Chapter 52: The cost and profit of one exam are split in half.
As they were talking, Aunt Lü came over.
She had a basket slung over her arm, and the basket contained three old pumpkins.
Before Aunt Lü left, someone brought her more vegetables, including eggplant, winter melon, loofah, and green peppers.
Although there are many vegetables available in summer, in ancient times, vegetables were not as abundant and diverse as they are today; there were only a few kinds available.
Ye Li's family consists of four people: two adults and two children. One of the adults is often away from home.
Ye Li wanted Ye Liang to take some vegetables with him.
Ye Liang shook his head and refused.
He also had to carry tofu puffs and large skewers on his back, and he was too exhausted.
It's nothing valuable, I'll keep the leaves and eat them slowly.
Besides, he often comes over to freeload meals himself.
Gong Lisheng bought a watermelon today, so he can buy meat tomorrow.
Since Ye Liang wouldn't take it, Ye Li had to find a way to consume it herself.
Since there were no snacks at home, Ye Li cut the pumpkin into chunks, put them on a small stove to cook, mashed them into a puree, mixed them with glutinous rice flour, and then fried them in oil.
He fried a lot of pumpkin balls.
He only added a little maltose, but the pumpkin itself is sweet enough, so the dumplings are crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, soft, sweet and delicious.
Jiang Mai and Jiang Ya liked it very much. They skewered the food with chopsticks and ate it like candied hawthorns—they had a deep impression of the tofu puffs that Ye Li had skewered for them before.
Considering there were no dental clinics at the time, Ye Li didn't make the syrup and actually turned the pumpkin balls into candied hawthorns.
This concern is not unfounded.
Because of the fried dough sticks, his family never ran out of sugar.
He needs to add sugar to all kinds of food, such as noodles, jasmine honey tea, porridge, and sweet snacks, because he is really worried that eating too much sugar will cause problems with the two little ones' teeth.
Jiang Ji sent a bowl of pumpkin dumplings to Jiang Dahe's family, and Ye Li fried a large basin of them, enough for them to eat for three to five days.
When he returned, he was carrying three strings of cash.
He placed the copper coin, which weighed over twenty pounds, in the west room, and then went into the kitchen.
Ye Li had already prepared dinner: stir-fried pork with watermelon rind and dumplings that hadn't been cooked at noon.
Watermelon rind is also a good dish. Ye Li peeled off the outer skin and teeth marks of the watermelon rind left over today, cut it into strips, and stir-fried it with the pork brought by Bao Beiyuan. After it was cooked, it looked similar to a winter melon.
But when you actually eat it, it's crispy with a hint of sweetness, and the taste is quite good.
The two little ones had just eaten quite a few pumpkin balls, so they were full after only eating some stir-fried pork with watermelon rind and a few dumplings.
But instead of washing up, they stared longingly at Ye Li.
They already knew that his brother and Li were going to the county town tomorrow, and they wanted to go too...
“Little Wheat, Little Sprout, we have important business to attend to in the county town this time. After your eldest brother finishes his exams, we’ll go to the county town together.”
Ye Li smiled and made the promise.
"Really?" Jiang Ya asked with wide eyes.
“Of course, Ya-ge’er, do you know the story of Zengzi killing the pig?” Ye Li asked.
Jiang Ya shook her little head: "I don't know."
Jiang Ji glanced at Ye Li calmly, then continued eating.
Ye Li patiently explained what Zengzi killing the pig meant, so that Jiang Ya would trust him.
After explaining, he added, "Don't worry, Ya-ge'er, if your brother passes the provincial examination, we'll celebrate. If he doesn't, we'll go for a walk to relax. We'll definitely go to the county town to have some fun."
Jiang Ji: "..."
Jiang Mai: "..."
But Jiang Ya was happy. He was young and didn't understand anything about good fortune or superstition. He was only concerned that the whole family could go to the county town together.
He patted the table with his little hand: "Then it's settled! Brother Li, Zengzi is slaughtering the pig."
Ye Li immediately laughed and nodded: "Okay!"
Having achieved his goal, Jiang Ya was relieved and pulled Jiang Mai to wash up.
Tonight, he and his second brother only drank half a bowl of dumpling-boiling water, so they definitely won't wet the bed!
Jiang Ji quickly ate his meal, then took the mugwort to fumigate the house.
After Ye Li finished cleaning the kitchen, he went into the west room and immediately noticed the three strings of cash on the table.
He was somewhat surprised.
so much?
Jiang Ji was still burning mugwort in the east room. He was about to go over and ask him what was going on when the two little ones, who had just finished showering, skipped and hopped into the main room.
So Ye Li took her change of clothes and went to take a shower.
After he took a shower, Jiang Ji also put Jiang Mai and Jiang Ya to sleep.
He went back inside to wait.
If it were his previous life, he would definitely have made a shopping list for tomorrow.
But at this moment, he could only memorize it silently in his heart.
Not long after, Jiang Ji pushed the door open and came in.
Ye Li looked at him, but this time she didn't admire his good looks. Instead, she pointed to the copper coins on the table and asked, "What are you doing with these coins?"
Jiang Ji casually bolted the door shut, saying, "For the exam."
"For exams?" Ye Li asked in surprise.
He really doesn't know anything about this area.
Jiang Ji pulled over a high stool and sat down in front of the kang (a heated brick bed), explaining to him, "Registering for the provincial examination and finding a government-subsidized student to vouch for you both cost money."
"...How much will it cost?"
Ye Li asked.
This is a blind spot in his knowledge.
He only knew that in order to prevent candidates from cheating in the ancient imperial examinations, not only did the candidates need to sign each other's documents as guarantors—about five people in total, each verifying the authenticity of the other's information.
In addition, a government-subsidized student is needed to act as guarantor.
The top-ranking students in the county school were called "Linsheng," and they not only didn't have to pay for their studies, but the imperial court also provided them with grain and silver every year.
He only knew the general outline, not the details.
The original owner was angry because she thought Jiang Ji spent too much money, and didn't ask any questions in detail.
Therefore, he had no idea that it would cost so much money.
Jiang Ji was puzzled when he saw that Ye Li seemed genuinely unaware of this. "She seems to know a lot, so how come she doesn't know these things?"
But he made no guesses.
He patiently explained, "One exam costs sixty coins, and two exams in the academy will cost one hundred and twenty coins."
"In addition, two students need to act as guarantors, whom we find ourselves; this is called 'recognizing guarantors'."
"The government will also forcibly assign a student to act as a guarantor. This is called assigning a guarantor. The specific candidate is determined after the prefectural examination."
"Because the students who were in charge of the stipends had to take the risk and accompany the candidates to the prefectural city to act as guarantors, all the expenses were borne by the five of us students ourselves."
"The two students, in addition to their usual hardship allowance, will have their travel expenses, lodging, and meals shared by the five of us."
“I don’t need to bother looking for people. Master Han will help. I just need to give the money to him.”
“Since I had to pay tuition to go to the private school this time, I decided to bring it back with me.”
After hearing this, Ye Li immediately asked, "So, the registration fee is one hundred and twenty coins. The total compensation for the two students is two thousand coins?"
Jiang Ji nodded: "Yes. As for the specific travel expenses, accommodation, and food, I spent a total of fourteen taels for the last prefectural examination."
"Including the registration fee and the handling fee, the total cost was a little over sixteen taels."
"...So little? Didn't you stay in the prefectural city for more than a month last time?"
Ye Li asked.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Ji smiled and said, "Master Han has an old house in the prefectural city. We only need to pay the normal rent to live there, and then pay a little for food. The old servants in the house will be responsible for cooking, so it won't cost much."
As the imperial examinations approach, room rates in the prefectural city will skyrocket.
Fortunately, Master Han was kind and benevolent, and the room fee was shared by the five of them, so he could still afford it.
Most of the money was spent on food.
He could eat cornbread every meal, but the two students couldn't. If he offended them, and they failed the exam, how could he find someone to vouch for him again next time?
Therefore, food expenses are the biggest expense.
Otherwise, he could have kept the expenses for this trip to the prefectural city to ten taels.
After hearing his explanation, Ye Li felt a pang of heartache.
A poor family should travel lavishly, especially for such an important exam, yet they ended up eating cornbread every day.
Fortunately, he was there this time.
This time, we must make sure Jiang Ji has a comfortable journey.
Regardless of the outcome, we must not suffer any more during the process.
However, pointing to the three strings of cash, he asked, "So, you need to pay 2,120 coins to go to the private school this time. But you brought back only three strings of cash. What are you doing carrying so much?"
"...I don't want you to pay all the time when we go shopping tomorrow."
Jiang Ji spoke the truth.
As soon as he finished speaking, Ye Li immediately raised her hand and punched him on the shoulder: "Jiang Ji, wasn't last night's matter over? Why are you doing this again?"
"Are you deliberately playing the victim to get me to tell you everything?"
That's a bit harsh.
Jiang Ji immediately shook his head and denied it: "I didn't!"
"Say it again? Do you dare to swear?" Ye Li said sternly.
"...The first sentence is true. The second sentence is absolutely not true!"
Jiang Ji changed his tune.
"Look, look." Ye Li couldn't help but punch him again: "I said we'd let it go, but if you keep doing this, I'll really get angry."
Jiang Ji: "..."
He was somewhat frustrated.
His straight shoulders slumped.
Seeing that Ye Li was still glaring at him, he sighed inwardly, got up from the high stool, and stretched out his long arm to pull Ye Li into his arms.
He then collapsed onto the kang (a heated brick bed).
The two lay facing each other.
But Ye Li did not stop glaring at her just because of the change in her posture.
He silently met Ye Li's gaze.
The more I look at Ye Li, the cuter she seems. Of course, what's even more precious is Ye Li's heart.
He laughed: "Okay, this is truly over."
Upon hearing this, Ye Li rolled her eyes at him, then turned around and pointed to the money on the table, saying, "As punishment for you, I'm confiscating the remaining few hundred coins."
"Okay!" Jiang Ji replied quickly.
This money was originally intended to be spent on Ye Li.
Ye Li turned around and saw that he looked delighted, so she hummed, "I'll get some cloth tomorrow and make you another robe so you'll have something to change into."
"No need! I can wear a new one for the exam. My current outfit doesn't have any patches, so I can wear it on the street or at home."
Jiang Ji hurriedly said.
"Then let's make new clothes for Xiaomai and Yage'er. I think their clothes are too old."
Ye Li changed her mind.
Jiang Ji didn't shake his head this time. After thinking for a moment, he agreed, "Okay."
Wheat was found in his old clothes.
Ya Ge'er was wearing old clothes made of wheat.
It truly is a cycle of three years of new clothes, three years of old clothes, and then another three years of patching and mending.
Wheat even wore new clothes, but Ya Ge'er didn't have that privilege.
Now that things are better at home, it's time to get some new clothes.
Seeing that Jiang Ji had agreed, Ye Li then asked about other things.
What else do I need to prepare before going to the prefectural city?
Jiang Ji shook his head completely.
The prefectural city is not far from Beiyang County; it takes about three days to travel there.
The autumn temperature is still quite good. When the time comes, pack two quilts and clothes in a burlap sack, and books and pens in a book box, and then you can get on the bus and leave.
Nothing else needs to be prepared.
After hearing his words, Ye Li's brows furrowed so deeply they could trap a mosquito.
But you can't find any fault with it.
A burlap sack is like a suitcase, and a book box is like a backpack. He wore this outfit when he went to school in his previous life.
Imagine Jiang Ji carrying a sack on one shoulder and a box of books in the other; he raises his hand and pats his forehead.
That's all.
He should prepare more money for Jiang Ji.
After discussing their business, it was already late, so they blew out the oil lamp and went to sleep.
The next day, after pressing the tofu, the two put on straw hats, got into Jiang Tong's oxcart, and swayed and bumped their way towards the county town.
On the oxcart, Ye Li had a large basket on his back next to him.
The basket contained six strings of copper coins.
One string is more than eight jin, so six strings would be about fifty jin.
Jiang Ji was puzzled—no, he was scared—staring at the basket on his back for a long time: "What exactly do you want to buy?"
Are you going to spend a fortune on him?
Ye Li, holding a palm-leaf fan, noticed his expression and found it somewhat amusing. She patted him with the fan and said, "Don't overthink it. I'm going to the bank to exchange these copper coins for silver notes."
The denominations of Daxia Baochao (大夏宝钞) varied.
Some have one set, some have two sets, and some have five sets.
Of course, there are also those that cost one hundred taels.
He didn't have a hundred taels of silver.
But he still had five strings of cash.
"Silver notes?" Jiang Ji was surprised.
"Yes, the silver notes are easy to obtain. You can use them to sew clothes for your clothes later. This is your last resort. Even if you lose all the other money, you can still return to Beiyang County."
"...I won't get lost, I'm not a child anymore. Besides, I've already been to the prefectural city once."
Jiang Ji was both amused and exasperated.
But it warmed my heart.
Ye Li cares about him too much.
"Take it. It's always good to have more when you're on a long journey, even if you're poor. Besides, we can't eat cornbread every day this time."
"As you know, our family has many ways to make money now. In the future, thanks to the egg-changing business, my monthly commission will be several taels."
When the agreement was initially signed, it was stipulated that no matter how much the villagers sold, he would take 10%.
Judging from the villagers' enthusiasm yesterday, the production of preserved eggs will at least double in the future.
Then his commission would have to double from 1,900 coins.
This is the minimum figure; in reality, his commission will only be higher.
Jiang Ji could not refute Ye Li's words.
He didn't say anything more, but made up his mind that he wouldn't go home for the last month.
He focused on his studies!
What kind of repayment is it to use one's body?
Fame and fortune are the best reward.
After entering the city, the two went straight to the money exchange.
At the money exchange, Ye Li paid a handling fee of ten coins and exchanged five strings of copper coins for a five-string silver note.
The banknotes were similar to those seen in TV dramas. After leaving the bank, he stared at the banknotes, touched them repeatedly, and even held them up to the sun, marveling at the anti-counterfeiting technology of the ancients. Afterward, he put the banknotes away and went with Jiang Ji to the cloth shop to buy cloth and to the vegetable market to buy meat.
After a flurry of activity, by the time they finally arrived at the cold jelly shop, the sun was already high in the sky.
The cold jelly shop has also reopened.
Gong Lisheng and Chen Cuihua were sitting in the shop peeling garlic, preparing to mash it into garlic paste.
When the couple saw Ye Li and Jiang Ji, they warmly invited them into the shop. Chen Cuihua brought over some mung bean cakes and washed a few apples.
However, most of the apples were green, and they were only about the size of Jiang Ya's fist.
Upon seeing the apple, Ye Li's mouth watered before he even smelled it—he could imagine how sour it must be.
He waved his hand and got down to business.
He also briefly recounted the discussion among the villagers yesterday.
Of course, he also made it clear that he wanted to follow the mass line.
He didn't have time to sell cold preserved eggs himself, but out of respect for Bao Beiyuan and because Gong Lisheng was honest, he decided to continue supplying his family's preserved eggs to the cold noodle shop.
After hearing his words, Gong Lisheng and Chen Cuihua exchanged a glance and both frowned.
However, they had anticipated the villagers' price increase.
The price Gong Lisheng offered yesterday was just a preliminary assessment; if the villagers didn't agree, they could negotiate further.
However, the specific amount...
Gong Lisheng tentatively asked, "Then shall I add another fifty coins?"
One hundred and fifty coins became two hundred coins.
He makes a total profit of 500 coins for every 500 eggs he sells, and now he's giving away 200 coins, which he feels is quite sincere.
Does this mean we should split the five hundred coins in half?
Upon hearing this number, Ye Li smiled and said, "Brother Sheng, actually I have an idea."
“Go ahead,” Gong Lisheng said hastily.
Chen Cuihua stared at him with a hint of nervousness.
Ye Li didn't keep them in suspense and said directly, "How about we calculate the money based on the number of eggs sold? If you and your sister-in-law can sell three hundred eggs a day, how about we split the profits in half?"
"Three hundred servings a day?"
Gong Lisheng and Chen Cuihua were taken aback.
“Yes, 300 servings a day, that’s 600 cash. If you split it in half, that’s 300 cash. 300 cash a day, that’s close to 10 taels of silver a month.”
This is no small amount of money!
This was a decision he made last night after discussing it with Jiang Ji.
The villagers of Yezaopo were his fellow villagers and were on the same side as him.
Gong Lisheng, too, did not want to antagonize anyone.
After all, they weren't pretending to be confused, and they spent a lot of money on watermelons.
They are indeed simple, hardworking people.
Furthermore, there is also Bao Beiyuan in the middle.
So he and Jiang Ji compromised and split the profits equally, so he didn't show favoritism to either of them.
In this way, it is Gong Lisheng who suffers.
But the amount of money they could earn was not small.
The villagers no longer need to worry about losing money every day or rack their brains to maximize their profits.
Gong Lisheng was stunned by the number ten taels. Without thinking about anything else, he immediately asked, "Do you have that many eggs for me to sell?"
"If you can't sell them, then we'll charge you 100 coins. After all, it's you and your sister-in-law who have worked hard."
Ye Lidao.
"Hmm... okay."
Gong Lisheng nodded quickly without hesitation.
His original expectation was to give up 200 coins.
The bottom line is to give up half.
Of course, if the villagers of Yezaopo insist on their claim, then it's not impossible to continue the discussion.
Sigh, there's nothing I can do.
There's no business for cold noodles right now.
As long as there's a chance to make money from eggs, he'll definitely keep trying.
It's better than resting anyway.
He's not Bao Beixing!
He's not lazy!
He can accept the price Ye Li is offering now.
Gong Lisheng accepted, and after the business was finished, Ye Li and Jiang Ji did not stay any longer.
Furthermore, people have already come to buy the cold-dressed preserved eggs.
Yesterday, Gong Lisheng brought back more than 4,000 eggs—Jiang Tong alone had nearly 2,000, and Jiang Liu and Jiang Yu each had more than 1,000.
So many eggs must have cost a lot to produce.
Of course, what attracted Gong Lisheng and his wife even more was the profit.
They were eager to cash out, so they didn't keep Ye Li and Jiang Ji around.
Chen Cuihua cut a large piece of jelly for Ye Li to take away.
The jelly was prepared early in the morning. Because business is not good every day, only a small amount of jelly is made. Chen Cuihua cut off a third of it for Ye Li with one stroke.
No matter how much Ye Li refused, she insisted on not taking the money.
Ye Li had no choice but to put the jelly into his basket. He and Jiang Ji got into the oxcart and left the city to go home without shopping.
Ye Li had already prepared walnuts and black sesame seeds, so there's no need to buy any more today.
As for the meat floss, it needs to be made with fresh meat. Jiang Ji will make it when he returns to the private school tomorrow.
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