Chapter 143 Selling the Tiger
After resting in the cave for one night, Qin Yao and her son separated from Yang Da and his son the next morning.
The father and son had to stay in the mountains to continue hunting, and would not go down the mountain until Yang Xuzhen caught prey.
Before leaving, Qin Yao told Yang Da what she had discovered in this area last year. There were basically no ferocious beasts and the cave was quite safe. They could use it as a temporary base without any worries.
"Then be careful when you go down the mountain. The road is slippery." Yang Da warned.
The mother and son nodded to show that they understood, and then went down the mountain with the prey.
Qin Yao walked in front dragging the prey, while Dalang followed behind Qin Yao carrying his sack and holding the squirrel that was full of energy and ready to bite people.
The two did not return along the same route, but instead walked along the foot of the mountain towards Kaiyang County.
It's an old routine. The first time is new but the second time is familiar. Plus, this time my physical condition is very good, so I don't feel tired even after dragging more than 600 kilograms of prey.
But I always have to worry about Dalang who is following behind me, which makes me feel tired.
The child walks slowly, so she can't walk too fast.
The slope was too steep, so she simply let him sit on the trailer and she carried him and the prey up the slope.
When we encounter a road with cliffs on both sides, we have to tie a rope to him to prevent the child from getting lost while walking.
As a result of this delay, Qin Yao, who could have reached the county town alone in the evening, had to wait a whole night to reach it.
I slept one more night in the mountains, and only at noon the next day did I see the city gate of Kaiyang County.
Fortunately, the temperature in the mountains is relatively low, and Qin Yao preserved them relatively well, so the headless tiger and sika deer are still fresh.
But the price of the meat will definitely not be high, but there is still some room for negotiation on the tiger skin.
This time, Qin Yao learned from last year's experience and covered the prey with branches so that no one could tell what kind of beast she had killed.
After paying the entrance fee for both, the mother and son entered the city in a low-key manner.
There was no market today, so there were not many people on the street. Qin Yao thought of Manager Fan and led Dalang directly to the back door of the restaurant.
"Auntie, why do we go through the back door?" Dalang asked puzzledly.
Qin Yao: "Going through the front door will affect other people's business."
Dalang nodded, he learned something new.
The little squirrel was so upset that it fell listlessly into his arms. It might also be hungry, after all, it hadn't eaten for two days.
Dalang wanted to feed it some fruit picked from the tree, but it refused to eat any and only drank water. How could it have the energy to make a fuss?
Qin Yao put the prey on the ground, patted her messy clothes, and smoothed her tangled hair. Then she stepped forward and rang the copper ring on the door.
I waited for a long time before someone came to open the door. It was the apprentice of the chef in the kitchen.
"Madam Qin?" The young apprentice was shocked. If he hadn't recognized Qin Yao, he would have thought that two beggars had come to beg for food.
Qin Yao waved helplessly, asking him to come out, "I'll show you something good!"
When the branches covering the prey were lifted, the golden fur was revealed. The apprentice's eyes widened instantly and he took two breaths of excitement. He was speechless and could only gesture to Qin Yao to wait while he went to get the shopkeeper over.
After a while, both Manager Fan and the chef came. When they saw the tiger's body on the dragline, they were so shocked that they took two steps back.
They all looked at Qin Yao, and when they saw her waving her hand to indicate that she was dead, they dared to move closer and carefully examine the fur and the bloody tiger neck to see if the meat was still fresh.
Since they were all acquaintances, Qin Yao did not hide the death dates of the sika deer and the tiger, and said truthfully:
"They died at dusk the day before yesterday, less than 24 hours ago. I applied a layer of salt to the wounds. If it is well preserved, the meat will be delicious when cooked before noon tomorrow."
The chef in the kitchen asked curiously, "Madam Qin, where is the tiger head?"
Dalang, carrying a sack on his back, took a step back behind Qin Yao nervously, fearing that they would know that the tiger head was from him and wanted to buy it.
Unfortunately, as soon as he moved, he was discovered.
When we just entered the city gate, the two guards also found the bloody sack, so naturally we had to check it out.
Then there was a burst of gasps.
Fearing that they would stop him, Qin Yao gave each of them an extra ten cents, and was then able to enter the city smoothly.
When Qin Yao saw that they had found the tiger head, she said bluntly, "I want to take this head home. I won't sell it."
Anyway, it doesn't affect the tiger skin.
But the price must be lowered, and Manager Fan asked for ninety taels of silver.
Excluding the tiger's head, it only weighed about 480 kilograms, and the sika deer weighed about 110 to 120 kilograms. Manager Fan was too lazy to weigh them, as they were just extra parts for the tiger.
Seeing that Qin Yao was not very satisfied with the price, Manager Fan explained with a wry smile:
"If you had delivered it yesterday evening, I could have raised the price of the meat a little, but yours is a headless corpse, and it's hard to find a buyer for this skin."
Qin Yao didn't want to say anything more. If it weren't for Dalang, she might not have encountered this tiger.
"Okay, that's it. I'll help you move in."
Shopkeeper Fan happily instructed, "Remember to help me peel the skin off."
The chef in the kitchen also said excitedly: "I will make braised pork noodles for you two after I'm done. I just happened to have some leftover marinade from this morning. This one is made with lots of spices, it's expensive!"
Qin Yao responded in the courtyard: "Okay, remember to make five servings for me, and I won't charge you for killing the tiger!"
The chef looked annoyed, "I almost forgot you have such a big appetite."
Turning around, she saw Dalang still standing at the door. She waved to him to come in and closed the back door to prevent the noise from being heard by the restaurant opposite.
Today, they wanted to catch the other side off guard!
This was tiger meat, and in their small county, they might not get to eat it once in decades.
Qin Yao spread out the prey, put the rack on which the apprentice took it out and threw it away, then walked into the kitchen, picked out a handy knife, and peeled off the tiger's skin completely.
Seeing that Shopkeeper Fan was about to take it away, Qin Yao thought of her own tiger head and asked hurriedly, "Shopkeeper Fan, who are you going to give this leather to?"
Knowing what she wanted to do, Shopkeeper Fan waved to Dalang who was squatting by the door and said, "Bring the tiger head here. I'll ask someone to get it for you. Next time you go to the city, come and get it from me."
Qin Yao asked: "How much?"
"Five hundred coins. I'll deduct it directly from the silver I gave you." After saying that, he took the tiger skin and head and hurried away.
After finishing the skin in his hands, he still has to hang up today's tiger meat sign.
While Qin Yao was dealing with the prey, Dalang sat obediently in the yard holding the little squirrel.
When Qin Yao was done, the stewed pork noodles made by the chef were served in a large bowl, and he said, "Eat it while it's hot!"
The aroma of braised meat filled the backyard, covering up the bloody smell. The diced pork belly was cooked in the brine until it was crystal clear. It was spread on the white noodles and garnished with a handful of green onions. It was delicious and fragrant.
Dalang, whose stomach was rumbling with hunger, stared with his eyes wide open.
Qin Yao looked calm, but her hands moved quickly. She asked the kitchen for a ceramic bowl and gave a full bowl to Dalang, "Eat quickly."
He picked up the basin and enjoyed it.
The small backyard was filled with the aroma of braised pork noodles and the happy sounds of mother and son slurping noodles.
After finishing a bowl of noodles, Shopkeeper Fan took out the silver, bringing the mother and son's journey of experience to a perfect end.
(End of this chapter)