As it turned out, Zheng Gaoyi lived up to his reputation as a county magistrate; in less than three days, he found her a way to source the goods.
There is a village in Yongning County where the villagers raise pigs year-round, and they sell those pigs in the county and town.
In Yaojia Village, located in Jiangning County, many families also raise pigs and have dedicated pig slaughtering services.
Song Ning from Yaojia Village didn't even consider it.
“The magistrate of Yongning County has set a price of 25 copper coins per catty for pork. If you buy a lot of pork, the offal will be given away for free.”
"Thank you, Lord Zheng."
"Hey, why are you thanking me? We're in the same boat now. If you're doing well, I'm doing well too."
That's not how you use that phrase, is it?
"Oh, right." Zheng Gaoyi took out a small box and handed it to Song Ning: "Ying Huai asked me to bring this to you, saying you'll understand once you see it."
Song Ning took the box, opened it, and her eyes lit up.
Wow, it actually arrived?
Song Ning was visibly happy, while Zheng Gaoyi was stunned. This Ying Huai... really knows Er Ya quite well, huh?
Sure enough, Er Ya is different from other girls.
Song Ning looked at it and saw that it was exactly five hundred taels of silver, enough for her to buy a lot of meat.
After closing the box, Song Ning smiled and said, "Please ask Lord Zheng to tell General Xie that I have accepted the gifts, and we can call it even for what happened before."
To express her gratitude to the county magistrate for finding the right channel, Liu Yuelan took the braised food that Song Ning had prepared to the county government office at noon.
When she returned, Liu Yuelan was somewhat stunned.
"Mom, what's wrong?"
Liu Yuelan hissed and asked, "Er Ya, is there something wrong with our magistrate here?" As she spoke, she pointed to her head.
Song Ning was taken aback. Could it be? Although Lord Zheng sometimes spoke erratically, he was usually very reliable when it came to matters.
"No, what's wrong?"
Liu Yuelan hesitated before speaking, "Just now when I went to deliver food, the county magistrate pulled me aside and asked me a lot of strange questions, such as whether I had seen him before, how he was doing at the Liu family, and whether he had been to other places."
Moreover, Liu Yuelan always felt that Zheng Gaoyi's gaze towards her was strange and frightening.
Song Ning recalled how Lord Zheng had gotten drunk at her house that day; he had been staring at Liu Yuelan and calling out "A-Yun" repeatedly.
But her mother was a native of Dongyuan Village. How could she have known the county magistrate before?
Or is it that the magistrate knows someone who looks a lot like her mother?
It's not surprising that there are many people in the world who look alike, but the questions Zheng asked made Song Ning uneasy.
Liu Yuelan didn't say anything, but the county magistrate kept calling her Ayun while holding her hand. It was only when Shitou came in that he was able to pull her back.
The magistrate then calmed down and apologized.
Liu Yuelan didn't dare linger and quickly ran back.
However, the magistrate was not a bad person, so Liu Yuelan didn't take it to heart.
......
Song Ning put the idea of making braised food on the agenda. He would start with a small batch to test the waters, and if it sold well, he would increase the quantity.
She had thought it through: poor people couldn't afford braised food, so her target customers were middle-class and wealthy families.
Therefore, she doesn't plan to set up a stall, but instead intends to recommend these products to restaurants in nearby counties.
I made two pots, one spicy and one non-spicy.
Song Ning packed the braised food into jars and then went to Jiangning County with Zhou Ling'an.
There are quite a few restaurants in Jiangning County. Song Ning had eaten at several of them before and thought they were good, so he planned to try them out.
She entered the restaurant she had visited with Song Dahai and Zhou Ling'an last time, and the waiter actually recognized her and led her to a seat.
Song Ning asked with a smile, "Waiter, is your manager here?"
"Yes, young lady, is there something you need from our manager?"
Song Ning pointed to the jar on the table: "I have a business deal I'd like to discuss with your manager."
The waiter wasn't impatient; he told Song Ning to wait a moment and then went to the back.
Not long after, the waiter came out from the back and told her to come to the backyard to talk.
Song Ning, carrying her two jars, followed them to the accounting office.
It wasn't mealtime, so there weren't many people. The shopkeeper was in the back doing arithmetic when he entered. As soon as he came in, the waiter said, "Shopkeeper, the person has been brought."
When the shopkeeper looked up, both of them were stunned for a moment, then their faces lit up with surprise and joy. They hadn't expected to run into an old friend here.
"Manager Li?"
"Er Ya?"
Manager Li was the manager of Hongfu Restaurant in the county town before they fled the famine. It was thanks to him that they had time to escape.
Upon realizing the two knew each other, the waiter quietly withdrew.
"I never expected to see Manager Li here!"
Manager Li emerged from behind his desk: "Yes, I thought we'd never have a chance to meet again. When I heard someone outside was doing business, you were the first person I thought of. I was wondering if you'd bring me a surprise, just like you."
"Manager Li, what brings you here?"
Manager Li sighed: "It's a long story. Anyway, after going around in circles, I ended up here and found a job to settle down."
Manager Li looked at the jar in her arms: "I heard you came here to discuss business? Did you make something delicious again?"
"I've prepared some food. Would you like to try some now?"
"become."
Manager Li took a plate and chopsticks from the kitchen, and as soon as he opened the jar, the aroma of the braised food wafted out.
Manager Li couldn't wait to pick up a piece of meat, and as soon as it entered his mouth, he squinted his eyes because of its delicious aroma.
"Er Ya, you have such excellent cooking skills!"
Manager Li got excited. Anyone who works in a restaurant will always take a second look at delicious food.
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