Chapter 196
Fang Zichen had been praised since he was young.
Back then, his father said that someone like him, if he went into business, would be a business prodigy.
His mother said his talent was exceptional; as long as he applied himself, whatever he did, he could become a leader in that industry.
His uncle said he had the makings of an official; if he took the civil service exam, he would definitely have a promising future.
His grandfather said he was born to eat the country's rice. He looked full of righteous vigor, had an unyielding backbone, high ideological awareness, and possessed the innate qualities of a soldier.
[吃国家饭 (chī guójiā fàn): lit. eat the country's rice; fig. hold a secure, state-funded job (like a civil servant or soldier)].
From the age of three, he studied writing and literature. By seven, he was learning business. At eight, he turned to governance and statecraft. And by nine, he could gallop across open fields, the wind whistling past him—a true master of horsemanship.
Nurtured by a powerful family of immense wealth, he was raised to excel in everything. He could wield power above and lay bricks below, there wasn't anything he couldn’t do.
Whatever his son wanted to do when he grew up, by staying by his side and learning even a fraction of his skills, the child would benefit immensely. He could teach the boy himself, ensuring his son's comprehensive development in physique, intellect, morality, and aesthetics. Was it really worth going all the way to Yuanzhou for that?
What a joke.
Old Master Wu could also tell Fang Zichen doted on the child. Even if Zhao Ger agreed to let him take Guaizai to Yuanzhou, if Guaizai didn't fuss about coming back, Fang Zichen would probably be the one crying and looking for his son first.
Fang Zichen didn't agree, and Zhao Ger, who 'doted' on Fang Zichen so much, would definitely not agree either.
Forget it, forget it. Anyway, this family is moving to Yuanzhou next year. We'll talk about it then!
...
There wasn't much chili sauce left in the shop.
Of the previous batch made, only a portion was brought to the shop. The backyard only had one kitchen, one main room, and a small outhouse; there was no space to store chili sauce. Keeping too much in the shop wasn't good either, so Zhao Ger kept most of it at home.
Last time, he shipped three hundred jars over by oxcart, and now they were almost sold out. Following this rate of sales, they would likely run out of stock before the next batch of chili peppers was ready.
There weren't many in town who could afford to eat chili sauce every day either. The fast sales were mainly due to the several peddlers who came last time to get goods. They purchased from Zhao Ger and sold them in neighboring counties. They must be selling well, as they came to restock every few days.
With demand exceeding supply and goods in short supply, the price should be raised.
Before, one jar was one hundred copper coins. Now it was increased by another ten coins. The price hike started at noon, and customers who came to buy were unhappy upon hearing it, asking why the price had increased for no reason.
Zhao Ger explained that although the ingredients for the chili sauce hadn't changed, the weather was cold and chili peppers weren't yielding. When goods were scarce, they became more valuable, so the price naturally had to be raised a bit. In the past, they didn't make much profit, it wasn't even enough to pay the rent. He had no choice but to raise the price a little; after all, his own family, young and old, needed to eat.
The reasoning was indeed sound. Those who loved spicy food often used to buy chili peppers from market stalls. In winter, chili peppers were indeed more expensive, with only the last, rather ugly batch being sold cheaper.
He used the same explanation for every customer. Most who could afford chili sauce looked down on those extra ten coins, so the price increase didn't affect business much.
Zhao Ger went to several medicine shops, buying some ingredients separately from each, then went to Jishi Medical Hall to get medicine for Fang Zichen and Xiao Feng before heading home.
Aunt Liu and the others had already finished processing the ducks. Zhao Ger went to prepare the ducks, and Xiao Feng conscientiously took Guaizai to dig for earthworms and gather grass for the goat.
With sixty ducks, the intestines and gizzards alone filled almost two large buckets. Their family couldn't eat it all, so Zhao Ger, having bought ingredients, wanted to try marinating them. If they turned out tasty, he could also sell them in the shop.
Aunt Liu and the others had cleaned the duck intestines very thoroughly. He poured them into the pot, added his own prepared marinade spice pack, an appropriate amount of water, soy sauce, salt, ginger, cooking wine, and vinegar. Thinking most townspeople preferred spicy food, Zhao Ger also added a handful of dried chili peppers.
The aroma wafted out shortly after they started boiling. Even before they were done, the two children gathered around the stove, constantly swallowing saliva, their eyes fixed eagerly, as if they hadn't eaten for two hundred years.
Zhao Ger pretended not to see, directing them to go feed the chickens in the backyard. Last time, when Xiao Feng returned from the medical hall, during dinner, Guaizai said he wanted to kill a chicken for him. When he got up in the morning and Guaizai didn't mention it, Zhao Ger thought he had forgotten and didn't bring it up. Who knew that at noon, when Zhao Ger returned from washing clothes, Guaizai was already holding a chicken, sitting in the kitchen trying to start a fire.
The larger chickens were only about two jin, and the later batch of small ones were even less than one jin—far from ready to eat. He tried to persuade him for a long time and even picked up a wooden stick before Guaizai reluctantly put the chicken back in the backyard. Because he loved eating chicken, he fed them especially diligently. Last time, a small chicken died with a big lump on its neck. Zhao Ger touched it and shook his head helplessly.
[1 jin (斤): approximately 0.5 kilograms]
The chicken had died from overeating.
In the evening when Fang Zichen returned home, they waited for him to wash his hands before starting dinner. The marinated duck intestines were tender and crisp, spicy and fragrant. When Xiao Feng reached his chopsticks over, Zhao Ger pushed them away.
"You still can't eat spicy food. There's pork in the wood ear fungus dish; eat that."
Xiao Feng felt wronged.
He had heard Physician Xu's instructions the day he returned. Not eating spicy food the past few days was fine, but now, seeing everyone eating with greasy mouths, the aroma constantly wafting into his nose, his soul felt drawn to the plate, making the pork taste utterly bland.
"Brother is so pitiful!" Guaizai mumbled through a mouthful of duck intestines, his cheeks puffed out. His little nose was shiny with grease, likely from gobbling his food. "Brother is really too pitiful. But brother, don't be sad. Guaizai will help you eat a couple more bites. So yummy, really, no matter how much you eat, it's never enough—too yummy!"
Xiao Feng: "......"
Xiao Feng didn't know why, but he suddenly felt like hitting him.
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