The muttony smell that Yu Shanhai had expected didn't hit him. Instead, a special aroma enveloped the mutton, giving his mouth a great sense of satisfaction.
"This is so delicious!" Yu Shanhai couldn't help but exclaim.
If Yu Shanhai hadn't seen Gu Lili put the mutton into the pot with his own eyes, he wouldn't have believed that it was actually mutton.
I never expected Gu Lili to be such a good cook, able to make such a gamey mutton taste so delicious.
Yu Shanhai couldn't help but imitate Li Ershu, and started to eat the other side of the bone with great relish.
Li Ershu looked proud, as if he were honored.
"Of course! Don't you know whose niece she is!"
Everyone was amused by Li Ershu's words.
Not only Yu Shan Hai was shocked, but also Chang An, who was standing nearby.
Chang'an's eating manners were different from Yu Shanhai and Li Ershu's; he managed to eat a lamb bone with an air of elegance.
When Chang'an was in the palace, he would also eat mutton.
However, like Yu Shanhai, Chang'an also felt that mutton was too gamey and did not like to eat it.
Gu Lili's cooking skills are even better than those of the imperial chefs in the palace.
Gu Lili ate the mutton and drank the mutton soup, feeling quite content.
Just like someone who has been away from home for a long time suddenly tasting the flavors of their hometown, it instantly makes them feel great.
The only downside is that it would be perfect with a clove of garlic or an onion.
However, considering that she still had to discuss matters later, Gu Lili suppressed the urge to buy these two items from the system.
The lamb leg was roasted to an extremely tender perfection; with each bite, juices burst forth.
The stir-fried mutton with scallions and dried chili peppers was spicy and appetizing, becoming the focus of the meal.
After a hearty meal, the servants cleared away the leftovers and served tea, and then it was time to discuss serious matters.
"Uncle Shanhai, I'll take all these flowers. How much do you think is reasonable?" Gu Lili took a sip of tea and spoke first.
Yu Shanhai was so excited he almost stood up. He hadn't expected Gu Lili to agree so readily.
He thought for a moment and then tentatively said, "These roses haven't been harvested yet. Once they're harvested and dried, they'll be twelve coins a pound."
Gu Lili nodded, while also making plans in her mind.
About three pounds of rose petals, which will yield about one pound after drying.
However, Gu Lili didn't need dried flowers, but fresh ones, which saved Yu Shanhai some trouble.
"I need fresh roses, and fresh chrysanthemums too!" Gu Lili said with a faint smile.
When extracting essential oils, fresh oil is naturally better.
Gu Lili has already planned the transportation route. She will have Yu Shanhai deliver it to the dock and use the Liu family's cargo ship to transport it to Jiangbei Prefecture.
We'll send a convoy to pick it up then.
However, this is quite time-consuming and laborious.
If we could refine the rose petals into essential oil here and then send it to Donghai Town, it would save us a lot of trouble.
“Fresh flowers can be sold, but I’ve never sold fresh flowers before, so I don’t know how to price them,” Yu Shanhai said, frowning.
This stumped Yu Shanhai. If it had to be fresh, Yu Shanhai didn't know how to calculate the cost for the time being.
Seeing Yu Shanhai frowning, Gu Lili couldn't help but chuckle.
"It's quite dark here. Why don't you pick some roses, dry them thoroughly in the sun, and then weigh them? You can see how many dried roses you need to make a pound, and we'll calculate the price based on that!"
Gu Lili had roughly calculated in her mind that about twenty roses could dry into one pound.
However, the final result will have to wait until the Yushan Seaweed dries.
Yu Shanhai suddenly understood, and quickly stood up, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "The county princess is truly exceptionally intelligent! This old man's mind isn't quite working as well as it used to be!"
As he spoke, he stroked his beard and burst into laughter.
Then, Yu Shanhai thought of something and quickly said, "Since the county magistrate wants fresh ones, which reduces my drying time, I'll give you a discount of two coins!"
In previous years, many people had to be invited to help with drying roses and chrysanthemums.
If the weather is bad, even more losses will occur.
Gu Lili only needs fresh flowers, so all she has to do is send someone to pick them, which saves her time and effort!
Gu Lili nodded and said, "That's good! I'll have to wait a day or two for these roses. I'll let you know when I need to pick them. However, I also need some dried flowers. I'll keep the price of dried flowers at twelve coins."
Dried flowers can be added to the soap solution when making soap.
It's quite pleasing to the eye!
This also helps people identify which type of soap it is.
Gu Lili ultimately decided to extract the essential oil from the Jiangdu flower.
When I get back, I'll ask Liu Ying to help me find out if there are any vacant houses for sale in the suburbs of Jiangdu.
It's perfect for extracting essential oils.
Yu Shanhai nodded hurriedly, and said with a somewhat embarrassed smile, "Princess, could you also sign a contract with me!"
Gu Lili never expected that Yu Shanhai would learn her contract so easily.
However, when it comes to doing business, contracts are very important.
She originally wanted to bring up signing the contract first, but since Yu Shanhai spoke first, Gu Lili went along with it.
Signing a contract provides protection for both parties.
Otherwise, if the price of roses and chrysanthemums fluctuates, it will cause trouble again.
Once the contract is signed, you don't need to worry about whether the price of medicinal herbs rises or falls; you just need to calculate according to the price stated in the contract.
Gu Lili nodded, and Yu Shanhai immediately ordered someone to fetch paper and ink.
As requested by Gu Lili, Chang'an picked up his pen and wrote out the two contracts.
Gu Lili hadn't expected Chang'an's calligraphy to be so elegant, and with a hint of arrogance.
"This young man's handwriting is excellent!" Yu Shanhai praised.
Li Ershu also came over to take a look, and sure enough, it was completely different from his own scribbles.
Li Ershu muttered to himself that when he had some free time, he would definitely pester Chang'an to give him some pointers.
Chang'an finished writing quickly. Gu Lili and Yu Shanhai exchanged glances at the writing, and after confirming that there were no problems, they each wrote their own names.
They even signed their seals. If any problems arise with this transaction, they can take this contract to the county government, and no one can deny it.
"By the way, Uncle Shanhai, are you selling your sheep?"
After signing her name, Gu Lili naturally took the handkerchief Chang'an handed her, wiping her fingers as she asked.
Yu Shanhai assumed Gu Lili wanted to buy some food, so he waved his hand dismissively.
"What do you mean by selling or not? If the county magistrate likes to eat it, I'll have Ah Qiang kill a couple more for you to take with you later!"
This startled Gu Lili; she didn't want a dead sheep.
Gu Lili immediately shook her head repeatedly and said, "No, no, no, I don't want to eat meat. What I want to ask is, are you selling live sheep?"
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