Ahua, Uncle, Third Aunt, and the others with Jing Shu quietly drew a sharp breath. They could only curse inwardly, Damn! These Yun Gui people are truly sothing else. We Wu City People would definitely cook our insects.
"What’s wrong? Afraid to eat?" the swarthy man sneered, a hint of contempt in his eyes. We ate maggots when we were starving back then. What’s with this pretentious act now?
The Yun Gui Eighteen Strange Insects, as the na suggested, had strangeness as their defining characteristic. Each one possessed a bizarre and grotesque shape that truly baffled anyone on how to even begin eating them.
Jing Shu, smiling amiably, grabbed an insect the size of her palm, similar to a spider. She skillfully removed its abdon, plucked off its dozen or so black, furry legs, and gobbled down the white flesh squeezed from their roots.
The taste was fresh, with an earthy undertone.
"Water-boiled hairy spider. Tastes good."
She then picked up the golden, deep-fried bamboo worms, section by section. Popping one into her mouth, she chewed for a mont and shook her head. "It needs to be deep-fried on high heat to be crispy enough."
"Raw marinated grasshoppers. Just needs more spice."
"If you ask , these rice weevils still taste better roasted..."
"Pan-fried locusts wrapped in vegetable leaves—crispy and fragrant with the fresh scent of vegetables. Indeed delicious."
Under the stunned gazes of everyone present, Jing Shu quickly finished a large plate of the Yun Gui Eighteen Strange Insects.
The swarthy middle-aged man, re-evaluating Jing Shu, retracted his earlier disdainful thoughts. He hadn’t expected their big boss to possess such boldness or be so familiar with the Yun Gui Eighteen Strange Insects. Most importantly, she had eaten everything cleanly and showed no signs of discomfort.
He said, "How about letting the people behind you try so?"
Jing Shu replied aningfully, "They have weak stomachs. They’re not accustod to the insects of Yun Gui."
Just as expected, Jing Shu thought, the Yun Gui people want to put us in our place right from the start. After all, since the apocalypse, the strange insects here have all beco sowhat toxic. Ordinary people eating them for the first ti would mostly suffer from vomiting and diarrhea. If our group had eaten them unknowingly, we would have made fools of ourselves!
The swarthy man, realizing his ploy had been seen through, couldn’t help but chuckle.
"Alright, Lao Bai, is it proper to entertain guests with these uncouth offerings? Invite the guests inside already!" a woman’s voice called from the storied building within the stockade.
The swarthy Lao Bai imdiately bowed slightly, his attitude much improved as he invited everyone in. "That’s my missus calling you in! I’m Mu Lin, but everyone just calls Lao Bai."
Everyone was actually curious. His na contained no ’Bai’ (white), and he was quite dark-skinned, so why ’Lao Bai’?
Lao Bai then proudly explained, "Hah, back in my youth, it was my looks that caught the missus’s eye. Everyone called ’pretty boy’—Xiao Bai Lian—which eventually beca Xiao Bai. Now that I’m older, it’s Lao Bai."
Okay... so that was the story.
In Yun Gui, won were mostly in charge.
Jing Shu and her group knew they had passed the first test.
To successfully establish their Cigarette Factory in Yun Gui, they had to win over the woman before them. This woman, Yun Siniang, was the local ’Emperor’; her younger brother was the one holding power in Yun Gui.
A quarter of Yun Gui West City was her territory, where she ran a variety of businesses, including those dealing in vital post-apocalypse supplies like tobacco, food, and energy.
Although the building in the stockade was brightly lit, it was also filled with swirling smoke. On one side, seven or eight seats were empty, while the other side was fully occupied.
In the middle, a dark, plump woman puffing white smoke from a long-stemd pipe was Yun Siniang. She raised her eyebrows, smiled, and said, "As you can see, we Yun Gui people really enjoy this. Even in the apocalypse, no household can do without a pipe and tobacco. We might skip a al, but never the pipe. Our tobacco is also a major source of tax revenue here. I’ve tried your type of cigarettes. They taste fine, but I’m afraid they might not suit our market."
Third Aunt and the others frowned. What does Yun Siniang an by that? That our cigarettes won’t sell here?
"Take a seat, please sit down," Lao Bai arranged for everyone to be seated.
Everyone sat cross-legged on mats, each with a small, low table in front of them. A large green leaf was spread over each table.
On the leaves were truly unique Yun Gui delicacies: roasted black ribs, a small mound of five-colored rice, two thin slices of bright red ham, a small piece of flower pastry, and a small bowl of mushroom soup.
This al was genuinely authentic.
Yun Siniang made a welcoming gesture. "Just so homade food, please help yourselves. Let’s talk as we eat."
The guests picked up their chopsticks.
Ahua gasped. She truly is Yun Gui’s local Emperor! And this is supposed to be a ’homade’ al? It’s far too lavish!
Yun Siniang was pleased to see several people looking a bit overwheld. My brother said big shots from Wu City were coming to talk business. No matter what, we can’t lose face; this is a competition between cities! It pained to bring out my treasured ham—it really did!
As Jing Shu ate, she chuckled and said, "KFC had to modify many dishes to gain a market in our country, didn’t they? They catered to our tastes. If we want a place in Yun Gui, we must also adapt to the local preferences. If they don’t like cigarettes, we can make shredded tobacco. Products are static, but people are adaptable."
Yun Siniang nodded and continued, "Your prices are too high. People around here are very careful with their money; every Virtual Coin is accounted for."
"We can definitely offer smaller quantities, selling portions for one Virtual Coin. We can even create ordinary, premium, and luxury grades of shredded tobacco."
Yun Siniang coughed and voiced her biggest concern. "Wu City is migrating entirely on foot; conditions will undoubtedly be harsh. I saw the news earlier and even donated a large quantity of fried locusts... Speaking of cooperation, your initial investnt is one thing, but the ongoing maintenance and future supply chain involve significant expenses. If your funding dries up, or if you can’t maintain supply later on, we’ll lose money too... How about this: I can help reduce your expenses by covering the initial investnt and distribution, and in return, I’ll take a forty percent stake?"
Jing Shu raised her eyebrows. Is she doubting our strength? Looking down on us? Does she think we’re too poor to fund this?
"Oh, look at , I’ve finished eating but I’m not quite full," Jing Shu said. "Sister Yun’s portions are rather delicate, aren’t they? I’ve also brought so local specialties from Wu City. Everyone, please try so."
Then, she had Hulk bring over a pile of spicy beef jerky, placing a plate before each person. The spicy aroma made everyone on Yun Siniang’s side instinctively swallow.
Jing Shu felt a slight pang of regret at sharing her jerky, but then thought, Oh well, I’ve eaten plenty of their good food too.
Yun Siniang clapped her hands. "Little Sister, don’t be hasty! Our freeze-dried century egg congee and Yun Gui Rice Noodles haven’t even been served yet! And hurry up with our freeze-dried stir-fried seasonal vegetables!"
Yun Siniang’s heart ached terribly, but she had to pretend more dishes were on the way. A joke! How could I, the dignified local Emperor, possibly lose face?
"Since that’s the case," Jing Shu said, "please try so of our Wu City specialties first: black currants, dried apples, dried plums, banana chips, dried strawberries, pineapple slices, and dried apricots. Just a little sothing to snack on while we wait."
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