North and South groceries

On the first day of Changle Winery's opening, because of the words of the county magistrate Luo, many merchants and wealthy households opened the fields to release water. Although the price of the baijiu was expensive, it sold a lot in the end.

The servants and craftsmen on the counter said that they were so busy with silver and silver that they earned hundreds of catties of silver in that day alone.

After this incident spread, it is said that even the Sogdian, whose family members smeared honey on their mouths and glued their hands since birth, respected the magistrate of Changle County in awe.

At the same time, the news that Changle County can produce baijiu gradually spread, and everyone said that this wine is so strong that there is no other wine in the world that can compare with it.

Then slowly, more and more people came to Changle County to sell wine.I heard that Turkic merchants also came to Changle County to buy wine, and those who knew said it was bought for their Khan.

In Dunhuang, it is now the busiest season of the year, and many merchants there also go to Changle County to buy wine. After buying back, they put the jars of liquor on the counter.

When guests come, if you want to buy a cup, make a drink with them, and if you want to buy a pot, make a pot with them.The small white porcelain jug with a narrow mouth can fill about six or seven small cups in one pot, and if two or three people drink it separately, they can probably get a little drunk.

It's just that the price is too expensive, and ordinary people are not willing to buy it, but on the street, you can often see some porters in Changle County selling wine tails with their burdens, saying that the baijiu is divided into wine head, wine heart, and wine tail. The one with five taels of silver and one jar is Jiuxin, and the best one is made from a batch of liquor.

The head of the wine is the most strong, with a slight smell, and they are not sold. I heard that the county magistrate Luo kept them for other purposes.The taste of the tail of the wine is a bit bland, and it is not mixed with the spirit of wine in a jar of five taels of silver. Every time a new batch of wine is brewed, these tails are sold at a low price. The local people know when they will release the wine. Often before dawn, I would carry the load to the gate of the wine shop and wait until I could buy the end of the wine, and then carry it to Dunhuang, Jinchang and other places to sell it.

It usually takes three to five days for porters to go out with this load of wine. If they go to Dunhuang, it takes one day on the way and one day on the way back, and it takes a couple of days to sell wine in Dunhuang. day's work.

Selling tofu is similar, only the price of tofu is cheap, and it sells faster. Often just outside Dunhuang City, you can meet some merchants waiting to buy tofu.

If you go to Jinchang, the journey will be a little shorter, but Jinchang is a small city, not as bustling and lively as Dunhuang, and there are not as many buyers in Dunhuang.

"..."

"Drink tail! Changle drink tail!"

"How do you sell this wine tail?"

"Two pennies are the same price."

"I often have customers who want to eat in my shop, is it cheaper for you and me?"

"If you can buy one liter, I will give you an extra one."

"I buy a bucket, and you give me three extra liters."

"Then how to make it!"

"Don't go, don't go! You come here first, and I'll take a look at your wine."

"The wine is all that wine, what's so good about it?"

"That's different. I heard that there are some wines that have been mixed with water."

"How can that be?"

"..."

"..."

"Hey, are you Chang Le's drink tail?"

"Exactly."

"What is the price?"

"Two pennies for one package."

"Come on with me."

"Hey."

"..."

Selling wine outside all day, I meet all kinds of people, some are straightforward, some are grumpy, and there are many people who bargain, but the price of the two pennies is negotiated among these porters, so it is easy Ken lets go.

Go around the city for a whole day, and when it gets dark, go to a familiar guest house to stay. Basically, they are all in one place, and they are familiar with each other, so that they can support each other in whatever happens. Coupled with the fact that there are so many people and powerful people, outsiders dare not easily bully him.

The guesthouses where the porters stayed were very simple, dilapidated and in a yard, nothing more than two cents for a night's stay.

There are a few adobe houses and a few Datong shops. There are only straw mats on the beds, not even a piece of cloth. There is a stove outside the yard, but if you want to light a fire for cooking, you have to pay extra.

These wine sellers usually don't light a fire, just eat a few mouthfuls of dry food brought from home with clear water, fill their stomachs hastily, and then rest.

Some people who have a good relationship will get together and gossip, nothing more than talking about who and what happened today, and who will go with them on the way back tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. On the road, everyone has money on their backs, and they are afraid of being watched. It is best to find a few more people to walk with. Sometimes, if you encounter a caravan going east, the road will be more lively and safer.

"..."

"I don't have much left, and it will be sold out in half a day."

"I'm afraid I'll have to sell it for another day."

"Many people will go back early in the morning. If you are one day later, there will be fewer people on the road."

"Ugh……"

"You can sell it for another day tomorrow. If you can't sell it all, you can find a food shop and sell it cheaper before dark. But you can earn less, and you won't lose money."

"I'll think about it again."

"Still thinking about it, you went to the wrong place today, and you went to the back foot just after they sold it, so what kind of wine can you sell?"

"How could I expect that."

"Forget it, don't worry about it, sell all these wines tomorrow, just go back with us."

"It's okay, I'll just stay for a day or two longer. If there are caravans going to Changle County at that time, I will go there with them."

"Don't be confused. You said that those Hu merchants are easy to get along with. I heard that in the big desert, murders and looting often happen. It's not just robbers who rob goods, caravans also rob each other. Those people are all licking blood on the edge of the knife, you dare to go with them alone? If someone has a wrong heart at that time..."

"He has a point."

"Yes, you must never go with those Hu merchants alone."

"Anyway, we have to find a few from our Changle County."

"Yep."

"It's not that there are still those tofu sellers. When the time comes, you can go to the city gate and look around. You should be able to find them and go back together."

"Actually, it's better to go with us.

"..."

After all, the man listened to the persuasion, and went out to sell the wine for another day the next day, and found some unsold food, so he found a food shop, gave away a few more, and sold it to the shop at a low price.

They rested in the small courtyard for another night, before dawn on the second day, these people all got up, carrying heavy copper coins in their arms, and wine barrels that were sold out of wine were hung on their burdens, and there were still wine in the barrels. There is a lot of dried food and meat used to pay for the wine.

There are not many copper coins here in Dunhuang, and they are often not enough for market circulation. When people buy and sell goods, they often use silk for large transactions, sometimes gold and silver, and even various spices.If it is a small business of a few pennies, it is often paid for by grain and dried meat.

A group of people set off before dawn, hurried along the way, and did not return to Changle County until after dark.

Naturally, the families of these people were very happy. They boiled water and cooked food, and even lit the oil lamps that they were reluctant to use. The whole family gathered together to count the copper coins. Working hard for a month would earn more. If it wasn't for the new county magistrate, they would not be able to find such a good job in Changle County.

"Come on, eat this bowl of Hoto quickly." The old woman brought a large steaming pottery bowl of Hoto with white noodles from the kitchen.

A snow-white bowl of Hoto, with bacon and vegetables in it, smells delicious, making the children in the room swallow their saliva and stare blankly.

"Come here, all." The man waved to the children, and they all passed with a smile on their faces.

"Let's go, there's still some in your pot, don't be greedy for what's in your Aye's bowl." The old woman hurriedly reached out to stop her: "Go to the kitchen, your mother is cooking for you, hurry up and go."

The cook was cooking at this time, but it was not white noodles. The younger woman mixed some rough noodles, added some water to the little soup left in the pot, and cooked it for each of the children in the family. A small bowl of Houtou.

Her man has not been able to eat well or sleep well these few days. He earned the money so hard and came back. The grandmother was happy and cared for her son's body, so she scooped the bowl of white noodles out of her house. , How can there be so much food in general.

If it wasn't for their Aye's earning some money recently, there would be no such thing as this small bowl of thick noodles. There are two meals a day, morning and evening. , How can there be such a thing as supper.

After eating Hoto, the whole family was talking in the house. The elderly Aunt said that people from Jinchang yesterday said that Governor Chen wanted to talk to the magistrate Luo. I don't see him coming back now.

"What's the matter, could it be that something happened again?"

The last time people came from Jinchang, it was because of the post station. At that time, Fu Bingcao brought a lot of people over. The battle was quite large, and some Changle people were beating their hearts. This time, it was because of something Why did you call Luo county magistrate?

"Isn't our county magistrate of Luo under the supervision of Governor Chen? It's okay to ask him to talk to him." The old woman said.

"If it's nothing serious, it's fine to send someone to bring a letter. If you send someone like this, there should be something to do." The man said.

"..." Ah Weng sighed, and said, "When I went out to fetch water today, I heard some people say something, and I don't know if it's true or not?"

"What did you say?"

"It's about wine making. We don't produce much grain here, and wine brewing costs a lot of food. If you want to come to Governor Chen, that's what you want to talk about."

It is true that wine needs to consume grain, and it is true that they produce less grain here.

But is it because of this that they will not make wine in Changle County in the future?

The man felt depressed, but he didn't know where to start. He just didn't know how the county magistrate Luo responded. Will they still make wine in Changle County?