Chapter 59 Take It or Leave It

Yingtian Prefecture was neither too large nor too small. Within a single day, the name of the Hongwu Distillery had spread through every alley and street of Yingtian Prefecture, becoming the hottest topic on everyone's lips.

"Have you heard? The Hongwu Distillery has started selling wine!"
"Indeed! They were giving out free samples on the street yesterday. You didn't go?"
"My family's sow was farrowing yesterday, how could I possibly get away!"
"Oh, my! You truly missed out then! That wine is as clear as water, fragrant and rich, countless times better than the Lin family's stuff!"
"No matter, hasn't the distillery already started selling? Can't we just go buy some and try it?"
"Right! Let's go...!"

After putting their heads together, a few commoners headed straight for the Hongwu Distillery. By the time they arrived, they were dumbfounded. At that moment, the Hongwu Distillery was blocked so tightly not even a drop of water could leak through. The streets both in front and behind were packed solid with carriages!

"I am the steward of the Yunlai Winery, we want a hundred catties of wine!"
"Our Hongfu Restaurant wants two hundred catties!"
"Our Tangchun Pavilion wants a thousand catties...!"

The stewards and madams of various establishments held up banknotes, waiting at the entrance of the distillery. The clerks inside were already so busy running off their feet that their heels were hitting the backs of their heads, drenched in sweat. They had guessed that the distilled liquor would be a hit once launched, but they never expected it to be this popular! It seemed as though the entire population of Yingtian Prefecture had turned out!

Inside a private room on the second floor of the distillery, Lan Yu, Tang He, Xu Da, Feng Sheng, and the others had all gathered. With the establishment of the distillery, each of them had invested a sum, making them shareholders in the venture. Seeing the business roaring with such immense success, they were grinning from ear to ear, unable to close their mouths.

"Haha! I truly never imagined the distillery's business would be popular to this extent!"
"Indeed! When we arrived just now, I looked at the Lin Family Winery—not a single person was in front of it, and the clerk was asleep on the counter!"
"Same price, only a fool would buy that horse urine!"
"Quite right! If not for His Highness the Imperial Grandson, we wouldn't have known until now that such potent liquor existed in this world...!"

Sitting around the table, the men sipped aromatic tea while chatting merrily.

The door of the private room pushed open, and the little fellow swaggered in with a self-important, overbearing gait. "What are you all chatting about? So happy?"
"Haha, aren't we just basking in the light of Your Highness the Imperial Grandson to make a fortune!"
"Right, right...!"
With Feng Sheng starting it off, the others chimed in.

Lan Yu was just about to say something when he was suddenly drawn by a rich aroma. Shortly after, Fang Wan'er led several clerks carrying dishes that exaped perfection in color, aroma, and taste. One by one, the dishes were placed on the table, instantly capturing everyone's attention!

Brushing shoulders with high-ranking court officials as they were, they had partaken in imperial banquets numerous times. Yet never had they lost their composure like this. From the moment the dishes crossed the threshold, their gazes never shifted away!

"Your Highness the Imperial Grandson, these surely weren't all cooked by you, were they?"

Chang Mao sniffed the enticing aroma, saliva continuously pooling in his mouth.

"Of course they were!" the little fellow said with his hands behind his back, looking quite proud.

Although this era possessed iron woks, cooking methods were single-toned and seasonings were scarce, meaning stir-fried dishes rarely amounted to anything more than being cooked through! They had nothing to do with deliciousness. Even the imperial chefs in the palace made rather mediocre food, relying solely on fresh ingredients to make dishes barely palatable.

The distillery had originally been a restaurant, fully equipped with pots, bowls, and ladles. A few days ago, he had wanted to show off his skills and properly improve their meals, but those two clueless fellows, Zhang Quan and Chen Ying, had delayed him, pushing it off until today.

"Uncle, taste my braised duck heads and duck necks!"

The little fellow climbed into a chair, picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks, and placed it in Chang Mao's bowl.

Chang Mao picked up a piece, popped it into his mouth, and immediately gave a thumbs-up. "Mm! Tender, flavorful to the bone, absolutely superb!"

Hearing this, the others eagerly extended their chopsticks toward the braised dishes!
"Delicious, truly delicious! I never imagined duck necks and duck heads could be eaten! In our household, they're always thrown straight into the trash!"
"Indeed!" Lan Yu and Xu Da said between enthusiastic bites.

Li Shanchang picked up a long, slender piece and put it into his mouth. "Mm! Savory, spicy, numbing, and somewhat crispy—truly marvelous!"

The others followed suit and tasted a piece, their eyes lighting up.
"Your Highness the Imperial Grandson, what is this? Why have we never eaten it before?"
They recognized duck necks and duck heads, but this long, slender item was entirely unfamiliar.

"Duck intestines!" the little fellow said casually.

The chewing movements of the group abruptly froze, and they felt an instant wave of revulsion.

*Ding! Congratulations to the host for obtaining detailed blueprints of the Great Ming iron mines!*
*Ding! Congratulations to the host for extending your life by one month, twenty days, ten days...!*

Only upon receiving the system notifications did Zhu Xiongying notice their expressions. "What is the meaning of those looks? These duck intestines took ages to clean!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, the little fellow suddenly realized. Resources were abundant in this era; even commoners wouldn't eat heads, hooves, or offal, let alone these nobles!

"Your Highness the Imperial Grandson, aren't intestines..."
"Used for holding shit? Eat them if you like, leave them if you don't!"

The little fellow scooped all the duck intestines straight into his own bowl. In future generations, this stuff sold for dozens of yuan per catty. Letting them have a taste in the first place was already a kindness!

The men smacked their lips. Why did this stuff taste more fragrant the more one chewed it? However, having already spoken as they did, they were too embarrassed to ask for more. They could only move on to the next dish!

"Mm! You all must try this, this one is delicious!" Feng Sheng tasted the dish before him, and his aged eyes lit up instantly. The others quickly followed suit with their chopsticks.

"Mm! Delicious, delicious!"
"This is good! The flavor is even more amazing than the duck intestines just now!"
"Both tender and chewy, how on earth is this made...?"

The old fellows waved their chopsticks repeatedly, praising the food between bites.
"Isn't that just the texture of braised fat pig intestines?"

*Ding! Congratulations to the host for extending your life by two months, one month, half a month...!*

Hearing the mechanical voice of the system, Zhu Xiongying could already guess the expressions of the old fellows. They wouldn't even eat duck intestines, let alone pig intestines! Even pork was considered lowly meat in their eyes, eaten only by commoners. They themselves generally dined on chicken, duck, goose, and mutton!

"Your Highness the Imperial Grandson, could you please introduce these dishes to us first?" Li Shanchang swallowed the piece of fat intestine in his mouth and asked with lingering apprehension.

"This is braised pork trotters, stir-fried pork liver, braised pig's head meat, pickled pepper chicken claws, spicy fried chicken gizzards...!" The little fellow pointed to the dishes and introduced them one by one.

Upon hearing this, good grief—they were all made from animal heads, hooves, and offal? Looking at the dishes, which excelled in color, aroma, and taste, they swallowed hard, desperately wanting to curse aloud! Since the food was cooked so well, couldn't he have used some proper ingredients?

"What do we do?" The old fellows exchanged glances.
"What else can we do? Just eat!" Xu Da hardened his heart, rolled up his sleeves, and waded right in.
"Right! Never mind what it's made of, as long as it tastes good!" Chang Mao followed closely behind, wielding his chopsticks like a whirlwind.
"True, true! Opportunities are rare, who knows when we'll get to eat this again!"

The others also dropped their airs and began devouring the food voraciously.
"Hey! Old Xu, I had my eyes on this piece of fat intestine first, why are you moving your chopsticks?"
"With this stuff, whoever grabs it first gets it! I've laid eyes on all these dishes, don't tell me they all belong to you?"
"Old Feng, how can you go and lift the entire plate away?"
"Chang Mao, you're a junior after all, how can you dump the rice straight into the dish...?"

By the time they finished eating, the men were holding the empty plates directly as they devoured the last morsels. When Zhu Xiongying finished the duck intestines in his bowl and looked up, the table was completely bare—nothing was left at all!