The sky is getting dusk, and the brilliance of the setting sun falls from the sea and sky in the west, reflecting a bit of gold and red in the teahouse where you can watch the snow and the sea. The old samurai Takeda Nobuhiro and the big businessman Morino Kiyoshi stood side by side on the window sill. The two of them watched the red sun sinking into the vast sea, and the remaining clouds disappearing into the darkness. Their moods were ups and downs, and then became distant.
Watching the scenery side by side without saying a word. In Kazuto's culture, it is a rare kind of closeness and relaxation. And when the red sun went down and night fell, Takeda Nobuhiro said with a smile.
"The dinner is ready. Morino Kiyoshi, you have never tasted the delicacies of Ezo!"
"Ha! Then I'd rather be respectful than obey!"
The big businessman Morino Qing smiled and nodded, but he felt a little disapproval in his heart. He came from Kyoto, what kind of delicious food has he not tasted? However, when he entered the table and smelled the aroma of the dishes, he moved his index fingers and looked surprised.
The banquet includes precious white rice, miso soup with tofu, and side dishes with sardines...all are delicacies that only samurai gentlemen can enjoy.
However, the big businessman Morino was used to eating these things early in the morning. The white rice from Ezo, with its faint aroma, made him pay a little attention to it. But when he picked up a strange-looking onion and chewed it, his face immediately showed surprise.
"What kind of onion is this? It tastes like green onions, garlic, and the taste of leeks... Oh! It's so varied and memorable!"
Hearing the admiration of his old friend, Takeda Nobuhiro smiled complacently and did not speak. Although Shojiro Matsushita who was sitting next to him knew about it, he couldn't speak on behalf of his master. So, Mitsuhiro Uizaki explained with a smile.
"This is the specialty of the North: Green onions! You can eat them raw with miso, or you can add them to soups, or they can even be pickled and made into pickles. They are all delicious!"
Upon hearing this, the big businessman Morino Qing's eyes lit up. His businessman's habit broke out and he immediately thought of ways to make money.
"Oh! Such a good and delicious food, why not introduce it to other countries in this state? Just selling pickled pickles is a big business worth tens of thousands of yen!"
Hearing this, Mitsuhiro Uizaki smiled slightly and did not explain. At this time, it was Matsushita Shojiro's turn to speak. He lowered his voice, leaned into Morino Qing's ear, and whispered.
"Householder, this food has been around for a long time and is a favorite food of the Ezo people. In local customs, it is also used to offer sacrifices to wild gods, which is related to religion. All Buddhist sects do not like this food and think it is the 'five meats' One. And the gentlemen in Kyoto may feel that eating food from Ezo is beneath their status..."
"Ha! It's a pity, it's a pity! It's so delicious, but you can't eat it. This is actually a 'knowledge barrier'!"
The big businessman Morino Kiyoshi shook his head and sighed, but said nothing more. He didn't mind it that much. He tasted two more green onions before moving to the real meat dish in the middle of the banquet. As for this rare plate of meat, only Takeda Nobuhiro and him were happy, and no one else would eat it.
"Hey! This texture is full of tenderness, delicate and less oily. It can be called a delicacy... Well, the venison in Ezo is better than other countries in the Northeast!"
Morino tasted a piece of medium-cooked venison with admiration on his face. However, venison was hard to come by, and it was impossible to do business. He stretched out his taiko and picked up the sashimi white meat smeared with sauce on the other side. It was salmon, a type of salmon that is common and cheap in Ezo. Before trying, Morino Kiyoshi looked at Mitsuhiro Oyezaki and asked softly.
"This piece of sashimi?..."
"These salmon come from the far north sea and contain very few insects. Before cooking, they have been frozen in the deep snow of the North for ten days to remove the insects... and they can be eaten with confidence!"
"Um."
The big businessman Morino Qing nodded slightly and took a piece of the entrance. When he tasted the smooth texture, his eyes lit up and he asked with a smile.
"Buddhist sects do not prohibit fish. What is the yield of this fish?"
"It's huge! There are dense schools of fish around Ezo, especially in the southeast! The annual fishing season can last for four months, and it is already the end of the fishing season. When you go to sea during the fishing season, there are so many fish. You can just jump into the boat and catch the whole net and the whole boat!”
There is no doubt that the fishing ground mentioned here is the largest fishing ground in the world, Hokkaido fishing ground! The history of fishing here by the Ayinnu and He people is extremely long.
The big businessman Morino Kiyoshi's eyes moved, he pondered for a moment, and then asked with a smile.
"Oh! I also heard that the fishing season in the North Sea is spectacular. Besides this cheap baby fish, are there any other good things?"
"Well... the most caught fish is herring, followed by saury and salmon. All three are cheap enough for common people to eat. The slightly more precious ones are pollack, giant squid, and sea crabs. The most precious one is the North Sea abalone, which is large and meaty. Two of them can weigh up to one pound, or even one pound! However, this requires warm weather in summer, allowing the divers to dive deep for fishing... and this item is also for sale. It’s expensive, one can be sold for hundreds of coins!”
The big crab in the sea here is the king crab, which is also produced in many fisheries in Hokkaido. However, according to the price at this time, buying one is only equivalent to more than ten kilograms of rice. As for North Sea abalone, two abalones weighing one kilogram are called two-headed abalone, and one abalone weighing one kilogram is a precious one-headed abalone. These top-quality abalone have been overfished in later generations and have become very rare.
"oh!"
Hearing this, the big businessman Morino Kiyoshi turned his head and glanced at Matsushita Shojiro, who also lowered his head.
If this kind of big abalone comes to Kyoto, one can be sold for thousands of coins. And if it can be dried and sold to the Ming Dynasty, one can be sold for several strings, or even more than ten strings. In fact, the reason why this common seafood was very expensive in the Republic of China was precisely because it was sought after by the scholar-bureaucrats of the Ming Dynasty, and the price soared!
"Well, there is a lot of business in these seafood products!"
In front of Takeda Nobuhiro, the big businessman Morino Kiyoshi nodded and promised with a smile.
"Cheap herring, saury, and salmon can be pickled and then sent to Kyoto for sale. I have some connections in Kyoto and can buy them at a 10% increase. Pollack, squid, and sea crabs need to be packed on ice. The barrels are transported by fast ship and the price is increased by 30%. As for the large abalone from the sea, it is dried and salted here to make dry goods...I will double the price!"
Change source app]
"Good! Very good!"
Takeda Nobuhiro had been smiling and saying nothing, until now, after hearing Morino Kiyoshi's promise, he shouted happily.
"Come! Mitsuhiro, raise a glass of sake and toast to the owner of Morino Kiyoshi! He and I have known each other for more than 20 years. From now on, you must address yourself as uncle!"
"Hiyi!"
Mitsuhiro Oyizaki raised his glass respectfully, lowered his head, and toasted to his newly minted "uncle".
"Uncle Morino Kiyoshi, I'll drink this cup first!"
"Ah? Mr. Xin Guang, you..."
The big businessman Morino Qing's face paused, and then he smiled bitterly. How can it be so easy to take advantage of the samurai family head? Being this cheap uncle means you have to pay more. And it doesn't matter if you pay more, as long as you are afraid of getting involved in some right and wrong in the future...
Morino Kiyoshi sighed and glanced at Takeda Nobuhiro who was smiling. For some reason, he could see a bit of pleading and even a hint of entrustment in the other person's smiling eyes. He pondered for a few breaths and finally nodded in agreement.
"That's all! I have watched you grow up for more than twenty years. In this case, I will shamelessly call you nephew! From now on, we can be regarded as a family..."
