Entrepreneurship in the Late Tang Dynasty

Chapter 33: Wine and Meat
After Zhao Da had eaten and drunk his fill, he stayed in Fatty Dou's tent for a while, mainly talking about how they could work together to make money in the future.

Although Fatty Dou vowed to squeeze the other idiots dry, he also told Zhao Huaian the truth that these people were all poor. The fight in the morning almost squeezed out all the copper coins hidden in the soles of their feet.

He told Zhao Huaian that if he really wanted to make a lot of money, he had to go to Chengdu, where there were flowers and flowers everywhere and things were booming. When he said this, Fatty Dou didn't know what he was thinking about. His eyes were dazed and he kept grinning foolishly.

Zhao Huaian didn't really want to fight those local bastards. Envoy Song had already given him a heads-up before, so he knew that a war was about to break out, and it wouldn't be worth it to ruin the relationship.

The main reason he came this time was to make friends with Fatty Dou.

Thinking of this, Zhao Huaian vaguely mentioned to Fatty Dou:
"Fatty Bean, be smarter these days and keep an eye on me. If anything happens, come to me."

By this time, Fatty Dou had already drunk two or three cups of wine and was lying on the wooden couch, enjoying his slight intoxication. Suddenly, he heard these words and woke up immediately. He quickly got up and asked:

"Zhao Da, what happened? Tell me."

Zhao Huaian shook his head, pointed in the direction of the camp, and said vaguely:
"I don't know the details, but just follow me and you won't suffer any loss."

Fatty Dou nodded hurriedly. Seeing that Zhao Huaian seemed to be about to leave, he hurriedly pulled him and said that they would have another meal in the evening, but Zhao Huaian really had something to do, so he declined.

Seeing that he couldn't stop him, Fatty Dou quickly stood up and said to Dou Lu San:
"Go, take the uncooked half of the pig to Zhao Da's tent, and also send half a cart of the local wine we brought from the dock to Zhao Da."

Zhao Huaian was thick-skinned, but he felt embarrassed to see someone eating and taking things, so he quickly declined:
"That's really not necessary, really not necessary. Just bring back two pots of cooked meat for Lao Liu and the others to taste."

Upon hearing this, Fatty Dou immediately gave Dou Lu San another order:

"Go to the back and see how much is left. Send it all to my good brother Zhao Da."

He held Zhao Huaian's hand, saying sincerely:

"Zhao Da, listen to me. I, Dou Lu San Lang, am your elder brother. I am a few years older than you, so I call you my younger brother. You are my younger brother's guest because you are giving me honor. If you care about these things, you are worse than pigs and dogs. Today, if you want to acknowledge me as your brother, don't refuse."

Fatty Dou even said that they were worse than pigs and dogs. What else could Zhao Huaian say? He could only clasp his fists and feel touched:

"Then Zhao Da thanks brother."

Fatty Dou was very happy. He grabbed Zhao Huaian's hand and said to Dou Lusan:

"Today, I, Dou Lu San Lang, have recognized a brother. Dou Lu San, you can add a pig and a sheep. This is courtesy."

Dou Lu San looked at her husband hesitantly, but still nodded and left the tent to prepare.

Zhao Huaian did not refuse this time. After all, he did not understand the etiquette of the Tang Dynasty. He killed and ate the pigs and sheep when he got back. Since arriving at the Qiongzhou camp, Lao Liu and his men had not had a good meal.

As the leader, he can't just focus on eating greasy food outside, he also has to think more about his brothers.

In the end, Zhao Huaian clasped his fists and was finally about to leave.

Dou Lu San accompanied Zhao Huaian out of the tent and kept thanking Zhao Huaian for his reminder.

Zhao Huaian waved his hand, meaning that family members should keep their differences separate.

Then he went back with a cart of wine, meat, pigs and sheep.

Looking at Zhao Huaian walking away, Fatty Dou was extremely happy. He felt that it was really great that he recognized this brother.

He is fair and meticulous in his work, has insight and background. I heard that he is also very good at using the Mo Dao. He is really a good man.

He was originally in a good mood, but suddenly a cool breeze blew over, instantly eliminating the remaining drunkenness in the fat man.

Outside the tent, Fatty Dou was completely awake. Seeing Zhao Huaian leaving with his bags, he slapped himself in the face:

"Damn it, have I been blinded by eating too much lard? That Zhao Da's tent is piled high with furs. I wonder how much richer he is than me. How can I be so generous when I'm poor?"

Thinking about what he had done, Fatty Dou felt so heartbroken that he wanted to slap himself again.

At the same time, he muttered, "I usually spend a copper coin in half, why is he so generous today?" But he just thought he was drunk and didn't think much of it.

Damn it, drinking really messes things up!
……

Zhao Huaian hummed a little tune, his face flushed with wine, and brought Dou Lu San and the others to his own tent.

At this time, Zhao Liu and his men gathered outside the camp, and Lu Zhongyuan and several other guards were teaching them how to use swords and bows and arrows.

Seeing Zhao Huaian coming back humming a little tune, Zhao Liu was so angry that he jumped up and down, cursing inwardly:

"This idiot must have been eating and drinking at Fatty Bean's place, leaving us here in the cold wind. Damn it."

Thinking of this, Zhao Liu signaled Lu Zhongyuan and the others to continue teaching, and then ran over.

The snow melted yesterday, turning the camp into a muddy mess. Zhao Liu walked over in straw sandals.

Zhao Huaian waved to Lao Liu, then said to Dou Lu San beside him:
"Three, just send it here and go back to tell your husband how it is."

Dou Lu San respectfully bowed to Zhao Huaian, then asked the guests to put the load and cart on the ground and returned.

Unlike her own husband who was full of regret and tears, Dou Lu San felt that what her husband gave her was a bit too much, but still felt it was worth it.

He felt that this Mr. Zhao was very generous, humble, and had good martial arts skills. He was happy that his husband had such a brother.

At the same time, he also felt that his husband had grown up. He used to be quite stingy, but he didn't expect that he would give away so many things without blinking an eye. It seemed that his husband might really have a chance to revive the family business.

With this longing, Dou Lu San walked briskly and returned to the camp with a group of guests.

……

Zhao Liu came in a threatening manner. Zhao Huaian waved his hand and shouted to the disciples and adopted sons who were still in training:

"Come, kill the pig and eat the meat!"

Then, everyone cheered and the soldiers also clapped their hands when they saw the cart of wine and meat.

Zhao Liu had lost his temper at this moment. He grinned and ordered Lao Mo and the others to bury the pot and cook, and asked Niu Li and the others to add firewood to make a fire. Then he called Zhou Dexing, Chen Fahai and Guo Congyun, three strong men, to help kill the pig together.

In the end, three strong men and Lao Liu couldn't hold down the fat pig together. It was Han Tong who brought Qian Tiefo and Wei Jingang together to kill the fat pig.

After putting in a bucket of pig blood, Lao Liu shouted to Zhao Huaian over there:
"Zhao Da, this pig is very fat, enough for us to eat. Let's put the sheep aside for now."

But Zhao Huaian waved his hand proudly and said:
"No, kill them all. I'll go to the main camp and call Lao Yue and the others to come, as well as Lao Li's few brave men from the Zhongwu Army. Make sure they have enough meat!"

Zhao Liu understood that he had to maintain good relations with Li Shitai's Zhongwu Army, so he agreed.

In this way, everyone killed the fat pigs and sheep. Amidst the cheers and bustle, Zhao Huaian suddenly shouted:
"Yeah!"

Zhao Liu and the others had just finished peeling the sheepskin when they heard this singing. They all shuddered and looked at Zhao Huaian in confusion, wondering what Zhao Da had gone crazy for. Zhao Huaian, seeing that he had attracted everyone's attention, took advantage of the alcohol and began to imitate him. He lifted his robe and took the big step of a Peking Opera martial artist, then hummed:

"Ah, ah, cooking pigs and slaughtering sheep is fun, and I must drink three hundred cups at the party!"

"Qiang Qiang Qiang!"

It was the first time for everyone to see such a stage walk. When they heard Zhao Huaian's powerful singing voice, they cheered and applauded. Especially the four five-inch men, their palms turned red from clapping, giving Zhao Huaian enough emotional value.

Zhao Huaian was very happy. It was true that when you go crazy, it is really happy to have a group of people to go crazy with you.

He waved his hand and said to everyone:

"To make a fire, today I, Zhao Da, will show you my skills, so that you guys can see what a good craft is."

Then there were waves of cheers, which attracted the attention of the local militia in the nearby camp.

What kind of family business is this? They eat meat and drink alcohol!

Woohoo, I'm so envious.

……

Zhao Huaian asked Zhao Liu to go to the camp to call Xian Yu Yue and others, and then began to cook pork and mutton. The mutton would still be roasted, but the pork was planned to be braised pork.

Although it seems easy to make braised pork in later generations, it is really difficult to do it now.

Zhao Huaian asked Lao Mo and the others to help build a stove, and then asked Niu Li to go to Fatty Dou and ask for the big iron pot, which they had used to stew pork before, and to invite Fatty Dou to come here for dinner in the evening.

Niu Li can speak Chinese. He has been doing well during this period and has started to lead people, so he has made great progress in dealing with people.

After getting the stove and the iron pot ready, there are still two difficulties. That is, the soy sauce and white sugar that are essential for braised pork are not available now. Yes, there is no soy sauce in the Tang Dynasty. Can you bear this?

Zhao Huaian couldn't get soy sauce this time, but he did get a jar of bean paste, which he had exchanged with Lao Fang at the front of the camp.

Add some lard and stir-fry the bean paste, and it will barely have some color.

As for white sugar, it can only be replaced by cane sugar. In western Sichuan, cane sugar is available, but it is also very expensive. It can be said that Zhao Huaian really spent a lot of money to make this braised pork.

After finishing all these, the voice of Fatty Dou was heard from a distance. He brought a big cart, which contained not only the big iron pot, but also some vegetables and even two cooks.

Zhao Huaian was very busy and had no time to entertain Fatty Dou, so he let him play with the children, and then called the two chefs to help.

After a while, Xian Yuyue came with Ren Tong and Song Yuan. Although they hadn't seen each other for a few days, Xian Yuyue's enthusiasm did not diminish at all. Seeing Zhao Huaian busy, he greeted him and then found a place to sit down.

Over there, Fatty Dou thought Xian Yuyue looked familiar, so he pushed aside the four noisy five-inch men and came over.

Just like that, Fatty Dou and Xian Yuyue started chatting.

Zhao Huaian took the time to take a look. He didn’t know what the two were talking about, but Xian Yu Yue seemed very happy.

Just as I turned around to start cooking, I suddenly heard Fatty Dou yelling:
"Zhao Da, you're in for a treat! Mr. Xianyu brought a jar of Gaochang wine. Tsk tsk."

Zhao Huaian curled his lips and thought to himself:

"I've even drunk Changyu Cabernet Sauvignon! Did I say anything?"

Unable to bear the fact that his ancestors were surprised by something unfamiliar, Zhao Huaian began to cook with all his might.

When the iron pot was brought over, Zhao Huaian finally understood why no one was cooking at this time. The pot was so thick that nothing could be cooked. For this reason, Zhao Huaian asked Lao Mo to dig out a piece of charcoal, which they had dug in the cellar some time ago.

After adding charcoal, the fire became much stronger. It was really not easy to cook this meal.

While Zhao Huaian was waiting for the oil to come, Li Shitai and his men came over. In addition to Wang Jian mentioned earlier, he also called on the generals Zhao Huaiyi and Xie Zaixing, as well as Sun Chuanxiu of the Baoyi Army, all of whom Zhao Huaian knew.

As soon as everyone arrived, they wanted to help, but were then driven away by Zhao Huaian.

The sheep had been marinated. Zhao Huaian asked Li Shitai and others to put the sheep on the fire pit and then let them shake it.

Roasting lamb is the specialty of these soldiers, especially Wang Jian, who used to be so brave as to kill a cow just for a bite of roast beef. His barbecue skills are very good.

In this way, these soldiers gathered around the hot fire pit, shaking the mutton and starting to brag.

Just like that, as the sun sank lower and lower, the aroma of the meat became stronger and stronger.

The whole camp was in a state of commotion. The local thugs in their tents were scratching their heads and drooling, wishing they could kill Zhao Da. This man really deserved to die!

……

The time was almost up. When the lid of the braised pork was removed, the aroma of the steaming meat quickly drifted through everyone's nose. Even Xian Yuyue, who was careless at first, couldn't help swallowing.

The meat cooked by our second brother is so delicious!

Zhao Huaian was never a stingy person. He asked Sun Tai to bring his followers, servants, and the people of Tongshan to bring bowls to fill with meat, and then distribute a bowl to each tent in the camp.

Sun Tai and his men had become acquainted with the other militiamen in the camp, and they went to deliver the meat with a large group of people.

Then, these tents erupted in cheers again. Of course, there were also a few discordant voices, complaining about why their bowls were so small.

When Zhao Huaian saw that some of them had not wiped the grease off their mouths, he knew that these guys were the ones who stole the food.

After glaring at them, Zhao Huaian filled another bowl of meat and asked them to deliver it to the other party.

Is Zhao Da short of this little bit of meat? He's lost his man!

Regardless of those useless boys, Zhao Huaian looked at Xian Yuyue, Li Shitai and the others and shouted:
"Get out of the pot and take out the meat!"

In the center of the camp, three large wooden boards have been neatly arranged, plates of braised pork are served, a whole roasted lamb is placed on the table, various seasonal vegetables are blanched and served in ceramic pots, and there is no distinction between local wine and wine here, and they are all poured fairly into everyone's glasses.

Then, Zhao Huaian gave an order:
"Brothers, what are you waiting for? Let's start building!"

So, grabbing the meat in one hand and holding the wine in the other, the men ate the beef all night long.

This was the first braised pork Zhao Huaian had since coming to Datang, and it was also the first braised pork many people had ever eaten in their lives.

It's not perfect, but it smells so good!

But happiness is always short-lived.

That night, Xianyu Yue quietly told Zhao Huaian that the central army had agreed to go into battle three days later.

(End of this chapter)