Chapter 137 Buying a Mule

Lin Duo'er ate first, Lin Chuntao was still stirring, Lin Chunxing was about to eat, and Xu Sheng and Xu Huan were a little shy and had also picked up their chopsticks but hadn't started eating yet. When they heard Lin Duo'er's exclamation and saw her exaggerated expression, everyone pursed their lips in unison.

Lin Chuntao smiled and asked, "Is it good?" As if answering herself, she started eating after she finished speaking. The fragrant soup coated the noodles, and the saltiness was just right. The blanched chives and wood ear mushrooms were very crisp. With this mouthful of noodles, Lin Chuntao took a deep breath. This was the feeling she wanted.

Lin Chunxing and Lin Chunhe followed Lin Chuntao's example and ate it too. They hurriedly buried their heads and slurped up a mouthful. After that bite, everyone's eyes lit up!

Especially Pei Ying, who came from Guangling to Yizhou. The two places are far apart, and the food tastes very different. At least, chili peppers are a favorite of the people of Yizhou. This is the first time he has eaten such light rice noodles. The key point is that it looks light but tastes fresh and fragrant.

The soup base for the braised pork rice noodles is made with chicken and pork bones. They had tried chicken soup before, but they never expected that the combination of the two would taste so amazing.

Pei Ying said, "People who have moved here from elsewhere should really like this."

Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "We're out of fried pork skin. Otherwise, it would have been delicious to put a few pieces inside."

Lin Chunxing took two sips of soup from the bowl. This soup would taste delicious no matter what you put in it, let alone pork skin!

She looked at Lin Chuntao with bright eyes and asked with a smile, "Sister, what's the name of this powder?"

"The previous ones were called braised pork soup noodles and stinky tofu soup noodles, so this one can't possibly be called chicken soup pork bone noodles, can it?"

Lin Chuntao didn't rush to say what the name was, but instead smiled and asked Lin Chunxing, "How much do you plan to sell one of these for?"

Lin Chunxing countered, "Stinky tofu soup noodles and braised pork soup noodles are priced the same, right?"

Lin Chuntao nodded, "Okay, the price of stinky tofu isn't too high. We can either buy stinky tofu directly or make it ourselves."

Hearing Lin Chuntao's words, Lin Chunxing thought about the price of the chicken and pork bones. If they sold a lot, they could stew it in a large pot, and the cost wouldn't be too high. However, this way of eating was novel, and they could also improve the side dishes, which would allow them to raise the price slightly.

"Sister, isn't eighteen coins a bit expensive?"

Eighteen coins? Lin Chuntao frowned slightly. “That’s a little expensive. Let’s reduce it by two coins and sell it for sixteen coins. Let’s also decide on the price for adding a side dish.”

Lin Chunxing nodded. "Let me see what side dishes we can add."

Lin Chuntao agreed, but the name hadn't been decided yet. Lin Duo'er pressed on, asking, "Sister, the name isn't ready yet?"

Lin Chuntao pursed her lips and smiled, "Let's call it 'Top Scholar Soup Noodles'."

"Zhuangyuan Tangfen?"

Upon hearing these four words, even Pei Ying looked up and asked, "What do you mean by that?"

Lin Chuntao initially wanted to make up a story, but after thinking about it, she didn't. She just smiled and said, "It's just a name with a beautiful meaning."

Pei Ying smiled upon hearing this, "That's true. Just for the name alone, anyone who studies would like it."

Xu Sheng and Xu Huan didn't say a word from beginning to end. The brother and sister kept saying how delicious the noodles were, but they were also wondering how this bowl of noodles could cost sixteen coins. They wondered if they had just eaten sixteen coins.

Xu Sheng suddenly thought of something: how should they pay for meals at Lin Chuntao's place in the future?

Xu Sheng thought to himself that after everyone finished eating and was resting in the courtyard, he told Lin Chuntao about it. Lin Chuntao smiled at him and said softly, "No need to pay. What kind of relationship do we have that we have to charge for a meal? If you go to the shop in the future and don't come home for a meal, Chunxing will take you to eat. You don't have to worry about food and lodging."

Xu Sheng hesitated for a moment, then said to Lin Chuntao, "Sister, this isn't a good idea. If we could do it, it wouldn't be a matter of just a day or two."

Lin Chuntao said, "There's nothing wrong with it. Although we are only distant cousins, I treat you like my own younger brother and sister. Don't be so polite with me. You can talk to me about anything you need to do."

Xu Sheng was deeply moved by Lin Chuntao's words.

"Don't worry, sister, we'll definitely do our best."

Lin Chuntao smiled and nodded.

After resting for a while, Lin Chunxing went to boil water to prepare for a bath, while Lin Chuntao went to find two buckets and two sets of handkerchiefs, giving one to Xu Sheng and the other to Xu Huan.

After giving her the items, she took the bedding and made the bed. She also brought a quilt for Xu Huan, and she and Chunxing each covered themselves with a quilt.

The next day at cockcrow, Xu Huan and Xu Sheng heard the rooster crowing and quickly got up.

Lin Chuntao wasn't going to the county town today, but she got up with Lin Chunxing and they packed their things into baskets and set off under the cover of night.

With Xu Huan and Xu Sheng joining them, the road became much livelier.

They had only been out of the village for a short while when they encountered Fan Niangzi and Lin Jialang, who were carrying charcoal to sell in the county town.

Lin Chunxing greeted Fan Niangzi and then introduced Xu Huan and Xu Sheng. Xu Sheng and the others knew Lin Jialang, and thinking about what the Lin family had done to Lin Chuntao and the others in the past, Xu Sheng and the others disliked Lin Jialang and his family very much. The two siblings did not say a word to Lin Jialang the whole way.

Since the charcoal was made, Fan Niangzi and Lin Jialang set off early, arriving in the county town at the crack of dawn. They didn't go to the bustling parts of the town to sell, but instead started selling on the outskirts. They carried the charcoal to the doorstep, weighing out whatever amount people wanted, essentially delivering it to their door. Lin Jialang originally planned to sell it for one coin cheaper than the charcoal in the county town, but Fan Niangzi felt that wasn't a good idea. They could provide better service and not lower the price. Good quality charcoal sold for seven coins per pound in the county town, and broken pieces for six coins, and they would sell it at that price as well.

There are only two major charcoal sellers in the county town. It's already unpleasant to see them competing for money, and if they also try to lower the price, it will be even more unpleasant.

Furthermore, it wasn't easy for them to carry the charcoal from their homes to the county town. Even if it was just one extra copper coin per pound, a hundred pounds would add up to a hundred extra coins.

While selling charcoal with Lin Jialang, Fan Liniang also inquired about people's charcoal usage and how much charcoal they needed over a long period, offering to deliver it to their door.

If they can deliver to your door for the same price, everyone will definitely be happy to accept it.

When Fan Liniang talked to people, she would write down their conversations, noting which household on which street needed charcoal delivered to their door around the same time.

Lin Jialang learned a lot from Fan Liniang.

Their kiln of charcoal was fired very well, and the charcoal pieces were large and intact. Almost all of them sold for seven coins per pound. The two of them carried about 170 pounds to the county town, and after selling them, they could earn more than one guan (a unit of currency).

Lin Jialang looked at the many copper coins with burning eyes and a flushed face.

She said to Fan Liniang, "Auntie, if we give Chun Tao 30%, we'll still have eight or nine hundred coins left."

Fan Liniang nodded and asked him, "Do you want to go to the county town to buy something?"

Lin Jialang pursed his lips and said, "Let's buy some grain and some lard to render into pork fat."

Fan Liniang nodded slightly, and the two went to the grain shop and then to the meat stall.

The meat stall was still crowded. The two of them stood in line in the crowd, not far apart, and saw Xu Sheng and Xu Huan following Lin Chunxing, collecting money, handing out skewers, scooping water to cook the noodles, serving them to customers after they were cooked, and then taking them back to clean them after the customers finished eating. The three of them were busy in an orderly manner.

Xu Huan and Xu Sheng were also very efficient at their work. They were a little reserved at first, but once there were more people and things got busier, Lin Chunxing would directly assign tasks, and the siblings' initial reserve was instantly washed away by the busyness.

At this time, Lin Chuntao, Lin Cunzheng, and Lin Changzong went to fetch the oxen, fed them hay, and then went to work in the fields.

Chen Dongniang also brought several teenagers to help remove the corn roots and break up the clumps of soil.

Before the land was even fully tilled, Yu Meixi and Sun Hu had already finished the interior design plans for the house. Lin Chuntao didn't go to the county town; the couple even came to visit.

Lin Chuntao went to the county town with them, and together they decided on the location for the renovation, set a price, and signed a contract. This matter was then handed over to Yu Meixi and the others.

Lin Chuntao also bought a bed from her family's place, so she and Lin Chunxing slept separately.

When the eldest aunt and her family came to visit Xu Huan and Xu Sheng, they saw Lin Chuntao and the others planting radishes. The group helped them, and the land was turned over. In just six or seven days, all the radishes were planted.

The fermented black beans that Lin Chuntao made last time were almost ready. She poured them out and started to dry them. Only after the fermented black beans were drying did Lin Chuntao go to the county town to buy soybean oil.

Before she could buy the soybean oil, she came across a mule seller. The two mules were about the same size and were very skilled at pulling carts and millstones. Lin Chuntao thought that she had been using Aunt Guizhi's mules a lot lately and felt a little embarrassed to borrow them so often. She hadn't come across one before, but now that she had, she decided to buy one for future convenience.

Lin Chuntao looked at the mules; they were a bit thin, and their coats weren't very smooth. The mule seller explained, "Madam, both mules are in good condition. It's just that their original owners used them quite harshly during the harvest, so they look a bit thin. You can feed them some hay and feed them some fodder."

Lin Chuntao looked at the mule's eyes and tongue, and there was indeed nothing wrong with it.

How much does this cost?

Lin Chuntao asked, and the man leading the mule replied, "The total cost, including the mule cart, is eight taels of silver."

Lin Chuntao frowned slightly and asked again, "If I bring both ends together, can you give me a discount?"

The man looked at Lin Chuntao with some surprise and smiled, "If you buy both, your wife can give me fifteen taels."

Fifteen taels, seven and a half taels for one mule. Lin Chuntao felt that was still a bit too high. She said, "These mules are too thin. I'll have to raise them slowly after I buy them. Let's make it cheaper. Twelve taels for two mules and a cart."

The man's eyes darkened slightly, and he shook his head somewhat reluctantly.

"Twelve taels is too little, you can't buy it. Although this mule is thin, it has a good frame and is of good quality. If you really want it, madam, fourteen taels is the lowest price."

Lin Chuntao smiled and offered another price.

"Thirteen taels."

The man frowned as he looked at Lin Chuntao, then said, "Add another six hundred coins, and you can take her away if you want, madam."

With an extra 600 coins, Lin Chuntao didn't continue haggling. She smiled and said, "Then I'll trouble you to lead the mule to the noodle stall for me."

Lin Chuntao couldn't make it back with the two mule carts, so she planned to leave one in the county town for Lin Chunxing and the others to catch up with later.

After leading the mule over and tying it up, Lin Chuntao paid the money and took one away.

She went to the oil mill and bought some soybean oil, and then went to the porcelain shop and bought several soy sauce jars.

On her way back, she exchanged two jars of soybean oil and a few hams from the system. Once she had everything ready, she slowly drove her mule cart home.