Chapter 71 Chapter 71 Yard, cowshed.
In this rural market, the wives of the Deng and Liu families have long taken turns selling tofu skin. They can't sell it for three cents like in the county town, but they can sell it for two cents, making ten yuan a day. The two families split the money, but it's still income.
Zhuang Hui Niang continued to sell in Shengchangli;
Cao went around the fields in other villages, selling his produce. Even if he could only sell three or five pieces, he could still make some money. This was a deal made by the four families, and the bulk of the profits still came from Ji Xu's sales in the county.
However, in the county and city, there are also Zhang family tofu skin and Li family tofu skin...
After all, tofu skin does not require any tofu, it only requires the pre-processing of tofu. Unlike tofu, it cannot be formed no matter how hard you try.
Anyone who has cooked soy milk with tofu skin can figure out its general appearance by looking at the oil film on it. Seeing that Ji Xu's business was booming, they all rushed to sell their products.
Previously, Ji Xu had gained fame by selling food through tasting, so they didn't even need to shout. Some of them were retail traders who sold their products secretly, while others were merchants who had shops and did not have the trading qualifications registered by the county government, so they also sold their products secretly.
The old woman selling dough sticks next door looked around at the clerk and quietly asked the person buying the dough sticks:
"Do you want tofu skin? It's cheap here. You can get two pieces for five cents."
"Girl, please give me a little less. Just two cents a piece. I see other people can sell it at this price, so why can't you?"
Therefore, many people came to bargain in front of Ji Xu's stall. Ji Xu shook his head and said that it would not be cost-effective if the price was any lower.
Besides, the tofu skin made according to the proportions she taught is golden and chewy, unlike the tofu skin that is hard and dry due to too much water, so it is worth the price.
"I'm leaving now."
"Really? I'll buy some from somewhere else."
Some people left at once, but when the shop was closed that day, there was still some tofu skin left of Ji Xu.
"What should we do?" Deng's daughter-in-law hurried to find Ji Xu to discuss.
Today in the village market, since the daughter-in-law of the Lin family also thought about selling it, her tofu skin has not been sold.
"She sells it for one penny, half the price of mine. Everyone runs away when they hear her shouting."
Seeing that Ji Xu had not sold out yet, he held his hands up and said worriedly:
"How much weight do you want to lose tomorrow, Miss Xu?"
Ji Xu said, "No reduction, still eighty yuan."
Deng's wife was surprised and said, "But you haven't sold all the tofu skins today. We can accept a few less. Don't worry about our business and let these tofu skins pile up in your hands."
"It won't spoil in a short time."
Ji Xu asked the people to sit on a reed mat, served them roasted beans and hot water, and asked:
"Auntie, look at other people's tofu skin. Is it the same as ours?"
Deng's wife recalled and shook her head:
"It's different. I saw the ones made by Lin's wife. They were wrinkled and pale. Not to mention the taste, they don't look as good as ours."
"Then don't worry, auntie. At least I can guarantee your daily intake."
After saying this, he gave the full amount of money for tomorrow's purchase of tofu skin in advance to reassure people.
"Auntie, please send it to me exactly as it is tomorrow morning."
Many days passed, and the old woman with the sticky dough sticks still asked visitors, "Would you like to buy some tofu skin?"
Waving hands repeatedly,
"The tofu skin you cook isn't authentic. The one from Ms. Xu's house tastes the same."
Ji Xu's business picked up again, and even the tofu skin that had been piling up for a while was sold out.
"It seems that the product must be good! Only then can it last."
When the daughter-in-law of the Deng family, who had come to deliver tofu skin, heard about it, she smiled and said that her business in the town had returned to normal, and she could finally put her mind at ease.
Spring plowing has been going on recently. The farmland has been irrigated with water, and the figure of a man carrying a basket and a load on his shoulders is reflected on the field. This is Feng Da. Because his family has oxen plowing the fields, they can plow much faster than other families. Now it is time to start transplanting rice seedlings. Both ends of the baskets are filled with green rice seedlings.
In the Chu and Yue areas, some people were so poor that they couldn't even afford to rent oxen from the government. They still had to use the most primitive methods of plowing with water and hoeing with fire, or pulling the plow and carrying baskets and carts by hand, which was very inefficient.
When the bystanders saw the green seedlings in Feng Da's basket, they laughed and said:
"Your family is still the best. Those oxen plow the land so quickly that they can plow several acres a day. No wonder the village elders all urged us to use oxen to plow the land instead of using water plowing and fire hoeing, which won't help the rice grow well."
A young man hoeing the fields nearby said, "Everyone sees how fast an ox plows the fields. But we can't afford to rent an ox. When spring plowing comes, the rent goes up to dozens of coins a day. How many families in Bengu Village can afford that?"
Old Xu came to the fields with a rice basket in her hand to deliver breakfast. After hearing these words, she felt relieved and said:
"Why don't you go to Xu's house and ram the walls? Isn't that what she pays you? You can earn some money and rent a plowing ox."
The young man said, "Of course not. My two brothers went. They were paid fifteen coins a day, which is more than what the kiln workers paid."
Originally, Ji Xu's family wanted to tamp the courtyard wall and build two firewood sheds. However, due to the recent spring plowing, each family naturally did not have extra labor to help.
She paid him a commission of ten cents a day. Because he worked in the tofu shop during the day and had no time to prepare dinner, she added another five cents as money for a dinner.
As a result, each family competed to spare some labor to earn this money. Ji Xu hired about twenty people, who could build the courtyard wall and firewood shed in one day, so as not to delay their spring plowing and they could also earn some money.
The young man said, "Spring plowing, buying seeds, and renting oxen are all expensive, Aunt Lin, don't you agree?"
The Lin family's wife's business of selling tofu skin fell through. When she heard that Ji Xu had hired someone to tamp the yard, she immediately sent her husband and eldest son to go, taking up two places. Now she said with a smile:
"Yes, if it weren't for the grass being burned and the ashes being buried here, I would go."
After hearing this, Aunt Xu's face changed, she said nothing and went straight to her own field.
The Lin family's wife laughed at Wang Mazi again, saying:
"You've made a good living now, you can even afford to rent an ox. Do you remember how you worked with a long hoe from morning till night two years ago, turning over a clod of earth with each step, and you only managed to make a tiny piece of land in a day?"
Wang Mazi's family was originally very poor in Benguli, but now they have been making tofu skin with Xu Nu for a while, and their lives seem to be getting better. The wife of the Lin family regrets it so much that she bites her teeth when she thinks of it.
Then he urged her, "Hey, I see that Miss Xu's chives are well grown. Are you still going to steal them?"
The whole field around him burst into laughter and said:
"Wang Mazi loves cucumbers! Do you remember that beating?"
Wang Mazi was so embarrassed that he didn't even say anything and just whipped the cattle. When Cao heard this, she sighed and gave Wang Mazi a reproachful look.
Speaking of the Ji family, in one day, the wall surrounding the front and back yards was rammed up, and the two vegetable plots were also enclosed in the backyard.
As for the front yard, a firewood shed was built on the east side of the courtyard wall. It was connected to the east room at the top corner, which did not affect the lighting. The roof was covered with reeds, and there was a wooden gate on the west. Opposite was the kitchen, and in the middle was an open space, which was very spacious. On weekdays, people could dry preserved radish and bedding here. Ji Feng walked around and said with satisfaction:
"With a courtyard wall, we don't have to worry about other people's chickens sneaking into our vegetable garden and destroying it."
Ji Zhu was also very excited. She ran around, looked around, and said to Ji Feng:
"Second sister, when the sun comes out, I'm going to go to Niupi Mountain to pick up pine cones and fill up the woodshed!"
Ji Feng smiled and said, "Let's go together. We have a woodshed so we don't have to worry about the firewood getting wet in the rain. We can bring back as much as we want."
Everything was settled and it was time to pay the employees. Ji Xu had not come home yet, so Ji Feng did as she instructed and went into the house to get the purse.
The villagers in the yard were waiting with their pestles and shovels, smiling. Seeing Ji Feng counting money in a very good manner despite his young age, they joked:
"Feng, can you count them? Give them to your aunt so I can count them for you."
"Look, it fell on the ground! Pick it up carefully."
And the ones that deceive people.
Ji Zhu believed it and hurriedly lowered her head and looked around, but she saw that there was not a single copper coin on the ground, which made her uncles and aunts laugh.
Ji Zhu blushed and buried her head behind Ji Feng.
Ji Feng didn't believe their nonsense at all and said with a smile:
"How can you not count it? Fifteen cents. Auntie, please count it clearly in front of me."
"Yes, that's absolutely right."
The woman rubbed the items in her palms, counted them, smiled, nodded, and tucked them into her arms.
There was a man from the Lin family, leading the way and lining up. She immediately raised her eyebrows and said:
"Uncle, are you still going to blame me for your child?"
"No, I'm just playing with you." The man from the Lin family smiled and walked away.
After all, Ji Feng loved counting money and had sharp eyes. She would never give too much or too little. She was very proud that her sister had given her such a job and distributed the commission money one by one.
When they received the money, everyone's face was filled with joy. Some took the money and asked curiously:
"Why does this woodshed have one in the front yard and another behind the kitchen?"
The tile-roofed house they had built had a layout of one hall and two interior rooms. The kitchen was in the southwest corner, connected to the west roof corner, so there was an open space to the north of the kitchen. Now a low shed with a reed roof was hung in this open space, with a wooden gate facing west. Everyone thought this was also a firewood room.
Ji Feng laughed and said, "The room behind the kitchen isn't a firewood shed, it's a cowshed!"
If you build a cattle shed in this location, no matter whether it is a south windy day or a north windy day, there will be no smell of livestock.
"Cow stable?" Everyone was surprised for a moment.
"Girl, do you want to buy a cow?"
In the county market, in front of the cattle market, a slightly broad man came up to Ji Xu, with his hands clasped and his shoulders hunched. He was wearing a padded jacket, ankle-length trousers, and a mound-shaped scarf wrapped around his hair.
Ji Xu came here to buy a cow. With the income from tofu skin, he had enough money on hand, so he built a yard and a cowshed at home.
"I've seen you, girl. Are you the tofu vendor? I've bought tofu from your place before. I'm a cattle expert in Lingshui County. Give it to me and I'll find you a good, healthy, strong, and healthy cow."
"Xiang Niu?"
Ji Xu only knew that there were frequent wars with the Huns, and the demand for horses was high, including the need for horses for riding among the nobles. There were many ranches set up by government offices in the north, and the horse breeding industry was prosperous. This also gave rise to the horse appraisal industry, which was a profession where people specialized in judging horses.
In their county, transportation is mostly done by oxen, and horses are very rare. Naturally, there are not even any stables. There are cattle markets, but she never thought that there are people who look after cattle.
"Exactly, exactly. I wonder what the purpose of a girl buying a cow is?"
Nowadays, cattle are extremely important livestock and have many uses. For example, there are "official cattle" used for military transportation, "dedication cattle" used for funerals, "reward cattle" used for rewards, "prayer cattle" used for prayers, "food cattle" used for entertaining guests, and "enjoyment cattle" used for sacrifices.
However, most of the common people still used them for pulling, transportation, and as oxen for farming. Seeing that Ji Xu was doing business, he asked:
"But you need a cart to transport things? Leave it to me. I'll not only find a good ox, but I'll also take care of the cart registration. All I have to do is this."
He rolled up his sleeves and made a five sign.
"Fifty coins."
Nowadays, oxen used for plowing must have a "cow registration", and oxen used for pulling carts must also have a registration, which is the "ox and cart registration". In August of the future, when the government counts the people as households, oxen and carts will be counted as family property and must be recorded in the household registration. Additional money, which is property tax, must be paid.
Such a "cart registration" must be done at the county government. If you drive out and encounter an official inspecting your ox cart, the "cart registration" is something you must produce to prove that your ox cart has a legitimate origin. Otherwise, the official can easily confiscate it. It is convenient to have someone to do it for you. Ji Xuyin asked:
"How long will it take to get the oxcart registration?"
The cattle-finder whispered, "Tell the truth, young lady, I have a relative who can get it done today. If you go by yourself, it will take three to five days.
Think about it, the cows kept in the county stables are in such a mess, wouldn't they lose weight in three to five days? Who knows if they might catch a disease? And you have to pay for overnight accommodation, it's not worth it."
"Okay, then I'll rely on you, my dear."
Ji Xu nodded, and the two of them went into the cattle market to pick out cattle.
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