Chapter 329 I heard that I am the best (16)
Aunt Qian didn't expect that Madam Chen came to her for this reason, but she was just a servant and couldn't make the decision, so she had to say, "This is the food made by my Madam. I can't decide whether to sell it or not. You can go ask Madam yourself."
Mrs. Chen really couldn't resist the enchanting fragrance, so she had to bite the bullet and go see Zhou Shichu.
"Do you want to buy my braised meat?" Zhou Shichu asked with a strange look in her eyes. She remembered this Mrs. Chen. The original owner had quarreled with her once because a chicken from the Chen family ran to the Li family, and the original owner wanted to take it for herself when she saw it.
Mrs. Chen came to look for the chicken and happened to see her holding the chicken and walking towards her house. How could she not understand that she wanted to steal her chicken? So she quarreled with the original owner without giving any explanation. Both of them had strong personalities and the quarrel was fierce, and they even fought. In the end, it was Mr. Chen who heard the noise and ran over to mediate, and it took a lot of effort to get the chicken back.
From then on, the original owner and Madam Chen became enemies, and they would roll their eyes at each other whenever they met. That's why it was so awkward when Madam Chen came to ask for food today.
But for the sake of the smell of meat, Mrs. Chen tried her best!
"Yes, yes, I wonder what the braised meat you made looks like? It's so delicious. My master insisted that I buy it from you, saying that he couldn't sleep if he couldn't eat it today." Mrs. Chen said with a wry smile. She felt uncomfortable all over. It felt like there were nails on the soles of her feet, making her stand uneasy. She wished she could disappear from Zhou Shichu's sight immediately.
But she couldn't, because the two men at home were waiting for her to buy food.
"I know that what I did was very presumptuous, but since we are neighbors, could you give some to our family? We are willing to give more money!" Mrs. Chen had to bow to Zhou Shichu, because she needed help from others.
Zhou Shichu remembered that the original owner had tried to steal someone else's chicken, so he felt guilty about meeting Mrs. Chen, so he agreed and said, "Okay, but I don't make much, so I can only sell you two kilograms. Because I used a lot of spices, the price will be a bit expensive."
Mrs. Chen was very surprised to hear that she was willing to sell it. She didn't think it was a big deal to hear that it would be a little expensive. After all, her family was a businessman and they had saved a lot of money before, so they could still afford this little money. So she nodded repeatedly and said, "It doesn't matter! It doesn't matter if it's a little more expensive, as long as you are willing to sell it to us!"
Zhou Shichu then took a pig's trotter, a few chicken feet and half a chicken from the pot, weighed them, and brought them out to Mrs. Chen.
From the moment Mrs. Chen opened the lid of the pot, she could not take her eyes off the braised meat. She seemed to want to stick her eyes on it, and she swallowed her saliva again and again, involuntarily revealing an ugly expression.
Fortunately, no one laughed at her. After all, Aunt Qian and Zhou Shiwan who were present were also staring at the pot of braised meat with shining eyes, and everyone was pleased.
"Okay, it's two pounds and three ounces in total, give me one ounce of silver." Zhou Shichu said without any pressure. Scarcity makes things valuable, not to mention that the taste is so good, and a lot of expensive seasonings are used, so the braised meat she made is worth the price.
"Okay! Okay!" Mrs. Chen paid the money without any objection, took the plate of braised meat, and went home excitedly to share it with her family.
"Why is it so expensive? Madam, why don't we sell this braised pork in the bun shop as well? It will surely sell better than buns!" Aunt Qian, who had developed a business sense because she followed her in selling buns, immediately suggested.
Zhou Shichu said, "Of course I can, but you've seen how much seasoning I used to make this pot of braised meat. Not to mention how expensive these seasonings are, some are also very rare and you can't even get them if you want them. So if I make braised meat to sell, I definitely won't be able to make a large amount, and the price won't be low, so not many people can afford it."
"Then let's just make a small amount every day. If we can sell it, we will sell it. If we can't, we will eat it ourselves." Zhou Shichu made a decision quickly.
Aunt Qian said confidently, "It will sell well. There are many wealthy families in Cuicheng who will definitely be willing to buy such delicious meat."
"Then let's give it a try." Zhou Shichu didn't expect that he would end up selling braised meat.
"But we have to grow some seasonings ourselves. The world is in chaos now, and merchants from the Western Regions are not coming, so we can't buy spices." Zhou Shichu said. She wanted to take out the spice plants in the space and plant them so that she could continue to supply them for making braised dishes.
So before long, in addition to all kinds of fruits and vegetables, the Li family's vegetable garden also planted all kinds of rare and exotic spice plants, such as bay leaves, vanilla, star anise, osmanthus, etc., which are all indispensable for making braised food.
After that day, Zhou Shichu's "Jin Yu Baozi Shop" began to sell braised dishes. At first, no one knew what braised dishes were and thought they were pickles or preserved vegetables. But when they smelled the extremely overbearing and strong aroma, they immediately knew that this so-called braised flavor was absolutely delicious.
Although the prices were very high, Zhou Shichu's braised dishes were never out of stock. People who were not so wealthy would pool together to buy a pound or a few ounces; while wealthy families would buy by several pounds, wishing to buy up all the braised dishes in Zhou Shichu's store, and would only give up if Zhou Shichu refused.
Even so, in less than half a month, her braised dishes had become famous in Cuicheng, and people rushed to buy them every day because if they came too late, they would not be able to get them.
This inadvertently created the effect of hunger sales in later generations, which was a pleasant surprise.
At the Mu Mansion, Mu Yunchao came back from outside and brought back a food box. It was lunch time, and Mu Yunchao excitedly ordered, "Bring out the golden and jade stewed food I bought from outside. I want to taste it with my wife."
Liu Yan was smilingly helping Mu Yunchao wash his hands, but when she heard what he said, her face froze. She knew that this golden and jade stew was created by Zhou Shichu, and it was said that it had captured the stomachs of the people of Cuicheng in a short period of time. It was in short supply every day and had become the most sought-after food.
But Liu Yan just felt that Zhou Shichu was deliberately creating hype for his food. The braised food was not as delicious as the rumors said - of course, she had never eaten the food made by Zhou Shichu, but based on her understanding of Zhou Shichu, these rumors must be false and untrue. The reason why it is so lively now is because everyone's curiosity has not passed. Once everyone's curiosity is gone, the true situation of the food made by Zhou Shichu will definitely be exposed.
The maid brought out the stewed food, and the fragrant aroma immediately overshadowed the smell of all the dishes on the table. Even Liu Yan couldn't help swallowing her saliva. Mu Yunchao didn't even try to hide his saliva, and said to Liu Yan proudly, "Madam, how is it? Isn't this stewed food delicious? I had a hard time getting these. If I had been late, they would have been gone."
"Try it! I love braised pig's trotters the most." Mu Yunchao picked up a piece of braised meat for Liu Yan, then immediately put the braised pig's trotters into his own bowl and started eating it impatiently.
(End of this chapter)
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