"Hey, big man, tomorrow I, Aye, and the others are going to Jinchang to sell tofu.
You can go with me."
It was a noon in the second half of the second lunar month.
The weather was very sunny and there was no wind.
The first batch of bean dregs cakes was made in the government-run tofu workshop.
There were many orphans, elderly people and some poor people in the county.
People come here to eat cakes.
Recently, many people from surrounding towns have come to Changle County.
Some come to find work in tofu workshops, some come to sell tofu, and some people simply come here for this free bean dregs cake.
Over the past month, the people coming and going in Changle County have become much more lively than before.
"Hey, big man, you're talking."
A kid of seven or eight years old claimed that he wanted to sell tofu and pestered the young man from out of town who ate cakes here every day.
""The tall and strong young man ignored him.
"I'll pay for the capital.
I also have baskets and poles at home.
Let's work together and earn half of the money each of us.
What do you think?"
"" "I can't carry the load, but I can hawk.
When you get to Jinchang, you can leave it alone and teach me all the work of selling tofu." "" "I said, big man, how long are you going to eat bean dregs pancakes?
Don't you want to go to the food shop to eat something good?
The new Luo County Magistrate taught us many dishes in the food shops in the county.
You smell them all day long. , I won’t be too greedy.” "" "Look, if you go out with me to sell tofu a few times, you will have some capital by then, right?"
"" The tall and strong young man who was called the big man didn't say anything at all.
He finished eating a few cakes and drank a large bowl of soup.
He put his soup bowl in his arms, got up and left, waiting for tomorrow's meeting here.
When the bean dregs cake is ready, he will come over again.
The kid curled his lips, but he didn't look disappointed.
This wasn't the first time.
He had been pestering this stranger several days ago, trying to get him to go out with him to sell tofu, but it was a pity that he ignored him at all. he.
There are many people eating cakes and drinking soup near the thatched hut.
There are two large pottery cauldrons burning there.
A woman is standing beside the pottery cauldron, holding up a big ladle to share the soup with others.
Three or five skinny people The foreigners were at the front of the queue, and there were many others behind them.
Not far from the two pottery cauldrons, there was a simple bed made of tamarisk branches.
The bean dregs cakes made this morning were piled on top of the bed.
Another woman was standing there.
Share the bread with others next to the barbed bed.
The child rolled his eyes, looked around and saw that no one was paying attention to him, and casually put the unfinished bean dregs cake in his arms into his arms.
The bean dregs cakes here are eaten immediately upon receipt and are not taken home.
There was no such rule before.
A few days ago, the new county magistrate heard that someone had taken bean dregs cakes from him and took them home.
Feeding livestock, this is a new item.
The child was pretending while eating.
In a short while, he finished the few cakes in front of him, drank a few mouthfuls of the already cold mutton bone soup at the bottom of the bowl, licked the bottom of the bowl, and put the earthenware bowl in his arms.
He got up and left.
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Recently, more and more people have been coming to eat their bean dregs cakes.
After so many people have received one portion, today’s bean dregs cakes should have been distributed.
Even if they line up again at this time, I’m afraid they won’t be able to get a second portion. , unlike when this tofu workshop first opened, he could get it twice a day.
Although their small town is dilapidated, the streets are still quite spacious.
On the main street facing the city gate, three carriages can walk side by side.
The houses on both sides of the street are mostly one-story adobe houses with yellow mud walls and thatched roofs.
There are also many shops along the street.
Some shops have been doing quite good business these days.
They can accommodate a group of twenty or thirty people.
A caravan can earn hundreds of coins a day.
When this kid hears people talking about these things, he feels envious in his heart.
It's a pity that his family doesn't even have two decent laborers, let alone a shop.
From time to time, someone would walk briskly past him carrying a load of tofu.
The tender tofu produced by the government-run tofu workshop was so tender that it would break into pieces after a few bumps on the car.
It is best to use a pole basket.
Pick them out one by one and sell them.
It is not difficult to earn ten or twenty coins casually by carrying this load of tender tofu to Dunhuang and Jinchang.
Some people can earn more if they find a good buyer.
The child touched the cloth tied around his waist.
There were a few copper coins hidden there.
This was not all of his wealth.
There were still some hidden at home, some saved in the past and some just earned in the past few days. of.
In the past, he helped the food shops at the city gate to grab business.
He led the customers to the shops that had been negotiated in advance, and he could get a few pennies at a time.
Unfortunately, he can't go there now.
In the past few days, two shops were trying to grab customers.
They started fighting at the city gate, and then the county stopped them from soliciting customers at the city gate, and they could only solicit business in front of their own shops.
Over there, three or five Hu merchants came from the city gate with their horses.
Judging from their clothes and equipment, they didn't look like they were going into the desert.
They probably planned to go to Dunhuang to purchase goods.
After arriving in Dunhuang, some of the caravans from the Western Regions will choose to continue deep into the Hexi Corridor until they reach the Liangzhou City area, and then trade with merchants there, while others will sell goods on the spot after arriving in Dunhuang. , many Hu merchants and Central Plains merchants living in the Tang Dynasty come here every year to buy goods, and then sell them to Liangzhou City or even Chang'an, Luoyang, Yangzhou and other places.
"Guests, please stay in the hotel.
The hotel has hot water and the rooms are clean and spacious."
"Want to eat?
We have all kinds of dishes in the store."
“Would any of our guests want to try our tofu dishes?”
"" As these barbarians walked along the street, shops on both sides of the street came out to solicit business.
The twenty or thirty Hu people who stayed in their county for several days last time have no intention of leaving yet.
The shopkeeper who received them is making money every day and is very happy every day.
His mouth was wide open, making the shops nearby jealous.
In the past few days, some merchants and travelers have passed through their Changle County one after another.
Although they have never seen a large caravan again, mosquitoes are still meat no matter how small they are.
People now believe that as long as the food is cooked and eaten, With relatively low prices, they can retain customers in Changle County.
Especially in the off-season, there is a lot to do, because no one is in a hurry during this season.
If those Hu businessmen live comfortably here and there is no financial pressure, they will naturally want to stay a few more days.
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“Lamb, how much is it?”
There was a shop at the end of the street.
They built an earthen stove in front of the shop.
At this time, a pot of braised mutton was simmering on the stove.
The few foreigners ignored the greetings of the people in front and went on their own.
Went to that shop.
"Two cents, a big bowl" The owner of this shop is a thin man in his forties.
The location of his shop is not very good.
It is at the end of the street, so he is at a disadvantage, so he came up with this idea and built a stove in front of the shop.
At this moment, he watched these guests smelling the fragrance and coming all the way here.
He felt so happy in his heart that he quickly took the large stoneware bowl next to the stove and showed it to them: "A big bowl." , full.”
The barbarians looked at each other, looked at each other, and then heard the leader say "good", and they entered the shop one after another.
After setting up the animals, several barbarians took their seats one after another, and bowls of fragrant and hot braised mutton were served on the table.
Each bowl was filled to the brim.
No matter how cheap the mutton here was, it would still be sold this way. , there is definitely no profit to be made, it would be good if you can get your money back.
"A few guests want some cold dishes, tofu dishes," Magistrate Luo told them.
It doesn't matter if the shop doesn't make money with the one or two dishes, as long as it can be made elsewhere.
That’s it.
"How much is the cold dish?"
Because they were really satisfied with the braised mutton before, those barbarians seemed to be more talkative at this time.
"The salad contains shredded tofu, shredded onion, and bean sprouts.
We sell it cheaply here.
You can mix it in a basin for ten cents, which should be enough for several customers."
The store owner said.
"Okay, let's have a cold dish, a pot of corn porridge, and three kilograms of pancakes."
"Hey, guest, please wait a moment.
The old man is going to get some food."
This shop is not very big, and it is the off-season right now.
You may not be able to do business if you wait at home all day long.
His two sons are selling tofu, and the eldest daughter-in-law has just given birth to a baby for the family.
He couldn't get out of bed yet, his second son hadn't gotten married yet, and his old wife left early, so now the old man was the only one left in the house.
The old man came out of the main room and walked to the street to take a look.
When he saw the child not far away, Dian Dian came over.
"They asked for ten cents worth of cold dishes.
Go and help me out.
They also want three kilograms of cooking cakes.
But remember, bring the cooking cakes first.
The guests are waiting to eat."
The old man said, He stuffed a penny into the kid's hand.
"Hey."
The kid took the money and ran away.
First, I went to the government-run shop and shouted that someone from the Liujia Food Shop at the end of the street ordered cold dishes for ten cents.
Then I went to the street pancake shop and ordered three kilograms of pancakes.
The owner of the cooking cake shop had been watching the foreigners since they entered the city.
He watched them enter the Liu family's shop, and then watched the child run over to buy cooking cakes.
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Three kilograms of cooking cakes were weighed.
Ask him to take it first, and as for the money, naturally wait for the Liu family to settle the matter later.
At Liu's shop, Old Man Liu had already cooked corn porridge.
After a while, the cooking cakes arrived, and he brought them to several guests to eat first with the braised mutton.
Not long after, the cold dishes were also served.
The corn porridge was served a little slower, but fortunately these guests were happy with their meals today and did not complain about anything.
They just ate the few cold dishes left on the bottom of the basin.
Very happy.
After eating and drinking, we sat there to rest.
Outside the door, there was a line of officials walking through the street, all of them upright and full of energy.
"Are they patrolling?"
asked a barbarian.
"No, we have to patrol several times a day.
If the guests encounter something in our Changle County from now on, they can ask them for help."
Old man Liu said.
"They can take care of it."
In the impression of these barbarians, official officials are not easy to mess with, and it is best to stay away from them if nothing happens.
"Yes.
Just a few days ago, there was a shop in front of me.
When I was ordering, I told someone that I had to pay ten cents.
When I paid, I insisted on fifteen cents.
Someone went to call the official to come over.
In the end, the shop was closed down.
Ordered to close the business for three days."
Old man Liu was cleaning up the house slowly, talking to these barbarians while doing so.
"That's really good."
To be honest, they who are outsiders are most afraid of the kind of unreasonable black shops.
They, a few foreigners, often have to admit that they are unlucky in the end when they face the overwhelming number of locals. .
"It's okay, I spoke in a pleasant manner."
Old Man Liu said again.
Those people from the government who were "so good" were a bit disbelieving that they could still talk to Renhe and Yan Yuese and the barbarians, thinking that this old man was probably bragging.
"Why aren't they so good?"
Old Man Liu said immediately: "Do you know how much money they can earn in a month?"
"How many?"
asked the leading Hu man.
"Three hundred coins a month, good food and good clothing.
I heard that if they do well, Magistrate Luo will give them bonuses.
Such a large salary every month, and they are not relatives of the magistrate's family.
It's hard to do it alone."
It’s been fixed, who dares to be careless?”
Speaking of this, Old Man Luo also regretted that when Naluo County Magistrate was recruiting people, his youngest son also wanted to go, but he stopped him and said that he wanted to see the situation first, but he was afraid that the county magistrate and others would cause trouble.
Get up, it turned out that nothing happened, before Magistrate Luo even made any move, all those people disappeared.
Their family just hesitated like this at that time, and someone else took the lead.
The government hired enough people and stopped asking for them.
Now it's useless to think about anything.
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These barbarians were obviously very interested in the new magistrate of Luo County in Changle County.
They sat there and chatted with Old Man Liu for a long time.
It was not until everyone became a little sleepy that they thought of staying overnight.
“Do you have a guest room here?”
"My shop is not big.
There is a house behind it and there are no guest rooms.
However, my house also has a small courtyard.
It is not far from here.
It can be reached in just half an hour.
If the guest is willing to stay, he will give me five cents a day.
That’s good, if it’s a monthly rent, it’s only one hundred cents per month.”
"Take us there first to have a look."
"Why."
Changle County is surrounded by mountains in the south.
Every year when spring comes, the snow on the mountains melts, and gurgling streams flow down the mountains.
Therefore, the land in the south of the city is expensive, while the land in the north is relatively cheaper.
However, the city in Changle County is really small, and the division between rich and poor areas is not as clear-cut as those in Chang'an City.
Old Man Liu was also thoughtful.
After leading these people out of the shop, he saw that they were interested in the government-run tofu workshop, so he took them to have a look.
It was getting late at this time, but because the business at the tofu workshop was very good, it would not stop until late at night every day.
The workers working here also worked in two shifts.
One group came over in the early morning and returned after lunch.
After working for a while, you can go home and rest.
At noon, a new team of people will work, and they will work until late at night.
The tofu workshop is a scene of bustling labor, and not far away from the county government office, there is also smoke curling up from cooking stoves, and the aroma of food wafts out.
Luo Yong and the others don't cook themselves at present, so they eat the same thing as these servants every day.
There were only thirty or forty people eating in the county government office, and they used a separate meal system.
Each person had a small wooden table with some food on it.
They ate and slept in silence, and basically no one talked during the meal.
In the evening of that day, while waiting for dinner, Qiao Junlin told Luo Yong that among the people eating bean dregs cakes in the tofu workshop these days, several barbarians appeared.
"As long as there is no trouble, let him go.
You should be careful and don't ask them to make trouble."
The people in the county are very protective of their food, and most of them reject the behavior of outsiders coming to eat free bean dregs cakes at their place.
"Got it."
Qiao Junlin responded.
After the meal for the night was ready, someone helped Luo Yong and Qiao Junlin carry their portion to the backyard.
In front of the county government office was the office, and the backyard was the living area.
Luo Yong and Qiao Junlin often chatted while eating.
Forget about the rule of not talking while eating or sleeping.
They just had to pay attention to this rule when eating on the sun porch.
"You're still going out at night?"
Qiao Junlin said as he plucked rice, losing his usual majestic look in front of the guards.
"I'm going to meet the tenants," Luo Yong said.
"Go at this time" Qiao Junlin raised his head and asked him.
"Everyone is very busy during the day."
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Even if you go there at this time, you may not see everyone.
Some people are still working in the tofu workshop and have not gotten off work, and some may have gone out to sell tofu and have not returned yet.
"I'll go with you."
Qiao Junlin said.
"Well, just the two of us are going, don't bring the others."
Luo Yong said.
The tenants they are talking about here are the tenants of the vocational fields in Changle County.
The so-called vocational fields are part of the officials' salaries.
In this era, officials were treated very well.
They had money, rice and land, and they could help raise slaves in the local area.
A local official like Luo Yong also had more than a dozen slaves.
The so-called job fields were allocated to him by the government.
During his tenure, these lands were owned by him, and they were basically farmed by others, and then officials collected some rent.
In Changle County, not only the county magistrate Luo Yong has three hectares of land, but also the county chief registrar and others.
Officials of any rank have land.
These jobs are leased to tenants.
In theory, they should follow the principle of voluntary consent of both parties.
However, in practice, this is often not the case.
Many local officials are too greedy.
In addition to the rent, they also have to collect some money from the jobs.
Ah, etc., there are various types of rents.
Many tenants are not willing to rent the land of the government, and then the government often forces the rent to be rented.
This is basically the case in Changle County.
The relationship between the government and these tenants is relatively sensitive and tense.
Seeing that the spring plowing season was about to enter, Luo Yong thought it was necessary to get in touch with those tenants and make some promises to reassure them.
By the time the two of them came out of the county government office, the sky was basically dark.
Since this period of time, Luo Yong has been busy working from dawn to dusk every day, and Qiao Junlin is not much better.
Now is the stage when everything is waiting for things to be done, so it is natural to be busy.
In two or three months, Luo Yong estimates that they will be able to have some leisure time.
"In addition to these tofu dishes, what else do you plan to do?"
Qiao Junlin asked Luo Yong as the two walked side by side on the dark yellow mud street.
Recently, he has been patrolling outside the city every day, and he has indeed seen an improvement in the business of the restaurants and guesthouses in the city.
However, if you want to revitalize this small town just by relying on this, it will be very difficult.
Based on his understanding of Luo Yong, Qiao Junlin believed that there must be other plans behind this.
"Remember the wine I took out on the road last time?"
Luo Yong said bluntly.
"If you want to make wine, you know how to make it."
Qiao Junlin's heart was churning, but his face remained calm.
There are too many secrets in Luo Yong, more than he imagined.
He has known this for a long time.
"I probably know a little bit about it, but I still need to spend some time exploring it," Luo Yong said.
Developing the liquor brewing industry is Luo Yong's mid-term plan for this small town.
With the catering and accommodation industry in front of them, as long as they can successfully brew liquor, sales will naturally fall into place.
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