Chapter 137 Chapter 137 Buying a Mule
Lin Duoer was the first to eat. Lin Chuntao was still stirring the food. Lin Chunxing was about to eat. Xu Sheng and Xu Huan were a little shy and had picked up their chopsticks but had not started eating yet. When everyone heard Lin Duoer's exclamation and looked at her exaggerated expression, they all pursed their lips at the same time.
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Is it delicious?" As if she was asking and answering herself, she started eating after she finished speaking. The fresh and fragrant soup coated the noodles, and the saltiness was just right. The blanched leeks and fungus had a crisp texture. Mixing it with the noodles, Lin Chuntao took a deep breath. This was the feeling she wanted.
Lin Chunxing and Lin Chunhe ate like Lin Chuntao, and hurriedly took a mouthful. After eating this mouthful, everyone's eyes lit up!
Especially Pei Ying, he came to Yizhou from Guangling. The two places are far apart, and the taste of food is very different. At least chili peppers are the favorite of Yizhou people. It was the first time for him to eat such light noodles. The key point is that it looks light and tastes fresh and fragrant.
The chicken and shank bones are used to make the soup. The soup base for the braised pork rice noodles is made with bone soup. They have also had chicken soup before, but they never expected that the taste of the two together would be like this. It's amazing.
Pei Ying said, "People who migrated here from outside of China will probably like this."
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "We're out of fried pork skin. It would be delicious if we put a few pieces of pork skin in it."
Lin Chunxing took the bowl and drank two mouthfuls of the soup. Let alone pig skin, anything in this soup should be delicious!
She looked at Lin Chuntao with sparkling eyes and asked with a smile, "Sister, what's the name of this powder?"
"The previous ones were called braised pork soup noodles and stinky tofu soup noodles. This can't be called chicken bone soup noodles, right?"
Lin Chuntao didn't rush to say the name, but just asked Lin Chunxing with a smile: "How much do you plan to sell one for?"
Lin Chunxing asked, "Stinky tofu noodle soup and braised pork noodle soup are the same price, right?"
Lin Chuntao nodded and said, "Sure, the price of stinky tofu is not too high. We can buy it directly or make it ourselves."
Listening to Lin Chuntao's words, Lin Chunxing thought about the price of this chicken and leg bones. If they sold a lot, they could stew them in a big pot, and the cost shouldn't be very high. However, this way of eating it was fresh, and the side dishes could be improved, so the price could be slightly higher.
"Sister, isn't eighteen cents a bit expensive?"
Eighteen cents. Lin Chuntao frowned slightly. "It's a little expensive. Let's reduce it by two cents and sell it for sixteen cents. Then we can set the price for adding a side dish."
Lin Chunxing nodded and said, "I'll see what other side dishes I can add."
Lin Chuntao agreed, but the name had not yet been decided. Lin Duoer followed up and asked, "Sister, there is no name yet?"
Lin Chuntao pursed her lips and smiled, "Let's call it Zhuangyuan Soup Noodles."
"Zhuangyuan Soup Noodles?"
Hearing these four words, even Pei Ying looked up and asked, "Where did this come from?"
Lin Chuntao wanted to make up a story, but after thinking it over, she decided not to. She just smiled and said, "It's just a name with a beautiful meaning."
Pei Ying smiled when he heard this, "That's right, just based on this name, everyone who studies will like it."
Xu Sheng and Xu Huan didn't say a word from beginning to end. The brother and sister sighed that the noodles were delicious and at the same time lamented that this bowl of noodles could be sold for sixteen cents. Wouldn't they have eaten sixteen cents?
And Xu Sheng suddenly thought of something: how should they pay for meals at Lin Chuntao's in the future.
Xu Sheng was thinking about this. After dinner, when everyone was sitting in the yard to rest, he told Lin Chuntao about this. Lin Chuntao looked at him and smiled, then said softly, "No need to pay. What kind of relationship do we have to pay for meals? In the future, if you go to the shop and don't come home for a meal, Chunxing will take you out. You don't have to worry about food and accommodation."
Xu Sheng looked hesitant. He said to Lin Chuntao, "Sister, this isn't good. If we can do it, it won't take one or two days."
Lin Chuntao said, "There's nothing wrong with it. Although we are cousins, I treat you as my brothers and sisters. Don't be so polite to me. You can tell me anything on weekdays."
Xu Sheng was deeply moved when he heard Lin Chuntao's words.
"Don't worry, sister. We will definitely do it well."
Lin Chuntao smiled and nodded.
After resting for a while, Lin Chunxing went to boil water to prepare for a bath, and Lin Chuntao went to find two buckets and two sets of towels, one for Xu Sheng and one for Xu Huan.
After giving the things, she took the bedding and went to make the bed. She also brought a quilt for Xu Huan, and she and Chun Xing each covered themselves with a quilt.
The next day, when the cockcrowed, Xu Huan and Xu Sheng quickly got up when they heard the crowing.
Lin Chuntao was not going to the county town today, but she got up together. Together with Lin Chunxing, she packed her things and put them in the backpack, and set off under the cover of night.
With Xu Huan and Xu Sheng on the road, it became a lot more lively.
Just after they walked out of the village, they met Mrs. Fan and Lin Jialang, who were carrying charcoal to sell in the county town.
Lin Chunxing greeted Madam Fan and introduced Xu Huan and Xu Sheng. Xu Sheng and his friends knew Lin Jialang. Thinking of what the Lin family had done to Lin Chuntao and the others in the past, Xu Sheng and his friends disliked Lin Jialang and his friends very much. The brother and sister did not say a word to Lin Jialang along the way.
Ever since the charcoal was burned, Fan Niang and Lin Jialang went out early and arrived at the county town at daybreak. They did not go to the busy places in the county town to sell it, but sold it on the edge of the city first. They carried it to the door and weighed as much as people wanted, which was considered door-to-door delivery. Lin Jialang originally thought that the charcoal was one cent cheaper than the charcoal in the county town, but Fan Li Niang thought this was not a good idea. They could be more considerate in their service and not lower the price. The better charcoal in the county town sold for seven cents per catty, and the smaller ones for six cents, and they also sold it at this price.
There are only two major charcoal sellers in the county. Coming out to compete with them for money is unpleasant in itself, and if they try to lower the price, it will make people even more unhappy.
Besides, it is not easy for them to carry the charcoal from home to the county town. Even if one kilogram costs one more copper coin, one hundred kilograms means one hundred more charcoal pieces.
While Fan Li'niang was selling charcoal with Lin Jialang, she also asked people how much charcoal they needed and how long it would take, so that they could deliver the charcoal to their door.
If they can deliver it to your door for the same price, everyone will definitely be happy.
After talking to people, Fan Li'niang would also write down which household on which street needed charcoal delivered and approximately when.
Lin Jialang learned a lot from Fan Li Niang.
The charcoal in their kiln burned very well, and the charcoal was large and complete. It was sold for seven cents per pound. The two of them carried almost 170 pounds to the county town, and they could earn more than one guan from selling it.
Lin Jialang looked at so many copper coins with burning eyes and flushed face.
She said to Fan Li Niang, "Auntie, give Sister Chun Tao 30%, we should still have 800 to 900 coins."
Fan Li Niang nodded and asked him, "Do you want to go to the county town to buy something?"
Lin Jialang pursed his lips and said, "Let's buy some food and some lard to make lard."
Fan Li'niang nodded slightly, and the two of them went to the grain store and then to the meat stall.
There were still a lot of people at the meat stall. The two of them stood in line in the crowd, not far away, and saw Xu Sheng and Xu Huan following Lin Chunxing, collecting money, handing out skewers, scooping water to put into the pot to cook noodles, and then serving it to the customers after it was cooked. After the customers finished eating, they took the noodles away and washed them. The three of them were busy in an orderly manner.
Xu Huan and Xu Sheng were also very efficient at their work. They were a little reserved at the beginning, but when more people came and things got busy, Lin Chunxing would directly assign the work, and the reservedness of the brother and sister was instantly diluted by the busyness.
At this time, Lin Chuntao, Lin Cunzheng and Lin Changzong went to the house to lead the cows and fed them with grass before going to the fields.
Chen Dongniang also brought a few half-grown children to help with the corn roots and break up the clumped soil.
Before the land was fully turned over, Yu Meixi and Sun Hu had already finished the decoration drawings for the house. Lin Chuntao did not go to the county town, and the couple even came home.
Lin Chuntao followed him to the county town, and together they decided on a place for renovation, set a price, and signed a deed. Then the matter was handed over to Yu Meixi and the others.
Lin Chuntao also bought a bed from her home and slept in it separately from Lin Chunxing.
The aunt-in-law and her family came to see Xu Huan and Xu Sheng. They saw Lin Chuntao and the others planting radishes, so they helped them. They turned the soil over and planted all the radishes in just six or seven days.
The fermented black beans that Lin Chuntao made last time were almost finished. She poured them out and started to dry them. After the fermented black beans were dried, Lin Chuntao went to the county town to buy soybean oil.
Before she bought the soybean oil, she met someone selling mules. The two mules were about the same size and were very skilled at pulling carts and grinding mills. Lin Chuntao thought that she had been using Aunt Guizhi's mules recently, and she felt embarrassed to borrow too many. She hadn't met them before, so now that she had met one, she could buy one and use it conveniently in the future.
Lin Chuntao looked at the mules. They were a little thin, and their fur wasn't smooth enough. The mule seller explained, "My dear, both mules are fine. It's just that their previous owners used them a little too hard when harvesting crops, so they look a little thin. You can just buy them and feed them some fodder."
Lin Chuntao looked at the mule's eyes and tongue and found that there was indeed nothing wrong with it.
"How much does this cost?"
Lin Chuntao asked, and the man leading the mule replied, "The mule cart costs eight taels of silver."
Lin Chuntao frowned slightly and asked, "If we buy both together, can it be cheaper?"
The man looked at Lin Chuntao with some surprise and said with a smile, "If you buy both together, your wife can just give me fifteen taels."
Fifteen taels, seven and a half taels each. Lin Chuntao felt that it was still a bit high. She said, "This mule is too thin. I have to raise it slowly after I buy it. I can ask for a cheaper price, twelve taels for two mules and a cart."
The man's eyes dimmed and he shook his head reluctantly.
"Twelve taels is too little to buy. Although this mule is thin, it has a good skeleton and good appearance. If you are sincere, I will give you fourteen taels, which is the lowest price."
Lin Chuntao smiled and made another offer.
"Thirteen taels."
The man frowned as he looked at Lin Chuntao, then said, "Add another six hundred coins, and if you want it, take it away."
With an extra six hundred coins, Lin Chuntao stopped bargaining and said with a smile, "Then please help me lead the mule to the noodle soup stall."
Lin Chuntao couldn't drive the two mule carts back, so she planned to leave one in the county town for Lin Chunxing and the others to drive for a while.
After the mule was led over and tied up, Lin Chuntao paid the money and took one away.
She went to the oil mill to buy some soybean oil, and then went to the porcelain shop to buy a few jars of soy sauce.
On the way back, she exchanged two jars of soybean oil and a few hams from the system. After everything was done, she slowly drove the mule cart home.
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