Chapter 61 - Pastry

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

The two of them were in no hurry to go down the mountain. Instead, they discussed the new products they were going to supply this time.

Yu Bing squatted on the ground and wrote on the ground with a tree branch. After a while, she raised her head and said, “I saw that some of the sugarcane fields have already ripened, and some look like they can only be harvested a month later. It just so happens that we can extend the supply time. After all, it’s quite time-consuming to process sugarcane. We can’t handle too many at once.”

Seeing this, Xiao Sheng also squatted down and turned to look at Yu Bing. “For convenience’s sake, if this batch of goods is handed over once every three days, how much do we supply each time?”

Yu Bing said the pre-calculated number, “20 pounds! We have to process at least 400 pounds of sugarcane for 20 pounds of brown sugar.”

Xiao Sheng nodded. “Now, the brown sugar on the black market is one yuan for those without stamps. I’ll try to negotiate to bring the price down to 0.7 yuan.”

The two of them decided on the supply of brown sugar and began to discuss smoked meat products.

Xiao Sheng had never heard of this before, so it was basically Yu Bing who arranged it.

The cooking period for smoked meat was relatively long. Yu Bing and Xiao Sheng explained their considerations. “These meat have to be marinated for 3 to 7 days first and dried for 3 to 7 days. After the water is dried, it will be smoked for about 8 hours. It will take at least 10 days to half a month. I suggest that the prey be processed after they reach a certain amount.”

Xiao Sheng didn’t expect smoked meat to be so troublesome. He frowned and said, “But I often only catch one prey every three to five days. How long do we have to save them before we can smoke them even once?”

When Yu Bing heard this, she couldn’t help but feel vexed. She propped half of her face with her hand as she looked at Xiao Sheng. “Has no one been further into the mountain? Perhaps there will be larger animals like wild boars? Even if there are no wild boars, there should be more small animals in sparsely populated places, right?”

Xiao Sheng pondered for a moment before saying, “Then let’s set up a trap at the depth of the sugarcane field and expand the hunting range from left to right. I’m afraid we’ll enter the Fog Forest if we’re not careful.”

Yu Bing repeated curiously, “The Fog Forest?”

Seeing this, Xiao Sheng told Yu Bing about the legend that no one came out alive after entering the Fog Forest. Yu Bing was intrigued. In her previous life, she had never heard of this legend. “Then does anyone know where the Fog Forest is?”

Seeing that Yu Bing was interested, Xiao Sheng continued, “No one probably knows anymore. This is a legend that has been passed down by word of mouth since hundreds of years ago. I only know that an ancestor erected a monument outside the Fog Forest to warn future generations to prevent anyone from entering by mistake.”

Yu Bing guessed that Xiao Sheng only knew this much, so she didn’t ask further. After looking at the size of the wooden house, she said, “Then let’s make 300 pounds at once! This place is large enough to parch all of them.”

When Xiao Sheng heard Yu Bing’s bold words, he couldn’t help but smile and say, “Then we have to hunt a pig so you can showcase your skills quickly.”

Yu Bing ignored Xiao Sheng’s teasing. After all, one had to have a goal. After discussing, the two of them decided that in order to have meat to smoke as soon as possible, they had to expand their hunting range.

Then, the two of them took the samples and went down the mountain. Xiao Sheng took advantage of the day off to go to the county city openly. After finding Brother Qiang, he discussed the price and supply time.

Ever since he started working with Yu Bing, Xiao Sheng had saved money much faster. This time, he prepared to buy some pastries for his siblings.

When it was Xiao Sheng’s turn, the salesperson looked impatient when she heard that he wanted to buy pastries. However, when she saw Xiao Sheng’s handsome face, she immediately became more patient. “They’re already gone. The next batch will arrive five days later. Isn’t there still half a month until the Mid-Autumn Festival? Now, whenever the pastries are back in stock, they’ll be sold out two hours later. If you want to buy them, you better arrive before we open the door.”

Xiao Sheng didn’t even realize that the Mid-Autumn Festival was coming up. When he heard the salesperson’s words, he suddenly had an idea and ran out of the supply company to look for Zhao Quan.

When Zhao Quan saw that Xiao Sheng was looking for him, he immediately greeted him warmly, “Brother Quan, why are you looking for me at this time?”

The two of them were familiar with each other, so Xiao Sheng went straight to the point. He smiled and said, “Brother Quan, I wanted to ask you if the prices of pastries on the black market are higher than usual during the Mid-Autumn Festival?”

When Zhao Quan heard this, he knew that Xiao Sheng was trying to get a feel for the market, so he said, “It’s indeed a little high. It’s the Mid-Autumn Festival, so people have to visit family and friends. Why? Do you have any new ideas?” After saying that, he raised his eyebrows and smiled.

Xiao Sheng revealed a smile. “I secretly learned how to make a sort of pastry recently. I thought that if the price was good, I would make some for you to sell during the holidays. I secretly learned it for a long time and wasted a lot of materials in the process!”