Besides eating two steamed buns at the beginning, Meng Zhao also ate a flatbread sold by an old woman.
For a normal woman like her, the cheapest way to have a full breakfast here is to buy two steamed buns for just one penny.
If you want something tastier, you can buy two vegetarian buns for just two coins. If you want meat, depending on the type, it will cost about four to eight coins to fill you up.
Since it was morning, most of the stalls were breakfast stalls. Meng Zhao planned to wander around elsewhere first and come back to check them out around noon.
After walking around the pier and listening to many people's conversations, she gained some understanding of the current prices and wages.
Working in a shop in the city like the Gu family would earn about 30-40 coins a day, which was already an extremely low wage.
The dockworkers who carried goods were paid by the amount they carried. Young and strong workers could earn up to 100 coins a day, while older workers or those who couldn't carry heavy loads might only earn 50 or 60 coins a day.
Although the money wasn't small, it was truly hard work. Meng Zhao saw that even when they weren't carrying goods, many laborers still had hunched backs, like a tree bent under the weight of its weight.
The main consumers at the docks are them, along with nearby residents and sailors on passing merchant ships.
In terms of purchasing power, one wen (a unit of currency) could be roughly converted into one yuan in modern currency. It could buy two steamed buns or one vegetarian bun, or two eggs. Rice cost 5-15 wen per jin (500 grams), depending on the type.
The main type of meat sold is pork. Because there is a general lack of oil in pork, fatty pork is more expensive. Ribs and lean meat are cheaper. Pork belly is about 12 yuan per pound, which is in the middle price range.
The biggest difference between then and now is in salt and seasonings. In modern supermarkets, you can buy a pound of high-quality fine white salt for two yuan. But in ancient times, even coarse salt of poor quality could sell for 7 or 8 wen per pound, and ordinary people couldn't even buy good quality salt even if they had money.
Sugar was a luxury item; not only was the quality poor, but it was also expensive. Many families could only afford to buy a bag during the Lunar New Year to give their children a sweet treat.
Many commonly used spices are still classified as aromatherapy materials or medicinal herbs, and are expensive and not easy to collect.
As they wandered around, it was noon. Meng Zhao returned to the dock. The stalls selling steamed buns and flatbreads were still there, but some other stalls had been added, such as those selling wontons, mutton noodles, steamed cakes, and shrimp cakes.
The mutton noodle stall was not only large, with a canopy, but also had two tables and several benches, all of which were full of people. Those without seats simply squatted by the roadside with their bowls and ate. Most of them came from poor backgrounds and didn't care much about etiquette.
"Boss, how much are these noodles?" Meng Zhao asked as he stepped forward.
"Vegetarian noodles are 5 coins, meat noodles are 7 coins, and mutton noodles are 12 coins. Our noodles come in large portions; any type will fill you up."
"A bowl of meat noodles, please." Meng Zhao chose a mid-priced option.
The owner used a strainer to scoop a spoonful of noodles from the pot and put it in a bowl. He then grabbed a handful of greens and threw them into the noodle soup. He lifted the lid of another pot, and the aroma filled the air. The mutton in the pot was stewed until tender, and the broth was rich. The owner scooped a spoonful of mutton soup and poured it over the noodles. He then scooped an egg, a few pieces of dried tofu, and some greens and put them on the noodles.
Meng Zhao took the noodles and realized that the "meat noodles" actually didn't contain any meat, only meat broth. In addition, eggs could also be considered a meat dish here.
There was no space at the table, so Meng Zhao found a rock nearby, placed his bowl on it, and began to eat.
The broth was topped with a light layer of oil and had a rich aroma of mutton. The noodles were cooked to perfection, chewy and springy. The eggs and tofu were soaked in the broth and were very flavorful. One bite was enough to make your mouth water.
Meng Zhao had been wandering around all day and was starving. In the end, he drank all the noodle soup, leaving his stomach full.
The breakfast and lunch cost a total of 14 copper coins, and Meng Zhao wanted to use the remaining money to buy some ingredients to take home.
Firstly, I've been eating too blandly these past few days and wanted to buy some meat to satisfy my cravings.
Secondly, it was to prepare for future business. Although she had used a wood-fired stove in modern times, she had little experience with it. Food cooked on a wood-fired stove is fragrant, but the heat is too difficult to control, so she needed to get familiar with it as soon as possible.
Meng Zhao went around to the vegetable market street in the north of the city. It was past noon and there were not many pedestrians on the street. Meng Zhao first went to the general store and bought a hand-woven basket for five coins. Then he went to the butcher shop and cut a pound of pork belly for twelve coins.
When I left the butcher shop, I saw an old lady with a street stall. The bamboo shoots on her stall looked very fresh, so I walked over to the stall, squatted down, and started to examine them.
When the old lady saw a buyer come to her door, she immediately greeted her warmly, "Young lady, look at these bamboo shoots of ours. My daughter-in-law and I picked them from the mountains this morning. They're still fresh, not even overnight. Look at the bamboo shoot husks, they're still tender yellow, very fresh."
Meng Zhao picked up a bamboo shoot and weighed it in her hand. It was of a moderate size, with an intact husk and tender white flesh, indicating that it was indeed fresh. "Auntie, how much are these bamboo shoots?"
"There are only three bamboo shoots left. If you want them, young lady, you can take them all for five coins. These bamboo shoots are big; one of them can make a whole dish."
"How much are these potatoes over there?"
"Potatoes are only three coins for two jin, which is a good price. They are all homegrown. If you go to a shop, you probably won't be able to buy such good ones for two coins a jin."
"Auntie, I'll take all three bamboo shoots, and I'll also take two pounds of potatoes. Could you give me a few of these chilies so I can stir-fry them with the potatoes when I get home?"
Hot and sour shredded potatoes are a great dish to eat with rice, and it's also one of her specialties. The Shen family members don't seem to be able to handle spicy food, so a couple of small chili peppers are enough to season them.
Meng Zhao didn't have much money with him today, and he needed to buy rice later, so he had to shamelessly ask the other person for some extra.
"Alright, since you're such a pretty girl, I'll give you a few." As he spoke, he put bamboo shoots and potatoes into Meng Zhao's basket, and finally grabbed a small handful of chili peppers and stuffed them in, making a total of seven or eight.
Meng Zhao quickly thanked her, "Thank you so much, Auntie. When will you set up your stall here? I'll come back to buy from you next time." After saying that, she took out eight coins and handed them over.
"You won't be back for another three days. If you want to buy something, you'll have to come earlier next time, because by noon most of these things will be sold out."
"Okay, Auntie, I'll come earlier next time." After buying the vegetables, Meng Zhao still had 11 coins left, so she prepared to buy rice.
When I arrived at the grain store, I discovered that there were so many varieties of rice: brown rice, fine rice, and polished rice, each with different prices.
Even among polished rice, there are those with plump grains and those with shriveled grains.
Meng Zhao naturally wanted to eat refined rice, but his wallet was tight, so he could only ask for 6 coins for fine rice and 5 coins for brown rice, which together weighed almost two jin (1 kg). He would eat that for the next two days.
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