The large iron pots used for the march burned for a day and a night. When the people heard that there was pickled cabbage soup to drink, they were willing to pay for it. Having hot soup to drink on this day was definitely a good life.
The sauerkraut soup is mainly broth, and it tastes very good. Occasionally, there will be some shredded sauerkraut, frozen tofu, and if you're lucky, you might even get a piece of pork belly.
Many people brought out large basins from their homes, hoping to buy several bowls. When they ate, they would add some wild vegetables, making it a delicious meal.
Others followed suit.
Firewood is expensive now, so buying soup is more cost-effective than making it yourself.
But business was so good that the constables were afraid they would buy it all up, so they told each household that they couldn't have more than five bowls of pickled cabbage soup. Otherwise, they would all be bought up, and no one else would have any left.
They went back several times to get more, getting stuck on the street and unable to get out. They noticed that many people were dressed too thinly. While waiting to buy soup, they were all shivering from the cold.
Most of the yamen runners were wealthy. This was the first time I'd truly experienced the stark differences among the county's residents. I heard that the Gong and Xie families still serve twenty dishes per meal, with all sorts of wild animals on their tables.
But ordinary people don't even have a single winter coat to keep warm. The only clothes they occasionally have are cotton-padded coats distributed by their snow removal teams.
The clothes were put on the villagers. They cherished them like the back of their hand; if it weren't for the irresistible smell of the sauerkraut soup, they would never have come out.
The clothes they distributed became a lifesaver for the common people. When they returned from selling pickled cabbage soup, yamen runners would take over their shifts and continue selling in other streets. Although the yamen runners had thicker clothes, they were still freezing cold after being in the freezing weather for so long.
Upon returning, they approached He Zifeng, wanting to donate a batch of cotton-padded clothes. Previously, they were high-ranking officials, but now, working alongside those strong men repairing city walls and shoveling snow, they had developed a sense of compassion.
He Zifeng said, "It's good that you have this intention, but it's not needed for now. The county is planning to expand the tofu workshop." Tofu is a good thing; soybeans are cheap, and the county's granaries have stockpiled a lot. Tofu can be eaten as a dish or a meal; if you can't finish it, you can freeze it and stew it in anything delicious. Right now, even two hundred boards a day aren't enough to meet demand.
This not only allows these people to work, but also allows the tofu produced to be sold cheaply to them, achieving a balance between income and expenditure. Don't underestimate this move; the county magistrate thought that by doing this, at least several thousand more people could survive.
There aren't enough tofu shops now, so the county magistrate borrowed a large courtyard from the owner of a tofu shop yesterday. It's perfect for opening a tofu shop.
The shopkeeper readily agreed; he wouldn't do it for nothing. The county magistrate had said he'd reduce his taxes by two years. A shop like theirs handled no less than ten thousand taels of silver a year. This meant a significant tax reduction for them.
The guild leader and his men all came to the government office to pledge their loyalty, saying they would do their utmost if there was anything they could do to help.
When the constables heard He Zifeng say this, they were all delighted: "We knew that you, sir, had the people in your heart."
He Zifeng told them to spread the word when they had free time. This time, anyone who could get into the tofu shop would receive a cotton-padded coat. They would also receive 100 coins a month. But they had to follow the rules. If they didn't, they would be fired and wouldn't receive a single coin, and they would have to return the coat.
After providing cotton-padded coats for the new employees, we couldn't forget the older staff. We quickly mended them their own sets, from cotton-padded jackets and trousers to cotton-padded shoes.
The county made these specifically for this snow disaster. They are even thicker than those bought outside. If a family has several people working and doesn't need more cotton-padded coats, they can sell them for 300 coins a set.
But it's the county's hard currency.
With so many cotton-padded coats taken out this time, we'll have to hurry up and make clothes and shoes next.
It is said that as many as 500 people came to sign up, all for the money and cotton-padded coats.
The officials below were put in charge of this matter. They also transferred more than twenty skilled workers from the old tofu shop to train the newcomers in making tofu.
They sent about two hundred people, and a few of them were good cooks. They were chosen to be cooks. The other three hundred people are still unemployed.
The county magistrate urgently summoned He Zifeng. He said, "These merchants really do have some good stuff." It was thanks to He Zifeng's tax exemption that others were forced to come forward and offer their suggestions. There were indeed some useful things, such as growing vegetables on heated brick beds. The fact that wealthy people could eat fresh food in winter was all thanks to these craftsmen cultivating it using various methods.
So they asked the local authorities for an abandoned house and had those people grow vegetables every day by the heated kang (a traditional Chinese bed) and the fire wall. If it worked, they would have fresh vegetables to eat. They could also spare 100 of the other 300 idle people and divide them into groups. The county magistrate would reward the group that grew the best and most abundant vegetables.
The remaining two hundred people took turns grinding coarse grain flour. Everyone was getting a little tired of eating coarse grains every day.
He Zifeng recalled the savory pancakes he had made before. They were made with coarse grains, but the grains were ground into a fine powder and then sifted. The resulting pancakes were chewy and had a wonderfully fragrant grain aroma, making them incredibly addictive. Now that they were able to survive, they wanted to make their lives even better.
Ever since the county magistrate acquired two capable generals, Constable Zhu and He Zifeng, he could get anything he wanted done perfectly with just a few orders. It was incredibly satisfying and efficient.
However, Zhu, the head constable, was from the county and could go home every day, while He Zifeng's family lived in the countryside. These days, there had been a lot of things to do at the yamen, so he had been staying there and looked quite tired.
The county magistrate said, "Zifeng, you've brought all your men with you. I'm giving you three days off to go home and rest. Go home and spend some quality time with your wife and children. You can get back to work when you return."
He Zifeng said, "Thank you for your consideration, Magistrate."
They then hired a horse-drawn carriage and returned to the village. Although it had been snowing for the past few days, the roads had been cleared and were not difficult to travel on. The horses ran very fast in the cold weather. Upon arriving at the entrance of Chishui Village, He Zifeng quickly gave the driver the silver and then entered the village.
All the doors in the village were tightly shut, and there was hardly anyone walking around outside. He Zifeng walked for fifteen minutes and arrived at his own yard, which was unlocked. He turned the lever and opened it. Then, as he walked into the yard, he heard someone coming out of the inner room.
Qiu Yu opened the door, and when he saw that it was indeed He Zifeng, his eyes lit up with surprise.
It was too cold outside, so Qiuyu only wore a cotton-padded coat.
He Zifeng said, "Let's go back inside."
Then they went inside, and it was like entering another world; the room was incredibly warm. He Zifeng wanted to shake off the chill from his body before going into the inner room, but then his little rascal ran over and said, "Daddy."
She was about to throw herself into his arms when He Zifeng stopped her, saying, "Good child, you go back to your room first. I'll be going in in a bit."
Although Xiao Heran didn't understand his intention, he obediently went back to his room.
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