After selling charcoal all day, Lu Qiqi and her friends got into a fight on their way home. Although they won, they weren't happy at all.
Lu Dahai drove the oxcart and listened to Li Changlong recount the whole story of their charcoal sale that day.
Lu Dahai was silent for a moment, then sighed and said, "I see."
He added, "No wonder they won't let you go."
Lu Qiqi immediately sensed something was amiss and asked, "Third Uncle, did you run into any trouble while selling charcoal?"
Lu Dahai continued driving the cattle along the road, saying, "Nothing major has happened, it's just that this charcoal is hard to sell, and the price isn't high either. A cartload of charcoal only sells for four hundred coins."
“We go up the mountain to cut firewood, make charcoal, and then haul it to Luzhou County to sell. It takes a lot of time and effort. It’s not as profitable as carrying heavy loads at the dock.”
Lu Qiqi hadn't expected that charcoal was so worthless, not even worth a penny per pound. No wonder those people would mix charcoal with white charcoal to sell.
As long as they are mixed together, the price of charcoal will rise accordingly, and naturally, people will no longer think about finding a job or carrying heavy loads at the docks.
However, this is no excuse for them to engage in deceptive practices!
Traveling in the dark naturally slowed them down. When Lu Qiqi and the others arrived at Lijia Village, they were all starving. The flatbread they had eaten at noon had long since been digested.
Upon entering the village, everyone went their separate ways. Only Li Shoucai, Li Dalang, and two other villagers helped Lu Dahai and the others drive the oxcart to the cowshed at the foot of the mountain.
Lu Dahai then invited the villagers to have dinner, as they didn't know how long they would go hungry if they went back so late.
The villagers initially wanted to refuse, as food was precious at this time, and they felt bad about staying for a meal.
However, their empty stomachs made it impossible for them to refuse, so they sat down at Lu Dahai's earnest invitation.
When Li and Lu saw that guests had arrived, they quickly steamed the pancakes and ate them with scallions and soybean paste.
Then I cooked a big pot of porridge, so that we wouldn't choke on just eating flatbread.
Lu Qiqi didn't like eating soybean paste wrapped in pancakes, so Li Shi cooked her a special bowl of poached egg noodles.
After finishing her noodles, Lu Qiqi felt warm and comfortable in her stomach. She wiped her mouth with a handkerchief and said with a smile, "Third Aunt's noodles are so delicious. It's just that my stomach is too small, otherwise I would have eaten another bowl."
While washing the pot, Li chuckled and said, "You're so sweet-talking!"
Mrs. Lu added a handful of firewood to the stove and said, "I'll boil a pot of water. You've had a long day, so take a hot bath and you'll be ready to sleep."
Lu Qiqi smiled sweetly, "Thank you, Auntie."
Madam Lu glanced at Lu Qiqi, then exchanged a smile with Madam Li, "This girl is being too polite."
Lu Qiqi winked mischievously and walked out of the kitchen. She loved her life now and felt that every day was fulfilling.
Here she felt the care of her family, a feeling she had never experienced in her previous life.
Although there are unpleasant moments here, most of them are acceptable, and sometimes there are even some pleasant surprises.
"Sister, I made you a little sachet. Do you like it?" Lu Yao walked up to Lu Qiqi with a sachet in her hand.
Lu Qiqi took the sky-blue sachet, which was embroidered with two blooming lotus flowers.
She held it to her nose and smelled it; the refreshing fragrance traveled to her brain through her sense of smell, and it smelled wonderful.
"Sister loves it! Who taught you to make this sachet? It smells so good!" Lu Qiqi was overjoyed to receive this gift from Lu Yao.
Lu Yao smiled shyly, "Aunt Zeng asked me to mix this fragrance. She said it's called benzoin, and it's the best to put it by your pillow and smell it while you sleep."
Lu Qiqi remembered that Aunt Zeng had once said that she used to be a maid in a wealthy family.
It must have been around that time that Aunt Zeng learned how to blend perfumes.
However, learning perfumery in a wealthy family is not something an ordinary maid can learn, and Lu Qiqi felt that Aunt Zeng was quite capable.
As Lu Qiqi smelled the benzoin, a thought flashed through her mind and made her rush to find Aunt Zeng immediately.
Lu Qiqi knocked on Aunt Zeng's door, and Hu Jinfei opened it.
Hu Jinfei asked in surprise, "Miss Lu, is there something you need?"
"Uncle Hu, I'm sorry to bother you so late. I wonder if Aunt Zeng is asleep? I want to ask her something." Lu Qiqi stated her purpose directly.
"You're not asleep yet? Come in!" Hu Jinfei opened the door halfway, and Zeng Shi inside could hear what was said at the door, urging Lu Qiqi to come in directly.
Hu Jinfei opened the door and went out, making room for Lu Qiqi and Zeng Shi so as not to disturb their conversation.
"Miss Lu, what brings you here so late?" Madam Zeng asked, half-lying on the bed. "I didn't have time to get up, so please bear with me."
"I apologize for bothering you so late, but I really have something important to ask you," Lu Qiqi said, moving a wooden stool from the dressing table to sit down by the bed. "Auntie, I want to ask if wealthy families use a lot of charcoal cakes?"
Zeng thought that Lu Qiqi and the others worked hard from dawn till dusk selling charcoal, and perhaps selling incense charcoal cakes would be a good way out.
"Charcoal cakes are usually items used by young ladies and mistresses of wealthy families. The quantity may not seem large, but if a family is willing to spend money, it can easily cost a lot of silver over a winter!"
"Are you thinking of getting into the incense charcoal business?"
Lu Qiqi enjoyed chatting with Aunt Zeng; she felt that talking to a smart person didn't require much explanation.
"Yes! Auntie, do you have any good ideas?"
Madam Zeng smiled slightly and said, "I wouldn't call it an idea, but giving some suggestions is no problem. Incense charcoal is usually bought from spice shops, but wealthy and noble families will order it from cosmetic shops."
"The host decides on the spices, and there are specific rules about how many incense cakes to make with different spices."
Lu Qiqi thought the idea of personalized customization was quite good. This way, cosmetic shops wouldn't have to worry about stockpiling goods and could provide one-on-one service.
The ancients really knew how to enjoy life!
After consulting with Madam Zeng about the incense charcoal, Lu Qiqi then took Madam Zeng's pulse to check her health.
Lu Qiqi released Zeng's wrist and said, "The baby is very well-behaved, you can take care of him without worry."
Madam Zeng touched her belly and smiled lovingly. She had caught a cold when she was young and was nearly forty when she became pregnant with her first child, so she naturally valued it more.
Ms. Zeng said, "I'll be content as long as he lands safely."
"Yes, I will." After saying that, Lu Qiqi put the stool back in its original position and left Zeng's room.
Lu Qiqi went to the main room, where Lu Dahai and the others had finished eating. The group prepared to go find the village chief.
Give him the money from selling charcoal today, so he can go to Luzhou Prefecture to sell charcoal again tomorrow.
"Let's go, it'll be too late, the village chief will be going to bed soon," Li Shoucai said to everyone.
When Lu Qiqi learned that they were going to find the village chief, she said directly, "Third Uncle, I'll go with you to find the village chief. I have some good news to tell him."
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