North and South groceries

At the beginning of winter last year, the price of mutton was low, and the Changle County government received a large amount of mutton. Some of it was made into smoked bacon as in previous years, and the other part was made into canned meat.

This canned meat tastes fresher and more tender than bacon, and the taste is quite good. There are several jars for sale in the vegetable shop every day. The price is not expensive, but the consumption power of the people in Changle is still a little lower, and those who can really afford it It is a small number of merchants and wealthy households, as well as some diners.

"Sister, do you want canned meat? I have some better here." After breakfast, Luo Yong said to Er Niang.

"Yes, how can I not." Erniang said briskly after swallowing a mouthful of fried meat slices.

Stir-fried Hoto with sliced ​​meat, add some soy sauce, and adjust some spiciness, the taste is really good, but it’s a pity that canned meat is rare, white flour is also expensive, even if their cashmere workshop is famous for its good food, they don’t dare often eat.

Although those little ladies looked much quieter and more elegant than Luo Yong's rough men, they were all growing up. Hundreds of little ladies who were growing up, when they were eating... In short, Erniang was also very happy to get some free canned meat from Luo Yong.

When they heard that the county was going to deliver canned meat to the cashmere workshop, many of these officials who were eating at the moment showed pain and reluctance on their faces.

Everyone also knew very well that with so many people in the cashmere workshop, it was not enough to give away three or five jars. This time, there must be at least thirty or fifty jars of canned meat in their warehouse.

Seeing their pain, Erniang pretended not to see them, and continued to eat her fried rice with a smile. When she was full, Luo Yong led her to the warehouse to get canned meat.

The warehouse was opened and looked, it was a big room, the shelves were full of canned meat, this was just one of them, Luo Yong said there were two other rooms.

"So much?" Just now seeing those people outside with pained expressions on their faces, Erniang thought they didn't have much left.

"Not much more, I'll have to eat it until winter." The canned meat in these warehouses here is mainly for self-eating, and for selling, they are all placed in the vegetable shop.

"I'll make more this winter." Erniang said as she went to pick up the canned meat on the shelf.

"Miss, don't get your clothes dirty, we just come and move them." Several officials who came from behind hurriedly said.

"I moved fifty altars with my sister, loaded them into a bullock cart and sent them to the cashmere workshop." Luo Yong said to them, and then said to Er Niang:

"I also wanted to make more last year, but I didn't have enough Eucommia glue. I almost took off the soles of my shoes."

"Is this batch of eucommia gum coming soon?" Er Niang asked with a smile.

Earlier, Luo Yong told her that he had someone replace the money from selling white drape last year with Eucommia gum, which was transported all the way from Chang'an City to Changle County.

A few years ago, Luo Yong and the others started to plant eucommia trees in Xipo Village, made eucommia gum, and made rubber-soled leather boots, and people in many places have planted eucommia trees one after another.

Several years have passed in the blink of an eye, and the earliest batch of Eucommia trees have been planted for many years. Many places in the Central Plains can produce rubber, especially in the Qinling Mountains. I heard that many aristocratic families have Eucommia gardens there. , It is often a large mountain top.

In the past two years, Eucommia gum can be bought everywhere in Chang'an, and the price is not as expensive as it was in the early years, but it is still expensive, and poor people can't afford it. Put on the pair of two pairs of rubber-soled leather boots.

On their Longxi side, the price of eucommia glue is more expensive. The rubber pads they used to make the cans this time were also brought over from Changle County by Luo Yong's disciples.

"I just received a letter two days ago, saying that I have arrived in Liangzhou City, and I plan to rest in Liangzhou City for a few days before coming with the Zhao family's caravan." Luo Yong replied.

"It would be great if this wooden track can lead to Liangzhou City." Er Niang said.

If this wooden track can lead to Liangzhou City, then the many stocks in her workshop here will not worry about transportation, and the smoked bacon and canned meat that Luo uses them to make can also be transported to Liangzhou City. while selling.

Every year when winter comes, the price of meat in Changle County is much lower than that in Liangzhou City. The population of Liangzhou City has increased in recent years. There will be situations like Changle County where mutton is as cheap as dirt in winter.

"Sooner or later it will work." As long as there is no war, as long as there is no turmoil, development is inevitable.

However, in this era, wars are always happening frequently, and it is almost impossible not to fight.

That night, another batch of refined iron was transported from Jinchang City via this wooden track. During the day, the track was very busy and there was almost no free time, so Luo used them to transport goods mostly at night.

The disciples used by Luo used refined iron to make equipment, and the price of iron in Longxi is quite expensive, much more expensive than in Hedong.

"Is the quality of this batch of iron okay?" Luo Yong also went over to check when the goods were being unloaded on the platform.

"It's just normal." One of his disciples shook his head.

"Use it first." Luo Yong knew a little about it himself, and by the light of the torch, he took a look at the batch of goods that arrived tonight. The quality is indeed not good, but the price is not cheap.

"After Yiwu's wooden track is cleared, we will go to Yiwu's side to have a look." Luo Yong said with that disciple.

"Let's wait for next year to discuss this matter. We will make more cotton gins this year. This iron is enough to make cotton gins." Luo Yong said.

It is so far from Yiwu to Jinchang, even if they put in all their efforts to repair the road, it will take at least half a year to repair it, and it will be almost autumn by then.

According to the original history, there will be wars in Yizhou after this autumn, when the Turks invaded and were repelled by the troops led by Guo Xiaoke.The Turkic people didn't know exactly when they would attack, Luo Yong didn't want his disciples to encounter wars.

In the far west of the Arabian Peninsula, Apu finally persuaded his tribe, and with those tribes who survived the war, decided to go through the crisis-ridden Great Food Kingdom and travel long distances to the place where Apu and the others spoke. Eastern country.

The reason why these people have been reluctant to agree to go to Datang with Apu is because the journey is difficult and dangerous on the one hand, and because they have heard that in that distant eastern country, dark-skinned people like them, It will be sold as a rare animal by the locals.

Apu told them that his master was a very capable official, and that in that eastern country, his master would help them.

And by chance, he got two magical grain seeds. As long as they can grow this kind of grain and dedicate the grain seeds to the king of the east, they will be able to get asylum in that country and avoid the flames of war. Invasion, and will no longer be sold as livestock.

So they planted sweet potatoes by the Nile River, poured some water on the two seeds, and when they sprouted green shoots and grew as long as a palm, they cut them off and inserted them in the soft and fertile soil by the river.

Then soon, they saw that the vines sprouted, grew longer and longer, and gradually covered the whole ground. After a few months, they dug out many sweet potatoes from that land. The sweet potatoes are sweet when eaten raw. Crisp, sweet and delicious after roasting, most men, women and children in the tribe love it very much.

However, it is still a difficult decision for many people to leave the land where their ancestors lived for generations and go to a completely unfamiliar country.

If the wars were not too frequent and the casualties too tragic, they might not have made such a choice in the end.

Apu and his father led their clansmen along the road they came back from, but they were detained as soon as they reached the border of Dashi Kingdom.

This time, even if Apu took out the parchment that Hassan gave him before, those people not only refused to let them go, but also arrested them to do coolies.

Until a few months later, Jia Hassan, a big food merchant, used the canning recipe he exchanged from Luo Yong to set up a canning factory in the big food country, earning a lot of money, and gradually became a commercial giant in the country.

At this time, someone came to flatter him and told Hassan that a group of his servants were detained by another family's forces and were working as coolies on the border. They also told him about Apu and the fact that they took out the parchment.

Of course Hassan remembered the parchment, and he also intends to continue to build a good relationship with Luo Yong. That oriental boy is very unusual, and maybe they will have other cooperation in the future. It will be beneficial in the process.

So Hassan asked people to negotiate with the family forces that detained Apu and the others. That family was not friendly to Hassan's family at first, but today is different. Hassan's family has now entered the country through the production of canned meat. It would be very unwise for the upper echelons of the empire to clash with them because of a group of slaves at this time.

A few days later, Apu and the others finally ended the painful months of slave life. Hassan's people found them, gave them food and clothes, and called for a doctor for them.

After this catastrophe, the population of the few remaining tribes has been lost again. Some people originally followed Apu with full expectations and wanted to go to the East, but they died painfully in this desperate place.

"Can we really go to the East?" When they followed Hassan's caravan and set off again, the hearts of the people were full of uncertainty.

"We will be able to reach the East." Apu told them firmly.

For those dead clansmen, Apu felt very sad in his heart.

However, their death was not because the path he chose was wrong, but because their tribe was too weak.

Apu's father was already old, and he had abdicated the position of leader of the clan to him some time ago.

The old leader told Apu that as a leader, he must first learn to bear the pain, because a weak leader cannot bring any hope to their tribe.