The Adopted Cannon Fodder Made a Comeback

Just as Sun Jiaming’s hand touched the main gate, it opened again. This time, a young man in his twenties came out. Gu’er remembered him; he had been trailing behind the hotel manager earlier.

"You all, come with me. Our manager is busy right now. Follow me to the back, and we can talk about this wild boar."

The man called out to Sun Jiaming and Gu’er.

Gu’er and Sun Jiaming glanced at each other, a flicker of joy in their eyes. Since the other party had taken the initiative to send someone over, it meant they were very interested in the wild boar and the roe deer. That made things much easier.

Sun Jiaming called out to Uncle Zhao, and they pulled the wild boar into the backyard.

The man who had called them over was named Xiao Li. He was currently staring at the wild boar and roe deer on the cart.

Their hotel was famous in the city, arguably the best. This was partly because they often hosted important people and weren’t open to the general public, but also because you could always find good things to eat there.

A distinguished guest had arrived today. In fact, more influential people would be dining there over the next few days. Their manager was stressing out about what to serve these VIPs.

The one who came the day before yesterday was extremely wealthy, but he hadn’t been satisfied with the food. He even said their hotel was no different from any other place. The manager was still vexed about it, so he was determined to treat today’s guest well. But while he had the will, he lacked the way. They didn’t have any special new dishes or anything particularly rare recently. Who would have thought that a wild boar and a roe deer would show up right at their doorstep?

This was great. Wild boar wasn’t exactly high-end, but it was game. The "wild" in its name meant it wasn’t farm-raised. Even though it might not be as fragrant as domestic pork, it was rare. With this, they could probably save some face.

"Twenty cents a jin. We’ll take both the boar and the roe deer. How about it?"

Xiao Li stated his price. ’They’ll definitely agree,’ he thought. ’Even at twenty cents a jin, they’ll still get a decent amount of money. These villagers have never seen the world; they’ll be floored by the offer.’

Uncle Zhao’s breathing grew ragged. Twenty cents a jin... the boar and roe deer together weighed about 250 jin. Ten jin would be two yuan, a hundred jin would be twenty, so this would sell for fifty yuan!

Gu’er, however, frowned. She knew that in the future, wild boar would be worth more than domestic pork, but right now, it was the other way around.

Premium domestic pork was going for a yuan and twenty cents a jin, and even a basic cut was eighty cents—and both required meat ration coupons. The price he offered was far too low.

"Twenty cents is too low," Sun Jiaming spoke up. "Our whole village went out for this boar and roe deer. We can’t possibly split that amount of money when we get back."

"It’s not low. This wild boar has a piney taste. It’s fatty, but the meat isn’t very fragrant. And the roe deer meat is dark. The price we’re offering is plenty."

Xiao Li didn’t want to raise the price. If it weren’t for the need for something novel, they wouldn’t even want to buy this boar and roe deer. Besides, it was these country bumpkins who were begging him, not the other way around.

"Sir, you need meat ration coupons to buy pork. You don’t need coupons for our wild boar, but the price can’t be that different, can it? I’ve asked around. Right now, wild boar without coupons costs eighty cents a jin. If you can take it all, you’re a major customer, so we can give you a ten-cent discount and call it seventy cents a jin. Twenty cents is definitely not happening."

When Gu’er had time, she would go to the wet market to buy groceries, so she had a good sense of the prices.

"No way, no way. Seventy cents is too expensive. The most we can offer is thirty cents. Take it or leave it."

A flash of impatience crossed Xiao Li’s face. He was confident that if he held firm, these villagers would have to sell. Otherwise, who else would they sell such a huge boar to?

Uncle Zhao opened his mouth to speak, but his son pulled him back, signaling for him to keep quiet and listen to Gu’er and Sun Jiaming.

Gu’er and Sun Jiaming glanced at each other. They both understood that he was trying to pressure them on the price, certain that he had them cornered.

But they knew what they were doing. Haggling was a normal part of the process and would take some time. They definitely wouldn’t sell for less than sixty or even fifty cents; it would be too much of a loss.

Just as Sun Jiaming was about to speak, another person ran over, shouting as he came, "Have you bought the wild boar and roe deer yet? If you have, get someone to butcher them quick! They need to start cooking! The guests out front are waiting!"

Hearing this, Gu’er glanced at Sun Jiaming, who looked back at her. A smile touched both their eyes. It seemed the guest was indeed interested in the boar and roe deer. The manager had even sent someone to hurry them along. The ball was now back in their court.

"What’s the rush! We haven’t even settled on a price yet."

Xiao Li shot the newcomer a displeased look. He was annoyed at the man for shouting. Now he would definitely have to raise the price. If he had managed to buy it for cheap, he could have skimmed a little something for himself.

"Hurry up, the manager is rushing us."

But the man acted as if he didn’t understand the situation, turned, and left right after speaking. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

Xiao Li glared resentfully at his retreating back.

"Alright, how about this: forty cents. That’s the highest we can go. If you don’t want to sell, then forget it."

Xiao Li said, looking as if he’d just bitten the bullet on the price.

"Uncle."

Gu’er called out.

"Aye."

Uncle Zhao quickly responded.

"Let’s get the cart and go."

Gu’er’s voice was calm. Uncle Zhao was taken aback. He thought Gu’er was calling him over to unload the cart, not to leave. He looked at Sun Jiaming, who nodded at him.

"Alright."

Uncle Zhao was an honest man. Although he didn’t quite understand Gu’er’s intention, he was obedient. He walked up, grabbed the cart without a word, and his son, also silent, took hold of it as well, ready to leave.

"Wait, wait! We can talk about this, we can talk! Fifty cents, fifty cents has to be enough, right?"

Xiao Li was getting anxious. If they were to go out and buy wild boar now, it would cost at least seventy cents a jin, and there was no guarantee they’d even find any. He really didn’t want Gu’er and the others to leave, but he still wanted to push the price down.

Gu’er glanced at him.

"How about this. If you buy our boar and roe deer for eighty cents a jin, I’ll tell you a few ways to prepare the wild boar. Methods that get rid of the piney taste, make it delicious, and that no one else has ever tried. I guarantee you’ll be able to treat your guests well. What do you say?"

Gu’er looked at Xiao Li, appearing completely composed.

Sun Jiaming watched Gu’er, slightly astonished. He knew just how famous this hotel was. ’Is Gu’er really going to teach their chefs how to cook? He knew she was a good cook, but could she really instruct the master chefs here?’

’No! Gu’er could do it. He trusted her. Gu’er didn’t make empty boasts. If she said she could, she could.’

Sun Jiaming believed her, but Xiao Li didn’t. Neither did the Zhao father and son.

"Stop bluffing. Our master chef cooks all day and he can’t figure it out, but you can? Heh, that’s hilarious. Do you even know who our master chef is? Even the provincial governor eats his cooking when he comes here. You want to instruct him? Take a look at yourself. Don’t make me laugh."

Not only did Xiao Li not believe her, he openly mocked Gu’er.

***