Chapter 401: Worrying about not being able to find a good source of goods!

The dinner was so simple and crude that not only Ying Yi and the other six people, but even Ling Yi thought it was delicious. It was so delicious that they wanted to eat it again and again.

After finishing a bowl of dumplings in a hurry, they didn't even bother to eat the soup. The seven of them stared at the stove eagerly.

There was also lard residue inside, accompanied by vegetables and dough balls. This simple dish did not require any sophisticated cooking techniques, so naturally the taste was not much different. The seven people just felt that their behavior was a bit embarrassing and lacked any etiquette.

Shen Qing and Liu Cuihua felt a sense of accomplishment.

After all, who doesn’t like to have people appreciate the food they cook?

What's more, it's an extremely simple meal.

Liu Cuihua thought of her son and his companions' previous two trips to Chenzhou and Beijing. They had reportedly missed meals several times due to their haste on the road. She said distressedly, "Poor thing, must you be starving from all the traveling? It will be fine in a moment. I'll make sure you're full!"

Ling Yi's face flushed and he lowered his head.

It's really embarrassing.

Yingyi and the other six felt like dogs waiting to be fed, with their heads tilted back and bowls held high, waiting for food.

It’s just different from the training in childhood. There is no humiliation or tension, and I even feel warm inside.

"It's out of the pot. Bring your bowls." Shen Qing said casually.

This is what happens when the villagers eat together at the communal stove. Everyone holds their own bowl and lines up to wait for the food to be scooped in. It can be chaotic when there are too many people, so queuing is the most efficient.

Ying Yi and others immediately stepped aside and gave the first position to Ling Yi.

Ling Yi walked forward without thinking and handed over the bowl.

Then the six people realized, no, how could they let their master queue up for food!

They should have packed it and handed it to the master!

The six people were about to speak when they saw the master handing over the bowl very naturally. Shen Qing scooped in the noodles and returned with the bowl.

The six people were stunned: .....Is this still their cold-faced and cold-blooded master?

After making the noodle soup, I blew on it a few times and ate it while it was still hot. Everyone exclaimed in praise: "What a delicious smell!"

They just hadn't eaten for six hours. There were times when they hadn't eaten for two days and one night when they were on missions in the past, but they weren't that greedy.

Liu Cuihua proudly showed off: "Yes, it's made with a lot of lard. Isn't it sweet?"

It costs thirty cents per person. In addition to lard residue, lard is also added. Once the lard is added, the dish becomes fragrant immediately!

Ling Yi paused while holding the chopsticks. Was it because of the lard?

In the past, pastries containing lard and chicken fat always felt greasy, but I didn’t expect that they would be surprisingly delicious when made into dough dumplings.

"How could it be that the food tastes sweet only when more lard is added? And my aunt's cooking skills are great! The same food tastes better when cooked by my aunt." Feng Meng shouted.

The other men agreed without hesitation.

Ling Yi felt that this reason was more valid.

After the seven people finished their hot meals and dried their hair, Jiang Xiangbei led them to the west wing.

The west wing was originally where he lived, but luckily there were not many things in it, so he just had to tidy up a bit and move to the back room, and then all three rooms in the west wing were vacated.

Yingyi and six other people were holding torches, and the most advanced one was the middle room where the master lived.

There was a large kang inside, covered with a thin mattress, straw mat and thin quilt, clean and tidy;

The walls are snow-white with no dirt or peeling. You can tell they have just been painted, making the whole house look bright.

What's pasted on the window is not white paper, but gauze!

Although this gauze cannot be compared with tribute, it is considered very good. It is the same as what rich families use. I never thought that farmers like them would be willing to buy it to paste windows.

There is a wooden table near the window, made of ordinary wood, but what is unusual is that it is filled with the four treasures of the study and an abacus. None of them are expensive, but being able to read, write and calculate is definitely not ordinary!

Jiang Xiangbei scratched his head and said with a smile: "This is mine, you can use it if you need it."

He originally wanted to take them all away, but there was no table in the back room, so he could only put them on the floor. They were leaving tomorrow, so there was no need to move them around.

Besides, the ink has been ground, maybe they need it?

It also saves them from having to rummage through their bags to get their own things.

Ling Yi said, "You just bought this manor?"

"How do you know?" Jiang Xiangbei asked in surprise, then looked at the wall and smiled embarrassedly: "Yes, it's not even half a month yet. I rushed to finish painting the house, and the yard outside the house is not done yet;

But it can be done quickly. If the weather is fine and we have more people, we can finish it in two or three days."

Ying Liu calmly said, "Brother Xiangbei, you are indeed a large group, and most of you are strong men. Are you also doing business like us?"

Jiang Xiangbei hummed and replied, "Yes, we are in the brush and soap business. May I ask what business you are in?"

It is said that competitors are enemies. As long as they are not competitors, it is fine. Even if they are competitors, the market is so big that it is okay for everyone to rely on their own abilities. After all, there are at least dozens of companies in the entire market. If one is defeated, will the merchants purchase goods from another?

It’s not that easy!

Yingliu replied smoothly, "We are in the leather business at the border."

There are many pastures on the border and the herders are poor. The masters will occasionally act as middlemen. They know the leather materials very well and will not reveal the truth.

Jiang Xiangbei's eyes lit up and he said in surprise, "The leather is really good, is there anything rare and precious?

My mother is worried about not being able to find a good source of goods!"

It’s not that it can’t be found, but that there is too little. Currently, only the Lei family can supply it, but it will take more than a month before we can go hunting.

Even if they could hunt, the demand for precious and rare furs in the capital was too great, and the supply could not keep up with the demand, so naturally the more the better!

Ying Liu was stunned and instinctively turned his head to look in the direction of his master.

Ling Yi nodded imperceptibly.

Ying Liu immediately smiled and replied, "That's a lot! Especially fox fur, snow-white, fiery red, and even purple mink!"

Jiang Xiangbei thrust the torch into Ling Yi's hand and said excitedly, "Wait a minute, I'll go get my mother!"

The seven people were stunned.

What is going on?

After everyone left, Ying Wu blinked and asked, "Brother Xiangbei can write and count, so he looks about eighteen or nineteen years old, right? Isn't he the one who makes the decisions?"

Why do you still call him mom when talking about business?

Aren't men always the head of the household? Even if the decision is made by an older woman, it's the man who negotiates the price, quantity, and other matters, and only signs the deed after he returns to consult with the woman and confirms that there are no problems.

What a good thing he did, he just asked Shen Qing to come and talk?

Ling Yi looked at the rich night outside the house and said in a low voice: "This family is headed by Shen Qing."

When everyone's home.

And everyone is convinced.

The six of them thought about it and realized that if it were a wealthy family, they would not be entertained by a group of outsiders, even by elderly women.

In farmers' homes, women can only stay around the stove, serve the food after it's cooked, and then leave with their heads down.

This is the only one that everyone will discuss, but the one who makes the decision is Shen Qing.

Women also cook, but men help out. Everyone has their own division of labor and has to work.