North and South groceries

"Hey, big guy, I, Aye, and the others are going to Jinchang to sell tofu tomorrow, you can go with me."

At noon in late February of the lunar calendar, the weather was very clear and there was no wind. The government-run tofu workshop also made the first batch of bean dregs cakes for the day. Come here to eat pancakes.

Recently, many people from surrounding towns came to Changle County, some came to find work in the tofu workshop, some came to sell tofu, and some people simply came here for this free bean dregs cake, just a For a month, the people coming and going in Changle County were much more lively than before.

"Hey, big man, you are talking." A seven or eight-year-old kid claimed that he was going to sell tofu, and pestered the young man from other places who ate pancakes here every day.

"..." The tall and strong young man ignored him.

"I'll pay for the capital. I also have baskets and poles at home. Let's work together. We will each earn half of the money. What do you think?"

"..."

"I can't handle the burden, but I can sell it. When you get to Jinchang, don't worry about it. I will teach you all the work of selling tofu."

"..."

"I said, big man, how long do you want to eat bean dregs cakes? Don't you want to go to the food shop to eat something good? The new county magistrate Luo taught the food shops in our county a lot of dishes, you all day long Doesn't it make you feel hungry when you smell it?"

"..."

"Look, go out and sell tofu with me a few times, and then you will have your own capital, right?"

"..."

The tall and strong young man who was called the big man didn't answer at all. After eating a few cakes, he drank a large bowl of soup, put his own soup bowl in his arms, got up and left, waiting for tomorrow's When the bean dregs cake is ready, he will come again.

The kid curled his lips, but he didn't seem very disappointed. This is not the first time. He has been pestering this foreigner for several days, wanting him to go out to sell tofu with him, but unfortunately he didn't respond at all. he.

There are quite a few people eating cakes and drinking soup near this thatched hut. There are still two big pottery kettles burning, and a woman is standing by the side of the pottery pot, holding a big spoon to share the soup with them. The foreigners in the queue are at the front of the line, and there are many people behind.

Not far from the two pottery cauldrons, there is a simple mustard bed woven with red willow branches. The bean dregs cakes made this morning are all piled on top of the mustard bed, and another woman is standing Divide cakes with people next to the bed.

The child rolled his eyes, looked left and right and saw that no one was paying attention to him, so he put the unfinished bean dregs cake in his hand into his arms.

The bean dregs cakes here are all eaten immediately, and they are not taken home. There was no such rule before, that is, a few days ago, the new county magistrate heard that someone took bean dregs cakes from him and took them home Feed the livestock, this is the new one.

The child ate and pretended, and within a short while ate the cakes in front of him, drank the cold mutton bone soup in a few mouthfuls, licked the bottom of the bowl, and put the rough clay bowl into his arms. Get up and leave.

Recently, more and more people come to them to eat bean dregs cakes. After so many people have received a portion, today's bean dregs cakes should be finished. Even if they go to line up again at this time, I am afraid that they will not get the second time. , unlike when this tofu workshop first opened, he could receive it twice a day.

Although their small city was dilapidated, the streets were quite spacious, facing the main street at the gate of the city, three carriages could walk side by side.

The houses on both sides of the street are mostly one-story adobe houses, with yellow mud walls and thatched roofs. There are also many shops along the street. Some shops have been doing quite well in the past few days. The team can earn hundreds of yuan a day. When the kid heard people talking about these things, he was very envious. It's a pity that their family didn't even have a decent labor force, let alone a shop.

From time to time, someone walked briskly past him carrying a load of tofu. The soft tofu made by the government-run tofu workshop is so tender that it should be broken after a few bumps on the car. It is best to use a pole basket. Pick one load and sell it.

It's not difficult to earn ten or twenty renminbi for this load of tender tofu taken to Dunhuang Jinchang. Some people can earn more if they find a good buyer.

The child touched the cloth strip tied around his waist. There were a few copper coins hidden there. This was not all of his net worth. There were some hidden in his home. of.

He used to help those food shops at the gate of the city to grab business, and brought customers to the shops he had negotiated in advance, and he could get a few pennies a time, but unfortunately he couldn't go now. A few days ago, two shops were trying to grab customers. They fought at the gate of the city, and then the county would not allow them to solicit customers at the gate of the city, and they could only solicit business in front of their own shops.

Over there, three or five Hu merchants came from the gate of the city with their horses. Their clothes and equipment didn't look like they were going into the desert. They probably planned to go to Dunhuang to buy goods.

After arriving in Dunhuang, some caravans from the Western Regions will choose to continue to go deep into the Hexi Corridor, go all the way to Liangzhou City, and then trade with merchants there, and some will sell goods on the spot after arriving in Dunhuang. , Many Hu merchants living in Datang and Central Plains merchants come here to buy goods every year, and then sell them to Liangzhou City or even Chang'an, Luoyang, Yangzhou and other places.

"Guest, but you want to stay in the hotel. The small shop has hot water, and the rooms are clean and spacious..."

"Want to eat? We have all kinds of dishes in our store."

"Several guests, would you like to try our tofu dishes?"

"..."

These Hu people walked along the street, and the shops on both sides of the street came out to solicit business.

Last time, the twenty or thirty barbarians lived in their county for several days, and they have no intention of leaving. The shopkeeper who received them is earning money every day, and he is very happy every day. She pursed her lips, making the shops next to her very jealous.

In the past few days, some merchants and pedestrians have passed through their Changle County one after another. Although they have never seen a large caravan, no matter how small a mosquito is, it is still meat. People believe it now. At a relatively low price, they can also retain guests in this place in Changle County.

Especially in the off-season, there is a lot to do, because everyone is not in a hurry to travel in this season. If those Hu merchants live here comfortably and have no financial pressure, they will naturally want to stay for a few more days.

"Mutton, how much?"

There was a shop at the end of the street, and they built an earthen stove at the door of their shop. At this time, a pot of braised mutton was gurgling on the stove. I went to that shop.

"Two pennies, a big bowl!"

The owner of this shop is a thin and small man in his 40s. The location of his shop is not very good, it is at the end of the street, which is a disadvantage, so he thought of such a trick, building a stove at the door of the shop.

At this moment, he watched these guests come here all the way smelling the fragrance, and he was very happy in his heart, so he quickly showed them the big rough pottery bowl next to the stove: "a big bowl ,fully."

Those barbarians looked at each other, met their eyes, and then only heard the leader say "good", and several of them entered the shop one after another.

After setting up the animals, several barbarians sat down one after another, and bowls of fragrant and hot braised mutton were served on the table. , it is definitely not profitable, and it is not bad to be able to pay back.

"How many customers do you want more? Do you want some cold vegetables and tofu dishes?" County Magistrate Luo told them that it's okay if there are one or two dishes in this shop that don't make money, as long as other places can make money. Come and get the money.

"How much is the cold dish?" Because they were really satisfied with the braised mutton earlier, the Hu people seemed to be more talkative at this time.

"There are shredded tofu, shredded green onion and bean sprouts in the cold salad. We sell it here cheaply. You can mix it in a pot for ten renminbi. It should be enough for a few guests." The shopkeeper said.

"Okay, let me have a cold dish, a pot of corn porridge, and three catties of cooking cakes."

"Hey, please wait a moment, the old man is going to get some food."

This shop is not very big, and it is the off-season right now, so you may not be able to have business if you wait at home all day long. His two sons have sold the tofu, and the eldest daughter-in-law just gave birth to a baby for this family. The old man hadn't gotten up yet, the second son hadn't married yet, and his old wife left early, so the old man was the only one left in the house at this moment.

The old man came out of the main room and walked to the side of the street to look around. When he saw the kid not far away, Diandian came over.

"A few of them asked for a ten-cent cold dish, you go and help me out, and I also need three catties of cooking cakes. Remember, the cooking cakes are brought here first, and the guests are waiting to eat." The old man said, A penny was stuffed into the child's hand.

"Hey." The child took the money, and Sa Yazi ran away.

First go to the government-run shop and call out, saying that someone at the Liujia Food Shop at the end of the street ordered cold dishes worth ten yuan, and then went to the street cooking cake shop and ordered three catties of cooking cakes.

The owner of the cake shop has been watching those barbarians since they entered the city, watched them enter Liu's shop, and watched the kid run all the way to buy cakes, three catties of cakes, weighed Tell him to take it first, and as for the money, naturally wait for the Liu family to settle the settlement later.

At Liu's shop, old man Liu had already cooked corn porridge at this time, and when the pancakes arrived, he brought them up for the guests to eat first with the braised mutton.

Not long after, the cold salad was also served, and the corn porridge was served slowly, but fortunately, these few guests ate happily today and did not complain about anything. With the little cold salad left at the bottom of the basin, they ate it with a sigh of relief. Very happy.

After eating and drinking enough, sitting there to rest, there was a line of officials walking through the street outside the door, each of them was upright and full of energy.

"Are they patrolling?" a barbarian asked.

"That's right, we have to patrol several times a day. The guests will walk in our Changle County in the future. If they encounter any problems, they can ask them for help." Old man Liu said.

"Can they manage it?" In the impression of these Hu people, officials are not easy to provoke, and it is best to stay away from them if nothing happens.

"Yes, just a few days ago, there was a shop in front of me. When ordering food, I told people ten yuan, but when it was time to pay the bill, I insisted on fifteen yuan. Someone called the official to come over, and finally the shop was closed Order to suspend business for three days." Old man Liu was tidying up in the house slowly, talking to these barbarians while tidying up.

"That's really good." To be honest, those of them who are doing business outside are most afraid of the kind of unreasonable black shops. The few of them outsiders often have to admit that they are unlucky in the end .

"It's alright, you can speak in a pleasant manner." Old man Liu said again.

"Is it that good?" Those officials from the government can still be friendly with others?Those barbarians didn't believe it, and thought that the old man was bragging.

"Why isn't it so good?" Old man Liu said immediately, "How much do you think they can earn in a month?"

"How much?" asked the leading barbarian.

"Three hundred cash per month, eat well and dress well. I heard that if they do well, the county magistrate Luo will give them a bonus. The salary is so high every month. It's not even the relatives of the county magistrate's family. One can't fix it." I just stroked it down, who would dare to be negligent?"

Speaking of this, the old man Luo also regretted it. At the time when the Naluo county magistrate was recruiting people, his youngest son also wanted to go, but he stopped him, saying that he would check the situation first, but he was afraid that the county magistrate and others would make trouble. When I got up, nothing happened in the end, and the county magistrate Luo hadn't made any moves yet, and those people all ran away without a trace.

It was just such a hesitation at that time for their family, and they were preempted by others. The government had recruited enough people and no longer wanted them. Now it is useless to think about anything.

These Hu people were obviously very interested in the new county magistrate Luo from Changle County. They sat there and chatted with Old Man Liu for a long time, until everyone was a little sleepy, and then they thought about the lodging.

"Do you have a room here?"

"My shop is not big. There is a house in the back, and there is no guest room. However, there is a small courtyard in my house. It is not far from here, and I can get there in half a minute. If guests want to live, they will pay me five cents a day. That’s good, if it’s a monthly rent, it’s only [-] Wen per month.”

"Take us there first."

"Hey."

The south of Changle County is surrounded by mountains. Every year when the spring is warm and the flowers bloom, the snow on the mountains melts, and streams flow down from the mountains. Therefore, the south of the city is expensive, and the north of the city is relatively cheap.

However, the city of Changle County is really small, and the division between the rich area and the poor area is not as clear as those in Chang'an City.

Old man Liu was also caring. After leading these people out of the shop, he saw that they were interested in the government-run tofu workshop, so he took them there to have a look.

It was getting late at this time, but because the business at the tofu workshop was very good, it would not stop until late at night every day. The workers working here also worked in two shifts. After working for a while, you can go home and rest. At noon, a new team will work until late at night.

On the side of the tofu workshop, there is a scene of labor in full swing, and on the other side of the county government not far away, there is also smoke from cooking, and the smell of food is wafting.

Luo Yong and the others don't cook their own food at present, and they eat the same food as these servants every day.

There are only three or no. 40 people in the county yamen eating, and the meal sharing system is adopted. Each person has a small wooden table with some meals on it.

In the evening of this day, while waiting for dinner, Qiao Junlin told Luo Yong that there were several barbarians among the crowd eating bean dregs cakes at the tofu workshop these days.

"As long as there is no trouble, let him go, and you should also be careful, don't make them make trouble." The people in the county are more protective of food, and most of them are quite repulsed by the behavior of foreigners coming to them to eat free bean dregs cakes.

"Got it." Qiao Junlin replied.

After the meal for the night was ready, someone helped Luo Yong and Qiao Junlin bring their share to the backyard. The front of the county government office was the office, and the backyard was the living area.

Luo Yong and Qiao Junlin often chat while eating, and the rule of eating and sleeping is fine, as long as they pay attention to this rule when they go to Chaoyang Corridor to eat.

"Are you still going out at night?" Qiao Junlin talked while picking up rice, and he lost his usual prestige in front of those guards.

"I'm going to meet the tenants," Luo Yong said.

"Go at this time?" Qiao Junlin raised his head and asked him.

"Everyone is very busy during the day." Even if you go at this time, you may not see everyone. Some are still working in the tofu workshop and have not left work, and some may have gone out to sell tofu and have not returned.

"I'll go with you." Qiao Junlin said.

"Well, it's just the two of us going, don't bring the others." Luo Yong said.

The tenants they are talking about here are the tenants of those job fields in Changle County. The so-called job fields are part of the official salary.

Officials in this era are treated very well. They have money, rice, and land. Local officials can also help raise slaves. Local officials like Luo Yong have more than a dozen slaves. The so-called job fields are assigned to him by the government. During his term of office, these lands belonged to him, and they were basically rented out to others for planting, and then the officials collected some rent.

As far as Changle County is concerned, not only Luo Yong, the county magistrate, has three hectares of work land, but even the county magistrate and others have work land, as long as officials of high rank have work land.

Theoretically, the principle of voluntariness of both parties should be followed when renting these job fields to tenants. However, in practice, this is often not the case. Many local officials are too greedy. Ah, wait for renters with various titles. Many tenants are unwilling to rent government jobs, and then the government will often force them to rent out. This is basically the case in Changle County.

The relationship between the government and these tenants is relatively sensitive and tense.

Seeing that the spring plowing season was about to enter, Luo Yong thought it was necessary for him to get in touch with those tenants and make some promises to reassure them.

When the two of them came out of the county government office, the sky was basically already dark.

During this period of time, Luo Yong has been busy working from dawn to dusk every day, and Qiao Junlin is not much better.Right now is the stage when everything is waiting to be done, and it is natural to be busy. After two or three months, Luo Yong reckons that they should be able to relax a little.

"Aside from these tofu dishes, what else do you plan to make?" Qiao Junlin asked Luo Yongdao as the two walked side by side on the dark yellow mud street.

Recently, he has been patrolling in and out of the city every day, and he has indeed seen that the business of the restaurants and guest houses in the city has improved. With his understanding of Luo Yong, Qiao Junlin believed that there must be other plans behind this.

"Do you still remember the wine I took out on the road last time?" Luo Yong said bluntly.

"You want to make wine? Do you know how to make that wine?" Qiao Junlin's heart was agitated, but his face was quite calm.There are too many secrets in Luo Yong, beyond his imagination, and he has known this for a long time.

"I know a little bit, but I still need to spend some time to explore." Luo Yong said.

To develop the liquor brewing industry is Luo Yong's mid-term plan for this small town.With the foundation of the catering and accommodation industry in front, as long as they can successfully brew liquor, sales will naturally come naturally.