Chapter 89 Sun Shuiqin's Marriage
In years of food shortage, pork prices skyrocketed.
In previous years, it cost a dozen or so coins per catty, but now it has risen to forty or fifty coins. Two ounces of meat costs nearly ten coins.
Old Mrs. Zhao immediately frowned: "Ergou, why are you becoming such a spendthrift? You've only earned five hundred coins, which is only half a tael of silver. With such a small amount of money, why did you have to buy meat? Meat is so expensive, one bite costs a coin. Do you really think you're a rich man?"
"Alright, that's enough," Old Man Zhao said. "The kid finally managed to earn some money, thinking of showing filial piety to his elders, but he gets scolded as soon as he arrives. Do you think Er Gou will dare to come to our door again?"
Grandma Zhao was actually happy. Her second grandson was thinking of her and knew how to be filial to his elders. When people get old, don't they just hope that their younger generations will be filial to them?
But two ounces of meat is really too expensive. If he can afford to give away two ounces of meat, he must have bought at least two catties. Two catties would cost about a hundred coins. What a spendthrift, just like his mother...
Grandma Zhao took a deep breath and swallowed back her curses.
Just as Zhao Ergou was about to leave, a man walked in through the door. It was Zhao Yougui, Zhao Shagen's biological father.
He said with a embarrassed look, "Uncle, Aunt, I want to ask you for a favor..."
Grandma Zhao said kindly, "We're all family. If there's anything we can do to help, we'll do it without hesitation."
Zhao Ergou didn't want to hear about his elders, so he took a step towards the courtyard. He had only taken two steps when he stopped because he heard something he had never expected.
“That’s right, I want to borrow two hundred coins.” Zhao Yougui scratched the back of his head. “I just earned five hundred coins, and with some money I’ve saved up before, it only adds up to eight hundred coins. But the family of the woman that Shagen has his eye on is asking for a dowry of one tael of silver. If I wasn’t afraid of delaying my child’s marriage, I wouldn’t have the nerve to ask to borrow money.”
Grandma Zhao looked on with a gossipy grin: "Shagen has been a bit silly since he was little. He's sixteen now, and I've always been worried about his marriage. But somehow he's managed to get it all sorted out without us even noticing. Hey, tell us which girl Shagen has his eye on so we can all be happy."
Zhao Yougui smiled sheepishly: "She's a girl from the Sun family in Guihua Village. Shagen keeps talking about water celery. I've met that girl once. She has regular features and is very hardworking. She's a blessing to our Shagen."
Upon hearing the name Sun Shuiqin, the smile on Old Mrs. Zhao's face froze.
She hadn't forgotten that not long ago, Cheng Wanwan had come to inquire about the girl's family background, saying she wanted to find a partner for Er Gou.
However, when she asked again later, Aunt Dashan said it was a misunderstanding.
Looking at Zhao Ergou's absent-minded appearance, Old Mrs. Zhao twitched her lips. It seemed that it was not a misunderstanding. Ergou must also have his eye on the Sun family's daughter.
However, the girl is already engaged to Zhao Shagen, so it's not okay to keep thinking about her.
Grandma Zhao said, "I'll have Da Wang deliver these two hundred coins later. It definitely won't delay Sha Gen from getting married."
Zhao Yougui left, thanking him profusely.
Zhao Ergou was still in a daze.
"This Sun family's daughter has quite the airs." Old Mrs. Zhao said, her head down as she mended clothes. "These days, the dowry is at most half a tael of silver, but their family is asking for a whole tael. If the girl's parents asked for this money, it means they're not sensible people. If they ask for too much, how will their daughter live in someone else's house? If the girl herself asked for this money, it means she's quite shrewd. In short, this girl is not suitable for our Zhao family."
Zhao Ergou silently lowered his head, turned around and walked out.
When he got home, he still looked dejected.
Cheng Wanwan looked at him and said, "You just got back, you must be tired. Go back to your room and rest for a while after you eat."
Zhao Ergou went back into the house to change into a patched set of clothes, and then started making adobe bricks. He was obsessed with houses, and Shuiqin would never refuse him if the house was even a little bit spacious...
He kept his head down and remained silent.
Cheng Wanwan called Zhao Sidan over: "Go to your grandma's house to borrow some salt, and ask your second brother what happened over there."
Zhao Sidan nodded and immediately went to borrow salt.
Grandma Zhao had intended to give him a few words of advice, so she naturally asked Zhao Sidan to tell Cheng Wanwan about Zhao Shagen's upcoming marriage.
Cheng Wanwan sighed and rubbed her forehead, unsure of what to say.
She had never been in a relationship, let alone experienced heartbreak. She couldn't empathize with Zhao Ergou's sadness, so she could only assign him tasks.
"Ergou, we're running out of mud for making adobe bricks. Go over there and fetch a few more loads."
"Ergou, we're running low on firewood. Go chop some more."
"Ergou, you and your older brother work in the fields together. Finish it early before the sun gets too strong."
Zhao Ergou was so busy that he didn't have time to think about anything else, and his energy gradually returned.
For lunch, Cheng Wanwan used a pound of meat, all of which was used to make braised pork. She also cut off a little bit to make a pork and egg soup, which Zhao Dashan fed to his wife.
It hadn't been long since the family last ate meat, but the boys still looked like they hadn't eaten meat in ages, their mouths greasy as they ate.
Although the steps for making braised pork this time were exactly the same as last time, the taste was just not as good as the bowl that Wu Huiniang made herself. Naturally, the children couldn't tell the difference. As long as it was meat, they were happy no matter how they ate it.
After finishing his meal, the village head strolled in.
"Isn't this a coincidence? We're having meat at home today too." The village head burped. "Meat is such a good thing. One bite and you're in heaven. My boys almost fought over the last piece of meat."
The four boys in the family coughed dryly.
If it weren't for their mother, the four of them would definitely have fought over a piece of meat.
Of course, because his mother was there, the last piece of meat was put into her bowl.
Zhao Dashan collected the bowls and chopsticks and went to wash them. Cheng Wanwan dragged out a stool for the village head to sit down.
"I've come to tell you some good news," the village head said with a smile. "The ice jelly you sell has spread to several nearby towns. People from places like Hekou Town, Fenghuang Town, and Baiyun Town have specifically asked me if I could pass on a message that their small taverns and inns also want to stock up on ice jelly for sale. I wonder if you can still supply it?"
Cheng Wanwan laughed: "Of course."
We have 30 to 40 kilograms of ice jelly seeds stockpiled at home. As long as we have enough people to wash the ice jelly, supply is not a big problem at all.
The village head took a piece of paper out of his pocket.
He didn't know many characters, but he often saw the signs on the road, so he naturally recognized them. He read them out one by one: "I've had the names of those who need supplies written down. Those with less than fifty bowls are fine. I've only written down the ones with larger supply volumes... Yingfeng Inn, Zhu's Tavern, and Ruyi Tavern in Hekou Town, fifty bowls each... Huating Restaurant, Fugui Restaurant, and Meishiyuan in Fenghuang Town, one hundred bowls each... Baiyun Town..."
Cheng Wanwan quickly calculated in her mind that the total amount served in these small restaurants, taverns, inns, and hotels amounted to a thousand bowls.
A thousand bowls would require five catties of agar seeds.
In total, she will need to find at least three more people to help with the washing and scrubbing.
Except for the ice jelly in Hekou Town, which costs one copper coin a bowl, the cost price in other towns is two copper coins. Calculated this way, her daily income can reach more than three taels of silver...
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