Not far from the stall selling shark fins is the stall selling pork. It is a medium-sized meat counter with a 1.67-meter-long rack fixed with wooden pillars at the back. Pieces of pork of different sizes are hung on the rack, and two pig heads are placed on the shiny meat counter.
A rectangular wooden sign for the meat stall was hung on the wooden pillar, with the four big characters "Zhang Fei Meat Shop" inscribed on it. The simple and elegant seal script was obviously written by a famous calligrapher, and it immediately caught Zhu Ping'an's attention.
This signboard was passed down from his ancestor, and it has been passed down for three generations. It is said that his ancestor was very lucky. An official forgot to bring money when buying meat, so he used his calligraphy to pay for the meat and wrote this signboard for his ancestor.
"Fat and lean meat bring health and longevity." "Fried vegetables with lean meat bring love to the couple." "Bone soup brings health..."
Behind the butcher counter stood a shirtless butcher, who looked like a standard ancient butcher, with a fat head, big ears, and a beard. A towel was draped over his shoulder, and he held a meat knife in each hand, one was a sharp knife for boning, the other a thick knife for chopping meat. He was energetically soliciting business, and laughed heartily from time to time when he answered people.
"Zhang the butcher, give me three pounds of pork belly and wrap it in lotus leaves. Today is my father-in-law's birthday and I want to take it back to visit my relatives." A man in his forties came to the meat stall carrying two fish and said to Zhang the butcher.
Zhang Fei Butcher Shop... ... It turns out that the boss's surname is really Zhang. Zhu Ping'an couldn't help but smile when he heard it and stopped in front of the butcher shop.
"Haha, okay. Brother Liu often comes to take care of my business. Today, I, Old Zhang, will cut two more taels of pork for you. It's my token of my appreciation." Butcher Zhang responded. While talking to the man named Liu with a smile, his hands kept moving. With one stroke, he cut a piece of pork belly.
After cutting, butcher Zhang put a scale hook on the meat and weighed it. The target was 3.2 jin, no more, no less, just right.
Then he skillfully wrapped it in lotus leaves, tied it up with a thin hemp rope, and handed it to the man named Liu.
"Then I would like to thank Butcher Zhang on behalf of my father-in-law. I will come to you to buy meat next time." The man surnamed Liu took the meat and thanked him.
"That's great. Thank you, Brother Liu, for taking care of our business." Butcher Zhang smiled and saw the man named Liu off.
"Sir, what kind of meat do you want to take home?"
After the man surnamed Liu left, butcher Zhang enthusiastically recruited Zhu Ping'an and his group who were standing in front of the meat stall.
"How much is pork selling now?" Zhu Ping'an asked.
"Pork belly is 20 wen per pound, and front and hind legs are 18 wen per pound. If you order more, you can get it one or two wen cheaper per pound," explained butcher Zhang.
Well, Zhu Ping'an nodded slightly. It was similar to what he knew. One pound of pork belly was equivalent to about 12 yuan, and the front and hind legs were about 11 yuan. Generally speaking, it was much cheaper than the modern price.
However, the prices of pork parts are very different in ancient times and modern times. In modern times, pork belly is cheaper, while front and hind legs are more expensive. However, in ancient times, it was just the opposite. Pork belly was more expensive than front and hind legs.
That is to say, in ancient times, fat meat was more expensive than lean meat. Whether it was pork, mutton, or beef, fat meat was more expensive than lean meat.
The Water Margin records such a scene: The three Ruan brothers once invited their military advisor Wu Yong to dinner in a tavern. After entering the tavern, they asked the waiter what kind of snacks were available. The waiter replied, "We just slaughtered a yellow cow, and the flower cake is similar to good fat meat." When Ruan Xiaoer heard about the fat meat, he immediately slapped the table excitedly and ordered the waiter, "Cut ten pounds of big pieces!"
The recipes of the emperor and his concubines recorded in the "Qing Palace Archives" commonly record ingredients such as fat chickens, fat lambs, fat ducks, fat geese, etc. Basically, the famous imperial meals on the menu are inseparable from fat meat.
In addition, the Book of Rites records the way to entertain guests: "In winter, the fish belly is fatter, and in summer, the fin is on the right side." This means that in winter, the fish belly is fatter, so the belly should be facing the guests; in summer, the fish fin is fatter, so the fin should be facing the guests.
There are countless records like this, all of which illustrate that the ancients valued fatty meat.
This is because the eating habits of the ancients were different from those of modern people. The ancients liked to eat fatty meat and believed that fatty meat was more valuable than lean meat. This has a lot to do with the living standards of the ancients. It is not that the ancients did not pay attention to health preservation, but because the living standards in ancient times were not high and materials were relatively scarce. Most people were struggling to make ends meet, so they naturally would not consider high-level pursuits such as health preservation and weight loss. From the taste point of view, fatty meat is more fragrant and more satisfying than lean meat, so the ancients favored fatty meat. From the calorie point of view, fatty meat contains more calories than lean meat. Eating a pound of fatty meat consumes more calories than eating a pound of lean meat, and it can resist hunger better.
Another point is that fat can be used to build muscle. Ancient people liked to buy fat, and the market determined the price, so fat was naturally expensive.
"Well, that's fine. Give me four pounds of pork belly and one pound of hind leg meat." Zhu Ping'an nodded.
"Give us a discount." Liu Dadao immediately said to Zhang the butcher, "We will be your big customers in the future. If you are generous, we will come to take care of your business more often."
"Okay. I'll give you a discount of 1 cent per pound on the pork belly and 2 cents per pound on the hind leg meat. Is that okay?" Butcher Zhang responded readily.
"It's okay." Liu Dadao said casually.
"Pork belly is 19 wen per pound, four pounds is 80 minus four is 76 wen, and one pound of hind leg meat is 16 wen, which adds up to... 92 wen. This is the first time you've done business with me, Zhang, so I'll round off the decimal point and charge you 90 wen." Butcher Zhang was a little slow in calculating, but very accurate. After he finished, he rounded off two wen per pound.
Hearing that he had received another two cents in change, Liu Dadao was very satisfied and said to Zhang the butcher, "We will come to take care of your business in the future."
Zhu Ping'an also smiled and nodded.
"Thank you." Butcher Zhang thanked with a big laugh, then turned around and cut off a large piece of pork belly and a piece of lean meat from the hanging meat fan.
After cutting the meat, he weighed it and turned the scale towards Zhu Ping'an and his team. The sight showed that it was the right amount. After confirming that it was correct, Butcher Zhang skillfully wrapped it in lotus leaves. Zhu Ping'an was about to take it, but Liu Dadao and Liu Dachui took it first without hesitation, and said with a smile that they would do the rough work.
There was no one else at the meat stall at the moment, and chatting would not delay business, so Liu Dadao praised Zhang the Butcher's knife skills. Zhang the Butcher smiled proudly and said that he had acquired this skill after twenty years of cutting meat.
While Liu Dadao and the others were chatting with Zhang the Butcher, Zhu Ping'an was observing Zhang the Butcher's meat stall. On one side of the stall was a pile of large bones with the meat on them cleaned very cleanly. On the discarded lotus leaves on the ground below the stall was a pile of pig offal, which had obviously been thrown there casually.
"How much is this big bone?" Zhu Ping'an asked, pointing to the big bone on the butcher's counter.
"They are not worth much money. I just used these bones as replacements. There is no meat on them, but they can be used to make soup. Sir, you bought so much meat from me. If you like these bones, just take a few more. I won't accept any money for them." Butcher Zhang shook his head and said readily.
A few are not enough. The soup made with big bones tastes great. Big bone soup will be used a lot in fast food restaurants in the future.
"I want a lot and I will come often in the future. I can't take advantage of you." Zhu Ping'an shook his head slightly.
"Sir, how about this? If you come to my stall to sell meat in the future, you only need to give me ten cents and all the bones on my stall will belong to you. How about this?" Butcher Zhang said again.
Well, this is fine. Zhu Ping'an was very satisfied with Zhang the Butcher's proposal. Ten cents could buy all these big bones on Zhang the Butcher's stall, which was very cost-effective. If he bought them normally, it would definitely be much more expensive than this.
Of course, Zhang the butcher also made a small profit, selling the bones for the fork for ten coins. Although it is not much, it is valuable to persist, and over time, it is also an income.
"Return ten cents, or make it cheaper." Liu Dadao interrupted.
Zhu Ping'an was very satisfied with Zhang the Butcher's proposal, but he was not in a hurry to express his opinion. He pretended to see Zhang the Butcher unloading the pig offal and asked casually, "How much is the pig offal?"
"Well, how about this? You give me fifteen cents for a pair of pig offal, and I'll give you all the big bones in my butcher shop for free. To be honest, pig livers and hearts are better, and they can be sold on weekdays, but pig intestines are too difficult to clean. Even if they are cleaned very cleanly, there will still be a smell of pigs. Basically no one wants them, and usually they are thrown away if they can't be sold." Butcher Zhang thought for a while and said.
"Butcher Zhang, you are not honest. You are selling pig offal for as much as pig hind legs. What's the point of eating pig offal? Pig liver and pig heart have no taste. As for the smell of pig large intestine, who would eat it?" Liu Dadao shook his head.
"Look at what you said, brother. How about this? I'll charge you 10 cents for a piece of pig offal, but I'll give you all the big bones on my stall for free, okay?" Butcher Zhang smiled embarrassedly and said.
Liu Dadao still wanted to bargain, but Zhu Pingan on the side was already very satisfied, which was beyond his expectations.
Almost all of them were given away for free.
These ten cents alone can basically buy a meal of meat in a fast food restaurant.
Everyone can make money, and Zhu Ping'an has a good impression of Zhang the Butcher, and he thinks he can be a long-term partner in the future.
"Okay then." Zhu Ping'an nodded.
Butcher Zhang tied up the big bones with ropes and gave them to Zhu Ping'an and the others with a smile on his face. He then wrapped the cut pork offal with lotus leaves, tied them up with ropes again, and handed them to Zhu Ping'an and the others.
To prevent accidents, Zhu Ping'an proposed to sign a pawn contract under the witness of the clerk at the entrance of the vegetable market. Butcher Zhang was happy to cooperate because it was a guarantee of his power and could ensure that he could sell the pig offal that he could not sell before.
Therefore, under the witness of a minor official, both parties signed an agreement that a pair of pig offal would be sold for 10 cents and all the large bones would be given away for free. The contract also specifically stipulated Zhu Ping'an's right of first refusal.