Chapter 56 Chapter 56 New Year Greetings.
Here, Ji Xu returned from delivering tofu to Chen's house. Ji Feng was already burning grass in front of the house. She poked it with a stick, and the flames jumped up. Ji Feng muttered:
"Little ghosts, do you see how blazing the fire is in my house? Don't come to my house and cause trouble next year. I'll burn you to death."
I heard Ji Xu calling out: "It's time to eat New Year's Eve dinner!"
He dropped the stick and ran away.
The main room was covered with cattail mats, with a food table on top. There were steamed bacon and cured pork ribs, and cabbage underneath. The steamed oil was just the right amount for the sweet cabbage to relieve the greasiness. There was also fried tofu, and a plate of fried bean dregs and turnips. There was a warm stove next to it. While warming up by the fire, we ate New Year's Eve dinner in a harmonious and joyful atmosphere.
"This bacon is delicious. You can have some too, sister."
Ji Zhu's mouth was greasy as she ate, and she didn't forget to pick some food for Ji Xu.
The price of meat has risen sharply before. After my family stopped doing business, we rarely go to the market to buy meat. After a long time, I eat this bacon and it smells so good that I am addicted to it.
"The tofu is delicious too. I want to eat two bowls of rice!" Ji Zhu said proudly.
"Here, give me the New Year's money."
After the meal, Ji Xu gave each person eight five-zhu coins. Unfortunately, paper was rare nowadays, and there was no red paper to wrap it for good luck.
However, the two sisters Feng and Zhu were already surprised and happy. Ji Feng asked:
"What is money for warding off evil spirits?"
Ji Xu thought for a moment and said, "It's to ward off evil spirits and hope you'll grow a year older and be safe and sound. This is also a trick my sister learned in Chang'an."
"So that's how it is. No wonder it's called money to ward off evil spirits."
There was no such custom in their hometown, which made them very happy.
Ji Feng immediately took out her small cloth bag and took out her purse, which contained the twenty coins she had saved from her pig farming days. Now she had eight more coins, and she was so happy that she couldn't stop smiling.
Jizhu also carried a small bag with copper coins in it. When she walked, the coins shook and made a clattering sound, which was more pleasant than the sound of stones.
People don't go out on the first day of the first lunar month. On the second day, according to local customs, relatives and friends will pay New Year's greetings, or bring a bundle of cabbage, a handful of celery, or two radishes. The families in Benguli can't afford expensive gifts, but they just want to have fun.
Ji Xu only had fourteen coins left, and he didn't tell his sisters. If they had known, given their sensible and frugal nature, they would not have accepted the New Year's money.
But it is not easy to do the New Year's greetings with more than ten dollars. Ji Xu thought about it and decided to make some tofu. Firstly, it would be fresh and polite; secondly, if it tasted good, he would also gain a reputation.
Ji Xu went to the family of about ten who were helping him build a house, and took two pieces of tofu. When they saw the square, snow-white food, and heard that it was made of beans, they were so curious that they wanted to invite Ji Xu to dinner, and they cooked it for him immediately.
"Good, no worse than meat!"
Ji Xu naturally did not keep it. Later, the family cooked it according to what Ji Xu said and ate it, and praised it repeatedly.
"Look at you, so polite! It's been so long and you still remember us. You came just in time and even brought something. Is this the fresh food you made?"
"How much does this cost? It's too expensive."
"It's so white and tender, so pretty. Can I cut some up to make some meat soup?"
Others were busy bringing out a five-spice dish to entertain guests, chatting warmly about family matters, and giving them a handful of fresh winter melon as a return gift before they left.
Aunt Xu from the Feng family praised her ability and accepted it with a smile. She placed fried fruits on the table and left Bao Yu in the main room to chat with her. She went to the inner room and told Feng Dadao:
"Go weigh her a pound of preserved dates as a return gift. You can't lose face for the Feng family in front of her."
"Is one pound a bit too much? Half a pound is more than enough." After all, preserved jujubes are dried and not heavy. They are more expensive than beans nowadays. Feng Da has lost money on grain, so he wants to save some money.
Seeing that Xu Ni refused to change her mind, she did as she was told.
Afterwards, they made a dish of water shield and tofu soup. Except for Xu Ma and Feng Fuzhen who looked uncomfortable, the whole family enjoyed it deliciously. Bao Yu said:
"It smells like a little lamb being slaughtered."
"Can something made from beans taste like meat?"
Feng Fuzhen was just stubborn and refused to taste it. Seeing others eating it with relish, she secretly swallowed her saliva and still picked up some bitter vegetables to eat, saying,
"Is it because we haven't eaten mutton in a long time? Second sister-in-law is greedy and confused?"
As soon as these words were spoken, Feng coughed loudly, and Xu, who was sitting at the table, looked unhappy. Seeing this, Feng Fuzhen stopped talking.
After leaving Feng's house, Ji Xu thought about Mrs. Xiao who had just settled down that day. When the new house was built, she sent two eggs to his family. He intended to give her two pieces of tofu, but her door was closed all day and no one was seen in her house during the first month of the year.
The Wang family was so poor that no relatives came to visit. But Ji Xu came to pay New Year's greetings.
"That day, we were lucky to have Aunt Cao helping us with the mud."
"I've only eaten preserved tofu, but never tofu like this. Thank you for thinking of me."
Cao accepted the tofu and thanked him profusely. She went into the house and picked out two large radishes from a basket of radishes that were small due to lack of fat, and forced them on Ji Xu.
Ji Xu knew that her family was in financial difficulty and was unwilling to accept her. He made an excuse that he had to go to Chen's house and left.
Wang Mazi was listening to the noise in the house. When he saw his wife bringing two pieces of tofu, he couldn't help but say:
"This must have been learned by Xu Nu in Chang'an. It's a pity that we don't have this skill at home."
Cao tucked her eyes and said in a serious tone, "Don't have those evil thoughts, otherwise the three of us will leave you."
Wang Mazi said, "I just said it casually, look how anxious you are."
Chen's Lu mother also stuffed three eggs into Ji Xu's mouth, but Ji Xu refused to take them. Lu mother said:
"You don't have any chickens or ducks at home, so you went to the county in December to buy some things. I saw the ox carts pulling them back, so you must have spent quite a bit of money, didn't you?
"We haven't had any income lately, and I'm afraid Xiaozhu and the other two are craving meat. Steaming eggs into soup or frying them into egg pancakes is also a form of meat, so don't be polite to Grandmother."
Ji Xu took it and went to the home of the village headman in Xiaoshunli. Liang Zhao's wife, Huang, was weaving ropes in the yard and said,
"My husband is not at home. He went to a friend's house for a drink."
Thinking that Ji Xu was looking for the village headman for something, Ji Xu laughed and said:
"I came to visit my aunt to wish her a happy new year. I made some food and brought it with me."
Huang's face was filled with joy, she put down the half-woven rope and came to meet him.
"Wow, I've never seen food like this before."
"This is tofu. I want to take it to the county in a couple of days to sell it and make a living. Auntie, please try it for me. If you say it tastes good, then I'll be at ease."
"Mm, this pan-fried tofu is good."
At dusk, Huang cooked tofu with lard and added some minced meat as Ji Xu had suggested. Liang Zhao, the village headman who had returned home, ate it and nodded in approval.
"Even the tofu has a meaty flavor. Excellent. Ms. Xu's tofu business must be good."
Huang was thinking of Ji Xu as she ate, so she said, "Miss Xu wants to take it to the county to sell. I think she'll have to ask you to handle the daily travel in and out of the county."
Liang Zhaodao said, "That's not difficult. Just write down the reason why you're working as a servant in a certain family, and I'll get her a six-month contract."
Many villagers in Niupi Township work as servants in the county, either as drivers for wealthy families or as odd jobs for shops, and they have to travel back and forth between the county town and the township for a long time.
He wrote down the reasons and made a long-term biography, which saved trouble for him and the villagers.
Of course, there are also those who say they are going to the county to visit relatives and friends or to be employed, but in fact they are going to the county to sell eggs, melons and vegetables because the prices there are better.
The time and labor of farmers are worthless, so they would rather take the extra walk to the county to sell them. However, farmers are ordinary people and are not registered in the city. They cannot trade in the county. Not to mention that the city officials will definitely drive them away, but just when they enter the city gate, the city officials will check their "biography". If the reason they wrote for entering the city is to do business, but they cannot produce city registration, they will be stopped from entering.
The farmers were not stupid, so they would make up some false excuses to go to the city, and Liang Zhao would turn a blind eye and do whatever they wanted.
The county court had to review countless reports every day. The village chiefs of each township would submit a report, and the clerks in the county court would just go through the motions and approve and process it.
Shengchangli Kiln,
I don’t see anyone building a house in the first month of the lunar year, business is so slow.
The older ones would sit by the kiln, buy some muddy wine, and drink while they counted the money.
"My Lord, this money belongs to me!"
The young boys had little money, so they gathered together to play wrestling, which only required strength.
In the open space behind the house, there were two clusters of ashes left by the burning grass on New Year's Eve.
Wang Dianji was counting his accounts in his room. Last year's business was really not good. He was sighing when he heard someone say outside:
"Xu Nu is here!"
He came out and said, "Hey, what a rare guest!"
"I'm here to wish Wang Dianji a happy new year." Ji Xu asked Chen Che'er to come with him.
Chen Che'er brought Wang Dianji some preserved radish that he had dried in the winter and a jar of pickled radish. He said some auspicious words and ran into the kiln to chat with the boys.
Wang Dianji never expected that Ji Xu would come to wish him a happy new year. Although he was Wang Dianji, he was only in Shengchangli. Relying on the wealth and power of the Gan family, he could still put on airs. Once he left Shengchangli, outsiders would spit at him when they saw that he was a slave.
His hardened old heart was also comforted, and he asked questions sincerely:
"What are your plans now? I see that although the price of flour has dropped a bit, it's still a hundred coins a hu. Those noodle shops in the market, such as Gaohuan Hubing, are not open anymore. I'm afraid it will take until autumn for the price of white flour to return to its former high level."
"Here, this is the plan." Ji Xu handed over the tofu he brought with him.
"What is this? It's square like a brick." Wang Dianji asked.
"Tofu is not as hard as a brick, but soft and can be broken into pieces when squeezed. If you don't mind, you can use it to make soup, or fry it with some salt in oil, and eat it with some sauce and chopped green onions.
Forget it, with your cooking skills, I'll just fry it for you later before I leave."
"Tofu? Made of beans?" Wang Dianji smelled some beans and asked.
Ji Xu nodded and said, "I'm thinking of selling it in the county."
"It's better in the county. Families don't farm, so they can eat better than in Shengchang. The same chicken eggs will cost more in the county." Wang Dianji agreed.
After a moment's thought, he added, "But it's too far, at least thirty miles. There's no registered market there, and you'd have to hide from place to place. If the market officials caught you, they'd certainly confiscate your goods and money."
"I've considered all this. Let's test the waters first. If it works out well, I'll hire an oxcart for round trips and rent a small shop in the city. Then I won't have to worry about the city officials chasing me away."
"Okay, I know you're a good person. I have a wheelbarrow here at my kiln that you might be able to use. Pushing it won't require any heavy lifting on your shoulders, so it's much easier."
"No, the guys working at the kiln have to push it. Besides, if I push a cart, it will be too conspicuous. The city official will definitely catch me."
She saw that the peddler selling peach wood carvings was just carrying a basket and traveling light.
"This one was abandoned years ago. I don't know how long it's been in the warehouse."
As Wang Dianji spoke, he pushed a dusty wheelbarrow out of the warehouse with a clang, and the wheels creaked.
Nowadays, wheelbarrows are also rare items. After all, the wheel axle must be forged with iron.
Wang Dianji saw Ji Xu refusing, probably because he was worried about his own failure, so he couldn't help but say:
"Let me tell you, the princess has entered the Xiaoshunli school to study elementary school. Madam is very happy about it. It's just a tattered wheelbarrow, what's the big deal about it?
It's conspicuous... I have an idea. Push this cart into the county, then go to the second house in Xinghua Lane and look for an old woman named Liu. She has gray hair, high cheekbones, and walks with a hunched back.
She's young and a good trader. She has business dealings with the Gan family, and we're quite close friends. Why don't you leave the wheelbarrow at her house? She can take whatever she sells and take it back when she's sold out. Wouldn't that be convenient?"
"Alright, consider it as a loan from you. I will definitely return it in the future."
Wang Dianji waved his hand, not caring much about the broken car. When he talked about the old lady Liu, he became sentimental.
Ji Xu pulled the cart, called Chen Che'er, and went back together.
Chen Che'er heard the unusual creaking sound of the wheelbarrow and patted his chest and said:
"Take it back and let my uncle fix it. I promise it will be in great shape."
Ji Xu smiled and nodded. She also knew that Chen Da's craftsmanship was becoming more and more skillful.
While Chen Da was helping to repair the car, Aunt Lu led her into the main room to eat five-spice plate and canned fruit. She happened to discuss her idea of selling tofu.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
