Pei Weixuan left the town and headed west.
There is a bamboo forest outside the town, which is not on the popular road and is quite remote. Not many people pass by. He waits for him to go there to look for someone.
The bamboo forest was quite large, and Huo Ye didn't know where he had hidden himself in the corner.
When he entered the bamboo forest, Pei Weixuan saw some spring bamboo shoots emerging.
Seeing these bamboo shoots, Pei Weixuan subconsciously felt a little sorry. If he could dig these bamboo shoots back on normal days, Yu Niang could turn them into delicious dishes.
When Pei Weixuan thought of this, he was stunned again. He shook off the thoughts in his mind and went towards the depths of the bamboo forest.
When we went deep into the bamboo forest, we saw several people squatting under one of the thick bamboos.
It was Huo Ye and his group. In addition to Huo Ye, there were several other black-armored guards, all wearing coarse linen clothes. They looked like ordinary people, probably in their twenties or thirties.
Huo Ye heard the sound and turned around to see the young master.
When the young master came closer, I could smell a very strong aroma of cake and a very unique aroma of meat from him.
"My young master, it smells so good."
They squatted in the bamboo forest all night and all morning, without even having breakfast.
Huo Ye's saliva started to water as he smelled the fragrance.
Pei Weixuan thought for a moment, opened the bundle, took out the oil-paper package from it and handed it to them, "Soy sauce pancakes and dried pork, have some."
Huo Ye and the others opened the oil paper, and inside was a piece of sauce-flavored pancake that had been cut and brushed with sauce. Inside another oil paper package was a piece of dried meat covered with sesame seeds and some other seasonings, about the thickness of a finger.
They didn't hesitate to grab the sauce-flavored pancake and started eating it. The pancake was still warm, and they were amazed when they took a bite. It was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, with a strong sauce flavor and a salty aroma. They had never eaten such a delicious pancake before.
I grabbed another piece of pork jerky. It was spicy and fresh with a mixture of meat flavor. The more I chewed, the more delicious it became.
Huo Ye didn't expect that the food brought by the young master was so delicious.
"My dear, this is delicious. Where did you buy it?"
There are no such delicious sauce-flavored cakes and dried meat in Beijing.
"It was done by Yu Niang." Pei Weixuan said lightly.
Huo Ye was stunned.
Yu Niang? The second daughter of the Marquis of Dechang? She's also a pitiful girl.
Huo Ye didn't ask any more questions. After they were full and had finished eating the sauce-flavored cakes, they were reluctant to eat too much dried meat. After all, it was made by the young prince's wife, so they naturally had to leave more for the young prince.
After finishing his meal, Huo Ye wiped his mouth and asked, "Young Master, where are we going now?"
Pei Weixuan asked him, "Where are the others?"
Huo Ye said: "They are all hidden in the mountains on both sides of the canal."
I also became a pirate and formed a small caravan...
"Let's go look for them first."
Huo Ye couldn't help asking again, "Young Master, what are we going to do after that?" How can we fight our way to the capital without money or soldiers?
Pei Weixuan did not answer, but looked further away. There was the sea. Yu Niang said that there were people living on the other side of the sea, and that there were crops that could yield several thousand kilograms per mu, as well as many things that had never been seen in the Great Sheng Dynasty.
If there are people on the other side of the sea, there will be many small islands on the sea.
Small islands near the sea are more likely to hide people than on land, so even if the imperial court attacks, it won't be so easy to defeat them...
And those overseas things...
But the prerequisite for all this is having ships and money.
Pei Weixuan looked towards the canal and said, "Let's go and find someone first. After we find them, we'll find a way to get some boats and money."
——————
Xu Qinyu didn't feel sad for long after her fourth brother left, as she had to get busy making money.
Because her fourth brother left, there was no one to help her kill fish and wash pig intestines, so Wen had not been making dumplings with Ning Jie'er these days. Ning Jie'er did the needlework by herself, and Wen helped Xu Qinyu kill fish and wash pig intestines.
But Wen was a girl, and her skill in pounding fish paste was not as good as that of her fourth brother.
Xu Qinyu still planned to hire a handyman, but there were not many candidates at the moment, so she had to hire someone who was strong, hardworking, and able to help run errands.
If that doesn't work out, I'll post a notice at the door in a few days saying I'm looking for a handyman. Any women with free time in the nearby homes can come and try. As long as they are hardworking and strong, they can be qualified.
But Xu Qinyu was still a little hesitant for a moment.
After a few days, Xu Qinyu braised the pig intestines early in the morning. Tian the butcher came over and took the braised pig intestines and gave her some offal.
Not long after, Uncle He also drove his donkey cart to bring her fish and milk and left.
There was no sugar or other spices at home, so Xu Qinyu planned to go out and buy some.
After leaving Guihua Lane, we walked towards the market on the north street.
As soon as he reached an intersection, he ran into the child named Wen Shuncheng from the third branch of the Wen family.
He seemed to have just returned from outside the town. There was a door leading out of the town.
Wen Shuncheng was holding a bag of things in his hands. These were the eels he had collected from his net early in the morning. He had caught quite a few today, about ten eels.
This was the idea he came up with after racking his brains a few days ago. He made a few eel cages at home and put some bait in them. Every night he would go out and put the bait in the ditches or ponds. When he checked the next morning, he would have a harvest, at least a few and sometimes more than a dozen eels.
Xu Qinyu ran into him, and he also saw Xu Qinyu.
Wen Shuncheng touched his nose and came over and called out, "Fourth sister-in-law."
Xu Qinyu smiled and asked, "What are you holding in your hand?"
When she took a closer look, she found a bag full of eels. She laughed and said, "Eels? Where did you catch them?"
Wen Shuncheng turned around and pointed outside the town. "They were caught in the ditches outside the town, in the fields, small ponds, and small ditches."
As he spoke, he suddenly stuffed a bag of eels into Xu Qinyu's hands and said, "These eels are for Fourth Sister-in-law."
My great aunt also said that my second aunt and fourth sister-in-law were both very good people.
It didn't matter if he earned a few dozen cents less a day. It was just the right time to give some fresh food to his fourth sister-in-law's family, and Aunt Gui needed some supplements as she was in poor health.
Xu Qinyu didn't expect that the child would suddenly give her a bag of eels.
She also wanted to eat eels. Eels are good, high in protein and low in fat, with few bones and thick meat. What's more, they are wild and have higher nutritional value.
But you definitely can't take other people's children's things for no reason.
The third branch of the Wen family also had a hard life in the Wen family, otherwise they would not have forced a twelve or thirteen-year-old child to go outside the town to catch eels for money.
She was about to take out a string of coins from her pocket. A string of coins was one hundred coins. She didn't know the price of this kind of eel, but estimated that it would not be more than ten coins per catty. People here don't like to eat things from rivers and ponds because they have too strong earthy smell.
When Wen Shuncheng saw her taking out money, he ran away immediately.
Xu Qinyu was stunned for a moment. This child, she suddenly thought of something and hurriedly called out, "Cheng Ge'er, don't run away. Come back. I have something to discuss with you."
Wen Shuncheng stopped at this point, but he still didn't quite believe what she said. He probably thought she would trick him into going back so that she could give him some money.
Xu Qinyu didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and waved at him, "Come back, I really have something to discuss with you."
This child has a good heart, and Gui always praises the children of the third room.
The third house also has a concubine daughter, Wen Yuntao, who is similar to Wen Yunling and has a gentle and amiable personality.
Wen Shuncheng then turned back and asked, "Fourth sister-in-law, what's the matter?"
Xu Qinyu said, "Your fourth brother is out on a caravan, so there's no one to help me with the housework. It's just killing fish, washing the intestines, pounding the fish, and running errands. Do you want to come work for me? I'll give you one guan of cash a month, and you can go out of town to catch eels the rest of the time. The money you earn is yours, what do you think? Of course, one thing is, you can't tell your grandparents or the people from the first and second wives of the Wen family about your work here."
Wen Shuncheng grinned, "Why would I talk to them? I never talk nonsense to them."
Xu Qinyu couldn't help but laugh, "Did Chenggeer agree?"
Wen Shuncheng nodded vigorously, "I do."
Xu Qinyu didn't expect to pick up a small job after going out.
She smiled and said, "Okay, then you can go out with me to buy some things first, and then come back to help me with the work later."
Wen Shuncheng was naturally willing. He took the bag from Xu Qinyu's hand and helped her carry the eels.
On the way, Xu Qinyu asked him about the price of eels and learned that it was only five cents per pound, which was quite cheap.
People here don’t seem to like to eat things from the rivers and ditches. Their favorites are chickens, ducks, pigs, sheep or some game.
After buying granulated sugar, a bag of brown sugar, and some other spices and seasonings, Xu Qinyu and Wen Shuncheng returned to Guihua Lane.
Gui was also very happy to see Wen Shuncheng.
"Brother Cheng, why are you here?"
Wen Shuncheng scratched his head. "Hello, Aunt Gui. I came back with my fourth sister-in-law. She asked me to work for her."
Xu Qinyu told her family that she wanted Cheng Ge'er to help her with the work and pay him one string of coins a month. Naturally, everyone agreed. After hiring a handyman, Wen only had to do housework and needlework.
Xu Qinyu tried it out on the spot and taught Cheng Ge'er how to scrape the scales and kill the fish, as well as some tips on killing fish, such as not to break the bitter gall inside, and how to clean the pig intestines, etc.
Brother Cheng learns very quickly.
The half-grown boy may not be as strong as an adult, but he is still quite strong and can easily beat the fish into paste.
With Cheng'er's help, Xu Qinyu made some custard buns and steamed buns with milk. The dough had been fermented last night.
Cheng Ge'er didn't have breakfast in the morning. Smelling the milky and sweet aromas, he kept swallowing his saliva and his stomach was rumbling.
When Xu Qinyu heard Cheng Ge'er's stomach growling, she couldn't help laughing. Finally, she picked up five steamed buns and five custard buns from the pot and gave them to Cheng Ge'er to eat.
Hey, little brat, I'm not kidding when I say you'll eat me out of money.
Wen Shuncheng was shocked after taking the first bite, and then he wolfed down the five steamed buns and custard buns, still feeling a little unsatisfied after finishing them.
Wen Shuncheng stayed here until it was time for dinner. Mainly because he had nothing to do at home, he didn't want to go back. He helped with any chores his fourth sister-in-law had at home, such as fetching water, washing dishes and pots.
When Fourth Sister-in-law started selling fish balls and braised fish heads, he also helped.
After selling the fish balls, Xu Qinyu killed the eels, cut them into shreds, and made a dish of stir-fried shredded eels. She added ginger, garlic and dried dogwood and stir-fried them. She quickly served the dish. The stir-fried shredded eels were so fresh, crispy and tender that the whole yard was filled with the alluring aroma.
Cheng Ge'er was almost distracted by the fragrance.
Xu Qinyu did not give the money for the eels to Cheng Ge'er. She stir-fried a lot of eels, which weighed seven or eight pounds, and put half of them in a lunch box for Cheng Ge'er. She also packed a dozen steamed buns and two packets of fish balls for him to take back for Aunt Bai and the people in the third room to taste.
I didn’t give them any custard buns. I ate some of them myself and sold the rest to the Xia family and Xu Kongmu’s family. They are all gone.
Wen Shuncheng went home carrying the lunch box, steamed buns and fish balls, feeling a little dazed.
When he returned home, he sneaked in through the back door. Because of Aunt Gui's illness, people could not enter or exit through the main door, so they had to go in and out through the side door. There was also another back door, which was where the third room of their family lived. It was quite remote, and the first and second rooms rarely came here on weekdays and always went in through the side door. He always went in and out through the back door, so he would not run into anyone from the first and second rooms.
This time was no exception. He secretly noticed that there was no one around, so Wen Shuncheng came in cautiously.
Aunt Bai and the others had just finished their evening meal before returning to the third room. Today, the master of the third room, Wen Zixiao, also returned, but he did not make it in time for evening meal. He just got home and was sitting in the main hall talking to his family.
After looking around and not seeing his eldest son, Wen Zixiao asked, "Where is Brother Cheng?"
Aunt Bai said, "Brother Cheng has been going out of town to catch eels and sell them lately. He usually comes back early, but he hasn't come back yet today."
Wen Zixiao didn't think it was a big deal. With the family having encountered such a misfortune, his eldest son was almost thirteen years old and it was time for him to grow up. It was right for him to think about helping the family earn some money.
As he was speaking, Wen Zixiao saw his eldest son Wen Shuncheng bending over and tiptoeing into the yard at the hanging flower gate opposite the door, looking like a little thief, with a food box in his hand and something else in his arms.
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