The reason it couldn't be eaten was very simple.
Tiger meat is valuable.
One jin (500g) of tiger meat sells for thirty wen, while one jin of pork costs only five to eight wen. Even if ordinary families hunted tiger meat, due to their poverty mindset, they would still sell the tiger meat to exchange for ordinary pork to eat.
But Fang Heng and Chang Yan didn't understand this.
They had never experienced having to sell off good stuff just to get money to live.
At this moment, they had exposed themselves.
Fortunately, Jiang Sheng was young and didn't notice these things.
Although Zhang Qiquan sensed something odd, he didn't think too deeply about it. He just explained to them, "This tiger meat can be exchanged for the meat of three pigs, which can feed you for longer and is more cost-effective."
Fang Heng pursed his lips.
Chang Yan looked thoughtful.
"The most critical thing now is how to sell these furs and meat," Zhang Qiquan sighed. "It can be sold in towns, but there are few who can afford it. Going to the county, whether it sells or not, you have to pay a stall fee of two hundred wen first."
Two hundred wen was already enough for an ordinary family of three to eat for half a year.
Who would be willing to hand it over just like that?
At this moment, Zheng Ruqian, who was on the side, spoke up, "Why don't we take advantage of the night and hide it under the vegetables. Let's ask the White Shopkeeper."
Youren Ju was a restaurant, so it could take meat as long as it could take vegetables.
Asking under the cover of night, even if they didn't want it, they could still secretly transport it back.
For now, this was the only plan.
Just in time to go pick up his elder brother from school, Fang Heng washed his meat-handling hands and wrapped the tiger meat and innards in cloth, burying it under the vegetables.
Zheng Ruqian pulled Jiang Sheng onto the donkey cart, and Zhang Qiquan sat on the other side.
They left Wen Zhiyun and Chang Yan at home to watch the house.
The group took advantage of the night to head straight for the county town.
It was Jiang Sheng's first time coming to the county at night. She had thought it would be pitch black and deserted like the towns, with no one in sight.
She didn't expect the county to be extremely lively, with big red lanterns everywhere, people coming and going, eating, drinking, and having fun, extremely joyful.
Even the women from Yihong Courtyard looked more tender than in the daytime, calling people "Sir" as soon as they opened their mouths, and flirting with their eyes when they raised their hands.
Zheng Ruqian buried his head behind Jiang Sheng, not daring to open his eyes.
After much difficulty, they arrived at Youren Ju. There were carriages and palanquins at the door, and the people coming down were all dressed in brocade robes. At this moment, their dusty donkey cart and cotton jackets were so glaringly conspicuous.
Jiang Sheng jumped off the cart. Her free and unconstrained heart felt awkward for the first time.
The difference between poverty and wealth was too stark and bare.
Fortunately, the White Shopkeeper was standing at the door. Seeing her, he walked over with a smile, "Little Jiang Sheng, why have you come so late at night? Do you want to come into Youren Ju to eat?"
Jiang Sheng shook her head like a rattle drum, "Uncle White, I can't afford the food in your shop. I've come to deliver vegetables to you."
"Delivering vegetables in the middle of the night..." White Shopkeeper was clever and quickly realized, "Bring the vegetables in."
It was the private room they had agreed to cooperate with before.
As soon as the package containing the tiger meat was put down, White Shopkeeper narrowed his eyes, with a gleam in his pupils.
Something they had rushed to deliver even in the dark must be a good thing.
But when he opened the package and saw the few black and yellow hairs stuck to the meat and skin, he was still shocked. "This is tiger meat?"
"Uncle White really has good eyesight," Jiang Sheng began to flatter again. "This was just hunted today. As soon as the good meat was stripped, we rushed to deliver it to Uncle White. I just don't know if Youren Ju wants it or not. If you don't want it..."
She deliberately dragged out her voice.
White Shopkeeper gave a helpless, indulgent laugh. "Want it, of course I want it. Just the market price, thirty wen per jin. I'll take as much as there is."
Youren Ju was no ordinary restaurant. The owner's goal was to make it the best and highest-class restaurant in the city. Naturally, the ingredients also had to be the best and highest quality.
Freshness was just the basic threshold, rarity was key.
This tiger meat had both, making it a rare treasure. How could White Shopkeeper let it slip by?
He beckoned, calling the young waiter from last time to weigh it.
A grown tiger could weigh up to 300 jin, but minus the tiger skin, whip, and head, there was still over 200 jin left.
Converted to silver, it was over six and a half taels. If it was 200 jin of pork, at most it would be two taels of silver.
Jiang Sheng glared at Fang Heng, her big eyes full of "Do you dare eat tiger meat again?"
Fang Heng lowered his head shamefully.
After calculating the bill, White Shopkeeper took out the silver money, "A total of 246 jin of tiger meat, converted to seven taels and three hundred and eighty copper coins. I don't know if I should count it together with the vegetables?"
"No need," Jiang Sheng shook her head.
She knew clearly in her heart, half of the money from the tiger meat belonged to Uncle Zhang. The vegetable money was theirs, and they couldn't mix it up.
After receiving the silver, she counted out half and handed it to Zhang Qiquan, keeping the rest wrapped tightly in her purse.
Taking the opportunity, Zheng Ruqian came forward and briefly explained about not being able to collect vegetables.
Having just obtained tiger meat put White Shopkeeper in a good mood, and he also understood the local circumstances. He waved his hand and said, "It's true there are few fresh vegetables in winter. Just deliver a cart every half month from now on. That won't be considered breaking our agreement."
Only then did Zheng Ruqian feel relief.
After settling the vegetable money as well, the group prepared to go pick up Xu Mo in the west of the city.
White Shopkeeper seemed to be hesitating over something. After thinking for a long time, he called Jiang Sheng back, "Little Jiang Sheng, since you have this tiger meat, where did the tiger whip and tiger skin go?"
"If they are not reserved by someone, send them to me tomorrow too."
"Youren Ju won't take them, but I want them."
Jiang Sheng hadn't expected to take care of the whole tiger in one trip. She was extremely happy. When she got on the donkey cart, she didn't even feel the difference between poverty and wealth anymore.
White Shopkeeper saw them off at the door.
The young waiter couldn't help asking, "Boss, you can still make a leather chair with the tiger skin, what do you need the whip for? Hasn't your wife been gone for years?"
White Shopkeeper's expression didn't look good. As an old widower, he had to explain a bit or suspicion would linger.
"It's not for me to use," he said grumpily. "The young master is coming to inspect the business in a few days. I thought he would like it."
Only then did the young waiter suddenly realize, and scratched his head as he walked back into Youren Ju.
He had almost misunderstood White Shopkeeper.
In the west of the city, Xu Mo had waited and waited at the school gate, but the donkey cart with his younger siblings never came.
He was a deep thinker, so he assumed something had happened to his siblings, and was extremely anxious even as he forced himself to stand in place.
Fortunately, it wasn't long before the familiar sound of donkey hooves rang out, and Fang Heng appeared driving the donkey cart.
"Big brother," Jiang Sheng peeked out her little head.
"Big brother," Zheng Ruqian also bared his teeth in a smile.
Xu Mo let out a long breath, his heart settling back into his chest cavity.
He got on the cart, first politely greeted Zhang Qiquan, then looked towards his siblings.
From his understanding, he didn't need to ask before his siblings would scramble to tell him what had happened.
Sure enough, Jiang Sheng and Zheng Ruqian took turns sentence by sentence to let him know the gist of things.
"Big brother, we've saved you a bowl of tiger blood too," Jiang Sheng said mischievously. "Don't forget to drink it when we get back."
Xu Mo's expression suddenly froze.
Driving the donkey cart, Fang Heng couldn't help but burst into loud laughter, the sound carrying far into the dark night.
It was the first time the children had earned so much money, so they were all very happy and excited.
Only Zhang Qiquan deeply furrowed his brows, uneasy feelings lingering in his heart.
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