Chapter 466: The Hardworking Tieniu Family: Want to Set Up a Stall
The extra story about Zhao Tieniu's family is set on the day the bridge was opened to traffic, when Ye Caiping returned to the village from the capital.
......
"The bridge is open! The bridge is open!"
The bridge was officially opened to traffic amid bursts of firecrackers and cheers.
Qinghe Village, He'an Village and nearby Wangjia Village, Xiahe Village and others were all in an excited mood.
The people of Lijia Village saw from afar that people from several villages gathered at the bridgehead of Xinqiao to share the pork and snacks for offering sacrifice to the gods, and they expressed envy and disdain.
A few years ago, Ye Caiping's glass workshop was recruiting people. Villagers from several nearby villages came to work in the workshop, but only their Lijia Village had no one.
This made Lijiacun secretly regretful.
But on second thought, given Ye Caiping's hatred for their village, whether she was allowed to build the bridge or not, she would not want anyone from their village.
In that case, why should they do as she wishes! It makes it easy for her to make money!
"It's just a few pieces of meat, what's the big deal?"
"The people of Riverbank Village can laugh now. After a while, when the roads in their village are damaged by the carriages and horses, I wonder if they will still be able to laugh."
"There are so many cars coming and going every day, it's so noisy."
"Those carriages are blind and will hit people."
"The Riverbank Village is just a bunch of idiots! Hahaha!"
The people of Lijiacun looked at the bustling bridge and burst into laughter.
Even a little proud.
Now the bridge is being built in He'an Village. Not only does He'an Village bear all the risks and disadvantages, it also brings convenience to Lijia Village.
After all, the bridge is there, and they can go to Lijia Village!
......
Tie Niu's wife came home carrying half a pound of roast pork, smiling so hard that her teeth were showing.
"Mom!" At this time, Zhao Jinshan walked into the door hurriedly with a large cloth bag slung across his body.
Tie Niu's wife smiled and said, "Are you taking a day off today? You're back just in time. We have roast pork for dinner today."
Zhao Jinshan said, "I heard that the village head uncle asked each family to take out five taels of silver to build an inn."
"Yes." Tie Niu's wife walked into the kitchen carrying the meat, "I don't know what it's for, but Cai Ping asked us to build it, so we're all willing to pay for it."
Zhao Jinshan followed behind, mumbling: "We will definitely make money in the future. We built the inn because more and more outsiders come here!"
"Of course." She took a basket of vegetables, walked out of the kitchen, pulled over a small stool, and started picking vegetables.
Zhao Jinshan quickly pulled over a stool and sat down: "Mom... I don't want to study anymore."
Tie Niu's wife was startled: "What's wrong?"
Zhao Jinshan twisted his sleeves and said, "I'm seventeen years old this year, and I can't even pass the exam to become a student."
"Isn't it just Seventeen? Your second brother Xuan is also a student and scholar in Seventeen Middle School."
Zhao Jinshan said listlessly: "I am different from Brother Xuan. I have no talent. I have taken the exam for so many years, but I can't even pass the provincial examination. I have never dared to tell you that I don't want to study, and I don't like studying..."
He doesn't like reading.
But his parents always hoped that he could take the imperial examination. In addition, since Master Qian's school was free, he went to school with great difficulty.
Tie Niu's wife was stunned: "Why didn't you say so earlier?"
"I'm afraid you'll be disappointed..."
Tie Niu's wife sighed softly: "Well...if you don't like it, then don't study. The new factory building of the glass workshop has been built, and they will expand the enrollment soon. You have studied for so many years, maybe you can become an accountant."
Zhao Jinshan frowned: "I don't want to be an accountant."
"Then go build a hut with your father? Your uncle Sanquan no longer builds huts. He has joined a glass workshop as a surveyor. Your father and your uncle Erquan occasionally take on some work together. But judging from the situation... your uncle Erquan probably won't be able to build much. By then, your father will be the only one left."
Whether it is Sanquan or Erquan, both of them have shares in the furniture workshops, and their families earn several hundred taels a month. I don't care about the income from building a toilet.
In addition, the toilet business was decreasing and the price was getting lower and lower, so Sanquan changed its business early on. The reason why Erquan still insisted was mainly because he felt there were too many troubles at home and wanted to hide away by working.
Zhao Jinshan said: "Mom, can I go and set up a stall? Right in front of the glass workshop!"
Tie Niu's wife was stunned: "Why not set up a stall in the town, in the village?"
"Yes!" Zhao Jinshan said excitedly, "Our village is bustling with people, and there are batches of merchants bringing goods. I have been tempted for a long time. But I was a little hesitant until Aunt Ping asked the villagers to jointly invest in an inn."
"That proves there must be business! When I was in town, I often saw merchants who were carrying goods coming to town to eat! They didn't necessarily go to restaurants, many porters ate at small stalls. Why don't we set up a stall in the village? As long as the food is good, the porters and merchants won't go far away to eat."
Tie Niu's wife's eyes lit up as she listened: "You're right. But I'm not a good cook!"
Zhao Jinshan patted his chest and said, "I'll be the chef!"
"you?"
"Yes! Master Qian exempted me from paying tuition, so I naturally cannot be lazy. I usually help Master Qian with chores as much as I can. I often cook! I have mastered my cooking skills."
Tie Niu's wife smiled and said, "Well... you can give it a try. But can you do it alone? I still have to go to work!"
Tie Niu's wife works in a Hu La Tang workshop.
"We'll know if it works if we give it a try. Besides, doesn't Dad have any work recently? Let Dad help me first. If it works, it won't be too late for Mom to quit her job."
Tie Niu's wife hesitated, and finally nodded: "These workshops are all owned by your aunt Ping. I wonder if she allows us to set up stalls. Let's go ask her."
After the mother and son made the decision, they put down the food in their hands and went to find Ye Caiping.
......
Ye Caiping had just finished a walk with Shen Zhiyan and returned home. She was in a good mood and was pruning potted plants in the garden.
"Caiping." Tie Niu's wife and Zhao Jinshan walked in.
"Oh, it's my sister-in-law and Jinshan. Come and sit down." Ye Caiping smiled.
Tie Niu's wife didn't sit down. She smiled and said, "Cai Ping... I saw many people coming in and out of the merchants in the village. They all went to the town to eat. I thought..."
"Sister-in-law, you want to set up a stall?" Ye Caiping understood immediately and said with a smile, "That's great! There are so many people coming in, don't waste them, you should do some small business. I asked Li Zheng to open an inn in the village a few days ago, hoping that everyone can make some money."
Tie Niu's wife was somewhat touched: "Thank you, Cai Ping."
She knew that after many wealthy people became rich, they would still be reluctant to let others take advantage of them, even if it did not harm their own interests.
Ye Caiping said, "What's the big deal? We are from the same village, so we should help each other. When I went to Lijia Village to take Jin'er and Huan'er away, my sister-in-law came to help without any hesitation."
"By the way, what do you want to sell?"
Zhao Jinshan said: "We want to sell food."
Ye Caiping nodded: "That's a good idea. By the way, we won't go to school when we go into the mountains?"
Zhao Jinshan smiled awkwardly: "I am a loser. I have never passed the exam and my studies are hard. I feel itchy when I see the flow of people. If I don't set up a stall now, I am afraid I will regret it in the future."
Ye Caiping smiled and said, "What's the point of having no future? As long as you work hard to make a living, whether you farm, work in a workshop, or set up a stall to do business, you will have a future."
Zhao Jinshan was encouraged, and the guilt in his heart finally dissipated: "Thank you, Aunt Ping."
"From what you said, it seems like you have a plan. Come, let's sit down and talk."
As she spoke, Ye Caiping invited them to the stone table, and the three of them sat down to discuss.
......
In the evening, Tieniu's wife told Zhao Tieniu about setting up a stall.
Zhao Tieniu had long felt that his son had no interest in studying. He sighed slightly and nodded: "Okay! Let's give it a try. It won't cost much anyway."
Zhao Tieniu and his family spent two days preparing.
Before noon on the third day, Zhao Jinshan and his son pushed their things to the door of the glass workshop.
Merchants carrying goods came and went, there were shopkeepers and merchants who came to look at the goods, and there were porters who moved things. There was a huge flow of people.
Zhao Jinshan watched, feeling both expectant and nervous.
Zhao Tieniu moved down two large tables and placed them on the ground, then moved down ten small tables and matching stools.
A large bowl of brown rice and a small bowl of white rice were placed on the big table.
Then there was a pot of stir-fried Chinese cabbage, scrambled eggs with leeks, stir-fried pork offal with green peppers, and stir-fried pork blood with leeks.
In addition, there is a large bucket of boiled water.
As soon as the things were put down, the aroma of food wafted out.
There were already a lot of people here, and when I saw so many dishes on display, I knew this was a place selling food. Three porters walked over:
"Boss, where are you selling food?"
Zhao Tieniu was called "boss" for the first time in his decades of life. He was a little uncomfortable and grinned, "Yes!"
One of the porters said, "I was just about to go to town to eat. I didn't expect to find it here! How much is your food?"
Zhao Jinshan said, "One meat and one vegetable is 10 wen per serving, two meats and one vegetable is 15 wen, and three meats and one vegetable is 20 wen. If you want to exchange brown rice for white rice, you need to pay an extra 5 wen."
The porter smiled and said, "It's not too expensive. It's one or two cents cheaper than in town. Then I'll have one meat and one vegetable. The meat and vegetable must be eggs!"
Another porter: "I want eggs, too!"
The last one hesitated for a while and said, "I want to go into the water!"
Offal and pig blood are both cheap items, and you can buy a pound for five cents at the stall.
But eggs cost two cents each, which seems more expensive.
Moreover, offal and pig blood are smelly, and not many people like to eat them.
Zhao Jinshan smiled and said, "Okay, thank you. I'll give you 10 coins each."
As he spoke, Zhao Jinshan picked up a large bowl and began to scoop out the food. The three porters counted out the money and gave it to Zhao Tieniu.
Zhao Tieniu took the money and smiled from ear to ear. He didn't expect that he would open the business just after putting the food out.
Three porters carried a large bowl of rice and sat down at the small table to eat.
His eyes lit up at the first bite: "The boss's cooking is good."
Zhao Jinshan just smiled and said, "Thank you for the compliment."
Another porter took a bite of the pig offal and his eyes lit up: "This offal doesn't smell bad at all, it's crispy and fragrant."
The other two porters heard that offal was delicious, so they hurriedly exchanged it with the man who bought the offal for meat. After eating, I gave a thumbs up:
"Only the chefs in the restaurants know how to cook this. I didn't expect you guys can do it too."
Zhao Jinshan was even happier: "That's it!"
Master Qian was very attentive to his students and let them eat meat at every meal. But eating meat is too expensive, and most of the time people just eat offal and pig blood.
The cook in Mr. Qian's family will be able to make this. As long as it is washed cleanly, marinated well, and seasoned, the taste will be good.
Zhao Jinshan has been cooking for the school for so many years that he has perfected his skills.
The three porters ate with relish.
Some passers-by saw this and came over to eat.
Not only the merchants and porters who came to transport goods, but even the employees of the glass workshop who were off work came to try it when they saw it.
The wages in the workshop are high, and the lowest-paid employees earn only one or two taels of silver a month, so they are willing to come and eat.
Several large pots of food were sold out after just one hour.
Some people came upon hearing the noise, but couldn't eat even if they wanted to:
"Hey, didn't they say there was food for sale here? Why is it gone?"
"Sorry, there will be more food tomorrow."
"All right!"
Zhao Jinshan and his son closed their stall happily.
When Tie Niu's wife finished work and wanted to come over to help, the father and son had already packed up and were preparing to push their things back home.
Tie Niu's wife didn't expect to have a good start, she was surprised and happy.
When I counted the money at last, I found that I had earned more than three hundred coins.
Tie Niu's wife was touched: "Now that he has entered the mountains, he has grown up and can make money."
Zhao Jinshan laughed and said, "It was a mistake. I only sold a small half of the rice."
Zhao Tieniu: "After all, most of the people who eat are porters and movers. Not everyone is willing to spend the money."
Tieniu's wife: "So you won't sell white rice tomorrow?"
Zhao Jinshan: "That won't do. Didn't we sell a small portion today? People don't know that we have food for sale today, but it will spread tomorrow. Then some shopkeepers and merchants will come to eat. We should prepare this much."
"All right then!"
The whole family is happy.
Zhao Tieniu was even more relieved.
In the past few months, the toilet business has not been as good as before. When he first started taking the job, he could take home more than twenty taels of silver every month.
Now that the rich people around here have almost finished building their houses, business has dropped sharply. In addition, competitors are competing for work, so prices have been pushed down again and again, and are now only a fraction of what they used to be.
He can now only take home one or two taels a month.
Adding to his wife's monthly salary of one or two taels, the family's income was more than three taels.
Although it is much better than a few years ago, I have become accustomed to the "rich" life of earning more than 20 taels a month, so naturally I am not satisfied with the current 3 taels.
Now that he has another way to make a living, Zhao Tieniu is happy again.
......
At lunch the next day, Zhao Jinshan and his son prepared three times as much food as yesterday and took it out to sell.
Some people already knew that food was sold here.
As soon as the father and son set out their food, people came over to buy their meals.
In addition to the merchants and porters from the glass workshop, people from the furniture workshop and the Hu La Tang workshop all came over.
The quantity is three times more than yesterday, but it sells out faster than yesterday.
When they got home, Tie Niu's wife was even happier when she saw this.
At this time, Zhuzi's wife called out from outside the fence: "Qiaojie..."
Tie Niu's wife's real name is Liu Qiao.
Tie Niu's wife hurried out of the house and opened the fence door: "Why are you here? Come in and sit down."
Zhuzi's wife walked in with an awkward look on her face and sat down on a chair in the yard: "Well... you guys are selling quite well, but I think you don't even have enough to sell."
Tie Niu's wife smiled and narrowed her eyes: "Yes, yes."
Zhuzi's wife smiled awkwardly: "Well... we also want to sell it tomorrow."
Zhuzi's wife felt embarrassed. Tieniu's family was making money, so she wanted to follow suit and sell things.
......
Extra chapters about supporting characters, please read selectively. The purpose of writing about Tie Niu is to describe the changes in the lives of the villagers through his history of making a fortune, and to embarrass Lijia Village. I have always wanted to write the main text, but never found the time. Now I’ll write a sequel.
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