☆, Chapter 11: Why did he suddenly become a domineering CEO?
It's only a dozen or so miles away, a ten-minute drive in modern times, or even half an hour by shared electric bike. But now, not only do they have to walk, they also have to push nearly 300 pounds of pork...
Zhou Mujiao sighed. She didn't feel bitter, nor was she someone who couldn't endure hardship. She just felt that wasting time on the road was a real waste.
The two descended the mountain, passed through Peach Blossom Village, and walked side by side through the morning mist at the same pace.
Zhou Mujiao turned her head and said, "Brother Zhao, let's buy an oxcart. There are many people in our family, so we can transport them all in one cart next time we go out. It will also be convenient for you to sell goods. In addition, if there is any emergency at home, we can just hitch up the oxcart and go without having to borrow from others, which will save a lot of time. Also, during the busy farming season, the ox can also pull the plow. It's a win-win situation."
Zhao Yunjing responded, "Okay."
Turning his head, Zhao Yunjing saw Zhou Mujiao's pale face and his heart stirred. He stopped and reached out his hand to her: "Come up, I'll push you."
Even though Zhou Mujiao is petite, her bones still weigh at least 60 or 70 pounds. Zhao Yunjing was already carrying a heavy load, and if she sat on top of him, Zhao Yunjing's hands would probably be ruined.
She shook her head: "I'm not tired, I can still walk. When I can't walk anymore, I'll climb up again."
Moreover, there are forests on both sides of the road, so there are bound to be pheasants and rabbits, but these are no longer rare and are not very valuable. As for ginseng and lingzhi, just take one or two as a token gesture.
Just as Zhou Mujiao had this thought, Zhao Yunjing's hand suddenly trembled, and his expression became strange. She asked in confusion, "Brother Zhao?"
Zhao Yunjing took a deep breath, swallowed hard, turned his head, looked deeply at Zhou Mujiao, and said as calmly as possible, "Ajiao, I saw a ginseng."
"Where is it? I'll go pull it out."
Zhao Yunjing put down the cart, squatted down by the roadside, drew a sharp knife from his waist, and carefully dug out the whole ginseng.
It was a ginseng root about the size of two fingers and three fingers long, with its whiskers covered in mud and a very pleasant fragrance.
Just as he was about to get up, he seemed to catch a glimpse of something out of the corner of his eye. He handed the ginseng to Zhou Mujiao and then ventured into the woods. There, he saw two Ganoderma lucidum mushrooms.
Ginseng, Ganoderma lucidum!
He saw it himself! He dug it up himself!
Has the Zhao family's bad luck finally dissipated and their fortunes turned around?
After Zhao Yunjing finished picking the Ganoderma lucidum, he calmed down. He knew that even if the Zhao family's bad luck really dissipated, good luck couldn't come so quickly. If Heaven had eyes, it wouldn't have allowed the Zhao family to suffer for so many years.
The only explanation is Zhou Mujiao; there are some inexplicable mysteries surrounding her.
He handed the things to Zhou Mujiao, then cut a large bunch of grass by the roadside and spread it on the empty space of the cart. He bent down, picked her up, and put her on the cart: "From now on, I must accompany you when you go into the mountains."
Zhou Mujiao raised an eyebrow: "Zhao Da—"
"Close your eyes and go to sleep."
How did this unlucky hunter suddenly turn into a domineering CEO?
Zhou Mujiao picked up a blade of grass, put it in her mouth, and hummed "Compendium of Materia Medica" with her eyes half-closed.
As dawn broke, the two entered the city, and Zhao Yunjing led Zhou Mujiao straight to the back door of Hongyun Restaurant on West Street.
Manager Chen, who was in charge of purchasing at the restaurant, frowned as soon as he saw Zhao Yunjing, but when he spotted Zhou Mujiao, his face immediately lit up with a smile, and his eyes were glued to Zhou Mujiao: "Miss, are you here to sell things? Let me see what you've brought."
As he spoke, he reached out his hand towards Zhou Mujiao.
Zhao Yunjing stepped forward, shielding Zhou Mujiao behind him and using his body to block Manager Chen's arrogant gaze. He suppressed his anger and said, "Manager Chen, I'm here to sell the goods."
"You unlucky fellow, what good stuff could you possibly have? Here's five taels of silver, leave your things here. Little sister, I've taken a liking to you at first sight, stay and have a few heart-to-heart talk with me—ah! Zhao boy! Let go!"
Zhao Yunjing snapped one of Steward Chen's arms with two quick movements, grabbed his other arm, and said angrily, "What did you say?"
"Let the little sister stay—ouch, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts!"
Zhao Yunjing dislocated Steward Chen's other arm as well, kicked and shoved it, turned around, grabbed Zhou Mujiao with one hand, and pushed the cart with the other: "Let's go!"
"Grab them!" Manager Chen gritted his teeth, his arms hanging limply. "You surnamed Zhao! If you don't leave that girl here today, I'll make sure you can't sell a single chicken in Peach Blossom County from now on!"
The moment she finished speaking, her vision blurred, and a person appeared before her—it was Zhou Mujiao!
Zhao Yunjing felt his palm suddenly empty. When he realized what was happening and turned around, he gasped.
Zhou Mujiao was holding a knife, pressing it against Manager Chen's waist, and had cornered him against the wall until he was pressed against it!
"You just said you wanted to say a few heartfelt words to me?" Zhou Mujiao's smile was icy. "I'll stay. If you have anything heartfelt to say, say it now, otherwise I'm afraid you won't have another chance to say it."
Who would have thought that such a delicate little girl could be so ruthless!
The surrounding men swarmed forward, and Zhou Mujiao pushed the knife tip forward a little. Immediately, Manager Chen cried out in pain, "Get back! Don't come any closer! Young lady, put the knife down quickly, let's talk things out!"
Zhao Yunjing was also surprised by Zhou Mujiao's unusual strength, but he couldn't care less about that now. He rushed over in a few steps, held a knife to Steward Chen's neck, pressed the blade inward, and said in a deep voice, "Ajiao, come here."
Zhou Mujiao sheathed her sword and stood beside Zhao Yunjing, once again appearing as that delicate and harmless little girl.
With abdominal pain and bleeding, and the knife at his neck icy cold, Manager Chen shuddered, almost wetting himself. He quickly pleaded, "Young Master Zhao, I'll take all your goods. Could you please move the knife away a little? Uncle Chen is scared!"
Zhao Yunjing didn't say anything, but pressed the blade inward a little more. Manager Chen trembled even more: "Young Master Zhao, no, no, Brother Zhao! Ancestor Zhao! I was wrong! I shouldn't have been so flirtatious and offended your little wife! I'm so sorry! I'm really so sorry! Awang, Awang! Quick, buy all of Ancestor Zhao's goods!"
Zhou Mujiao laughed and said, "You want to buy? We're not selling! Didn't we say we couldn't even sell a chicken in Peach Blossom County? Brother Zhao, there are so many restaurants in Peach Blossom County, surely someone will buy our wild boar meat!"
Wild boar meat?
Awang silently peeled back the layer of grass covering the wild boar meat, revealing fresh-looking wild boar meat!
When Manager Chen saw the cart full of wild boar meat, he was filled with regret. If he hadn't taken advantage of the situation, the wild boar meat would definitely have been his!
Raising pigs in ancient times was very difficult. A pig often had to be raised for two or three years before it could be slaughtered. As a result, pork was very expensive. There was an old saying that "one hundred catties of pork cost seven hundred coins," which means that one hundred catties of pork could be sold for seven hundred coins. Converted to modern prices, one catty would cost one hundred yuan.
In the timeline where Zhou Mujiao lived, prices weren't so outrageous. Pork cost fifty coins per pound, while wild boars, being harder to hunt, sold for eighty coins. In restaurants, one pound of meat could make three or four dishes, each selling for half a tael of silver—it was practically exorbitant.
If the boss finds out that he's blocking his path to wealth, he'll definitely be in big trouble!
Manager Chen begged and pleaded, finally shouting that he was willing to buy the whole pig for 100 coins per catty.
“Ancestor, go out and ask around. You can’t sell it for 100 coins in any restaurant in Peach Blossom County! Ancestor, if I buy your goods, please let me go. Your father and I used to be good friends! Our two families can still visit each other often as before, how about it?”
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