Chapter 6, Begin Cooking

The owner selling chickens said to Gu Zheng with a smile that the price of the black chicken is not expensive, and is the same as the normal price

About ten deep-sea prawns are swimming joyfully in a specialized aquarium. These are truly wild deep-sea prawns, with an average price of eighty each. If it were not for their rating being classified as subpar, Gu Zheng would not have purchased them at all

Ten bottles of sesame oil, five hundred yuan, Gu Zheng also obtained the address of the sesame oil maker. To Gu Zheng's surprise, this person actually does not have a phone. The female boss said that he does not use a mobile phone at all

These chickens are either of poor quality or low grade, and some are even toxic; this one is surprisingly of inferior quality

Yes, I will take it all, but you must tell me where you got this sesame oil from

You indeed have an eye for quality; this chicken was specially reserved for me by the person who delivered it. He mentioned that it is a wild chicken from the mountains, though I am not sure why it resembles a black chicken. He suggested that I should kill it myself to eat. I have consumed too much chicken meat lately and do not usually enjoy it, so I decided to sell it instead

Looking at the sesame oil, Gu Zheng continuously lowered his head in contemplation, his mind incessantly questioning. Unfortunately, that spirit only gave him a lowly evaluation and thereafter ceased to pay him any attention

Do you want sesame oil? This sesame oil is authentic, cold-pressed sesame oil, and it is very fragrant

The middle-aged woman casually remarked, causing Gu Zheng to be momentarily taken aback. A 250-milliliter bottle costs 50 yuan, which is equivalent to 100 yuan per jin.

On the kitchen countertop, there lay the freshly killed black chicken, clean and pristine. Upon seeing this black chicken, the muscles on his face began to twitch unnaturally again

On the afternoon of the second day, before 4 o'clock, Wang Tao and the others arrived at Gu Zheng's home. Gu Zheng was at home, tidying up in the kitchen. Today's kitchen was different from yesterday's, as it had many more ingredients.

Her voice awakened Gu Zheng, and he certainly needed this sesame oil. After searching for so long in the market, he finally found such a second-rate ingredient, and he could not let it go. Moreover, this is an oil; although sesame oil is prone to heat and not suitable for stir-frying, it also depends on who is using it. Gu Zheng just happened to have the skill to use sesame oil for stir-frying, otherwise, he would not have gone to find someone to press so much sesame oil.

Fifty is the lowest price, it used to sell for seventy!" The female boss noticed Gu Zheng's expression and immediately added.

However, the boss said that there is still a possibility that this is a wild chicken. Having been in the market for such a long time, Qiling has evaluated so many things, and Gu Zheng has gradually gained some experience.

And *Tu* nodded vigorously, saying that he wanted all of them, ten bottles for just five hundred yuan. If this sesame oil is indeed much better than what he has at home, then he stands to gain. Gu Zheng is not a top chef, but his father is. For a top chef, having better ingredients than others allows them to create dishes that are superior, making them more formidable than other chefs of the same level

After wandering for half a day, only a type of small grinding sesame oil was obtained, which did not satisfy Gu Zheng. After storing the sesame oil in the market, he continued his search

This is not a problem, I will get you a box

There are only 10 bottles in total, are you sure you want them all

How much is this oil per bottle

Neither tap water nor purified water can be used for killing the chicken and cleaning. The imported mineral water stored at home was completely used up for this one chicken. Fortunately, this type of water is available in the market, and he went to the supermarket to buy a few boxes. However, the price of this water made him quite distressed, as a few boxes of water were more expensive than ten bottles of sesame oil. If such tests occur a few more times, he would surely go bankrupt. Fortunately, this type of water is available in the market, and he went to the supermarket to buy a few boxes. However, the price of this water made him quite distressed, as a few boxes of water were more expensive than ten bottles of sesame oil. If such tests occur a few more times, he would surely go bankrupt

The price is a bit high, but recalling the evaluation from Qiling, Gu Zheng still made the purchase. This is considered a second-rate ingredient, a level above the sesame oil from his home. Gu Zheng does not know what the difference is between this sesame oil and his own, but since it has been rated as second-rate by Qiling, it must have its distinctions, and the higher price is acceptable.

Pay for the chickens, but Gu Zheng did not allow the boss to kill them. The water source here can be rated as toxic; if they wash the chickens with this water, then the chickens cannot be used and can only be killed by him when he returns home

His words were heard by several other customers, who shook their heads in unison. How could a wild chicken resemble a black-boned chicken like this? It was clear that Gu Zheng was trying to deceive him with a young bird. This chicken was quite small, with its head drooping, looking more like a sickly bird. They absolutely would not want it, but since it did not concern them, none of them reminded Gu Zheng.

Using the remaining chicken thighs and wings with a substantial amount of meat, I will prepare honey-glazed chicken with honey. This method may seem a bit unusual, but due to limited ingredients, it can only be done this way

Not long after, Gu Zheng received another surprise; this time he bought a live black-boned chicken. This black-boned chicken seemed somewhat different from the usual ones, appearing smaller in size and looking rather lethargic.

The shop owner was a middle-aged woman in her forties. Seeing Gu Zheng standing there motionless with a bottle of sesame oil, she simply approached and asked a question.

Several people were brought into the room, and Gu Zheng casually exchanged a few words with them before heading into the kitchen. After a whole night and most of today, his harvest was quite satisfactory, as he had managed to gather the ingredients needed for this trial.

With sesame oil and black-boned chicken, Gu Zheng's mood improved significantly, indicating that the market does not lack the ingredients he needs; it merely requires effort to seek them out

A bag of already washed wild lotus seeds, stir-fried with mountain mushrooms and a pitiful two stalks of green vegetables, this pair of green vegetables was unexpectedly obtained by Gu Zheng. He had long since lost any expectations for such green vegetables, but while selecting other items, he accidentally knocked off two stalks, which surprisingly were rated as inferior by the spirit of the vessel

The ingredients are ready. The black-boned chicken has had its wings, thighs, and some breast meat removed. The remaining parts are chopped and combined with wild ginseng and mountain mushrooms to be simmered into a soup. The water used for the soup is imported mineral water

Those vegetables that have been treated with pesticides and are not clean are all toxic. Even if the pesticides are removed, they are still considered waste. None of them meet the minimum standards; only those that do not come into contact with pesticides on the surface have the possibility of meeting the minimum standards.

The female boss nodded happily, as the sesame oil had been sold, allowing her to report back to her relatives. As for Gu Zheng wanting to know the source of the sesame oil, it was of no concern to her. Apart from fools like Gu Zheng, no one wanted this sesame oil at all; she had long since wanted to stop selling it, as it was just taking up space in the store and the library.

Vegetables are like this, and the same can be said for meat and poultry. They are fed with feed and injected with hormones, resulting in either toxicity or being substandard. Free-range options may reach a lower quality, and the entire market only offers this inferior product. Perhaps it is a wild chicken that has grown in the mountains, but the reasons for its current state are not within the scope of ancient disputes.

The normal sesame oil requires at least 21 to 31 jin, but the price of 100 is indeed a bit high. Last time, Gu Zheng had someone press it, and the yield was less than 41 jin. The price of this bottle of sesame oil is more than double that of his authentic small-batch sesame oil.

You all go sit in the living room first, do whatever you want, I do not need any help here

fifty

Although the quantity was small, it was still usable. Gu Zheng bought it without hesitation, leaving with two stalks of green vegetables under the astonished gaze of the vegetable-selling aunt.

Alright, I want fifty of these sesame oils. How many bottles are left? If there aren't many, I will take them all!

Okay, thank you, boss

The female boss looked at Gu Zheng in astonishment. These ten bottles of sesame oil had been sitting here for a long time. If it weren't for the fact that the person selling the oil was her relative, she would never have helped sell such expensive oil. Many people inquired about the price and shook their heads before leaving. Yet, this young man in front of her actually did not mind the high price and wanted to buy them all.