High temperature subsidy

July and August are the hottest months of the year.

The scorching sun baked the earth, and a layer of transparent steam seemed to rise from the ground. The grass by the roadside was also wilted by the sun, and the leaves on the trees hung curled up on the branches. Not to mention people, they would sweat profusely with the slightest movement, feeling sticky and uncomfortable.

Fu Zhi Qiao brought a whole courtyard of people to the manor to escape the summer heat. Yin Xing took a round fan and fanned Fu Zhi Qiao, and soon sweat appeared on the tip of her nose.

Seeing her pitiful state, Fu Zhi Qiao said, "Open the ice cellar!"

Yes, she had an ice cellar in her yard.

She had the idea of ​​storing ice last winter.

She sells wine, and some of her wines have a different flavor when ice is added, especially plum wine. On a hot summer day, drinking a glass of plum wine on the rocks is pure bliss.

When the river freezes in winter, ice is taken from the river. Ice is cut into rectangular blocks with an ice pick, and the cut ice blocks are put into an ice cellar, covered with several layers of cotton quilts to insulate them from the outside temperature as much as possible, and finally the ice cellar is sealed.

Because of the low underground temperature, the openings of ice cellars are relatively small. Once sealed, air cannot enter, allowing the ice to be preserved for a relatively long time, easily from winter to summer.

Harvesting, transporting, and storing ice are all very expensive processes. Generally, only wealthy and powerful families have the manpower and resources to set up ice cellars. Fu Zhi Qiao is a hedonist. What is she working so hard to earn money for? Isn't it to enjoy a higher quality of life?

The servants brought out some ice and placed several ice chests indoors to cool the room.

Fu Zhi Qiao wore a silk robe and trousers woven from silkworms underneath, and a light gauze dress on top. The cool air seeped through the thin clothes and onto her skin, making her feel comfortable.

While cooling herself down with an ice basin and eating chilled fruit, Fu Zhi Qiao leaned back on the soft couch with her eyes closed, completely relaxed.

Since opening the ice cellar, Fu Zhi Qiao felt that her standard of living had completely improved.

When Yu Roulan entered, she saw Fu Zhiqiao's languid appearance. The girl's fair skin was faintly visible under the thin gauze, and her slender waist was graceful, truly like a bright pearl with a halo and a beautiful jade with a lustrous glow.

"Look at you, you have no manners at all."

Fu Zhi Qiao heard the noise and thought it was a maid coming in, but it turned out to be her own mother. She opened her eyes and a bright smile immediately appeared on her face.

"Mom, come and have some chilled fruit." As she spoke, she fed Yu Roulan a grape.

Yu Roulan playfully pinched her nose, "A girl shouldn't be so greedy for coolness, or you'll suffer when you get older. Don't think I'm nagging, but in the future..."

"Mom~" Once Fu Zhi Qiao started acting cute, Yu Rou Lan couldn't do anything about it.

Fu Zhi Qiao had figured out Yu Rou Lan's personality, so she could freely express her true nature in front of Yu Rou Lan. Actually, Fu Zhi Qiao's relationship with Yu Rou Lan wasn't so natural at first. She was just a soul transmigrated into this body, and although she had the original owner's memories, she was still a bit awkward and unfamiliar with her mother.

After receiving guidance from Master Dongjue at Puji Temple, Fu Zhiqiao finally understood. In this world, Yu Roulan was the person who loved her the most, and also her only family; only Yu Roulan was connected to her by blood.

Yu Roulan came to reconcile accounts with Fu Zhiqiao.

She took her daughter's accounting very seriously, and would even ask Fu Zhi Qiao for clarification on anything she didn't understand. Although Yu Rou Lan was in charge of the accounts, her subordinates would actually calculate them and then hand them over to her for verification.

"Why are these purchases so much more numerous than last month?"

Fu Zhiqiao noticed that the higher expenses were for purchasing grain. She needed a large amount of Taibai liquor to brew plum wine in the next two months, so the purchasing expenses were higher.

Fu Zhiqiao explained it to her in a calm and unhurried manner.

During this time, Yu Roulan was helping to manage the shop's accounts, almost to the point of neglecting to eat and sleep. She even brought the accounts with her when she went on summer vacation. It was as if she had rediscovered the meaning of life, and she was radiant, with no trace of her previous sorrowful face.

Fu Zhi Qiao was both amused and exasperated, but she was also very happy to see Yu Rou Lan like this.

This wasn't the first time Yu Roulan had managed the accounts; she had previously managed the household accounts at the Fu family residence.

Both are account books, but their significance is completely different. When she was at the Fu residence, she only briefly managed the expenses of the backyard. Now she manages the income and expenditure of the entire Taibai Wine Shop. Managing her own money is different from managing the public money. Through these account books, she can have a complete understanding of the family's financial situation.

Yu Roulan was extremely proud of her daughter's excellence. In her opinion, her daughter's business acumen even surpassed that of her husband, Fu Changyue.

Therefore, as her mother, she couldn't hold her back and had to manage the accounts properly for her daughter.

The mother and daughter cuddled together for a while, and then the sky outside the window gradually darkened.

After dinner, the servants cleared away the tableware.

The countryside is not as lively as the city. There are no noisy people, only the croaking of frogs and the chirping of cicadas, and the rustling of leaves in the wind. Looking up, the starlight accompanies the bright moon. Everything is so beautiful.

Listening to the rhythms of nature, Fu Zhiqiao drifted off to sleep.

The next day, Fu Zhiqiao went to the estate to check on the production progress of Taibai wine.

"Hello, boss!"

"Hello, boss!"

The workers greeted her warmly when they saw her.

Fu Zhiqiao couldn't stand it after about half an incense stick's time in the brewing room. The entire brewing room was like a giant steamer, making it hard to breathe. Although there was a rule that shifts would be changed every hour, Fu Zhiqiao was still worried that they would faint here.

Mixing ingredients, steaming, distilling... the entire brewing process of Taibai liquor needs to be carried out at high temperatures. Low temperatures are not conducive to the fermentation of raw materials. In addition, the brewing room is too spacious, so putting some ice in will not achieve the desired cooling effect.

With such a long summer, ice must be used sparingly. She can't afford to use large quantities of ice to cool things down; the ice in the ice cellar can only last for a dozen days in the production room, not to mention that some of it has to be distributed to the wine shop.

Buying it outside is even less practical; in summer, the price of ice is equivalent to the price of gold.

Life without refrigeration equipment is really tough. I wonder if the imperial court has mined saltpeter yet. If they had saltpeter, making ice would be much easier.

Fu Zhi Qiao is not someone who only cares about her own enjoyment; she also wants to create a comfortable environment for the workers.

The winery issued a new notice early the next morning.

During July and August, all the workers at the winery receive a high-temperature allowance. In addition to the basic monthly wage of fifty coins, each person receives an extra thirty coins as a subsidy.

In other words, all workers' monthly wages doubled during those two months, including the new transport team.

Not only that, she also had the kitchen prepare mung bean soup to cool them down, providing it in unlimited quantities every day, trying her best to make the workers more comfortable.

The workers were deeply moved, unanimously stating that Fu Zhiqiao was the kindest employer they had ever encountered. They said that even in Qingzhou City, let alone in the countryside, no employer would treat them so well, even specially preparing mung bean soup for them to cool off in the summer heat.

They were originally tenant farmers in the village and villagers from the surrounding area. Fu Zhiqiao's measures made them feel like they were being treated as one of their own, which further deepened their sense of belonging to the winery.

For Fu Zhi Qiao, buying loyalty with money was the cheapest option. As long as these workers could work well, she would never mistreat them.

The sudden influx of people into the winery was naturally not kept secret from Yu Roulan.

Fu Zhiqiao didn't dare tell Yu Roulan directly that they were the bandits from Black Tiger Stronghold. She only said that they were not evil bandits, but were originally a group of refugees who were captured by the people of Black Tiger Stronghold and brought to the mountain. After a while, the bandits disliked them for only eating and not daring to rob for the stronghold, so they drove them down the mountain.

The group of people had nowhere else to go but came to her for help, and she took them in out of compassion.

Yu Roulan's expression changed drastically, her eyes filled with disbelief: "How could you be so bold?"

"How dare you? You know perfectly well that your father was killed by Jiang's bandits, how could you still dare to get involved with them?"

Yu Roulan deeply hated bandits. Her husband was killed by Jiang's bandits, and later she was framed, had her property seized, and was forced to leave her hometown... all because Jiang's bandits killed Fu Changyue, which led to this series of events.

"Are you trying to drive your mother to her death?" Yu Roulan clutched her chest, feeling like she couldn't breathe.

Granny Cui quickly patted her back.

“Mother, don’t be angry, listen to me first.” Fu Zhi Qiao stepped forward and held her hand tightly. “If I don’t take them in, what will happen if they go out and harm the people again? Yes, those bandits who killed Father are unforgivable, but if we let these people go out and let the number of bandits outside increase, more people will lose their loved ones like us in the future.”

Yu Roulan gradually calmed down, "That's none of your business!"

Fu Zhi Qiao knew that Yu Rou Lan was worried about her safety, and said, "They are my servants now, their lives and fortunes are in my hands, they wouldn't dare to do anything to me!"

"What if the authorities investigate? That would be a crime of harboring a criminal!"

How did my daughter get involved with a group of vicious thugs? God, are you trying to kill me?

Yu Roulan's heart was breaking.

Fu Zhiqiao: "Mother, there's no need to worry. They are now part of my transport team and have no connection with Black Tiger Village."

“The winery is short of people right now. They are strong and healthy, so wouldn’t it be perfect for them to work for us?” Fu Zhiqiao said earnestly. “They just became bandits halfway through their lives. Now that they have a place to live, a proper job, and enough to eat and wear, they won’t go out to rob and hurt people. Isn’t guiding them onto the right path better than killing them?”

"Mother, do you still remember Master Dongjue telling me to do more good deeds?" Fu Zhiqiao showed her the Buddhist beads in her hand: "I don't want to get sick again, so please consider it as me doing good deeds and accumulating merit, okay?"

"Are you really sure you'll be alright?" Yu Roulan's attitude softened immediately upon hearing the word "illness."

Fu Zhi Qiao's health has always been a source of worry for Yu Rou Lan. She has seen Fu Zhi Qiao lying in bed looking pale and bloodless, and she never wants to experience that again. That's why she is always the most devout one when she goes to burn incense and pray to Buddha.

Fu Zhi Qiao assured her, "Really!"

Well, my daughter has a strong sense of self, and as her mother, I should choose to trust her.