It was a rare sunny day on the day before Laba Festival, and people came from the countryside and towns to the tile market as if they were going to a market. It was very crowded and lively.
The locals in Xining Town celebrate Laba Festival. The Laba porridge they cook is a little different from that in the inland areas. In addition to cooking a variety of rice and beans together, they also add dried fruits and bacon, making it sweet and salty.
The food is not only cooked for the whole family to eat, but also used to buy incense and paper money to worship ancestors and granaries, and pray for ancestors to bless the next year with a good harvest.
There are basically no people selling vegetables today, because people in Xining Town do not eat vegetables during the Laba Festival. It is said that if they cook and eat vegetables at home, weeds will grow in the fields next year, affecting the harvest.
Before leaving today, Zhang Sanzhuang explained to Miao Wan and the others and told the Qiao family not to cook today.
Miao Wan, a native Northwestern girl, had no idea about this custom and listened to it with great interest.
Later I realized that it was true. At that time, there were fewer people farming, and many of the particularly interesting practices had disappeared.
In fact, there is more to Laba than just that. In addition to the porridge that the family eats and drinks, it is also spread on the door, the stove, and the trees outside the house to ward off evil spirits and avoid disasters. [Note]
Therefore, every household makes Laba porridge. Ordinary people may have rice and bacon stored at home, but there are always some things they don’t have. There are also things that need to be bought for the New Year’s Eve, so they just buy them all at once to save having to make a trip.
But this year, many people rushed from the countryside to the town early in the morning, and were a little dazed when they entered the tile market - they were overwhelmed by the fragrance.
Someone looked around, drooling, and asked, "What is that? Why does it smell so good?"
Many people standing at the entrance of the town echoed:
"Of course... Ah-chu! It smells spicy and fragrant. When did this town get some fresh food?"
"Don't you know? The Pig-Killing General Spicy Skewers have been around in Wa City for a long time. They're unique to Xining Town. I heard they're not even available in Xiping County!"
Some people were discussing it, while others were busy coaxing their children. The adults still had some resistance, but when the children smelled the fragrance, even malt sugar didn't work for them and they stretched their bodies to eat it.
The problem is, it’s not that adults don’t want to bite the bullet and spend a few coins to buy it for their children.
Anyway, I have to spend money if I go out today. There are many farmers carrying eggs and dried vegetables from their homes into the city. I have to buy things with the copper coins I exchange them for.
but--
Looking at the tent with a red banner reading "The Pig Killer's Spicy Skewers" not far from the entrance of Washifang, there are so many people crowded together that no one can squeeze in.
They were already late.
The spicy skewers tent was once again as busy as it was the day it opened, and the tent was almost packed with people.
"I want ten skewers of spicy hot pot. Hiss… the oden smells especially delicious today! Ten skewers too!"
"Brother Zhang, your father-in-law is really capable. Why didn't you go and ask for his advice earlier? Ha..."
In the past, Miao Wan didn’t bother too much with oden, mainly because she couldn’t do it even if she wanted to.
But Mr. Sun is an excellent steamer cook, and he improved the oden by adding old duck soup to enhance the flavor, and also specially prepared nutmeg before adding it into the cooking.
The bone broth and old duck soup come out in a light milky white color, which does not affect the customers' ability to clearly see the ingredients in the iron trough. The fresh and fragrant taste is not completely covered by the spicy soup, and is very popular among people who cannot eat spicy food.
There were also people who brought their children. They ordered spicy skewers for themselves and oden for their children. Both adults and children were very satisfied with the food.
Amidst the hissing and laughing, someone noticed the drink that replaced the barley tea.
It looked black and steaming, and had no sweet taste. It really didn't look very appetizing, so no one asked about it.
It was Zhang Sanzhuang who brought it up first. Although he was a little nervous because there were so many people at the scene, he had been looking at the stalls for so long that he had some experience.
He responded to the guests' requests in a busy and orderly manner, and did not forget to recommend the black soup.
"So that our guests know, our spicy skewers are delicious, but eating too much can cause internal heat. My family also drinks honeysuckle tea every day. Don't I give my father-in-law a bowl of it every day as a filial piety? When I asked him yesterday, guess what happened?"
A customer patted the stall cart and said, "Hiss... so spicy! Give me a bowl of sour milk! Stop keeping me in suspense and tell me!"
Zhang Sanzhuang chuckled and pointed at the soup in the wide-mouthed earthenware jar. "My father-in-law isn't suffering from a sore throat at all. He's enjoying himself while sipping wine and eating spicy skewers. It's because our Sun family has a herbal tea that's been passed down from generation to generation. The recipe is different for spring, summer, autumn and winter, and it doesn't worry about the cold. Would you like to try it, sir?"
Some people were skeptical and asked, "Really?"
Zhang Sanzhuang said firmly, "I definitely wouldn't dare to cheat my customers. I made it yesterday and my family drank it all day, and we feel much better today. I came in late today just for this herbal tea."
Of course, I wasn’t late just because of the herbal tea.
He also took out jars of dim sum from under the stall, "This improved spicy skewers are really spicier, and we have new dim sum.
Tomorrow is Laba Festival, so we'll take a day off. Consider today an early gift to our guests. We're selling everything at a loss, just so they can enjoy the treat. Three cents a plate, and it's made with real sugar. That's all."
In fact, a plate only costs four or five yuan, so considering the cost, it is still profitable, just not that much.
The guests were all getting excited and wanted to eat spicy food. The more they ate, the more they wanted.
But if you eat too much, your mouth will feel burning, so you need something sweet to neutralize it, otherwise the yogurt will not sell so well.
But there are always people who don’t like drinking yogurt, and someone will immediately ask you to have a pot of tea and I will ask you to have a plate of snacks.
Snacks are not like essential oils and soaps, which cannot be taken out without restraint and attract attention.
The Zhang family was originally in the food business, so Miao Wan asked Zhang Sanzhuang to openly launch the two kinds of dim sum as new products at this time.
It just so happened that we were selling the improved spicy skewers the day before, and the spiciness was even better. The contrast was even stronger when I tasted the sweet ones.
Miao Wan told Sun Laohuo two different ways of making sugar bait. After studying it, Sun Laohuo decided to make three grades.
The most expensive one is the southern version with a sugar filling, made by baking bread with a beet sugar filling.
It tastes crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. When you bite into it, it is chewy, just like eating marshmallows, with rich layers of texture.
The mid-range ones are made with old dough, filled with old yogurt that has frozen into blocks in the snow, and then fried in oil.
The outer layer of this kind of food is crispy, and the yogurt inside solidifies after cooling, making it as delicious as soft toffee.
The low-end one is that after Sun Laohuo was inspired by the cat ears, he simply made it into a thousand-layer pancake style. Layer by layer of dough was brushed with water dissolved in milk cubes, then coated with batter and fried. It tasted very sweet, but there was no filling.
All three types use the same ingot-shaped mold, and when fried they are all golden, which is pleasing to the eye.
Cat ears are also divided into three grades so that both the rich and the poor can try something new.
Because the method is the same and the taste is the same, both are crispy and sweet, it is easier to distinguish the grades.
The most expensive one is shaped into the word "Fu", the middle one is shaped into the word "Ji", and the cheapest one is the cat ear style that Miao Wan is most familiar with, with a circle of red and white pointed ears, which is very cute.
The guests faced different jars and after listening to Zhang Sanzhuang's eloquent introduction, some of the greedy ones had already ordered cold tea and medium-sized candies.
It’s not that the noodles with the word “Fu” on them are not attractive. The most important thing is that the candy bait is all made into the shape of ingots. Compared to good fortune, most people are still very practical. Ingots must taste more delicious.
Speaking of herbal tea, Zhang Sanzhuang thought that his wife might be pregnant, and he was stunned.
In previous years, during the hottest summers, the Sun family also made Sun's herbal tea at home, and Old Sun didn't mind this being spread.
What is used is a very common sea sand vine in the northwest, and then add wild sesame, money grass and mulberry chrysanthemum to cook together. In summer, charcoal mother bought from the pharmacy is also added. In winter, charcoal mother is too cold, so it is replaced with winter melon and some malt sugar.
After it is cooked, it has a slightly bitter and lightly sweet taste. It doesn’t look very good, but it tastes like scented tea.
For customers whose lips are slightly swollen from eating spicy skewers, they can take a bite of half a Yuanbao, revealing the yogurt filling in the middle. The aroma of fried wheat flour, combined with the crispness of the dough and the sweet and sour taste of milk, is particularly delicious after tasting the spicy food.
The guest squinted his eyes, took a sip of tea, and sighed comfortably, "This snack is good. It would be very respectable if we could use it when visiting relatives and friends. Brother Zhang, you should make more later."
The servants of the merchants who insisted on waiting in line today all had numb expressions as they ate snacks, drank cold tea, and occasionally took a bite of meatballs.
My stomach feels so comfortable, but the urge to curse remains.
We have almost collected all the New Year's goods, and are just waiting to sell them door to door after the Little New Year to make a fortune. What's the point of you just coming out with a new product?
As for what new things appear from time to time at the spicy skewers stall, they are no longer surprised.
I heard that the butcher Zhang’s family has all kinds of craftsmen, except for tailors. It’s normal for craftsmen to have skills, right?
But no matter what, they are probably going to compete with the Zhang family this time. Seeing all the gold ingots, blessings and auspiciousness, they can't compete at all.
It’s really infuriating. No, I need another ingot... No, it’s candy bait!
Zhang Sanzhuang had been keeping an eye on these people. Seeing that they were eating in silence, he felt a little uneasy. Why didn't they start placing an order?
He thought for a moment, then smiled at the customer who suggested they go to the village to sell the snacks, saying, "We have a small family, so we can make these snacks, but we simply don't have the manpower to sell them outside the town. We're so busy collecting pigs at home right now that we can't even take care of it. I'm afraid the customers will have to come to the market to buy the snacks themselves."
Hmm? Those guys are getting excited again.
You don't have enough people? We do!
You can't get out? We can!
Don't have time to collect the pigs? We... can help you collect the pigs!
A few people looked at each other, and then they wiped their mouths, paid their money, and ran away.
Because the new spicy skewers are more flavorful and fragrant than the original ones, although a lot of ingredients were prepared today, they were still sold out after 3:00 PM.
When Zhang Sanzhuang was about to close his stall, many traveling merchants and servants wrapped in beautiful fur coats came back.
Seeing several people running away, Zhang Sanzhuang, who was completely confused, felt much more at ease.
The merchants smiled innocently when they saw Zhang Sanzhuang raise his head. The merchants from Dengzhou raised their hands quickly.
"Stop it, young man. Don't give me that talk again. Just tell me how much goods we can get from you and what the price is."
If they continue to hold on, they will be in trouble too.
What the butcher cooks is silver, what they cook is their heart and soul!
Zhang Sanzhuang chuckled, "I won't lie to you all. My father-in-law wants to start his own business, so he needs some money. So he sells through our family. My father-in-law has three apprentices under him. If they work hard, they can easily sell hundreds of kilograms a day.
The prices for sugar bait are five, three, and two strings of cash respectively, and the prices for noodles are three, two, and one string of cash respectively, all calculated based on 100 jin."
They are all businessmen and are quick at settling accounts.
The best gold ingots were not sold to the common people. They had to be sold to landlords with surplus grain at least, and could be sold for eighty to one hundred coins per catty. One hundred catties was about ten strings of coins, and so on, which was a profit of more than 40%.
As for noodles, they are the main snack bought by ordinary people. During the Chinese New Year, they cost about ten or twenty cents. If you buy half a catty and I buy a whole catty, it won’t be too bad. If you have more money, you can buy several catties and share them when visiting relatives to save face.
This is the price in the countryside. If you go to the counties of Xiping County, including the county town, the price will be even higher.
They thought the price was reasonable and nodded in agreement. Someone immediately paid a deposit.
After Zhang Sanzhuang returned home, some people came to his door to place orders for dim sum. He agreed with them all that the dim sum would be shipped after the New Year.
When he went back to the Qiao family to settle the accounts, Zhang Sanzhuang looked at the silver coins and silver ingots shining white in the money box, and his heart was burning with excitement, so he couldn't help but start to count the accounts.
He always listened to Miao Wan's accounts, and he could calculate much faster than before.
With Master Sun leading his apprentices to work, after they became proficient, they brought in Yu, Yang and Aunt Geng to work together. It was no problem for them to produce 200 kilograms of each of the six kinds of snacks a day. In fifteen days, they earned nearly 500 taels of silver.
In fact, the most expensive costs for both companies are flour and malt sugar.
Lard is very cheap for the Zhang family. They buy pigs at five cents per catty. Ten catties of pork can produce six catties of oil, and pork lard can produce even more. They consume about one hundred catties of oil every day, which they change every two or three days, at a cost of five strings of coins.
The cost of milk curds and yogurt is basically the same as that of goat milk. Thirty barrels of goat milk are consumed every day, plus the cost of the mule cart for transportation is about five strings of cash.
After the beet sugar snacks were made, the ones that Miao Wan had boiled were used up, and the remaining ones had to be replaced with malt sugar. How much did it cost?
Oh, one hundred and eighty cents.
The most expensive flour is used more every day, accounting for half of the total number of snacks, which is about 600 kilograms.
Because the quantity was large, Qiao Shengwen found Bayin at night and bought a batch of them and put them in the empty room of Zhang's house. The price was not expensive, 18 cents per catty, and it would cost 162 taels of silver in half a month.
So after all the calculations, including the twenty-odd strings of money for the malt sugar, the cost was about two hundred taels, and the net profit was three hundred taels? ?
If the share of the spicy skewers is added in... Zhang Sanzhuang felt that he couldn't figure it out anymore.
This does not include the fact that we still have to ship goods every day after the Little New Year, all the way until the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month.
Even if Miao Wan agreed, all the workers would be paid 100 coins a day, and the total earnings would be close to 1,000 taels of silver!
What does nearly a thousand taels mean?
Zhang Sanzhuang counted on his fingers and found that in the past, if the Zhang family could save 20 taels of silver a year from slaughtering pigs, it would be considered a lot. Most of the time, they could only save a small silver ingot.
Nearly a thousand taels, which is more money than all the members of their family could earn in their entire lives.
Miao Wan was still sighing, "It's a pity that we don't have anyone to sell it. If we had retail staff, the money could be doubled."
Zhang Sanzhuang stood up suddenly, "Why not? Everyone in my family can go out and sell! Double the profit? Then by the New Year we can earn more than a thousand taels of silver!!"
The two families present at the scene, who were concerned about whether the dim sum were selling well, immediately gasped.
Is this, so much?
Miao Wan helplessly spread out her hands, "Who in our family has any free time? Actually, this is not bad. We can wholesale it to others and save ourselves the trouble."
Now even my father-in-law has to watch over the stove. No one has time to go around the streets. It would be exhausting.
If you are destined to earn money, you must also be destined to spend it!
Sun also stood up excitedly, holding her belly, "I..."
Sun Laohuo rolled his eyes and interrupted his daughter, "Don't make trouble. Where do you want to go with your belly?"
"No, I was so excited after hearing what Awan said that my water broke." Sun said a little embarrassedly.
Miao Wan's legs subconsciously weakened, and she retorted without thinking, "It wasn't me!"
Everyone: "..." You are thinking about it, there are some missing items.
The author has something to say:
Note: Information on the customs related to Laba Festival in Northwest China can be found on Baidu.
The search for herbal tea is also from Baidu, it’s a modified version, don’t believe it~
It’s chapter 30~ Special thanks to all the cute people who have supported me. Comments on this chapter will drop red envelopes. Thank you everyone~
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