Chapter 257: Torment and Humiliation First
Of course, it was delicious. In this era, most poor families simply boiled their vegetables with a bit of oil, knowing nothing about steaming, braising, pan-frying, or cold-mixing methods. Only wealthy households experimented with different cooking styles, but even dishes like roasted chicken or braised beef couldn’t compare to the flavors achieved with a variety of spices in her past life.
Having seen the food in Fengcheng, Yu Luo was even more convinced that if their city had a street dedicated to gourmet food, it could attract countless visitors every year.
Unfortunately, training a large number of chefs would be an exhausting task.
“If you all think it tastes good, what do you think will happen if we sell these tomatoes to the other nations?”
“They’d sell out instantly! But these tomatoes are full of juice—can they be stored for long? Some places are still quite warm this season. It’s not about whether people will buy them, but whether they’ll spoil before even leaving the wilderness,” Storm remarked, immediately pointing out a major concern.
“Storm is right. Our railway only covers about a hundred miles, and reaching any of the other nations takes at least ten to fifteen days. Even if we make it there, we have to consider road dangers and whether we can sell them quickly enough upon arrival. These tomatoes won’t last long, and every extra day increases the risk of spoilage,” Zhang Hu added, analyzing the potential problems of selling the produce.
Yu Luo was well aware of these issues, but she was unwilling to give up without trying.
“I’ve planted over ten acres of tomatoes this year, yielding a bountiful harvest. Even if we can’t sell them fresh, I can turn them into tomato paste. However, I believe fresh tomatoes will fetch a higher price.
“The northern country is getting colder, unlike the wilderness, where it remains warm. The cooler temperatures there should allow these fruits to last a few extra days. It’s about a thousand miles from here to the northern border. If you push hard, you can cover three to four hundred miles a day, meaning you could reach the border in three days.
“Of course, there are exiled criminals and roaming beasts in that region—those are the real challenges. When you arrive at the northern border, you don’t need to sell the produce yourselves. Just find a few strong trade caravans, introduce them to the tomatoes, and let them handle future transportation. If they want more, they can come to our city to pick up the goods. Storm, I’ll have you lead a team there.”
Yu Luo then turned to Zhang Hu. “Take a hundred skilled fighters to the eastern border. The climate there is still warm, so they’ll likely need refreshing fruits. Bring more watermelons and do the same—find a capable merchant team that can cross the wilderness and handle distribution. Bring them to our city to buy directly.”
She then looked at Luo Yi. “You’re from the Xi Mo Nation, so you should be familiar with the region. While they might have watermelons, they likely don’t have tomatoes. Bring more tomatoes and fewer watermelons. Take a hundred fighters and head west.”
“Yes, Miss.” Luo Yi accepted the task eagerly, a hint of excitement in his eyes.
He still held some attachment to Xi Mo, and Yu Luo entrusting him with such an important mission filled him with gratitude.
“There’s no need to go to Lan Yue Dynasty yet. The Jiuzhong Mountains are in the way, and transporting goods across them would be exhausting for both people and horses. It would also take too long. For now, let’s focus on these three nations.”
“Yes, Miss!”
With everything arranged, the next few days were spent reinforcing the carts. Ten wagons of fruit were carefully selected, and the teams set off.
“Xiao Luo, aren’t you worried the tomatoes will get ruined on the road?”
“With blankets cushioning them, they should be fine. They’re not fully ripe yet, still firm. The biggest issue in ancient times is transportation. If I can make this city well-known, I’ll have to build proper roads leading to the other nations in the future.”
“That’s a great idea.”
“Master, we caught three thieves today. While patrolling the fields, we heard strange noises in the cornfield. When we checked, we found three people hiding there, stealing our corn. Their baskets were almost full when we caught them.
“This is the first time we’ve encountered something like this. At first, we just planned to confiscate their stolen goods and let them go. But the old woman among them started cursing you, the Miss, and Madam, so we tied them up and threw them onto a coal transport wagon to bring them here for your judgment.”
Hearing it was an old woman, Yu Haojie immediately thought of Old Madam Chen’s detestable face.
Yu Luo glanced behind them. Sure enough, the three figures, bound and gagged with rope, covered in coal dust from head to toe, were none other than Old Madam Chen, Lady Lan, and Yu Meiyao.
“Well, well! A walking corpse, huh? What’s this? I dug up your grave and didn’t find you, and now you come crawling out yourself?”
“Mmmph! Mmmph!”
Yu Luo crossed her arms and slowly approached the three. Seeing Old Madam Chen tied up like a cocoon, she burst into wild laughter.
She almost reached out to pat the old woman’s face but, seeing it covered in coal dust, she withdrew her hand in disgust and instead delivered a sharp kick to Old Madam Chen’s chest without hesitation.
The gagged Old Madam Chen felt a sharp pain, as if her ribs had cracked. Tears immediately welled up in her eyes. Her coal-stained face became even messier as the tears smeared the grime over her eyes.
“Mmmph! Mmmph!”
The muffled cries from the three captives were endless, but Yu Luo’s lips curled into a mocking smile.
“You did well. From now on, remember this—this old hag is our sworn enemy. If you catch her, don’t just kill her right away. Cripple her first. If you must kill her, make sure you humiliate her thoroughly before she dies. Break her spirit before you take her life.”
Hearing Yu Luo’s chilling words, the despair in Old Madam Chen’s eyes deepened.
