Chapter 54
Gu Ran sent away Village Chief Wu, who was holding a bamboo rat with mixed emotions, and turned around to take out two wooden basins that he usually used from the kitchen. He walked into the main hall and placed them on the left and right. Then he poured a pile of ice out from space grid No. 10, and soon piled up two small icebergs.
After sitting among the icebergs and enjoying the cool air for a while, she began to sort out the gains from this trip into the mountains.
Bamboo rats, rabbits, pheasants, and yellow muntjacs were naturally processed last - to avoid unnecessary criticism or jealousy from the villagers, they had to be fetched from the stream before being skinned and meated.
Don’t show off your wealth!
She was a single woman, and if people saw that she had the ability to hunt so many wild animals in the miasma forest, it was inevitable that people would be jealous. If she became unbalanced, she might even say something bad.
She just wants to live her life peacefully and doesn't want to be a conspicuous bag.
For the same reason, she did not plan to take too many tanned leathers at one time, and she did not consider sending the large animals she hunted to Hefeng Fur Shop for sale.
Firstly, in the eyes of others, she was just a delicate woman whose skills were not as good as those of the hunters. Without a workshop, she did not have the strength to move a large mountain beast on her own. Secondly, large beasts were sold at high prices. She would meet many people on the way from the Donglin Township ferry to the county town, and even in the fur shops. If they knew that she had killed a big beast and earned a lot of money, she would inevitably attract attention. If it was done with good intentions, it would be fine, but if it was done with malicious intent, it would be a problem.
Therefore, she only sold the skins of small animals such as bamboo rats and wild rabbits. She sold less meat and stored it for herself. Naturally, she kept the yellow muntjac for her own food.
This time, they got a lot of prey, and it would probably take a whole day to get it done, so Gu Ran planned to wait until tomorrow and went to process the wild vegetables, fruits and other mountain products first.
She took the mugwort out of the bamboo basket, planning to wash it and then dry it. She would have plenty of it when she went into the mountains in the future, and having that large batch of mugwort would save her a lot of money on buying dried mugwort.
The same goes for the herb jelly. I have to take the time to make a few pots of roasted herb jelly before I can go back to the county town to make a living after two days.
Then, after washing the wild vegetables and fruits, you can use them as ingredients at any time.
Finally, Gu Ran looked at the wild vegetables and mushrooms that were sorted into different categories, and decided to have bamboo fungus with pork and cold-mixed purslane for dinner.
Cold dishes are naturally easy to prepare.
After removing the roots and old stems of purslane, blanch them in water, remove them and cut them into sections. Heat oil in a pan, add minced garlic and shredded ginger and seasonings to sauté until fragrant. Pour in purslane, stir-fry for a while and add salt.
If you feel that it is not cold enough, you can always take out ice cubes and put them under the plate of purslane, and it will be cold instantly.
As for bamboo fungus and pork, it is also very easy to make.
After soaking the bamboo fungus, he washed it and sliced it. Then he chose the ingredients from the grid in space number 8. After hesitating for a while between chicken, beef and pork, Gu Ran finally chose pork.
It is just a piece of pork tenderloin, sliced, then marinated with seasonings, and then you can start stir-frying.
Heat oil and stir-fry the meat slices until they change color. Add sliced bamboo fungus, appropriate amount of salt and pesto, and two drops of fish sauce.
One meat and one vegetable are enough for Gu Ran.
Perhaps it was because he had been in the woods for many days and walked a lot of mountain roads, which consumed a lot of physical energy. He used to eat one bowl of rice, but today he ate two large bowls and had to get up to digest the food.
After walking around the patio twice, I was able to water the flowers and plants in the yard, and I didn't forget to water the pot of red tangerines that were growing vigorously.
Now the buds of the red tangerines are basically all open, and the green tree is dotted with snow-white flowers, as if the winter snow has covered the branches and leaves.
When she wasn't paying attention, the orange tree seemed to have grown another inch.
After admiring the orange flowers blooming all over the tree for a while, Gu Ran started picking off a few flowers that were too dense.
If you have too many flowers, you will also have too many fruits.
But too many fruits are not good for the future growth of oranges. They will take away too many nutrients, resulting in many small oranges. The harvest will naturally be poor: there is only quantity but no quality.
Therefore, some of the flowers that are too dense have to be picked off, so there will be fewer fruits, but they will be big and sweet.
Of course, the picked orange flowers can be used to make tea with honeysuckle to make a kind of scented tea.
After drinking scented tea and having a good sleep, Gu Ran started the second day's work: he had to deal with the pheasants, rabbits, bamboo rats, and, most importantly, the yellow muntjacs he brought back.
The furs are tanned and hung out to dry, while the meat is placed in the fresh meat storage area in space No. 8.
She sold the skins instead of the meat so that she could save all the meat for herself.
The meat stored in the grid of Space No. 8 now includes not only the rabbit meat, chicken meat, and bamboo rat meat hunted in the past, but also the domestic chicken, pork, beef, and mutton bought every time when going to the county town. Now, a kind of yellow muntjac meat is about to be added, which can be said to be rich in variety.
After successfully processing the yellow muntjac fur, he hung it in the corner of the patio to dry. After cutting the yellow muntjac meat and properly preserving the suede and muntjac hooves, Gu Ran smiled and expressed his satisfaction with the harvest of this trip into the mountains.
The next day, he carried the roasted grass jelly and went to the county town to set up a stall.
It took nearly ten days before Gu Ran went to the pier to set up her stall. Unexpectedly, the grass jelly she had been selling some time ago had actually accumulated some regular customers. Seeing that she finally showed up, they all hurried to line up to buy the grass jelly.
"Mrs. Gu, we thought you weren't going to sell this grass jelly anymore."
"I had something going on at home, so I didn't set up the stall for the time being. But I came today!" Gu Ran explained with a smile while serving grass jelly to the diners.
"Just keep setting up your stall. You're the only one selling this grass jelly right now. If you don't sell it, we don't know where else we can find one."
“That’s right!”
"This roasted grass jelly is delicious. Without you, Gu Erniang, we wouldn't be able to eat it even if we were greedy!"
After the typhoon passed, the weather continued to get hotter, and coupled with the previous reputation, the amount she brought today and the amount she secretly poured out from space grid No. 8 twice were all sold out.
When she was packing up the empty wooden barrels and bamboo baskets and preparing to leave the dock, she ran into Little Master Wu.
Little Master Wu had another errand today and wasn't collecting stall fees at the dock. Seeing Gu Erniang, he chuckled, "Gu Erniang, are you from the capital or are you selling grass jelly?"
"Go into town and sell grass jelly too."
"Give me two servings of the roasted grass jelly."
"It's too late. Today's grass jelly is sold out."
"Oh!" Little Master Wu said disappointedly, "Will you come to sell tomorrow?"
"Come on, if it doesn't rain, come."
"Then remember to leave me two copies tomorrow... No, leave me five copies, ah!"
"Okay, no problem."
Gu Ran was about to carry the bamboo basket and leave when he saw Uncle He standing beside him with a look of disappointment on his face.
Oh, many families at the dock today knew that customers had to bring their own food boxes and bowls to eat the grass jelly from Gu Er Niang's restaurant, so the diners who came to patronize the restaurant all brought their own utensils, which had a great impact on Uncle He's rental business.
Gu Ran smiled, there was nothing she could do about it.
Gu Ran was about to leave when Aunt He came over and said with a smile, "Second Aunt Gu, how much of this herbal jelly can you carry back to sell every day?"
Gu Ran was stunned.
"Don't get me wrong, I was thinking, since this roasted grass jelly is so popular, why don't you sell more every day, Gu Erniang? That way you can make more money!"
"Well, I can only bring this much every day. I just need to sell them all. I won't be greedy for more!" Gu Ran also explained with a smile.
If it wasn't for saving money to build a windmill, she might not have traveled all the way to the county town every day!
I make grass jelly for myself, set up a stall when I want to make some money, and just stay in my little house and live my life lazily when I don’t feel like moving. How great is that!
Gu Ran left a dashing back view to Uncle He and his wife, and walked away leisurely.
Uncle He and Aunt He kept sighing.
"Such a good business, and no one else can do it. If she were to do it freely, she could make a lot of money!" Aunt He lamented, "But she happens to come late and leave early, and she only sells for a short while. Day by day, she loses a lot of income!"
"Don't think about it, don't think about it. That's their business. If they don't like to sell more, what can we do?" Uncle He also felt it was a pity. It was just someone else's business. He couldn't control what they wanted to do, so he shook his head and advised his wife to be more open-minded.
"Tsk! If it were me, I would definitely sell it for a whole day, and I'm afraid I could only make one or two taels of silver." Aunt He said unwillingly.
"It's a pity you can't!"
Aunt He glanced at the direction where Gu Ran left and curled her lips.
They sell porridge, how can they make as much money as selling grass jelly?
Gu Ran was completely unaware of Uncle He and his wife's regret. He came to Hefeng Fur Shop and met Manager Zheng. He gave Manager Zheng the selected part of the red mushrooms he had picked in the mountains this time.
There were more than fifty flowers in total, and he earned five and a half taels of silver.
When Manager Zheng saw Gu Ran, his eyelids couldn't help but twitch. He sent two men to follow Gu Ran into the mountains without telling her, which was not very bright.
A few days ago, a hurricane hit Yongchang County and it rained continuously, so he became worried about the guys he sent out.
After the rain stopped, they sent people to Xiaxi Village to inquire about the news. They learned that a young man from a new family in Xiaxi Village had an accident when he entered the miasma forest and has been in a coma ever since. Even the guard who followed him into the mountain almost got into trouble.
After inquiring further, he found out that his two companions were probably gone.
It was probably them who encountered the group of wild boars in the woods. One was trapped in the woods on a rainy day, and the other was directly bitten to death by the wild boars.
When Manager Zheng heard the report from the informant, he was terrified.
"Boss, the Shen family said that the body was buried in the miasma forest. Should we go into the forest and dig the body out?"
"Who are you sending into the woods? You?"
The spy waved his hands in panic.
Because the miasma has harmed people, everyone in Xiaxi Village is in a panic. No one in the village dares to enter the forest. Who would dare to do so when they are not familiar with the terrain of the mountains and forests?
Didn’t the two guys in front lose their lives just because they dared to enter the forest?
Manager Zheng no longer dared to mention sending his men into the miasma forest. He could only secretly give a sum of money to the families of the two men, saying that something had happened while they were working for the fur shop and they were afraid that no one would find their bodies, so he wanted to get away with it.
Fortunately, in order to settle the matter peacefully, the two families gave a large amount of money and reluctantly gave up the idea of pursuing the matter.
Shopkeeper Zheng had lost his wife and his army, and was feeling very upset. But then he saw Gu Erniang, whom he had not seen for a few days and thought had also died in the miasma forest, coming with red mushrooms to sell for money. He was shocked when he saw her!
What the hell, something happened to the people in the village, and the two guys he sent out also lost their lives. How could Gu Er Niang still come out of the miasma forest safely?
When Manager Zheng thought of the skins she had brought to sell before, as well as the red mushrooms in front of him, he felt a sense of respect and fear in his heart.
You wouldn't have guessed that Gu Er Niang is actually a person with real abilities!
"Thank you, Manager Zheng!"
Gu Ran didn't know that Manager Zheng had changed his mind about him again at this time. He put the more than five taels of silver in his pocket and left the fur shop contentedly.
It’s a lot. Today I have an income of almost six taels of silver. Adding the money I got from selling goods before, I have twelve taels of silver.
It can cover more than half of the wages owed to Master Huang.
Gu Ran immediately felt that the burden on his shoulders was much lighter. He estimated that as long as he worked harder and sold roasted grass jelly for another two months, it would be enough to pay off his debts.
So from that day on, he began to work diligently at his stall every day to make a living.
During this period, she had used up all the cactus grass and was planning to go into the mountains again. When she passed by her own acres of wasteland, she saw that the cactus grass she had transplanted casually before had actually taken root and was growing well.
It’s just not enough, not even enough for her to cook grass jelly once.
But being able to grow fairy grass in the field is a good thing after all!
Therefore, Gu Ran planned to fertilize and water some of his wasteland in the future, so that the fairy grass could grow wildly for a few more crops. After they had completely taken root and settled down and could wither and then grow again, he would slowly harvest them.
So I went into the mountains to cut the fairy grass.
Because his only purpose was to get the fairy grass, Gu Ran did not go around the mountain and come out again. Instead, he went directly to the shallow forest in the south of Dayu Lin. After finding the fairy grass bush, he cut it and returned to the village.
After she had been selling roasted grass jelly at the dock for half a month, she unexpectedly met an acquaintance at the dock that day.
who?
It’s Xu Sanlang.
Looking at Xu Sanlang, dressed like a nobleman in brocade and jade belt, jumping off a merchant ship at the dock, waving a folding fan in his hand as he walked, with a maidservant holding an umbrella beside him and following him step by step, Gu Ran couldn't help but feel envious.
Tsk tsk, it’s good to be a man from a rich family. Even if he is exiled, he won’t suffer much.
Judging from Xu Sanlang's appearance, he must be living a very enjoyable life.
"Selling grass jelly. It's so hot out here, would you like some cold grass jelly?"
Seeing Xu Sanlang and his servants passing by his stall, Gu Ran couldn't help but greet them.
"Burning grass jelly?"
Xu Sanlang was immediately attracted by the shouting. He looked towards Gu Ran's stall and saw two small bowls of brightly colored roasted grass jelly that were used to attract customers. He thought the snacks looked good, so he turned around and moved towards the stall.
"Who told me that this roasted grass jelly tastes good?"
"My dear, some of the merchants you met told me that they sell grass jelly at the dock in Yongchang County. So that's what it is?"
"That's right, this is the only roasted grass jelly restaurant in the county. Would you like to try it?" Gu Ran asked.
"Okay, give me two." Xu Sanlang said, waving the fan in his hand.
"Do you have a lunch box? If you don't have one, you'll have to rent bowls and plates from the porridge shop next door, and that'll cost an extra penny."
"How much is this roasted grass jelly?"
"Adding fried soybeans costs seven cents, and adding steamed red beans costs eight cents."
Xu Sanlang sneered, "I thought it was so expensive. Rent it. Add the yellow beans and red beans to it, and I'll give you ten cents."
"That's great!" Gu Ran smiled. Judging from the situation, Xu Sanlang didn't recognize her as someone who had been exiled with her for several journeys.
Yes, in Xu Sanlang's eyes, Gu Er Niang was probably just an ordinary person, and he would probably disdain her.
Xu Sanlang ate a bowl with a spoon, sighed, and did not comment. Then he held out the bowl and handed it to Gu Ran: "Another bowl."
"Okay!"
Gu Ran quickly filled a second portion for Xu Sanlang and said, "My roasted grass jelly is thirst-quenching and refreshing. Does it taste good?"
"Okay." For the sake of the delicious grass jelly, Xu Sanlang finally looked at Gu Ran straight in the eye.
It would have been better if he hadn't looked. Once he looked, Xu Sanlang felt that the woman in front of him looked familiar.
"You, may I ask this stall owner if we have met somewhere before?"
Gu Ran smiled slightly, and while handing the roasted grass jelly to Xu Sanlang, he said, "Xu Sanlang is a noble man with a tendency to forget things. Of course, he doesn't remember when he met me."
Have you seen it before?
Xu Sanlang was stunned for a moment. After taking the roasted grass jelly, he looked at Gu Ran carefully. Gu Ran was not shy and let him look at her openly.
"Oh, I remember now. Are you the one, Gu Erniang?"
"It's rare that Xu Sanlang could remember this. It's really not easy!"
"It's really you, Gu Er Niang. You were... No, where are you staying now?" Xu Sanlang became interested and asked without even bothering to eat the roasted grass jelly.
"It's Yongchang County. Where else could it be?"
"Oh, that's right. Hey, did you make this roasted grass jelly?" Xu Sanlang seemed to have thought of something, and his expression became strange when he looked at Gu Ran again.
"It's absolutely genuine, it's not made by me. Could it be that Xu Sanlang has heard of anyone else who can make such delicious grass jelly?" Gu Ran said proudly.
"That's not the case. It's just..." Xu Sanlang held the icy-cold roasted grass jelly in his hand and paused. He finished his portion of roasted grass jelly first, then straightened his appearance and said with a smile, "Second Lady Gu, you are so capable. I also happen to have something to ask of you. I wonder when you will be setting up your stall?"
Gu Ran looked confused.
She was just a lady selling grass jelly, and Xu Sanlang just happened to meet her. What could he ask of her?
Gu Ran was puzzled, but he still responded: "I usually only set up the stall for about two hours. Once I sell out the grass jelly I brought with me, I can close the stall."
"That's pretty quick. I'll wait. When you close your stall, I'll treat you to tea."
Gu Ran was even more puzzled, but seeing that Xu Sanlang was standing aside with a leisurely expression, she knew that he really had to wait, so she didn't care too much. So after quickly selling the roasted grass jelly, Xu Sanlang asked the maid to help her carry the wooden barrel and bamboo basket, and then found a teahouse in the county town and really invited her to have tea.
Tea drinking is popular in Fujian, and there are many teahouses and teahouses. Gu Ran had heard of them, but had not had the chance to try them herself. Now that Xu Sanlang insisted on treating her, she naturally would not refuse.
I just set up my stall. Although I found a shady place and wore a hat, it was still very hot. It was just right for me to come into the teahouse to rest my feet.
There were already many kinds of tea in Fujian during the Great Sheng Dynasty. Although the types were not as clearly divided as in her life, they were roughly divided into green tea, black tea, oolong tea, and white tea.
It is said that the tea of the Great Sheng Dynasty was also a fine product presented as tribute to the imperial court, collectively known as Fangshan Luya, with excellent quality. Among them, the tribute buds produced in Jianzhou were the best.
Xu Sanlang had plenty of money in his pocket, so the tea he drank was naturally good.
When holding the teacup and tasting the fragrant tea, Gu Ran suddenly remembered that she had gone into Dayu Forest several times but had never looked carefully for tea trees. She decided to identify them carefully next time she went into the mountains. Maybe she could find a high-mountain tea. Even if she didn't know how to prepare tea, she could pick it and sell it to this teahouse.
It’s also a way to make a living!
Thinking of this, Gu Ran felt even better.
After savoring the tea, Xu Sanlang explained his purpose: "I first heard of this roasted grass jelly when I was buying local mountain products in Jianzhou. I heard about it from a shopkeeper named Zheng."
Gu Ran was stunned for a moment.
A shopkeeper named Zheng? A seller of mountain goods? Could he be the same Mr. Zheng from the Hefeng Leather Shop?
"Xu Sanlang, are you doing business in Jianzhou?"
"That's right."
Xu Sanlang was originally exiled to Fujian, and he thought it was an extremely tragic thing. After arriving in Jianzhou, he used the magic of money to settle down in Jianzhou City. After understanding the customs of Fujian, he realized that it was actually an extremely lucky thing.
Xu Sanlang's family was an imperial merchant, mainly engaged in the trade of porcelain. In Fujian, he discovered goods other than tribute porcelain that could be purchased and shipped back to the capital for sale: tea was the first, and there were also dried seafood, specialty fruits, and many other commodities.
Even if they cannot be presented to the palace as high-quality tribute, they can still make huge profits by using the channels and connections of imperial merchants and selling them as goods in their own shops.
Xu Sanlang, who had been feeling sick and depressed due to his unwillingness, suddenly became energetic and wrote a letter back to his father to report his thoughts and plans.
Businessmen all have keen senses. Mr. Xu, who had originally been suffering from the lack of reliable supply channels and could only specialize in the porcelain industry, was immediately delighted when he heard Sanlang's idea.
His youngest son's idea exactly matched his own, and since this was purchased personally by his dearest son in Fujian, he was the most trustworthy. He immediately wrote a letter to Jianzhou, saying that he had agreed.
Not only did he agree, he also sent a large amount of money, supplies, and manpower to the youngest son, and specially sent a merchant ship from the Xu family.
Sea transportation was popular in the Great Sheng Dynasty. There were routes along the coast of Fujian directly to Kyoto, and even to the port of Haizhou Prefecture near Zhengzhou. This was a great help to Xu Sanlang. He had been looking for goods these days and had already purchased the first batch and shipped it back to Zhengzhou.
He is now collecting the second batch of goods to ship back to his hometown in Zhengzhou.
"The local mountain products and furs are also the goods I purchase." Xu Sanlang said.
Xu Sanlang has now bought two shops in Jianzhou Prefecture, which are used specifically to purchase Fujian specialty products. Because of the generous prices, many local merchants have been attracted to trade, and Hefeng Fur Shop is one of them.
Originally, Xu Sanlang did not take the small fur shop in Hefeng seriously. Later, he noticed Manager Zheng because he was so generous recently that he actually brought a batch of rare red mushrooms to the Fusheng Trading Company he opened.
That’s right, the business that Xu Sanlang ran in Jianzhou Prefecture was called Fusheng, the same name as the business in his hometown Zhengzhou and the capital.
Speaking of red mushrooms, Gu Ran became interested.
The red mushrooms that flowed out of Manager Zheng's hands were the ones she sold to the Hefeng Fur Shop. She felt that she had vaguely guessed Xu Sanlang's purpose in asking her for something.
"That red mushroom is of excellent quality. It's a genuine, large mushroom from the mountains and extremely valuable. I've collected a lot of dried mushrooms during my time in Jianzhou, but I've never seen anyone trading red mushrooms."
This is of course true. After the spring mushroom season, there are still summer mushrooms in Fujian, but the varieties are obviously much fewer.
"This red mushroom is rare, so I started chatting with Shopkeeper Zheng. He kept the origin of the red mushroom a secret. Instead, he said the person who picked it for him was very skilled and knew the secret recipe for making some herbal jelly. He was a remarkable person."
Gu Ran pursed his lips.
Haha, I didn’t expect Manager Zheng to think so highly of me!
"Although red mushrooms are good, the quantity is too small. Seeing that it is already mid-July, I thought that in Jianzhou, red mushrooms can be harvested twice a year, one in June, and there should be another in July. So I came to Yongchang County, intending to go to Hefeng Fur Goods Store to discuss the purchase of red mushrooms with Manager Zheng. The result is..."
As a result, I happened to meet Gu Ran who was selling grass jelly at the port.
"Mrs. Gu, tell me honestly, is that the strange person that Shopkeeper Zheng mentioned, you?"
Gu Ran's face became more proud, and he subconsciously sat up straight and puffed out his chest: "Do you think I look like you?"
Xu Sanlang glanced at Gu Ran, smiled, and put down the teacup. "If you, Gu Erniang, are truly that extraordinary person, then I would like to do a business with you directly."
"The red mushroom business?"
"That's right." Xu Sanlang nodded. "If you want to sell the red mushrooms directly to me, the price will be negotiable. It will definitely not be lower than the price I offered to Manager Zheng."
"So how much silver are you planning to pay? How much will it cost?"
For Gu Ran, selling Hefeng's shopkeeper Zheng is the same as selling Xu Sanlang, so it doesn't really matter to whom he sells it.
"If Shopkeeper Zheng were to ship us Fusheng the red mushrooms of good quality, seventy of them would be worth forty taels."
Gu Ran was putting tea into her mouth when she heard the number Xu Sanlang said. She almost spit out the tea in her mouth. She wiped the corner of her mouth, widened her eyes, and asked again: "How much did you say?"
"Forty taels of silver."
Tsk tsk, Manager Zheng is such a scoundrel!
She only earned seven taels of silver from seventy flowers, and was secretly happy thinking she had made a fortune. However, she never expected that she could earn several times the profit by selling them in the provincial capital.
If she could sell the red mushrooms directly to Xu Sanlang, she would make a fortune immediately.
Gu Ran immediately agreed: "No problem, Xu Sanlang, if you want red mushrooms, just come to me, Gu Erniang."
Xu Sanlang was also amazed when he saw Gu Ran admit that he was the one who picked the red mushroom.
Or maybe he had just arrived in Fujian. In any case, the only person who could make a living by growing red mushrooms was He Feng... no, only Gu Er Niang. This was enough to show that it was not easy to pick red mushrooms and they were hard to come by.
And for a woman like Gu Erniang to be able to do such a unique business with Hefeng is truly something that cannot be underestimated. He was also thankful. If he hadn't come to Yongchang County today and Gu Erniang hadn't actively hawked her wares to tempt him to try this roasted grass jelly, he would have missed out on it today.
"In that case, how about I sign a contract with you?"
"Sign a contract?"
"That's right. The contract stipulates that you will sell me a batch of red mushrooms of certain quality, size, and timeframe. You can estimate how many you can harvest and agree on a price with me," Xu Sanlang said. "After we at Fusheng sign the contract with you, we'll pay you a deposit of ten taels."
Ten taels!
It’s indeed much higher than what Manager Zheng offered!
If you accept these ten taels, Master Huang will have paid for the windmill.
Gu Ran readily agreed.
The red mushrooms in the basswood forest should be able to grow two more crops by the end of July. Even if we can't pick so many red mushrooms by then, we can use the red mushrooms stored in the No. 8 space to make up the number.
Xu Sanlang immediately asked the waiter to bring pen and ink, and signed the contract for the special supply of red mushrooms with Gu Ran. After both parties signed and stamped, Xu Sanlang gave a ten-liang silver ingot and raised his bowl and said, "Mrs. Gu, I hope we can have a pleasant cooperation!"
"It's a pleasure working with you!" Gu Ran smiled with his eyes curved.
Xu Sanlang showed such sincerity, so Gu Ran naturally treated him with sincerity as well. From that day on, while setting up the stall, he would watch the sky, hoping that it would rain.
Because the red mushrooms grown after the rain are the freshest and have the best appearance.
God did not let Gu Ran down. At the end of this month, typhoon rain began to hit again and it rained for three days.
This time, without waiting for the miasma to spread out of the forest, Gu Ran got up early, fully armed, and quietly entered the Dayu Forest from the south in the direction of picking fairy grass, and headed straight for the basswood forest.
When we arrived at the basswood forest, we saw that the dark green ground was covered with red mushrooms that were fresh, lovely and very moist.
Gu Ran immediately picked all the red mushrooms one by one.
After picking the fruits, he did not return to the village, but continued to walk deep into the mountains.
This red mushroom can be picked twice a year, and each time more or less two crops can be picked.
Gu Ran was too lazy to go back to the village and decided to wait two days before going into the mountains. He then decided to take a walk in the mountains, carefully looking for tea trees and to see if there was anything in the traps he had set. After two nights, he would turn back to the basswood forest and harvest the second batch of red mushrooms.
Since she went into the mountains and the accident that happened to Shen Erlang, she has gone into the mountains twice again during this period of time.
Now everyone in Xiaxi Village knew that she would go into the miasma forest from time to time. Since the households in Xiaxi Village lived far away from each other, she didn't need to interact with them much, so she didn't hear much gossip.
However, Xiaolan and Lin Ersaozi, who were in close contact with her, were very impressed by her courage to enter the miasma forest, perhaps because of the bamboo rats she had given Village Chief Wu last time. Xiaolan even asked greedily when she could go into the forest again and bring her some delicious meat from the forest.
Of course Gu Ran said yes, and he had to say yes for the sake of Village Chief Wu.
Mrs. Lin stopped Xiaolan's whimsical talk in time and told her not to take it seriously.
Gu Ran just smiled.
In fact, apart from the miasma, the life of every household in Xiaxi Village is not bad.
Each person has 20 mu of land, and rice is harvested twice a year. The yield has also increased due to improvements. In addition, the tax rate is only one in thirty, which ensures that every household can eat rice. If it were people from other places, they would probably be envious.
In addition, the improvement of pig breeds and agricultural reforms brought about by Damao City allowed the people to eat low-priced pork. In addition, Fujian was close to the sea and had abundant aquatic products and fruits and vegetables. After the lifting of the sea ban, trade developed and many imported goods were brought in.
It is said that Fujian was a desolate and harsh land, and this may have been the case before the wasteland was cultivated and turned into fertile farmland. However, if you still think so now, you are just blinding yourself to the truth and only know one side of the story.
As the daughter of the village chief, Xiaolan could not have lacked food and clothing. It was just that it was a rare opportunity for her to eat bamboo rat, so she thought it was new.
Because he had entered the forest more than two or three times, Gu Ran was now familiar with the mountain roads in Dayu Forest and quickly found the place where he had set the trap.
The previous two times I went into the mountains, I didn’t find any prey, so I didn’t know if I could get anything today.
Gu Ran stood next to the trap and took a look, and knew that it was gone.
Because the straw mat covering the trap was pulled aside by something, revealing the deep pit under the camouflage.
He could only sigh, disguise the trap again, and plan to find a place to rest for the night.
The food that Gu Ran chose that night was bought at a restaurant selling grass jelly at the dock.
There are many people like her who make a living by selling food at the wharf, especially the street facing the outermost part of the wharf, which is full of small shops. She bought the bowl cakes, fried rice with lard, snow cakes, etc. that she had eaten before there.
In addition to pastries, the most popular items sold in the food street are foods related to freshwater and seafood, such as fish balls and shrimp balls, seafood noodles with clams, steamed and fried clams and scallops, etc. There are also countless snacks prepared with secret family recipes.
With so many delicious foods, Gu Ran’s unique roasted grass jelly doesn’t seem so unique.
It’s just that the people in Fujian are influenced by maritime merchants and have a wide acceptance of all kinds of food, so roasted grass jelly can also occupy a small place among them.
Of course, faced with so many delicious foods, he had been working diligently to earn money from the stall recently, and had received ten taels of silver from Xu Sanlang, so he naturally would not be stingy in buying and stocking up.
After selling all the roasted grass jelly these days, Gu Ran went to every restaurant on the street to try out the food. He also bought a few more of his favorite dishes, put them in a lunch box and put them in the prepared food area in space No. 8.
Speaking of lunch boxes, because I bought more and more food, the lunch boxes I bought before were not enough, so when I went to Master Huang’s house in Donglin Township to follow the progress of the windmill, I bought another stack.
Now the food boxes in the prepared food area are neatly arranged to fill up half of the area, and she is considering whether to move another area to place them!
For today's meal, after looking at the wide variety of prepared food in the area, Gu Ran finally chose a serving of clam noodles and an fried clam.
The clams are made with clams that have been raised for a day to spit out the sand. The bottom is filled with seafood soup and rice noodles, and the top is covered with clams that are cooked just right until they are fully opened, revealing the plump meat inside. It is so delicious that you can't resist it when you take a bite.
As for the omelette, it is made by frying fresh oysters with egg liquid, which is crispy and delicious.
After finishing the meal, Gu Ran brewed a pot of tea to help eliminate the stagnation and fishy smell.
Well, ever since being taken to the teahouse by Xu Sanlang, Gu Ran felt that it would be a waste of his trip to Fujian if he didn't add tea to his menu, so he also developed the habit of drinking a pot of tea after meals.
According to her taste, she bought green tea and white tea, planning to drink them alternately.
Although it is said that drinking tea can refresh the mind, Gu Ran fell asleep quickly after drinking the hot tea. The next day, he went into the woods where he encountered the wild boars.
Because she had known in advance that there were groups of wild boars in this mixed woods, and she had also seen wolves here and even heard the growl of a bear, Gu Ran was extremely cautious after entering this area.
I deliberately avoided the bushes where I encountered the wild boars, and then went around to the one to the north, thus entering another unfamiliar place.
This new forest is mostly a mixture of broad-leaved and coniferous trees, mixed with some plants that are difficult to identify, but are obviously bamboo plants. A little further away, there is an inner lake wetland.
Covered by dense tree canopies, the entire wetland appears dark and cool, but this does not prevent many birds from inhabiting it.
Gu Ran recognized egrets, white snipes, and quite a few wild ducks, all of which were wandering around the edge of the wetland, or foraging on the rocks exposed above the water, looking leisurely and contented.
In the wetland, various ferns and climbing plants grow everywhere, and many aquatic plants grow in succession.
Gu Ran saw that the wetland here was not as dangerous as the swamp to the south, and there was no miasma-like black fog on it, so he bravely walked forward.
But I didn't dare get too close, for fear of accidentally falling into the wetland. Instead, I explored step by step by following the range of bird activities at the edge of the wetland.
When we got closer, we saw lotus-like leaves among the various green plants entangled in the wetland. When we saw the small flowers blooming next to several batches of cattails, we were sure that there were water lilies growing in this wetland.
Among the dense floating green leaves, Gu Ran also recognized the familiar tall emergent plant, water chestnut.
The tall plants are clustered next to several Acorus calamus plants, so they are not difficult to identify.
However, now is not the season for harvesting water chestnuts, and we have to wait until late autumn and early winter to dig them.
Despite this, Gu Ran was still very happy. Well, there was one more kind of food that could be stored in the space.
After walking along the edge of the wetland, Gu Ran scared away many birds. He touched a few bird nests and saw duck eggs and bird eggs in them. He took out a few of them and happily put them into the compartment of space number eight.
After exploring enough, they went into the woods from one end of the wetland.
As soon as they entered the dense and impenetrable woods, the coolness and humidity became much stronger. Gu Ran threw away the burnt bundle of mugwort, took out two other bundles, lit them with flint, and then walked forward, smoking out the mosquitoes along the way.
Not long after walking, they came across a grove of hemlock trees. Just as Gu Ran was about to walk over, he suddenly saw a figure with its back to him behind one of the hemlock trees.
Gu Ran’s first reaction was: It turns out that besides himself, there are other families entering the woods!
So he is a hunter?
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