Chapter 76: Exotic Delicacies

During the Mo Technique Exhibition, there was a group of people coming and going with remarkable frequency, catching Li Shimin’s attention. These individuals were all dressed in matching black uniforms, each driving a cart originally designed for transporting fish but now repurposed for a different use. Each cart was drawn by oxen and carried a curved-beam plow attached to the rear.

Li Shimin, now intrigued by everything related to Mo Village, raised his hand to stop one of the carts that had just entered. The driver was Li Xin.

“Greetings, young master, and greetings to all distinguished guests!”

Li Xin was quick-witted; seeing the notable figures following his young master Li Shimin, he immediately realized these must be important people, and greeted them respectfully.

Li Xin had originally been in charge of the transportation team, hauling live fish to Chang’an. However, things had changed. With the secret to keeping live fish now public, more fish traders would soon flood the city, and live fish would no longer be Mo Village’s mainstay. Li Xin left a small team to continue the fish trade, while he led the rest to focus on the village’s new booming businesses: promoting the curved-beam plow and distributing chicks, ducklings, and goslings.

In order to present a professional image, Mo Dun had specifically ordered matching uniforms for the transport team, with five large white characters printed on the back.

“Mo Technique Promoter!” Li Shimin read aloud from Li Xin’s uniform, arching an eyebrow.

Mo Dun hurried to explain, “There’s a saying: ‘The finest wine fears a deep alley.’ While the Mo Technique Exhibition has been a great success in Chang’an, the curved-beam plow and artificial incubation are meant for the broad masses, most of whom cannot come to the city. So, to allow everyone to benefit from the fruits of the exhibition more quickly, the Mo family has decided to take the initiative to bring these excellent innovations directly into the countryside!”

Everyone’s jaws fell open as they looked wordlessly at Mo Dun. Here was someone clearly focused on selling plows and chicks, yet presenting it as a selfless act for the good of the country and its people.

“‘The finest wine fears a deep alley’—an interesting point,” Li Shimin mused, quickly grasping the meaning. Both methods—waiting passively or taking the initiative—could sell good wine, but Mo Village had chosen the latter, and it seemed to be working well.

The sealed water cart was opened, revealing an empty space divided into several square compartments, each densely packed with eggs, all carefully placed in special paper trays made by Mo Village. The trays allowed for more eggs to be transported safely.

“You’re trading chicks for eggs,” Li Shimin observed, immediately seeing through Mo Village’s bartering strategy.

“Three eggs for one chick,” Li Xin replied truthfully after Mo Dun gave a slight nod.

“A threefold profit?” Li Shimin frowned.

Li Xin gave a wry smile. “Your Excellency, you may not know this, but while one egg can indeed hatch one chick, not every egg will hatch successfully. Many are wasted. Moreover, our promoters have to travel to dozens of villages each day. Three eggs for one chick is already the promotional price! When we begin large-scale sales, it will be at least five eggs for one chick.”

Li Shimin thought it over and realized this was indeed reasonable.

“What about the curved-beam plow? Is that bartered as well?” Li Chengqian asked, curiously touching the plow attached behind the cart. The soil on it was still fresh, indicating it had just been used.

“This plow isn’t for sale. My job is to promote the curved-beam plow. At each village, I plow a small patch of earth to demonstrate its benefits. If anyone wishes to buy one, I pass on their request and a member of the Mo family will deliver it to them,” Li Xin explained.

Although the Tang dynasty had no concept of home delivery, everyone could understand Mo Village’s approach. Seeing Mo Dun’s beaming face, Li Shimin couldn’t help but quip, “This time, the aroma of fine wine will surely waft across all of Guanzhong!”

“Heh, all for the people! It’s not hard work at all!” Mo Dun replied with a grin.

Seeing Mo Dun’s shameless cheer, Li Shimin and the others were both amused and exasperated. This fellow really was like a catfish—slippery most of the time, but capable of bold moves when it mattered.

Li Xin unloaded a cart full of eggs and quickly left with a cart full of chicks; he still had more than ten villages to visit that day.

“I now believe that Mo Village will undoubtedly become the wealthiest village in Guanzhong!” Li Shimin watched as Mo family promoters unloaded cart after cart of eggs and departed with loads of chicks and ducklings. This way, Mo Village would accumulate more and more eggs, and hatch ever-increasing numbers of poultry.

In these times, chickens, ducks, and geese were all free-range, and eggs spoiled by fright were almost nonexistent. Brought to Mo Village, these eggs produced three times as many chicks. In this way, the number of chicks in Mo Village would only multiply.

“That was just a boast,” Mo Dun admitted sheepishly, not expecting Li Shimin to recall his grand words in Mo Village.

“With such excellent techniques and hardworking people, how could this village not prosper? I wish there were more villages like this throughout the land!” Li Shimin declared.

“We’ve simply known too much poverty and don’t want to return to the hard days of the past,” Mo Dun replied with feeling.

“Even the old grannies are out earning money—if Mo Village doesn’t become rich, no one would believe it!” Cheng Yaojin chuckled, pointing at an elderly woman from Mo Village wearing a Mo Technique Exhibition uniform, who was carefully frying batches of fertilized eggs to a golden crisp, their aroma wafting through the air.

Nearby, Cheng Chumo and Yuchi Baolin were munching away with satisfaction, while Qin Huaiyu looked on in disdain.

“Those two gluttons!” Mo Dun thought to himself, surprised that they would enjoy such a strong-flavored delicacy.

“Fried fertilized eggs!”

A controversial delicacy in later times, beloved by some and avoided by others, now made its first appearance in the Tang dynasty.

“What is this?” Qin Qiong asked in surprise, noticing that some of the eggs already contained nearly formed chicks.

“The artificial incubation process has a time limit. Eggs that do not hatch within that period are all processed as infertile eggs,” Mo Dun explained.

Ah, so that’s the origin of these eggs—the crowd suddenly understood.

“Delicious! Give me two more skewers!” Cheng Chumo greatly enjoyed them.

Alas, before he could take them, Cheng Yaojin snatched them up. To his own surprise, he couldn’t stop eating once he started. In no time, the entire stall was bought out by Cheng Yaojin and company. Even Li Shimin, after trying one, was full of praise.

The group divided into three camps: Cheng Yaojin, Cheng Chumo, and Yuchi Baolin devoured the fertilized eggs; Li Shimin and Mo Dun preferred the infertile ones; while Qin Huaiyu and Li Chengqian stood aside in distaste, unwilling to even look.

Strong-flavored delicacies are not for everyone, after all.