TATSD Chapter 91

Ji Wei used four pounds of pork to make a large bowl of pork floss. For lunch, besides the braised pork that had been simmering for over an hour, there was plain porridge with the pork floss.

Having braised pork with lunch would already have been quite a feast, but when the workers heard pork floss, they rushed over with their bowls in hand, eager to line up. They had no idea what pork floss was, but knowing it was made from meat was enough. They lined up in the yard outside, one hand holding a bowl, the other tapping it impatiently as they waited.

“What’s this yellow stuff?” The man at the front of the line watched as Ji Wei added a handful of yellow, shredded material into their bowls of porridge, a confused look on his face.

“This is pork floss,” Ji Wei said, waving him aside and quickly moving on to serve the next worker.

“I’ve never seen this before, but it smells pretty good.” The worker who received his food found a shady spot to sit down.

Each bowl had a piece of pig’s hoof, a few strips of pig’s ear, and a serving of pork floss. The portion wasn’t large, but for these workers who rarely had the chance to eat meat, it was a rare and luxurious treat to have meat every day.

They glanced gratefully at Ji Wei’s busy back before digging in eagerly.

The braised pig’s hoof had been simmered for over an hour, and its rich, spiced flavor was balanced by a hint of sweetness from rock sugar. The pig’s hoof meat was firm and tender, and even the bones had been braised to a deep brown color. The pig’s ears, with their chewy white tendons, offered a texture they’d never tasted before.

Rarely could anyone afford to buy such offcuts like pig’s ears on the street. Moreover, the unique flavor of this braised dish set it apart from regular braised bones; the faintly sweet sauce was especially appetizing.

“I’d love another piece of pig’s hoof,” the lean man said, his face full of satisfaction. He closed his eyes, savoring the last bite of the pig’s hoof, reluctant to swallow.

The man next to him nudged his shoulder with an elbow, excitedly saying, “Lao Quan! Try this!”

Called Lao Quan, the man was caught off guard by the nudge and swallowed the meat he had been holding, choking slightly. He coughed, his face turning red, and after a while, he finally caught his breath. He shot a glare at his partner, “What are you doing? You almost choked me!”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to,” his partner apologized, smiling sheepishly.

“If you did it on purpose, would I let you off the hook?” Lao Quan glanced down at the pork floss his partner was praising, curious. He picked up a few fine strands of shredded pork with his chopsticks, squinting suspiciously. “Is this pork? Pork usually comes in chunks, but this is so fine—can it even taste like meat? This is such a waste!”

“If you eat it, you won’t say that anymore!” his partner teased.

Lao Quan skeptically tried a few strands.

The freshly made pork floss was crispy and tender. Even just a few strands held the deep flavor of the pork that had been stir-fried and stewed, making it clear that it was pure pork, with no fillers.

Unable to resist, Lao Quan took a big mouthful of the pork floss mixed with porridge, chewing as he went.

The salty and savory taste of the pork floss was mellowed by the rice porridge, and as he swallowed, the sweetness of the rice and the saltiness of the pork floss blended, making his mouth water.

Lao Quan’s eyes lit up, and he praised, “This pork floss is something! I’ve never seen or heard of anything like it. I wonder how that Ji Wei thought of it! It’s amazing…”

“Right? Just a few months ago, he was just a street punk, but now he has a shop on North Street. His business is doing so well that people can’t even buy it if they want to.”

“I wish we could eat this pork floss every day.”

“Shopkeeper, this thing you call pork floss is delicious! When can we have more?” It wasn’t just Lao Quan who was thinking this; many of the workers shared the same thought, but only one honest man spoke up.

Everyone eagerly looked at Ji Wei, but he only glanced at the nearly empty bowl of pork floss, gathered it into a pile, and sighed. “Making pork floss is a bit troublesome. Eating it every day might be hard. Unless—”

An idea flashed in Ji Wei’s mind. It wasn’t impossible to eat pork floss every day if he could incorporate it into their daily work routine.

In addition to being used with porridge, pork floss also had many applications in Western-style pastries.

The pork wasn’t cheap, and the workers rarely had a chance to eat it. But if they could use pork floss to make pastries, it would allow them to taste meat while keeping the cost down. Ji Wei believed the workers would be willing to pay for it, just to satisfy their cravings.

After finishing a large bowl of porridge with pork floss, Ji Wei didn’t rest for a moment. He immediately got to work.

He mixed sugar and eggs, then gradually added the cooked oil, and finally blended it with vinegar and cream to make a thick salad dressing.

The salad dressing was widely used in making sandwiches, offering a translucent texture with a sweet and tangy flavor that was very appetizing.

Ji Wei used a round mold to cut the edges of a cake, spread salad dressing in the center, and stuck two round cake layers together with the dressing. He then dipped the outer layer in the pork floss, rolling it until it was fully covered.

The pork floss mini cakes, now wrapped in pork floss, were soft and delicious inside with the salty, savory pork flavor. The salad dressing added a tangy sweetness, moistening the pork floss and softening its coarse texture.

Since making these pork floss mini cakes was a spontaneous idea, Ji Wei didn’t have much pork floss left, and he used cake scraps for the base. In the end, he only made seven pork floss mini cakes.

Ji Wei tasted one of the meat floss puff pastries, and the familiar taste lifted his spirits. He packed the remaining six into a takeaway box and, after selling out all the goods at the shop, he headed home to the Ji family in the West Alley.

Before returning home, however, he made a detour to the Zhang family, intending to let Old Master Zhang try his newly made meat floss puff pastries.

Although he had signed a contract with the Zhang family, officially entering into business cooperation, Ji Wei had stopped delivering pastries to the Zhang household every few days. Since they were partners now, anything Ji Wei made in his shop would be sent to the Zhang family immediately. If Old Master Zhang or Scholar Zhang wanted something, they could simply have an employee deliver it; there was no need for Ji Wei to make the trip himself.

But these meat floss puff pastries weren’t something the shop made regularly, and if Ji Wei wanted to introduce them as a permanent item, he needed to get Old Master Zhang’s opinion first.

Ji Wei’s timing was just right. The Zhang family had just finished dinner, and when they heard Ji Wei was there, Old Master Zhang waved his hand and asked Zhang Quan to bring Ji Wei inside.

As soon as Scholar Zhang saw the takeaway box in Ji Wei’s hand, his face lit up. His eyes fixed on the box as he said, “What good things has Young Master Ji brought today? Let me guess, this box is flat and long, so it can’t be cake. Since you specially came to deliver it, it’s not cookies or croissants, is it a new pastry?”

Ji Wei smiled and nodded. “Exactly, Scholar Zhang has a keen eye.”

He moved to the space between Old Master Zhang and Scholar Zhang, placed the box on the table, removed the lid, and revealed the golden, fragrant meat floss puff pastries. The delicate and charming appearance instantly captivated everyone at the table.

“What’s this?” Even Old Master Zhang showed curiosity.

“Please try it first, and I’ll explain later,” Ji Wei said.

Old Master Zhang’s first wife, who had passed away many years ago, had left behind only a concubine who had been with Old Master Zhang for a long time. Since there was no longer a lady of the house, this concubine had gained a higher status. Even the old steward, Zhang Quan, treated her with respect, and she could now sit at the dinner table with the father and son of the Zhang family.

When Ji Wei placed the food box in front of her, Madam Chen paused for a moment. Her gaze flicked toward Old Master Zhang, and seeing him smiling, she knew he was in a good mood. She quietly thanked him, took a piece of the meat floss puff pastry, covered her mouth with her hand, and took a small bite.

“This…” Old Master Zhang slightly widened his eyes, his face thoughtful.

“I can taste the meat!” Zhang Mingyuan said excitedly. He broke the pastry in half and saw the milky, translucent salad dressing inside. He dipped a little with his chopsticks, and as he tasted it, he exclaimed, “I’ve been looking for meat but couldn’t find it, but I taste it! Could this yellow thread be made from meat?”

“Exactly,” Ji Wei replied with a calm smile, holding up one of the pastries in his hand. “This is called meat floss puff pastry. The yellow threads around it are made from meat floss, created from lean pork cuts such as tenderloin and pork breast. It uses a small amount of pork but still allows people to savor the flavor of meat. For those who rarely get to eat meat, it’s a great way to satisfy their cravings. What do you think?”

Old Master Zhang didn’t speak. He chewed the pastry while examining its components, frowning as he thought it over. After a while, he had to admit that Ji Wei’s point made sense. The cost of making meat floss was higher, but he wasn’t sure about the raw material costs or the price. If it were too expensive, ordinary people might not be willing to pay for it.

Ji Wei immediately smiled. “A single ounce of pork is enough to make two to three meat floss puff pastries. If we calculate the pork at 20 wen per pound, that’s 4 wen per ounce. If you make three pastries, each one would cost less than 2 wen. If we sell it for 4 wen, the profit would be double the cost.”

His calculations were sharp and clear. As soon as Old Master Zhang heard this, his eyes lit up. “Not bad, this could work.”

Ji Wei was relieved and continued, “Mooncakes are traditionally eaten during the Mid-Autumn Festival, but the festival has passed more than a month ago. It wouldn’t be appropriate to keep selling them now. My suggestion is to phase out the mooncakes and replace them with these meat floss puff pastries. What do you think?”

“Do you think they can replace mooncakes?” Old Master Zhang hesitated. After all, mooncakes were selling very well, and there were many customers. The market was already established, while the meat floss puff pastry was still untested.

“It will take some time, but I believe with my current influence, it won’t take long,” Ji Wei said confidently, his hands on the table.

That made sense. Nowadays, who in Changliu Town didn’t know Ji Wei and Wei Jue? Even beyond Changliu Town, Zhang’s business, selling cookies, croissants, and snow-skin mooncakes, had become incredibly popular, and everyone was scrambling to buy.

If they could launch a new product before mooncake sales started to slow down, they could dominate the market, which would be a good thing for both Ji Wei and the Zhang family.

Moreover, mooncakes were sold year-round, but by the time Mid-Autumn arrived, no one would buy them.

Ji Wei understood this logic, and after a brief pause, Old Master Zhang also grasped the idea.

Taking advantage of Ji Wei’s presence, Old Master Zhang then brought up the matter of the Chen family in Daxi Town.

“Do you know about the Chen family in Daxi Town? They’ve been making pastries for three generations, and now they’ve opened four pastry shops there. Besides Changliu Town, they have at least one shop in every other town. The Zhang family, primarily selling rice, simply can’t compete with them in the pastry business.”

Old Master Zhang’s eyes suddenly became sharp. “They’ve even lowered their prices to compete with us, and have drawn away many customers. If we let them keep growing like this, it could be detrimental to the future of Zhang’s pastry business.”