Chapter 61 Jiang Ji Discusses Business, Bao Beiyuan Falls Ill
After the last prefectural examination, Jiang Ji only rested for one night. The next day, following the instructions of the old servant of the Han family, he hurriedly went out to do odd jobs.
This time, he had plenty of money. After returning to the Han family's old house from the examination hall, he slept soundly for a night. The next day, feeling relaxed, he went out for a stroll with Shi Yi.
He and Shi Yi were not in the same lecture hall, and their instructors were different; they were merely acquaintances before.
Shi Yi's family was slightly better off than his, but this "slight" was extremely limited—Shi Yi's family owned about fifty mu of land, which would have made them wealthy farmers, but once Shi Yi started school, the Shi family became ordinary farmers.
Therefore, along the way, he and Shi Yi had quite a bit in common and became acquainted.
Neither of them had any connections or social skills in the prefectural city. They buried themselves in their studies as soon as they entered the city. Now that the provincial examination was finally over, they decided to go out for a stroll.
As for the results of the imperial examination.
I've done my best; now it's up to fate.
The prefectural city was quite prosperous, but its local customs and traditions were the same as those of Beiyang County. Moreover, Beiyang County, due to its advantageous location, was even more abundant in terms of resources than the prefectural city.
Some products from the south would be transported directly north to Beijing.
Similarly, some products from the north would also travel directly south by waterway.
The prefectural city was not a necessary stop for travelers going north or south.
This makes it a bit difficult to fulfill Ye Li's request.
Beiyang County has everything that the prefectural city has, and it also has things that the prefectural city doesn't.
Jiang Ji was troubled; what small gifts should he buy?
Moreover, he had been so focused on reading that he hadn't even filled thirty pages of the diary Ye Li had asked him to write yet.
How can we make Ye Li feel like she's actually there?
With no clue, Jiang Ji could only walk around and look at things. By noon, both he and Shi Yi were starving.
The two decided to find a small stall to have lunch.
They randomly chose a side alley connected to the main street—the food in the alley was definitely cheaper than on the main street.
As soon as the two stepped into the alley, a clear voice rang out from not far away: "Cold-dressed preserved eggs, a specialty of Beiyang County! Don't miss it!"
The shout immediately drew Jiang Ji's attention.
Shi Yi also became interested: "It's a 'chang dan' (a type of egg), how familiar."
He looked closely and saw that the person shouting was standing in front of a small restaurant. The restaurant's signboard looked quite old, and a large character for "noodles" was written on it.
He then said, "How about we go to that restaurant? It doesn't look high-end, so it shouldn't be expensive."
"Okay." A smile flashed in Jiang Ji's eyes.
He was traveling when he unexpectedly encountered a bastard, which made him feel very welcome.
The two arrived at the noodle shop and looked inside. All ten or so tables were already full.
They hesitated a bit.
At this moment, the waiter standing at the door called out, "Please come in, gentlemen. We'll be done in a moment."
"Our shop offers a variety of soup noodles and dry noodles, as well as vegetarian noodles for five coins a bowl. What would you two gentlemen like to eat?"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Ji looked at Shi Yi.
Shi Yi pointed to the noodle shop: "Let's go inside and wait."
It's really not expensive.
Jiang Ji nodded.
The waiter immediately smiled and led the two into the store, reciting the names of the dishes to them.
Jiang Ji still has more than ten taels of silver in his hand. After deducting the food expenses for the next ten days and the travel expenses to return to Beiyang County, he still has nearly ten taels at his disposal.
Therefore, he ordered a bowl of egg noodle soup for ten coins.
Shi Yi ordered a bowl of vegetarian noodles for eight coins.
Before the noodles were even served, some customers who had finished eating left, so the two of them sat down in the empty seats.
Jiang Ji looked around and noticed that half the tables in the shop had cold preserved eggs.
At that moment, another person entered the store.
They also specifically requested to eat cold preserved egg salad.
He couldn't help but feel happy inside.
After he finished laughing, he pursed his lips and looked down at the slightly greasy table in front of him.
Ye Li should have already eaten lunch and is preparing to fry tofu puffs.
...
When I have more money and free time in the future, I definitely need to go out and travel with Ye Li.
Yeli shouldn't be confined to a small village.
That tofu puff workshop should be set up. Once the autumn harvest is over and the villagers plant wheat, there will be no work to do in the fields, and they will have time to work at the workshop.
His thoughts drifted a little far away. Shi Yi looked around and saw him staring blankly at the table, so he waved his hand in front of his eyes and asked, "Brother Jiang, what are you thinking about?"
He was a few years older than Jiang Ji, and his two children were about the same age as Jiang Mai and Jiang Ya.
Jiang Ji snapped out of his reverie and casually said, "I'm thinking about where to go this afternoon."
Shi Yi laughed upon hearing this: "You're just making excuses for me. You must be missing your husband."
He saw it that day; the two of them were looking at each other with such tender eyes when they set off that it was embarrassing to look directly at them.
They'd only been married for six months, and were still very much in love.
Jiang Ji admitted, "I guess so, since the gift issue hasn't been resolved yet."
"If you really have no clue, then buy a box of rouge; you can't go wrong with that."
Shi Yi offered a suggestion.
rouge?
Jiang Ji hesitated for a moment. Ye Li didn't like to dress up. He had never seen her use the rouge and powder he bought before their marriage.
After some thought, the noodles were ready for the two of them.
The waiter brought the noodles over, and the two, who were already starving, stopped talking and picked up their chopsticks to eat.
The noodles tasted good. This restaurant looks like a long-established brand, and it really does have some good stuff.
Just as they were happily eating their noodles, a middle-aged man who looked like the owner came out of the kitchen and said to the waiter standing at the door shouting, "Liu Zi, stop shouting, that's enough for today."
Upon hearing this, the waiter named Liu Zi immediately stepped into the restaurant.
Hearing this, a customer behind Jiang Ji complained, "Boss, can't you buy more preserved eggs? They're only available for half an hour at noon. If you come late, you won't get any. How can you do business like this?"
This remark resonated with other diners who had ordered the cold preserved egg salad: "That's right, it's such a hassle to have to time your meal so carefully."
"Boss, Beiyang County isn't far away. If you really want to buy it, surely you can buy it?"
...
Jiang Ji was somewhat surprised.
The owner of this noodle shop is actually selling noodles for a limited time?
The shopkeeper smiled and apologized, "Ladies and gentlemen, it's not that I don't want to buy them, it's just that I really can't. The preserved eggs I have here were bought by my brother-in-law by chance."
"Even Beiyang County itself doesn't have enough to sell."
He really had no other choice.
After the eggs were introduced to his shop, he didn't advertise them extensively; he simply stood at the entrance of his shop and called out to customers for a while each day.
Leave after the appointed time.
He hoped that with that little bit of stock, he could attract more customers to eat noodles.
It's a slow and steady process.
The diners were still dissatisfied after hearing the owner's explanation, but they had no other choice.
Even Beiyang County itself doesn't have enough to sell, so there's definitely no surplus to supply the prefectural city.
Moreover, some merchants take them to other places.
Sigh, why can't the people of Beiyang County make more preserved eggs?
Jiang Ji listened to the crowd's discussion and continued eating his noodles at a leisurely pace.
Shi Yi looked proud: "Our county's preserved eggs have really become famous."
He was unaware that the preserved eggs originated from Wild Jujube Slope.
He wasn't familiar with Jiang Ji before, and the small restaurant owners who sold preserved eggs didn't claim to know the origin of the eggs.
Anyway, there's no worry about selling preserved eggs.
The more they complain, the more people will find the wild jujube slope and compete with them for it.
Jiang Ji hummed in agreement, beckoned Liu Zi over, and said, "Two more bowls of egg noodle soup, please."
Upon hearing this, Liu Zi immediately reported the order to the kitchen.
But Shi Yi was surprised and whispered, "You eat so much? Let's go back and eat some flatbread."
A typical bowl of noodles wouldn't be enough to fill the stomachs of these robust young men.
If you can eat three bowls at once, that will cost thirty coins!
His classmate's family has improved in the last six months - Jiang Ji is quite famous in the private school because she passed the imperial examination at a young age and is also beautiful. Therefore, he has heard about Jiang Ji more or less and has even seen Jiang Ji eating in the kitchen a few times.
The food was indeed good.
Even so, we can't waste it like this.
Jiang Ji shook his head upon hearing this: "One of the bowls is for you."
"For me?" Shi Yi was taken aback, then scratched his head in confusion: "We left together this morning, and I didn't see you secretly picking up money?"
Jiang Ji was amused by his words and explained, "We didn't find any money this morning, but business is coming soon. To celebrate, let's have an extra bowl of noodles today."
"...What kind of business?" Shi Yi asked, puzzled.
Jiang Ji didn't answer, but simply said, "Let's talk after we finish eating the noodles."
Shi Yi became extremely curious.
Even after the waiter brought the noodles, he couldn't taste them.
By the time the two finished their second bowl of noodles, the restaurant was half empty.
Jiang Ji looked at Liu Zi, who was wiping the table, and said, "Go and call your boss. I have a business deal with him about preserved eggs. I come from Beiyang County, and these preserved eggs were made by my husband."
One sentence startled Liu Zi, who gasped and froze instantly.
Shi Yi's eyes widened in disbelief: "Your husband made this egg?!"
Jiang Ji smiled and said, "Yes."
Shi Yi: "..."
He turned to Liu Zi and said, "Give me another bowl of egg noodle soup, he'll treat."
He pointed at Jiang Ji.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Ji's smile widened, and he said to Liu Zi, "Go on, and bring another bowl of egg noodle soup."
Liu Zi had also come to his senses by this time. He ran into the kitchen, overjoyed!
Jiang Ji watched his retreating figure and felt equally delighted.
Previously, Ye Li always said that the sales of preserved eggs would decline after winter.
But if we have the prefectural city as a channel, can the sales of the preserved egg be stabilized?
Wild Jujube Slope.
An autumn rain has halved the intensity of the late summer heat, and the temperature has dropped, but it hasn't affected the business of tofu puffs and preserved eggs for the time being.
But the drink is different.
Preserved eggs can be eaten with hot food, but if you drink half a pound of cold beverage, many people's stomachs can't handle it.
It's time to sell hot drinks.
This was a bit of a hassle for Bao Beiyuan; he had to prepare two stoves and buy charcoal, which cost more than he would have spent on ice in the summer.
When pushing the cart to deliver drinks to customers and going through the streets and alleys, one must be careful to avoid accidentally tipping the earthenware pot over from the stove.
Ye Li took advantage of Gong Lisheng's visit to the village to buy preserved eggs and asked Gong Lisheng to pass on a message to Bao Beiyuan, saying that he wanted Bao Beiyuan to rent a shop.
Bao Beiyuan did not reply, and soon it was the end of the month.
That afternoon, Bao Beiyuan came to deliver Ye Li's share of the month's earnings.
When he arrived, Ye Li was frying tofu puffs.
Ye Liang sat by the stove, tending the fire while shelling corn kernels.
Unlike before, the corn that Ye Li harvested this time was not sent to Jiang Dahe's house.
He wants to eat cornmeal, so he has to remove the corn kernels first.
Without machines, it all depends on manual labor. Ye Liang knew what kind of person his third brother was, so he took the opportunity to help him take off some clothes while the fire was burning.
At that moment, the two brothers saw Bao Beiyuan enter the door and greeted him with smiles.
“Sit down. Are you thirsty? Brother, go and boil some water on the stove,” Ye Li said.
In this kind of weather, he doesn't even drink cold boiled water.
I'm afraid of getting cold.
But without a thermos, you have to boil water yourself if you want hot water.
Ye Liang got up to move the stove, but Bao Beiyuan waved his hand and said, "Brother Liang, I'm not thirsty, no need to trouble yourself."
"It's alright, there's a fire in the stove, it'll be quick."
Ye Liang glanced at Bao Beiyuan's pale, chapped lips, then got up and left.
You said you weren't thirsty.
Seeing this, Bao Beiyuan had no choice but to put down the basket on his back. He bent down and took out a bag of snacks from the basket and placed it on the stove.
Ye Li immediately said, "Why are you buying snacks again? We have plenty of food at home."
Bao Beiyuan said with a smile, "I bought it for Xiaomai and Ya Ge'er, they like it."
Upon hearing this, Ye Li could only reiterate, "They don't lack anything either, so don't buy it next time."
However, looking at Bao Beiyuan's face, he frowned and asked, "Why is your face a little red?"
"It was probably blown by the wind," Bao Beiyuan explained casually.
He then bent down to lift the copper coins from the bottom of the basket.
Business was suspended for three days this month due to rain, and the income was not as much as last month. He was carrying a string of coins in each hand and was about to transfer the money to the stove with great effort, but the two strings of coins felt like they were weighed down by stones, so heavy that his vision went black and his body swayed a few times.
Ye Li was startled and was about to help him up.
At this moment, Ye Liang, who had moved the stove to the side of the shed, rushed forward to help him up: "You..."
The moment the word "you" left his mouth, Ye Liang exclaimed in surprise, "You have a fever?!"
Bao Beiyuan's hands were burning hot.
He hurriedly touched Bao Beiyuan's forehead again, but the touch made it even hotter, so he pulled his hand back.
He frowned: "You have a high fever, have you seen a doctor? Come on, I'll take you to see a doctor."
He came today in an oxcart, which will take him to the county town.
Ye Li was speechless at this moment, but before he could speak, Bao Beiyuan shook his head with a smile: "It's okay, I got a prescription from the doctor a few days ago, I just need to take one dose when I get back."
"...You were sick a few days ago?" Ye Li frowned.
“I caught a chill from the rain earlier and haven’t gotten better, but it’s nothing serious.” Bao Beiyuan composed himself, enduring the dizziness, and pointed to the basket on his back, saying, “Brother Li, count this money, it’s two strings and thirty-two coins in total.”
“I’ll count later, brother. You take him to the county town to see a doctor.”
Ye Li frowned even more deeply.
It rained almost two weeks ago!
“I’m really fine, no need to trouble you two,” Bao Beiyuan insisted.
But Ye Li stared at his flushed face and pale lips, how could she feel at ease?
Ye Liang was also worried, so she half-dragged and half-pulled him toward the door.
The oxcart was tied to the jujube tree at the entrance.
Bao Beiyuan was suffering from a high fever and was feeling weak all over. He was also dizzy and unable to break free from Ye Liang.
He was forcibly put onto an oxcart.
Ye Li chased after him, handed Ye Liang a string of cash, and told Ye Liang to visit two more clinics.
Bao Beiyuan had been ill for more than ten days and now had a high fever. Given the current level of medical care, he would really have to see several doctors to feel at ease.
Soon, the tofu puffs and fried dough sticks were all fried.
After waiting a while, Jiang Mai and Jiang Ya returned.
The two little ones have returned to normal levels in terms of firewood collection and will no longer stay until evening to come back.
However, they were all very worried when they learned that Bao Beiyuan was ill.
Being sick is horrible; you have to take really bitter medicine!
Ye Liang didn't return until evening.
He brought Bao Beiyuan back.
Bao Beiyuan lived alone and had a high fever. After entering the city in the afternoon, he became delirious from the fever.
Although he had taken medicine at the clinic, he was still not fully conscious.
In this situation, he naturally had to bring the person back.
As for Gong Lisheng, he and his wife are still extremely busy every day, and they don't even have a place for Bao Beiyuan to stay.
However, Ye Liang still has to rush back today.
Otherwise, it would not only delay tomorrow's business, but also cause worry for the Ye family.
If Ye Liang left, and Jiang Ji wasn't home, and Ye Li was with the two little ones, then it wouldn't be appropriate for Bao Beiyuan to stay at the Jiang family home.
Jiang Tong's house was completed, and the whole family moved from the shed into the new house. But now, in addition to making preserved eggs, the family is also doing carpentry.
Jiang Tong was reluctant to part with the income from the wind chimes, so he got Jiang Shun, Jiang Da, and even Jiang Dachuan and Gao Jun involved. After all, they were small things, so they could practice slowly.
Moreover, Gao Jun's health is not very good.
After thinking it over, Ye Li decided that it would be better to send Bao Beiyuan to Jiang Dahe's house.
There's not much work to do in the fields now, so Liang Erxiang has time to take care of him.
There are also empty rooms in Jiang Dahe's house, so you can stay in the room that Jiang Mai and Jiang Ya used to live in.
Moreover, in the end, he, Jiang Ji, and Jiang Dahe's family are closer, so it's better to trouble their own people with this kind of thing.
Ye Liang had no objections. He led the oxcart and went with Ye Li to Jiang Dahe's house.
When the two arrived, Jiang Dahe and his family of four were all there.
After hearing Ye Li explain the reason, Jiang Dahe and Liang Erxiang agreed without hesitation.
Not to mention that Bao Beiyuan and Jiang Ji are on good terms, even if they were just strangers, they would be willing to take care of someone with such a pitiful experience.
So Ye Li settled Bao Beiyuan in Jiang Dahe's house.
At this moment, Bao Beiyuan was feeling dizzy and weak. Although he wanted to refuse, he knew his current situation and could only force himself to thank Jiang Dahe and Liang Erxiang.
His politeness and understanding made Jiang Dahe and Liang Erxiang feel even more sorry for him.
Such a good kid, it's just that he has bad luck!
Afterwards, Ye Liang went home, and Ye Li also went home.
Jiang Mai had already prepared dinner. After Ye Li ate dinner, she went to Jiang Dahe's house again.
Liang Erxiang cooked some porridge and gave Bao Beiyuan half a bowl. After that, she gave him his medicine and waited for him to fall asleep. Ye Li then asked Jiang Dahe to check on him in the middle of the night.
To prevent him from fainting from the fever.
Jiang Dahe readily agreed.
Ye Li then went home.
It was completely dark, the cicadas had all died down, and the surroundings were eerily quiet. He glanced at the moon overhead and unconsciously pursed his lips.
If you've won, someone will come to deliver the good news.
There's still no news from Jiang Ji.
Could it be that I really didn't win?
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