Chapter 137 Bustling Border Town
Yan Shiyi was so angry that his face turned red and his neck became thick. He jumped three feet high on the spot and jumped directly onto the back of the black tiger: "I'll tear your stinky mouth apart!"
Grandpa Ling and the refugees saw from afar that Black Tiger was carrying Jin'an on his back, and a young man in fancy clothes jumped on top. He turned around and asked Jinsui, "What is Little Tiger doing? It looks like Black Bear and two monkeys are stealing peaches. It's embarrassing with so many people watching!"
Jin Sui was amused by Grandpa Ling's analogy. Besides, you are the only one who calls him Little Tiger. Is there anyone taller than Black Tiger in the whole audience? She asked Grandpa with a smile: "Which team did you bet on?"
Grandpa Ling smiled and said, "Of course it's Xiaohu's team."
Then he whispered to Jin Sui, "Haha, many people asked me to predict which team will win, but I always refused on the grounds that the secret cannot be revealed.
Sui Sui, you know Cuju, right? Tell me which team will win.
Grandpa rubbed his hands as he spoke, obviously preparing to get inside information to buy tickets.
Jin Sui refused to tell him and deliberately said, "Grandpa's divination is the most accurate. Why don't you do one yourself in secret?"
Seeing that Grandpa was pretending to be angry, Jin Sui said, "By the way! Half of the share sent by the Yan family is ours. It's a full five thousand taels!"
"Grandpa, do you want to do some business while the game is going on?"
Grandpa Ling was very excited and lowered his voice to ask, "Does the prince agree to give us all the five thousand taels?"
Jin Sui patted his chest and said, "Even if you spend it all, the prince won't even frown!"
"It's okay even if I lose the bet. My granddaughter can earn more!"
Grandpa Ling said anxiously, "Who are we? How can we spend a fortune betting on football like these young masters from Yandi? Grandpa really has a business that needs capital."
He pointed at the refugees in the corner and said, "I have some help too. I see that the weather is getting colder, so it's time to eat big pots of stew. There are too many people eating in the small hotpots over there, and they are expensive, so ordinary people can't afford them."
"It's just right for our Central Plains stew. A big pot of bone soup, cabbage, radish, pork belly, meatballs, some black fungus and bean curd. Five cents for a big bowl with a steamed bun. I guarantee customers will line up to eat it!"
Jin Sui smiled and said, "Grandpa, just do it if you have an idea! I support you! Let's spread our Central Plains delicacies to the border town."
Jinsui's smile was filled with the admiration a granddaughter has for her grandfather, which made Grandpa Ling feel warm at heart.
Then I thought about how my granddaughter had chopped off Zheng Yun's head with a knife in front of everyone not long ago, with such a fearless look.
At that moment, even Grandpa Ling thought she was the real King of Evil!
I remembered the rumors I heard along the way about the King of Li, how he was fearless, overbearing, difficult to deal with ghosts, and the reincarnation of a monkey...
Grandpa Ling felt like he was listening to a joke. My granddaughter is so well-behaved, what are these people talking about? It was not until he saw Zheng Yun's head fall to the ground that Grandpa Ling believed that what he had heard along the way was true! Now look at Jin Sui, a little girl who sticks to her grandfather, with a sweet smile, gentle tone, and is very generous to her grandfather and brother.
Domineering and overbearing to the outside, gentle and generous to the inside, my Sui Sui, what kind of person are you? "Grandpa, what are you thinking? I mean, I can teach you how to make rice noodles, which will taste better when stewed in stews, and also give these refugees a job. Do you want to learn?"
Grandpa Ling nodded quickly: "You must learn, but you are so busy, don't delay your work."
Jin Sui said, "It's a simple matter. It's not complicated at all. I'll draw the process and the production diagram. You just need to take people to try it a few more times!"
She whispered again, "Grandpa, if you really want to enter the civilian food industry, wait another two months, once the potatoes and sweet potatoes are harvested, your dishes will cost less and have more variety!"
"Oh, and there are tomatoes. The first batch of ripe tomatoes is being picked. I plan to sell tomato soup base at the restaurant that I'm cooperating with Yan Shiyi. I'll have someone share some for you. The stew will taste richer with more tomatoes."
Seeing that Jinsui really supported him, Grandpa was even happier. In order to comfort Grandpa, Jinsui immediately took him to get the silver.
Grandpa Ling is a man of action. He runs a business of popular food, mainly focusing on small profits but quick turnover. The first thing he wants to do is to attract the refugees out. The second is to do something.
All the people he hired were selected from refugees, and he provided them with meals and wages, and even taught them how to cook.
There is no need for a special shop. Just set up a big shed at the back of the trading area. There are several big pots for stewing and several stoves for baking sesame cakes. There are three cents a bowl with tofu but no meat, and five cents a bowl with pork belly.
In addition, Jinsui taught his grandfather how to brew soy sauce in the military camp earlier, and gave him a few barrels of it. When added to the soup made with kelp and dried seafood, the flavor was so fragrant that it could be smelled from miles away.
The next day, Jin Sui specially pulled Gu Changxiao to take a look secretly, and it was indeed as his grandfather said, the business was booming.
Many common people, as well as the guards and servants of the nobles, lined up to eat.
Jinsui also saw a nobleman secretly asking his maid to buy some and then hiding in the carriage to eat it.
Haha, this is the charm of the big pot meal, it smells good and tastes even better. But the nobleman felt ashamed to eat such common food, so he could only eat it in hiding.
She doesn't mind others disliking her! She pulled Gu Changxiao to sit at the wooden table and said to Grandpa Ling with a smile: "Master, two bowls of meat and four sesame cakes!"
Grandpa Ling smiled and cooperated, and asked the boy next to him named Ergou to serve: "Send the food to the prince."
Ergou was the one Grandpa Ling picked from among the refugees. He was only fourteen years old and was very timid. He would shrink his neck even when delivering vegetables to the civilians, for fear that he would be reported to the officials and arrested for hard labor.
Not to mention serving food to the prince! My hands were shaking so much that I couldn't even hold the bowl steady.
It was Jin'an who helped him: "Don't be afraid, Ergou. I'll help you deliver it."
Jin Sui then called out to the guards who came with her: "Everyone, sit down. Each of you will have a bowl of meat dish and two sesame cakes. This is my treat!"
Gu Changxiao watched the three generations of grandparents and grandchildren joking with a smile the whole time. At the same time, he admired Master Ji's execution ability. He was worthy of being Master Ji's grandfather. The two of them had the character of doing things as soon as they said they would without delay. They were really similar!
The young men of the noble families who were passing by also became interested when they saw Prince Li and the soldiers of the Black Feather Camp eating this "Central Plains Stew".
The value of something is determined by its use. Take this stew for example. Before King Li came, it was just cheap food for the common people and the rich could not eat it.
But once King Li came to eat it, it became a specialty snack in the border town, and everyone who came to the border town should try it.
When Li Heng passed by, Jin Sui waved and called out to him, "Come here, Li Zhou Mu! I'll treat you to a meal. There's hot sauce!"
Li Heng... doesn't want to have dinner with the King! He's so annoying!
But there is hot sauce! He hasn't eaten hot sauce since the border town was burned!
The feet are faster than the brain. While the person is still hesitating, his feet have already reached the table.
In the end, Li Heng added three spoonfuls of hot sauce angrily, took big bites of the sesame cake, and ate a large bowl of stew.
Before leaving, I gave Grandpa Ling some advice, saying that as the weather gets colder, he could add chili peppers to the dishes. In this way, the stew would become the second spicy dish after the hot pot.
Grandpa Ling readily agreed. Once the stew stall opened, he didn't even have to go into the mountains to persuade people, as young and strong refugees and women all came to him looking for work.
Jin Sui quietly praised Gu Changxiao: "Grandpa is really my lucky star! My refugees have set up many stalls, and few refugees dare to approach."
"There are still some brave people who dare to carry coal to the border town, but when they are asked to settle down, they are so scared that they wave their hands and say they dare not."
"As a result, after Grandpa came here, it only took a short time for these refugees to start trusting him as an old immortal!"
Gu Changxiao smiled and nodded: "Not only Master Ji, but you three, grandparents and grandchildren, are all my lucky stars!"
This was Gu Changxiao's true feelings. Before coming to the border town, he would never have thought that the border town would have such a bustling day! Not leaving the three of them behind in the bandit cave that day was the most correct decision Gu Changxiao had ever made in his life! The polo match did not go smoothly, because the team led by the aristocratic son had to adjust their strategy after watching the match between the Yanzhou Army and the Tuntian Soldiers.
Taking advantage of another polo field in the border town for emergency training, Cheng Yu temporarily adjusted the competition rules and added Cuju into the official competition.
Because you can also bet on the Cuju game, and the price is very cheap, the cheapest ticket is only two cents! It is different from the betting method of the nobles betting on polo, which can easily cost thousands of taels of silver.
Cuju was a truly national sport, and the prince even granted permission for civilian Cuju teams to participate. In addition, it was the time after the autumn harvest, so many people had free time.
Li Heng also fully supports the events in Border Town. The nearby Yanzhou City has formed a nationwide craze and people are proud to come to Border Town to watch a game.
Rich people would bring their families to watch the fun, buy a ticket to play football, stroll around the border town, and buy cheap pickles. If someone recommends them, they can also buy cheap sea salt.
As soon as the imperial envoy left, Li Heng turned a blind eye to the private sale of salt in the border town. Let's give each other face, if you don't sell it openly, I will pretend that I don't see it.
Try the unique delicacies of the border town, such as tomato fish balls, which have long been known throughout Yanzhou City. Unfortunately, many people have not eaten them yet. Take this opportunity to bring your family to try them.
There is also the spicy hot pot. Eating a pot in the autumn will warm your whole body. It is spicy and satisfying. I heard that this is our Li Zhoumu’s favorite.
If you think the above two dishes are too expensive, and a family needs to spend hundreds of coins to eat, then go to the Central Plains stew, which costs only five coins for a full stomach! It is also a restaurant opened by a kind-hearted Taoist priest. It is said that the Taoist priest is the benefactor of the prince and is trusted by the prince. He is honest and trustworthy, and he charges three coins for a full stomach and five coins for meat.
If you don't have money at home, you have to come to the border town! You have to walk even if you can't afford to take a car! At this time, the border town is full of money. As long as you are diligent and willing to work, it is not a problem to earn dozens of coins a day! Whether you are in the official recruitment team in the border town, such as sweeping and cleaning, cleaning horse manure, sweeping public toilets, carrying coal and picking up firewood...
New recruitment notices are posted every day. As long as you have all your limbs intact, you can find a job in the border town.
Even if you have disabled limbs and cannot join the official team, you won't starve if you do something on your own.
Even if you sell small snacks like melon seeds and dried dates at the stadium, you can make a lot of money.
There are also women with good hands who pick wild autumn pears and hawthorns and boil them into sweet water overnight, or buy some sugar to make hawthorn cakes, autumn pear candies, etc., and sell them at the stadium. They are all hot-selling goods! Anyone who knows a little handicraft is even more popular. Those who weave bamboo baskets, weave straw mats, and even make paper fans with team logos can sell hundreds of them a day!
The common people spoke crudely and bluntly: "You can just go to the woods and pick up the shit that little kids have pooped, and you can sell it for a lot of money!"
Because there is a special manure collector in the border town. Previously it was Niu Da, but now it is Niu Da’s wife who is in charge...
In short, it was just a polo match organized by the King of Li in the border town, but for the lower-class people, it was a carnival and an opportunity for everyone to make money.
Jin Suixiao said to Gu Changxiao: "If this game is held once a year, our border town can become Yiwu!"
“Yiwu?”
Jin Sui laughed and said, "It's the National Commodity Wholesale City! Look at how clever our people are. They make fans, head scarves, and small flags overnight, and they are all selling very well."
The development of the times is like a wave. As long as there is a trend-setter, you don’t have to worry about anything else, the wave will come rolling in.
Jinsui was just making a start by organizing a polo match in order to attract the young men of the aristocratic families who viewed the border town as a tiger.
But all the industries that emerged along with it, including the common people, merchants, craftsmen and so on, all flourished in the border town.
It was the wave of the polo match! If it were someone else, they would still worry about whether it would get out of control, or be stingy and unwilling to pass on the benefits to the people. They would start collecting taxes before the industry has even started, and oppress the merchants and the people.
Then don't expect Border Town to prosper! The more flowers bloom, the more prosperous it is. Now everything in Border Town is just like Border Town, growing wildly.
What the government needs to do is to crack down on industries that are absolutely prohibited, such as private gambling, prostitution, and human trafficking.
The government not only did not crack down on other small businesses and industries, but also encouraged them. For example, Jinsui gave Chen Yunniang more than a dozen snack recipes and asked her to teach them to the women in the military farming camp.
Grandpa Ling was also given a few things to teach the women among the refugees. Especially the rice noodle business, Grandpa Ling directly rented rice and tools to the refugees and asked them to hand in the finished rice noodles on time.
The work point system, which had been in a cold period, became popular again, and many refugees who had accumulated enough points requested to be registered as residents of the border towns.
The situation is very good, except that the nobles are extremely anxious about the polo match.
They nominated Yan Shiyi to be the leader and asked him to find the Black Feather Team and play a preliminaries match with them to see the strength of the Black Feather Team.
King Li was very fair. None of the members of the farming team were from the Black Feather Camp. The members were not tall and were completely selected like generals from a team of dwarfs.
They all looked like normal farmers, but once they got on the field, they all changed drastically. Their eyes became firm, their movements were swift, and they cooperated very well.
The Yanzhou army was defeated! The nobles privately called the Tuntian team the Farmers' Team, but they felt that they could not beat this Farmers' Team, let alone the ace Black Feather Team! Yan Shiyi had no choice but to go to Han Xing to discuss it, but Han Xing refused: "The prince said that we must appear in the official competition, otherwise..."
"What if we discover your strategy? Are you afraid of losing and being embarrassed?"
Han Xing glanced at him without answering, but Hei Hu clapped his thigh and laughed:
"Do we have to explain it so clearly? Otherwise, what if you all get scared and don't want to compete anymore when you see how powerful our Black Feather Team is?"
Yan Shiyi's face turned red again, and he shouted at the top of his voice: "Hey, you big black guys! See you on the court if you dare!"
Hei Hu was not angry at all: "Hehe, then you work hard. I'm afraid you can't make it through the preliminaries."
Yan Shiyi left in a rage, but he did not give up. If he couldn't succeed in the open way, he would take the secret way.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
