The Daily Life of Farming and Raising Children in Ancient Mountain Residences

Chapter 251: Pork Jerky

Mrs. Zheng’s face paint was smeared askew.

“What did you say?”

“Our Li Qi, that Sang woman from Daxing Village who has been praised by the emperor, has opened a shop in the Eastern Market and is selling things at eight coins a piece.”

With a loud crash, Mrs. Zheng threw a box of rouge onto the floor.

Was it the rouge that was smashed? No, it was her Zheng family’s reputation that was being shattered!

…

Sang Luo gained fame once again, this time in the upper circles of Shezhou City.

First, the limited batch of bread and cakes that was sold only five days a week at the Daxing Village Specialty Store had people raving about it. Those who bought it on the first day couldn’t stop praising it. People who had never seen such things before were astonished by the hype, and those who had tasted it couldn’t find words to describe how delicious and appealing it was.

Second, only those with a bit of background in Shezhou knew that the Zheng family’s exclusive Li Qi, the Sang woman from Daxing Village, had opened a fresh produce store selling tofu at eight coins a piece. The name of the store was straightforward: Tofu.

Eight coins a piece.

With the grain prices several times higher than before, what was the value of this tofu compared to the past? One or two coins?

Those who were at odds with the Zheng family, especially the women who had previously suffered because of Mrs. Zheng and Mrs. Zheng’s bad temper, were almost bending over with joy upon hearing this news. They were even shedding tears of happiness.

The key was that the shop had been open for one, two, and three days, and it was thriving with no reaction from the Zheng family.

Everyone in the city knew, so how could the Zheng family be unaware?

Wasn’t it hilarious?

From Da Qian to Da Qi, in the tiny piece of land that was Shezhou City, it seemed that Zheng family’s era of dominance had come to an end.

With the success of Sang Luo’s two shops, especially in the upper circles, even the usually reclusive ladies were coming out these days. The Eastern Market was too crowded, so they would send their servants to buy tofu, while the shop on Main Street was more manageable.

Of course, they didn’t manage to get any bread or cakes due to their limited supply, but they did manage to buy some honey and cold-eaten rabbit.

Those who had never had bread or cake only inquired about it, but those who had tried it were eager to visit the shop multiple times a day. They wondered why the bread and cakes were only available on the fifth and tenth days and couldn’t be more flexible. Wasn’t it a waste of potential revenue?

Despite the shop being sparsely stocked with only two types of products, it was bustling with customers, with foot traffic surpassing many other nearby shops.

At Daxing Village, the Shen family, Shen Ning was busy with accounts.

The accounts for the collaboration between the Chen and Shen families were managed by Shen Ning and Chen Xiao Ya. The accounts for the shop staff, Xin Niang and Daniu, were also reported to Shen Ning daily. All payments for the produce supplied by the village were handled by Shen Ning, while Sang Luo took care of the major accounts and overarching matters.

When everyone had left, Shen Ning gathered the three bamboo scrolls and then turned to Sang Luo.

“Eldest Sister-in-law, are we really not making any money? I think making cakes isn’t that hard.”

Sang Luo, who was currently making clothes for her unborn child, responded, “First, we don’t have enough flour. Second, making cakes every day is exhausting. You’re saying this now because you’ve only done it once. If you had to do it every day, you wouldn’t say that. Of course, if we supplied cakes daily, we wouldn’t be able to sell them at the current price. Even the best things get tiresome if they’re available every day.”

Shen Ning saw the logic in her words but still said, “But the shop shouldn’t be so empty.”

Sang Luo countered, “Are we making less money?”

“Not really.” The price of honey was high. Before her eldest sister-in-law planted flowers and kept bees, Shen Ning hadn’t known that honey could be artificially produced. She didn’t know the historical price of honey, as wild beehives were often high and dangerous to harvest. Honey was rare and usually sold in town, with only the wealthiest able to afford it.

Although she didn’t know the historical price, their shop’s one-pound jar of purple cloud honey was priced at three taels of silver, and they had been selling it steadily these past few days.

Seeing that Shen Ning was silent, Sang Luo smiled and said, “Don’t worry, the shop won’t stay empty. The jars of gold cherry honey should arrive soon. After we sterilize the jars, they’ll be stocked. Also, the pig we slaughtered should be fat enough. Tomorrow, we’ll ask the neighboring villages if they want to see the difference between slaughtered and unslaughtered pigs. We’ll also check with the authorities to see if they want to take a look. After that, we’ll slaughter the pig, and I’ll teach you to make a few new items to send to the shop. These will keep for a while and will be enough to sell for some time.”

The pig that Sang Luo had slaughtered at home grew much faster than the other four pigs in the same pen. The people in Daxing Village had been paying close attention and knew that Sang Luo’s method of castrating pigs was effective. However, by the time they learned about it, their own pigs were already quite large, so they didn’t dare to take risks and were waiting for the smaller piglets to grow to a suitable size before castrating them.

But the people from other villages were unaware. Early the next morning, Sang Luo asked Chen Ershan and Sanniu to notify nearby villages that they could come and see. She also sent Shen Ning to the Governor’s Office to inform Concubine Fan.

When Concubine Fan heard that Sang Luo had even conducted a castration experiment on pigs, her shocked expression almost made Shen Ning laugh.

The officials arrived quickly, as this was a rare occurrence. Zeng Sanlang, the Chief Official, Chu Qichang, and even the curious Concubine Fan came to Daxing Village. By the time they arrived, there were already at least fifty or sixty people gathered outside the Shen family’s pig pen, all there to see the pigs. As soon as they saw the officials, everyone made way.

Zeng Sanlang and the others easily reached the pig pen. Within the pen, there were five pigs, and now they looked like one father and four offspring… the difference in size was striking.

“Are these all the pigs I brought earlier this year?” Concubine Fan looked at Sang Luo with disbelief.

Sang Luo smiled and nodded. “I bought two male pigs at the time. I kept one as a breeding pig and had Shen Lie castrate the other one, which was a bit more lively. We fed them the same way, and this is the result. The castrated pig grows much faster than the one that wasn’t castrated.”

“Of course, normally, you would select the strongest one as the breeding pig. This was my first experiment. I was worried that the pig with a slightly smaller build might not survive, so I castrated the stronger one. Overall, the two male pigs were in similar condition at the time.”

She spoke in a very matter-of-fact tone, which was fine for the Daxing Village people, but others, especially Zeng Sanlang and the Chief Official, had to exert considerable effort to maintain their composure.

It was quite astonishing. Moreover, how did this young woman come up with the idea of castrating the pig and continuing to raise it? How did she figure this out? What principle was behind this experiment?

While they were puzzled, ancient people were often conservative in this regard, and asking such questions seemed awkward.

As Zeng Sanlang pondered how to phrase his questions, the answer presented itself.

One pig in the pen was persistently trying to mount the sow, while the noticeably larger pig, even with a crowd gathered outside the pen, seemed to have relaxed and was resting comfortably inside the pen.

The group of men suddenly understood…

Zeng Sanlang cleared his throat. “Can we estimate the weight of these two male pigs?”

Just then, the butcher Zheng was present. Without hesitation, he said, “I am a butcher by trade and can estimate this fairly accurately. The castrated pig weighs about 220 to 230 pounds, while the one that wasn’t castrated is estimated to be between 130 and 140 pounds now.”

Wow, an 80 to 90-pound difference!

A seven or eight-month-old pig raised to 220 or 230 pounds!

Nearby, people were already asking Sang Luo, “Sang, our pigs have already been bred. How big do the piglets need to be before they can be castrated? Can Master Shen help with our piglets as well?”

Shen Lie, who was in class at the county school, sneezed.

Zheng Dalang laughed and responded, “Shen Lie is studying, so he can’t be castrating pigs everywhere.”

He turned to Sang Luo and said, “Sang, I’ll learn from Shen Lie later. I’m a butcher myself, so it should be easy for me to do.”

Sang Luo had no objection and smiled, “Alright, you can find Shen Lie later.”

Seeing that the local people were almost self-motivated by the visible difference, Chu Qichang thought that nothing could be a better motivator than seeing it for themselves. He turned to Governor Zeng and said, “Sir, should we send someone from our office to learn this technique? It could be promoted to other counties later.”

With this, Sang Luo’s task was considered accomplished. As for whether castrated pigs had better meat quality, she didn’t need to say anything—once the pork from this batch was on the market, everyone would know.

She smiled and discussed with the Zheng father and son about coming to help slaughter pigs early the next morning.

As the crowd gradually dispersed, the three workers quietly returned to the mountains. With no one around, Worker A said, “Shouldn’t we report this?”

Governor Zeng might report it, but only after confirming it on a larger scale. Their primary task as undercover guards was to protect Sang Luo’s safety, and any significant developments needed to be reported.

Worker B shook his head. “Let’s wait a couple more days. Didn’t Sang Luo say we’re slaughtering the pigs tomorrow?”

Worker A was momentarily confused, but Worker C understood: “Let’s see what they’re making with the pigs.”

As soon as he mentioned this, Workers A and B remembered the aroma wafting from the Shen family’s backyard a few days ago. It had been so tempting that those responsible for guarding the area had gone into the shop to buy and taste it, while the others had only caught the scent.

In unison, the two responded, “Let’s wait and see.”

If they were making something to eat this time, they would definitely ask the others outside to help buy some.

…

At dawn on June 25th, the sharp sound of pig slaughtering filled Daxing Village. Of course, this had nothing to do with Shen Lie and his siblings. Shen Lie, Shen An, and Shen Jin, who had come to help, each carried a specially made burden and, together with Shen Ning, had to deliver fresh goods to the shop on Main Street: thirty jars of gold cherry honey and various breads and cakes. Chen Youtian, Chen Dashan, and Daniu were delivering tofu and vegetables to the Eastern Market.

The city gate had only just opened, which was early. As soon as they entered the city, they encountered Xin Niang waiting for them. Xin Niang, upon seeing Shen Ning, whispered, “A Ning, take the side road to avoid the crowd. The shop is packed with people.”

The three Shen brothers exchanged glances, and Shen Ning’s voice was already filled with excitement. “How many people are there?”

Xin Niang replied, “There must be thirty or forty people. Once you get to the shop, go through the back alley. I doubt we’ll have enough space for everything on the shelves.”

After four days of waiting, everyone knew that the bread and cakes were only available on the fifth and tenth days. Now, the crowd was already there early in the morning, eager to be the first to buy.

As they talked, they took the small road and entered through the back door. Shen Ning and the others quickly wiped the shop clean with wet cloths. Once everything was set up, they didn’t rush to open the shop immediately.

Sang Luo set specific opening and closing times for the shop.

In fact, from the moment they entered the shop, people outside began to hear some noise. Many of them pressed their ears against the door to confirm, and now they were eagerly asking if the shop was open and if they could enter early.

They completely ignored the written business hours outside.

Shen An, curious, peeked through the door crack and almost bumped into an eye that was too close. He quickly stepped back in shock but still saw that there were indeed a lot of people outside.

Shen Jin was fine. Shen An had only heard about the grand opening of the shop; today, he finally saw how popular the things his sister-in-law made were.

In the shop, there was a leak pot. Shen Ning looked at it and said, “It’s about time. Big Brother, let’s open the door.”

As soon as the door was unlocked and the three door panels were removed, someone shouted, “The shop is open!”

“The shop is open! Is there cake today? I can smell the aroma.”

Before the door was fully open, people had already started entering the shop, pushing Shen An to the side.

Shen An: “…”

—

In the mountains behind Daxing Village, Worker A found an excuse to slip into the woods and met up with his companions among the dense trees. He whistled, and his companion jumped down from the trees and handed him a cloth bag. “It’s hard to get, but it smells amazing. Shen Lie is so meticulous. Remember to handle it properly after eating so you don’t leave any scent that might raise suspicion.”

“Got it, got it.” Worker A was nearly drooling, taking the bag and shooing his companion away quickly.

His companion smacked his lips, clearly not fully satisfied…

Oh well, it couldn’t turn into a fight.

“Will they really be making something good today?”

Worker A had already taken a bite and sighed contentedly. “I don’t know. It’s possible. It might just be some fresh meat being delivered to the shop.”

His companion swallowed. “I’ll wait. If they’re making something else, I can’t miss reporting it.”

Worker A looked disdainful. Wasn’t it about the food?

“Well, this thing smells really good. It’s probably better than anything in the palace. I’m really curious about how it’s made.”

They could only be curious. Besides protecting Sang Luo and reporting on developments, they couldn’t pry into the recipes or methods that the Shen family kept secret from the Emperor.

—

On the afternoon of June 25th, after enjoying a delicious treat earlier, Workers A, B, and C were once again enticed by the aroma wafting from the Shen family’s backyard… Sang Luo was at it again, making delicious food!!!

On the morning of June 26th, there was no extravagant scene like on the fifth and tenth days. Shen Ning quietly introduced new products to the shop: pork floss and honey-glazed meat jerky.

Even before she finished delivering the goods early in the morning, the shop had already received its first customer, who immediately wanted two jars of each.

They completely ignored the samples next to them.

Shen Ning was thrilled. With such a good reputation, they didn’t even need to sample the new products!

She quickly helped Xin Niang pack the items for the customer.

The customer, not particular about formality, opened a jar of honey-glazed meat jerky and took a piece, putting it in his mouth.

After a bite and a few chews, his eyes lit up. “This jerky, give me six more jars.”

When Shen Ning heard six jars, she was stunned. At one or two silver coins per jar!

It wasn’t that her sister-in-law’s prices were high; it was just that pork and honey were expensive, and their skills were worth it!

Shen Ning was almost screaming with excitement internally but still reminded the customer, “It’s hot weather. The jerky might only last for about twenty days. If kept for too long, it could spoil.”

The customer nodded and handed over a ten-tael silver ingot.

Alright, the deal was clear. Shen Ning accepted the money promptly, moving swiftly to pack ten jars in a special basket and handed it over.

It was quite heavy.

The customer carried it as if it were weightless, thanked Shen Ning, and walked away.

Shen Ning held the ten-tael silver ingot and was so delighted she almost bounced on the spot!

Her sister-in-law was right: selling high-quality, expensive goods made earning money easy and enjoyable!

She was so overjoyed that she nearly bubbled over with happiness. The undercover guard returning to the capital by boat with a basket of goodies was also thrilled, even after his comrades had taken two jars, leaving eight.

Well, he had good food to look forward to on his journey north.

He subconsciously squeezed his money pouch, “…”

Traveling for official duties was quite costly. The shop had only been open for six days, and he had already spent half a month’s salary. Fortunately, he was the only one eating, so it didn’t matter too much; others couldn’t even get a taste.