Zhang Fangyuan stayed at the meat market until early noon, and hurriedly took the food he had heated up at the restaurant to go see Xu He's work today.
But I had just come out of the restaurant and before I could go over, I saw someone coming back with a backpack.
"Hungry?"
Zhang Fangyuan went to take the basket that Xu He hung on his shoulder. He found it was light and fluttery. "Oh, you sold quite a lot."
Xu He let him take the backpack, then he turned around and hugged the food box, and the two of them exchanged things tacitly. Xu He felt relieved on his back, and even more relieved in his heart. The warm food box made him feel hot in his heart: "They are all sold out."
"So fast!" Zhang Fangyuan's eyes lit up: "This is much faster than selling pork!"
Xu He just smiled and didn't respond to his joke.
"I'm hungry, let's eat."
Zhang Fangyuan smiled and hurriedly followed Xu He's footsteps. They went back to the stall and stuffed the backpack behind the stall. They took a piece of white gauze to cover all the meat on the stall. Then they left the meat market together and went to the pavilion outside to eat.
It was getting harder and harder to eat in the meat market as the weather got hotter. The butchers all went out, and some of those who lived nearby went straight home to eat as they saw there was no business. The stall was just empty, and there was no need to worry about anyone daring to go in and take things.
There might be some thieves who dare to go into places like the vegetable market to steal something, but no thief would dare to go into the meat market. There are a bunch of butchers holding knives and sticks, and who knows whether they will be able to use their hands when a fight breaks out.
The two of them had lunch early and occupied a small table in the pavilion. When Xu He saw Zhang Fangyuan setting the table, he was not in a hurry to eat. Instead, he started counting the money.
It is so easy to take out a heavy bag after filling it up. He buried his head and counted them one by one, and the total amount was four hundred and eighty coins.
Xu He calculated again, excluding the cost of the stall oil paper, seasonings and meat, which was about one hundred and seventy or eighteen cents, there were still three hundred cents left!
Even though he was a person who didn't show his emotions, Xu He also laughed at this moment. He could actually earn so much money in a day! In the past, when the market was good, the profit from selling vegetables was only a few dozen cents a day. Now it has increased many times.
The higher the investment, the higher the return.
Xu He decided to go home and spend more money! Wait, but you have to buy livestock from home to get these things. He turned back subconsciously, and the cabbage that Zhang Fangyuan picked up almost hit his face.
"Be careful!"
Xu He opened his mouth and ate the food: "There is still half a pig's head left at home, and there won't be much food to stew tonight. If I go to other stalls to buy pig offal, it will be expensive."
"That's right! We bought our pig offal at the price of live pigs, so the profit should be more than three hundred!"
Zhang Fangyuan saw that the man was completely obsessed with making money and couldn't get out, so he put his money back into his pocket and said, "Let's eat first. There are other things on the stall that can be used for stewing. After eating, you can go back and choose some, right?"
Xu He nodded, then picked up his chopsticks to eat. They had a simple lunch, one small Chinese cabbage, and some of the bamboo shoots, peppers, and radishes that Xu He had pickled earlier to go with the rice. Zhang Fangyuan took two bites of the crispy radish, then came close to Xu He and said, "Chef Xu is making money today, so shouldn't my salary also be increased?"
"Hmm?" Xu He's eyes suddenly dimmed in the hope of making money, and he suddenly became cautious: "Why do you want to raise the price? What do you want to buy?"
Zhang Fangyuan didn't mean to ask for money, he just wanted to make some requests when the other person was in a good mood. He was about to speak, but he didn't expect the other person to think for a moment and said seriously: "Okay, next time you want to buy something, I'll give you an extra five cents. You can spend it as you like."
“…”
When the market is good, you can earn ten cents a day by eating on the street.
Seeing the words "understanding, accommodating, and generous" written all over Xu He's little face, he was at a loss for words.
"Why? Do you think it's not enough?"
Zhang Fangyuan immediately forced a smile: "How could that be! I'm so happy that I can't even express it in time." Which married man can freely spend five cents like he does!
"Actually, it doesn't matter whether the price of money increases or not. I have food, clothing and shelter now. What matters is that we have to buy everything our family needs. Should we buy..." Zhang Fangyuan leaned closer and blinked.
Xu He paused for a moment as his face bulged while eating. He naturally knew what Zhang Fangyuan wanted to buy. Now that he had made money, he was much more patient and generous than usual. "How much?"
Zhang Fangyuan raised his eyebrows slightly and stretched out five fingers.
Xu He's eyes suddenly widened. That thing obviously touched his blind spot in knowledge. Although he didn't know the market price, he knew it couldn't be just five cents. Even a small porcelain bottle containing something would cost more than five cents.
But fifty cents is really too expensive, and ordinary people can't afford it. No wonder some families are unwilling to marry a young man. There is actually such a hidden story behind it.
“So expensive?”
Zhang Fangyuan coughed dryly and said, "Why don't you just go buy it?"
"That's not what I meant. Just take it from the money you earn from selling meat."
How could he understand that stuff? Not only did he not know the good from the bad, but it was impossible for a young man to go to a brothel. What would people think if they saw him? Besides, there were all kinds of people there, so he didn't know how to find someone to buy from. "Just buy one this time."
Seeing Xu He agreed, Zhang Fangyuan had no time to be happy. Hearing this, he couldn't help but asked, "Why?"
Xu He was also anxious: "If I buy several at a time, wouldn't it be a waste of the money I earned in the day?"
Zhang Fangyuan took a deep breath, his face calm and his heart still: "But it's more economical if you buy more. Two is three cents cheaper, four is eight cents cheaper!"
Xu He was slightly moved.
"I'm going to use them anyway, so buying more at once is both economical and saves me from having to run back and forth. Although I'm also doing business, people will remember my face if I go there all the time and make fun of me in private, right?" Zhang Fangyuan took advantage of the situation and added a big move: "Why don't you go! I'm not good at bargaining, so you might get a lower price."
Xu He's ears turned red, and he quickly said, "Forget it. I can't buy everything for you. You can buy more things and practice bargaining. You can buy whatever you want."
"Okay then." Zhang Fangyuan said as if he had been given a mission in a critical situation: "Don't blame me if it's too expensive."
Xu He nodded, holding the bowl and looking around again. Seeing that there was nothing around and no one was paying attention to them, he finished his meal with peace of mind.
After dinner, Zhang Fangyuan returned to the stall happily. However, Xu He, who was no longer as happy as he was about making money, looked a little depressed. As soon as he returned to the stall, he occupied Zhang Fangyuan's recliner.
The chair seemed cramped even for Zhang Fangyuan, but it seemed very spacious to Xu He, so spacious that he could even take a nap on it.
"Not many people are buying things right now. I'm going to go out for a while and will be back soon."
Zhang Fangyuan was afraid that the other party would change his mind, so he went back to the stall, took the money and ran out. Xu He turned a blind eye, pretending he didn't know what he was going to do: "Go ahead."
After watching the people leave, he picked up a fan and swatted the flies. He thought about getting some dry wormwood to burn tomorrow to drive away mosquitoes and remove the fishy smell. He also searched for the remaining meat on the stall. What we sold today were all fat and pork belly, the pig's offal was still there, small intestines, liver, kidneys...
Xu He saw that only pig's small intestines could be braised, and the rest were fine. He also took a fancy to the pig's feet, pig's tail, and pig's tongue, and he could also braise the pork ribs!
The vegetarian dishes are also selling well today. The braised meat has also been changed in style and taste, so the dishes are also changed.
At present, the early crop of cowpeas has grown in the village. The light green cowpeas have long and thin roots and are very crisp. They are suitable for light drying and soaking in sour water, and are also suitable for cooking in stir-fry and porridge.
However, cowpeas are tender, and villagers are reluctant to pick them because they feel they cannot be eaten before they are ripe.
The cowpeas they planted were a little late. After being planted on poles, they are still in the process of blooming and growing. They are not even half as thick as a little finger. Even if you are willing to pick them, they have not yet tasted like cowpeas.
It's not a big deal. Just give some money and pick some from the fields of those who can pick them. I'm sure everyone in the village will be happy. In addition, the spring bamboo shoots used today can be replaced with square bamboo shoots. The small roots taste better when braised than spring bamboo shoots. We have several kilograms of them at home, so there is no need to look for them.
It’s a pity that there is no fresh black fungus left. Several customers today said it was delicious. It seems that I can only use the dried black fungus saved at home and soak them before using.
Seeing that he would have something to do at the stall tomorrow, he was satisfied and secretly wished he could go home quickly to prepare the stew.
In the past, he always persuaded Zhang Fangyuan to set up the stall for a while longer before going back, but today, as the sun was setting over the Qingyao Peak, he urged him to go back. For this reason, he also promised Zhang Fangyuan that if he met an old man selling fish on the way out of the city, he would buy a fish and take it home.
Xu He also agreed to use the leftover crispy pickled radish from lunch to cook the fish.
When the two men drove the carriage back to the village, the sunset dyed half the sky, and the evening breeze was blowing. Zhang Fangyuan crossed his feet, loosely pulled the reins, and was thinking about the delicious food he would have at night.
"Why does the village seem more lively today than usual?"
Zhang Fangyuan stretched his neck when he heard the sound. It was true. There was a lot of noise in the Hu family courtyard at the entrance of the village.
"Go and take a look?"
Xu He was not a person who liked to watch the fun, but the carriage still had to pass by someone's house.
As the horse passed by, Zhang Fangyuan immediately saw the yamen runner with a knife on his waist. He knew what was going on without having to go over: "The tax collectors are here."
"Whose family are you from? Go home and prepare to pay the population tax and corvée tax!"
Before the two men could speak, the bailiff called them first.
"This year, the corvée tax and the poll tax are paid together?"
Zhang Fangyuan asked while sitting on the cart.
The yamen runner looked Zhang Fangyuan up and down, and was slightly dissatisfied with his attitude of not getting off the car to talk to him respectfully. He said sternly: "The imperial court's decree is like this, and you common people can't discuss it. I told you to go back and prepare, so go ahead and prepare, why are you so talkative!"
Zhang Fangyuan was not a good-tempered person either. He turned around and wanted to retort, but Xu He grabbed his wrist and said, "I understand, sir. We will go back and prepare the money and taxes now."
The yamen runner was slightly satisfied: "Go back, when the time comes, how much you should pay and how many people should do corvée are all recorded here."
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