Starting Today, I’ll Work as a City Lord

Chapter 147: Scarcity Marketing



“As many as I have?” Liu Feng shook his head. “I think that Your Excellency is misunderstanding something. The meat for the canned goods are easily obtainable, but the most important part- the seasonings and spices, are very difficult to obtain.”

That wasn’t a lie. This world didn’t have many seasonings or spices. Ginger, onions, garlic, cinnamon, myrcia, the people here didn’t use them at all. The canned fish were made with the seasonings and spices that Liu Feng had brought from Earth. He only brought a few, although he did also bring some of their seeds to grow.

As of currently, they could only go out into the wild and search for wild garlic, onions, ginger, etc., and use them as a temporary replacement. They might not be as good of a quality as the cultivated seasonings, but the food made with them still tasted way better than the meat boiled with salt water.

Of course, the production wouldn’t be very high for the moment- that’s why just a single jar cost 300 copper coins.

The words made North Wind City’s City Lord frown a bit. He wanted to be a middleman and sell some of the canned goods to others by using the river, and he could only hope that Liu Feng provided him with a decent amount. “Then how many jars of canned meat can you provide, Your Excellency?”

“30 cans in 10 days,” Liu Feng said, putting up 3 fingers. He wasn’t stupid, and he had no intention of becoming a laborer for someone else. It was way better for him to sell the extremely profitable canned goods himself once he created his own merchant team.

“That- that’s so little!” North Wind City’s City Lord was dumbfounded. The amount was so much less than what he had expected- he thought that there would be at least 200 jars in 10 days. 30 cans in 10 days weren’t even enough for him to eat, let alone sell- his wife and children would be able to finish them all in a single day!

“Nothing I can really do, the temporary production can only provide so much,” Liu Feng said, shrugging his shoulders. “Besides, it’s very troublesome to transport- the ceramic jars break easily, so there might actually be less available.” He wanted to make canned meat a luxury item and rip nobles off by providing a limited quantity of them.

“No, Lord Liu Feng, please provide me with a supply of 30 canned meat every 10 days.” North Wind City’s City Lord got anxious once he heard that there would likely be even fewer than 30 jars. He knew that he was being ripped off, but the flavor was seducing him- especially when he saw that Mina was eating a piece of fish blissfully.

Mina did a really good job of attracting hatred and envy- North Wind City’s City Lord’s wives and children were staring at Mina eat, and they kept swallowing their saliva. It was at that moment that they realized that they were inferior to a beastkin- they had to share and fight for a bite of the delicacy while Mina could enjoy a whole serving by herself.

It would be fine if it was just that- they could just look away. But the fragrance was shoving itself into their nostrils, and what’s worse was that Mina was eating slowly and showing off and even smiled at them smugly.

“Deal, I will bring you some with the fleet every time,” Liu Feng said. This was the first foreign trade that he had made. He turned his head and saw Mina eating the fish while flashing a smile toward the nobles, her eyes blinking and her ears twitching. This pissed the nobles off so much that they vented by biting the salt water boiled meat.

“…” Liu Feng almost burst out laughing. Mina is being naughty again and teasing these nobles.

North Wind City’s City Lord breathed a sigh of relief when Liu Feng agreed to the deal. He didn’t have much appetite as he looked at the salt water boiled meat in front of him. He beckoned the maids to collect them so they could be given to the guards and servants to eat. A poorer noble would save them so they could reheat them next time to be eaten.

The food, which was largely untouched, except for the two jars of fish, were quickly taken away. What came up next were the desserts. Well, they were just used to eliminate the greasy smell they got from eating. The concept of having desserts after a meal was just slowly beginning to get popular among the nobles.

Well, this world didn’t have much sugar, and the sugar that they have weren’t very sweet. The pastries were made with lard wrapped in wheat flour. Liu Feng was unable to forget the grease that made him shiver, and he had no intention of eating the thing again.

The maids brought in the pastries and the bitter tea. Looking at the green tea water, Liu Feng could taste the bitterness without even drinking it.

“Your Excellency, I heard from Tory said that the pastries in your castle were the best pastries that he had ever eaten,” North Wind City’s City Lord said curiously. He got a pastry and took a big bite, the oil dripping down.

“Yes,” Liu Feng said immediately, nodding his head. Since North Wind City’s City Lord had brought the topic up, then Liu Feng could use that as an excuse. “I brought some snacks with me. Your Excellency can have a taste of them as well,” Liu Feng said, winking at Mina.

Mina immediately understood and took out a box from her backpack. She slowly opened the box, signaled a maid to bring over a plate, and took out a few cookies from the inside. The cookies were baked using chicken egg, wheat flour, dried fruits, and sugar- very crispy and tasty. This was a snack that Nicole usually made for Liu Feng as he liked to chew things when working.

Mina then took two ceramic cups, got out two paper packets of coffee from the bag, opened the packets, dumped them into the cups, and poured hot water into them. The aroma of the coffee drifted out from the cups. After she finished brewing, Mina put one of the cups in front of Liu Feng.

“Have a taste, Your Excellency,” Liu Feng said, taking a piece of cookie. Apart from the fish, he hadn’t eaten any of the meals that had been served- they all went into his storage space.

A maid carried the cookies and coffee and put them in front of North Wind City’s City Lord. As soon as the maid put them down, North Wind City’s City Lord covered them with his hands, glaring at his wives and children that wanted to make a move.

“Cough cough,” North Wind City’s City Lord coughed lightly as he thought about the previous scene of eating the fish- he didn’t want a repeat of that and lose face again. He took a piece of cookie and stuffed it into his mouth. As soon as he started chewing, he was shocked frozen by the crispiness and taste of the cookie.

The first thing that North Wind City’s City Lord did wasn’t swallow the cookie- rather, he quickly moved the plate to right in front of him, and only then did he resume chewing- the fat on his face jiggling as he chewed.

“Your Excellency, are these cookies also available for sell?” North Wind City’s City Lord asked, staring at Liu Feng.

Translator’s Notes:

Now we pray for my GPA to not drop too hard by bombing the finals. Well, as long as I pass and still qualify for financial aid.


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