Exile at the beginning: I rule the world by drawing cards

Chapter 28 Business has to be done
The Zhao family hadn't started eating yet. When Mrs. Ji heard Qin Mengshang shouting, she quickly wiped her hands and came out of the kitchen, "Hey, why did you bring so many things here?"

"Sister-in-law, the konjac tofu is ready. I'll fry a bowl for you to taste first."

Ji's expression froze. She thought something was so fragrant, but it turned out to be konjac!Looking at this bowl of oil that was shiny and hot, she couldn't help but swallow her saliva, but when she thought that it was made of konjac, she didn't know whether she should take it or not.

The three children of the Zhao family also came over after smelling the smell.

Chunhua, the oldest, asked: "Sister Qin, what are you making? It smells so good."

Qiuyue is two years younger and is 13 years old this year. She has a quiet temperament, and she couldn't help but come over to talk to her when she smelled the spicy and alluring scent.Zhao Shuang was the youngest and thick-skinned, and he was drooling just looking at him.

Qin Mengshang said with a smile: "This is called konjac tofu. Your mother and I made it together. Bring it here for you to try."

The children had never heard of konjac tofu, but just by smelling the aroma, they knew it was much more delicious than the wild vegetable steamed buns at home.

Seeing the greedy expressions of the three children, Mrs. Ji hesitated and said, "Meng Meng, is this really not going to ruin your stomach?"

Qin Mengshang said: "Sister-in-law, don't worry, I have tried it before serving it, and it's fine."

After hearing what she said, Mrs. Ji felt relieved. Meng Niang had always had an idea. Since she said it was okay, she would definitely be able to eat it, so she asked Chunhua to take it.

With quick hands, Zhao Shuang picked up a piece of konjac tofu from the bowl and stuffed it into his mouth, exclaiming: "It's slippery and delicious!"

Mrs. Ji slapped her son angrily: "I usually don't give you food, right? Look at you, you look so worthless!"

"As long as Xiaoshuang thinks it tastes good."

Qin Mengshang asked Ji to try it. She wanted to know whether the business could be done.

Ji said she was worried, but she was also greedy.Seeing that his son was fine after eating it, he was not polite and just picked up a piece with his hands. His eyes lit up as soon as he tasted it, "What did you add to fry it to make it so delicious? It's even more delicious than the ones sold in wine shops in town!"

No wonder Mr. Ji said it was delicious. People in the village are reluctant to add oil and salt seasonings when cooking, so the taste is naturally bland.

The taste of konjac tofu itself is average, but when Qin Mengshang made it, he crushed the dogwood and fried it with garlic, onion and ginger. Of course it was delicious.

Ji's heart ached when she heard a series of condiments: "With so many things added, no wonder it tastes so good. If it were put in Changxing Restaurant, it would cost thirty or forty cents a plate, right?"

Changxing Restaurant is the largest restaurant in Sui'an Town, and the people who come and go are all local wealthy gentry and officials. Poor people like them cannot afford to go to such a place.

Qin Mengshang distributed the scallion pancakes to several children and took Ji to the side. "Sister-in-law, if you want to do business with this, do you think it is reliable?"

Nowadays, most people's impression of konjac is that it is only used for medicinal purposes. Last time I went to town, there were actually few people selling food. If konjac tofu can be promoted, it will be the first in town.

At first, Mrs. Ji thought Qin Mengshang was joking, but after tasting it for herself, she became more enlightened.

"It can be done, but I'm afraid it won't be convenient for you to set up a stall, and the town is far away from the village. This food has to be fried freshly to be delicious, right?"

If you want to fry it now, you need a stove and an iron pot, which can be troublesome for one person.

Qin Mengshang had already considered this.There are many ways to make konjac, it doesn’t have to be fried in an iron pan, it can also be made into a cold dish.Besides, it is the dog days now. Although Yongzhou has many mountains and forests, it is quite hot when the sun comes up.

If you are making cold salad, there are more things that can be sold with it, such as cold noodles, cold skin, and pea powder.

She had a lot of ideas, and she talked a lot at once, many of which Ji had never heard of.

"It sounds feasible, but..." Mrs. Ji hesitated, "You are still helping in the Hedi kitchen and going to the town to do business. Can the government agree?"

Everyone in the village knew that the Zhou family was exiled, but no one knew the specific crimes they had committed to be exiled.

Exiled people were subject to the control of the local government. Those who committed serious crimes were required to serve hard labor or be sent to the army, while those who committed minor crimes could live freely in the exile.Like the Zhou family's situation, whether they can go to town to do business is still a question.

What Zhou Lingqi committed was a serious crime of treason. If it were placed on any prince or minister, it would be the end of killing the nine tribes.But he was the prince, the son raised by the old emperor. Even though he made mistakes, he still spared his life.

It's not that Qin Mengshang had never thought about starting a food business before. It was precisely because of this that he hesitated for a long time.

However, the government did not force them not to leave Sanjiang Village. It was okay if they wanted to, and now that Zhou Lingqi could go to work on the river embankment, it didn't matter whether she stayed or not.

After careful consideration, Qin Mengshang said: "Sister-in-law, there will be a big market in town in three days. Let's go and see it together then." Business has to be done, and you can't live your whole life relying on the wages from the river embankment.

Knowing that she had an idea, Ji agreed.

Qin Mengshang was thinking about business and had no intention of eating.As soon as I got home, I cut a small piece of konjac and mixed it into a cold dish.

"Mr. Sir, have a taste."

The bowls were handed to me, and it would be unreasonable not to taste a single chopstick.

Zhou Lingqi took a bite "reluctantly", raised his eyebrows, and said softly: "It's okay."

Qin Mengshang knew that this man had a tough mouth. Last time he asked him if the crab meat noodles were delicious, and he said it was okay. As a result, he ate the crab meat noodles for three days in a row without getting tired of it.If the river bank hadn't been busy these days, I would have gone to the river to catch crabs every day.

However, after receiving praise from several people, Qin Mengshang became more confident and gave Old Man Hu and Li Zheng a bowl of cold konjac shreds the next day.

Old Man Hu didn't dare to eat it at first. He waved his hands to refuse and couldn't help but swallow his saliva.

It wasn't until Dajun, the grandson of the Hu family, rushed in and saw something to eat on the table. He grabbed a handful and stuffed it into his mouth, and then said it was delicious. Old Man Hu and Mrs. Hu took a tentative bite.

The old couple both said it tasted good, and Qin Mengshang was relieved.

Everyone has different tastes, and she was not sure whether everyone could accept the taste of konjac, so she gave some to everyone she knew.I originally thought about making spicy konjac skin, but considering that we don’t have chili peppers and a refrigerator, I gave up.

After delivering it to the Hu family, I went to Li Zheng's house again.

As soon as she arrived at the door, she happened to see Mrs. Zhu coming out of it in despair, holding a piece of men's clothing in her arms.After not seeing her for just two days, Zhu seemed to have aged ten years, her cheeks were sunken and her face was ashen.

She didn't seem to see Qin Mengshang, and went to the other side with Chen Ergou's name in her mouth.

After entering the door, Li Zheng was sitting on the threshold with a sad look on his face. He also noticed that Qin Mengshang had brought something to eat.

Mrs. Chen looked at the strangely fragrant thing in the bowl and didn't ask what it was. Instead, she said to Qin Mengshang first:
"You put so much oil in a dish? It smells like vinegar. Oops! You're a waste of money. It's unlucky for the Zhou family to marry you as their daughter-in-law. You have to live a careful life. If you live like this, you'll get good food. There is no next meal!”

Li Zheng rubbed his brows irritably: "Why do you talk so much, old lady? I've already given you food, why can't you shut your mouth?"

Upon hearing this, Old Mrs. Chen exploded: "What are you talking about, you bad old man! If it hadn't been for my hard work all these years, would your Old Chen family be where it is today? Now I think I talk too much. I didn't come to the door at the beginning. When you were there, your mouth was worse than the wife of the village queen!"

Qin Mengshang: "."

Why did this topic go astray?

Li Zheng noticed that there was still a junior there, coughed twice awkwardly, and changed the subject: "Girl, you helped the village last time, and I haven't thanked you properly yet. You just came to the door, and what else did you bring with you."

"I made it myself and wanted to give it to you and my aunt to try. If you like it, I'll make it next time and send some over."

When Li Zheng was willing to borrow food, Qin Mengshang always kept it in mind. These days, Mrs. Chen is helping in the kitchen and taking good care of her.Whoever treats her well will be treated well by her.

Fang, who was sitting at the door of the kitchen mending clothes, heard this and snorted coldly: "Didn't you just come up with a way to dig ditches? Dad's elbow is too crooked, so the few kilograms of grain borrowed by the Zhou family should be considered in vain. It’s given!”

Xiaocao looked longingly at the bowl of konjac silk in Mrs. Chen's hand and pulled Fang Fang's sleeve: "Mom, there is something delicious."

When Mrs. Fang saw her little daughter drooling, she said impatiently: "Eat, eat, eat! I know how to eat every day! That was given to your grandpa and grandma, and you, my granddaughter, don't have a share!"

She spoke loudly, and several people who spoke in front of the main room heard her.

Old Mrs. Chen's face darkened. The third daughter-in-law was acting like a monster again. The debt from last time has not been settled with her yet!

Feeling the murderous look in the old lady's eyes, Ms. Fang was instantly frightened and hurriedly took her little daughter back to the house.

Qin Mengshang pretended not to hear. Mrs. Fang was suppressed by Mrs. Chen and could not make any splash. The most important thing now was how to start her business.

(End of this chapter)