Chapter 125 Chapter 125 Update.
Speaking of Jin, she had originally envied Tian's mother and daughter selling cooked food and groceries in Huai City, and also wanted Ji Zhi to go to that small stall selling glutinous rice and meat soup, but she heard from her son-in-law that Huai City would not last for a few more days.
When asked the reason, it turned out that the Inspector of the Capital said that the place "lacked etiquette and violated the national code" and needed to be rectified. All vendors were not allowed to sell things there.
"Si Li Xiao Wei? What kind of official is that? How does he compare to my brother-in-law's Shi Mi Fu? If he says to ban it, then it's banned. Can our family still sell cooked food in Huai City?" Ji Zhi had just arrived and asked in confusion.
Du Xian said, "The Sili Xiaowei is worth 2,000 dan (approximately 2,000 dan) and earns 100 hu (approximately 100 hu) a month. I'm just a market official with 300 dan (approximately 100 dan) and I can only get news faster than others. How can I possibly interfere with the reforms in Huai City? Ultimately, my son-in-law is useless and is causing my aunt a lot of trouble."
When Jin heard this, she was mostly gloating and said:
"Xian'er, don't say that. We have a place to meet people at the market, so we don't have to rely on Huai City for food. The Tian family next door will be worried and unable to sleep! They must be making pancakes all night long!"
So when he ran into Tian's mother and daughter again, he no longer felt anxious, but instead said:
"The grasshoppers after autumn will not be able to jump out for a few days!"
At first, Tian didn't understand what was going on. She even pointed at her with her hands on her hips and retorted, "You're like a rabbit with red eyes, a centipede in hot ground, an ant on a hot pot! You're so anxious because you heard about other people's profits!"
Jin couldn't argue with her, so she just smiled meaningfully and went in with a flick of her sleeves.
A few days later, Tian finally learned about the ban in Huai City and finally thought about what Jin said.
"That bitch has probably been waiting to see our family's joke for a long time. Daughter, have you looked for other places to go lately?"
Ji Xu said no, but she still had hope.
"Chen Zixia and his team have joined forces with some poor students and will write a petition to the Grand Council tomorrow, proposing that we stay in Huai City. I've read the petition and it's written with such sincerity and heartfelt emotion that it might actually work."
Taichang was among the Nine Ministers, with a salary of two thousand stones. His rank and salary were higher than those of the Sili Xiaowei, and second only to the Three Dukes. He had a lofty status and was in charge of rituals and music of the country, rituals of ancestral temples, and also of culture and education.
The Imperial College where these students were studying was under the jurisdiction of the Taichang Temple, and the highest official was the Taichang. If the students could really write a letter to persuade the Taichang, there might be a turning point in this matter.
On the 15th of June, Jin thought her neighbor was staying at home and worried about her livelihood. But when she thought of Tian's miserable face, she became more and more energetic. She got up early in the morning to steam rice and make soup, and called out to Ji Zhi in the yard:
"If you don't hurry up, I'll wait for you."
When he went out, he ran into Tian's mother and daughter head-on. He saw that their ox cart was loaded with iron utensils for cooking. He thought that if they were caught and fined a gold coin, they would not be able to rent a house, let alone a place to stay on the streets of Chang'an.
I was feeling proud of myself when I saw them coming back in the afternoon, talking and laughing, with all their belongings in the car.
Because she was lazy and wanted to be quick, she didn't wash the steamer for steaming sorghum rice yesterday and just put the sorghum rice in it to steam. As a result, the sorghum rice in the steamer had a bit of a sour smell by the evening, especially the ones on the sides that were stained with yesterday's leftovers. Some people found the taste strange and asked her to return the money. They quarreled for half a day, but nothing was sold and she was exhausted.
Seeing the mother and daughter returning happily, he was very puzzled. When his son-in-law came back from his shift, he hurriedly stopped him and asked about the situation in Huai City.
"What? It's not allowed again!"
Jin heard this and complained,
"These students, instead of just studying their books, are meddling in whether vendors can set up stalls in Huai City! Isn't this just because they have nothing better to do?"
"Since it's no longer banned, let Ji Zhi sell it there tomorrow and make some money."
She said, but Du Xian's next words made her think twice.
"Although the Huai City has been preserved, it is managed as a proper market. It opens at sunrise and closes at sunset. Market rent and taxes must be paid every month. Except that the market rent is cheaper, the other taxes are no different from paying in a store." Du Xian said.
In the past, she had sent Ji Zhi because he didn't have to pay any money, but now that she had to pay a fee, Jin hesitated.
The Imperial Academy is the only institution of higher learning in the country, and its students are Confucian scholars and intellectuals from all over the country. The book they jointly edited is indeed of great significance.
"Now Huai City has been saved, all thanks to you. Come, take this Dingsheng Cake and eat it. It's my treat."
When Chen Zixia and some students passed by the locust tree forest, they found that the vendors had stuffed a lot of food into their arms, and Ji Xu also stuffed food into their arms.
Chen Zixia bowed and offered to pay, and was in a panic, which made everyone around him laugh.
Ji Xu also bowed to him and said with a smile, "I don't want your money. Take it and eat it."
"You've saved your livelihood, and for us students, you've also kept a good place to eat and drink. It's a win-win situation, so we still have to pay you."
Chen Zixia was very stubborn and gave all the money to Ji Xu before he left.
Although Huai City now charges fees based on location, it is a small market after all. The number of students in the Imperial College is only about a thousand at its peak, unlike the tens of thousands in Lingyi. The monthly market rent is three taels, which is less than one-third of the amount paid to the market, and the market tax is also 20%.
It is still worthwhile and they can continue to do the business, so most vendors pay to continue doing it.
Huai City has also changed a lot. The stalls are now lined up in an orderly manner.
Each vendor is assigned an area and is responsible for the hygiene within that area.
As for the cows and donkeys of each household, they can no longer be tied up randomly like before. They are all tied up in one area, and the livestock feces are also cleaned up every evening after the market closes. It looks much cleaner than before.
Ji Xu's Dingsheng cakes are now selling like hot cakes. After deducting the three taels of city rent per month, which is the money for renting this location, and then deducting the 20% city tax and the cost of buying ingredients, he can still make eight taels per month.
Of course, this does not include the wages for the whole family who got up in the middle of the night to work. In short, it is still profitable to earn eight taels. Therefore, she still works at her old location under the locust tree, pays rent to the market and continues to work, and Tian's grocery stall is still in business.
That day, after the Huai Market was over, it was Ji Xu's turn to clean up the area around where the livestock were tied. Tian remembered this and had gone to do it for her earlier so that she didn't have to get involved.
She closed her stall late and after selling the last batch of lotus root starch dumplings, she was packing up to go find Tian.
I saw a group of people riding horses from the Imperial College. They all wore loose clothes and wide belts, and wore golden crowns and jade rings. Under the burning red afterglow of the sky, yellow dust filled the sky.
Fortunately, the stall was closed, and these things had to be washed when they got home, so Ji Xu simply covered them with a piece of cloth and hid his face with his sleeves while waiting for them to pass.
Unexpectedly, she stopped in front of the stall. One of them, a student with a round face and medium height, pulled the reins and led the horse around her stall. He threw a bag of uneaten cakes from his arms and said:
"What Dingsheng Cake? I ate your Dingsheng Cake and got a C-level in the debate. What do you say?"
Ji Xu looked down and found that the broken pieces were indeed Dingsheng cakes she had made. Recently, some young servants had bought them for their masters as a good omen. She held the muddy cake in her hands and said,
"Even the elixir of the Jade Emperor can't guarantee that a student will get a C grade on the test, let alone this little cake."
As soon as he mentioned Grade C, the idlers who were gathered around him all laughed, and the man who was questioning him blushed.
He was none other than the son of the Inspector of the Imperial Capital, his surname was Shi and his given name was Yi. His father's fortune-telling words were rejected by the Minister of Rites, making him a laughing stock in the officialdom. He was very angry and heard that Chen Zixia from Xiuliu Cang was reluctant to give up the girl's stall, so he jointly wrote a letter with other poor students to keep her in Huaishi. He humiliated Chen Zixia in the Imperial College and did not let Ji Xu go.
He pointed his whip at her and said, "What's that talk you always have about victory in debate? Is it all just bullshit? If you don't say something nice, I'll destroy your business!"
Ji Xu hurriedly said, "You can't smash it! The cake is named Dingsheng, and it's said that for good luck. I also hope that my gentlemen can get an A in the exam, but..."
As soon as they said this, the Wuling boys who spent their days fighting cocks and running dogs couldn't help but laugh. The leader, Chao Wulang, added fuel to the fire and said:
"Shi Daizi, the cook is indirectly saying you're stupid and isn't blaming her cakes, but you can't hear it?"
"I dare not."
Ji Xu clasped his hands and said that he was really worried that her stall would be smashed. These Wuling scions all came from wealthy and prestigious families. If high-ranking officials from various places really smashed her property, who would she turn to for justice?
Yin said in a gentle voice: "...It's just a name after all, you can't take it too seriously. Take the famous Guanzhong dish Five Marquis Mackerel, for example. After all, it's just a mixture of fish and meat. There are no five marquises in the dish.
Which hawker in the nine markets of Chang'an doesn't say something nice to please the customers? Those who buy this bottle will live in a big market, be granted titles such as nobility and kings, or even ascend to heaven.
"My dear, you are such a sharp-eyed and perceptive person. Your C-grade is just a momentary mistake. With your kind heart, why worry about not having the A-grade chance? There is really no need to get angry about this cake."
They listened to what I said and nodded in agreement.
Shi Yi was originally a C-level person who came here to pick a fight, but after hearing her praise, he became a little flattered.
"Yes, if Chen Zixia, who failed every exam, could get an A, why can't I?"
"Exactly."
Ji Xu complimented them and rode away on his horse, shaking his sleeves to clear away the dust.
Tian came carrying a bag of cow dung. Seeing those young men in fancy clothes passing by, she thought it was a big business. But after hearing what Ji Xu said, she realized that they were there to cause trouble, and she cursed at the rolling dust.
Anyway, the person has already gone far away, so it's good for Tian to curse a few times to vent her anger.
The mother and daughter threw the garbage into a big pit near Fu'angmen and drove home. When they passed by Jiaomen Market, Tian asked her if she was thirsty and bought her a liter of sweet peach water.
The shadow of the city wall cut through the prosperous capital. A wanderer who was rummaging through the ash pit saw Tian throw down a big bag of things, poked it with a stick, and turned around to search somewhere else.
"Say rich, happy, not yet, central."
As early as May, there was a thrush's nest on the mulberry tree at the entrance of the alley. Ji Feng climbed up the tree and caught a young thrush with its wings just fully grown to raise, which is commonly known as a little starling.
Earlier, Ji Xu found an old birdcage in Huai City. They fed and watered the bird every day. Now the cage was placed in the basin of water, and the little starling was playing in the water. Feng, Zhu and Xiaoyao were surrounding it, teaching it to say auspicious words.
"Fu Le Wei Yang!" said the little starling jumping in the cage.
"Mother!"
"Sister! You're back! Are you tired today?"
Seeing them come back, they all rushed over.
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