As the two were having their meal, a commotion arose outside the restaurant. An Ge looked up and saw a simple-looking man pulling a wild boar on a cart, while the waiter was arguing about something.
“This wild boar was just hunted this morning, it’s still fresh. I heard from people in our village that you city folks really like to eat wild game, and that it can fetch a good price, so I walked dozens of miles to the city to sell it. But 800 coins is a bit too little for you.” The man was clearly nervous, wiping his hands with his clothes.
The shopkeeper said with a troubled tone, "Pork is cheap meat, and wild boar meat has even less meat and thicker skin, so it really doesn't fetch a good price. Our Jixianglou restaurant is the fairest place, and we've already set the highest price."
The man was clearly at a loss. He only came to the city a few times a year, so how would he know what city people liked? He heard from the peddler that Jixianglou was the biggest restaurant and could offer the highest prices, so he rushed to Yang County to sell his wares before dark.
The man gritted his teeth, about to agree, when suddenly a melodious female voice rang out: "Two taels of silver, I'll take it."
Everyone looked over and saw that the woman had bright eyes and white teeth, and looked like a fairy.
The innkeeper was a little anxious because the two men had slipped through his fingers. Seeing their distinguished bearing, he didn't dare to offend them too much. He could only say unhappily, "Everything should be done in order of arrival. Are you just making things difficult, sir?"
An Ge scoffed. She was familiar with local prices, and this innkeeper was clearly taking advantage of her ignorance. Her inn was short of ingredients, which was why he had quoted a price.
"You haven't paid, so why can't I bid? If you want it, keep bidding."
The shopkeeper's lips moved a few times, but he didn't say anything. Two taels of silver was already the highest price he could offer; anything higher wouldn't be worthwhile.
The man then realized he had almost been cheated by the shopkeeper, and glared angrily at him.
"We believe in spirits, young lady, so we'll sell you this wild boar. Um, would you like us to help you deliver it home?"
Uh, An Ge then realized that she and Hu Jiu probably couldn't transport the pigs back.
Hu Jiu comforted him, "It's alright, I have the strength to carry it back." Although his strength was suppressed, he still had some power.
"Carrying a pig?" The image was too vivid for An Ge to imagine.
Hu Jiu was speechless; it seemed that something was indeed strange.
Seeing that it was getting late, An Ge asked, "Where are you staying tonight?"
Although he didn't know why this angelic woman would ask, he dared not hide it from her.
"There are plenty of dilapidated houses outside the city. I'll find somewhere to spend the night." He didn't have the money to stay at an inn.
An Ge said nonchalantly, "I'll leave the things with you for now. Come find me at the Donglai Inn tomorrow, and I'll give you extra money then."
The man hesitated for a moment. Everyone says that city people are cunning, but how come this person in front of him has no sense of caution at all?
However, he wasn't as cunning as city people, and immediately thumped his chest loudly.
"Don't worry, I'm Dou Fugui from Xidouzhuang. I'll definitely keep a close eye on this guy. I'll come find you first thing tomorrow morning. You don't need to pay me extra; I'd be at a huge loss without you."
After saying that, he pushed the cart away.
Hu Jiu watched the man's departing figure with some doubt. In his memory, An Ge, although not one to play tricks, was quite shrewd and shouldn't have trusted others so easily. So he asked, "Aren't you worried he'll run off with the goods?"
“Isn’t it you who’s here?” An Ge said matter-of-factly.
Hu Jiu felt his face flush instantly. He took a sip of water awkwardly, suppressing his unease, and said, "Don't worry, those two taels of silver won't be lost."
The next morning, as soon as An Ge stepped out of the inn, she saw Dou Fugui leaning against the cart. His eyes lit up when he saw An Ge.
"Look, I've brought the goods to you intact."
An Ge swallowed hard. What time was it? Was he already guarding the inn in the middle of the night? Just as An Ge was wondering what to do with the wild boar, Hu Jiu arrived in his newly bought carriage.
An Ge bought Dou Fugui's cart and tied it to the back of the horse-drawn carriage, thus solving the transportation problem.
Just as Dou Fugui was about to leave, An Ge suddenly stopped him and asked, "Is your village far from Cangshan Mountain?"
Dou Fugui scratched his head and said, "Our village is located at the foot of Cangshan Mountain."
"I'd like to discuss a business deal with you."
When Dou Fugui reached the village entrance, he was still a little dizzy. He had only sold a wild boar, so how did he end up doing business with a nobleman? But the silver in his pocket was real.
He only came to his senses when he saw his front door and excitedly rushed home.
"Mother, I'm back, Mother!"
In the dimly lit room, the frail old man struggled to sit up: "Cough, is Fugui back? Why did he take so long?"
"Mother, we've met a benefactor." Dou Fugui took out the medicine and carefully placed the pillow behind the old woman.
"I've told you before, don't waste money on medicine. You're almost twenty and still can't get married. It's all my fault for dragging you down." Her health was failing her; if she weren't worried about upsetting her son, she would have wanted to just leave.
Dou Fugui shook his head disapprovingly and said, "Mother, you're talking nonsense again. You can't say things like that anymore." Then, he excitedly repeated what An Ge had told him.
The old woman was stunned. "Fugui, have you been scammed? There's no such thing as a free lunch!" Those big restaurants have their own supply channels. Their village is far from the county town. It seems like they have no chance of getting such a deal.
“The deposit is all here. Your family lives in the mountains, not far from here. I’ll go to the village today to collect vegetables and game, and then deliver them to your family tomorrow.”
"Alright, alright, you must be careful and make sure they don't let others pass off inferior goods as superior ones." A glimmer of light finally appeared in the old woman's eyes.
"Don't worry, Mother, our lives will be much better from now on."
On the quiet path, a horse-drawn carriage followed by a handcart moved slowly forward. Hu Jiu skillfully drove the carriage, looking completely relaxed.
An Ge experienced the customs and culture of ancient times and solved part of the food supply problem. Humming a little tune, she was in a great mood.
Upon returning to the inn, An Ge handed the wild boar to the two chefs and wrote on the restaurant's notice board, "Limited quantities of braised pork available tonight." An Ge naturally wouldn't be stingy with her own people, so everyone got a share.
The braised pork belly immediately won over the customers as soon as it went on sale. Those who missed out were filled with regret, but dared not complain, and could only secretly resolve not to miss the delicious food next time.
At the staff canteen, everyone was eating enthusiastically around the table. A large bowl of braised pork was quickly emptied, with most of it ending up in Hu Jiu's stomach.
An Ge let out a satisfied burp. Compared to the braised pork made with ingredients from the mall, this bowl didn't taste much different, and even the most picky Hu Jiu didn't raise any objections. It was clear that as long as the ingredients she purchased were good, she didn't necessarily have to rely on the mall.
Ange realized that relying solely on the inn was not a sustainable solution. Firstly, the inn's ingredients were expensive, and secondly, while the inn had a wide variety of supplies, purchasing was severely limited. For example, initially, Ange could only buy simple instant meals; the variety of ingredients only gradually increased after the inn was upgraded.
If there are problems with the supply of goods from the mall, the inn will be unable to operate at all. Ange dislikes the feeling that the rise and fall of the inn is controlled by the mall.
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