In years of famine and drought, their village even rejected fatty meat.

Chapter 480 Unexpected

Not to mention, Chen's army was facing an army that had once been the regular army of the imperial court.

"This Chenjia Village is truly unexpected!"

Zheng Qing was deeply impressed. An army composed entirely of martial artists with such formidable combat power was truly astonishing.

After a moment of astonishment, Zheng Qing looked at Manager Wang and asked, "Manager Wang, do you mean that the martial artists of the Chen family army can bring profits to Zheng Baolou?"

"No!"

Shopkeeper Wang surprisingly shook his head and said, "The martial artists of the Chen family army have the Blood Feather Chicken and cultivation techniques provided by Mr. Chen, so they do not need to purchase cultivation herbs."

"Uh……"

Zheng Qing was taken aback, not quite understanding what Manager Wang meant. If the martial artists of the Chen family army did not need to buy medicinal herbs, then why did you mention the Chen family army just now?

Before Zheng Qing could ask, Manager Wang gave his answer: "Although the Chen family army does not need medicinal herbs, Mr. Chen does. As far as I know, Chen Family Village purchases a large amount of medicinal herbs every once in a while. I do not know the specific uses of these herbs at the moment, but I have already spoken with Mr. Chen. After Zheng Bao Lou opens, Chen Family Village will purchase medicinal herbs from Zheng Bao Lou. This purchase alone will be enough to give Zheng Bao Lou sufficient profit."

"I see."

Zheng Qing and Zheng Qiuyan suddenly realized that with the medicinal herb purchase order from Chenjia Village, Zheng Baolou could indeed make a profit.

"In addition, I also plan to stock more medicinal herbs for treating sprains and bruises in Zheng Bao Lou."

Manager Wang continued, "Although the soldiers of the Chen family army are martial artists, they are bound to get injured during training. When they are injured, they need to use medicine to treat sprains and bruises. As a result, the medicine in Zheng Bao Lou will naturally sell very well."

"You have a good idea."

Zheng Qing nodded approvingly and said, "From now on, Zheng Bao Lou will be under your management. You can do whatever you want!"

"Thank you, Master!"

Manager Wang's eyes lit up. Managing Zheng Bao Lou was an indescribable attraction for managers under the Zheng family business.

After all... becoming the manager of Zheng Baolou means having the power to mobilize resources, and power is the most alluring thing. Even Manager Wang can hardly resist its temptation.

"This is what you deserve."

Zheng Qing smiled. From the conversation just now, he could tell that Manager Wang was a capable person, and Zheng Qing naturally wanted to make good use of capable people.

"Master of the house."

Manager Wang asked, "Are you going to see Mr. Chen now, or would you like to have a meal first?"

Zheng Qing thought for a moment and replied, "Let's eat first."

"it is good."

So, the group left Zheng Baolou and went to Chencun Restaurant next door.

Chencun Restaurant adopted the model of restaurants of this era, combining the functions of a restaurant and a hotel. The first floor is the dining hall, the second floor is also a dining area, but with more private rooms in a quieter atmosphere, while the third and fourth floors are guest rooms for guests to stay.

After leading Zheng Qing and his group to a private room on the second floor and having them seated, Manager Wang handed Zheng Qing a menu: "Master, this is the menu."

"Ah."

Zheng Qing took the menu and examined it carefully. There weren't many dishes on the menu, but the prices were very cheap. After ordering a few dishes at random, Zheng Qing said, "The food prices in Chenjia Village are indeed low, much cheaper than in the county town."

"Master, you may not know this, but Chenjia Village is famous for its white-feathered ducks and yellow-feathered chickens. As a result, meat is very cheap in Chenjia Village, about half the price of meat in our county town."

Manager Wang recounted the stories with great familiarity. Having lived in the county town, he knew firsthand how outrageous the prices were. It was no exaggeration to say that even wealthy farmers with a bit more land rarely ate meat on their tables.

In contrast, in Chenjia Village, because meat is cheap, even the poorest villagers can occasionally afford to eat meat, while the wealthier families eat meat at every meal and can't live without it.

It can be said that although the common people of Chen's army may not be as wealthy as the rich farmers in the county town, their standard of living is almost the same.

"Yellow-feathered chickens and white-feathered ducks are indeed good things!"

Zheng Qing sighed softly. Of course he knew about yellow-feathered chickens and white-feathered ducks. In fact, the Zheng family had bought a lot of yellow-feathered chickens and white-feathered ducks from Chenjia Village and transported them to the county town for sale. However, due to the long distance, the price of yellow-feathered chickens and white-feathered ducks inevitably increased after they arrived in the county town.

Even so, yellow-feathered chickens and white-feathered ducks were still in short supply in the county town, and almost every day people from the county town would run to Zheng Bao Lou to ask if there were any yellow-feathered chickens and white-feathered ducks for sale.

There's no way around it; compared to ordinary domestic chickens and ducks, yellow-feathered chickens and white-feathered ducks have such obvious advantages: they are larger, yield more meat, and have better meat quality.

It means there isn't enough yellow-feathered chicken and white-feathered duck; otherwise, probably no one in the county town would buy ordinary domestic chickens and ducks.

The dishes were served shortly afterward.

Braised chicken, poached chicken, braised duck, and stir-fried cabbage were served one after another. Looking at the colorful, fragrant, and delicious dishes on the table, Zheng Qing, who had been traveling for several days, picked up his chopsticks and gestured to everyone, "Eat up! Everyone, try the taste of Chenjia Village's food."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zheng Qing picked up a piece of braised chicken and put it in his mouth. The first thing that popped into his mouth was a salty and savory taste. As Zheng Qing bit down, the oil and juices in the chicken burst out and spread in his mouth. The salty and savory broth and meat juices mixed together, making Zheng Qing nod involuntarily: "This braised chicken tastes pretty good."

"White-cut chicken is also good."

Zheng Qiuyan also commented on the taste of the poached chicken: "This method preserves the original flavor of the chicken. When eaten with the sauce, it has the freshness of chicken without being bland."

Unlike ordinary laborers, the nobles of Xia Kingdom preferred light and delicate flavors, and this was especially true for noblewomen like Zheng Qiuyan.

At home, Zheng Qiuyan's diet is usually very light. However, Zheng Qiuyan happens to be a martial artist, and martial artists often have a strong palate. Therefore, Zheng Qiuyan does not resist strong-flavored foods.

This white-feathered chicken has both the natural freshness of the chicken meat and the rich flavor of the sauce, making it very suitable for Zheng Qiuyan's taste.

"The braised duck was alright."

Li Qingyun, who picked up a piece of braised duck, also gave a fair evaluation.

Since he started practicing martial arts, his previously mild taste has become increasingly strong in flavor. He was very satisfied with the rich broth and oily texture of braised duck.

"It seems everyone is satisfied with the taste of these dishes, so let's eat more."

Hearing their comments, Zheng Qing smiled and quickened her eating pace.

The other three also started eating, finishing off the food on the table.