In years of famine and drought, their village even rejected fatty meat.

Chapter 614 Fragrant and Delicious

“I heard that the merchant came from Qingzhou.”

Hearing Tang Qing's mutterings, Qin Le said, "These chickens also came from Qingzhou. Maybe livestock are cheaper there?"

Upon hearing this, Tang Qing shook his head. People like Qin Le, with their limited knowledge, might not understand the situation in Qingzhou, but Tang Qing, as the magistrate of Yongliang County, did know something about it.

As far as he knew, the cold disaster not only affected Liangzhou, but also Qingzhou. When crops failed in Liangzhou, the harvest in Qingzhou also plummeted. Therefore, even though there was no war in Qingzhou, the people were still struggling and grain prices remained high.

In this situation, how could livestock that need to be fed with grain be cheap?

Not to mention, the yellow-feathered chicken in Qin Le's hands looks so good, far better than the common gray-feathered chicken.

"Oh dear, sir, don't think about it so much!"

Seeing Tang Qing shake his head, Qin Le, who looked preoccupied, smiled and said, "Let's try the yellow-feathered chicken first."

Upon hearing this, Tang Qing relaxed his furrowed brows and replied with a smile, "Alright, I'll take advantage of your generosity and try the taste of this yellow-feathered chicken."

After saying that, the two went to the backyard and met Madam Tang, who was busy at work.

Although Tang Qing was a county magistrate, his family was not wealthy because he was honest and incorruptible, and he could not afford servants. Therefore, most of the time, his wife, Li Xiuyun, was in charge of cooking at home.

Li Xiuyun appeared to be around thirty-five years old. She had a pretty face and a delicate, refined air, which seemed somewhat incongruous with the identity of a "cook".

However, she was extremely efficient at her work, showing no signs of the pampered lifestyle of the county magistrate's wife.

This is also related to Li Xiuyun's background. Li Xiuyun came from a wealthy peasant family. Although her family could barely make ends meet, they could not afford to hire servants. Therefore, Li Xiuyun had to help her family with some chores from a young age, which helped her develop excellent cooking skills.

"Husband, Xiao Qin, what brings you here?"

Upon seeing the two approaching, Li Xiuyun asked in surprise.

"lady."

Qin Le first bowed, then handed the yellow-feathered chicken in his hand to Li Xiuyun: "I've brought you some ingredients."

"what?"

Li Xiuyun, her gaze fixed on the yellow-feathered chicken, looked on in surprise: "Where did you get this chicken? It looks so plump."

"This is the best thing I found at the market today..."

Qin Le repeated what he had said to Tang Qing earlier.

After listening, Li Xiuyun, aside from marveling at the high quality and low price, didn't have the same strong reaction as Tang Qing.

"Go wait in the living room, I'll make you some chicken."

Li Xiuyun quickly dismissed the two men and then swiftly began killing a chicken and cooking.

Fifteen minutes later, in the living room.

At a large dining table, Qin Le, Tang Qing, and Li Xiuyun took their seats, ready to savor Li Xiuyun's cooking.

"There were two chickens, but I only killed one."

Li Xiuyun said to the two of them, "Half of it was made into stir-fried chicken, and the other half was made into chicken soup. You should try it."

After saying that, Li Xiuyun ladled out a bowl of chicken soup and handed it to Qin Le, saying with a smile, "Little Qin, you should try my cooking."

"Then I won't stand on ceremony."

Qin Le took the bowl, blew on it, and took a big sip of chicken soup. His eyes immediately lit up.

For soldiers like Qin Le, who expend a lot of physical strength on a daily basis, the aroma of soup depends on how much oil it contains. And coincidentally, the yellow-feathered chicken was quite plump and rich in oil, so the chicken soup was very flavorful and fragrant, making Qin Le want to swallow his tongue.

"Madam's cooking is excellent!"

Qin Le couldn't help but praise, "This chicken soup is fragrant and delicious, it's so good!"

"It's good that you brought the chicken."

Li Xiuyun squinted and said, "This yellow-feathered chicken is very oily, and the dishes made from it taste much better than those made from gray-feathered chicken."

As she spoke, Li Xiuyun took a sip of chicken soup, her beautiful eyes brightening slightly.

Although she was the wife of a county magistrate, and of noble status.

But Li Xiuyun knew her own family well; her husband wasn't a corrupt official. The family's food, clothing, and daily necessities all depended on his fixed salary. So, despite living in such a large mansion, in reality...

The food at home wasn't very good; most of the time, we only ate staple foods and vegetables, and as for meat...

It's easy to see from the price of 500 coins for a gray-feathered chicken that Li Xiuyun and Tang Qing couldn't afford meat.

That's why, the moment Li Xiuyun tasted the long-lost flavor of meat in the oily chicken soup, she felt refreshed all over, and her fatigue seemed to vanish instantly.

"I'll try it too."

Tang Qing smiled, picked up a piece of stir-fried chicken, and put it in her mouth, chewing slowly.

As he bit down, the delicious flavor of the chicken exploded on his taste buds, and the unique aroma of meat filled his mouth, causing a look of pleasure to appear on Tang Qing's face.

"This chicken is indeed much tastier than gray-feathered chicken."

Tang Qing gave it a very high rating. Unlike scholars who prefer light flavors, Tang Qing, who has been engaged in physical labor for many years, has a very strong palate. The fatty yellow-feathered chicken was just what suited his taste.

"We have to thank Xiao Qin!"

Li Xiuyun said with a smile, "If it weren't for Xiao Qin bringing this chicken, we wouldn't be able to enjoy such a delicious meal."

"Hehe, you're too kind, Madam."

Qin Le scratched his head and smiled shyly.

Tang Qing smiled and said, "We have to thank Xiao Qin. Xiao Qin usually expends a lot of energy on patrol, so he should eat more."

"okay!"

Qin Le, who was very familiar with Tang Qing and his wife, did not stand on ceremony and began to eat heartily from the food on the table.

Soon, the three of them finished off the fried chicken and steamed buns on the table. Qin Le, who had filled his stomach, leaned back in his chair and patted his belly, saying, "It's so good to eat meat! I usually can't get full even if I eat seven or eight steamed buns, but today I only ate three and I felt full!"

Upon hearing this, Tang Qing and his wife exchanged a glance and sighed inwardly.

Despite Qin Le's boastful claims that he eats meat frequently, in reality... based on their understanding of Qin Le, who is nearly twenty years old, he probably eats meat no more than ten times.

And it was only after joining the Yang Family Army that he was able to eat meat on such a rare occasion.

Before joining the Yang family army, Qin Le was a peasant from the lowest rung of Liangzhou. His parents died of hunger, leaving Qin Le, a half-grown boy, to struggle to survive. He couldn't even get enough to eat, let alone meat, bran, or wheat bran.

If it weren't for Yang Zheng and the Yang family army, Qin Le would probably have starved to death in some forgotten corner, becoming food for wild dogs and vultures.

It was only after Yang Zheng rebelled and joined the Yang family army that Qin Le transformed from a starving beggar into the head constable of Yongliang County.