North and South groceries

"Nan Wenchuan, go get another bucket of water."

Early this morning, at the pastry shed next to the tofu workshop, a woman neatly poured a large plate of lamb bones into a pottery kettle half a person's height, and grabbed a large handful of dried winter melon from the basket next to it. I went in, and finally came over with a clay pot, scooped a few spoonfuls of coarse salt from it and sprinkled it in. After looking at it, I felt that the water was running low, so I called Nan Wenchuan to fetch water.

Nan Wenchuan was the boy from the Nan family who disguised himself as a woman and wanted to get into the cashmere workshop that day. He was punished by Luo Yong to work at the bakery.

"Oh." Nan Wenchuan was squatting under the stove to add firewood at this time, when he heard the order, he wiped his nose and stood up, wiped the dust in his hand on his pants, and picked up a wooden bucket from the side to fetch water went.

There is no need to go far. Before the construction of the industrial area in the northwest of the city started earlier, County Magistrate Luo had ordered a canal to be built in the city. The source of this canal was close to the ancient well with the most water in the city. After passing the tofu workshop, the county government office, and the liquor workshop.

This canal is less than two feet high, but it was repaired with cement. The canal was covered with a cement board. In front of the tofu workshop, a reservoir was built next to the canal. The bottom of the reservoir was slightly deeper than the canal. The tofu workshop and cake-making hut can take water directly from this canal, which really saves a lot of time and effort.

Nan Wenchuan carried the bucket to the edge of the pool, went up two steps, swung the bucket on the surface of the water, and swung away a few grass stalks and broken leaves on the water surface, fetched a bucket of water back, and handed it to the dry A living woman, and then squatted there to light the fire.

The weather has been getting colder and colder recently, especially at this time of the morning. At this time, his stomach is empty, and being blown by the cold wind, his whole body feels cold from the inside out.

It's a pity that he just squatted for a while, and the woman asked him to help make the dough again. The tofu workshop started work before dawn, and someone had already helped them bring the first batch of bean dregs for the day.

Together with the two women, Nan Wenchuan put some mixed noodles in and mixed them with the bean dregs, and then on a hot iron plate, kang made mixed noodles pancakes one by one.

After a while, the big pottery urns became steaming one after another, a woman took the pottery bowls over, made three bowls of hot soup, each of them drank it up to their stomachs, and then continued kneading kang pancakes.

Some lonely old people in the city and those half-children who were suffering from hunger all day long also came over one after another at this time. According to the order of first come, first come, a long line was formed outside the straw shed where the cake was distributed. team...

There are also some people with good physical strength and hard work. Before coming here to eat cakes every day, they have to go to the ancient well to step on the waterwheel for an hour and a half.

Several disciples of County Magistrate Luo set up two small and exquisite waterwheels at the ancient well a while ago. They were not hand cranked, but stepped on with feet. The well water itself will flow into the pool beside the well. Nowadays, when people in the city go to the ancient well to fetch water, they only need to take it from the pool.

This work of stepping on waterwheels can also make money, one penny per hour, some people are weak, and if they can't step on water for an hour, they will step on it for half an hour first, take a rest, and then step on it for half an hour later, and they can also make money. Get a penny.

The old man at Kanshuiche knew a few words, he sewed a small book with a few sheets of rough linen paper, wrote and drew every day, and he was able to keep accounts clearly.

This old man was a soldier when he was young, and he was very brave on the battlefield. Later, in a battle with the Turkic people, he was unloaded by a Turkic man on horseback. Doctor, I managed to save my life.

At that time, he was still young, he had a wife and children at home, coupled with the change of dynasties, his military achievements were in vain, and his life was very difficult, thanks to the help and support of those former comrades-in-arms.

Although his comrades-in-arms were also from the Sui army, as long as the soldiers can fight hard, they are welcome to join any master's family.

Most of them later voted for Li Tang. Those who have died in recent years, if they are doing well, probably count Fu Bingcao. He came to Changle County a while ago and even visited him. He introduced him to Qiao Junlin, saying that although this former comrade-in-arms was old and disabled, he was still a reputable man, upright and dedicated to his duties, and asked Qiao Junlin to help him find a job to make a living.

So it didn't take long for him to start his current job. Every day, he sat by the ancient well with a string of copper plates in his arms, watching the two wheels turn and turn, and the sound of water rushing all day long. , Whoever stepped on the waterwheel for an hour, he took out a copper coin from his arms and gave it out as wages.

"Yu Weng, is one hour enough?"

"It's still early, just step on it."

"Too tired, I'd better step on it for half an hour."

"It's not even half an hour."

"really?"

"Have I ever lied to anyone?"

These half-children in the city wanted to earn a penny, but they didn't have much strength, so they would start screaming every time they stepped on the back for a quarter of an hour or two.

The old man Yu smiled, and from time to time he secretly took out a small porcelain bottle from his arms and smashed it.If someone watched him and asked him what he ate, he would say that what he ate was clear water. In fact, no one knew that his bottle was filled with wine tails.

Old man Yu likes this one. When the wine shop opened, he also tasted a cup, and then he thought about it day and night.

His eldest son also earned some money this year, so he went to stay outside the wine shop for a night, bought a barrel of wine tails, took them home, divided them into several large and small porcelain bottles, and sealed them with several layers of oil paper. Every morning, I use this smallest fine-mouthed porcelain bottle, and Aye and I make half a bottle out to eat.

With such a small bottle of wine and some copper coins in his pocket, old man Yu is also very happy every day.

He is already at this age, and he has experienced everything he should have experienced in this life. Now that he is such a bad old man, he doesn't have to drag his family down. He earns a little money every month, and he can also subsidize his children and grandchildren, so that he can eat and wear every day Nuan, and still having these few sips of baijiu, he is very content.

When the ditch was being built earlier, the county magistrate said that the well was too cold, so someone built a mud hut beside the well. , and put a straw curtain in front, it is very warm.

Old man Yu sat in this small adobe house all day long, happily watching those half-sized boys stepping on the waterwheel, half like a land lord.

When the servants in the yamen opened their meals, his little grandson would go over to fetch the rice bowls and send them over with him.

That kid used to be jealous of the little boy in Cui Weng's family who was in charge of the vegetable shop, but now he can go to the Yamen to cook with a job in his hand, but he is very happy...

In the county office, the women in charge of cooking are also busy with today's breakfast.

After the winter, the weather is cold, and vegetables are hard to come by. The price of mutton is very cheap. The main reason is that after the cold weather, the goats grow cashmere. Many people rush to kill the sheep at this time. Mutton still sells for four Wen a catty, but in the past two days it only costs three Wen.

Recently, the yamen also eat meat all day long. At the beginning, everyone ate meat very happily, but after seven or eight days or ten or so days, they lost their energy.

In the past two days, the county magistrate of Luo ordered the big donkey to grind a lot of flour and asked them to steam some pancakes to eat.

This pancake is also stuffed with mutton. The best mutton is finely chopped, with some onion and ginger added, and some sauce, it smells quite delicious.

When the cakes on the steamer were steaming, the guards came over to eat one after another, some had just returned from patrol outside, and some had just woken up in the morning.

Most of those who came back from patrols were covered with cold, and their faces were more or less exhausted. It was hard to stay up all night in this cold weather, but fortunately, they only had one round every two months, and there were not many Day, just get through it.

The steaming pancakes were taken out from the steamer, and a large bowl of soy milk was made, and everyone found a place to eat.

This pancake looks dusty and yellowish, take a bite, it tastes delicious, not to mention the mutton stuffing inside, one pancake can't wait to stuff half a catty of mutton in it, take two bites of pancake, and then eat it again. Take a sip of soy milk, and the whole person slowly warms up from the inside out.

Not long after, the old county magistrate Tan also came over, and the woman who cooked hurriedly brought him cakes to make soy milk. Each of the servants could eat at least three or four of these big cakes, and the old magistrate Tan only needed two. .

The old county magistrate Tan took his own share and went to find a place to eat. His sons are also able to earn money, and their own breakfast is also good, but the old man is still willing to go to the county government. Come to eat, although he has retired, but he is still working hard for Luo Yong, and it is not too much to eat a few mouthfuls of his food.

The old county magistrate Tan just sat down, and Tang Jian also came out. He is now living behind the county office, and eating with Luo Yong and the others, Luo Yong is with these guards, so he is also with these guards. Together.

The little old man didn't have any airs, so he took his share of the meal and sat down with the old county magistrate Tan.Regarding the situation in Changle County and Dunhuang, the old county magistrate Tan knew very well that Tang Jian liked to chat with him when he had something to do.

Not long after, a few more people came in outside, it turned out to be Ma Siwang Jin Huai and others...

Luo Yong got up late today, and when he got dressed and went out to have breakfast, the woman who was cooking said, "There are no more pancakes, why don't I cook you a bowl of Hutou?"

Luo Yong hadn't woken up much at this time, and he was a little dazed when he heard this. How could this mutton bun not have his share in his own territory?

"Sanlang, come, I'll give you one." Tang Jian said generously.

"Come on, I'll give you one too." Ma Silang said with a smile.

County magistrate Luo took one from one side, another from the other, and finally Qiao Junlin gave him another one. He barely made up four and went to find a place to eat.

He is also growing up recently, and he can't get enough of such big cooking cakes without four.