powerful connections and a bright future. Having dormitories also solves a large part of the housing problem for those who marry into the area.
Although many fishermen originally thought that it would be fine to live alone, deep down they still longed for a wife, children, and a warm home.
The various dried seafood products from Yucang County have gradually become famous.
Many merchants from other places, hearing the news, came to buy.
Lu Lin has been looking into dried seafood lately and is thinking about whether he should have Chen Xiaocai build a large-scale dried seafood workshop.
The arrival of more and more merchants from other places has made the various seafood restaurants in Yucang County famous.
When traveling merchants leaving Yucang County are asked about Yucang County, they inevitably mention the various seafood restaurants there. When Lu Lin returned to the county government office, he found it rather quiet. "Chongchong, where's your little brother?"
Chongchong rested his chin on his hand and said, "An old man came, and Xiao Mi's dad went out with him."
"Grandpa?" Lu Lin asked, somewhat puzzled.
Chongchong nodded and said, "Yes! He's a very arrogant old man. It seems he stayed at our county government office for a while before."
Lu Lin looked at Chongchong with some trepidation. A very imposing old man? Could it be Prince Cheng? He hadn't heard a thing!
"Do you know where your father went?" Lu Lin asked Chongchong.
Chongchong said somewhat dejectedly, "It seems they went to the fish restaurant. I wanted to go too, but Daddy Xiaomi wouldn't let me. He told me to stay and wait for you, Father."
Lu Lin nodded and said, "Okay."
Chongchong tugged at Lu Lin's sleeve and said, "Dad, let's go to the fish restaurant too. You're really something, going out to eat a big meal by yourself and not caring about me at all."
Lu Lin: "..." The chef at home is clearly excellent! This guy still prefers to cook outside. "Okay, okay, then go ahead."
Prince Cheng went to the fish restaurant recommended by Chen Xiaomi, and Chen Xiaomi ordered all the signature dishes of the seafood restaurant.
Prince Cheng ate all kinds of seafood, praising it repeatedly.
"This one is good! This one is good too."
Chen Xiaomi served a large pot of dry-pot seafood stew, with various shrimp, crabs, clams, lotus root slices, cauliflower, mushrooms, onions, etc. Chen Xiaomi was a little worried that the prince would not like to eat this, but to her surprise, the prince liked it very much. He picked out his favorite dishes from the large plate and ate with great relish.
"It's so delicious."
The seafood restaurants in Uokawa Prefecture have become increasingly famous recently, and their reputation has even spread to Kyoto. Prince Cheng has long wanted to visit them, but for various reasons, he has always been unable to make the trip.
Since the prince couldn't come from the capital, he could only find a few chefs who were skilled at cooking river delicacies to prepare a seafood feast for himself, but the taste was just so-so.
Having been troubled by too many things in Kyoto, Prince Cheng finally decided to visit Uocang County incognito to clear his mind.
The seafood restaurants in Yucang County did not disappoint Prince Cheng. He thought to himself: "These seafood restaurants in Yucang County are indeed well-deserved of their reputation!" In comparison, the so-called seafood chefs he found in the capital were nothing but empty names.
“I’ve heard that there’s a nice all-you-can-eat fish restaurant in Yucang County. For just ten coins, you can eat as much as you want,” said Prince Cheng.
Chen Xiaomi said helplessly, "There is such a place, but the ingredients used there are relatively cheap."
Prince Cheng nodded and said, "Of course the ingredients should be cheap. Only ten coins, and you can eat as much as you want. It's fine to use cheap ingredients, but if we use expensive ones, won't those big eaters bankrupt us? However, even if we use cheap ingredients, you'll still lose money, right?"
In Prince Cheng's view, being able to eat as much as you want for just ten coins was unimaginable. The market price of ingredients in the capital was much higher than in Yucang County. Prince Cheng's mansion spent a considerable amount on ingredients every month. In Prince Cheng's mansion's view, being able to eat as much as you want for just ten coins was a terrifying thing.
Chen Xiaomi was too embarrassed to say it, but the business was quite profitable. There were many people who could eat a lot, but there were also many people with small appetites. After the reputation of this buffet restaurant spread, all sorts of people were willing to come and try the food. At this time, Chen Xiaocai was considering a higher-end buffet restaurant, with higher prices and higher-quality ingredients.
"Well, because Xiao Cai has set up a fleet of boats that catch some fish that can't be sold every day. Having this shop can reduce waste," Chen Xiaomi said.
The fleet was set up by Lu Lin, and now Chen Xiaocai is handling it. Lu Lin is an official, and if the county magistrate doesn't handle the fleet's affairs well, it will cause trouble for the higher-ups. So Chen Xiaomi simply pushed the matter onto Xiaocai.
Prince Cheng nodded and said, "I see. I heard that after Lu Lin arrived, he spent a considerable sum of money to build houses for fishermen who had no place to live. That's very kind of him!"
Chen Xiaomi smiled and said, "It's just to give these fishermen a temporary place to stay."
The fishermen were eager for houses, and the dormitories built by Lu Lin have all been sold now; the cost of building the houses has long been covered.
After Prince Cheng arrived, he did not stay at the county government office, but stayed at an inn. Prince Cheng was rich and powerful, so he booked the entire inn for three months.
The inn chosen by Prince Cheng happened to be the one Chen Xiaocai had just opened. Because the inn was of a relatively high standard, the occupancy rate was not very high on weekdays. Chen Xiaocai was still considering whether it was the right decision to take over the inn. But Prince Cheng booked it for three months, and Chen Xiaocai suddenly felt that running an inn was quite profitable.
The restaurant owner, unaware of Prince Cheng's identity, assumed he was a wealthy patron and served him with utmost respect every day.
Prince Cheng was enjoying himself immensely in Shaxian, indulging in food and drink as if he were in his element.
Chen Xiaomi only served as Prince Cheng's guide for the first two days after his arrival, and then the prince was left to his own devices.
"Master, are you going here?" Prince Cheng's steward asked Prince Cheng.
Prince Cheng nodded. The all-you-can-eat fish restaurant was very famous. Prince Cheng had heard about it as soon as he arrived. However, Chen Xiaomi said that because the all-you-can-eat restaurant was cheap, it used ingredients that were not up to standard, so Prince Cheng gave up on it.
Prince Cheng spent more than ten days in Yucang County, tasting all sorts of dishes, and then became interested in the so-called all-you-can-eat fish restaurant.
“Master, didn’t Young Master Chen say that the materials used here are of poor quality? Why are you doing this?” the butler advised.
The ingredients used in the Prince's residence are all carefully selected, and the steward felt that it was beneath the Prince's status to enter such a restaurant.
Prince Cheng glanced at the steward with displeasure and said, "If you can't go in, just wait outside. I'll go in and check."
"But, sir..."
Prince Cheng waved his hand impatiently and said, "Alright, you wait outside. I'm just going in to take a look. Do you think I can't even afford ten coins?"
After Prince Cheng entered the shop, he handed ten coins to the shop assistant.
The butler stood at the door, unsure whether to go in or back out.
Prince Cheng was surrounded by large sums of silver; the copper coins were only recently exchanged.
Prince Cheng had initially thought that the ten-copper-coin meal wouldn't be anything special, but once inside the shop, he discovered that it had quite a variety of dishes, including fish, soup, and steamed buns.
Prince Cheng found the environment quite nice and the restaurant clean, so he tried a variety of dishes.
Prince Cheng initially thought that a shop costing ten coins wouldn't have anything of good quality, but after eating there, he discovered that many of the dishes were quite good, and the soup was also very delicious. Prince Cheng was immediately surprised, and at the same time, he became more critical of the chefs in his own household. For ten coins, other shops could serve many delicious dishes, while his household spent several taels of silver every day, yet the food was only so-so.
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