Read Novel Full Chapter 899 - 36: Smallpox Prevention
Chapter 899: Chapter 36: Smallpox Prevention
It has been raining persistently in Swamp Prefecture these days. Zhao Yao couldn’t go out to handle matters, so he had to return to Prince Han Mansion.
Honestly speaking, Zhao Yao was reluctant to return to the Prince Mansion because once he did, a pile of things awaited him. Just as he got back, he was "escorted" by Wen Daoji and others to attend court.
During these times, Zhao Yao had been busy outside, so busy that he hadn’t attended court, accumulating many matters. Ordinary issues were typically handled by Wen Daoji and others, but for critical matters, they couldn’t make the decisions, and Zhao Yao had to step in.
At the court session, ministers reported a heap of issues, and even after it ended, many tasks awaited Zhao Yao, causing him much headache. Fortunately, the cabinet had preliminarily handled some matters, leaving it to Zhao Yao to approve them. Even so, as Prince Han, Zhao Yao had to review the cabinet’s preliminary reports before making final decisions.
After hearing the cabinet’s report on the affairs during this period, it was already noon. Zhao Yao hurriedly went to find He Lianfang to have lunch together.
Today’s lunch was mushroom hot pot. Mushrooms are very common in Lingnan, but not many people eat them. In Lingnan, only poor families eat mushrooms, wealthy families do not.
Mushrooms are obviously very delicious, yet only poor families eat them, which is somewhat strange. Wealthy families refrain from eating mushrooms primarily due to fear of death. Although mushrooms are tasty, they are poisonous, and many people have died from eating them. Hence the locals from Lingnan are reluctant to eat mushrooms unless absolutely necessary.
Zhao Yao held the memory of Zhao Yao in his dreams; he knew which mushrooms were non-toxic and edible, and which were poisonous and inedible. He also knew how to eat mushrooms, therefore he wasn’t worried about mushroom poisoning.
"Let’s see if non-toxic mushrooms can be cultivated; later we can sell them inland and to the Western Regions, absolutely profiting significantly," Zhao Yao muttered while eating mushrooms, contemplating business strategies, "These mushrooms can also be dried into mushroom chips, and their taste will be good."
He Lianfang saw Zhao Yao engaged in his business ideas even while eating and shook his head helplessly, "This Swamp Prefecture is filled with mushrooms, yet hardly anyone eats them, and you want to cultivate them."
"Second Uncle, after the trade conference, mushrooms will become hot commodities. By then, the mushrooms on the mountain might not be enough, so they need to be cultivated." Zhao Yao refrained from announcing ways to eat mushrooms currently, planning a spectacular revelation at the trade conference. Once the foreigners taste them, enamored by their savory flavors, they will market mushrooms extensively.
"You’re planning to sell mushrooms at the trade conference?"
"These are good properties; they must be sold," Zhao Yao smirked cunningly, "I’ll make mushrooms into Lingnan’s famous delicacy, turning them into local specialties."
Speaking of local specialties, Zhao Yao previously converted Lingnan’s unique fruits into specialties, such as longan, lychee, mango, etc. However, due to Lingnan’s remote location and inconvenient transport, these fruits couldn’t be shipped out of Lingnan. Even if they were shipped, they would rot along the way. Thus, Zhao Yao considered dried fruits. He planned to make Lingnan’s unique fruits into dried fruit, then sell them inland and to Western Regions countries.
The fruits unique to Lingnan were unavailable elsewhere, so Liang Run earned considerable money over the years merely by selling Lingnan dried fruit.
Zhao Yao, having used nitre to create ice, thought of preserving fruits with ice, enabling Lingnan fruits to be delivered to various places.
Besides making fruits into dried fruit, they could be made into canned goods and jams too. Now with glass available, fruits could be turned into canned goods and jams.
He Lianfang occasionally really admired Zhao Yao’s mind; he could think of a hundred ways to eat something ubiquitous like mushrooms, and each was extremely delicious. Aside from consumption, he amazingly transformed mushrooms into "money trees."
"I plan to create a culinary street in Swamp Prefecture specializing in various local delicacies, allowing outsiders to savor Swamp Prefecture’s cuisine." Besides a culinary street, Zhao Yao intends to build a commercial street, drawing inspiration from the commercial streets in the ancient towns of Zhao Yao’s dream world. "Oh, after the trade conference, I plan to open a mega supermarket in Swamp Prefecture selling items from various regions."
"Supermarket?" He Lianfang heard the term for the first time, unsure of its meaning, "What is a supermarket?"
"It’s a shop, but larger than ordinary shops and sells more varieties than average shops." Zhao Yao laid down his chopsticks, explaining the supermarket concept in detail to He Lianfang, "A supermarket can sell anything you can think of; whatever comes to mind can be bought in a supermarket."