Chapter 87 Running to the county town every day to distribute holiday gifts
The day after seeing Old Man Shi off.
Ye Li then drove the oxcart, together with Gao Jun, taking Jiang Mai and Jiang Ya into the city.
First, I'll go and see Jiang Shun.
First, to let Jiang Ji see his new oxcart.
The four of them ate breakfast and set off. When they arrived at the gate of Bao Beiyuan's courtyard, Bao Beiyuan and Jiang Shun were having a meal.
Fried dough sticks, tofu pudding, and boiled eggs.
Bao Beiyuan made himself a bowl of walnut powder.
Jiang Shun was drinking a freshly made beverage.
Ye Li was quite satisfied with the food. Wasn't this more nutritious than just eating dry fried dough?
It's just that there are no vegetables.
But fresh vegetables are scarce in winter, so it's okay to skip a meal.
Although Jiang Shun is now helping him, Bao Beiyuan has not dismissed Aunt Zhou.
Because the order volume for Banxianju has reached 120 units!
At this time, there were no fancy drinks available, and sweet beverages were more popular with children than traditional tea. As a result, Banxianju's orders doubled in just one week.
You should know that Bao Beiyuan used to only make about eighty deliveries a day!
With such a large quantity, Bao Beiyuan's small kitchen couldn't possibly cook it all in one pot.
Moreover, the restaurant is open for business in the evenings as well, and Yu Cai wants fresh drinks.
We can't lose our regular customers either; we sell fifty or sixty packs of these every day.
Therefore, Bao Beiyuan would make one batch in the morning and another batch in the afternoon.
The morning batch consisted of 120 cartons, and the afternoon batch consisted of 60 cartons.
While Bao Beiyuan and Aunt Zhou went out to deliver goods, Jiang Shun stayed home to continue working.
However, although he now has to make 200 batches of drinks a day, because the glutinous rice flour is handed over to the mill, the goat milk is delivered to his door, and with Jiang Shun's help, Bao Beiyuan is much more relaxed than before and is no longer spinning like a top.
The simple meal was finished while they were talking.
Aunt Zhou arrived, and Bao Beiyuan had to go with her to deliver goods to Banxianju.
Banxianju opens early, so as not to delay its business.
Today Ye Li brought an oxcart over, so we can't let him push the wheelbarrow to deliver goods anymore.
After loading the stove and iron pot onto the oxcart, Ye Li told Aunt Zhou to go home and rest first, while he and Bao Beiyuan went to Banxianju.
After the initial boom at its opening, Banxianju's business has stabilized in the past few days, and the daily order volume for tofu puffs has increased from 100 jin to 130 jin.
One hundred and thirty pounds, that's pretty much the limit for semi-retired living.
The Banxianju restaurant has more than 50 tables on its three floors. If each table orders two servings of tofu puffs (about one jin) during lunch and dinner, then 130 jin of tofu puffs can be sold out.
But in reality, it's impossible to have every table of diners order two servings of tofu puffs.
After all, there are thirty in one serving.
The quantity is very large.
Moreover, when you come to eat hot pot, there are so many meat ingredients. Even if tofu puffs are a signature dish, they are just a garnish. Most diners won't go overboard with showing off tofu puffs.
The reason why they were able to sell out 130 jin of tofu puffs was because Banxianju had a large customer flow; as soon as one table of diners left, a new table would immediately take its place.
Therefore, Ye Li did not expect Banxianju to order more goods.
So far, the workshop's daily output has reached 570 jin, leaving only 30 jin short of the target of 600 jin.
With such a small opening, Ye Li plans to personally take samples to the vegetable market to promote them tomorrow.
Nowadays, those small business owners sell ready-made dishes, but there are definitely customers who want to buy tofu puffs directly.
In Baxian Town, Tang Yu had already started selling tofu puffs directly.
They can sell about 20 jin a day.
Of the tofu puffs Ye Liang brought back, only one-third were made into spicy tofu puffs, while the other two-thirds were sold directly.
He gave Ye Liang a price based on family ties.
You can make a profit even by selling tofu puffs and fish directly.
Of course, that's for tomorrow.
Sitting on the oxcart, Ye Li wanted to avoid Jiang Shun and find out what Bao Beiyuan was really thinking these past few days.
After all, his original intention was not to cause trouble for Bao Beiyuan.
He sat on the cart shaft, turned his head to look at Bao Beiyuan who was holding the iron pot, and said, "Why don't you buy an oxcart too? That would save you a lot of effort."
"We'll see. There's no room for them in this yard right now."
Bao Beiyuan shook his head.
"Is Xiao Shun diligent? Does he disturb you?" Ye Li asked.
"He's quite diligent and doesn't make a fuss. As long as he's not doing any work, he goes back to his own room."
“I asked him to go out and play, but he refused.”
With these words, Ye Li felt relieved and said with a smile, "With how busy you are, how could he have time to go out and play?"
After returning from the semi-reclusive residence, I have to deliver goods to my regular customers.
After finishing these two orders, I'll go home and rest for a while, then it'll be time to deliver the evening's goods to Banxianju.
"...How about I take a day off and take him around the county town?"
Bao Beiyuan asked.
“Sure, the county school gives students three days off every month, but you can’t work the whole month without rest.”
Ye Liying's delight.
Now Bao Beiyuan was scratching his head: "What about semi-idle living?"
"It's alright, I'll just talk to Manager Yu."
"Besides, this drink has been on the market for more than half a year. Regular customers drink it every day, and some may be tired of it. They just feel bad because you've brought it to them, so they can't refuse to buy it."
Ye Li said again, wanting Bao Beiyuan to rest.
Of course, this reason isn't entirely far-fetched.
Even if milk tea is delicious, you can't drink it every day.
Even if you drink it every day, you can't just drink the same thing; you have to try different things.
But Bao Beiyuan hadn't considered this angle. After hearing Ye Li's words, he was somewhat stunned: "Huh?"
"Isn't that right? When you first started selling, you met Chen Sheng. He supported your business and even brought his friends along to help. Right?"
Ye Li still remembers this incident.
"……right."
Bao Beiyuan nodded thoughtfully.
"So, let's take a break. If you don't sell for three days, our regular customers who are already a bit tired of it might start craving it again."
"This is called playing hard to get, or saying that absence makes the heart grow fonder."
Bao Beiyuan: "..."
He laughed.
You know what, there's actually some truth to that.
However, thinking that Chen Sheng and the others might already be tired of drinking but were too embarrassed to say so, he couldn't help but stop smiling and frown.
"Then I'll talk to Uncle Sheng next time. I've taken on a business deal with Banxianju, so I won't be delivering to their door anymore. If they want to drink it, they can come to my house to buy it."
Ye Li nodded: "Okay, or you can deliver every three days. But ultimately, we still need to have new products, otherwise what will we do if the diners at Banxianju get tired of them?"
Bao Beiyuan: "...You're right."
But there was nothing he could do about it.
It can only be left to Ye Li.
Ye Li has been so bored lately that he's quite happy to have something productive to do to pass the time.
Moreover, this gives them a legitimate reason to frequently travel to the county town!
Soon, the two arrived at the back door of the semi-secluded residence.
Banxianju is ready to open for business.
The person who handed over the goods to Bao Beiyuan was the manager in charge of purchasing at Banxianju. The manager knew Ye Li and exchanged a few pleasantries with Ye Li.
After settling the accounts with Bao Beiyuan, Ye Li did not linger and drove the oxcart back with Bao Beiyuan.
Next, we'll be delivering goods to our regular customers' homes.
But Ye Li won't be going this time; he should go to the county school, otherwise he'll miss Jiang Ji's dismissal.
So he bid farewell to Bao Beiyuan and Jiang Shun, and together with Gao Junjiang and Mai Jiangya, drove an oxcart to the county school.
Their arrival was unexpected, which pleased Jiang Ji. He led the four of them to a small noodle shop near the county school for lunch.
At the dinner table, Ye Li mentioned that Old Man Shi had come to buy preserved eggs, and Jiang Ji immediately said, "Perfect timing. When Xiaomai goes to the private school next year, we can ask Brother Shi to take care of him."
"For example, we can have a meal together and then give each other some pointers on our studies."
Shi Yiren is not bad.
Simple and down-to-earth.
Ye Li listened to his words and said, "That's what I was planning to do too, so yesterday I gave you an extra fifty coins on top of the previous discount."
"When you have some free time, have a meal with Shi Yi and talk about this."
Jiang Ji agreed: "Okay."
Jiang Mai was deeply moved as she listened to their conversation.
My longing for the private school grew even stronger.
Previously, he longed for the private school, but he was also apprehensive about the unfamiliar place.
Once you go to the private school, you have to stay for a month before you can go home!
But to his surprise, Brother Li had already planned it all out for him.
Li Ge is so nice!
Once home, the little guy studied even more diligently.
He has already started learning the Thousand Character Classic, which is much more difficult than the Three Character Classic.
The next day, while Ye Li drove his oxcart into town to sell tofu puffs, he and Jiang Ya stayed at home.
He needs to memorize the text.
Jiang Ya needs to filter the soybean pulp.
Even though she ate at a small noodle shop again today, without the two little light bulbs, Ye Li still felt sweet inside.
This counts as a date alone.
On the third day, Ye Li brought tofu puffs into the city again.
I also had a meal with Jiang Ji.
Of course, he also got down to business these past two days, successfully selling the remaining thirty jin of tofu puffs.
Tofu puffs are already quite famous in Beiyang County. He found six small business owners in the vegetable market in the west of the city, and all six of them were willing to sell tofu puffs at their stalls/shops.
Selling five pounds per person in a day wouldn't be too difficult.
On the fourth day, he still had to go into the city.
He was the only one who knew the locations of the six small business owners, so he definitely had to give directions to the delivery staff.
Currently, the eight people who grind the soybeans in the morning are responsible for delivering goods to the workshop.
They take turns delivering goods.
After giving directions, he went to the county school.
I have to say, it's great to own your own car.
The problem is that this car is a convertible, so he has to be completely covered up every time he goes out.
If it weren't for seeing Jiang Ji, he wouldn't have endured this in the dead of winter.
On the fifth day, he went into the city again.
The reason given this time was that he was running low on walnut powder and needed to make some more.
Ten days have passed since Jiang Ji returned to the county school, and the five catties of walnut powder he brought last time are almost gone.
After the walnut powder was finished, it still had to be sent to the county school, so he made another trip on the sixth day.
But this time, Jiang Mai and Jiang Ya went along.
Jiang Mai encountered too many confusions on her reading journey.
Jiang Ya misses her older brother.
Moreover, Jiang Fuzheng and Jiang Mantang also entered the city together.
Because tomorrow is the winter solstice, Yeli and his family need to buy gifts for the festival.
According to the rules set by the workshop at the beginning, on such festivals, the workshop would give each person five catties of rice, five catties of flour, and five catties of pork.
Jiang Fuzheng originally wanted to buy two pigs and slaughter them to save money.
However, since they are from different parts, they are difficult to distinguish.
Everyone wants pork belly, and even if they were given more ribs, they might not be happy about it.
Sending gifts during festivals is a joyous occasion; it would be a shame to cause resentment from it.
So Ye Li made the decision: let's go to the county town to buy meat.
Each person needs to buy five catties of pork belly or hind leg meat. There are twenty-eight employees in the workshop. However, Jiang Dachuan's birthday is the day after tomorrow, which is the day after the winter solstice, so he needs to buy five more catties.
In addition, Ye Li's family also needs to make dumplings, so they need to buy 150 catties of meat today.
There's also rice; this wild jujube slope really doesn't have any, so we have to buy some.
Five catties each, plus Jiang Dachuan's birthday gift, totaling 145 catties.
But the flour was already prepared—Jiang Fu was leading people to grind it in the workshop.
Anyway, the stone mill in the workshop was just sitting idle, and a pound of flour cost seven coins, while a pound of wheat cost five coins.
A difference of two coins per pound means five pounds would cost ten coins.
The workshop has 28 people. If they grind the grain themselves, they can save 280 coins!
If we can save money, we shouldn't be taken advantage of.
Jiang Fuzheng had Ye Li buy wheat from the villagers, and he led people to grind the wheat into flour.
The bran that's ground can be used to feed pigs, isn't that better than just buying flour?
Upon entering the city, the five of them headed straight to the vegetable market.
I went to several meat stalls before I finally bought all the meat I needed.
Then I went to buy rice.
After leaving the grain shop, Jiang Fuzheng and Jiang Mantang did not rush back to the village.
The father and son went to the county school with Ye Li.
Ye Li secretly asked Jiang Fuzheng to let Jiang Fuzheng and his son go back with him, so as to prevent Jiang Mai's psychological trauma from flaring up—the original owner really intended to sell Jiang Ya.
Before Jiang Mai came of age, he would never go out alone with Jiang Mai and Jiang Ya.
His kind intentions touched Jiang Fuzheng.
In fact, Jiang Fuzheng had almost forgotten about this matter, but who knew that he had always remembered it.
So, Jiang Fuzheng, under the pretext of wanting to experience the majesty of the county school, drove a mule cart to the county school to deliver walnut powder to Jiang Ji.
After class, Jiang Ji went straight to the entrance of the county school.
As he stepped out of the gate and saw the truck full of meat and rice, he couldn't help but recall the scene of Ye Li distributing wages at the workshop last time.
Only eight people were paid at the time, but everyone present was beaming with joy.
If we give holiday gifts to everyone in the workshop, it will only be more lively!
Unfortunately, after the establishment of the Great Xia Dynasty, although the Winter Solstice remained an important festival, the court no longer granted officials holidays.
As an instructor and school administrator, he was supposed to be conducting his duties and teaching as usual, but as a student, he couldn't go home.
Seeing Ye Li's cheeks reddened by the cold wind, he took a deep breath and suppressed his urge to ask for leave.
Never mind, studying is the priority.
Ye Li braved the cold wind every day just to have a meal with him. He could only repay this kindness by studying hard.
So he cleared up Jiang Mai's doubts, accepted Ye Li's walnut powder, and then Ye Li, Jiang Fuzheng, and the others left.
However, Ye Li will bring him dumplings tomorrow.
Thinking of their meeting tomorrow, he returned to the county school with light steps.
On the other side, when Ye Li and Jiang Fu were delivering two carts of meat and rice to the workshop, all the workshop employees were there.
Everyone knew that the two of them had gone to buy holiday gifts, so after the meal they came to the workshop, craning their necks and waiting and waiting, until their necks ached, and finally the meat and rice came back!
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