"The weather is hot, and duck eggs can’t be stored for long. If we want to hatch them, we need to hurry," Lady Zhang nodded and said.
"That’s a lot of eggs. How do we have so many hens to incubate them?" Lian Manman said, feeling a bit troubled.
"There’s a way," Lian Shouxin said with a smile. "In our Luo Family Village, there’s a man nad Da Gui. He and his wife are good at hatching chicks and ducklings... Every year, those who sell chicks and ducklings all rely on him. They don’t have many broody hens at ho; instead, they use heated kangs for hatching."
Indeed, Lian Manman regretfully bit her lips. How could she overlook this matter?
"Dad, we can’t delay this. We should quickly send for Da Gui and his wife, and have them co to our courtyard. Let’s assign a couple of helpers to them and get these eggs hatched as soon as possible," Lian Manman said.
"Alright," Lian Shouxin nodded, getting up to arrange for soone to fetch Da Gui and his wife from Luo Family Village.
"These Hepu ducks are better than our local ones; the at is delicious, and they look nice. But I wonder if they lay many eggs," Lady Zhang said.
"Mother, we are not raising these Hepu ducks for their eggs. My plan is to raise them to a certain size and then sell them to restaurants," Wu Lang said. In other words, these Hepu ducks are not raised as laying ducks but as at ducks.
"Right, we can gradually establish a large duck farm," Lian Manman nodded in agreent.
"Exactly, a duck farm," Wu Lang agreed, nodding. "Not only can we supply our own restaurant, but also the major restaurants in Jinyang County and Liaodong Prefecture."
Lian Manman pursed her lips. She had different thoughts about Wu Lang’s latter part of the plan.
"Brother, tell , how did you eat duck on your journey?" Lian Manman asked Wu Lang.
Wu Lang was more than happy to share his experiences on the road with his family, and food was no exception. After hearing his stories, Lian Manman’s smile grew even wider.
Throughout Wu Lang’s journey, he had tried various ways of cooking duck, but none involved Lian Manman’s favorite, "Beijing Roast Duck." Just now, when she saw those Hepu ducks and heard Wu Lang say they were the best tasting, even considered as tribute ducks, she had already thought of "Beijing Roast Duck." Her only concern was whether this world already had "Beijing Roast Duck." But hearing Wu Lang’s account, that concern vanished.
"Selling at ducks to restaurants is fine, but if we could make even tastier Hepu ducks, wouldn’t that be even better?" Lian Manman said with a smile.
"Of course, that would be better," Wu Lang said. Thinking of the buns at Lian’s, he knew if they could indeed make ducks tastier than anyone else’s, the profits would be substantial. "However, this will be harder than just selling at ducks."
Wu Lang implied that making ducks tastier than others was no easy task.
"Nothing is difficult in this world for those who have set their minds to it," Lian Manman said. "We have many recipes, and our mother is skilled. If we try enough, we might co up with sothing... Even if we don’t, we can still sell at ducks."
"That’s true," Wu Lang nodded.
"Brother, you’ll be responsible for tasting when the ti cos," Lian Manman added.
"That’s a good thing. How could I refuse?" Wu Lang laughed.
In her past life, Lian Manman loved eating "Beijing Roast Duck" and had even visited the kitchen of a famous roast duck restaurant, gaining so understanding of the process. What she needed to do now was recall those steps and improve upon them through practice. Once her roasting technique matured, she could start her own roast duck shop.
As she planned in her mind, Lian Manman began writing and sketching on a piece of paper. Not only did she want to create a roast duck shop, but she also intended to make use of the down feathers from the Hepu ducks. Earlier, she specifically asked the kitchen staff to bring her the down from the slaughtered Hepu ducks. The down was white and smooth, ideal for making down quilts and garnts.
The use of bird feathers for clothing dates back a long ti. For example, there were Crane Cloaks during the Wei and Jin dynasties, and the technique of weaving bird feathers into fabric also existed in this era, although it was rare and precious.
By using duck down instead of cotton batting, the resulting clothes or quilts would be lighter and warr than those made from cotton. Their marketability would certainly not be a problem, and Lian Manman was confident that she could turn them into trendy products. Moreover, since the raw materials ca from the waste products of roasted ducks, this greatly reduced costs and increased profit margins.
Having planned in her mind, Lian Manman didn’t divulge all her plans imdiately. That evening, she pored over books until midnight. Even after being urged several tis by Lian Zhizhi and even Lady Zhang herself, she finally agreed to put down her books and pen to go to sleep.
The next day, Lian Manman held a few volus of books she had gone through and pointed out parts of their content to Wu Lang, declaring that she had thought of an excellent way to cook duck.
"Let’s make roast duck," Lian Manman told her family. Roasting duck wasn’t novel, and there were various thods recorded in recipe books, as well as in other texts, with so detailed and so brief. Lian Manman selected a few, added and modified so parts, and created a special roast duck recipe.
"To make this roast duck, we must first custom-make an oven," Lian Manman pointed to the first item on her project planner and said.
*****
It’s the third watch, and the end of the month is approaching. I ask everyone for your pink support.
******
Ruoyan’s completed farming novel recomndation:
Title: "Rebirth: When Flowers Bloom and the Moon is Full" (Completed with epilogue) (Below is a direct link, click to go directly)
Summary: Ti-traveling as a woman wrongly accused of losing her chastity, she carries her little child and leads a sweet life with a financially suitable man. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welco to Qidian (qidian) to vote for recomndations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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