"If you want to see Chuntao, you can follow me. But Dashan, you stay at home. When it's done, I'll bring it back for you to eat."
Li Qiao said to Li Dashan.
"good!"
Li Dashan nodded quickly.
He's not interested in the actual preparation of the food, he's interested in the finished product.
So, after lunch, Li Qiao and Tao Zhu took Li Chuntao to Butcher Zheng's house.
*
The author has something to say:
I’m a little busy today, so I’ll only update this much. I’ll update more QAQ tomorrow.
Chapter 42: Various ways to eat pork, it’s so delicious
Zheng family.
Zheng Qianqian grabbed a big cattail leaf fan and was standing under the pomegranate tree in the courtyard, fanning it vigorously.
He was not fanning himself, he was fanning his sisters-in-law Shi Ju and Zhao Ting.
Under the pomegranate tree, Zhao Ting and Shi Ju were cleaning the pig's head.
Very few people buy large items like pig heads whole, so the Zheng family always cuts them up and sells them.
However, the Zheng family used to sell raw pig heads, but now they sell cooked ones.
On a hot day, cleaning the pig's head was a hard job. It required shaving and cleaning the ears, nose, teeth and other dirt. Zhao Ting and Shi Ju both sweated a lot.
Zheng Qianqian was responsible for lighting the fire to stew the big bones. He stuffed a few thicker pieces of wood into the stove and burned them slowly, while he grabbed a cattail leaf fan to fan Zhao Ting and Shi Ju.
Zhao Ting used a brush made of pig hair to brush the pig's nose. He smelled the aroma wafting from the big stove and said with a smile: "Brother Zhu's cooking skills are great, the big bones this time will definitely be sold. Very good. Later we will stew the pig head using the seasoning method given by Brother Zhu, and it will taste very good."
"It tastes really good. I'm going to take a bite of it later."
Zheng Qianqian sniffed as he spoke. His stewed meat had never tasted so fragrant before.
But Shi Ju is not optimistic: "Brother Zhu's craftsmanship is indeed good, but the other's is not bad either, and the other's is cheaper than ours. On the premise that the taste is good, people will definitely buy the cheaper one."
Yesterday, the other party also started selling cooked food. The price was still cheaper than theirs and the taste was better, so the other party's cooked food was sold out quickly.
If the other party's products are sold out, his products are not sold out.
The purchasing power of the people in the town is limited. If you buy something from another person, you will definitely not buy from him again.
It is true that cooked food that cannot be sold out can be stored for two more days, but in this weather, it will still spoil if it is stored for a long time.
When Zheng Qianqian heard this, her desire for big bones disappeared instantly.
Zhao Ting also frowned: "How about we continue to lower the price?"
"Dad didn't want to." Shi Ju shook his head: "Dad found out that the other party was originally a hunter, and later married the daughter of a small landowner. The couple wanted to do some business, so they opened a butcher shop in the town."
"Most of the pork, vegetables and eggs sold in their shop were arranged by his father-in-law, the landowner. With his family background, if the price is reduced, we can't afford it."
Although the Zheng family is wealthier than ordinary villagers, it is still not as good as other landlords.
"...They can open a butcher shop somewhere else!"
Zheng Qianqian gritted his teeth.
"It would be too expensive to open a butcher's shop in the county. The houses in that part of the town are cheap, and there is a big market every tenth day of the month. There are many people and it's lively."
Shi Ju smiled bitterly.
"How about we go shopping and sell pork in the streets?" Zheng Qianqian thought for a while and then asked.
If you can't compete with each other in the town, then just avoid them.
"...Then we will leave the town in despair. Dad has been selling meat in the town for more than thirty years, and he will definitely not be willing to accept it."
Shi Ju sighed, his face wrinkled into a bitter melon.
Hearing this, Zheng Qianqian bit her lip. Yes, his father was unwilling to give in. He had been selling pork for most of his life. When he was getting old, it was his son's time to take over the butcher's knife, but as a result, the shop was about to fail.
A lifetime of hard work was gone. This was like a white-haired man giving a black-haired man a blow to his father. He was so worried that he not only stopped drinking small drinks in the past few days, but also reduced his food intake by half.
However, in front of his family members and outsiders, his father had to force a smile and look like he was fine.
"Also, if we walk around the streets, wouldn't everyone know that there is something wrong with our business?"
Shi Ju said again.
Zheng Qianqian: "..."
Yes, if he really sells pork on the streets, then everyone will know that there is something wrong with his business.
He used to love to watch the excitement and speak fair words. If the people he laughed at knew that there was something wrong with his business, they would definitely run up to him and laugh at him.
"But if this continues, everyone will know sooner or later that our business has been robbed." He sighed.
Now that the wheat harvest is over, the villagers have worked hard from dawn to dusk for more than a month. As usual, they will take some good supplements.
Compared with the county town, villagers still prefer to go to the town, after all, it is closer.
When the villagers went to town and took a look, the other party's butcher shop was bustling with activity, but the front of his house was deserted. How could he hide this?
well!
His pretty little face was also wrinkled into a bitter melon. Life was so smooth before, and he only needed to eat and drink every day.
I never expected that my family's business would not be able to continue.
If the family really can't kill pigs and sell pork in the future and can only rely on the harvest of the family's fields, then his family's life...
No!
How can we accept our fate? We have to fight hard!
"If it doesn't work, just sell it in the streets. The big bones that Brother Zhu stews are delicious and will definitely be sold."
Compared with losing face, business is more important.
"Brother Qian is optimistic. In fact, even if we sell it on the streets, we may not be able to sell it. Because if we want to make money by selling it on the streets, the price will definitely be higher than raw meat."
"We rural people are very frugal. We rarely eat meat once in a week. Even if we do eat meat, we buy raw meat and cook it ourselves. If it is cooked food, unless it tastes great, who is willing to buy it?"
Zhao Ting said.
Don’t be disinclined to shop on the streets, because even if you shop on the streets, you may not be able to sell anything.
Shi Ju: "..."
Zheng Qianqian: "..."
The more I analyze this, the more desperate I become!
"Isn't there any way?" Zheng Qianqian clenched the cattail leaf fan in her hand angrily and fanned the air several times.
He was so angry!
Zhao Ting smiled bitterly: "We have thought of all the ways we can think of, but there is really no good way at the moment."
He looked at the pig's head in the basin.
On a hot day, it took a lot of hard work to pack it up. Not only did it require firewood and seasonings, but also labor. In the end, I had to sell it at a loss, alas.
When he thought of this reality, most of his energy in brushing the pig's head was exhausted.
Zheng Qianqian: "..."
Shi Ju: "..."
The two fell silent.
In this suffocating silence, Tao Zhu's voice came from the door: "Brother Qian, are you at home?"
"Hey, Brother Zhu."
Hearing this, Zheng Qianqian grabbed the cattail leaf fan and walked towards the door.
Why is Brother Zhu here again?
He was even more surprised when he opened the courtyard door and saw not only Tao Zhu, but also Li Qiao and Li Chuntao standing at the door.
While greeting Tao Zhu and the other three to come in, he asked, "Brother Zhu, what's the matter?"
Zhao Ting and Shi Ju also stood up and greeted Li Qiao, Tao Zhu and Li Chuntao.
"Li Qiao said he can make bacon and sausage, which can keep the pork longer. It won't be a problem for half a year."
Tao Zhu directly stated his intention.
"What???!"
Zheng Qianqian, Zhao Ting, and Shi Ju were all shocked.
Can raw pork be preserved for that long? !
"Brother Qiao, is what Brother Zhu said true?" Zheng Qianqian quickly asked Li Qiao for confirmation.
This news was so important to him that he subconsciously held his breath and looked at Li Qiao expectantly.
"It's true. This is a method from the south. The weather in the south is hot and raw meat is not easy to preserve, so people there came up with this method. I heard that in the south, every household can make bacon and sausages."
"As long as you follow the instructions in the book, you'll be fine."
"Furthermore, according to the methods taught in the book, not only can the shelf life of raw pork be prolonged, but the taste will also become very unique and delicious. Many people love this bite."
Li Qiao nodded slightly in response to Zheng Qianqian's anxious, disbelieving, and expectant eyes.
With this nod of his head, Zheng Qianqian could finally breathe.
Zheng Qianqian was stunned for a few seconds, as if he was stupid. When he came back to his senses, he shouted loudly, and then rushed towards Tao Zhu.
"Brother Zhu! I can keep my beautiful clothes and my rouge and gouache!"
Li Qiao: "..."
