Even though she didn’t have to go out and gather, Feng Si was still up bright and early the next morning. She took out the ten pounds of meat she had bought the day before, cut it into palm-sized pieces, and boiled them in a pot with ginger and coarse salt.
Next, she washed the wild vegetables she had gathered herself yesterday.
After simmering the meat for forty minutes, she carried the pot and her utensils up to the second floor, where cooked food was sold. She paid a sub-female shopkeeper five coins to rent a spot in front of her shop and began to set up her stall.
Not a single one of the passersby stopped.
The sub-female with the neighboring stall saw Feng Si’s setup. A long time had passed, and her own wild vegetables were nearly sold out, yet Feng Si hadn’t made a single sale. A wave of smugness washed over her.
She deliberately raised her voice, muttering to herself, "Some people aren’t much to look at, but they sure are greedy. Selling stewed meat here... Do they think they’re a chef from the Lord Mansion?"
The sub-female selling wild vegetables on Feng Si’s other side heard this. She turned and immediately saw who the first sub-female was talking about. Feng Si was sitting there all alone, with only a hot pot for company. She looked quite pitiful.
She offered some well-intentioned advice. "You should just find a good male beast to be your partner. Then you wouldn’t have to work so hard to earn money."
Feng Si, listening from her stall right next door, couldn’t help but think, ’Is she trying to curse me or something?!’
She blinked. "Then why are you out here running a stall? Is your own male beast not strong enough? Or do you have so many cubs that you have to work twice as hard selling vegetables?"
"You don’t appreciate good advice when you hear it. I am a sub-female who has borne ten litters. I’m only trying to teach you for your own good." The sub-female shot Feng Si a disgusted glare.
Feng Si sneered. "No, thank you. You and I have no blood relation, so you can save those lessons for your own cubs."
The two sub-females were practically sputtering with rage and spat out threats.
"Fine! I’ll just wait and see you haul that entire pot home later."
"Yeah! Your meat probably tastes awful. No one is going to buy it!"
After saying their piece, they glared fiercely at Feng Si, but she couldn’t be bothered to acknowledge them.
Not the least bit worried, Feng Si sat on her small stool, lifted the lid of her pot, and took out a small piece of meat. She placed it on the cutting board in front of her and sliced it thinly. Then, she poured out some crispy garlic and began to eat her breakfast.
A gruff voice suddenly spoke up in front of her. "This stewed meat smells incredible. How are you selling it?"
"Young man, that meat is ridiculously expensive! Don’t fall for it," came the shrill voice of the sub-female at the next stall.
But the Beastman’s eyes—and his heart—were completely captivated by the meat in front of him. He either didn’t hear her at all or simply chose to ignore her.
He stood before the stall like a great wall, staring down motionlessly.
The sub-female stall owner, having been ignored, was left speechless, a knot of frustration tightening in her chest.
Feng Si put down the food in her hand and looked up.
Before her stood a tall, powerfully built Beastman. His canines were long, yet his face had an honest, simple-hearted look. He was staring intently at the slices of meat on her board.
The meat was marbled with fat, its top layer of skin translucent. It smelled purely of a rich, meaty fragrance, with none of the usual gamy odor. Dipped in a uniquely fragrant, caramelized seasoning, the aroma was enough to make any Beastman drool.
"This is called White-Cut Meat. It’s a top-secret recipe from my hometown that’s been passed down for millennia. One piece is 299 coins, cash only. The price might seem a bit steep, but this is the only place you’ll find this taste."
The moment Feng Si finished speaking, two enormous gasps of shock erupted from the neighboring stalls:
"Heavens! Even the chef from Lord City Guard Leopard’s household downstairs only charges 150 coins for a big piece of stewed meat!"
"So expensive! Way too expensive! For that price, you could buy enough raw meat for a male beast’s entire meal!"
Instead of driving away the customer, the duo’s shouting only attracted the attention of others in the aisle. Hearing the absurd price, they all stopped to watch.
"That’s right. There’s a reason for the price. Don’t just walk on by and miss your chance!" Feng Si said, stirring the meat in the pot with a ladle for her customer to see. With the rising steam, the fragrant aroma of the meat drifted even farther.
The Beastmen who had stopped to watch sniffed the air, their eyes lighting up. Someone in the crowd spoke up. "Complaining about the price just shows your ignorance. Deer Horn Beast Meat costs 2,000 coins a pound! 299 coins is nothing."
"And Crab Claw Beast Meat is 3,000 coins a pound. All the females love that stuff!"
"Exactly. Ingredients shouldn’t be judged by price, but by taste. A great taste is naturally worth a higher price." Feng Si smiled to herself. ’This crowd sounds an awful lot like shills, but I swear I didn’t hire them.’
Seeing their smear campaign backfire and turn into free advertising for Feng Si, the two sub-females nearly ground their teeth to dust in frustration. They had drawn a wave of attention to Feng Si for nothing. They wanted to say something to defend themselves, but... the meat really did smell incredible.
They fell awkwardly silent, glaring resentfully at Feng Si’s stall.
The Dog Clan Beastman, Huang Juan, swallowed hard. ’I just sold the fish I caught today,’ he thought. ’I have the coins. I can afford this!’
Without hesitation, he pulled out nine hundred coins and handed them to Feng Si. "I’ll take three pieces. Give me the big ones."
Feng Si took the money and gave him three coins in change. Making her very first sale put her in an excellent mood. She smiled and asked, "Alright. Will you be eating that here, or do you need it packed to go?"
"Here!" Huang Juan answered eagerly.
Feng Si first took out a small plate, lining it with a few leaves of wild vegetables. Then she lifted the meat from the pot, cut it into thin slices, and placed a small helping of crispy garlic on the side.
Before she could even hand it to him, Huang Juan reached out and took the plate himself. He picked up a slice of the White-Cut Meat, dipped it in the seasoning, and popped it in his mouth. The seasoning was the most incredible part—crispy and fragrant with a hint of caramelization. Combined with the tender-chewy texture of the meat, the flavor was so divine he felt like he could swallow his own tongue.
A wide grin spread across Huang Juan’s face as he ate, his eyes practically glowing. He picked up another large slice, dipped it in the sauce, and stuffed it into his mouth. Chewing vigorously while holding the plate, he hastily dug into his pouch with his other hand and pulled out a thick wad of cash.
"Give me ten more orders! Here’s three thousand coins, keep the change!"
"Alright."
Feng Si accepted the money, counted it, and tucked it into the pouch at her waist. She lifted the pot’s lid and began scooping out more meat. "You should try wrapping the meat in the vegetable leaves," she said as she sliced. "It gives it a different, refreshing taste."
Huang Juan immediately tried it. The wild vegetable wasn’t the least bit bitter. The flavor of the meat remained, but the combination was so good it could probably make even someone who hated vegetables enjoy them.
He closed his eyes in bliss and took another bite of the vegetable-wrapped meat.
Seeing his reaction, and smelling the fragrant aroma wafting through the air, the Beastmen in the crowd with the keenest noses could no longer hold back. One broke from the pack and rushed forward, and a large group immediately followed, swarming the stall.
"I’ll take two orders! Here’s 598 coins!"
"I’ll take five! Here’s the coins. And give me some extra seasoning!"
"Three for me! A little extra seasoning, and throw in some more of those vegetable leaves!"
The pot of meat went from having no takers to being sold out in the blink of an eye. Not even the broth was left; the very last customer paid an extra fifty coins just to drink it all.