Actually, they first made cured meat in February or March, when it was still chilly in early spring. By the time the workshop opened, it was already autumn and the weather was pleasantly cool. And just as summer was approaching, business at the workshop closed again.
Upon closer inspection, I realized I had never made cured meat or sausages in the summer, which led me to overlook the possibility of spoilage caused by temperature.
Although Aunt Zhang reacted quickly, moving the sausages to a cooler place and manually fanning them for ventilation, it was still inevitable that over a hundred pounds of sausages would be damaged.
She was extremely annoyed at the moment, "It's all my fault. I should have known better. How could cured meat and sausages not spoil in the summer? It's all my fault."
Adding to the matter of the next governor of Anshui, everyone lowered their heads, their hearts filled with gloom.
Only Xiao Jiang Sheng blinked her bright eyes and comforted Aunt Zhang, "It's okay, Aunt, Second Brother will definitely find a way."
Zheng Ruqian, who was driving two carts of dried green beans toward the Zanhua Courtyard, couldn't help but sneeze loudly.
"What can we do?" Zhang Qiquan asked, his face full of worry. "The second young master has definitely made a deal with Youranju. What will we do if the workshop can't produce that many sausages?"
The friendly cooperation between the two parties is based on punctuality and accurate delivery. If the workshop fails to fulfill its promise first, the cooperation will be impossible in the future.
They hastily set up a workshop, full of hope that they could make a fortune from sausages. However, some of the sausages made in May and June had spoiled and rotted. They couldn't imagine what would happen to the sausages made in July, August, and September.
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, we won't be able to make sausages and cured meat for the next three or four months, rendering the workshop practically useless!
At this, Zhang Qiquan sighed, Aunt Zhang's eyes were filled with tears, and the brothers all fell silent.
Xiao Jiangsheng didn't quite understand. In the past, when they were chased by the constable Gao, targeted by the magistrate and his wife, or had their recipe for cured meat leaked, they had never experienced such a setback.
Why did a mere prefect of Anshui and a sausage cause everyone to be so frustrated?
Is it because people are used to solving problems one by one and can't accept solving two problems at the same time?
But when she was homeless, cold and hunger were always together. To survive, she had to solve both the problem of being full and the problem of being warm at the same time. If she could only solve one of them, she would probably either starve to death or freeze to death.
The little girl raised her question almost to herself.
Xu Mo, standing to the side, was shocked to realize that he was not as insightful as his sister. It would indeed be uncomfortable for the Anshui Prefect to make things difficult for them, but compared to their isolation and helplessness in Xieyang County, they now at least had the Wang family's assistance.
Nobody wants to see problems with sausages, but there's always a solution. At worst, they can just give up the money; they don't rely on this for a living anyway.
What made them feel depressed and dejected when faced with two difficulties at the same time?
It's because we haven't experienced enough setbacks, our minds aren't strong enough, and our ideas aren't mature enough.
Perhaps their literary talent surpasses their younger sister's, and their approach to life surpasses hers, but their spirit of facing challenges head-on will never match hers.
Having endured hunger and cold, and faced the ever-present threat of death, Xiao Jiangsheng's optimism surpassed that of all others.
For her, as long as she was alive, everything was the best.
Not only Xu Mo, but also Fang Heng, Chang Yan, and Wen Zhiyun, the four brothers exchanged glances, their gazes gradually hardening.
So what if they are the governors of Anshui? With the six siblings working together, they are fearless!
Not long after, Zheng Ruqian returned with Wang Xiaosong and saw a pile of rotten and spoiled sausages on the ground.
Wang Xiaosong was both shocked and frightened. He finally remembered the intuition he had overlooked and knelt down on the ground without thinking.
With a "plop," Zheng Ruqian was startled.
"Master, it's all my fault. I forgot to tell you that sausages can't be made in the summer. I've never seen my mother make them in the summer," he said nervously with his eyes closed.
Instead of being met with a barrage of scolding, Zheng Ruqian simply shook his head and said, "It's not your fault."
"It's my fault, it's my fault," Aunt Zhang said, sobbing her eyes.
Zheng Ruqian stroked his chin. "I don't blame anyone. It wasn't intentional. I won't pursue any responsibility."
After saying that, he suddenly remembered that the workshop already belonged to Jiang Sheng, so he quickly turned to his sister and asked for her opinion, "Right, little Jiang Sheng?"
The little girl nodded very solemnly, and then comforted Aunt Zhang and Wang Xiaosong, "Don't worry, Second Brother will definitely be able to handle it."
Second brother, "..."
Did he say that?
However, when Xiao Jiangsheng clung to him like an octopus, shaking his arm and acting coquettishly, she said, "Second Brother is the smartest and most capable. Second Brother will help the workshop, right? Right?"
Zheng Ruqian's bones instantly softened without any backbone. He proudly raised his chin and said, "Of course, do you think I've been wasting all these years?"
The main reason was that before he left Anshui County, he only sent a few pounds of sausages to Manager Hao of Youranju for tasting, and did not discuss any specific cooperation.
At the time, it was to maximize profits, but now it saves us the trouble.
But given Manager Hao's personality, he probably thinks I'm being greedy and deliberately raising the price.
Zheng Ruqian stroked his chin, looked at the rotting meat on the ground, and suddenly asked, "Are all the sausages spoiled?"
Aunt Zhang quickly wiped away her tears and said, "No, there are still more than 100 jin of dried fruit. The summer temperature is high, but it can't be completely impossible to make it. It's just that it's too troublesome to fan it to cool it down."
I used to be able to make 200 jin a day, but now I can only make a maximum of 10 jin a day.
They say things are valued for their rarity, and sausages are already this rare...
Zheng Ruqian's eyes widened; a bold idea suddenly popped into his head.
Previously, the profit margin for cured pork wasn't very high; success relied solely on volume. Now that sausage production is lower, why not aim for higher profits?
If Manager Hao might misunderstand that he's raising prices, then he might as well raise them to the absolute bottom.
He wanted to make sausages a high-end food in Anshui County, and to enable workshops to make the most money with the least amount of production.
Zheng Ruqian became happier the more he thought about it, and with a silly grin, he rushed outside.
Wang Xiaosong was confused, but his eagerness to protect his master made him quickly say goodbye to his sister and then follow behind Zheng Ruqian.
"Has Second Brother gone mad?" Jiang Sheng said with some worry. "I won't blame Second Brother if he can't come up with a solution. Let the workshop go bankrupt if it has to. We can't let Second Brother go crazy with worry."
Xu Mo, who was standing to the side, smiled and bent down, "Don't worry, the second brother has come up with a solution."
"Really?" Xiao Jiang Sheng was a little confused.
“Of course.” Xu Mo put his hands behind his back, glanced at his three younger brothers, and said, “The second brother has taken care of the sausage matter, so we can leave the Anshui prefecture to us, how about that?”
Everyone in this family needs to contribute.
"Of course, brother." Fang Heng grinned. "It's just what the young men need—practical training."
"Don't worry, brother." Changyan smiled and said, "The governor's position doesn't mean he can do whatever he wants."
Wen Zhiyun didn't speak, tilting her head in thought, wondering just how influential a doctor was in the prefectural city.
Suddenly, Changyan turned his head and whispered something in his ear.
Wen Zhiyun's eyes lit up.
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