Chapter 29 Chapter 29 Meeting Yan Zhuo Again This article will be published on the 30th...
When the proprietress heard this, she was stunned for a moment.
"Why isn't it cinnamon? Girl, smell it, it smells so good!" Her eyes flickered as she said this.
A customer who was also buying spices heard this and stepped forward to smell it. He then confirmed, "Yes, this is cinnamon! The young lady is probably young and has never seen this before, so it's normal that she can't recognize it."
Hearing someone else speak up for her, the lady boss breathed a sigh of relief and said confidently, "That's right, if you haven't seen it, don't say anything nonsense!"
Seeing that the proprietress was still stubborn, Zhao Mingsheng shook his head and sighed, "This is not cinnamon, this is cassia bark."
When you first smell it, you can indeed smell the unique rich and sweet scent of cinnamon, but when Zhao Mingsheng smells it carefully, he finds that in addition to this sweet smell, there is also a barely detectable orange aroma hidden in it.
This thing that looks similar to cinnamon and has a sweet orange smell is cassia!
Although the two look similar and have different smells, their effects are very different, and the price is also very different. At the current market price, one pound of cinnamon is equivalent to five pounds of cassia bark!
Seeing the boss lady's arrogant look, Zhao Mingsheng didn't give her face in front of others and directly said it out.
“When the surface of cinnamon is scratched by a sharp object, it will automatically secrete oil, which is called an oil mark.”
Zhao Mingsheng turned over the marks he had made with his fingertips and showed them to everyone. There were only shallow marks on the inside of the cinnamon bark, and no traces of oil.
You can tell whether it is cinnamon or cassia at a glance.
The customer who had previously insisted that it was cinnamon also came forward to take a closer look and found that there was indeed no trace of oil.
"What... is going on?" He was not sure now.
Zhao Mingsheng continued, "If you still insist on calling this cinnamon, then we might as well let the government identify it!"
When she heard that they were going to call the authorities, the proprietress immediately panicked.
"No, no, I made a mistake. It's cassia bark, not cinnamon."
Now, the person who came to buy spices next to him was unhappy.
"Good fellow! Didn't you cheat me for so long?" He said indignantly. "Pay me money!"
The proprietress immediately apologized and compensated him, which finally stopped him from telling anyone.
After finally getting rid of this difficult customer, she turned around and saw the even more difficult one still leaning against the counter, looking at her with a sweet smile.
The proprietress' heart sank, and she said anxiously, "You...what are you going to do..."
The curve of Zhao Mingsheng's mouth remained unchanged, and his white fingertips knocked on the table, making two crisp sounds.
"I know you have real cinnamon here. Let me see it."
Although the aroma of ordinary cinnamon is similar to that of cinnamon, there is still a big difference. It is impossible for it to be so strong, which is why many people make the mistake.
There is only one possibility, she often put cassia bark and cassia together, so the scent of cinnamon unconsciously infiltrates into the cassia bark, creating the illusion of cinnamon fragrance.
When the proprietress heard her firm tone, she had no choice but to take out another cloth bag from behind the counter with a grim face.
"All the cinnamon in my store is here."
As soon as the bag was opened, the aroma of cinnamon spread out, temporarily overpowering the smell of other spices.
The first sniff is the smell of fine cinnamon.
Zhao Mingsheng nodded with satisfaction and said, "I want all these cinnamon sticks. How much are they?"
The proprietress' eyes widened in surprise. "You want all of it? An average family couldn't finish this much in five or six years!"
Her strong arms half-protected the bag of cinnamon, as if she was afraid that someone would snatch it from her.
One of the reasons why cinnamon is more expensive than cassia is that its production is low and it is very rare. Her store can't even purchase more than ten kilograms of ordinary cinnamon a year, let alone this kind of top-quality cinnamon.
She was counting on these four or five pounds of top-quality cinnamon to create the flavor. If all the cinnamon was sold out, what would she use to fake it?
An ordinary family cannot eat so much cinnamon in five or six years, but in addition to being a spice, cinnamon can also be used as a medicinal material, which is exactly what Zhao Mingsheng needs.
"No?" Zhao Mingsheng pretended to be nonchalant. "Then I can only ask the government to come and judge the case."
The proprietress weighed the pros and cons between meeting the official and losing the best cinnamon, and finally compromised.
She painfully handed over the cloth bag in her hand and said, "Here you go. Today, we are even."
Zhao Mingsheng didn't want to take advantage of her for nothing, so he took out the corresponding silver and put it on the counter.
"You also have to promise me that you will never do such a false thing again, and then we can be even today."
The proprietress had originally prepared to give it away for free, but she didn't expect to receive silver. She was immediately delighted.
"Of course, of course! You took all the cinnamon away, so I can't fake it even if I want to!"
After getting the boss lady's assurance, Zhao Mingsheng finally stepped out of the spice shop.
As soon as I went out, my ears vaguely caught some familiar sounds.
I looked up and saw a dusty figure outside the door talking to a vendor. It was Jingliu!
"Guard Jing?"
Jing Liu felt someone calling him. He looked in the direction of the voice and a pretty figure came into view.
"It's the young lady from the Zhao family."
It was a coincidence that in order to find the whereabouts of Cui Jia Erlang, he accompanied King Heng these days and visited all the surrounding towns, big and small, but without any results. As soon as he came back, he met Zhao Mingsheng.
"What a coincidence, we meet again." Zhao Mingsheng smiled and nodded to him.
Jing Liu glanced at the shop behind her. "What a coincidence! Is the young lady from the Zhao family here to buy spices as well?" He remembered the purpose of his trip and quickly added, "I'm here to buy spices as well, but I don't know much about them. Could you please give me some advice, young lady?"
"Buying spices? Is Prince Heng planning to live permanently in Qingkang Town?"
"Yes, we haven't found the person we are looking for yet, so we bought a small courtyard in town to live in temporarily." Since it was related to royal affairs, it was inconvenient to reveal more to Zhao Mingsheng, so he changed the subject calmly.
"They hired a cook, but there were no seasonings in the kitchen, so they sent me out to buy some."
However, Jingliu's words reminded Zhao Mingsheng that she came here to buy spices, so why was she planning to go home after just buying a bunch of cinnamon?
So she happily agreed to Jingliu's request, "Of course, I also want to buy some more."
The proprietress of the spice shop caught a glimpse of the big Buddha she had just sent away coming back with a tall man by his side, and her heart trembled.
Could it be that he brought people back to smash her store?
She asked with a trembling voice: "Is there anything else?"
Jing Liu was completely bewildered by this question. He thought the proprietress was being very strange. He said with a dark face, "What else can I do in your spice shop? To buy spices, of course!"
Zhao Mingsheng, who knew the inside story, couldn't help laughing out loud.
The proprietress was already scared, and when she was frightened by Jingliu's dark face, her calves began to tremble.
Zhao Mingsheng was afraid of scaring the man, so he quickly stepped out to smooth things over: "Do you have any good Sichuan peppercorns, dried chilies, fennel, etc.? Bring them all out for us to see."
"Yes, yes, yes. I'll get it right away."
After learning from the lesson just now, she only brought out good stuff this time.
The Sichuan peppercorns are fresh and spicy, the dried chilies from the northwest are crispy and fragrant, and the fennel ones are also top-notch.
Zhao Mingsheng picked two of each and asked the proprietress to pack them up.
Just when she was about to pay, Jingliu got there first.
"Thanks to your Shippo Biranmaru, my hair is finally saved. Consider this my thank you gift!"
Zhao Mingsheng only then noticed that his hair, which was full of gray when they parted a few days ago, had now turned jet black.
In the rush of their last separation, Zhao Mingsheng hadn't had time to tell him the subsequent steps for taking the pill, so he decided to tell him all at once:
"This Qibao Meiran Pill must be taken for three consecutive days for the first time. The effect can last for three months. After three months, you only need to take one pill every three months."
Jing Liu nodded, "Then where can I buy it next time?"
"You can buy it at the pharmacy where we met last time."
Zhao Mingsheng thought about it and based on what the owner of the pharmacy, Yu, had said today, the bottles she had left were probably already reserved, and Jingliu might not be able to buy them even if he went there.
So he said, "If you stay here permanently, I will bring you some Qibao Meiran Pills from home in a couple of days."
Jingliu readily agreed.
Zhao Mingsheng originally planned to go home by herself in an ox cart, but Jingliu saw that she was holding so many things in her hands, including two jars, and insisted on taking her back in a horse-drawn carriage.
The carriage was still parked outside the courtyard, so Zhao Mingsheng had to follow Jingliu back to the courtyard to put his things away.
King Heng likes quietness, and the courtyard where he lives is also very remote.
This courtyard is located in a remote area and is full of snakes, insects, rats and ants. Yan Zhuo, who was originally reviewing official documents in the study, was annoyed by the harassment of these little creatures.
Just as he was about to send someone, he suddenly remembered that in order to conceal his whereabouts, he only brought Jingliu with him and was now out shopping.
Just as he was thinking about it, Yan Zhuo heard a slight movement in the yard and opened the door to take a look.
Jing Liu guessed that Prince Heng was probably in his study reading official documents, so he didn't disturb him. He had intended to send Zhao Mingsheng back after putting his things away, as the round trip wouldn't take much time.
Who would have thought that as soon as he put down his things, the tightly closed door of the study suddenly opened.
Yan Zhuo was wearing a dark crimson robe and stood by the door like a tall green pine. His inky eyes swept across the two people in front of him, and his gaze paused for a moment on Zhao Mingsheng, as if he was a little surprised.
Zhao Mingsheng, who was following Jingliu, did not expect to meet Prince Heng, so he hurried forward and saluted.
After coming to this countryside, she hadn't performed such a grand ceremony for a long time. Fortunately, she had learned etiquette for many years, and her body's basic reactions were still there, so she didn't feel unfamiliar with it.
"This humble lady greets His Royal Highness Prince Heng."
The girl is polite, has a sweet voice, and a graceful figure. She seems to be favored by God, and there is nothing wrong with her.
Yan Zhuo's throat moved slightly, and his voice was low like cold jade thrown into water.
"No need to be polite."
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