North and South groceries

Now in the area around Changle County, the wooden track from Gaochang City to Dunhuang has just started construction, the track from Dunhuang to Changle County has been repaired more than half, and the section from Changle to Jinchang has already been put into use For a long time, the wooden track from Jinchang to Yiwu had already been passed.

Although Yiwu also belongs to the land of the Tang Dynasty, it is outside the customs after all. From Jinchang to Yiwu City, it is not like the places in the Central Plains where there is a post station every thirty miles.

This time, after the wooden track was paved, considering the long journey starting from Jinchang, even if the road was smooth, it would take at least three or four days to reach Yiwu City, so Yiwu set up several roads along the way. It is an intermediate station for merchants and pedestrians to stay and rest, and it is also convenient for the maintenance and management of this wooden track.

Later, when Guo Xiaoke took office and heard about this incident, he decided to set up post stations in these places, because at that time there was news everywhere that the Turks were going to fight Yiwu, so the Yiwu side did not show any signs of setting up these post stations. What a repulsive attitude.

Some of these post stations are close to the villages, and the living conditions are relatively better, while some are completely on the Gobi wasteland, and all food and water sources must be transported by rails. The scale of the latter post stations is generally relatively small.

After this wooden track was opened, the connection between Yiwu and Changle in Jinchang immediately became closer. Because the communication is very convenient, the transportation cost is much lower than before, and the road is safer than before, so the business exchanges are very convenient. frequently.

The area of ​​Changle County has been developing well in the past few years, and the local people are very active. Once the wooden track is opened, there will be many vendors selling needles, wine, sauce, etc., going to Yiwu to do business. I heard that some people voted for their relatives over there and went to Yiwu to make tofu and sell it.

There are also merchants from Yiwu who come to Changle County to do business, mainly selling grain and iron, because they heard that the price of grain and iron in Changle County is much higher than that in Yiwu. .

There is still a large-scale canning workshop in Changle County. The batch of white folded cloth produced in the county last year was shipped to Chang'an City for a good price, and then folded into a batch of Eucommia gum and shipped back.

There are dozens of carts of these eucommia gums, and they are not used for other purposes. They are all used as rubber pads in canning jars. One can imagine how much meat canning can be made in Changle County this year.

At the beginning of winter, Luo Yong asked people to buy mutton wantonly. It was really like a bottomless pit, and he wanted as much as he had.

The people who work in the workshop are all local rural farmers. They registered their candidates before the winter, paid their taxes after the autumn harvest, and packed their bags and went to work in the city in a few days. Not too bad.

Because of this canning workshop, the price of local mutton in Changle County is not very cheap after winter this year.

At that time, the wooden track in Yiwu just passed through. Many herdsmen heard from the merchants in the past that the price of mutton in Changle County is high. There are cashmere workshops and canning workshops in this county. The price of mutton is very fair, so during that time, many herdsmen drove their flocks to Changle County. If not, the price of mutton in Changle County would have been slightly higher this year.

The high price of mutton, logically speaking, is not a good thing for the people in Changle County.

However, this is not the case. The influx of sheep from other places, and the slaughter of a large number of live sheep in the canning workshop every day, make the price of sheep into the water extremely cheap. Although it is not free, it is not much worse.

In addition to the canning workshop, there is also a bacon workshop in Changle County, which also collects a lot of live sheep every day, and a large number of sheep offal need to be processed.

In Changle County this winter, almost every household is eating haggis, and there are food shops on the street that sell haggis, no matter how thick and thick a man is, who can live on a penny, and those big men in the city The cafeterias in large and small workshops basically eat haggis every day, and occasionally mix it with other things. Even in the county government, one of the three meals a day must be eaten. Haggis.

Many rural people also took miscellaneous grains from their homes to the county to exchange for sheep, but a few liters of grain can be exchanged for a whole load.

There are also some old men and women who go to the open space in front of the canning workshop to pick up leftovers such as sheep intestines that others don't want. It may not be that they can't afford better food, but the main reason is that they are used to living a poor life. Seeing this is good No one wants the food, so I really want to pick it up and take it home.

In Changle County this winter, basically no one is hungry. These haggis are tidied up. Those who are more frugal will put some green onion, ginger and salt to cook it into white soup. Those who are more affluent can go to the shops in the county. Go back to change some sauces, and occasionally make a red stew to enhance the flavor.

After winter came, free tea soup started to be brewed at the gates of the tea shops in the city, and the most people came here to drink tea every morning and evening, because most people had to work hard for their livelihood during the whole day in between.

The street where the tea shop is located has also changed a lot now. Most of the houses have been repaired, and some have been demolished and rebuilt. The layout and style are similar.

In the front is a row of gates with open shops, and there is a small courtyard where guests are received and the residences of servants and employees. There is also a large courtyard behind, which is the place where the master's family lives.

Ordinary people don't buy tea, and don't go into the shop. They just eat a bowl of hot tea on the street at the entrance. Sometimes, if they are not in a hurry to leave, they have to stand on the street and talk about their parents, and discuss which of these tea shops, which tea shop The tea brewed at the entrance of the store is the thickest and most fragrant.

Merchants from other places came here to sell tea, and when they saw such a scene, they were very envious. When they were working hard for their family's livelihood, everyone in Changle County could eat enough, and there was free tea. Hot tea to eat.

There are also those who want to settle here, but they don’t know how many years Naluo County Magistrate will be in office. I heard that he offended the royal family and relatives in Chang’an City earlier, and I’m afraid he won’t be transferred back for a while, so I don’t know if it’s true or not.

"Changle Changle, now Changle County deserves the name of Changle."

On a cold day, merchants and pedestrians sat on the kang of the same restaurant, regardless of whether they were from the south or the north, as long as they could speak the language, they could all be able to speak.

"I haven't seen Magistrate Luo for a few days. I wonder what he's busy with?"

"It's probably settled in the county government again."

"The promise is to build water canals, but there is not enough money and silk."

"All the money was used to collect the mutton. When the canned mutton is sold, there will be money."

"There are so many cans, where can I sell them?"

"..."

Where to sell so many cans is indeed a problem.

Luo Yong wasn't very worried. After all, selling at a cost price would not be a problem, but he still wanted to make more money, and it would be best if he could get back the money he spent on repairing the canal.

Now he doesn't expect anything else, but hopes that the wooden tracks will be repaired in these surrounding areas as soon as possible. The more developed the traffic, the wider the market will be.

At the food shop, everyone talked and talked about the cowpox again.

"Nowadays, there are quite a few varieties of vaccinia in the countries of the Western Regions."

"I also heard that cowpox was planted in places like Kucha and Yanqi."

"Since the introduction of this method, no one has ever heard of a person who died of acne."

"That Sun Miracle Doctor is really a fairy descended from the world!"

"I heard he is quite old."

"Then how is Miracle Doctor Sun doing now?"

"I don't know."

"..."

"I've heard some people say that it's an outer disciple of his family who is humane. Master often cries recently."

"Why is Miracle Doctor Sun crying?"

"I don't know..."

"..."

The author has something to say:

Luo Coffin Board: Old Sun, why are you crying?

Dr. Sun: In the past, I cried because I was distressed by burning books, but now I cry because I am too tired to copy books.