Before they knew it, another half month had passed. Meng Zhao was busy running between the lunchbox stall and the starch workshop all day long.
The first batch of goods has only produced 1,000 jin so far, and there are still 17 days until the delivery date, so the progress is a bit slow.
Meng Zhao was also very anxious about this, so he could only hurry up and catch up. The peeler had been made, and now the speed of peeling potatoes had been greatly improved.
To ensure cleanliness, the batter needs to be filtered out and the water changed twice more for further sedimentation, which takes at least two or three days.
The best way to settle starch is to use a wide-mouthed water tank or basin. The buckets and narrow-mouthed jars we collected last time were unusable.
She calculated that even if each water tank was used non-stop, with the current number of containers, she wouldn't be able to finish three thousand catties by the end of the month.
There was no other way, so she had to order another batch of new water tanks to speed up the process.
Fortunately, the sun has been shining brightly these past few days, which has allowed the starch to dry very quickly, saving a lot of time.
The village head has signed contracts with both villages and paid a partial deposit, which has secured the supply of raw materials for the next few months.
The key now is to speed up the process, ensuring monthly supply while also stockpiling more to avoid supply disruptions in case of unforeseen circumstances.
The starch workshop gradually got on track, and Meng Zhao only needed to go there for an hour each day to check on the progress.
The boxed lunch stalls are also thriving, and the newly introduced cold noodles are very popular, with daily supplies exceeding demand.
In her spare time, Meng Zhao counted her current savings. She sold boxed lunches, cold noodles, and occasionally went out to prepare banquets. All in all, she had saved about seventy or eighty taels of silver.
If this were in modern times, it would cost around 70,000 to 80,000.
Nowadays, she sets up a stall at the dock, and her main customers are laborers who move goods and sailors on passing cargo ships.
But if winter comes and the canal freezes over, she'll probably only be able to sell her boxed meals to residents near the dock.
But people live there and can cook for themselves. Even if her food is delicious, people won't spend money to buy it every day, so it's inevitable that her business will be bad.
Moreover, she had inquired and learned that the canal freezes at different times each year, with the longest freeze lasting as long as four months.
No business for months, who can stand that?
So she thought about renting a shop with a courtyard in the county, so that she wouldn't have to travel back and forth between the county and the village in the winter.
Having made up her mind, she paid more attention to the shops in the county.
A small shop near the dock that can set up three or four tables costs two or three taels of silver a month in rent. And that's just for the shop. If you were to buy a shop with a yard, it would probably cost at least four or five taels of silver a month.
Needless to say, shops in the county, especially those in good locations, could probably earn more than ten taels a month, something Meng Zhao wouldn't even dare to dream of.
She could only ask her parents and the broker's employees to keep an eye on things for her.
Before renting a shop, you need to think carefully about what kind of business you want to start.
Hot pot is a great option in winter, but making hot pot restaurants requires a lot of money, especially since the pots and pans can be quite expensive. Also, hot pot restaurants have a low turnover rate, as people often eat for an hour or more. You need at least 20 or 30 tables to operate a hot pot business.
A pastry shop is fine. The shop doesn't need to be too big, but the existing pastry shops in the county are all time-honored brands that have been open for decades. Their craftsmanship is not bad. When visiting relatives and friends, people prefer to bring pastries from these established brands.
She could make some new-style pastries herself, but she would need to order a batch of special kitchen utensils. Moreover, she couldn't be sure how well the ancient people would accept these new-style pastries. Given her tight budget, the risk was still a bit high.
After considering many different kinds of food, Meng Zhao finally decided what to sell in his first shop: braised food.
Firstly, most people buy braised food to eat at home, so the shop doesn't need to be too big, which is perfect for someone like her with limited funds.
Secondly, Meng Zhao has abundant raw material channels. His family owns a butcher shop and can make all kinds of pork head meat, pig trotters, pig intestines, and pig stomach.
We'll have my parents keep an eye on the old cows in each village. Beef prices are high, and braised beef prices are even higher, so the profit margin is quite considerable.
She also had Aunt Fengxian's rabbits. These days, because Meng Zhao was getting a stable supply, Aunt Fengxian had increased her rabbit farming. Spicy rabbit heads and braised rabbit meat were rare dishes in the county.
The remaining chicken, duck, and vegetables are also easy to find; there's no worry about not being able to buy them.
After having this idea, Meng Zhao set his sights on the pig offal when he went to Meng's Butcher Shop to buy meat today.
"Dad, could you help me load this pig offal onto the truck as well?"
Meng Dashan looked at her in surprise, "Girl, what do you need this for? What's wrong? Is business not good at your stall lately?"
Meng Zhao looked helpless. "No, Father, don't worry. I have a purpose for it. Once it's done, I'll let you try it. I guarantee it'll be so delicious that your tongue will fall off."
Meng Dashan had no choice but to load her into the car.
On the way back, Shen Qingze and Shen Qingyu kept their distance from the stroller, and Gu Shi and Aunt Feng'e also covered their faces with headscarves.
Shen Qingze turned his head, took a deep breath, and quickly asked Meng Zhao, "Sister-in-law, why did you buy this smelly thing? Can it even be cooked well?"
Meng Zhao raised an eyebrow, quite confidently, "What, you don't trust your sister-in-law?"
"Of course I trust my sister-in-law, it's just that this stuff smells terrible. We used to buy it when we were poor, but it never tasted good no matter how we cooked it."
Shen Qingze recalled that time when his mother saw how thin they were and wanted to help them get some nutrition, but meat was expensive, so she could only buy some offal to cook at home.
But no matter how hard they washed the pig offal, they could never get it clean, and it always smelled bad when they cooked it. But they couldn't waste it, so they had to force themselves to eat it.
Even now, recalling that taste makes me feel nauseous.
"Then today, your sister-in-law will cook you a delicious dish of pork offal."
After arriving home, Meng Zhao poured out the pig offal from the bucket and then soaked it in a basin with vinegar and salt for fifteen minutes. These two ingredients are very effective at removing the fishy smell of pig offal.
After soaking, rub the pig intestines with your hands to clean the surface. Then turn the pig intestines inside out and peel off the fat attached to the intestines. If the pig intestines taste bitter after braising, it is very likely that this oily film has not been removed.
Sprinkle another bowl of flour on top, knead it a few more times, and finally rinse it clean with water. The pig intestines are now ready.
Next, poke several holes in the pig lungs with a needle, pat them repeatedly with your hands, then pour water into the pig lungs little by little to clean the inside, and finally soak them in water to try to remove as much blood as possible.
After watching Meng Zhao's actions, Madam Gu was stunned.
"No wonder you cook so well, Zhao Zhao. It turns out that it takes so many steps just to clean these wastes."
"That's right, Mother. The offal has a strong fishy smell. If it's not cleaned properly, it's really inedible."
At first, Meng Zhao saw the two children covering their noses and keeping their distance, so she wanted them to go out and play, since the smell was unbearable for most people.
But neither of them wanted to go out, so they stayed with Meng Zhao, helping her fetch water and get things.
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