"Young lady, you're still staying at this inn? That's perfect, I'm leaving today, so the room is available. You can stay here if you want."
The man who spoke was the bearded man who had paid two taels of silver to Meng Zhao to give up his room a couple of days ago. He was at least 1.9 meters tall, stronger than Meng Dashan, and had a somewhat fierce appearance, so he didn't look like someone easy to get along with.
However, since they had given him money beforehand, they were being polite now. Meng Zhao smiled and replied:
"Thank you for your kindness, but I'm leaving soon and I'm afraid I won't be able to stay here."
The bearded man nodded slightly after hearing Meng Zhao's answer, and said nothing more.
Meng Zhao turned to leave, but out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a man who had been following the bearded man hurrying over and saying to him:
"Boss, we really couldn't find anything unusual."
The bearded man's originally calm face turned somewhat gloomy. "If you really can't buy any, then go and order two thousand catties of rice and flour for me. You can't leave empty-handed."
Upon hearing this, Meng Zhao stopped in his tracks, a thought flashing through his mind. He turned around and asked, "May I ask if you are in business?"
When the bearded man saw Meng Zhao return, he nodded and said, "Yes, I came here mainly to buy tea. But the tea merchant took my deposit and then failed to show up when it was time to deliver the goods. He insisted on staying in that room because I couldn't find him and was worried that he wouldn't be able to find me and that it would ruin the deal."
Meng Zhao continued, "Have you received your tea? Why are you buying grain again?"
The man said angrily, “No, I asked around and they said that this place is close to the sea and doesn’t produce tea at all. But my boat is going to go out to sea along the river. These days the sea is not calm. Without cargo to ballast, the wind and waves are strong and it is very dangerous. So I thought I would buy some grain here and load it on so that I wouldn’t go out to sea empty.”
Upon hearing this, Meng Zhao couldn't help but feel secretly fortunate, thinking it was a blessing from heaven. "I do have something good here, would you like to take a look?"
The bearded man looked puzzled and asked curiously, "What is it?"
Meng Zhao said with a smile, "It's almost lunchtime, so why don't I cook you a meal with this? You can try it; I guarantee it's something you rarely see outside."
Although the bearded man still had doubts, seeing Meng Zhao's sincere attitude and considering that there was still time, he nodded in agreement.
Overjoyed to receive permission, Meng Zhao immediately set to work, first sending Shen Yun to buy ingredients, and then going to the innkeeper to borrow the kitchen.
It took about half an hour for the four dishes and soup to be successfully placed on the table.
The bearded man had only been trying it out for the time being, but when he saw the table full of delicious-looking and fragrant food, he was utterly astonished.
"Madam Meng, did you make all of this?" The two had already exchanged names.
Meng Zhao smiled and greeted him warmly, "Yes, Sebal, I just made all of this. Come and try it and see how it tastes."
Upon hearing this, Sebal immediately took action, first picking up a piece of sweet and sour pork. The first bite was a rich sweet and sour flavor, and the outer skin was very crispy after being fried. With a gentle bite, it made a "crunch" sound, while the pork inside still maintained a tender and smooth texture.
Meng Zhao was very confident in making this sweet and sour pork. She had never seen anyone make anything like it since she arrived. Sebal was indeed very satisfied after tasting it, nodding repeatedly and asking, "What's the name of this dish? I've never had it before."
Meng Zhao said with a smile, "This dish is called Guo Bao Rou (sweet and sour pork). It involves slicing pork tenderloin, coating it with starch, frying it, and then coating it with a prepared sauce. It has a sweet and sour taste and is not greasy at all."
Sebal listened with great interest, "Mmm, I like this flavor."
After finishing the sweet and sour pork, Sebal scooped up a spoonful of Mapo Tofu. His face flushed slightly as soon as he took a bite, and he even inhaled softly.
Seeing this, Meng Zhao quickly asked with concern, "What's wrong? Is it too spicy?"
Sebal shook his head. "A little bit, but not spicy. It feels a bit numbing. It's different from the tofu I've had before. The soup you made is thicker, and the tofu is more tender. It's delicious."
Meng Zhao smiled and patiently explained, "Because I added cornstarch water to my spicy tofu, which not only thickens the broth but also preserves the original flavor of the ingredients."
After Sebal finished tasting the next few dishes, Meng Zhao picked up a soup spoon and served him a bowl of hot and sour soup.
"This hot and sour soup is also one of my specialties. It contains dried tofu, tofu, wood ear mushrooms, mushrooms, and green vegetables. Finally, it's thickened with cornstarch slurry to make it this rich and flavorful. Please give it a try."
After Sebal tasted every dish on the table and put down his bowl, he said, "Is what Madam Meng wants to sell me starch?"
Meng Zhao smiled and nodded. "Yes, you guessed it."
Sebal's face showed an expression of no surprise. "Every dish you introduced to me had this added to it. It's hard not to guess. Madam Meng, just tell me directly, how much does this starch cost per pound?"
Meng Zhao smiled and said, "That's right, I do have a batch of 1,500 catties of starch for sale, priced at 30 wen per catty. This starch is still a rare item and is not commonly seen outside. If you transport it to other places, it will definitely sell very well."
Meng Zhao wasn't making things up. Although the Xiao family was powerful, the amount of starch they bought from her over the past few months was limited. Apart from what Chunfenglou used themselves, the amount supplied to others was probably not much.
She couldn't sell her starch because she couldn't go too far, while Sebal traveled by boat and was no slower than the Xiao family's horses, so Sebal wouldn't lose out by buying her starch.
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