80 Chapter 80: Bamboo Rats Were Different From Rats
“Okay.” Qin Xiaoyao looked at Song Que worriedly before lying down as well.
Then, she continued to tell the story.
It was a new day again.
After getting out of bed, Qin Xiaoyao got busy.
!!
Braving the morning mist, she went into the mountains with Big Girl Li to pick the Chinese Toon shoots. Then, she pushed the goods she had prepared in advance and set off for town.
In the back kitchen of Fortune Mansion.
Qin Xiaoyao came to the back kitchen again and made two dishes for Uncle Zhao and Uncle Fang.
One was stir-fried cured meat with bamboo shoots, and the other was roasted bamboo rat meat.
Of course, she naturally switched the name “bamboo rat meat” with “wild game meat.”
They said that they had found this little creature in the mountains. After tasting it, they found it was incredibly delicious, so they brought it to Fortune Mansion, hoping to sell it.
Uncle Zhao and Boss Fang were both very interested. They waited for Qin Xiaoyao to finish cooking and tasted the dishes on the spot.
“This wild game meat is so tender!” Uncle Zhao was the first to speak.
“There’s also the bamboo shoots. They’re very chewy and have a unique flavor when eaten.”
Uncle Zhao naturally had to show his support for his niece’s goods.
Moreover, these two ingredients were really good.
Even though his niece’s cooking skills were average, the dishes were to his taste.
Boss Fang glanced at Uncle Zhao’s exaggerated expression and laughed.
Uncle Zhao’s expression turned awkward for a moment, and he immediately averted his gaze in embarrassment.
He was telling the truth…
Then, Boss Fang turned to Qin Xiaoyao.
“They are indeed good stuff,” he said.
“I’ll take the bamboo shoots and the wild game meat. Let’s go out and discuss the price,”
Qin Xiaoyao’s face lit up.
“Uncle Fang, please!” she hurriedly said.
At the same time, she gestured with her hand invitingly.
Boss Fang glanced at Qin Xiaoyao, and the smile in his eyes widened. Then, he walked forward.
In the courtyard, Boss Fang sat at the same stone table as he began asking Qin Xiaoyao.
“What kind of wild game is that meat?”
Qin Xiaoyao was stunned.
“Er…” She didn’t know if she should tell the truth.
It was mainly because she found that everyone around her was very afraid of bamboo rats, except Big Girl Li.
In fact, Big Girl Li was also afraid at the beginning. She only lost her fear after hearing Qin Xiaoyao’s explanation.
As for the mother and children trio, they were still afraid even after hearing her explanation.
Fortunately, they were not afraid of processed meat.
It was even more melodramatic when it came to her husband.
He didn’t even listen to her explanation and wanted to puke the moment he heard the word ‘rat’.
That was why she was really worried that her Uncle Fang would not buy her meat after finding out the truth.
“If you can’t remember the name, can you just bring the wild game that hasn’t been processed next time?” Boss Fang continued.
The meat of this wild game was indeed of high quality. If they knew what kind of animal it was, their Fortune Mansion could purchase it from outside.
In this way, even if this girl couldn’t send this meat in the future, Fortune Mansion would be able to make up for it from another source.
If Fortune Mansion could provide this meat in the long run, he could turn it into their Fortune Mansion’s signature dish.
If not, it could only be served as a special dish to distinguished guests from time to time.
Qin Xiaoyao’s expression became even more conflicted.
Uncle Zhao noticed the unusual reaction.
“What is it that you can’t tell us?” he asked Qin Xiaoyao.
Boss Fang also looked at Qin Xiaoyao.
Qin Xiaoyao couldn’t take it anymore when she saw the two pairs of probing eyes.
“Well, it’s not that I can’t tell you. It’s just that the thing doesn’t look that nice externally,” she said tactfully.
“Haha! That’s fine. There are tens of thousands of ingredients in the world, and many of them are ugly, but their taste is amazing.” Boss Fang said with a smile.
“Besides, when the customers come to the restaurant to eat, they will only see the ready-made dishes. Why would they care about what the ingredients look like?”
Qin Xiaoyao’s face was still a little stiff despite hearing his reassurances.
“What if… that thing looks like a rat?” she said.
Behind her, Big Girl Li subconsciously tugged at Qin Xiaoyao’s clothes.
Qin Xiaoyao didn’t move.
...
Both Boss Fang and Uncle Zhao were shocked.
Boss Fang was the first to recover from his shock and said in a clear voice, “It’s fine!”
It didn’t matter if they looked like rats as long as they weren’t rats.
Uncle Zhao also nodded.
“It’s fine as long as it’s not a rat.” He voiced out the words in Boss Fang’s heart.
Big Girl Li was even more nervous now, and she tugged at Qin Xiaoyao’s clothes again.
Finally, Qin Xiaoyao turned around and gave her a warning look.
Big Girl Li then lowered her head and didn’t dare to make any other movements.
Then, Qin Xiaoyao turned around and looked at Boss Fang and Uncle Zhao again.
“It is indeed not a rat, but it belongs to the rat family. It’s called a bamboo rat.”
The two people opposite her frowned.
...
Qin Xiaoyao didn’t stop and continued to explain, “Although bamboo rats belonged to the rat family, their habits are very different from normal rats.”
“This type of rat lives in the mountains and mainly feeds on bamboo. Some bamboo rats also eat Miscanthus and plant stems, so they are completely different from the omnivorous nature of normal rats.”
“Because they only eat fresh bamboo or plants, the bamboo rat’s meat is delicious and has high nutritional value.”
“According to medical records, bamboo rat meat has the effect of promoting energy and nourishing female health, detoxification, curing tubercular infection, and quenching thirst. It has a certain medicinal value.”
This was what one of her traditional medicine students had told her during the apocalypse.
That kid liked to eat bamboo rats. Whenever he was free, he would tell her about the good things about bamboo rats and urged her to take them into the mountains.
Unfortunately, he died on a mission later.
Boss Fang and Uncle Zhao were both shocked when they heard her.
They didn’t expect bamboo rats to have medicinal value.
They were also shocked that Qin Xiaoyao actually knew so much.
Seeing Uncle Zhao’s confused look, Qin Xiaoyao smiled and explained, “Hehe! I heard it from my husband.”
Her attractive husband was a scholar and was quite famous at Cirrus Loft Academy. It would not be strange for him to know such things.
True to her expectations, the doubt on Uncle Zhao’s face vanished.
Then, Uncle Zhao cupped his hands and reported to Boss Fang.
“Sanya’s husband was a student of Cirrus Loft Academy in the past. He is very knowledgeable and is highly praised by the teachers.”
“Since he said that, it should be true.”
Boss Fang nodded his head.
After thinking for a while, he looked at Qin Xiaoyao.
“Does this bamboo rat really look different from a normal rat?”
Qin Xiaoyao nodded hurriedly.
“It’s totally different.”
“The fur of a bamboo rat is softer than that of a rat. The skin can be used to make fur coats.”
“Its eyes aren’t as big and bright as a rat’s, but its head is rounder than the latter.”
“In terms of body size, it’s fatter than a rat, but its movements are far less agile than a rat,” Qin Xiaoyao said quickly.
Manager Fang finally felt relieved after listening to her.
“Deal! Then this meat is 20 copper coins per catty.”
“In addition, tomorrow, you will directly bring a few unskinned bamboo rats. We give you 15 copper coins per catty.”
“I’ll make a decision on future supplies after I take a look at the creature,” he said.
Although he had basically confirmed that the bamboo rat was not a rat, he could only be at ease after seeing it with his own eyes.
As for the meat that the two girls had brought, since they had already delivered it, there was no reason to ask them to take it back.
Since the weather wasn’t too hot now, he might as well ask the kitchen to cure the meat. It wouldn’t be too late to use it tomorrow after confirming there was no problem.
Qin Xiaoyao was overjoyed.
“No problem! I’ll get Erniu to send it over tomorrow!” she hurriedly agreed.