Chapter 223: Profiteer

Chapter 223: Chapter 223: Profiteer

The sound of a car parking already echoed from outside. Zhang Lifeng had driven over immediately after hanging up the phone earlier, speeding the whole way in fear that these country folks might ruin the good stuff.

His status as the deputy dean of the county people’s hospital carried a lot of weight. To the surrounding farmers, he was a man of status and Energy. They dared to talk back to Zhang Youcai, but they wouldn’t dare act rashly around Zhang Lifeng.

"Youcai!" The people who were arguing earlier all asked Zhang Youcai to step forward and negotiate.

"Good lord! It’s truly incredible that you managed to get this. This snake must be at least several decades old. It could only grow this big because its habitat was extraordinary."

Zhang Lifeng completely ignored the crowd of onlookers. Putting on his glasses, he excitedly observed the giant cobra.

"Dean Zhang, how come this snake came out in broad daylight?" Zhang Youcai asked from the side, trying to buddy up to him.

Zhang Lifeng then replied, "Cobras are diurnal snakes, meaning they come out to forage during the day. They have high heat tolerance, remaining active and unbothered by sunlight even in hot environments above 35 degrees Celsius. However, their cold tolerance is poor, and they easily freeze to death if it gets too cold."

Zhang Lifeng had actually gotten someone else to drive him over, and he had run in first. After parking the car, the driver walked in as well.

"I brought someone over. Let him dissect it."

This person was likely a doctor from the county hospital as well. He brought in some professional surgical tools and carried over a cooler containing various sized boxes for storage.

This professional setup left everyone clicking their tongues in marvel. If they had done it themselves, they would have just gutted it like a fish.

"Youcai!" Someone anxiously shot a look at Zhang Youcai.

Zhang Youcai immediately spoke up. "Dean Zhang, its internal organs and the like might have medicinal value, but the snake meat should be pretty ordinary, right? Leave it for us to buy and stew into soup. We’re all eagerly waiting for it."

"Haha, exactly! If Zhang Yun hadn’t said to let you come first, we would have already divided up the meat," someone quickly chimed in.

"There’s no rush. We’ll talk after we finish dissecting it." Zhang Lifeng didn’t give them any face at all.

Bending down to stare at it closely, he prepared to personally direct the doctor’s dissection. Then, without even lifting his head, he said to Zhang Yun, "I know what you want, and your big brother won’t treat you unfairly. The car door is unlocked. There are a few bottles of Moutai on the passenger seat!"

Zhang Yun had gotten a fishy stench all over himself from carrying the snake back. He was washing his hands to the side and wiping his neck with a towel. Hearing this, he immediately smiled.

"How could I accept that? Dean Zhang, you’re too polite!"

Despite his words, he happily trotted outside and pulled four bottles of Moutai from Zhang Lifeng’s car.

It seemed the old man had already figured out his routine, having procured the Moutai in advance. Otherwise, how could he casually pull out four bottles after rushing over so hastily?

The villagers were already curious when they heard the mention of Moutai. Could it be real Moutai?

Seeing Zhang Yun bring back four bottles of it, they instantly became envious. If they had snake soup paired with Moutai, the taste would surely be exquisite, wouldn’t it?

As for the price, they didn’t find it outrageous. Four bottles of Moutai cost over ten thousand yuan. Given the snake’s weight of several dozen catties, that worked out to just over three hundred yuan per catty. In the wild game market, even a regular wild cobra would cost over three hundred yuan per catty.

But how could a snake weighing a few catties compare to one weighing several dozen? They weren’t on the same Level at all!

They had originally prepared to pay upwards of five hundred yuan per catty. But now, with both a rich man like Zhang Youcai and an old doctor like Zhang Lifeng who could likely expense it, the price was probably going to skyrocket...

Zhang Fu had previously been pestered by Li Jin’s family and left some chores unfinished. He had just stepped out for a moment when the news reached him. Hearing that his son had brought back a giant snake, he got a shock and hurried back home.

"Dad, Dean Zhang was too polite. He came over as a guest and even brought wine. You can put this away and take your time drinking it." Seeing his dad return, Zhang Yun handed the four bottles of Moutai straight to him.

He wasn’t being lazy and ordering his dad around; this was a moment to win some face for his father!

Zhang Fu was a bit flustered and almost politely declined. Fortunately, he caught on quickly. Zhang Lifeng wasn’t some high-ranking official or big boss; would he really gift so much expensive liquor just for visiting? This was definitely in exchange for the snake!

"You child, you don’t even know how to entertain guests. You’re just letting them stay outside. Hurry up and brew some tea!"

"It’s fine. They’re busy with serious business first." Zhang Yun watched from the side. This was a good learning opportunity. The next time he encountered a large snake, he wouldn’t waste so much of it if he knew how to process it himself.

"Brother Fu! You’re truly blessed with good fortune. Your son is so promising. Having snake soup with Moutai tonight, your little life is better than an immortal’s!"

"Brother Fu’s family has been very lucky lately! I think all you’re missing now is a new wife, hahaha."

Everyone teased him out of envy and jealousy, and Zhang Fu just offered a good-natured smile.

It wasn’t his first time drinking Moutai; he still had a few bottles at home, so he was well aware of its value. He could treat everyone to liquor that cost a hundred or so yuan, but he wasn’t going to play the big spender with something worth several thousand.

"You stabbed it too viciously, kid! You wasted too much of its blood! The blood of a cobra at this snake king Level is incredibly nourishing!" Zhang Lifeng couldn’t help but complain to Zhang Yun as he watched the dissection. He figured the blood had spilled out all along the journey back, which was a massive shame.

Seeing this, the crowd also felt it was a huge pity. Otherwise, taking just a small cup of it would have been a great tonic, right?

Zhang Yun laughed. "Nonsense! If I hadn’t stabbed it hard, it would have long since escaped. Would it even be your turn to clean it up now?"

Zhang Lifeng was speechless. That was indeed the truth.

The doctor worked very nimbly, and many people helped out, but it still took a long time to finish processing the snake.

Aside from a few idle folks, many of the onlookers had already left. Although the middle-aged men all wanted to buy some as a tonic, they had to consider the cost-effectiveness.

Three or four hundred yuan per catty was a bargain, and five or six hundred was still acceptable. At seven or eight hundred, they could only grit their teeth and buy a small amount to satisfy their cravings. But if it exceeded a thousand, they would pass. How much Shenbao or Six-Flavor Rehmannia Pills could they buy with that kind of money?

Meanwhile, Zhang Youcai waited on-site with a beaming smile. He was still reaping the benefits of the giant softshell turtle’s tonic effects from last time, feeling as if his body had grown much younger. If he had a pot of this cobra meat, wouldn’t he feel incredibly fantastic?

The doctor dismembered the giant snake. He extracted the gallbladder and all the other internal organs, then collected the bones, skin, scales, and blood. He also took a portion of the meat.

"I’m rushing back first. These things are highly valuable, so I need to appraise them before settling the tab with you. I’ll transfer the money to you later!" Zhang Lifeng was in no mood to linger; he just wanted to hurry back immediately.

He even pushed the matter of the Fufeng Grass completely out of his mind.

Zhang Yun casually asked, "How much is this snake meat worth?"

Since he was dealing with neighbors, he didn’t feel right demanding a high price. It would be best if the old doctor set a price for him.

"Well... that’s hard to say." Zhang Lifeng, however, didn’t catch onto his intent. "I’m using it entirely for medicinal purposes, so I have a clear idea of its value in that regard, but as food, the price varies depending on the setting. Regardless, it’s definitely much more expensive than a regular wild cobra... Look here! Boss Zhang obviously eats wild game often; he understands the pricing much better!"

"Haha... haha." Zhang Youcai let out a dry laugh.

After the doctor washed his hands, Zhang Lifeng hurriedly departed. This left Zhang Youcai and the others eyeing the processed meat like hungry tigers.

"Dean Zhang just said it himself; this is much more expensive than a regular wild cobra. When I treat guests to meals at farmhouses, it usually costs five or six hundred yuan per catty, and their purchase price is over three hundred. Zhang Yun wouldn’t feel right charging us the restaurant price, so we should go with the purchase price, right?"

"Sure." Zhang Yun smiled. It wasn’t easy for him to name a price anyway. Since Uncle Youcai was naming it for him, he surely wouldn’t take a loss.

"Zhang Yun has always been a generous kid. I know that."

"I used to treat Brother Fu to drinks all the time. Zhang Yun has been sensible since he was little."

The others had originally estimated the price in their minds to be seven or eight hundred, or even over a thousand. Now, according to Zhang Youcai’s proposal, it would only be a bit over three hundred, and Zhang Yun was too embarrassed to refuse!

Naturally, they were happy to speak kindly of him, while thinking to themselves, "Indeed, all merchants are crafty. A boss really has a thicker skin when it comes to bargaining."

However, Zhang Youcai continued, "Based on what Dean Zhang said, this is much more expensive than a regular one. Let’s not overshoot it; how about we calculate it at double the price?"

Over three hundred suddenly turned into six or seven hundred... Everyone’s smiles instantly froze. Well then! With just a flip of his lips, he had doubled the price!

"When you buy from the wild game market, it comes with a whole lot of skin, bones, blood, and water weight. The doctor has already dissected this one for us. The organs, skin, and bones are all gone, leaving only pure meat. The weight is probably only a third of what it originally was, right?"

"Hold on! Youcai, stop talking in circles. I didn’t get much schooling, so just tell us straight how much it is!" someone said, sensing that something was off.

Zhang Youcai chuckled. "Seven hundred isn’t a lot based on the market price, and now it’s pure meat. So two thousand a catty isn’t too much, right?"

"You’re scamming us! Zhang Yun already agreed to three hundred, and you’ve calculated it up to two thousand. You crafty merchant!"

"Exactly! We can all afford three hundred, but only you can afford two thousand. Of course you’re not short on money!"

"We aren’t trying to take advantage of Zhang Yun, but you can’t just use your money to bully people."

"Brothers, have you never bought live poultry versus slaughtered poultry? Could the price be the same? Let me use durians as an example. Some are twenty a catty, others are thirty or forty. If unpeeled durians are twenty yuan a catty, you might not even be able to buy shelled durian meat for a hundred yuan a catty. Isn’t that right?"

Zhang Youcai’s explanation left everyone unable to refute him. It was also a grudging comfort—they had originally wanted to buy two catties, but now half a catty would yield the same effect...

"Fine! We’ll buy it. Zhang Yun had the good luck to catch such a snake, and it’s not an everyday occurrence. I’ll just buy a little less."

"Heh, we’re just ordinary folks. Let the big boss buy a bit more!"

"I’ll take half a catty. Boss Zhang, this is the price you stated. You won’t raise it on us again, will you?"

"You guys buy first, and I’ll buy whatever is left, alright?" Zhang Youcai knew Zhang Yun was too embarrassed to haggle, so he had helped negotiate the price. At two thousand a catty, not many would be willing to buy a large amount.

Information about this price was soon posted into their group chat for discussion. The others who had already left all felt it was far too expensive. However, some figured that since Zhang Youcai ate this stuff frequently, he should know the market very well. If even a shrewd merchant like him was willing to shell out the money, it proved it was worth the price, prompting them to make a special trip back just to buy half a catty.

Of course, there were also people who felt that since Zhang Youcai was partnering with Zhang Yun to collect Ancient Artifacts, they were definitely colluding, meaning he couldn’t be trusted.

The remaining meat was actually more than a third, but it still fell short of twenty catties. Zhang Yun had to save a few catties for himself, so there wasn’t much left. It sold very quickly in half-catty increments. Seeing that things were going south, Zhang Youcai hurriedly bought up the remaining few catties before more people could arrive.

Making nearly thirty thousand yuan in one go left both Zhang Yun and his dad extremely excited.