North and South groceries

Winter goes to spring, and when the weather gets a little warmer, every household in the countryside will start busy with farming, preparing for this year's farming.

But in Lishi County, there are many families without land. Some of them are merchants, some are lowly, and some have neither land nor business for various reasons.

In an alley in the south of the city, there lived a family surnamed Xu. This family was a merchant. The family originally ran a livestock business. They were also a wealthy family in the early years. They never thought about a plague, so they asked them to pay for their family fortune. Cleaned up.

Now the family has no business to make a living, and no land to grow. There are old and young in the family, and there are taxes and corvees every year. Life is really not easy.

After the winter of last year, seeing the children in the family getting thinner day by day, his Aunt said, there is really no way out, if this continues, the children in the family may not be able to keep any of them, so it is better to get rid of them as soon as possible. Take the two youngest ones and sell them to rich and kind people, so they can find a way out anyway.

The parents of the two children were silent, and no one responded to the uncles or brothers.It's just that another ten or twenty days have passed, and the two children of his family are still unsold.

If there is no way to survive, who would sell their children? In ancient times, those who sold their wives and daughters in exchange for food were even asked to tie green cloth strips on their heads. They will all be cast aside by their neighbors.

Nowadays, although they don't have such regulations here, such things as selling children and daughters are still disgusting. If you encounter a more violent family, even if the whole family starves to death, you will not sell a son or a daughter .

Seeing that the family surnamed Xu is so tough, the neighbors who have some contact with them on weekdays also came to persuade them. At that time, before the New Year was over, they all said, look, the weather is getting colder and your food is getting worse. It's not enough for the children in the family to feed their stomachs. If this continues, I'm afraid they will really be unable to bear it.

In the past few days, there were often women's crying in the Xu family's courtyard, and the neighbors heard it, and they all felt sympathetic. Most of the people who lived in their area were from poor families.

That is, a few years ago, Luo Sanlang came to the city and led a few villagers to set up a heated kang for those well-off families in the city. Bring your own.

The brothers of the Xu family and the young women of his family had to go out of the city to dig the soil every day, and sell them when they brought them back. A load of yellow mud could be exchanged for a liter of rice.

The Xu family went out early and returned late, and did not dig until midnight every day and did not come back, and went out again before dawn the next day. In order to dig more soil and transport more soil, the work of digging outside the city and selling soil in the city was handed over to the woman. To do it, the brothers will pick one load after another.

The snow is thick in winter, and his family has no livestock. If you use a human-powered cart, it is better to carry it on your shoulders and walk quickly with two legs.The weather is bitter and cold, and sometimes a load of soil is picked from outside the city to the city, and when it is poured out of the dustpan, it has already been frozen into a big lump of soil.

In the past few days, they heard that Luo Sanlang was teaching people how to cook a kang in the city. When he returned home at night, his family got together to discuss this matter. In the end, Xu Erlang, the smartest in the family, went to Luo Yong's side, and the others continued to dig and sell mud.

Then Xu Erlang is indeed a see-through person, and after walking through two or three heated kangs with Luo Yong, he has already figured out the key points there.

Then he led the other two brothers of his family to set up kangs for others in the slums of their family. They only charged one bucket of grain for each kang. The pan Kang is also pasted with yellow mud.

After the end of the year, they went to Taiyuan City with some young men in the city who had also learned how to cook a kang. One after another, money and food were naturally earned.

When the time came to the beginning of February, Xu Erlang looked at the season, and discussed with his two brothers, saying: This money and food can never be earned, and what we earn now is enough for an old snack for a whole year. Why don't you just call it a day and go home.It's spring, and the master must start plowing the land. As disciples, we shouldn't just focus on making money.

At that time, many young and strong people from Lishi County lived in the same inn. As soon as Xu Erlang said this, many people echoed him, saying that they also had the same intention.So the group returned to Lishi County day and night, and the food and cloth they earned during these days were also exchanged for coins.

Speaking of which, when they were learning Pankang with Luo Yong earlier, they didn't call themselves teachers. Luo Yong taught casually, and they learned eagerly. After learning, they hurried to earn money.

When I came back to Taiyuan City, some gossips asked them how they learned this skill from Na Luo Sanlang and how much they received as a teacher, and the men who were asked were dumbfounded.

The other party took a look: blind!Didn't you all perform the apprentice ceremony at all?This is not polite!He also said a lot of things about the kings, relatives and teachers of heaven and earth, and that Luo Sanlang told you to hold this bowl of rice, so he is the ancestor of your profession. Offering incense to the patriarch at home.

This group of men in Lishi County were stunned when they heard it, thinking about it, they have also seen those in the county town who learn from others, and they haven't had enough of the ten or eight years of hard work, where can they learn serious crafts go back.

Luo Sanlang doesn't put on airs, and he teaches generously. Why don't they take him seriously? Oh, no, it's time to call him Master instead of Sanlang.

When this group of people returned home, they took out all their recent income in front of the whole family, and their jaws almost dropped in shock. The small family has never seen so much money.

In the early morning of the next day, they gathered at the gate of the city and set off for Xipo Village early.

This time, I didn't go there empty-handed. I prepared a lot of mutton, pork, caramel cakes, and some brought their own farm tools to work.

When they arrived at Xipo Village, these people would bow down when they met, which shocked Luo Sanlang a lot. He still needs to grow taller, how could he be bowed down like this?

In fact, these rough guys don't know what teacher etiquette is, they all lay down on the ground with their hands and feet together, and there are a large group of them, but there are one or two decent ones, but Luo Yong has no intention of admiring them, so he quickly wakes up everyone .

Let’s not mention whether the master is not the master. These people came to the door with so many things and said they wanted to help their own family with work. Naturally, Luo Yong couldn’t ask them to work on an empty stomach.

Hastily took out a batch of flour that had just been ground two days ago, and asked Er Niang to make porridge. Eggs, a plate of blanched bean sprouts, the portion is full.

The frozen tofu is made in winter. These days, when the weather is warm, it will start to thaw. Luo Yong took them to the sun to dry, and stored them in a large water tank. Every now and then, he took a piece out to soak it, and then boiled it in cold soup. It's all good.

Scrambled eggs are also a dish that the Luo family has just made recently. Put oil in the clay pot, then pour the beaten eggs into it and stir fry for a while. The head is added with soft tofu and chopped green onion, which tastes tender and fragrant.

"The food at Master's house is really delicious." The men who ate praised, they had eaten some good food in Taiyuan City these days, but none of the food seemed to be as unique and delicious as Luo Sanlang's.

"I'll cook that piece of pork again at noon." Luo Yong was eating too much at this time, but his teeth were not gritted by the master's voice.

It had been a while since he had eaten alone in the middle of the night. Although the Luo family's food was decent, it was still simple.

Even the noodles with fried sauce can only be eaten once in a while. The flour is rare and the oil is expensive. There are some good things, and I have to save them for the little ones at home to eat first. Liulang Qiniang is still a baby. , Goro's body bones are also weaker.

After everyone had a full meal, they took their farm tools and went to the field. When they got to the field, they found that the Luo family only had a little land. No farmer has a hundred acres of land these days. In less places, a small household can get [-] mu.

Thinking about what they had heard before, their master's family also suffered a disaster last year, so they admired them even more.

Among them, which one has never suffered, and knows how difficult such a life is.Luo Sanlang's family is so poor that they only have this little land left. It is really rare to teach people like them the skills without hiding their secrets after making the kang.

After I learned this craft, I secretly helped people cook the kang in Lishi County, and grabbed a lot of business from my master. Now that I think about it, I am really ashamed.

The empty land has to be turned over at this time, and the soil underneath must be turned out to bask in the sun and let it breathe. Before sowing in a few days, it has to be turned over again. , Some meticulous people even have to sort it out again.

As for the five acres of winter wheat fields, it is time to start ridges to preserve moisture. When the weather gets warmer in a few days and the night stops freezing, the water and fertilizer will have to keep up.

Those people were working on the field, and Luo Yong was cooking at home. There was a group of young men there, and there was nothing for him in the field.

The big piece of pork they brought this morning was cut into half-finger-thick slices with the skin on by Luo, and a lot of ginger was cut, and the ginger and pork were mixed together and put into a clay pot without adding water. Drizzle two tablespoons of soy sauce directly, cover the pot, and simmer on low heat. After a while, the aroma will waft all over the yard. If you can cut a few dried chilies, it will be even more fragrant.

It's a pity that there is no chili these days. Generally speaking, if you want to eat chili, you have to wait 800 years.There is in Luo Yong's space, but it can't be taken out of thin air.

There are meat dishes, and two refreshing and delicious side dishes are made. The main food is mixed noodles and corn porridge.

This meal at noon also ate up the big bowl of miscellaneous noodles made by this group of men, and they were all eaten up.

These people have been busy for two days, and they have almost done the work in the Luo family's field. The rest can only be done when the season is in season, and it is impossible to catch up now.

Then Luo Yong asked them to go to Lin's house to help with farm work for two days. These men all went without saying a word, and they would naturally go when the master asked them to go. There is nothing to say about it.The Lin family was also very polite, they didn't even drop any water, and at the end they gave each of these people a small jar of homemade vinegar. Although it was not a precious thing, the attitude was always very good.

Speaking of which, the reason why the old couple of the Lin family had so much dissatisfaction with the Luo family recently was that the matter of his family's Liu Lang could only be regarded as a trigger.

The Lin family has been operating for several generations before they have the family business they have today. After so many years, in this Xipo village, their Lin family is the wealthiest and most decent family.Fortunately, those villagers kept talking about the Luo family and the Luo family all day long. The Luo family's limelight seemed to be suppressing their Lin family.

After being the richest man for so many years, he also has a sense of superiority in front of the villagers. Now that Luo Sanlang has suddenly emerged, some people in the Lin family feel awkward.

Aunt Luo said earlier in the morning that she also knew the method of making tofu. They can do it at the Lin family at any time, but except for the two sisters-in-law who had suggested tofu recipes, the others have never said anything. .

When Lin Wulang was in the winter, he raised his voice with Aunt Luo, and Aunt Luo told him to wait first, and then see what Ye Niang meant.

As a result, he waited until the beginning of spring, and Lin Wulang didn't seem to have any thoughts about this when he saw Ye Niang, so he simply listened to the mother's advice, let go of his thoughts, and lived as a family together, and he did what others did. Pass.

It's not difficult to guess why the Lin family didn't make tofu. On the one hand, their family also has income from making vinegar, which is stable for a long time.

On the other hand, I just can't let go of my figure, and I always feel that following Luo Sanlang's prescription is picking up people's teeth.

Luo Sanlang didn't care what they thought, as long as the aunt didn't suffer any disadvantages.

Just like what Luo's father said before, the old couple of the Lin family can be regarded as sensible people after all. As long as this person can live a clear life, he probably won't be too bad. Although he is a little petty, he is still righteous .

Luo Sanlang, a group of disciples who appeared suddenly, did not leave in a hurry after finishing the work in the field.

There are two people who go up the mountain to cut firewood every day, and the rest of them said they want to help Luo Yong repair the pig house. Strong and neat.

Luo Yong sorted out a few vacant houses for them to live in in the backyard. He personally taught these people how to make kangs, and Luo Yong, the old man in their family, knew them all. Let them live in his yard. It is also more reassuring.

After finishing the work in the field, these people didn't rush to work like they did when they first came here, and they could tell Luo Yong what they had seen and heard in Taiyuan City from time to time.

During the conversation, it is inevitable to talk about the future work. When the weather is warmer, the work of cooking the kang will naturally stop.Most of them used to earn money by doing odd jobs and selling groceries in the countryside. They didn't earn much, and they could barely survive, except that the winter was more difficult.

By this winter, in their Lishi County, it may be difficult to earn money by cooking kangs. The situation in Taiyuan City is still hard to say. If they can go to Chang'an and other places early, they will definitely be able to earn some money and food.

It's just that the distance is far away, and they have no way to guide them. A group of young men are running around outside, what if they are regarded as rioters and thieves.

These people didn't know that their guide was already on the way at this time, and this matter had something to do with Qiao Junlin.

Qiao Junlin and Ah Zhi followed the Ma family's grain transportation team southward at the end of the first lunar month, stopping and stopping along the way. They didn't arrive at a post station not far from Chang'an until it was almost spring. Naturally, they lived here. They didn't enter the post station, so they rested in the guest house next to the post station that day.

Qiao Junlin heard from those in the team that he would walk for half a day tomorrow and enter Chang'an City after noon.

Thinking of seeing his uncle soon, Qiao Dalang felt a little uneasy. After eating, he sat in the hall with everyone to enjoy the fire. Although it was spring, the weather was still cold, especially this way. The socks are wet.

Ah Zhi brought a basin of hot water and asked him to take off his damp shoes and socks, and put on a pair of dry socks after washing his feet, that is, the two pairs of thick cashmere socks that Luo Yong entrusted to them at that time. Qiao Junlin put on the pair, but Azhi didn't move the pair, saying that Qiao Junlin would give the pair of socks to his uncle as a gift.

Putting on warm socks, Qiao Junlin sat on the straw mat, put his feet close to the brazier and warmed the fire, while reciting "The Analects of Confucius" silently in his heart, and took out the book from his arms when he encountered something he couldn't think of Take a look, this is how he walked and recited along the way.

"May I ask who you are, the young gentleman?" Someone accosted him.

"The Qiao family in Lishi County, Shizhou." Qiao Dalang's tone was polite and alienated, obviously he didn't want to chat with the other party.

"Oh, so it's from the Qiao family." The man laughed loudly.

"..." Qiao Dalang had a smile on his face, but he was puzzled in his heart, why is this person familiar with the Qiao family?Judging by this man's age, he was not of the same generation as his father, at most five or six years older than himself. If he knew his uncle... His uncle's surname was not Joe either.

"Mr. Qiao Xiaolang, where did your socks come from? They look very warm." The man then asked.

"This item is a gift from a friend." Oh, I wanted to ask about the socks, Qiao Dalang thought.

"Who gave it as a gift?" the other party asked again.

"It's Luo Sanlang from Xipo Village, Lishi County." Qiao Junlin thought that it wouldn't do any harm to Luo Yong if he said such a thing, so he said it.A shrewd person like Luo Yong specially sent himself these two pairs of socks, maybe he wanted to ask himself to advertise for him.

"Is it really warm?" the man said.

"It's really warm." Qiao Dalang said.

"May I have a look?" the man said again.

"..." Qiao Dalang.

Looking at the pair of socks on his feet, Qiao Junlin thought for a while, and finally took out another pair of clean socks from his luggage.

Looking at this person's clothes, he doesn't look like an ordinary person. If he can have some friendship with his family, maybe he can help his uncle a little bit.There is also an official in their Qiao family. Although he is a small local official, there are also a few cousins ​​who have sharpened their heads and want to become an official.

Qiao Junlin often listened to them talking about these things. These days, if a poor family like them wants to get ahead, they have to be recommended by someone. Why do people recommend you? One is based on talent and the other is based on friendship.

The other party was also polite, looked at the pair of socks several times, and couldn't put it down, and said that his old woman was getting old, if she could have a pair of such socks to warm her feet, it would be a lot easier in winter.

Reluctant to return, after reading it, he finally returned the pair of socks to Qiao Junlin, saying that he would definitely go to Naxipo Village this autumn.

At this time, Ah Zhi came over with a casserole.

"Da Lang, I saw that you didn't eat much just now, so I borrowed a pot from them to cook some corn porridge, and you can drink some more to warm your stomach."

A Zhi put the casserole on the straw mat, and asked the shopkeeper for a rough pottery bowl. A Zhi originally wanted two bowls, but Qiao Junlin said he wanted three.

"No, no, no, I don't want to eat it." Seeing that Qiao Junlin asked for three bowls just now, it seemed that he wanted to treat him to porridge, so he hurriedly declined.

"That's it, that's all." Qiao Junlin put a pottery bowl in front of A Zhi, and said to her, "You can eat too." Then he took out a pottery pot from the bag, untied the string and lifted the oil paper, and used chopsticks From there, I took out two sticky and wet cubes and put them in the third stoneware bowl.

"Qiao Dalang, you are eating fermented bean curd again, give me a piece too." There was a big man eating pancakes over there, and he came over after smelling the smell.

"Why don't you bring it yourself?" Qiao Junlin is quite familiar with these people now.

"Hey, it's not that the belt is missing, I've eaten all the food on the way." The man still leaned forward shamelessly.

"But this one." After all, he was taken care of by the other party along the way, so it's hard to refuse at this time.

"Naturally." The man said with a smile.

He put the piece of fermented bean curd on the cake, and saw that the man stretched out his finger and pressed it, and the piece of fermented bean curd spread on the cake. He first sucked his finger clean, and then opened his mouth to take a big bite of the cake. Just hit your mouth...

The young man who had just chatted with Qiao Junlin secretly felt disgusted when he saw this scene: it was really unbearable.However, the throat moved up and down very honestly, and a mouthful of saliva was swallowed soundlessly.

What is that food?Why is it so fragrant!

"Turn around, we won't be entering the city tomorrow, let's go to Lishi County."

"Lang Jun, how can I make it, I will arrive in Chang'an in half a day."

"Lang Jun!"

"Lang Jun..."

The author has something to say:

It is said that the servants at that time called their masters like Langjun and Xiaolangjun~