There is not a lot of snow in the northwest every year. Most of the time, it is dry and cold with howling cold winds, which thin the soil and make the people poor.
That’s why we had four consecutive snowfalls last year and there was still thick snow at the end of the year, which made people sigh that auspicious snow indicates a good harvest.
It hasn't snowed yet until mid-October this year.
But thick cotton curtains have been hung in front of the shops on the street. People walking on the street have to cover their eyes tightly with their hands, leaving only their eyes exposed.
Normally, it takes a lot of courage to go out to eat at this time, especially for traveling merchants from all over the world. They would be freezing all the way from home or inn to the restaurant.
Only the bathhouse was bustling at this time.
Everyone was happy to spend a few or a dozen copper coins, lie naked by the warm pool, drink a pot of wine, and eat two plates of thinly sliced radish, and half a day would pass by.
But this year everyone has one more place to go. There is steam rising from the Ju Fu Restaurant, and the steam is really fragrant.
The fragrant and delicious mutton soup, the spicy pork bone soup, and even the fragrant mushroom soup picked from the mountains, all emit a strong smell of fireworks when heated by charcoal fire.
"Hiss... Isn't this more comfortable than staying in the bathhouse? You don't have to worry about feeling uncomfortable after drinking too much." Someone was sitting in the lobby, taking a sip of wine and a bite of meat, feeling warm all over. He was so hot that he untied the belt of his jacket and let it fall on both sides of his body, revealing his yellowed inner clothes.
Someone outside rubbed their hands together and opened the door curtain to come in, muttering something about how cold it was. Upon hearing this, I took a deep breath and laughed, "That's right, the radish slices in the bathhouse are not as sweet as the ones in Dengzhou."
The man who spoke earlier was from the capital. Anyway, they were all men who had traveled all over the country, so they didn't care whether they knew each other well or not when talking. They became friends as soon as they met.
"In the middle of winter, besides the bathhouse, the only place where you can get so hot you'll break out in a sweat is Jufu Restaurant. Hahahaha... No, it's too hot. I'm taking off my coat."
Several people who felt hot had already taken off their clothes, their foreheads covered in sweat.
This is the only drawback of eating Bo Xia Gong. I dare not go out immediately after eating it for fear of catching a cold.
The waiting area was originally for customers to wait for their meals. In winter, when there are not so many people, it has become a place for people to sweat, play games, drink a few bowls of herbal tea, and then go out after they are dry.
This is the usual process, but today is different.
As soon as everyone started eating enthusiastically, Zhang Sanzhuang asked people to put three tables in front of the counter and placed six strange-looking earthenware jars on them.
"Such a huge teapot? Are you going to let us drink all the water?" Someone waited for the pot to boil before coming over to take a look. "Eh? It smells a bit sweet. Interesting."
Inside was a glass of ready-made cola, and next to it was a clay pot covered with a quilt, filled with freshly frozen ice cubes.
Although the weather is cold and water freezes into ice, it is not easy for the water in the wooden frame to solidify into ice cubes. It is not very uniform, and there is always water when it is poured out, and in the end the water all sticks together.
At this time, saltpeter plays a very important role. Put the clay pot with a wooden frame into a larger clay pot, put a little saltpeter on the outside, and cover the whole pot.
In cold weather, if you open it after a while, you will find that the inner layer is frozen evenly.
With a gentle tap of the hammer, all that fell off were beautiful thumb-sized cubes of ice.
Zhang Sanzhuang, upon hearing someone ask, looked even more pleased. He laughed loudly and said, "Dear guests, our Jufu Restaurant has a new drink. The owner is pleased and has ordered a bowl for each of us to try!"
The Dengzhou man, who had just eaten mutton, laughed when he heard this. "Your boss is pregnant so often. No wonder I've never seen him. Is he sleeping on the young lady's belly every day?"
There was a burst of laughter in the lobby.
They are all men, so if there are female guests, they will go to the kang room in the back and not in the lobby. They don't care about their words and no one cares.
Zhang Sanzhuang didn't want anyone to know that the host was Miao Wan, so he chuckled, "Look at what you're saying. These four seasons and eight festivals, family birthdays, friends and relatives visiting from far away, and new additions to the grandchildren's family—aren't they all happy events? Our host is generous and loves to share any good things he has. Hurry up and pour some for the guests."
After hearing this, the three waiters in the lobby quickly took bowls to receive it.
Someone leaned over to look and saw that when the clay pot tilted slightly, a black bubbling liquid poured out of the spout, which scared them so much that they stepped back.
"Huh! What the hell is this? Is the shopkeeper planning to give us poison?"
Zhang Sanzhuang opened the ice jar with a chuckle, scooped a spoonful of ice into it, and took a sip himself to show the guest.
After drinking it, he smacked his lips and let out a breath. The more he drank it, the better it tasted. In such a hot and sweaty environment, taking a sip of ice water was just as Awan said, refreshing and uplifting.
"Whether you're eating barbecue, crystal meat, or Boxiagong, a sip of this drink is a real treat. Would you mind trying it first?"
Seeing this, a few brave ones came over to take over, and they laughed out loud because of the coldness of the bowl. "You give us ice drinks in the middle of winter. It's quite interesting that you guys at Jufu Restaurant are here."
After saying that, I sang a little, huh? It's sweet and a bit irritating on the tongue. I'm a little uncomfortable with it. Anyway, I feel like it's not a good thing.
What can I say? The sweet taste went down my throat, with a hint of bitterness and a hint of sweetness. It was refreshing and all the heat from eating the Boxia was suppressed.
It doesn't taste very good, but... I still want to take another sip.
After eating for a while, Bo Xia Gong, sweating profusely, had already finished a bowl. "Huh... burp... this feels so good... burp!"
The speaker burped twice in one sentence, and the listener couldn't help laughing, and was also amused.
"Qin Yanganzi, you can't do this. You're already full after eating just a little bit?"
The merchant surnamed Qin touched his stomach, feeling both amused and helpless. "I'm not full yet. I can still eat. It's not the ice drink that's causing the problem, is it?"
While he was talking, someone finished their drink with a slurp, burped, and exclaimed, "Burp... Another bowl!"
Zhang Sanzhuang smiled and said, "We'll each give one bowl. From the second bowl onwards, it'll be five cents a bowl. It's not good to drink too much of this. If you drink too much, your stomach will get cold and you won't be able to eat. It's good to use it to cool down."
When some people heard that it was more expensive than the four-cent bowl of milk tea, they also became interested and came over to drink the free one first.
There was someone who really liked the taste and insisted on having a second bowl. He spent five cents, drank it, and burped loudly, which made him laugh out loud.
Someone asked, "What is this ice drink called?"
Zhang Sanzhuang pointed to the small blackboard next to him and said, "Don't underestimate this stuff because it's expensive. It's made from sugar that costs three coins a bushel. It's delicious and tastes like cola, so it's called happy water. No matter what spicy or hot food you eat, have a bowl and it's guaranteed to make the spiciness go away. Come to our restaurant happily and go home happy."
"Hahaha, happy water? Why does this thing sound a bit like an aphrodisiac, or something for cooling down? Then give me an extra bowl!"
"I'll have another bowl too... This thing has to go great with the spicy spicy soup, burp... delicious!"
"Give me a bowl too. It's sweet and my wife will definitely like it. Can I take it away?"
Zhang Sanzhuang took out a small porcelain bottle from the side and said, "The weather is getting colder. We not only provide happy water, but also takeout service.
The restaurant sells pots for Boxia offerings. Of course, you can take both the pot and the soup away for a deposit. The pot is five taels of silver each, and the porcelain vase requires a deposit of five cents, plus an additional three cents per vase, to make it an auspicious number."
"That's great. Give me three bottles and a pot of soup to take away. I'll cook it back home. My wife is craving this, too."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, why don't you just deliver it to me? I have a big family, so I need two pots of soup and six bottles of happy water!"
"I want two bottles! Give me another bowl first!"
…
When the weather got cold, Butcher Zhang and his son would boil several large pots of water and slaughter three days' worth of pigs at once to avoid suffering from the cold every day. They would also come to Jufu Restaurant to help out when they had nothing to do.
Ju Fu Restaurant has just bought a new mule cart. As long as the distance is not too far, Zhang the Butcher and Zhang Dazhuang can drive the mule cart together with the delivery mule cart to deliver takeout to various places.
As a result, although the weather is cold, Coke and Bo Xia Gong are popular in restaurants. It is convenient to eat them in restaurants or at home.
This year, General Dingbei is in the northwest, and there are good places like Qianjinlou and Jufu Restaurant, so more merchants stay here than last year.
Qianjinlou's business declined because a group of traveling merchants left in early October.
Ju Fu Restaurant hit a new record, with sales exceeding 5,000 taels in one fell swoop, and the two shops were tied.
Zhang Sanzhuang was so proud of himself, "What did I say? As long as our restaurant has new products, I am no worse than Lin Ge'er as the shopkeeper!"
This time, bonuses and wages should be treated equally, right?
Miao Wan said yes.
Madam Zhang's words were even more practical. "As long as you can make money, even if you want to join the God of Wealth on the tribute platform, we'll carry you up there and place you there, and feed you delicious food."
Several families were laughing so hard.
Zhang Sanzhuang: "..."Am, why don't you hope for me to be well?
Ruan Jialin was not in a hurry even though he was caught up by someone, but the problem was that being in a hurry was useless.
When the weather gets cold, Miao Wan's mind is focused on the wool and ducks.
After the new rouge and powder were launched, she did not launch any new products, and she also brought in a group of traveling merchants. The cash flow of Qianjinlou was already very impressive.
It’s not that Miao Wan doesn’t want to make money, but most of the money she earns has to be sent to the Dingbei General’s Mansion, which really affects her enthusiasm for developing new products.
She was thinking of giving away gold and silver, but why not just use goods as a substitute for the silver, just like dividing profits?
At least compared with cost and profit, profit is definitely more attractive!
But the goods in front of Qianjinlou are not enough to be used as tribute. We can't ask the soldiers of Gubei Army to draw eyebrows and paint eyes, right?
But warm clothes are different!
If this thing can be distributed, it can be regarded as a contribution to the soldiers on the border, and the soldiers below will remember the Qiao family's kindness in their hearts.
One was that she gave away her heart and soul and money, but she only got hypocritical thanks from the old thief Chen, and the house that was promised to her is still nowhere to be seen.
One reason is that all the money is in her hands, which can not only please Chen Sixu, but also make the Gubei Army remember her kindness, so that Qiao Ruichen can be more comfortable in the army.
Even a fool knows what to choose.
The eldest wife of the Ruan family has moved into the renovated house next door, and Ruan Qin and his wife have moved into Qianjin Building, and they have settled down for the time being.
So Miao Wan put rouge and powder behind her mind for the time being, and took her second aunt and second cousin-in-law from the Ruan family to concentrate on solving the problem of the three-layer loom.
For two consecutive months, both Jin Daozun and Jin Buddha were sent, and Miao Wan felt pain in breathing. She felt that if she sent a few more times, the graveside meal package would be waiting for her again.
Perhaps the motivation to get rid of the grave was too strong, and a machine that could use pedals to achieve three-layer position-changing weaving was produced before the end of the month.
In fact, this is a variation of the Western Jenny loom. There are similar looms in Jiangnan, but they are two-layered, with the pedals placed under the hooks for hanging the warp threads.
The most labor-intensive part is to make two layers of pedals so that the three layers of warp threads at the base can move up and down.
Because three layers and two layers are completely different things. Two layers are one up and one down, which is a variation of up and down.
The three layers come in three variations: upper and lower, middle and lower, and upper and middle. Two foot pedals are simply not enough to achieve uniform spinning of the weft onto the warp.
Fortunately, my second aunt, Mrs. Li, was the descendant of a Jiangnan weaving family. She quickly solved the problem. The style was almost the same as the original one, but no one thought about it in this way.
This problem can be solved by adding a warp shaft control plate, making the weft combing hammer thicker, and making three pedals.
The operation is a bit complicated, but the efficiency will be improved after you get used to it.
My second aunt even drew a Jiangnan spinning wheel that looked like a small windmill. It was much more convenient to use than a spindle and could spin wool yarn of different thicknesses.
Cotton thread can also be spun into different thicknesses, and can be braided into two or three strands and fixed to the spindle to produce a tougher thread.
Mrs. Li explained, "This is actually a spinning wheel used to make silk. Although silk is more resilient, it is also easily snagged. Therefore, each household has its own unique way of improving the spinning wheel. The famous Yunjin brocade in the capital is spun with this spinning wheel and then woven."
Miao Wan looked at her second aunt as if she were looking at moving gold. "Second aunt, why did you come so late? Oh wow... I wish we had met earlier!" [Note]
Mrs. Li: "..." What, can you still marry me?
After some laughter and fun, the Yu family quickly made the machine.
The Yu family knew this was a good thing, and Yu Ada even came. "Awan, we absolutely dare not tell anyone about the loom. I just want to ask, this spinning wheel...can I...buy the blueprints?"
I'm sure many people would be happy to buy this.
Miao Wan was willing to do so. If every household could spin yarn, they could even spin stronger yarn. At the very least, clothes could be worn for a few more years. In the future, Qianjinlou could directly collect the yarn and would not have to employ too many spinners.
But the drawings were not hers, so she let her second aunt make the decision herself.
Mrs. Li looked a little melancholy. "Why bother talking about whether to sell it or not? It's no secret in Jiangnan. You just need to learn it."
Because of this spinning wheel, her family was murdered overnight, and the murderer has not been found until now. Only her mother, who took her and her sister to live with her parents, survived.
Her mother sold the family property and hurriedly took her away from Yangzhou to Suzhou. She was never able to find the enemy and could only barely raise her and her younger sister. After her younger sister got married, she died of depression.
She never used the spinning wheel again, but she had someone secretly spread the blueprint over the years so that all the weavers in Suzhou, Yangzhou and Linjiang prefectures in Jiangnan could afford it.
No matter who killed her entire family, she would make sure their plan failed.
In this case, even if we come to the northwest, it doesn't make any sense to talk about whether to sell it or not.
Yu Ada thanked him profusely, and Qianjinlou ordered three looms and ten spinning wheels, but he ran away without even asking for the money.
Miao Wan had no choice but she didn't intend to let her second aunt suffer this loss. She secretly thought about changing the profit sharing method of Qianjinlou.
Before that, of course, it was spinning! Spinning cloth!
By the time the finished product came out, the first snow of the year fell in the northwest.
Mrs. Zhang happily walked around the house, clasping her hands together and chanting "Buddha bless you" many times.
If there is no snow before the New Year, the harvest of crops will definitely not be good next year. It will be difficult to buy food from your own land or ingredients for restaurants.
Miao Wan was also happy, not for the first snow, but because she could go out and have fun wearing a down jacket!
To be precise, it is the little friend Taotao who is about to be one year old who can go out and have fun wearing a down jacket!
Under the gaze of the Qiao, Zhang and Ruan families, Miao Wan, who solemnly called everyone over, excitedly took out a small down jacket dyed bright red and dressed Taotao like a red balloon.
She happily carried Taotao's ball out and patted it, "Look!"
Ruan Jialin raised his eyebrows, "What are you looking at? How can you beat a child without feeling any pain?" Then what's the difference between this and taking off your pants to fart?
Miao Wan: "..." What are you looking at? Look, this guy is stupid!
The author has something to say:
Note: "I regret that we did not meet earlier so that I could marry you as my husband" is from Wang Yuzhen's "Presented to Liu Zhongkan".
The revenge for my second aunt will have its consequences~
The second update is around 22:00~
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