Chapter 87: Affordable Seafood
Chapter 87: Affordable Seafood
In a small shop in Shan Kou Market.
After weighing, the shop had a total of 8.6 pounds of sandworms and 12.3 pounds of squid.
The seafood shop owner took out an abacus and started calculating. Sandworms were priced at 3.3 yuan per pound, so 8.6 pounds came to 28.38 yuan. Squid was 3.6 yuan per pound, making 12.3 pounds of squid 44.28 yuan. In total, it came to 72.66 yuan.
The owner smiled and said, "A-Bei, that’s a total of 72.66 yuan, but I’ll waive the 0.66 yuan for you!" He had been running this shop for over three months, and this was the first time he had such a big customer.
Deng Shirong looked at the pile of sandworms and squid, which resembled a small mountain, and realized that he only needed to pay a little over 70 yuan. He couldn’t help but feel nostalgic. Seafood in this era was truly affordable. In a few years, prices would rise, and it would be impossible to find such cheap seafood.
After all, this was dried seafood!
For example, squid might seem expensive at 3.6 yuan per pound, but it wasn’t. One pound of dried squid required at least five pounds of fresh squid to produce. If calculated by fresh weight, it was only about 0.72 yuan per pound, much cheaper than pork.
As for sandworms, it was even more impressive. One pound of dried sandworms required ten pounds of fresh sandworms, averaging out to just 0.33 yuan per pound of fresh sandworms, cheaper than eggs. This was truly a price only found in this era!
Deng Shirong took out a stack of money, counted out 72.66 yuan, and handed it to the shop owner. "I’m getting a daughter-in-law next month on the 12th, so on the 11th, I’ll need to buy a lot of crabs, shrimp, and mudworms. How much do you sell these fresh goods for per pound?"
The shop owner took the money and replied with great enthusiasm, "A-Bei, for flower crabs, I usually sell them at 0.56 yuan per pound, but I’ll give you 0.53 yuan per pound. For large shrimp, I sell them at 0.88 yuan per pound to others, but I’ll give you 0.85 yuan per pound. As for mudworms, I sell them at 0.35 yuan per pound to others, but I’ll give you 0.33 yuan per pound!"
Deng Shirong was once again struck by how affordable seafood was in this era, all cheaper than pork.
Of course, while the prices were low, he still needed to haggle.
After some negotiation, the shop owner made several concessions. In the end, they agreed on 0.50 yuan per pound for flower crabs, 0.80 yuan per pound for large shrimp, and 0.30 yuan per pound for mudworms.
There was no choice; it was a buyer's market.
Deng Shirong needed 36 pounds of flower crabs, 24 pounds of large shrimp, and 48 pounds of mudworms. If the shop owner didn’t make these concessions, he would lose this big order.
After settling the price, Deng Shirong took out a large bill and handed it to the shop owner. "Boss, this is your deposit. I’ll come to pick up the goods around 2 or 3 PM on the 11th. You must ensure that everything is fresh and alive, can you do that?"
The shop owner took the money and patted his chest. "A-Bei, rest assured, I’ll make sure everything is fresh and of the best quality."
Deng Shirong nodded in satisfaction. "That’s great!"
Next, the shop owner wrote a deposit receipt for Deng Shirong and used a lot of newspaper and twine to pack the sandworms and squid.
"A-Bei, you have quite a bit here. It’s not convenient to carry all this with one hand while riding a bike. Do you want me to tie it to your bicycle’s rear rack?"
"Sure, that would be great. Otherwise, it would be hard to bring all this back."
"Alright, I’ll tie it for you."
...
By the time Deng Shirong got home, it was already past 4 PM.
When she saw her father returning with two large bags, Deng Yunzhen asked, "Dad, what's in those bags?"
Deng Shirong handed the two large bags to her with a smile. "These are sandworms and squids I bought. Get a basket and hang them up."
Deng Yunzhen took the bags and asked, "Dad, I've never heard of squid before. Is it good to eat?"
"Of course, fried squid is one of the best dishes to have with alcohol. Just be careful, eating too much can be a bit heaty."
As he spoke, Deng Shirong pointed at one of the bags. "This one is squid. Untie it and take out three or four. I'll fry them for you and your siblings to taste later."
Deng Yunzhen knew her father's cooking skills well. If he said fried squid was one of the best dishes to have with alcohol, it must be delicious. She placed the sandworms and squid on the dining table, untied the jute rope, and saw the flat, dried squids stacked together. Each one was as wide as her palm and quite thick.
Even though it was her first time seeing squid, Deng Yunzhen could tell the quality was excellent.
Following her father's instructions, she took out four squids, tied them back up, and placed them in a basket along with the sandworms. She then hung the basket from a hook about two meters off the ground. The hook hung from the roof beam, and in the countryside, almost every household had such a hook to hang food and keep it safe from rats and other pests.
After hanging the basket, Deng Yunzhen picked up the four squids and asked, "Dad, do we need to wash the squids before frying them?"
"Of course, wash them and then let them dry."
"Okay, got it!"
A few minutes later, Deng Yunzhen was placing the washed squids on a bamboo tray to dry. At that moment, her sister, Deng Yunzhu, came bouncing in from outside.
She greeted her father, who was smoking at the door, and then saw the squids on the tray. Curiously, she asked, "Sis, what's this?"
Deng Yunzhen replied, "Dad says it's squid."
Deng Yunzhu sniffed and said with a bit of disdain, "Why does it smell so bad? Can it be good to eat?"
Deng Yunzhen couldn't help but laugh. "It's raw, so it's normal for it to smell. For example, you love the stir-fried pork tripe, but if you had to smell the raw pork tripe, you'd probably find it off-putting too. As for whether this squid is good, I don't know, but Dad said it's one of the best dishes to have with alcohol, so it should be pretty tasty. You'll see when Dad makes it."
Deng Yunzhu responded with an "Oh," acknowledging her sister's point, but she wasn't particularly interested in the dish since she didn't drink.
The main reason, though, was that she had been eating so well recently! Especially yesterday, when her soon-to-be sister-in-law came over, and her father prepared a feast that lasted until today. Her resistance to delicious food had significantly increased in the short time.
Seeing some comments in the review section about the seafood prices being too high, I really couldn't help but feel a bit speechless. They completely misunderstood the difference between dried and fresh seafood. Just because it costs a certain amount per pound, they think it's outrageous. But if you consider the fresh prices, it's actually much cheaper than pork. How can that be considered expensive?
(End of Chapter)
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