Zhu Mo bid a hasty farewell and took a sedan chair, turning at three street corners before arriving at the North Branch of Jinling Ji.
Jinling Ji was a restaurant specializing in roast duck. It had been open for over a hundred years, ever since the Yongle Emperor moved the capital north from Nanjing. Its North Branch was the most famous, truly second to none. However, after a long period of peace, Nanjing roast duck had become a luxury. The restaurant’s decor was extremely opulent; wherever red sandalwood could be used, it was. The private rooms were adorned with golden nanmu wood, and the porcelain ware was all of the finest imperial kiln quality.
With such expensive decor, the prices were naturally high. An ordinary person would need three to four fen of silver to eat a meal of roast duck. At that time, a household of five in the Great Ming would only earn four to five taels in total annual income. A single meal consumed a significant portion of that. Who could afford it?
But high officials and wealthy nobles did not consider these things. They only cared about taste and ambiance. A duck banquet could easily cost twenty taels of silver.
And this,
was Zhu Mo’s opportunity.
It must be known that
the most important element for roast duck was the seasoning, and among the seasonings, salt was the most fundamental! Without good salt, the meat would be very gamey during marination, and it would be difficult to infuse flavor during roasting.
Restaurants like this, if they used the finest well salt, would see their costs skyrocket. Therefore, they all used Huai salt, which was considered mid-to-high grade.
Zhu Mo had eaten there once and even crunched on salt granules. This showed it was a pain point!
Once a pain point was found, the matter became quite simple.
...
After alighting from the sedan chair,
he strode into the gate tower adorned with carvings of dragons and phoenixes. The scene before him was truly unexpected. He heard many guests exclaim—
"It's Zhu Mo!"
"Young Master Zhu!"
"Young Master Zhu is here for roast duck too?"
"Has Young Master Zhu returned from Jiangnan?"
"Young Master Zhu has saved countless lives in Jiangnan..."
"Young Master Zhu has such a distinguished demeanor!"
"Young Master Zhu is truly a divine being!"
"..."
Zhu Mo could only smile, cup his fists, and nod constantly at everyone.
The shopkeeper quickly came out from the back courtyard, shouting, "Ah, we have a distinguished guest! Quick, invite Young Master Zhu to the head seat in the private room!"
"Coming, sir!"
Two waiters also came forward to greet him.
And everyone was filled with curiosity—
Could it be that he was really here to eat roast duck?
What Zhu Mo did not know was that in the past six months, he had become the most legendary figure. Any news about Zhu Mo was always about unheard-of marvels and significant events.
A person like this, having just returned to the capital, would come specifically to eat a meal of roast duck? It was likely he had other matters to attend to.
Everyone either stood up at their seats to gaze, or they had already gathered around, smiling warmly. Their thoughts were all the same.
And then, everyone felt their assumptions were correct—
Why would Zhu Mo appear for no reason?
Zhu Mo was seen smiling and saying to the shopkeeper, "Shopkeeper, my palate is rather bland. I cannot get used to Huai salt. Today, please instruct the kitchen to use this bag of salt to marinate and roast one for me..."
Saying this,
with a *snap*, Zhu Mo placed a small sack of salt on the counter. As the opening was revealed, everyone saw salt that was white and fine, unlike anything they had seen before. Not only were there no coarse grains or dirt, but it also shimmered with a faint white light…
The shopkeeper, who had managed restaurants his entire life and was a true connoisseur of seasonings, had never seen such exquisite salt. He couldn't help but dip a finger into it and taste it. As his tongue licked it, his cheeks flushed, and his eyes widened in astonishment, rendering him speechless!
It was not Huai salt,
because there were no coarse grains!
Nor was it well salt,
because there were no peculiar odors, nor any alkaline taste!
Nor was it sea salt,
because there was no fishy smell!
But,
it tasted salty. What else could it be but salt?
This,
what on earth was this salt?
Was it from overseas?
Many guests, seeing the shopkeeper taste the salt and then appear utterly lost in thought, became instantly curious. Many licked it with their fingers and immediately showed the same expression!
This salt,
it was simply perfect!
It must be known that
this was one of the best restaurants in the capital, and many of the guests were high officials and nobles, or their relatives. Who hadn't tasted something good before? Some had even tasted tribute well salt, but compared to Zhu Mo’s salt, it was utterly crude.
"Excellent salt!"
"This is what salt should be!"
"Such excellent salt, but where does it come from?"
"This has surpassed even tribute salt, hasn't it?"
"It must be very expensive!"
"I haven't heard of any good salt from the Jiangnan region..."
"It's more like sea salt, but how come there's no fishy smell at all?"
"..."
Amidst the murmurs, many couldn't help but ask—
"Young Master Zhu, where can this salt be bought?"
"Young Master Zhu, wouldn't this salt be tens of times more expensive?"
"We earnestly request the Young Master's guidance. I'll go buy a few bags tomorrow!"
"Buy it! We must buy it!"
"It's just that we don't know where to buy it..."
"Young Master Zhu, please don't keep us guessing!"
"..."
Zhu Mo saw that these seasoned gourmets had already recognized the quality of his product. He made a decisive move and announced loudly:
"Everyone!"
"If you all like this salt, I will give you this bag to try. Unfortunately, for now, there are only two jin. Please take it back and sample it!"
"To be frank, during my trip to Jiangnan, I set up a salt field on an island. These are considered samples. Since everyone likes it, I will open a salt shop… When the goods arrive in a few days, everyone can come and buy them, hehehe…"
Oh…
So that's how it is, his own salt field.
But with deliciousness before them, everyone disregarded their status and shouted—
"Shopkeeper, for my plate of duck tongues later, use this salt!"
"The one I ordered hasn't been marinated yet, right? Use this one!"
"Mine too, use Young Master Zhu's salt!"
"Shopkeeper, for my plate of braised dishes, give them some of this salt too!"
"..."
Very well!
Good.
The shopkeeper, seeing how much the diners liked it, immediately felt a sense of crisis and simultaneously sensed a business opportunity—
If he was too slow and someone else's roast duck used this salt first, his business would be in trouble! Even if their other seasonings were inferior, this salt alone could put him at a significant disadvantage.
At this moment, looking at the white, powdery salt, he felt a surge of fear. A thought quickly surfaced—
Be fast!
Rather than waiting for others to use it first, it was better to take the initiative!
"Young Master Zhu, no matter how much your salt sells for, I want a thousand jin first!"
With a *snap*,
the shopkeeper pulled out a stack of silver notes from his embrace.
"Here is two hundred taels as a deposit!"
Wow~~
Hiss~~
The crowd immediately erupted in gasps.
Some understood the logic and blurted out, "Shopkeeper, you're too quick!"
"Sharp-minded!"
"Truly a big boss!"
"Perceptive and resourceful!"
"Admirable!"
"Awesome!"
"..."
Some also shouted, "Young Master Zhu, how much is your salt? When your shop opens, my estate will consume your salt every day!"
Following the questions, everyone crowded around, some tasting the salt, others inquiring about the price… Jinling Ji was instantly thrown into chaos.
"When does it open?"
"I'll place an order too, twenty jin first!"
"I want a hundred jin, my household is large!"
"..."
Zhu Mo estimated it was about time. This product launch had been a resounding success. He immediately said, "Everyone, please be patient and wait a little longer… Uh, these deposits, deposits… How about this! Tomorrow at 9:45 AM, I will send someone here to collect deposits. Those who wish to buy salt, please register here on time!"
"Okay."
"Let's do that!"
"In two days, I'll have my steward come down to place an order."
"..."