Chu Huan ran for a week in the study according to the luck method of the Treasure Elephant Dao, and after practicing, as in the case after practicing the Treasure Elephant Dao many times before, he didn't have too many feelings, knowing that there should be no progress today, and when he went out, he saw Sun Zikong sitting on the ground, leaning on the table, staring intently at the fire in the stove, the fire in the stove was burning strongly, and Sun Zikong obviously didn't dare to take it lightly.

Inside the iron pot, there was a stabbing sound, Chu Huan went over, estimating that his practice time was not short, and the heat in the pot was about the same, he opened it and took a look, only to see that the pale cyan solution had disappeared, and the water had been evaporated, but in the iron pot, it was a layer of hard shell with a tinge of cyan.

Chu Huan took the knife and pried it twice on the cyan hard shell in the iron pot, which suddenly shattered, Chu Huan took a small piece, put it to his lips, and took a sip, as if he was feeling something, and soon his eyebrows rose, and his eyes showed a joy that was difficult to hide, and his grandson looked at it empty, it was very strange, and he couldn't help asking: "Master, are you...... You say that's what you eat? ”

He stretched out his hand to take a piece and taste it like Chu Huan, but Chu Huan had already raised his hand to open his hand and ordered, "How many cooks are there in the back kitchen?" ”

"Two cooks from the capital." Sun Zikong said: "The Su family also sent two cooks, who are specially used to cook northwest cuisine, adding up, not counting the fire to help, there are already four cooks." ”

"Go and call all four of them." Chu Huan immediately commanded.

Sun Zikong listened to Chu Huan's instructions, and he didn't ask too much, so he hurriedly went to find it.

Soon, Sun Zikong brought the four cooks in the back kitchen, Chu Huan had already put a few cyan hard shell-like things in the pot in the bowl at this time, went out, and saw a few people outside with a puzzled face, the governor seemed to be in a good mood, he actually sat down on the stone steps in front of the door, and beckoned to a few people, Sun Zikong and the four cooks approached, several people were looking at the porcelain bowl held by Chu Huan, seeing the things inside, looking at each other, Chu Huan had already said to Sun Zikong: "The salt that I took from the kitchen before is still on you?" ”

Sun Zikong nodded and took out the yellow-brown salt, Chu Huan first put down the bowl in his hand, broke a few small pieces of the salt handed over by Sun Zikong, and then gave a piece to each of the cooks, including Sun Zikong, and said, "You guys taste it and see how this salt tastes?" ”

The cooks are all second monks and are confused.

This salt is very expensive now, it is the governor's palace, and it can't be used openly, and when cooking, it is also as little as possible, and I don't understand why the governor is eating salt at this time.

However, the chef knows best, there is no salt in the body, and soon the limbs will be weak and the body is swollen, at present, salt is not a bad thing, since the governor has ordered it like this, several people are not polite, a small piece of salt is thrown into the mouth, although it is very salty, and there are some other strange tastes, but a few cooks are like containing the elixir and jade liquid in their mouths, and they are not willing to waste a little.

"How does it taste?" Chu Huan picked up his porcelain bowl and looked at a few people with interest.

Several cooks looked at each other, and one of them already smiled and said, "My lord, this salt is a rare thing now, and it doesn't taste very good, but it's ...... But it has to be, it's a good thing. ”

Chu Huan said seriously: "I'm asking you, is the taste of this salt pure?" From the way he dressed, he knew which two of the four people came from the capital and followed him, and said: "You two came from the capital and have used the refined salt in the capital, what do you think of this salt?" ”

One person has already said: "My lord, of course this salt is not comparable to that of the capital." The salt eaten in the capital is the refined salt that fainted from the southeast, when we were in the capital, we have been cooking with refined salt in Beijing, the northwest side is too far, the salt comes all the way from the east to this side, the northwest side is the farthest, this good salt, along the way is to be taken by other places, it is the turn of the northwest, how can there be any good. ”

A cook next to him nodded and said: "This brother is right, my lord, the villain is a native of the northwest, he has been a cook for more than 20 years, he has seen good wine and good food, and he has also seen high-quality refined salt, but there is too little refined salt in the northwest, and the grocery store can't buy high-grade refined salt. ”

Another cook saw that Chu Huan was young, and his clothes were pleasant, sitting on the threshold, without the slightest shelf, and he was not very afraid, and said: "My lord, there is a brother in my family who is a soldier, but he said that compared with soldiers in other places, the conditions for serving as a soldier in the northwest are much worse, and the salt they get is the worst ......!" ”

Chu Huan knew that the border army would not only have a monthly salary, but also a benefit, that is, they would also get some salt every month, and this kind of salt, for many soldiers, was sometimes like a medicinal herb.

The northwest is located in a remote area, there is no sea on all sides, the farthest from the sea, although the mainland has been supplying salt to the northwest, but after all, the mountains are high and the road is far away, and the salt required in various places along the way is not a few, although it is said that each province has set up an official salt bureau, and there are salt officials responsible for adjusting salt, but the northwest has always been the last to get salt, and the salt quality is also very poor, so people often say that the northwest environment is difficult, in addition to the climate resources of the northwest itself, there is also a reason that the diet of the northwest is difficult to compare with the same dishes, However, due to the difference in the quality of the most basic salt, the taste made is also superior and inferior, Daqin has a vast territory, and if you really want to calculate it, the people in the northwest have not only always needed the support of salt transported from the Guannai, but also have always eaten the lowest quality salt in the empire.

In fact, Chu Huan didn't know that the yellow-brown salt that Sun Zikong brought from the kitchen was specially sent by the seven surnames of Xiguan the day before yesterday, although it was not the best, but in the current Xiguan, it was already a very good quality, and those salts of inferior quality, Chu Huan had not had a chance to see it yet.

"Do you know the market price of the salt you just tasted?" Chu Huan asked: "Just a few of you have eaten, if you go to buy it, how much silver will it cost to eat a pound of salt?" ”

The other two cooks glanced at each other, and one finally explained: "My lord, this salt just now is still a good solid color, and it is not easy to buy it on the market, and what can be bought on the market is gray salt, and the taste is much worse than what we just ate, but if you want to buy those gray salts, it will cost you thirty or forty yuan a catty...... ”

Chu Huan let out an "oh", although he didn't know much about the market price, but he also understood in his heart that a pound of salt would cost one hundred and thirty or forty yuan, and the price was really not cheap, and what the cook said was gray salt of very poor quality.

"If we just eat this kind of salt, the price is much higher, a catty down, it will not be less than two hundred, the important thing is that this is priceless, even if you have two hundred dollars in your hand, you want to buy a catty of salt, then you may not be able to find it." The cook just ate a piece of salt, originally a little salty in his mouth, but at this time he explained, thinking that today's salt is more expensive than rice, just now he put a piece of salt in his mouth, in the northwest where salt and rice are in short supply, it is a very luxurious thing, when he thinks of this, the cook does not feel the slightest saltiness in his mouth.

Chu Huan had a bottom in his heart, so he smiled and said, "A few of you take a look, what is in this bowl?" ”

In fact, several people never left the porcelain bowl, the contents of the bowl looked very pure in color, cyan, look at it, several chefs really felt familiar in their hearts, but they were not sure.

"Don't recognize?" Chu Huan raised his eyelids.

"My lord, this ......!" One of the cooks said cautiously, "It looks a little like salt, but ...... I've never seen this kind of salt, so it's probably not ......! He hesitated, but did not dare to speculate.

Chu Huan smiled, ordered several people to take a small piece from the bowl, and said, "You can taste it, but the best way is to rinse your mouth with water first, eat salt just now, take the taste in your mouth, and then taste how ...... taste of this taste!" ”

The Governor has an order, how dare a few people not comply, Sun Tzu entered the house and came out with a bucket, first used a scoop of water with a wooden scoop, rinsed his mouth to clean the salty taste in his mouth, and then handed over the wooden scoop, several people gargled their mouths one after another, and waited until a few people felt that there was no salty taste in their mouths, then they looked at Chu Huan, Chu Huan smiled slightly, raised his hand and said, "You can taste it now." ”

Sun Zikong was the first to throw something into his mouth, he was busy with Chu Huan for a long time today, and the cold stone finally turned into this cyan thing, he looked at Chu Huan's meaning, this thing is obviously edible, I really don't know what it tastes like, Chu Huan also tasted it with his mouth in the house before, Sun Zikong naturally has no scruples, after the small piece of thing was thrown into his mouth, Sun Zikong's face first showed a hint of taste, but soon, his expression became wonderful, his brows were distorted, the corners of his mouth twitched, and he had already spit out the contents of his mouth into his hand, Exclaimed, "Kill me......!" ”

Seeing him, Chu Huan remained silent, and several other cooks also threw things into their mouths, and soon two of them spit out, with unbearable expressions on their faces, but although the remaining two showed abnormal expressions on their faces, they didn't want to spit out, but these two people were just the local cooks in the northwest, and the skin and flesh on his faces twitched, and soon, there was an incredible color between his eyebrows, and one of them was already vague and said: "This ...... This is salt...... It's so salty......! ”

The grandson held the spit out with his empty palm, and looked at Chu Huan with his eyes, but he was speechless at this time, but his eyes showed an inquiring look.

Chu Huan held the porcelain bowl in one hand, nodded and said, "Yes, this is salt, the salt of the Northwest Own!" ”