The family spent the entire morning preparing the rabbit meat and roast chicken. The aroma wafted far and wide. Fortunately, they lived quite a distance from the village; otherwise, their neighbors would surely have been driven to tears by their cravings.
"Wife, this meat smells so good. I want to eat some," Fan Zehao pleaded, gazing longingly at the rabbit meat in the earthenware pot, licking his lips pitifully.
His mother, knowing that the meat was intended for sale, suppressed her own hunger and looked at her daughter-in-law with expectant eyes, making Zhao Jiaqi feel like a stingy person.
"We have plenty of meat at home. I'll go get a rabbit, and we'll have rabbit meat for lunch."
Her simple words brought immense joy to mother and son.
The rabbit had four legs. She tore off one and placed it in a separate bowl, handing it to Fan Zehao. "Take this rabbit leg to Sister-in-law Wang. Tell her it's for the child."
"That's right, that's right. Wang Zhaodi's wife has helped me a lot. While it's still hot, son, hurry and take it over," Zhang Cuihua chimed in urgently.
Fan Zehao brought the bowl close to his nose and inhaled deeply. He truly wanted to lick it and taste it, but under his wife's watchful gaze, he dared not.
He went and returned swiftly, pushing a handcart as if flying. Upon arriving home, he breathlessly discarded the cart, sat at the dinner table, and began to eat.
He had great strength and a hearty appetite.
In the afternoon, the young couple placed the stove on the handcart, the earthenware pot on the small stove, and wrapped the two roast chickens in oil paper, placing them in a basket. Then, they left the village.
On the road, Zhao Jiaqi pondered how many copper coins the rabbits should be sold for. After much thought, she decided forty wen was a reasonable price.
Selling to restaurants, a rabbit would fetch at most twenty wen. They cooked it, making it forty wen each. However, they also kept the rabbit fur. If they accumulated enough, they could make a fur-lined jacket, which could be exchanged for a good amount of silver.
As for the roast chickens, they were one hundred wen each. These required stewing and smoking, which were time-consuming and troublesome. Moreover, wild chicken meat was expensive, but it tasted much better than farmed chicken.
"Wife, do you think we'll be able to sell anything if we go to the town at this hour?"
Zhao Jiaqi shook her head slightly. How could she know? But how would they know if they didn't try?
She reassured Fan Zehao, "We'll only know if we try. If we can't sell it tonight, we'll come again tomorrow morning."
In truth, she had great confidence in her cooking skills.
In town, it was the afternoon, so there were fewer people. They stationed themselves on a bustling street, but despite the people coming and going, no one paid them any attention.
Zhao Jiaqi raised her voice and shouted, "Braised rabbit, roast chicken! Delicious and inexpensive, economical and practical! Come and go, don't miss out!"
Her shouting attracted some curious individuals. Unfortunately, as soon as they asked the price, they left.
Had she priced them too high?
Zhao Jiaqi lost the confidence she had when she first arrived, questioning herself repeatedly.
As the sky began to darken, carriages started to drive one after another towards a certain direction.
She eyed that direction suspiciously and suddenly became much clearer. That's right, how could she have forgotten!
She quickly patted Fan Zehao's arm and urged him, "Let's go, let's go, we've been selling in the wrong place."
Fan Zehao thought his wife was acting a bit strange. They were selling on the main street, so where else could they possibly be selling in the wrong place?
Thus, he pushed the handcart and followed his wife. Half an hour later, they stopped.
Zhao Jiaqi opened the earthenware pot, and immediately the aroma wafted for miles on the wind. She began to shout, "Braised rabbit meat for sale! Roast chicken for sale! The only one in the Yun Kingdom! One bite will make you crave ten more. If it's not delicious, your money back! Taste it first, buy it later. Limited quantities, first come, first served!"
After shouting a few times, she attracted people heading to the restaurants for dinner. Out of curiosity, a crowd gathered around their stall.
Some were drawn by her shouts, while others were attracted by the smell. Seeing this, Zhao Jiaqi quickly took out a rabbit, tore off strips of meat in front of everyone, and distributed them to all present.
"This is a delicacy made with my family's secret recipe, unique in the Yun Kingdom. Everyone, please try it."
Zhao Jiaqi's clear and sweet voice, like a refreshing spring, entered their ears. As they tasted the delicacy, one bite was truly as she had said, bursting with flavor. They had never tasted such a delicious dish before.
Lord Wang, with his broad shoulders and robust physique, did not mind picking up the meat with his bare hands and putting it in his mouth. After one bite, it was truly as the woman had claimed. He declared grandly, "I'll take the rest."