Chapter 2372 Proposal
Before leaving, Xiao Yuanzheng went to check on the cows, and then said to Lu Taiyi and Zhou Man, "I'll leave the cows to you. We'll come back in two days."
Manbao and Doctor Lu nodded in agreement.
After seeing off Xiao Yuanzheng and others, Doctor Lu turned around and looked at Zhou Man.
Manbao looked at him puzzledly, "What's wrong?"
Doctor Lu said calmly, "Do you know how much the steward paid for an egg?"
Manbao thought for a moment and guessed, "Three cents?"
This is twice as expensive as the most expensive eggs in Luojiang County. This price should be reliable, right?
Doctor Lu said, "No, it was five cents each at first, but now it has risen to six cents. I heard that eggs are very hard to buy in the capital now."
Manbao's eyes widened and he perked up, "So profitable?"
She tried hard to recall the account book she had just looked at not long ago. It also recorded the income from selling eggs. It was originally agreed that they would get half of the chickens raised by the villagers, including not only the chickens but also the eggs.
But she only remembered the total amount of money she earned from selling chickens and eggs, but didn't remember how many eggs and chickens she sold.
Doctor Lu glanced at her and snorted disdainfully, "Don't even think about it. If you were to sell it, it definitely wouldn't fetch that price. Didn't you see the manager sweating profusely from guilt? Forget five cents, I'm afraid you can't even get four."
Manbao: ...They were so busy recommending their agricultural and sideline products that they didn’t even notice this?
However, Manbao still wrote a letter and asked Jiulan to deliver it to the sentry post and ask someone to send the letter home.
Even if the price is not that high, it is good to be able to sell it. Every penny earned is a penny earned.
The imperial farm was not far from the city, and the guards were the imperial guards. Yin Huo had come to see her off in person today, so she still had some face. Although the manager of the imperial farm wanted to stop the letter, the imperial guards still sent someone to deliver it to the Zhou family.
The letter was delivered directly to Bai Shan.
As he opened the letter, he asked curiously, "How come you've only been gone for a day and a half and already delivered the letter?"
Bai Erlang chuckled, "Is this because I miss you?"
Bai Shan glanced at him and said, "When are you planning to go back to Chongwenguan to study?"
He said, "I'm not going because I have to prepare for the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Personnel exams, and Liu Huan is preparing for the Mingjing exam. So why aren't you going?"
Bai Erlang: "Didn't Yin Huo go too?"
"He's not in good health."
Bai Erlang snorted and said, "No, that's not the case. It's obvious that he didn't go because you all didn't go and he felt bored."
He said, "I don't want to go either. Yi Ziyang has taken up official duties, Feng Zongping has also taken leave, and the only person I can get along with in the entire Chongwenguan is Zhao Liulang. But I don't like many of the things he likes, so it would be boring to go."
Bai Shan just wanted to shut him up, not to really let him go to school. Seeing him nagging non-stop, but finally stopped bothering him and Manbao, he read the letter with peace of mind.
Only after opening the letter did I realize it wasn't for him.
So he picked up the envelope again and took a look. He found that there was no recipient on it, only Manbao's signature, and he couldn't help laughing.
He had already opened the letter, so he simply unfolded it and read it once, then folded it and said, "Let's go find Brother Zhou Wu."
Zhou Wulang is not at home, he is in the restaurant.
Bai Shan and his friends strolled over and happened to encounter the busiest time in the restaurant. People were waiting to eat inside and outside. Zhou Liulang and the hired chef led the kitchen workers to cook in the kitchen, and waiters came in and out serving the dishes.
When Santou and Sitou came back from school, they took off their scholar robes, changed into casual clothes, and followed the waiters to greet customers and serve food.
Bai Shan also saw Daji's second son, Bai Shuping. He was also running with a plate of food, nimbly dodging the constantly moving guests and placing it accurately on a table. He called out with great charm: "A bowl of steamed pork with rice flour and a grilled fish. Can you take a look?"
Zhou Wulang was checking out at the counter and using an abacus. He wasn't as fast as Zhou Lijun, but he was about as fast as an ordinary accountant.
Bai Shan and Bai Erlang were stunned for a moment and then went over to lean against the counter.
Zhou Wulang calculated slowly, and without even looking up, he said, "Please wait a moment. Which table is yours?"
When he looked up and saw Bai Shan and Bai Erlang, his eyes lit up slightly, "Why are you here? Come on, come and help me settle the bill for the meal. Many people will be paying and leaving soon."
Bai Shan saw the menus on the table. They had the names of the dishes and prices on them, and the table numbers at the top. They were so clear that even if they didn't know much about the restaurant's dishes, they could still calculate them accurately.
Bai Shan took over and said, "Brother Zhou Wu, Man Bao wrote you a letter."
Then he handed the letter to him.
Zhou Wulang can't write many characters, but he can recognize quite a few. He is in a long-term stage where he can see and read but not write.
He read it word by word and was overjoyed. "Are the eggs in Huangzhuang so expensive?"
Bai Shan: "...Fifth brother, you didn't understand what Manbao meant. Manbao said that the manager at the Royal Manor was falsifying prices, so Xiao Yuanzheng wanted to see you."
Zhou Wulang calmed down a bit. "Oh, that's what I thought. Eggs outside are usually two cents each. The more expensive ones are three cents at most. Why is it written so expensive in the letter from Man Bao?"
Someone came to pay the bill. Bai Shan found their table's menu and handed it to Bai Erlang. After asking him to settle the bill, he spoke to Zhou Wulang behind the counter, "Are there many eggs in the farm?"
Zhou Wulang thought for a moment and said, "You'll have to ask Li Zhong, but it should be quite a few. At the beginning of last year, we added a lot of chicks to them. Before the New Year, we sold a batch of roosters and hens that didn't lay eggs very often, but I remember there were still quite a few laying hens left."
Bai Shan then said, "Then go meet Xiao Yuanzheng. Besides eggs, we can also discuss meat, chicken, pork, and vegetables."
He smiled and said, "Since we're already discussing it, let's talk about the bigger picture. You can prepare some of each item and send them over later. It will be easier to talk after they have seen the finished product."
Zhou Wulang then asked, "What's the price?"
Bai Shan asked him, "What do you think, Fifth Brother?"
Zhou Wulang said, "Give them a little less than the market price. Eggs are really easy to sell these days. They're usually two cents each when sold loose. It's not uncommon for a large one to go for three cents. This is essential, but you can give them less for other things."
Bai Shan nodded and said, "Fifth Brother is used to shopping, so he should be more familiar with this than us, so just make your own decision."
Zhou Wulang was a little puzzled. "Aren't Manbao and the others at the Imperial Farm? I heard there's a lot of good land there, and the water for the moat comes from there. How come they're short of vegetables, meat, and eggs?"
Bai Shan said, "That's your Majesty's farm. This time, it's the Imperial Medical Bureau that's purchasing the goods. The two are separate. Even if the residents want to eat vegetables from the imperial farm, they have to get approval from the purchasing manager first. That way, the income and expenditure can be calculated. Otherwise, if they get confused internally, the accounts will be messed up too, and it will be bad if they don't match up during the quarterly accounting."
See you at 9pm
(End of this chapter)
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