Chapter 823 Preparations for the Opening (Part 2)
Not far from the stall selling shark fin is the stall selling pork, a medium-sized butcher case, behind which is a 1.67 meter long shelf fixed with wooden pillars. , there are fans of pork of different sizes hanging on the shelves, and two pig heads are placed on the shiny meat table.
A wooden rectangular butcher stall sign hung on the wooden pillar, with the four characters "Zhang Fei Butcher Shop" written on it. The simple and elegant seal script was written by a famous artist at first glance, and it immediately attracted Zhu Ping'an's attention. eyeball.
This sign was passed down from his ancestors, and it is now the third generation. It is said that his ancestors got lucky. An official forgot to bring money when buying meat, so he paid for the meat with words. Give him this sign written by his ancestors.
"If you are fat or thin, you will be healthy and live longer." "Stir-fry with lean meat, and the love between husband and wife." "Boil soup with bones, and you will be healthy."
There was a shirtless butcher standing behind the meat case. He looked like a standard ancient butcher, with a fat head, big ears and a beard. He had a towel on his shoulders. He held a meat knife in each hand, one for deboning and the other for chopping meat. He has a thick knife, is full of energy to solicit business, and laughs heartily from time to time when answering people.
"Zhang Tu, bring me three kilograms of pork belly, wrapped in lotus leaves. Today is my father-in-law's birthday, and I want to take it back to visit relatives." A man in his forties came carrying two fish. Go to the meat stall and say to Butcher Zhang.
It turns out that the owner of Zhang Fei’s Butcher Shop is really named Zhang. Zhu Ping’an couldn’t help but smile when he heard this and stopped in front of the butcher shop.
"Haha, okay. Brother Liu often comes to take care of my business. Today, I, Old Zhang, will cut you two more taels, which can be considered a token of my gratitude." Butcher Zhang replied, smiling and talking to him. The man surnamed Liu spoke, and while he kept moving his hands, he cut a piece of pork belly with one knife.
After cutting it, Butcher Zhang hooked the meat with a scale, and the scale was set to three pounds, two ounces, not too much, not too little, which was just right.
Then he skillfully wrapped it in lotus leaves, tied it with fine hemp rope, and handed it to the man surnamed Liu.
"Then I will thank Zhang Tu for my father-in-law. I will come to you next time to buy meat." The man surnamed Liu took the meat and thanked him.
"That's a good relationship. Thank you Brother Liu for taking care of the business." Butcher Zhang sent the man surnamed Liu away with a smile.
"Master, what kind of meat shop do you want to go to?"
After the man surnamed Liu left, Butcher Zhang enthusiastically recruited Zhu Pingan and his party who were standing in front of the meat stall.
"How to sell pork now?" Zhu Pingan asked.
"Pork belly is 20 cents per catty, and front and rear leg meat is 18 cents per catty. If you want more, you can get one or two cents cheaper per catty." Butcher Zhang explained.
Well, Zhu Pingan nodded slightly, and he knew about the same thing. A pound of pork belly is equivalent to about 12 yuan, and the front and rear legs are almost 11 yuan, which is generally cheaper than modern prices. Quite a few.
However, the price of pork parts is very different in ancient times and modern times. In modern times, the price of pork belly is cheaper, and the front and rear legs are more expensive. However, in ancient times, the price was reversed. Pork belly It is more expensive than the front and rear leg meat.
That is to say, in ancient times, fat meat was more expensive than lean meat. Whether it was pork, mutton, or beef, fat meat was more expensive than lean meat.
"Water Margin" recorded such a scene: The three Ruan brothers once invited military advisor Wu Yong to a meal in a tavern. After entering the restaurant, they asked the waiter what he wanted to eat with the wine. The waiter replied: "I have just slaughtered a ox, and I have flower cakes." It looks like fat meat." Ruan Xiaoer was immediately excited when he heard about the fat meat. He slapped the table and told the waiter: "Cut it into ten pounds in large chunks!"
The recipes of the emperor and his concubines recorded in the "Qing Palace Archives" generally include fat chicken, fat sheep, and fat duck. , fat goose, etc. Basically, the famous imperial dishes on the menu are inseparable from fat meat.
In addition, the "Book of Rites" records the way to entertain guests: "The right side is plump in winter, and the right side is flat in summer." What they say is that in winter, when there is a lot of fat in the belly of the fish, the fish belly should be facing the guests; in summer, when there is a lot of fat in the fins, the fish should be facing the guests.
Records such as these all illustrate that the ancients valued fat.
This is because the eating habits of ancient people are different from those of modern people. Ancient people liked to eat fat meat and considered fat meat to be more valuable than lean meat. This has a lot to do with the living standards of the ancients. It’s not that the old people didn’t pay attention to health preservation, but because the living standards in ancient times were not high and materials were relatively scarce. Most people struggled to have enough food and clothing, so naturally they didn’t consider health preservation and weight loss. High-level pursuits. From the taste point of view, fatty meat is more fragrant and satiating than lean meat, so the ancients favored fatty meat. From a caloric point of view, fat meat contains more calories than lean meat. Eating a pound of fat meat requires more calories than eating a pound of lean meat, and it is more resistant to hunger.
Another point is that fat meat can produce meat. The ancients liked to buy fat meat. The market determines the price, so fat meat is naturally more expensive.
"Well, okay, give me four pounds of pork belly and one pound of hind leg meat." Zhu Pingan nodded.
"You can give me a cheaper price." Liu Dadao then said to Butcher Zhang, "We will be big customers in the future. If you can afford it, we will often come to take care of your business."
"Okay. I'll give you 1 cent cheaper for the pork belly and 2 cents cheaper for the hind legs?" Butcher Zhang responded cheerfully.
"Just so-so." Liu Dadao said casually.
"One pound of pork belly is 19 Wen, four pounds is 80 minus four, which is 76 Wen, and one pound of hind leg meat is 16 Wen, which adds up to 92 Wen. This is the first time you have taken care of my business, so I will wipe off the change for you. I'll charge you 90 cents." Butcher Zhang was slower to calculate, but he was very accurate. After finishing the calculation, he added a small change of two cents.
Hearing that another two cents had been wiped out, Liu Dadao was very satisfied and said to Butcher Zhang, "We will take care of your business in the future."
Zhu Ping'an also nodded with a smile. nod.
"Thank you." Butcher Zhang thanked him with a smile, then turned around and cut off a large piece of pork belly and another piece of lean meat on the hanging meat fan.
After cutting the meat, weigh it and turn the scale beam to Zhu Ping'an and the others. The crosshair shows that it is enough to weigh enough. After confirming that it was correct, Butcher Zhang skillfully wrapped it up in lotus leaves. Zhu Pingan was about to take it over when Liu Dao and Liu Dachui on the side took it over without any hesitation. They smiled and said that they would just leave the rough work to them.
There was no one else at the meat stall at this time, and chatting would not delay the business. Liu Dadao praised Butcher Zhang's knife skills. Butcher Zhang smiled proudly and said that he had practiced cutting meat for twenty years. .
While Liu Dadao and the others were chatting with Butcher Zhang, Zhu Pingan observed Butcher Zhang’s meat stall. There was a pile of big bones piled on one side of the meat stall table, and the meat on them was very clean. Under the meat stall On the abandoned lotus leaves on the ground, there was a pile of pigs lying in the water, which had obviously been thrown down casually.
"How do you sell this big bone?" Zhu Pingan asked, pointing to the big bone on the meat table.
“It’s not worth a lot of money. Originally, I used these bones as a side dish. There is no meat on them, so I can make soup. The young master bought so much meat from me. If you like these bones, If so, just take a few more, and I won’t take any money." Butcher Zhang shook his head and said cheerfully.
A few are not enough. The soup made with big bones also tastes great. In the future, big bone soup will be used more in fast food restaurants.
"I want a lot, and I will come here often in the future. I can't take advantage of you." Zhu Pingan shook his head slightly.
"Young Master, you think this is good. If you come to Lao Zhang to sell meat and these big bones in the future, as long as you pay ten yuan, all the big bones on my stall will be yours. It’s good to see.” Butcher Zhang said again.
Well, this is okay. Zhu Ping'an is very satisfied with Butcher Zhang's proposal. Ten cents can buy all the big bones at Butcher Zhang's stall. It is a good deal. If you buy it normally, it will definitely be more expensive than this. Much.
Of course, Butcher Zhang also gained a small profit, and the bones originally used to make the head were sold for ten cents. Although it's not much, it's long-lasting. Over time, this is also an income.
"Ten coins, it would be cheaper." Liu Dadao interjected from the side.
Zhu Ping'an was very satisfied with Butcher Zhang's proposal, but he was not in a hurry to express his opinion. He pretended that he had accidentally seen the pigs in the butcher Zhang's meat case, and asked casually, "How do you sell the pigs in the butcher's case?"
“Well, let’s do this, you’ll give me fifteen cents for a pig’s behavior, and I’ll I'll give you all the big bones in the butcher shop for free. To be honest, the pork liver and pig heart are better, and we can sell some on weekdays, but the pig intestines are too difficult to clean, no matter how clean they are. It smells like pig, and almost no one wants it, so if it can't be sold, it will be thrown away." Butcher Zhang thought for a while and said.
"Zhang Tu, you are not serious. Your pig guts are selling as much as pig hind legs. What's the point of pig guts? Pork liver and heart are tasteless. As for the pig intestines, Who eats the smell of sesame?" Liu Dadao shook his head.
"Look at what you said, brother, let's do this. I'll charge you 10 cents for a pig's dirty work. How about I give you all the big bones in my stall for free?" Butcher Zhang smiled sheepishly. , and then said again.
Liu Dadao still wanted to negotiate the price, but Zhu Pingan on the side was already very satisfied, which was beyond expectations.
Almost all for free.
This ten cents alone can basically support the fast food of meat and vegetables.
If you have money, everyone will make it, and Zhu Ping'an has a good feeling for Zhang Butcher, and he will be a partner for long-term cooperation in the future.
"Let's do it." Zhu Ping'an nodded.
With a smile on his face, Butcher Zhang tied up the big bones with ropes for Zhu Pingan and others, wrapped the divided pigs in lotus leaves and put them in the water, tied them with ropes again, and handed them to Zhu Pingan and others. .
To prevent accidents, Zhu Ping'an also proposed to make a pledge contract in the presence of the clerk at the door of the market. Butcher Zhang was happy to cooperate, because this was a guarantee of his power and could guarantee that he would sell pigs that he could not sell in the past.
So, under the witness of the clerk, the two parties made an agreement to pay 10 cents for a pig's water and give away all the big bones for free. The contract also specifically stipulated Zhu Ping'an's right of first refusal.
Thank you all book friends for your help today. Tigress successfully completed the task. Thank you very much.
(End of this chapter)