North and South groceries

"Qiao Dalang, is the baijiu workshop going to produce new wine in these two days?"

On this day, Qiao Junlin, Luo Yong and others came back from the open space in the northwest of the city. On the way, they met some Hu people living in the city, and those Hu people came to ask.

"A batch will come out at Yinshi tomorrow." Qiao Junlin replied.

"Understood, thank you, Qiao Dalang." The barbarians heard about it, and imitated the appearance of the Han people, cupping their hands like Qiao Junlin, and then left.

"These barbarians are learning Chinese quite quickly." Luo Yong said to Qiao Junlin and the others with a smile as they walked away.

When I met these people a while ago, they didn't speak Chinese very well, and communication was all about gestures.

I heard that every time they come back from selling the tails, they use some cashmere bought from outside the customs to find a peddler who sells maltose in the city, exchange some maltose back home, and then use the maltose to coax the half-children of the neighbors, Tell them to teach themselves to speak Chinese.

Regarding this group of barbarians who sell wine tails, Luo Yong has also heard about their origins. Their country is a little-known small country, not too far away from the Tang Dynasty.

I heard that the old king died two years ago, and the new king is immoral and extravagant, driving the people of this small country to nowhere.

A few of these people with active minds contacted a caravan of Sogdians who had been to their country, and asked these Sogdians to take them across the desert to Datang.

The Sogdian caravan agreed, and they asked these barbarians to help their caravan carry the goods. They only gave a little and rough food along the way, and they didn't give any wages, but at least they did what they promised. The matter brought these people to Datang.

After arriving in Datang, the Sogdian caravan did not stop in Dunhuang. They headed east all the way, intending to go to Liangzhou City, and directly trade with those merchants from the Central Plains who went to Liangzhou City to buy goods from the Central Plains.

And when the Hu people who helped them carry the goods passed through Changle County, they decided to stay here.

They didn't want to go to a more distant place. They still had their family members in their hometown. Changle County was a good place, and they treated these poor Hu people more friendly, and they could earn food and money here.

Some of them intend to earn money from here to take home to pay taxes that their families have long been unable to afford, and some want to bring their families here to live, but it is too difficult. There are old people and children in the family, and it is almost impossible for them to cross the desert.

Yin time is three or four o'clock in the morning. In fact, around nine o'clock in the evening, there are many people wrapped in old clothes and quilts queuing up outside the winery to occupy seats.

When these barbarians came over, some local hawkers in Changle County had already occupied the most sheltered place under the eaves, so they had to find a place next to those people to hide under the wall.

It is the end of autumn now, the sun is shining during the day, the weather is not too cold, and the temperature will become very low at night.

The guards on the night watch didn't say anything when they saw these people. Changle County is only this big, and there are only so many people who come and go, and they are all familiar faces. Just make sure that these people are really waiting in line here for the end of the drink , the guards will not drive them away, and the curfew in Changle County is actually not very strict.

Someone used clay pots to light a fire under the wall outside the winery. Some people talked around the fire, some sat in the corner without saying a word, and some were big-hearted and simply wrapped themselves in quilts. He fell asleep under the wall.

The long night is long, and Changle County is very quiet at night. The cold air is a little bit clear, not as dusty as the daytime...

After an unknown amount of time, there was finally movement in the winery. The craftsmen lit torches in the yard and were about to start steaming the wine. After a while, the aroma of wine wafted out.

Smelling the aroma of the wine, the peddlers packed their wooden barrels and lined up outside the gate of the winery.

On the other side, those who worked in the tofu workshop also got up at this moment, and all of them braved the early morning cold and went to the tofu workshop in groups of three or four.

Some time ago, County Magistrate Luo spent some more money to expand the tofu workshop to twice its original size, and canceled the night shift. From then on, there were only two shifts in the morning and evening. You can get off work at lunch time, and the later shift doesn’t start work until dawn, and you don’t get off work until evening.

As soon as the tofu workshop started, the night in the county town came to an end. Not long after, all the steamers and deep-fried fried dough sticks in the city also got up to work.

There are also some guys in the food shop who have to boil hot water and corn porridge in the shop early in the morning.

When the sky was about to light up, the liquor workshop finally opened the door, and two young men working in the workshop came out to maintain order, allowing the hawkers to go in and buy wine in line, and each person could only buy two barrels.

The number of wine tails is limited, and there are many people who want to buy them. Those who are at the top of the list can naturally be bought. If some people are lazy and come late, then they have to try their luck. If there is a lot of baijiu and a lot of tails, then it can be sold, otherwise it will have to go away empty-handed.

The peddlers were standing in the line carrying wooden buckets, and those in the back stretched their necks to watch, watching those in front go in one by one, and then come out one by one carrying heavy loads, feeling anxious and apprehensive.

Those who bought wine in front were naturally happy. This night was not in vain. Nowadays, many people in Dunhuang, Jinchang and other places love to drink this wine. Selling the tail of this load of wine can make a lot of money.

"Aye, but did you buy it?"

"I bought it."

"Grandma made Hoto at home and told you to go back and eat soon."

"Hey."

"Aye, hurry up."

"Don't worry, take these few pennies and go buy a catty of deep-fried dough sticks for home."

"Hey!!!"

Holding these few copper coins in his hands, the half-sized boy went to the fried dough stick stand. Along the way, he saw that many food shops were open, and the guys were sweeping.

The pancake shop on the street is steaming, and the scent of noodle is carried by the morning breeze, floating all over the city, but it still can't match the bean fragrance from the tofu workshop. Every day, the tofu workshop cooks tofu, Most of Changle County can smell the aroma of beans.

The fritters stalls had already opened at this time, and many rich households in the city would send their families here to buy fritters every morning, as well as those restaurants and restaurants, if the customers in the stores wanted to eat, they would ask the young men to come and buy them.

A group of barbarians were sitting on the side of the street, drinking hot soy milk while holding large earthenware bowls, Hululu, and holding a big hot fried dough stick in their hands. The child swallowed droolingly, these barbarians had no family members, no People cook for them, they eat this every morning, and when they finish eating, they go to the street to buy a few pancakes and put them in their pockets, and then they leave the city to sell wine at the market on the grassland outside the pass.

"I want a catty of fried dough sticks!"

"Okay, just wait."

"..."

"Don't get so close, watch out for the frying pan."

"..."

"It's not up to me?"

"It's coming soon."

"..."

The golden-yellow fried dough sticks were rolling in the oil pan, giving off an aroma, which made the heart of the kid who bought the fried dough sticks thump and thump, and he even grinned stupidly on his face.