They've all separated, so what does it matter to me if they get poorer and poorer?

Chapter 64 Large Order for Iced Jelly

The next morning, there were still embers in the stove hole. Xu Zhichun used these embers to rekindle the fire and boil water for cooking.

The braised meat was already very flavorful. She scooped large pieces into a big basin and put them in. Zeng Xiaoyan and Aunt Zhu'er's pork knuckles, ribs and pork belly were put in a separate basin. The whole kitchen was instantly filled with the strong aroma of braised meat.

Fragrant, so fragrant!
We're having braised pork at home today. I'll get a serving later.

Liang Mingxuan got up quickly and helped with the housework, the aroma of braised meat filling the house making his mouth water. Xu Zhichun asked Liang Mingxuan to take the braised pork belly to Aunt Zhu'er's house and start making ice jelly.

Hurry up and finish making breakfast.

For breakfast, I steamed rice, served it with stir-fried pork head meat with garlic sprouts, steamed egg custard, and a side of stir-fried lettuce.

The tender garlic sprouts and pork head were stir-fried together, making them even softer, chewier, and more fragrant. The uncle and aunt had a great appetite, and the enjoyment of the food brought them a good mood for the day.

After having breakfast, Aunt Zhu came over and immediately praised the braised pork belly with a smile, saying, "Such delicious meat will definitely fetch a good price!"

“That’s right!” Xu Zhichun laughed. “Pig’s head meat is also delicious. It tastes different from pork belly. Aunt Zhu’er, please try it.”

"it is good."

Not long after, Zeng Xiaoyan and her husband arrived. They tried all kinds of braised meat and were extremely regretful, saying they should have come over for breakfast.

Xu Zhichun then smiled and said, "Why don't we come back for lunch? We can cook braised pork at home for lunch."

Everyone agreed that it was excellent.

Liang Mingxuan: "I'm cooking at home, sister-in-law, would you like me to prepare some vegetables?"

Xu Zhichun nodded: "Just pick some whatever you have."

Aunt Pearl: "I still owe you a duck. I bought one today, so we can have it for lunch."

Zeng Xiaoyan chuckled: "Then let's try to get back early today."

"Row!"

Just then, Liang Chunfen arrived, waiting to hear Xu Zhichun assign tasks. He rolled up his sleeves and cheerfully helped load things onto the donkey cart. The aroma of meat was so enticing, he kept trying to resist the urge but couldn't quite manage it, and he secretly swallowed his saliva.

Xu Zhichun felt both pity and amusement, and quietly said to her with a smile, "I've saved some food for you. I'll ask Mingxuan to take you to eat later."

Every day, Xu Zhichun would make an extra portion of breakfast and save it for her.

Liang Chunfen immediately beamed with joy: "Thank you, Sister-in-law Zhichun and the little prodigy!"

Upon arriving in the city, Xu Zhichun and Liang Mingliang went to the Lotus Restaurant to deliver ice jelly. Nowadays, she doesn't come to the restaurant every day anymore; she only comes occasionally to greet Manager Tang.

To everyone's surprise, Manager Tang was overjoyed to see her. "It's good that Madam Xu has come! Haha, if Madam Xu hadn't come, I would have sent someone to invite her today!"

Liang Mingliang was very sensible; after saying goodbye, he left first.

Xu Zhichun was a little puzzled and joked, "Manager Tang, I haven't come up with any new dishes yet."

Braised meat doesn't count. High-end restaurants sell braised meat, but whether it tastes as good, as rich and fragrant as homemade is another matter. Xu Zhichun was confident it didn't.

But this wasn't exactly a new dish; they just sold it casually at their stall, not necessarily every day, so they hadn't thought about discussing a fixed supply with Manager Tang.

She focused more on sweet potatoes, potatoes, and konjac.

Manager Tang chuckled, "Speaking of new dishes, Madam Xu, don't forget about our Lotus Restaurant! If you have any new dishes, you must give them to us first. Today I want ice jelly. We have a big order. In a few days, our restaurant will need a large quantity of ice jelly for two days, about 180 catties a day. Just for two days. Hehe, can you supply it?"

"One hundred and eighty jin?"

"I know it's a bit much. Madam Xu, could you please make the effort for just two days? You can also raise the price a bit, how about seventy coins per catty?"

Xu Zhichun: "." It's too much; it's really hard to refuse.

There's plenty of space in the harbor warehouse. Luckily, we've been buying a lot of agarwood seeds recently, and the current quantity is estimated to be over two thousand catties, which is enough to get by.

"Alright, since Manager Tang has spoken, we must do it no matter what."

"Oh, very good, very good! Thank you so much, Madam Xu!"

Shopkeeper Tang was so happy that he immediately paid the deposit.

As if afraid that Xu Zhichun would change his mind.

Little did she know that Xu Zhichun breathed a sigh of relief and accepted the money with a smile. To be honest, she was also worried that Manager Tang would change his mind.

If we really change our minds, how will we sell all that ice jelly? This stuff can only be kept overnight and sold for another day at most; it won't last any longer.

Back at the stall, the fragrant braised meat was incredibly appealing, attracting even more customers than usual.

Although everyone complained that the braised pork, which cost 30 coins per pound, was expensive, the aroma and color were just too tempting, and it was impossible to resist.

You definitely won't lose out if you buy it.

If you can't buy a pound, then just get half a pound to satisfy your craving.

Surprisingly, it's selling quite well.

Regular customers all knew that Madam Xu was the person in charge of this stall, and when they saw her arrive, they all shouted that it was too expensive and asked her to give them a discount.

They had called for help before, but Zeng Xiaoyan and Aunt Zhu'er were forced to back down and pretend to be calm, and had no choice but to push everything onto Xu Zhichun, who was not present.

"Sister-in-law Zhichun said this is the price, Auntie, it really can't be any cheaper."

"Auntie knows us. We're honest people. Zhichun also said that the price can't be lowered any further."

Xu Zhichun and her best friend exchanged a glance and understood what was going on: thirty-five coins a pound was actually not expensive at all.

Not to mention labor and firewood, pork head meat cost eleven coins per pound, and pork trotters cost eight coins. If you didn't mind the hassle of preparing them next time, you could buy offal, which cost six to eight coins per pound. However, in this era, many braising spices were used as seasonings and were quite expensive.

Salt and soy sauce are also essential. To make delicious braised meat, you must use enough of these two ingredients: salt costs seven coins per pound, and soy sauce costs twelve coins per pound.

She even added rock sugar to make it taste better!

Fortunately, Xu Zhichun managed to find a loophole in the warehouse space and only bought three or four kinds of spices in small quantities and cheap prices to make a show of it. He saved most of his money on these spices, as well as salt and soy sauce. Otherwise, if he had actually sold those braising spices from a physical store, the profit on braised meat at 35 coins per pound would probably only be 3.5 coins per pound.

This is without considering labor costs, firewood costs, and time costs.

Xu Zhichun smiled and simply explained the spice packet, salt, and soy sauce. Everyone sighed in regret, understanding the situation.

"That's true, there's a reason why it's expensive."

"No wonder it looks so good and smells so good."

"That makes me even more eager to try it! I'll have half a pound!"

"Give me half a jin too!"

At worst, I won't buy meat for the next few days.

As a result of Xu Zhichun's suggestion, the braised meat sold even faster.

Have a happy new week!

A new week begins, please vote with your recommendations and monthly tickets! Updates will be stable, feel free to follow the story, hugs~
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(End of this chapter)