Chapter 52: Domineering Slogan

Chapter 52: Chapter 52: Domineering Slogan

Feng Si figured that since she was already there, she might as well go ahead and teach them how to package the pickled cabbage, which would be ready in a few days.

The small ceramic jars for the pickled cabbage had to be boiled in water to be sterilized before being filled. This way, they could be stored for several months.

In fact, she had previously asked the City Lord to purchase sterilization equipment. The automatic canning machine they had here was excellent for the job.

Unfortunately, Yang Wen’s answer at the time was that they had no money. A single machine cost fifty million coins, and the City Lord Mansion couldn’t afford it.

So, Feng Si could only resort to this old-fashioned preservation method. Back then, she had thought to herself, ’If it comes down to it, when the cold season arrives, we could just freeze it outside to preserve it.’

But she had never tested it. She didn’t know if this type of wild mustard green would become tastier the more it froze, like the pickled cabbage of the north, or if it would just turn into mushy, sour leaves.

Unwilling to gamble, Feng Si didn’t propose the idea. She had Yang Wen follow her instructions for high-temperature sterilization by boiling and then portion out the pickled cabbage. "I’m going to sell the pickled cabbage for 1,500 coins a jar!" Niu Ding declared greedily from the side.

Yang Wen’s mouth fell open into a perfect O and stayed that way for a moment. ’The master... he really is a simple-minded Beastman.’

To be honest, he had thought the same thing when the City Lord first sought to cooperate with this sub-female, Feng Si. But since even the City Lord’s closest Finance Officer couldn’t dissuade him, Yang Wen could only follow orders.

Facing the City Lord, whose face was flushed with excitement as he was lost in fantasies of getting rich, Yang Wen shot a sideways glance at Feng Si.

’If the food we’ve worked so hard on for days doesn’t sell, he’ll probably behead this sub-female swindler first!’

Feng Si glanced at Niu Ding in silence.

As his partner, she had purposefully held back, not teaching him her cooking techniques for roast meat and other dishes. For now, she had only taught them how to make Green Potato and pickled cabbage.

Worried the City Lord might go back on his word, she had Mao Qiu, who only made roast meat and boiled meat, leave ten portions of roast meat for the City Lord Mansion every day. This kept the City Lord hooked, making him reluctant to give up the roast meat and turn on her.

However, this also meant that since she was only providing the techniques, the rest was out of her hands. So she could only watch helplessly as such an absurd price was set.

「 ... 」

At the end of the last month of the dry season, two exorbitantly priced food items appeared in a shopping center in Nantong City’s North District.

In a bright, transparent shop named Si Shi, the glass windows were polished to a sparkle, clearly revealing the jars and small cloth bags lining the shelves inside. At the entrance hung a large, shiny red sign, personally written by Niu Ding:

The one and only. Come if you’re rich enough!

Nantong City—Niu Ding.

Among the wealthy Beastman circles, no one was truly poor. Although the prices for Green Potato and pickled cabbage were steep, they were only mid-range compared to food imported from other cities, let alone luxury goods like jewelry and clothing.

As long as a product was unique enough, there would always be Beastmen to buy it. The condescending slogan, in particular, provoked everyone to rush into the store.

"These are the two foods the Lord City Lord absolutely loves and eats every day! They really do look unique."

"Food, packaged so cleanly and displayed on a shelf? Aren’t they usually just spread out on a table for everyone to pick through?"

"I can’t smell anything at all. Well, I’ll buy some to try."

"Holy crap, this is the first time in my Beastman life I’ve seen such a tiny jar of pickled cabbage. It’s crazy expensive, seriously... I have to see what it tastes like."

Passing Beastmen couldn’t help but be curious. For those who didn’t have a family to support, the price wasn’t a big deal. Grabbing a jar wouldn’t cost much—they could just hunt a few more Thick-horned Beasts and sell the meat.

Another group, a batch of sub-females, made a special trip to snatch up the pickled cabbage and Green Potato as soon as they were stocked.

"I tried this pickled cabbage at Mao Yang’s place last time. I got a small portion to take home, and it was absolutely divine stewed with meat. Even my picky ten-year-old cub ate two pounds of meat that day."

"I’ve also heard other sisters talking about pickled cabbage, but I couldn’t find it anywhere in the North District no matter how long I looked. I finally found it here today!"

"What’s this? A food suitable for cubs under one to teethe on? I finally see it today. I’m buying it! Get me ten bags."

Parents were always most willing to spend money on their cubs. Besides, with the endorsement of the sub-female Mao Yang and the City Lord Mansion, everyone who passed by the glass door and saw the food on the shelves snatched it all up. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Then, when a wave of people rushed to buy something, that item would become even more precious, attracting even more people to buy it.

The products were expensive, but not *too* expensive, still within a range most could afford. Even if the prices for pickled cabbage and Green Potato were doubled, they would still be unbelievably popular in the Beast World.

Of course, it must be said that they also tasted great, which was why many first-time buyers returned for more.

There was also the group of people who, after eating something good themselves, naturally couldn’t forget to share it with their friends...

Yang Wen, who had been standing in the shop all day, silently wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth. It was for the coins he had collected, and also for the food he had been so pessimistic about.

’Hiss—I never expected this. I really never expected this. That sub-female actually has some real skill!’

「 ... 」

Just as the City Lord had boasted, the two thousand bags of Green Potato and four hundred jars of pickled cabbage prepared for the day were all snatched up by the Beastmen who flooded the store.

That night, they tallied the accounts. After counting three times, the total was a solid 720,000 coins. Panting with excitement, Yang Wen rushed to report the news to the City Lord.

Niu Ding was equally excited, his eyes turning red. He couldn’t sit still, pacing back and forth in the meeting hall.

He did a quick calculation in his head. He didn’t have to pay for the raw ingredients, but he had deducted the cost from Feng Si’s share based on market price. The cost of the food sold today was only about one thousand coins.

One thousand coins had turned into 720,000 coins!

’Oh, great earth!’

’Am I dreaming?’

’What kind of get-rich-quick opportunity is this?! AAH!’

This first day of trial sales fired Niu Ding up. With a wave of his hand, he awarded Yang Wen, who was managing the affair, one thousand coins as a bonus.

After that, Yang Wen threw himself into the work. He took the two hundred new sub-female slaves the City Lord had bought and joined the workshop. Every morning, he had the City Lord Mansion’s gathering teams collect large quantities of green potatoes and wild mustard greens, which were then brought back to the workshop for the slaves to process.

It was made absolutely clear that these foods belonged to the Lord City Lord, and not a single word about it was to be leaked.

The unique and delicious taste of the pickled cabbage and Green Potato made them beloved foods. After all, any Beastman with coins to spare would choose to satisfy their appetite first.

As word of mouth spread, more and more Beastmen joined the buying frenzy. Each day, the shelves were cleared out earlier than the day before.

But with the City Lord’s involvement, even those who coveted the profits from these two sensational foods in Nantong City didn’t dare to make a move.

After seven days, calculations showed that a total of 22,000 bags of Green Potato and 5,820 jars of pickled cabbage had been sold, completely exceeding Niu Ding’s wildest expectations!