Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Chinese people at home and abroad often had the same obsession with “wild”. Everyone thought that whether the animal flew in the sky, ran on the ground, or swam in the water, it was healthier to eat it if it was wild, so the finished products are more “fresh.” Take chickens, for example. Chickens advertised as being free-range in rural areas were much more expensive and more sought after than those from farms. People preferred to buy the former for two or three times more. Some people even bought or poached them from national protected wildlife areas, but usually wound up in jail.
Butcher shops in San Francisco’s Chinatown weren’t exempt from this phenomenon, using wild mountain pork and venison meats as gimmicks to solicit customers.
Mountain pigs were wild boars, but different places called them by different names.
The fragrant smell in the meat shop was a bit sweet and reminiscent of the chicken and duck skin being roasted to a crisp.
The plump roasted turkey and duck hang naked from the hooks like a seductive mistress, luring customers in to commit a crime.
There were also freshly roasted suckling pigs and barbecued pork. With one glance, anyone could tell that they were roasted just nicely.
These cooked products were caramel in different shades, and the light in the store was bright warm yellow. The two colors combined to make this place a carnivore’s paradise.
To be precise, this kind of shop was called a local roast shop but had different production methods and a business scope from the domestic roast shop of Cantonese cuisine. It was improved to suit a wider range of tastes. Domestic roasted turkeys that were hardly available in Chinese roast shops were available here.
This shop mainly sold cooked food but also sold raw meat to expand the variety of its business.
The elves were drooling the whole time. Fortunately, they were invisible. Besides, pets weren’t allowed in such shops. What if they grabbed the roast turkey and ran away?
There were several customers in the shop, mainly middle-aged and elderly Chinese. At a glance, they all had black hair and yellow skin. There were only a few foreigners that occasionally come in, so Zhang Zian wasn’t entirely outstanding when he entered.
Most of the customers and shop assistants spoke to each other in Cantonese. If they didn’t know they were in San Francisco Chinatown, they would’ve almost thought that they came to Hong Kong or Macao.
Richard rubbed his shoulder hard as if he were saying, “Hurry up and let me open my mouth. It’s time for me to show my face.”
Zhang Zian didn’t respond. The staff here should’ve also been able to speak Mandarin and English, so there should have been no problems communicating with them.
The other elves were dazzled by all kinds of cooked food. Only Snowy Lionet stuck her face to the glass of the refrigerator and kept swallowing hard whilst staring at the various raw meats inside.
The shop assistants were behind the counter busy collecting money, weighing, chopping meat, and responding to customers’ bargains; since they couldn’t come to greet guests, Zhang Zian could spend as much time as he wanted in the shop.
Just then, a short white-haired Chinese lady holding a vegetable basket walked into the shop with her hands on her back and went straight to the meat counter like a customer normally would.
“Ah Jian, is this venison really wild? I’ve lived for a very long time, so don’t lie to me! My son-in-law and grandson are visiting me with my grandson. I want to cook the venison with garlic for them to eat!” She went straight for the young male teller, opening her mouth and asking him in thick old-fashioned Cantonese. Zhang Zian could hardly understand what she, and only guessed based on her expression and tone.
“Our shop is child-friendly. You are also a regular patron of this shop, yet you still don’t believe us? Don’t worry! How much do you want?” The staff also spoke Cantonese, but the accent wasn’t as strong. It was half Cantonese and half Mandarin.
Still unassured, the old lady asked, “Can you make it clear what deer this is? Is it the sika deer? If it’s the sika deer’s meat then it is good, for it is the most tonic. Don’t try to fool me with stag or elk meat!”
Deers in North America known as “elks” weren’t unique to China. Its real name was the red deer, but people often called it the wrong name and mixed it with other words. However, everyone was used to calling it that. Anyway, in the United States, it was called an “elk”. Even an important car safety standard in the United States was called the “elk test”.
The sika deer is native to East Asia, but it was also introduced in the United States. Due to the suitable environment, the sika deer’s antlers were also exported to South Korea in large quantities along with the meat. It was a very popular product among Koreans; other deer’s antlers weren’t as valuable as those of the sika deer.
As for the meat of sika deer, the Chinese of the old age only favored the meat of sika deer. There was no scientific basis for this, so they thought that the meat of other deer had no magical nourishing effect.
The staff said impatiently. “Ah! Of course, it is the sika deer! This batch of meat has just arrived, but there isn’t much of it. If you don’t buy it, it will be snatched up soon! Since you’re a regular here, I left a portion of it for you!”
Finally convinced, the old lady said, “Well… weigh me a pound.”
“Oh, but your two sons and grandson are here! Children have a big appetite. Will one pound be enough? Take two pounds!” The salesman promoted promptly.
“Two pounds… two pounds, so be it. Give me a little more, since I’m a regular patron …” The old lady glanced at the label and took out her wallet in distress. If it wasn’t for the baby grandson, she wouldn’t have to pay for such expensive wild deer meat.
“Ah! Granny, are you here to buy meat?””Access webnovel.live if you like watching manga,comics.
A middle-aged Chinese woman in her forties came in. She was more fashionable with conspicuous gold rings on her fingers, dyed hair, and well-maintained skin.
“Yes, my son, daughter-in-law, and grandson came to visit me, and I want to cook for them something nice!” Said the old woman cheerfully, excited to tell everyone about her visitors.
The two seemed to be acquaintances who constantly talked about family matters whenever they met.
The staff has dealt with a variety of customers and knew that a savvy old lady is not the best to serve. If the meat wasn’t weighed in front of her, she may suspect that she was given a lesser weight or not given the best cut of the meat. It would’ve been very troublesome if that happened, so he went to help other customers first.
The middle-aged woman glanced at the refrigerator next to her and persuaded, “Grandma, you’re not young anymore. You need to take care of your body and just buy the ready-made roast turkey and roast suckling pigs. Don’t trouble yourself with buying these anymore!”
The old lady smiled and waved, “Oh, but my grandson doesn’t like to eat turkey and suckling pigs. He likes the garlic and venison I make the most. He can eat two more bowls of rice every time! I’m still tough, it doesn’t matter!”
The middle-aged woman frowned and quietly pulled the old lady away from the counter. “Granny, why would you still eat venison? Didn’t you hear from the CDC recently? They said on TV that venison isn’t safe to eat, especially wild deer meat!” she whispered.
After they walked further away from the counter, they walked near Zhang Zian. Although they were talking quietly, he could still hear them.
