Xu He washed the pig offal that he was going to braise at night. The braising liquid used yesterday had solidified into ice and was soft. It felt softer than a baby's face when pressed.
As long as you heat up the pot and let it melt slowly, it will become a fragrant marinade. If you marinated the meat yesterday, today's marinade will be more fragrant and easier to use.
I heard that the famous old sauce is kept warm over a constant fire all year round, so it is both fragrant and will not spoil due to the hot weather.
However, their family does not have the conditions for this. They can use the brine twice more while it is still there. If it goes bad due to excessive heat, they will have to boil the brine again.
I had planned to go to the villagers' fields to pick some cowpeas for stew today, but I couldn't go because of the tax issue, so I had to give up and took some bracken stew instead.
Just as he was about to ask Zhang Fangyuan if he could start cooking the meat, he suddenly heard someone coming outside.
In fact, not many people come to their house. The couple's reputation is not very good. Usually, apart from the two neighbors and relatives who come to visit, almost no one comes.
Just as he was about to go out to take a look, Zhang Fangyuan had already gone there before him.
"Let it go, haven't you rested yet?"
Xu He was standing at the door of the kitchen and saw an unfamiliar face coming into the yard, but he recognized it; it seemed to be the wife of the Wu family. He is a cousin of Zhang Fangyuan's father, and the relationship is even more distant when it comes to Zhang Fangyuan's generation.
"It's getting dark, so there shouldn't be many people resting. Besides, the yamen runners are coming to our village to collect taxes today, so I'm afraid there won't be many people sleeping."
Zhang Fangyuan stood at the gate of the courtyard. He didn't go into the house, and the woman who came was too embarrassed to go in.
"yes."
Zhang Fangyuan asked, "Aunt, is there something wrong?"
After saying that, the woman began to wipe her eyes, tears coming quickly: "It's all about taxes. You know, your cousin didn't find a marriage at the beginning of this year, so she has to pay two taxes this year. And my uncle has to serve in the army, so it's really a big deal. The family really can't afford so much money..."
"It would be better if Auntie came earlier. I just bought some livestock and took out the money. Now I have to pay my own taxes this afternoon. I can't take it out even if I want to."
Madam Wu remained silent, as if trying to figure out whether Zhang Fangyuan's words were true or not. She was unwilling to give in and said, "Fangyuan, when can you get the money back?"
"It will take at least three to five days. It's good to get the money back. I borrowed some money from Baoli Bank to buy a horse. They know my stall is in the city, so they go to collect the debt on time every day."
“…”
Zhang Fangyuan added, "Aunt, why don't you take my car to the city tomorrow? I often borrow money from Baoli Bank. The interest rate there is not high, so I will lend it to you."
The woman heard that the debt collectors came every day, so she didn't dare to borrow money. Wouldn't it be better to borrow from the villagers without having to pay interest? When I heard Zhang Fangyuan say that he often went to borrow money, I couldn't help but feel disappointed. He should have gone directly to Zhang Da or Zhang Si's house.
Although Zhang Fangyuan is a businessman, he spends money lavishly on buying horses, getting married and doing other things. He doesn't even have parents, so it would be strange for him to be rich.
"Then I'll think about it."
Zhang Fangyuan said, "If Auntie is going to the city tomorrow, please come early."
The woman walked out of the yard and did not respond to Zhang Fangyuan's voice.
After the people had gone far away, Xu He went up and said, "I remember you didn't have much contact with Miss Wu."
"Do you think you would choose whether you have any business dealings with someone when borrowing money? If you borrow money from someone you don't have much business dealings with, it will be even harder to collect the debt later."
Zhang Fangyuan pulled Xu He inside and said, "Ever since I can remember, every time when it was time to collect taxes, many distant relatives would show up, calling us nephews and good brothers. They were so enthusiastic that it made people dizzy. My father was just a bad-tempered person. He would lend money to people when they came to beg for mercy and cry. When they died, they didn't even come to the funeral, let alone pay back the money."
"My fourth uncle is a little better. He manages the loans, but he also has a lot of bad debts that cannot be repaid. When you went to ask about the debt, he was even more stern, saying that we are all relatives. You don't trust relatives."
"I've done a lot of debt collection, and it's more troublesome than lending money. Anyway, whether you lend the money or not, it will hurt feelings and offend people. It's better to cut it off at the root to avoid more trouble later."
Xu He also understood the ways of the world, but after all, he was not as experienced as Zhang Fangyuan, so he nodded seriously.
Today Zhang Fangyuan spoke very kindly. In the past, if anyone came to borrow money from him, he would simply tell them to get lost. Anyway, he has a bad temper and is not afraid of being accused by the villagers of being heartless and ungrateful. In any case, he will get a piece of meat.
Relieve the poor but not the emergency ones. If they can't even pay the most basic taxes every year, then what else can they be but poor? And if you borrow this time, when they come to collect the rent in the second half of the year, you might ask for more money even if you haven't paid back the money you borrowed in the first half of the year. Anyway, it's easier to ask for money because they think you have money.
However, after having Xu He, his temper seemed to have improved unconsciously, and he no longer scolded people and sent them away. It takes some effort, but it's okay this way.
Three waves of people came to borrow money in one night, but they were all turned away by Zhang Fangyuan. After the hour had passed, the couple waited for another hour, knowing that no one would come that day, so they started a fire and cooked the braised food.
This is also done to reduce the number of complaints from villagers who come to borrow money. Otherwise, the borrower will say: Ah, your family eats fish and meat, so you must have a lot of spare money. My family, young and old, can't even get enough to eat. If you don't lend me some money, I will definitely not leave.
As they spoke, they began to cry bitterly. Some even brought their children with them, and when they cried, all of them cried together. In short, they were not afraid of embarrassing their children, but only made things difficult for others.
By the time the meat and vegetables were braised, it was already the middle of the night, and the couple waited until the meat was dried in a colander before going to bed.
I didn't sleep for two hours. I got up early in the morning and went to the city with my things. This allowed me to avoid him for a long time, so that those who wanted to borrow money couldn't find me at home.
All the money he earned yesterday was spent, and he still had to pay for other expenses. After knowing the heavy taxes, Xu He became even more concerned about making money.
He didn't get enough sleep at night and his eyes felt a little sore. He didn't sleep much at Xu's house before, but he didn't feel uncomfortable. But when he went to Zhang's house, he slept comfortably. Suddenly, he didn't get enough sleep and he couldn't get used to it for a while.
However, he did not dwell on his discomfort and soon got back to selling braised meat.
"This braised pig's trotter is really delicious and chewy. Chop it into pieces and send it to Zuifanglou in front."
"Okay, wait a moment."
The customers Xu He met today all bought large quantities, and they all bought by half a pound or a pound, which were delivered to the restaurants in the east and the teahouses and theaters in the west.
It was inconvenient for him to leave the stall too far, and he didn't want to go to those places, so he had to reduce his profits and called a runner. He charged two cents for one delivery. He talked to the runner about the price for a long time, and said that if he needed a runner in his family, he could find him as long as he was free. Only then did the runner agree to pay one cent for one delivery.
Xu He felt that as long as one worked hard in the city, one could really make some money doing anything. However, doing anything also cost money, and if one was not frugal, a lot could be spent in a day. It was no wonder that Zhang Fangyuan, who could earn money, could never save any.
The braised pig's trotters and tails are extremely fragrant, better than pig's head, not greasy at all, and are perfect for drinking and snacking.
He also cuts the ribs into pieces and puts them in an oil paper bag so that you can chew them. The more you chew them, the more delicious they become, and you can't stop eating them.
However, Xu He discovered that most of the people who came to buy pig's trotters and spareribs were men. Even if girls and boys bought them, they would not eat them on the street, as they felt it was not elegant enough.
What’s interesting is that the rich young lady and the nobleman sat in a carriage and sedan chair, parked the carriage far away, sent maids and servants to buy it back, and hid in the sedan chair and ate it with a mouthful of greasy food.
At noon, Xu He's braised meat was still sold out, even earlier than yesterday.
In fact, the weight of the prepared things is about the same as yesterday, but the varieties are different. These are more like snacks for sale rather than things to be taken home and eaten with meals, and they seem to be more popular with the customers here.
Xu He thought that since the pigs were selling so well, next time his family bought livestock and slaughtered pigs, he would just braise all the pig offal at once so that he would have some to sell in the afternoon.
He still didn't plan to buy pig offal from other stalls. Firstly, the cost was high, and secondly, it was not practical for two people to go to the city to do business every day.
Someone still has to take care of household matters, like growing fruits, vegetables and melons in the fields, collecting firewood in the mountains... In short, there are a lot of things to do in the village.
Life as a couple is certainly good, but after all, there are not enough people. It is very good now. I can go to the city to make money, and after selling the pig offal, I can wait for the next opportunity to buy livestock and run the business in the village.
"Today I made 380 coins." Xu He was sitting on a chair behind Zhang Fangyuan's stall counting the money. The big guy was standing there cutting the meat for the customer who had ordered it, blocking him so no one could see him counting the money. "That's 80 coins more than yesterday!"
"Pork ribs, pig's trotters, and pig's tongue are all expensive, so they're naturally more expensive than yesterday."
"In order to sell pig tongues, I even specially prepared spicy noodles, and it was worth my efforts." Xu He calculated: "In addition to the stall paper, I also gave the errand boy at least twelve cents, so he made a profit."
After Zhang Fangyuan finished cutting the meat and put it away, he also sat down next to Xu He. Xu He immediately felt a large piece of hot stone pressing against him. He shrank back: "You are too hot."
"You took my place and you still blame me." Zhang Fangyuan lifted his skirt, took out a palm leaf fan and fanned himself inside, leaning back in his chair: "I feel like every time you're here, the business at my stall gets worse."
Xu He put the money away after hearing that and glanced at Zhang Fangyuan: "You're always lying here like a big shot. Do you look like a serious businessman? One moment you blame the wind, the next you blame the rain, and now you blame me for the bad business!"
Zhang Fangyuan laughed, and then said after a while: "I'm serious."
He leaned over and covered his mouth with his big hand and whispered in Xu He's ear, "Those young widows and their husbands are here to buy things."
"How shameless!" Xu He pushed the man, but he didn't move at all: "Then I will go back and not hinder your business."
"Don't..." Zhang Fang couldn't stop laughing, and hurriedly pulled Xu He who was about to get up: "Let me fan you with some cool air. You didn't sleep well last night. Close your eyes for a while. Look, there are dark circles under your eyes."
"How can you see any bruises? Nonsense." Xu He turned his face away. He had a dark face, how could his eyes be bruised just because he didn't sleep well the night before?
"Seriously, go home and look in the mirror."
"I'm not that conceited." Xu He suddenly stood up from his chair: "It's the beginning of summer, I'll go get two pieces of cloth to make you two coats."
"You do two too."
Xu He was about to open his mouth to say something, but Zhang Fangyuan said first: "My birthday is coming soon. Make two nice clothes and I'll take you to a restaurant in Dongli."
Xu He immediately swallowed back his words that he still had clothes to wear: "Okay."
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