Chapter 50
We said we would go to the county town tomorrow, but before that, we still had to prepare to set up the stall.
First, take out the remaining fairy grass, spread it out on a bamboo basket, and put it on the patio to dry.
In fact, when making grass jelly jelly with grass jelly, it is better to use dried grass jelly. That way, the grass jelly jelly will not have a strong grassy smell.
However, because Gu Ran was in a hurry to make a living, he just cooked the fresh ones directly.
In addition to drying the fairy grass, Gu Ran also took a lot with him. He left the small house and walked to the few acres of his abandoned fields.
Because it is close to the island forest, there are very few farmlands here. The farmlands in Xiaxi Village have all been reclaimed in the back.
But it was just the right time, and few people noticed what Gu Ran was doing.
Gu Ran planned to try and see if the fairy grass could survive in his four acres of land.
In the early days, the climate in the south was hot, with constant temperatures all year round, so the demand for grass jelly was quite high, which gave rise to many farmers who specialized in growing grass jelly in large quantities. As they could grow a new crop after cutting it, it was a good way to make money.
Now that she wanted to make a living by selling grass jelly, she naturally wanted to try and see if she could grow it herself.
Not to mention planting a whole acre of land, that would be too tiring and not cost-effective for her.
So she just planted it casually. If it could survive, she could harvest the fairy grass directly on her own land. If not, she would go into the island forest to harvest it.
This fairy grass does not need to be kept fresh. Just dry it in sufficient quantity and it can be made all year round.
After pulling out some weeds in the field and planting fairy grass, Gu Ran watered the fields and let them grow.
Before leaving, Gu Ran took a look.
Planting grass is good. When others see it, they will think it is just weeds growing in the field and they will not be afraid of it being pulled out.
Having said that, I guess no one would be willing to run in front of the forest in Dayu Forest for no reason.
This natural fear of the miasma forest just allowed Gu Ran to maintain a comfortable personal space and feel very comfortable.
After planting the fairy grass, Gu Ran went to Donglin Township.
First, she went to the bamboo craftsman to buy a bamboo hat. She set up her stall under the scorching sun, so she naturally needed some shade. In addition, as more and more things needed to be dried, the bamboo baskets were not enough, so she had to buy a few more, as well as a few more food boxes.
Considering that he had to bring a bucket of roasted grass jelly to the county town - at least, he had to bring a bucket openly, Gu Ran used to use the bamboo basket he used when he went into the mountains to put a wooden barrel in to sell bayberry drinks in Donglin Township. However, that bamboo basket was too old and was often used to hold mountain products. He had to take the trouble to clean the mud, dust and blood on it before each use, so it was better to use them separately.
One goes into the mountains, and a wooden barrel filled with food for sale.
For this purpose, Gu Ran specially listened to the advice of the bamboo craftsman and chose a sturdy and lightweight wicker basket. It looked beautiful, and the food inside made people feel at ease.
After selling all the hats, bamboo dustpans, baskets and food boxes, Gu Ran went to Master Huang's house.
First, she wanted to see if he had made any progress in his windmill research, and second, she wanted Master Huang to install two wheels at the bottom of the wooden barrel that stored her jelly.
When she goes to the county town, she will definitely sell things on the street. We can't let her carry her on our back all the time, right?
Install a wheel and a handle at the bottom of the barrel, and she can push it. Moreover, a bottom layer must be added inside the barrel to store ice cubes.
He also asked Master Huang to make him a small table that can be folded and opened again, so that he can sit on it when he sets up the stall, and he will sit on it naturally, so as to avoid the fatigue of standing.
Master Huang was thinking about the windmill, and as for installing wheels under the wooden barrel, he quickly got the job done: After Gu Ran chose a wooden barrel according to the size of the bamboo basket he had just bought, he added a crossbeam to the bottom of the barrel outside, installed two small wooden wheels on it, added two pillars to the bottom of the barrel inside, and made a partition of suitable size and placed it on the pillars, and it was done.
As for the small table, it is not a problem at all for Master Huang, who has done a lot of carpentry work.
Gu Ran went to pick up the specially made wooden barrel the next day. After seeing the changes made by Master Huang, he was very satisfied.
She also cooked grass jelly all day today and made a lot of grass jelly jelly and put it in the compartment of space No. 8. She also made some cheap fried soybeans and boiled red beans as two ingredients, and then she would match them according to the diners' tastes.
As for the price, she has already decided on it.
The only spoon in the house that sold bayberry drink before was six cents per spoon. Adding soybeans cost one cent more, and adding red beans cost two cents more.
The costs of making grass jelly, besides labor, are firewood, sugar, and two kinds of beans.
The reason why we chose soybeans and red beans is because they are both very cheap. The black grass jelly looks good when paired with these two beans, and it can also increase the value of the food.
For this purpose, she specially went to the market in Donglin Township today, found a craftsman selling porcelain, and selected two small white porcelain bowls. She would use them to sell the grass jelly and attract customers with the appearance of the bowls.
Since it was time to go to the county town to sell the goods on this day, Gu Ran was not in a hurry to go out.
She sells cold frozen foods, and of course she won't go to the dock to sell them early in the morning. Eating such ice drinks early in the morning is not good for the stomach, so there probably aren't many diners.
It’s not until noon when everyone is tired and hot from work that they start to crave for cold desserts.
So Gu Ran didn't join the small vendors at the morning market. He avoided them and naturally felt more relaxed.
She got up slowly, watered the flowers, plants and orange trees at home, and teased the cat that came to her house for a while. Then she took some crushed ice from space grid No. 10 and put it in the lower layer of the wooden barrel, covered it with a partition board, and then took a pot of frozen grass jelly from space grid No. 8 and put it into the dried and disinfected wooden barrel, and covered it with a lid.
Then he filled another oil paper bag with the prepared beans and sugar, and put a spoon and a small bowl together. Finally, he picked up his purse. After checking that he had everything, he put the wooden barrel into the bamboo basket, put it on his back, hung the small table on the side, put on his hat, and went out. He took a boat directly from Donglin Township Ferry to Yongchang County.
As she expected, many vendors selling food at the pier were planning to pack up and go back - the weather was hot, and if food was left for too long, it would easily go bad, spoil, and change its taste, so they usually sold out early and left early.
This naturally left many stalls empty at the dock.
Gu Ran found a relatively cool stall next to a camphor tree, paid the clerk five cents for the stall, and then took off the bamboo basket on his back. He first unfolded the small table and sat down, enjoying the cool air for a while before slowly and methodically starting his business:
Put the beans in the two oil paper bags aside, take out the small bowl and spoon, untie one side of the wooden barrel lid, scoop two spoonfuls of grass jelly from it and put them into the bowl, then scoop some white sugar from the bamboo tube and sprinkle it on the surface, take out soybeans and red beans from the oil paper bags to garnish them, and place the two bowls of grass jelly on the closed wooden barrel lid.
"What are you selling? Everyone else has left, and you're here now?"
The clerk who had just collected the money from her didn't go far.
Because many vendors at the dock had left, he had some free time. Seeing that the food in the small bowl looked fresh, he asked a question.
"Sir, this is called roasted grass jelly. It's icy cold and delicious." Gu Ran looked at the clerk and asked, "Sir, would you like to try it? I just opened a new restaurant today, please have a bowl."
"Cold?"
"Ah, it's sweet." Gu Ran said, "But I didn't bring any bowls to serve it to you, sir. Do you have any bowls?"
"Yes, yes, Little Master Wu, I have some here." The vendor next door who was about to close his stall was also curious to see Gu Ran who came to sell food at this time. The things she was selling were even more curious. He said he was getting bowls for the man called Little Master Wu, and he brought two at once.
When he handed the bowl to Gu Ran, he handed over the two bowls together and asked, "What is this? Is it delicious?"
"Roasted grass jelly, delicious." Gu Ran was not angry that the vendor took advantage of the opportunity.
When starting a new business, you also have to spread the word about your product by letting customers try it.
He put a spoonful of liquid in each bowl, sprinkled some sugar on it, and added red beans and yellow beans respectively. He smiled and told them to eat: "Stir the sugar and beans well, then you can try it and see if it tastes as good as I said."
Little Wu Ye and the vendor each picked up a bowl and stirred it with a spoon. The grass jelly inside was black and transparent, and decorated with sugar and beans. Although the quantity was small, it looked very good, comparable to the most expensive pastry in the city. They were looking forward to it.
He took another spoonful and ate it.
Just as the stall owner said, it was cool, smooth and sweet.
No wonder this lady only opened her stall at this time.
This is the time when workers are finishing their day's work. On a hot day, having a bowl of sweet frozen food can really cool you down and relieve the heat.
"This...what's your name?"
"Master Wu, you can just call me Gu Erniang."
"Mrs. Gu, your roasted grass jelly is really good. I love it. I want another spoonful. How much is it?"
"This scoop of roasted grass jelly costs six coins."
“So expensive?”
"It's not expensive. You can't get this grass jelly anywhere else. Besides, it's served chilled and has sugar in it. I haven't even counted the beans!"
"Does adding beans cost money?"
"That's right, we make them all at home. You have to buy beans and cook them on the stove. My portion is quite large, so of course I have to pay extra, otherwise I'll be losing money," Gu Ran explained. "But since you're the official, I won't charge you for adding yellow or red beans. If you can help me with my business in the future, I'll be very grateful."
Master Wu smiled and handed the bowl over. "Okay, six cents. Fill it up for me. Beans, especially yellow beans. I want some for my colleagues to try."
"Well, that's great." When Gu Ran heard that Mr. Wu was going to share it with others, he filled a spoonful for him, added sugar and beans, and accepted the first six cents he earned today.
"Welcome Master Wu to come again next time!" Gu Ran said, and then said to Master Wu, "The weather is hot, eat it quickly while it's still cool, otherwise it won't be as delicious after it's frozen."
Little Master Wu thought what he said made sense, so he took the bowl and strode away.
Gu Ran turned around and looked at the vendor who had also tasted the grass jelly. "Uncle, would you like another spoonful too?"
The uncle smiled and waved his hand, "I've already eaten today. I'll help you tomorrow."
"Okay!" Gu Ran nodded with a smile.
Passersby at the dock also noticed the roasted grass jelly that Gu Ran had displayed, and would come up to him from time to time to ask, "What are you selling?"
"This is called Shaoxiancao, a dessert. It's frozen at the bottom, so it tastes very cool. Would you like to try a bowl?"
"This, burning grass jelly, I've never heard of it."
"It's food cooked with fairy grass, so it's called roasted fairy grass. Now you've heard of it."
Someone reached out and touched the barrel, "Wow, it's really cold!"
"How do you sell it?"
"A spoonful of this much, with sugar, costs six cents."
"Six coins, so expensive?"
There was an ordinary person who was obviously doing rough work. He shook his head and pushed the door away. Gu Ran was not discouraged and continued to sell to the next person.
There were people at the dock who were reluctant to spend the six cents, and naturally there were also people who were willing to spend the six cents.
Soon, several people dressed like traveling merchants came down from the boat at the dock. When they passed by, they also asked about the roasted grass jelly. Six cents was nothing to them, but when they wanted to try it, they found that Gu Ran didn't have a bowl.
"You make a living, why don't you bring a bowl?"
"Then how do we eat?"
"Just put it in the bamboo tube you use to drink water."
Having come all the way from Xiaxi Village, Gu Ran didn't plan to bring his own bowl.
Even if she was provided with bowls, she still had to wash them herself, find water, and carry water. How could she do so many things by herself?
So from the beginning we planned to let diners bring their own containers.
"Hey, we have bowls here, we have bowls here." The vendor who had just packed up his stall had not left yet. Seeing that the traveling merchants were embarrassed about the roasted grass jelly, he immediately came over with a few washed bowls and spoons.
"I was just closing up my stall and about to leave. This bowl and spoon are very clean. How about it, my dear guests? One penny per time?"
One penny was nothing to a traveling merchant, and the weather was so hot that the cool air coming from the wooden barrel was really tempting, so they all rented bowls from the vendor and bought two spoonfuls of roasted grass jelly for thirteen or fifteen pennies.
"Ah, this is what Shaoxiancao tastes like. This is my first time trying it!"
"Yes, it's cool and sweet!"
"It's so cold and refreshing!"
Gu Ran smiled as he listened to the diners commenting on the grass jelly he made while eating.
Of course, fairy grass can be found everywhere. People who don't know about it think it is a wild grass, while people who know about it are familiar with its ability to clear away heat and dampness, cool the blood and relieve summer heat, so they use it to make soup and medicine. But there are probably very few people who can make fairy grass jelly like her, let alone those who know the secret. Most of them keep it as an ancestral recipe and keep it secret.
Fortunately, because of this, she was able to seize the opportunity and start this business.
That day, near noon, she sold out the entire pot of roasted grass jelly in just two hours.
During this time, she deliberately moved the wooden basin containing the grass jelly, lifted the partition, and while pretending to check the ice cubes, she secretly moved some crushed ice from space grid No. 10 and added it in, so as to keep the grass jelly in the wooden barrel cold and frozen.
Now the grass jelly in the wooden basin has been sold out. Although there is still some in the compartment of space No. 8, the business is booming and there are customers nearby watching the basin slowly empty. Naturally, she dare not add more to it blatantly, so she can only tell them that it is sold out.
Even with a straw hat and a cool wooden barrel beside him, Gu Ran was still sweating profusely in the hot weather. He sat on a table to rest for a while, and the sun was still scorching.
She decided to find an inn to rest first, but she wondered if there was a nap room in the Great Sheng Dynasty like in her first life, which provided services for office workers to take a one or two hour break at noon?
When Gu Ran stood up to leave, the vendor next door who rented bowls and spoons laughed, "Hey, Gu Er Niang, are you coming back to sell grass jelly tomorrow?"
"Come on, Uncle He."
"Then I'll wait for you and buy you your first bowl of roasted grass jelly tomorrow."
Uncle He sells porridge at the pier. He sells vegetarian porridge, meat porridge, fish porridge, shrimp porridge, etc. The weather has been hot recently, so he gets up early to cook the porridge and then lets it cool down before selling it.
More and more people are suffering from summer heat, and many people with poor appetite are accustomed to drinking porridge for breakfast.
Just pour a bowl of porridge into your stomach and you will feel full without even having to chew. How great is that?
That's why Uncle He's business was doing well and he was polite to Gu Ran, because he had just made some extra money from Gu Ran selling herbal jelly.
I heard that Gu Ran would come again tomorrow, and I smiled.
That means he can also make a few extra cents by renting bowls and spoons to diners.
It’s not much, but it’s more than enough to buy a bowl of grass jelly tomorrow.
After thanking Uncle He, Gu Ran pushed the wooden barrel on wheels and carried a bamboo basket containing a small table and other things on his back, and went to find the inn.
The inn naturally did not provide this service, but seeing that Gu Ran needed it, they were particularly generous and willing to provide it.
However, Gu Ran still declined for one reason: it was expensive.
A one-hour lunch break costs fifty cents.
It’s almost the same price as staying in a hotel.
"If you come to our inn and don't want to stay overnight, this is the price."
What she meant was that since Gu Ran didn't spend any money in the inn and couldn't make much money elsewhere, he could make more money from the place she wanted.
If you really stay there, a day trip to the county town will cost you one hundred coins: fifty coins for a room to take a nap + fifty coins for the round-trip boat fare.
It's really not worth it.
Gu Ran walked out of the inn, thought for a while, and decided to go to Hefeng Fur Shop.
Shopkeeper Zheng was a gourmet who loved delicacies from the wild. She happened to have some roasted grass jelly, so she sent it to Shopkeeper Zheng to try and to discuss a business deal, which naturally gave her a chance to take a break.
"Oh, you sent it specially for me to eat? Are you so kind, Gu Erniang?"
In the Hefeng Fur Shop, Shopkeeper Zheng took the bowl of roasted grass jelly handed to him by Gu Ran in complete disbelief.
Normally, she would be reluctant to sell him more wild animal meat, so why did she come to his fur shop just for a bowl of roasted grass jelly today?
This was unusual and Manager Zheng didn't believe it.
I didn't see her bring any leather here today. If she shows up like this, something must be wrong!
But, considering this bowl of delicious grass jelly, let's hear her reason and purpose.
"Of course, I'm not sending food specifically for you, Shopkeeper Zheng. This roasted grass jelly is just a small business I'm making, and I'm saving a bowl for you to try. But the main purpose is, actually, I have some summer mushrooms on hand, which are very hard to come by. I wonder if you're interested, Shopkeeper Zheng?"
What Gu Ran was talking about was, of course, bamboo fungus and red mushroom.
Mainly red mushrooms.
Because red mushrooms can be sold at a high price.
Sure enough, when Gu Ran took out the ten red mushrooms, Manager Zheng's eyes widened.
As the owner of a fur shop, most of the customers he received were hunters and merchants from all over the country. They were knowledgeable and experienced, so they naturally recognized red mushrooms.
"This is, red mushroom?"
Gu Ran nodded.
"Really?" Shopkeeper Zheng couldn't believe it.
"The goods are genuine," Gu Ran said, picking up one of the red mushrooms and introducing it to him: "Look, this is not an ordinary red mushroom, but a real red mushroom. The color of the cap changes from dark to light from the middle to the edge of the cap, red with purple. And look at the pleats. Tear them open and you will see that the inside is full and solid. It is definitely not fake."
Gu Ran explained for a while, and seeing that Shopkeeper Zheng was skeptical, he put the red mushroom aside and said, "If Shopkeeper Zheng still doesn't believe me, you can bring a glass of water and see if my red mushroom is fake or real."
In order to make a profit from red mushrooms, some unscrupulous businessmen dye ordinary mushrooms that are similar to red mushrooms to make them look like red mushrooms and sell them as fake ones. However, they will be exposed to water.
The red dye of fake red mushrooms will melt when put into water. When real red mushrooms are put into water, although the water will also turn red, the red mushrooms will still maintain their original color, so they are easy to distinguish.
"No, no, how could the mountain products that Gu Er Niang brought be fake?" Shopkeeper Zheng said this, then turned around and honestly asked the shop assistant to bring a bowl of water.
As the weather gets hotter, fewer hunters and merchants are willing to bring furs. Even if they come, the prices are lower than before, whether they are buying or selling goods. Therefore, the fur business is now in its peak season, and the workers in the store are very idle.
Because of this, Gu Ran is no longer willing to sell the tanned leathers. He stores them and waits until the weather gets cooler and the price goes up.
After getting the water, I threw the red mushroom into it, and it turned out to be the real thing, just as Gu Ran said!
Shopkeeper Zheng then rubbed his hands with a smile and said, "It's true!"
"Whatever I bring is always good stuff!" Gu Ran said firmly.
"Okay, that's right. Ordinary hunters can't even pick them. Your red mushrooms are in short supply and very rare. Where did you pick them, Gu Erniang?"
"I picked them from the island forest in our village."
"Dayu Forest? Isn't that a miasma forest?" Shopkeeper Zheng gasped. "How dare you enter a miasma forest?"
"My little house is just outside the miasma forest. I've seen miasma so often that I'm not as scared of it as others." Gu Ran explained, "I'm also afraid of going into the forest, so I picked this at the risk of my life. Shopkeeper Zheng, if you want to buy it, you have to offer a higher price."
Of course, Shopkeeper Zheng wants to buy it.
You can keep these red mushrooms for yourself or sell them to others. However, there are only ten of them, which is too few.
Shopkeeper Zheng squinted his eyes and looked at Gu Ran: "Second Lady Gu, if you want me to offer a high price, you have to provide more goods."
Gu Er Niang usually keeps the good meat and vegetables she hunts for herself. She wanted to buy an extra bamboo rat the other day but didn't give it to him. Now she has picked this red mushroom, such a delicious and rare thing, how could she not keep it for herself?
She definitely has more than ten flowers in her hand.
Gu Ran smiled, "Manager Zheng really understands me!"
This red mushroom is rare and has high nutritional value, so she naturally had to keep half of it for herself to nourish her body. These ten were taken out from the other half.
"To be honest with Shopkeeper Zheng, I still have some on hand that I've kept for myself. However, whether I want to sell them or not, I have to first hear the price that Shopkeeper Zheng offers before I consider it."
Shopkeeper Zheng looked at the ten bright red mushrooms and gave his final price: "One tael of silver for these ten. If you have any more of this size, I'll also give you ten for the same price."
Gu Ran thought about it and nodded: "Okay."
Then he carefully took out another twenty red mushrooms of normal size.
Having anticipated this, Gu Ran selected the red mushrooms of good quality and similar size and put them into the other half that was to be sold. The half that he kept for himself included some red mushrooms of good quality, some of poor quality, and some with small flowers.
In this way, Gu Ran sold the red mushrooms he brought to the fur shop for a total of three taels of silver. In addition, the bamboo fungus he brought with him was also sold for seventy cents.
Not only that, the shopkeeper Zheng had tasted the roasted grass jelly sold by Gu Ran and found it delicious, so he asked her to save a few portions for him tomorrow so that he could take them home to treat his family.
Gu Ran agreed immediately.
Seeing that the weather was not getting hot anymore, Gu Ran was happy to have earned three taels of silver. He did not want to go to any other place in the county to sell more grass jelly. He went straight to the dock to take a boat home.
When I got back to the cottage, I calculated the income from selling the grass jelly today. After deducting the fifty cents for the boat fee, I actually made two hundred and sixty cents.
It's a huge profit.
If I continue like this, I can earn seven or eight taels of silver a month just by selling grass jelly at the dock.
If I sell it for another three months, I can pay off the cost of hiring Master Huang to build the windmill.
The business of roasting grass jelly can really be carried on as a main business.
Gu Ran put away the huge sum of three hundred and thirty coins he earned today and was just about to make a super delicious dinner to reward himself when he heard some noise coming from the front yard.
Could it be that Village Chief Wu or Mrs. Lin Er came to see me again?
Gu Ran walked out and heard a strange man's voice outside the courtyard: "Is this the house? Then why did Village Chief Wu sell it to...who?"
What who is that?
Gu Ran also wanted to know who was outside the door.
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