Chapter 130 Chapter 130 Update.
On the first day of opening, Ji's braised food was in full swing. Customers came one after another. One of them came late, stood in front of the stall and looked around, and bought all the pig's trotters and pig's ears.
Seeing that there were still two duck feet left, Ji Xu gave them to the man as a gift. The man was happy to get the extra food and paid for it readily.
After half a day of setting up the stall, all the large double-handled pottery plates were sold out. I still had half a day left to go home, have a meal, and count the five-zhu coins I had earned that day with my sisters.
A two-foot-long and wide money box made of old camphor wood was so heavy that Jizhu couldn't hold it alone. She and Xiaoyao had to lift it together, and it fell to the ground on the kang mat with a loud noise.
They counted ten coins into a pile, and they had a total of four hundred piles, which was four thousand five-zhu coins, weighing fifty catties. Even if one catty at that time was half a catty in later times, it still weighed more than twenty catties. No wonder Ji Zhu couldn't carry the money box onto the kang by herself.
"Four taels of silver! It's more than what we sold on the day when the three companies competed, double the amount!" said Ji Feng.
Ji Xu would find time to exchange these loose coins for silver at Zi Qian's house.
Tian fanned herself with a palm-leaf fan, crossed her legs, and counted with her fingers:
"After deducting the 20% market tax, the cost of buying these fresh offal, spices, salaries, and the daily rent of 330 yuan for the stall, not to mention my own labor, I'm left with a net profit of two taels of silver!"
Among them, the rare spices are the most expensive, but the cheapness of the materials makes up for it.
"Wow! Two taels a day, that's sixty taels a month. Add to that the money I make selling prepared food and groceries in Huai City, and I'll make at least seventy-five taels a month. If we keep doing this for a long time, if we want to buy two houses like the one next door, we can save enough money in one year, not two or three!"
Tian's eyes sparkled, and her face was filled with joy.
"After all, it was my daughter who had the idea. Even though the location is not good, it still attracts people to buy it!"
Seeing that there were not enough to sell during the competition, Ji Xu specially brought in extra braised vegetables to sell, but she did not expect that the ones in the corner were also sold out. She was also looking forward to buying a house in the "Second Ring Road" of Chang'an in the future.
It would be best to sell like this for half a day. After counting the money and taking a nap, I have to go to the east end of the bridge to buy offal to prepare for fresh braised food for tomorrow.
In the afternoon, Ji Xu came back from Jiaodaoting Market with a large bag of offal, and Tian brought two liters of horse-breeding wine and three pounds of rotten sheep stomach. They chatted with Liu Laogu and the others at the entrance of the alley, gesturing with their hands and looking very proud.
"Look, someone's gold nugget is back." Aunt Liu smiled at Ji Xu on the ox cart.
"You are really good at making money. One day you will become a wealthy man worth three million. Then you can ask us to perform for your entertainment." Aunt Qiu, who specializes in performing comedy shows for others, said.
The term "a wealthy man of three million coins" is a term used in Maoling Town. The late emperor issued an "Order to Move to Maoling" ordering that all wealthy people with a family fortune of more than three million coins at that time should be moved to Maoling Town. It is said that until now, only wealthy families live there.
Most of the singing and dancing artists in Anling County performed operas and told jokes for families like that, so Aunt Qiu said this to tease her.
"That's not true, Aunt Qiu. When I really become that wealthy, Aunt Qiu will surely be a famous actor in Chang'an, traveling with high-ranking families and being appointed as a servant. How could she even care about me?"
Everyone in the circle laughed. Aunt Qiu pointed at her and said:
"Look at her, she's so good at coaxing people with her mouth, no wonder she can make money!"
"I don't know who he looks like. If he looks like Aunt Tian, it should be Zhang Hui's sharp tongue!" another woman laughed.
"fart!"
Tian scolded with a smile.
"Listen, I'm not wrong."
The party dispersed with laughter, and Tian boarded the oxcart and returned home. The evening meal had been prepared in advance. On a red earthenware plate were stewed taro, pickled cucumber, and fried eggs with chives—all homely dishes Tian had made.
Nowadays, meat sauce is popular in cooking. All kinds of meat can be used to make sauce, such as fish sauce, ant sauce, and meat sauce.
The meat for making sauce must be salted and exposed to the sun in advance to make it dry so that it can be preserved for a long time. The delicious meat sauce nowadays is also related to the fact that fresh meat is not easy to preserve. After all, there are no refrigerators. Some people who live far away from the downtown area have to make meat sauce to eat.
This stewed taro is made by steaming fresh taro and meat sauce. There is a light purple layer at the bottom. Tian was worried that they would not eat well and gain weight, so she covered it with glossy golden meat sauce. It is so satisfying to take a bite.
The pickled cucumbers are refreshing and less greasy. Tian made them herself using a small jar of pickle. It is cucumber season now, so she has as much as you want.
Ji Xu first took the small root and ate it with a crisp bite.
The fried leek eggs were similar to the leek and egg pancakes of later generations, with more eggs and less vegetables, making it a golden dish.
"Here it comes, Zhuo's rotten sheep stomach."
Tian took out a plate of rotten lamb stomach slices that she had just bought at the north end of Wei Bridge and placed it on the table.
Zhuo's rotten sheep stomach is famous throughout Chang'an and even the whole country. When people talk about rotten sheep stomach, they know Zhuo who made his fortune by selling sheep stomach jerky.
Zhuo's rotten sheep stomachs are not only sold in the Jiaomen Market at the north end of Wei Bridge, but she also has shops in the East and West Markets. She is the one who truly became the three millionaire that Aunt Qiu mentioned, and it is said that she has now settled in Maoling.
When Ji Xu's braised food becomes as good as Zhuo Shi's rotten sheep stomach, with both fame and a shop, then it will be successful.
The mother and daughter poured some horse-drawn wine into bowls and drank it, along with the braised food that they had saved for themselves in the morning, which went best with the rotten sheep stomach.
Tian called back the children who were playing with crickets in the alley at the door.
"Don't bring the cricket cage in. Put it outside."
The children reluctantly put it on the windowsill and went to wash their hands.
“It smells so good!”
Ji Feng came in and said that the family had finished their dinner at the table and were washing the bag of offal in the yard.
By the time the sun had set and the work was done, Tian was craving something to eat, so she washed a basket of sweet potatoes.
This sweet potato looks like taro. It was also planted by the Tian family in my hometown in the past. It could grow huge fruits. After peeling the skin, the flesh inside is as white as fat and crispy when bitten. Just like its name, it is sweet and filling.
The mother and daughter were eating sweet potatoes at the table and chatting privately when they heard a knock on the door.
"Who is it?"
Ji Feng ran over, and Tian followed behind.
When the gate opened, they saw the scoundrel who had shown them the house before, this time bringing a couple with him.
The couple got out of the carriage, dressed in luxurious attire, and stood outside, craning their necks to look inside. Tian blocked their way:
"what for?"
The young man smiled and said, "Miss Tian, have you eaten yet? The owner of this house is doing business in Maoling and wants to sell it. He asked me to bring someone to look at it."
"But we rented this house for six months! Even if we sell it, we have to wait until the lease expires."
Tian was about to chase them away with a fierce look on her face, but the scoundrel boy cleverly said:
"That's true, but the owner wants to sell it, and we're just doing our work. I've already pleaded with them, saying they've broken the lease and are willing to pay half a month's rent."
Having said that, Tian was not such an unkind person. For the sake of Xiaolang, she opened the gate and let the couple in.
Ji Feng came in to report the news. Ji Xu had already heard about it. He saw the couple walking around the yard, as if this was their home.
He then wandered into the kitchen and was even tempted to lift the lid of the earthenware pot on the horseshoe stove. Inside was the daily old braising liquid, which was already boiling and filled the room with fragrance.
"Hey! Where did you get this hoof? I don't have any rice cooked on my stove! You still want to stay for dinner?"
Tian slapped the woman's hand away.
The young woman and her husband complained, "This Mulberry Alley is nice, but the people who live there are not up to par. Just look at the food they eat."
He glanced at the offal soaked in water on the table and said this while covering his nose.
Her husband also nodded.
But he continued to stroll around, and when he reached the inner room, he looked around, not paying attention to the mat on the floor, leaving two shoe prints on it, and pointed everywhere:
"When we move in, we'll have to throw all this away and renovate it. I really despise the layout of this house."
Tian said, "Why come here if you don't like it? There are more respectable ones in Maoling, you can buy them there. I'm afraid you don't have enough money, so you're just hanging around here!"
The man immediately retorted: "Who are you talking about who doesn't have enough money?"
"Look at your red face and thick neck. Even if you are right, don't yell and scare your wife."
Tian said, and when they saw that a quarrel was about to break out, the scoundrel boy hurried over to smooth things over:
"This is just a corner of the mansion. Please follow me. The house ahead is much larger. The master and his wife will surely be satisfied. A gentleman like you should live in a large courtyard, right?"
After much coaxing and invitation, the man came out with a flick of his sleeves, and hurled indirect accusations at the scoundrel:
"What kind of houses are these you're showing us? Full of heartless, barbaric, vulgar people!"
Tian was not to be outdone and said loudly:
"Erfeng, fetch a bucket of water and scrub the room thoroughly. And throw that mat into the ash pit!"
"Why!"
Ji Feng replied, but the mat was not thrown away after all. It was washed and hung under the eaves.
The house where the mother and daughter lived was originally a warehouse in the northwest corner of a residential area, facing Mulberry Lane. In order to rent it out, a wall was built to separate it from the main courtyard. Their courtyard gate was originally the back corner gate of this residential area.
The house in the front yard was rented to two families, one of whom was Aunt Qiu's family; the other was a street vendor.
Ji Xu had delivered food to Aunt Qiu's house before, so he knew the layout of the courtyard. The courtyard was in the shape of a U, with a spacious front yard, one hall and three rooms. There was an east kitchen with a well, a cattle and horse stable in the northeast, and a warehouse converted into a house in the northwest.
The gate of the courtyard faces the North Street of Jiaomen City, and outside is the North Gate of Jiaomen City. When visiting Aunt Qiu's house, you can hear the hustle and bustle of the bustling city outside the wall.
"Who are you? Stop rummaging around!"
Ji Xu and the others could hear Aunt Qiu yelling at the couple, and they had a few words later.
"Xiao Lang, come to my house and have a cup of tea."
Ji Xu went to the North Street and waited, only to see the young man escort the couple to the carriage, then walked away in a gloomy manner. When he heard Ji Xu calling him, he came up to her and said:
"That's obviously targeting a stingy person. Why are you pretending to be a rich man?"
Ji Xu asked, "This house faces south and has a square layout. Don't they like it?"
The scoundrel said, "I say the same thing. This house has so many prosperous people living in it, but they only say bad things about it and are so picky about it. I'm afraid they can't afford it at all."
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