Journey to the West: Starting by taking Sun Wukong as my disciple!-Chapter 438: Selling Oil, Demonstrating

"Look, we ordinary folks can’t afford oil for cooking, so if you’re selling oil, you might as well prepare to close shop," said the merchant nonchalantly. "Business isn’t just about passion, you need someone older to give you guidance."

Chen Nuo didn’t plan on arguing with him, merely nodding his head, "You’re right, Uncle."

"I don’t really mean it," sensed the merchant, feeling that Chen Nuo was brushing him off, before continuing, "This kind of experience can only be passed down after you’ve been through it. How about this, you don’t look like you’re spoken for, and my daughter, a bit younger than you, is the epitome of gentle and virtuous. I think you’re a good guy, so why don’t you come with me to my place and meet my daughter?"

"No, thanks. I still have a store to run," Chen Nuo declined.

Another merchant couldn’t stay out of it, "I don’t mean to criticize, but what’s with you, trying to take someone home without even asking if they agree? How good do you think your home is? Just look at his clothes, his demeanor, he must come from a distinguished family. Your modest household wouldn’t catch his eye!"

"It’s not that I look down on it, it’s just that I still have a store to run."

Chen Nuo hadn’t expected the conversation to veer in this direction and realized he needed to consider diversity in his future endeavors. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

"Since it’s not a matter of looking down, then it’s even easier to discuss. Come on, follow me," the merchant said, reaching out to take Chen Nuo along.

"Anyway, your shop is empty of customers right now, so you might as well come with me to see my eldest daughter first, then you can come back to run the shop."

"Hey, that’s not fair," protested the other merchant who had spoken earlier, getting anxious. "My daughter is a year older than yours, how can you just pull him away? If there’s going to be match-making, it should be with me first."

"This isn’t about age or letting you have your way; whoever runs into him, claims him," the merchant tried to pull Chen Nuo away quickly. "Anyway, this gentleman is already going to come with me. If your daughter wants to be considered, she can wait until he’s visited my home and then meet yours."

The other merchant became angry, "I knew you were not honorable, always trying to compete with me. Who wants your daughter’s leftovers!"

Chen Nuo couldn’t understand why he suddenly became the "leftover" without doing a thing. Both merchants were prominent figures in town, and their argument was drawing an increasingly large crowd of onlookers.

Although he didn’t want to get involved in the commotion, as he watched the crowd grow, Chen Nuo realized that an opportunity had arisen.

Without a word, he walked over to his pot, which already had the fire attribute Magic Artifact ready underneath. With proper control of his mana, even the Magic Artifact could be used like a stove.

Chen Nuo cleared his throat softly, adding a bit of spiritual power to make sure his voice was loud and clear so that all the onlookers could hear him.

"This oil I’m selling isn’t greasy oil, it’s purely plant-based oil," Chen Nuo began, introducing the oil in the several barrels.

"This is peanut oil pressed from peanuts, this is soybean oil pressed from soybeans, this is rapeseed oil, melon seed oil. All these oils can be used for cooking, and even when frying veggies, they add a distinct flavor."

"Young Master, we usually boil our vegetables with water. Your oil is useless to us," someone commented.

"No, I think it’s very useful," Chen Nuo contradicted the person, "The reason you don’t use oil for cooking is not due to custom or taste, but because the oil you usually get is fatty oil, which is scarce and expensive. In everyday life, if you can do without it, you will, right? That’s the logic, isn’t it?"

After hearing Chen Nuo’s words, the bystanders reflected for a moment and agreed that what he said made sense. They never used oil to cook because they couldn’t afford it.

But did this vegetable oil differ from lard? Since they couldn’t afford lard, how could they afford vegetable oil?

"But Young Master, how’s this vegetable oil any different from lard? We’ve lived this long without ever using oil for cooking; the money we usually spend doesn’t account for oil. So if we can’t afford it, we still can’t afford it."

"First," Chen Nuo pointed to the prices he had listed, "Look, the prices are all written here. Soybean oil costs one wen for an ounce, and that ounce can cook three to four meals. Isn’t that a bargain?"

"We don’t have to spend a penny on a regular basis," someone continued to counter.

Chen Nuo glanced at the person who had posed the question. He had touched on the crux of the matter; these people hardly ever used oil in their daily cooking, but to expect them to spend their own money on oil was definitely out of the question. However, if they began using oil in their daily cooking, it would be a different story.

"Well, let me ask you, is the food at the restaurant delicious?" Chen Nuo smiled.

"Delicious, of course. If it wasn’t, the place couldn’t stay open," the man replied, unsure of what Chen Nuo was really getting at.

"So now I’m asking why the food made in restaurants is delicious."

The people present were all dumbstruck, thinking for a while but unable to come up with an explanation.

They had never considered why the restaurant’s food was so tasty. Some had tried to replicate it, but for some reason, they just couldn’t capture the restaurant’s flavor.

"Is it the skill?" Chen Nuo answered for them.

They thought about it and felt it made sense, probably it was the skill, so they agreed.

"That’s right, it’s the skill. Those who run restaurants certainly have very good skills."

"With good skills, the dishes they make are especially delicious. We ordinary people don’t have these skills, so naturally, we can’t make food as tasty as theirs."

"Is that so?"

Chen Nuo nodded with a smile, "There’s more than one restaurant in this town, isn’t there? I’ve only eaten at one, but I feel the dishes they make aren’t as tasty as mine. Even an ordinary stir-fried vegetable can be served as a dish. Have you ever ordered it at a restaurant?"

Even though ordering stir-fried vegetables at a restaurant might seem like a foolish expense, the people seated there had indeed done so, if only for the sake of having an extra dish for appearances.

After all, stir-fried vegetables were not expensive, and they could occupy a spot on the menu.

"The same stir-fried vegetables, yet why do those from the restaurant seem tastier and even a bit better flavored than the ones we make ourselves? Is it really because of the skill?" Chen Nuo asked again, "But if it’s about skill, I assume everyone seated here can stir-fry vegetables, so why is theirs so delicious?"

Someone realized Chen Nuo’s point, and followed his line of reasoning, "You’re not suggesting that it’s because they use oil in the restaurant, are you?"

Chen Nuo smiled at the person, "Right, it’s because of the oil."

That smile made everyone present pause; with such demeanor, such a temperament, such a smile, a person like him should be amongst the Immortals in the sky, not selling oil in a small town.

After a moment of silence, another question came, "But we also use oil when we cook, so why can’t we achieve the same taste as the restaurants?"

"Using oil is not as simple as just using it," Chen Nuo said slowly.

"Then why is that? It can’t just be whatever you say it is, right?"

"There’s also the matter of quantity, whether it’s any dish, there needs to be a proper amount. Too little definitely won’t do, but too much is also not good," Chen Nuo explained, scooping a spoonful of peanut oil into the wok from the bucket.