Chapter 27: A Special Breakfast?
In the small courtyard of the farm.
Ye Tian, Hu Liena, Bibi Dong, and others sat on stone stools, gathered around a stone table, eating breakfast.
The breakfast was simple: fried dough sticks and spicy soup.
On the stone table, there were also two plates of pickled vegetables—spicy kelp strips and fermented yellow croaker with black beans.
Pickling was a side business on the farm. Being near the East Sea coast, there wasn't much else, but there was plenty of kelp and yellow croaker.
When the farmers were free from their main work, they would take their small boats in groups to the nearby waters to catch kelp and yellow croaker.
Although their fishing techniques were still rudimentary, after a month of hard work, they could catch enough not only to sustain themselves but also to sell the surplus to merchants for a small profit.
For people along the coast, kelp and yellow croaker were among the few dishes they could eat year-round.
Two years ago, after Butterfly Farm was established, under Chen Jian's leadership, they used the farm's excess funds to buy a few large boats.
Since then, the local fishing teams began to professionalize.
Whether it was specialized trawling nets for fish or the "encirclement" tactic for chasing fish schools, both became more refined.
There were dedicated staff who would go out every month to fish for yellow croaker and kelp.
Today, this industry accounts for nearly half of the farm's income.
The kelp and yellow croaker caught were dried and sold directly.
The kelp was fine—after soaking in water, it tasted almost the same as when it was freshly caught.
But the dried yellow croaker was tough, tasteless, and not worth eating, though too valuable to throw away.
When Ye Tian learned about this, he thought of the pickling techniques used on Blue Star (Earth).
Pickling could preserve the freshness of the food to a certain extent.
Previously, he had received many seeds from the system, including common seasonings like chili peppers and soybeans.
He also had a large salt production workshop under his name, so salt—which was considered precious by commoners—was as abundant to him as sand.
By utilizing these resources, a new industry chain quickly formed.
Thus, the pickling workshop of Butterfly Farm was born.
Seasonings like chili and fermented black beans, which had never been seen before, quickly won everyone's taste buds.
People rushed to buy them, and soon, the supply of pickles could not keep up with the demand.
Today, even in the coastal area where pickles are made, pickles have become a symbol of luxury.
In distant places, speculators could sell a bottle of pickles for tens of gold soul coins.
Opposite Ye Tian, Hu Liena's chopsticks never stopped moving.
"Mm! Mm! Mm!"
Her mouth was full, and she made muffled sounds as she chewed.
"So crispy and refreshing! Is this really kelp? It's too delicious!"
She stared longingly at the small dish of spicy kelp strips, which was now empty.
Reluctantly, Hu Liena finally tore her gaze away from the plate and looked at Ye Tian in amazement.
"And this fish—why have I never tasted this before?"
The scene amused Bibi Dong, who sat beside her.
"Nana, you've only been at the East Sea for two days, and I think you've already gained weight," Bibi Dong teased.
"Ah!"
Hu Liena quickly looked down, patting her stomach, which was still slim and toned.
She sighed in relief. Not too bad; no need to worry.
Ye Tian leisurely dipped his fried dough stick into the spicy soup and smiled. "Nana, don't tell me you can't even tell the difference between kelp strips and yellow croaker?"
"But they taste completely different! Especially this yellow croaker—it's savory, fresh, and melts in your mouth. There's no way regular yellow croaker could taste this good," Hu Liena said, her eyes lighting up as she tapped her plate with her chopsticks. "Is there more?"
"No," Ye Tian said, giving her a look. "Pickles are not something you should eat in large quantities."
He slowly picked up his bowl of spicy soup and took a sip of the steaming broth before continuing:
"The difference in taste comes from the seasonings."
"The flavor of the fermented yellow croaker is mainly due to the fermented black beans, while the spicy kelp strips are flavored with pickled chili, garlic, and Sichuan peppercorns, creating a unique taste through fermentation."
"Huh? I've never heard of that before," Hu Liena said, puzzled.
In her understanding, the only seasoning seemed to be salt.
Ye Tian smiled. "As long as it tastes good, you don't need to understand the details to enjoy it."
"True," Hu Liena giggled, though she seemed conflicted as she picked up another fried dough stick and began eating again. She mumbled, "Brother, with such delicious food, you could make a lot of money selling it!"
Ye Tian put down his chopsticks and complimented her: "You have quite the business mind!"
Behind him, Chen Jian, who had been standing quietly, explained kindly: "Miss Nana, the pickles have already become wildly popular in the cities surrounding the East Sea. Almost every batch is sold out within a day."
"That must make a lot of money, right?" Hu Liena asked casually.
Chen Jian smiled. "Not much, just about a million gold soul coins annually."
Seeing Chen Jian's calm expression as he casually mentioned "a million," Hu Liena's eyes widened in shock. "A million gold soul coins!"
To know, the funding for the Pope's elite knights only amounted to one million gold soul coins a year!
Was Ye Tian really making enough from selling pickles to fund the continent's most elite knights?
"This... this is just regular yellow croaker and kelp strips, right?"
Hu Liena was now doubtful, unable to believe that something as ordinary as kelp and yellow croaker could be worth a million gold soul coins.
This wasn't just selling pickles—it was practically daylight robbery!
"Rarity increases value," Chen Jian said with great care. "Only Butterfly Farm can produce these pickles, so the price is naturally high."
"But as the workshop expands, the price is gradually lowering. It won't be long before it becomes accessible to ordinary people, which is what Young Master Ye Tian hopes for."
Ye Tian frequently reminded him that profit wasn't the priority; the goal was to make pickles available to everyone.
However, with current production so small and speculators so rampant, if they didn't raise prices, the speculators would just pocket the profits.
So, instead of letting the speculators make money, they raised the price themselves.
Once production increases, they would lower the price accordingly.
Hearing this, Bibi Dong looked at Ye Tian with admiration and sighed, "Xiao Tian, your mind is truly unmatched. Two simple dishes can generate millions of gold soul coins in profit."
"It's nothing much," Ye Tian said with a smile.
To be honest, selling pickles had been a spur-of-the-moment idea for him.
He had barely participated in the process.
It was all handled by Chen Jian, who was responsible for production and sales.
A million gold soul coins in annual income was just a drop in the bucket to him.
As the two talked, Hu Liena, seizing the moment, secretly grabbed another fried dough stick while no one was looking.
Pretending to act casually, she picked up the bowl of spicy soup and began drinking it slowly.
As soon as it touched her lips, her eyes widened.
What kind of soup was this?
It had a mild spiciness and a rich aroma.
As it went down, it spread warmth throughout her body.
This feeling was amazing!
She hadn't expected that even the soup at the farm's breakfast would be so exquisite!
In the Spirit Hall, her breakfast had always been of the highest quality, on par with her teacher's, making it the most luxurious in the Spirit Hall.
But she had never tasted anything like this.
Whether it was the side dishes, the main course, or this seemingly simple soup, all of it had completely captured her taste buds.
With a look of deep emotion, her face flushed, Hu Liena gazed at Ye Tian. "Brother, did you prepare this special breakfast just for us? You're so thoughtful..."
Ye Tian gave her an odd look, leaning back slightly and glancing at her.
"Sister, what kind of look is that? This is just the farm's standard breakfast. There's nothing special about it."
Hu Liena was dumbfounded, her heart sinking a little. So, it was just a standard breakfast…
(LMFAO)
(End of Chapter)
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