Chapter 5: Tongjifang selects a residence in Bianjing.
Lu Qiong collected all the bamboo tubes into the basin, when suddenly she heard Lu Xuan exclaim, "It's loose silver!"
She rubbed her hands against the hem of her skirt a few times before running to look, pinching a small piece of silver between her reddened fingertips.
They usually used copper coins, since silver was produced in small quantities and was more valuable, and only the rich would carry silver when they went out. Later, the imperial court established the "Jiaozi Bureau" and large transactions were all conducted using "Jiaozi", which was more convenient than silver.
For people like them who run small stalls, they only collect copper coins; this is the first time they've ever received silver, let alone paper money.
Jinniang was much more experienced than them. She took out a steelyard from her carrying pole and helped weigh it: "I estimate this is about one qian (a unit of weight), but it's 90% silver, so we need to weigh it down further."
This was an unexpected delight. Lu Qiong quickly hid the loose silver. One qian of pure silver was worth a hundred wen, and even if it was 90% pure silver mixed with impurities, it would still be worth eighty or ninety wen.
As the business grows, we'll need to prepare a balance scale and scissors, otherwise we won't be able to pay customers.
After thanking Jinniang, she also bought a piece of tofu, since she had been craving it for half a day and now that she had money, she wanted to treat herself.
There were two pieces of tofu left on Jinniang's stall. She picked out a solid one for her and said with a smile, "Young lady, this is your first time setting up a stall. If you have any questions in the future, you can come and ask me. Let's help each other out."
Lu Qiong smiled and agreed, then put the tofu into her basket.
Seeing that there were still a few servings of perilla drink left in the bucket, he decided not to sell them anymore, packed up his stall early and went home. He asked Lu Xuan to help him pour out the dirty water in the basin.
She remembered that she was going to find a broker to look at houses. She counted out all the money in her purse and earned a total of two hundred coins. After deducting the cost and travel expenses, she still made a net profit of more than one hundred coins. It was a good start, and she was sure that life would get better and better in the future.
Fortunately, there were still some medicinal herbs left at home, so there was no need to buy them today. Lu Qiong gave Lu Xuan some money: "Go to the general store and buy sugar and citron, the same amount as before. Come back here and wait for me after you've bought them."
Lu Xuan was happy to receive the money, but she was puzzled by this question: "Why didn't you come along, sister?"
Lu Qiong had already slung her basket over her shoulder and was carrying an empty bucket: "Sister is going to find a broker to look at houses, and we need to move into the city as soon as possible in the next couple of days."
Having heard her elder sister mention this matter before, Lu Xuan was also looking forward to it. Clutching her purse tightly, she nodded and said, "Elder sister, don't worry, I will definitely handle things well."
Seeing her acting like a little adult, Lu Qiong chuckled, patted her head, gave her a few words of advice, and then left.
The middlemen in the trading market are called "brokers". Livestock transactions and house and land pawnings all need to go through brokers. Transaction contracts witnessed by them are more reliable. To find a broker, you have to go to a "department store", which is equivalent to an intermediary agency.
The imperial court also established a "Household and Residence Office" to provide housing for commoners and officials at low rents, which was equivalent to the "low-rent housing" of later generations.
However, Bianjing was crowded, and it was uncertain when they would be able to rent a place. Private residences, on the other hand, had varying prices, ranging from a hundred coins to several tens of strings of cash.
Lu Qiong had asked Jin Niang about the nearest residence, which was behind Yunxiang Tower. She crossed Longjin Bridge, paid a beggar to lead the way, and finally saw the low and simple building with a plaque on top that read "Baiya Pavilion".
The interior was simply decorated. The accountant was looking down, fiddling with the abacus beads, while marking the ledger with his other hand: "What kind of business does the young lady want to do?"
Lu Qiong greeted him before revealing the purpose of her trip: "I want to find a house for the two of us to live in."
"Wait here." After saying that, the accountant called to the back, "Ago, someone's coming."
The man called Ago lifted the dark curtain and came out from the inner room, bowing to Lu Qiong and asking, "What kind of house would you like, young lady?"
Lu Qiong returned the greeting and said with a smile, "The price is not high, it's enough for two people, and you can cook over a fire. It would be best if it were close to Longjin Bridge."
"Longjin Bridge..."
After a moment's thought, Ago said, "There is a suitable house in Tongji Ward in the south of the city. It is small and has no outhouse. It costs five hundred coins a month to rent. If you are willing, young lady, you can go and take a look."
Five hundred coins is half a string of cash, which Lu Qiong could barely afford.
She only came to inquire about rental prices, but it would be better to inspect the property in person. Besides, Lu Xuan was waiting for her, so they could go together. After hesitating for a moment, she nodded in agreement.
Lu Xuan had already bought everything and put it all in her basket, waiting for Lu Qiong to return.
Jinniang packed up and went back shortly after they left, leaving Lu Xuan alone squatting on the stone bricks in a daze. She propped her face up with her hands and suddenly saw her older sister walking behind someone.
She got up and moved closer to Lu Qiong, glanced at Ago, and whispered, "Sister, who is this?"
Lu Qiong then explained the situation to her. Lu Xuan had never seen a house in Bianjing before, and she became excited after hearing the story. A'ge led the way, while the two whispered to each other behind him.
Lu Xuan suppressed her excitement: "Sister, how much will this cost in total?"
Lu Qiong lowered her voice: "Five hundred coins a month."
Lu Xuan was dumbfounded: "We have no money. Could we have been kidnapped and sold by human traffickers? I've heard that human traffickers secretly engage in human trafficking."
Lu Qiong gestured for her to lower her voice and comforted her, saying, "Human trafficking is against the law, and besides, this broker was found in a legitimate business."
Seeing her calm and composed, Lu Xuan felt relieved. She was happy at the thought of moving to Bianjing in the future and followed closely behind the broker.
Seeing her like this, Lu Qiong couldn't help but smile.
The houses were all close together, and Ago led them through a series of turns before finally arriving at a house with a simple exterior of blue bricks and green tiles.
The previous owner was an official who had to resign and return to his hometown for three years due to his father's death. He then sold the house to the current owner, and the broker was just helping to rent it out.
Ago pushed open the door: "This is it."
Lu Qiong lifted her leg and stepped over the threshold; the inside was much larger than it appeared from the outside.
The courtyard is open-air in the middle, and inside is the main house, which is shared by the main hall and kitchen. On both sides of the main hall is a narrow bedroom with only an empty wooden bed. Fortunately, each room has a window, so it is not cramped and dark.
She exchanged a glance with Lu Xuan, and both of them were very satisfied.
The broker was a shrewd man. As soon as Ago saw them, he knew they had their eye on the house. He carefully chose his words and said, "If you are satisfied, young lady, we can complete the contract immediately without delay."
Lu Qiong pretended to be deep in thought: "This is no small matter. Could we postpone it for a few days so that we can go back and discuss it properly?"
Ago wasn't in a hurry and laughed, "If you like this house, young lady, we'll reserve it for you. But if you don't make a decision in five days, we'll rent it to someone else, and then there will be no going back."
This suited her perfectly. Lu Qiong took out ten copper coins as payment for leading the way, and Ago readily accepted them. Brokers made their money by collecting broker taxes and offerings, which were essentially brokerage fees. Ago had to leave first, and they followed her out of the house.
The alleyway is narrow, and when there are many people, they are shoulder to shoulder. When you go out, you can see your neighbors on the left and right, unlike the houses in the village which are far apart.
The neighbor's wife pushed open the door. It turned out to be Jin Niang, who used to sell tofu. She had a bamboo basket slung over her arm. When she saw Lu Qiong and the other person, she was stunned. Lu Qiong went up to explain the reason.
Jinniang understood, and after a moment of realization, she was overjoyed, clapping her hands and exclaiming, "That's wonderful! I've only lived here for a little over half a month, and I don't know anyone else. I was just worried about having no one to keep me company."
Neighborly relations are of utmost importance, and Lu Qiong also wanted to get closer to her. Moreover, Jin Niang was a nice person, so the two chatted for a few more minutes before parting ways.
Since there was a lot of time to spare, Lu Qiong went to the market to buy two flatbreads as dry food, spent thirty coins to buy a pound of pork, and also bought ten bowls at a general store on the way.
After all, bamboo tubes are not very convenient, and if you encounter picky customers, you will naturally lose some customers.
Carrying a large basket of things, they were the last to catch the bus out of the city and hurried back home.
Tofu spoils easily in hot weather, so Lu Qiong kept it in well water.
The scar also made her realize the shortcomings of her stall: the drinks were limited and couldn't attract more customers, and regular customers would stop coming after getting tired of them. However, it was only her first day setting up the stall, so it was hard to say whether she could retain customers.
Lu Qiong sighed inwardly. She needed to sign the contract with the broker within seven days, otherwise moving to the city would be delayed again. Being constantly pressured into marriage by busybodies in the countryside was unbearable.
Thinking that the pork in the bamboo basket hadn't been processed yet, she turned around and went into the kitchen.
Lu Xuan squatted on the ground making chicken feed, adding shriveled grains and wild broad beans, and stirring it with a wooden stick.
They fenced off a plot of land in the backyard and raised two chickens, named Big Yellow and Little Yellow. They lay a few eggs every day, which serves as their food reserve.
Seeing her look up and smile at her, Lu Qiong's mood improved, and she picked up the pork from the basket: "We're making braised pork today, what else would you like to eat, Xuan'er?"
Lu Xuan bit her lower lip, seemingly troubled about what to eat. Her furrowed brows suddenly relaxed: "Eat tofu, stew it with eggs, and pour it over rice. It's very sweet and delicious."
Lu Qiong scraped off the fine hairs from the pigskin and nodded, "Okay, I'll do as you say."
I ate some flatbread on the way back to fill my stomach, and now I'm almost completely digested.
Lu Qiong was afraid she would be hungry, so she didn't dare to waste any more time. She washed the pork in water, put it on the chopping board, and cut it into two pieces with a bamboo knife. The smaller piece was used to make braised pork, and the rest was cured into preserved pork so that it could be eaten later.
She first put the pork in a pot of cold water, drained it, and then added scallions, soy sauce, salt, Sichuan peppercorns, and fermented glutinous rice to stew together.
The key to making braised pork lies in the fermented glutinous rice. Don't sprinkle it in before steaming; instead, wrap it in cheesecloth first. Simmer over low heat for a while, then remove and let cool. Cut into small pieces, then remove the cheesecloth. The fermented glutinous rice will be fully absorbed into the pork. Let it simmer for a while before serving.
The tofu was made by Lu Xuan herself, and she insisted on using eggs that she had just picked up from the henhouse, supposedly laid by Dahuang.
First, put the tofu into the pot, then pour a layer of golden egg liquid over it. Simmer for 15 minutes and it's ready to serve. The whole block of tofu will be simmered into chunks, and the soup will become thick.
Lu Qiong first put the braised pork on the table, then cleared the dishes and called Lu Xuan out.
A note from the author:
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