Chapter 79: Going to the County Town to Sell Spicy Sesame Oil, the Four Most Expensive Restaurants
Chenjia Village is quite far from Yun'an County, and it takes four or five hours to walk there.
The oxcart is a little faster and can arrive in just over an hour. Since the whole way is an official road, there is no need to worry about getting lost.
A few people set out at the beginning of the Chen period and arrived at around three quarters past Si.
Along the way, the children were chattering excitedly, and even Chen Xinghe, who was usually calm and composed, showed his longing.
Looking at the tall city wall standing before their eyes, the children held their breath, their eyes full of wonder and curiosity.
I heard that the county town is very lively, with seven or eight streets alone, selling everything.
But the price is also expensive. Chen Xinghai still remembers that when his father came to the county town to take the exam, it was said that staying in the cheapest inn cost forty or fifty cents a night.
Xiao Ying didn't remember much about the county town, he only knew that Yun'an County was quite lively.
The entire county has a population of about 80,000 to 90,000, with more than 20,000 in the county town alone. It is a fairly large county town in Xizhou.
These things were told to the original owner by Chen Enke, and the original owner seemed to have no other thoughts except for the fun.
This population was nothing in her previous world, after all, those cities often had millions of people.
But in this backward place, it is already a prosperous city besides the state capital.
She brought two thousand kilograms of spicy sesame oil today, and she didn't know if the county town could consume it all at once.
In theory, there should be no problem. After all, this thing is a consumable, and larger restaurants will definitely stock more.
Besides, it can also be sold to wealthy families, so she is not too worried for the time being.
Moreover, the price in the county town would definitely not be as cheap as in the town. She decided to sell a jar of spicy sesame oil for six taels of silver, which means an average of about three hundred coins per catty, which is twice as much as in the town.
Perhaps because it is quite prosperous, there is no entrance fee to enter the city.
Chen Xinghai drove the ox cart slowly into the city gate with a nervous mood. Suddenly, a wide and flat street came into view.
There are shops lining both sides of the street, stretching as far as the eye can see, and small vendors hawking their wares along the street.
The streets were bustling with people, shoulder to shoulder, their sleeves thick as clouds. Men, women, old and young were all wearing new clothes, many of them made of brocade, and all were beaming with smiles.
The four children were all amazed. Everyone said that the county town was prosperous, and it turned out that it was really so prosperous.
Fortunately, they were all wearing new fine cloth clothes today. If they had worn the coarse linen clothes they had worn before, they would have been embarrassed to walk.
"Let's find an inn first. We may need to stay there for two or three days."
Xiao Ying's words drew the four people's attention back. They were all very excited. Staying for two or three days would mean that they could wander around the city more, right?
"Mom, there's an inn just ahead."
Chen Xinghe was sitting on the ox cart in a high position, so he could see the plaque not far ahead at a glance: Fulai Inn.
"I don't know if this inn is expensive."
Chen Xingyun looked a bit worried. There were five of them, so they would need at least two inns, and staying for two days would cost at least several hundred coins.
Xiao Ying said, "The decoration looks good, let's go here."
"ah?"
The four of them were puzzled. Did their mother deliberately choose an expensive place to stay?
Xiao Ying laughed: "Have you forgotten what we are here for? Only expensive inns can afford spicy sesame oil and spicy sauce."
The four of them suddenly realized, yes, even if they only bought one jar at this inn, it would be more than enough to pay for the hotel stay.
The ox cart soon stopped near the inn. Xiao Ying took Chen Xingyun and the other two off the cart, but Chen Xinghai did not move.
"Dear guests, would you like to stay overnight or stay in the hotel?"
The waiter who came to greet them came out enthusiastically. Although they were dressed simply, they looked very good and had an ox cart, so they must be able to afford to stay in the hotel.
Xiao Ying followed him in and asked, "How much does it cost to stay in the hotel?"
"We have upper and lower rooms. The upper room costs 100 wen a day, and the bed is large with a cool mat. Two meals are provided per person, and hot water is available. The lower room costs 70 wen a day, and one meal is provided per person, and hot water is available."
The waiter said it cleverly, knowing it clearly in his mind.
Xiao Ying thought to himself that this was not expensive, as they provided meals and hot water. Eating out would cost dozens of coins.
Of course, the free meals provided by the inn are definitely not much better.
"Then let's take one of the three upper rooms and stay there for two days."
She gave him a piece of change, and the waiter smiled even more brightly.
"Okay, three upper rooms!"
As he said this, he handed the silver to the accountant, who weighed it and gave Xiao Ying three hundred and twenty-four coins in change.
"Dear guests, please come this way."
The waiter smiled and took them to their rooms, which were three adjacent rooms.
Xiao Ying had a room for herself, her two sisters had a room, and her two brothers had a room.
The room was not big, only eight or nine square meters. Apart from the bed, there was only a table and chairs, but it was cleaned very neatly.
Xiao Ying held all the keys in her hand and put them into her storage bag.
"Sir, if you have anything else to tell me, please feel free to tell me." The waiter said politely.
Xiao Ying really had something to ask, so he asked, "What are the largest restaurants in the county?"
The waiter was a bit surprised. Was this lady going to the best restaurant in the county to eat? But he still said it dutifully.
"There are four most famous restaurants in the county: Ruyi Restaurant, Manxiang Garden, Fuhai Restaurant, and Lianchun Garden."
"These four restaurants are all owned by prominent people. A single dish of vegetables costs over a hundred coins. Only high-ranking officials and dignitaries can afford to go there. A meal there is said to cost several taels of silver."
This implies that Xiao Ying and his companions might not be able to afford it.
Xiao Ying nodded slightly, memorized the names of these restaurants, and then asked the other party for their approximate locations.
Fearing that the other party would find it troublesome, she stuffed twenty coins into his pocket. The waiter immediately smiled happily, as this money was almost enough for his day's wages.
So he explained it in more detail and even drew a sketch of the county streets, marking the locations of the four restaurants.
In fact, they are all concentrated in the city center.
Yun'an County is in the shape of a well, and the four restaurants are all inside the "well".
Xiao Ying was very satisfied, as this way he didn't have to run around anymore.
In addition to these four restaurants, the waiter also took the initiative to tell her about some restaurants and restaurants of a slightly lower level, and Xiao Ying wrote them down one by one.
"Madam, you are asking about these restaurants. I wonder why..." He asked curiously at last.
Xiao Ying said gently, "I want to do business with them."
"ah?"
The waiter was shocked and couldn't help but look her up and down again. What kind of business could she possibly do with these restaurants?
Seeing that her appetite was whetted, Xiao Ying's smile became even warmer.
"I made a condiment called spicy sesame oil. I sold it in town before and customers loved it, so I wanted to try my luck in the county town."
"I see. I didn't expect this lady to have such skills."
The waiter was immediately impressed, and then an idea came to his mind. He wondered if the shopkeeper would like such a seasoning?
They who run the inn actually also sell food. The lobby on the first floor is a restaurant, but it can't be compared with other big restaurants.
But there is also competition between inns. Perhaps it is because their food is delicious that more people come to stay in their inns?
The more he thought about it, the more excited he became. He immediately said, "This lady doesn't have to go to a big restaurant to sell it. Perhaps our shopkeeper is interested. Why don't you wait a moment while I ask the shopkeeper for his advice?"
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