Chapter 354: Another Visit to the Old Goods Market
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Tomatoes, endives, cucumbers, purple cabbages, onions, and red peppers were the ingredients used to make the salad.
Li Du used olive oil, lemon vinegar, and yogurt as well. He used these three things to mix the salad instead of a salad dressing.
Sophie laughed when she saw this. "Won’t it be too sour?"
Li Du said, "But it's healthier. Just don't eat too much if it’s too sour."
The wet Crispy Noodles was wandering around his legs; he put a small tomato down for him. Crispy Noodles held it with both hands and "washed" the tomato before happily eating it.
Ah Meow jumped on the kitchen counter to look for dried fish. He couldn't find anything, so he continued sulking.
But Li Du had cooked the pheasant’s liver for it. Ocelots loved to eat this kind of food. After it ate some of the liver, Ah Meow was happy again.
Li Du then prepared the pheasant mushroom soup.
After preparing a combination soup and salad, Li Du fried some black pepper mushrooms.
There was a famous Western dish called "fried king oyster mushrooms in black pepper." They didn't have any king oysters, only mushrooms. Seeing that the mushrooms were big and juicy, Li Du figured that they would taste delicious if he fried them.
He washed the mushrooms and dried them using paper towels. Then, he sliced them up. He poured some oil into the frying pan and fried the mushrooms.
He sprinkled some salt into the pan. He didn't add too much salt as it would cover the fresh flavor of the mushrooms. These were wild mushrooms, fresh and delicious.
Lastly, he sprinkled some crushed black pepper onto them and then served the mushrooms. It was a simple dish.
Sophie licked her lips when she saw the food. "I bet the fried mushrooms are delicious."
The mushrooms looked delicious. They were golden brown with black pepper sprinkled on top of them. The color combination and the juiciness of the mushrooms made the dish look appealing.
Li Du passed her a fork. "Come on, try it."
Sophie, smiling, chose to use chopsticks instead. "I have to respect your hard work. I should use chopsticks to taste a dish prepared by a Chinese chef."
As compared to her first time using a pair of chopsticks, her skills had improved a lot.
The fried mushrooms were as delicious as they looked. Sophie ate half of her serving and had some soup. She exclaimed, "Oh my, this is too delicious. I ate too much tonight."
Neither of them ate much. Li Du packed the chicken soup and gave it to Godzilla once he reached the cabin. "There you go—your supper."
The Mexican man was thrilled; he happily poured himself some tequila.
While he was enjoying his supper and booze, Li Du asked, "What was your job when you worked for Bay Group?"
"I was a fighter," Godzilla said. "I was not involved in drug trafficking. But when there was a gang fight, I'd fight."
He was aware of Li Du's concerns, so he was honest about his previous job.
Li Du was relieved after he heard this. Godzilla was a smart guy, but Li Du was concerned whether he had been involved in drug trafficking, or even drug manufacturing.
As Godzilla was drinking, he told Li Du about his past in the gang.
He hadn't stayed with Bay Group for long. He stayed there for two months only. But because of his strong body figure and wrestling skills, he was held in high regards among the fighters.
"Boss, I know they said Bay Group is a devil. But they accepted me when I had no food to eat. I met some good friends too. I'm a simple person and I was satisfied."
"Why did you leave then?" Li Du asked.
Godzilla looked bleak. "There was a demarcation dispute. We were being ambushed and some of the good men were killed."
Li Du nodded. "Did you leave because you realized how dangerous the job was?"
Godzilla said, "I knew it was dangerous. I know we were bad guys who deserved hell. I don't know how to say this... many things happened."
He shook his head and held the pot high to take a big sip of soup.
Li Du decided not to ask more questions as he saw that Godzilla was in low spirits. He patted his shoulder. "Let's talk about this later, but you’re wrong about something."
He paused and gave him a big smile. "The rest of the gang members might have been bad guys, but you’re not. You don't deserve hell too!"
Godzilla gave him a smile. "Thank you, boss."
The next day, when Hans arrived, Li Du said, "I want you to find out where I can buy a carriage."
Hans understood immediately; he said, "Why? Did you find something good from the Amish?"
Li Du shook his head. "No, I owe them one."
"I bet there are carriages for sale at the old goods market," Hans said. "Let’s pay Hoffman a visit. We have to sell the high-pressure fire extinguisher anyway."
Li Du said, "Okay."
Hoffman’s auction was held once a week. But if there were enough high-quality goods, there would be two auctions in a week. One during the weekdays and another during the weekend.
Spring and autumn were the peak seasons to trade old goods. As the weather was changing, there were many people who chose to clean out their homes and trade during these two seasons.
From the end of August until the beginning of September, although the weather was still hot, the autumn breeze was approaching as well. Trading old goods brought more heat than the weather.
Li Du and the others went to the old goods market. Blacktooth Robbie was riding a horse. He greeted them when he saw the two men. "Hi Boss Li and Big Fox. Do you have any high-quality goods?"
"Come here, take a look," Hans said. "We have a good fire extinguisher and we need a carriage for our Amish friends. Do you know where we can get one?"
"You found the right person," Robbie laughed and showed his black teeth. They looked like they were made from ashes.
"Do you know where?" Hans asked quickly when he heard this.
Robbie nodded. "Yes: Jet has a carriage in front of his house. But it won’t be easy to get it. I heard that he wanted to modify the carriage and sell it for a higher price."
Hans knew many people, but they were all from the storage auction industry. He didn’t know many people who traded old goods, including this "Jet" person.
Li Du gave Robbie 100 dollars. "Bring us to this guy. No matter what, the money is yours."
Robbie smiled, revealing his black teeth again. "Boss Li is a good, straightforward man. No problem, follow me. By the way, are you interested in horses? I have a good horse here."
He pointed to the horse he had been riding earlier.
Li Du was surprised. "You trade horses too?"
Robbie shrugged. "Yes—everything’s been traded at one point or another."
Li Du thought about it and said, "Your horse looks good."