Chapter 257 Tribute
September is the harvest month, and Sang Luo had given birth to a child and was in confinement during this critical period. According to Nanny Zhong, it would be better for her health to rest for a full two months, so she couldn't help but worry about farm management.
Fortunately, Shen Lie and Shen An were both on vacation at home. Except for the time when Governor Zeng was on vacation, Shen Lie would be called to the Governor's mansion for half a day by Cheng An, and he never left home at other times. The rice, wheat and various beans planted in spring have been harvested from August to now. As for what to plant next, Shen Lie only needs to discuss with Sang Luo, and the two brothers can take care of it themselves.
This year, the most harvested product by each household in Daxing Village was various beans. There was really a lot of them. Everyone in the mountains did their best to use as much as possible, so the harvest was naturally good.
With sufficient raw materials, Sang Luo started thinking about two good things.
Vermicelli and fermented bean curd.
It was decided early on that the Chen family would be taught how to make vermicelli. The yams were not yet ready for harvest, but mung beans were available. However, the Chen family was busy enough with farming and making tofu, so they put the mulberry leaves aside and started making fermented bean curd first.
To mass-produce fermented bean curd for sale, old tofu is indispensable. Fang Zi prepared it himself first, so this old tofu is the best that can be made at home.
At the beginning, they asked Concubine Fan to help buy a mule for the Chen family. They bought it on behalf of the Chen family because they didn't have one at home. When they needed to grind flour every day, they often took it to the Chen family to grind it. However, grinding tofu was not a difficult job for Chen Lie, who was strong enough. When Chen Lie came back at noon, Sang Luo told him about this.
Hearing that the shop was going to have new products, Chen Lie was quite surprised. Making tofu was hard work for others, but it was nothing for him. He agreed and said, "The stone mill at home is too small. I'll go buy a big one. You can see if you need anything else. I'll take Xiao An with me to buy them all."
Of course there are a lot of things to buy, the most important of which are salt, wine and seasonings.
There is no need to think about wine, let alone the high-purity wine of modern times. Even the original wine of this time and space is hard to buy now. The grains have only been harvested now. People had nothing to eat before, so where could there be wine to buy?
Fortunately, fermented bean curd does not have the same strong alcohol as liquor. Although it will have less flavor and a shorter storage time, it is not impossible to make.
If you want to make it easier, you can actually customize a large steamer and a large iron pot. It is not only for making fermented tofu, but also for steaming and frying other things, which is much more convenient than using a ceramic pot or a ceramic steamer.
After Chen Lie roughly listened to her requirements for the iron pot and steamer, he said, "I'll go order an iron pot, and I can make the steamer myself with Xiao An."
Then he asked Sang Luo: "How about packaging? Or using a can?"
Sang Luo nodded: "There's no rush for that. I still need to calculate the size of the jar and draw a pattern."
The two little ones are still worry-free at this time. They eat and sleep, and it is okay for Sang Luo to draw something in the room.
After lunch, Chen Lie and Shen An pushed a cart to the city and bought everything they needed. The iron pot would have to wait for a few days, so Chen Lie and Shen An did not busy themselves with farm work in the afternoon, but instead made the steamer that Sang Luo wanted.
In the end, Sang Luo was not the one who drew the design she wanted to draw, because Nanny Zhong had told her not to strain her eyes during the confinement period. So Shen Ning did it for her. It wasn't that difficult actually. After her family opened the shop, they often cooperated with the pottery maker. All she had to do was mark the size of the jar, draw a rough outline, and write a few words.
Daxingzhuang fermented bean curd is divided into green, red and white types, and if further divided, countless flavors can be made.
The only things Sang Luo had made herself were the most common red and white squares coated with chili powder. Due to her health conditions, she made the most white squares, including sweet and spicy, osmanthus, five-spice, sesame, and fermented squares. She didn't bother with anything else, and made the spicy red square and the five-spice white square as the first batch.
On the day the iron pot was delivered, Shen Lie and Shen An made tofu at night and pressed it until dawn until the moisture was dry enough. The rest was the delicate work, which was done by Shen Ning, who had the best cooking talent, and the two brothers helped out.
This thing needs time to ferment, and the rows of houses built in the backyard of the Shen family come in handy.
Calculating the fermentation time, Sang Luo went to the backyard herself to make sure that the fermentation was successful before letting Shen Ning start the next step.
By this time, the Chen family had finally finished their work. Sang Luo asked Chen Ning to invite Mrs. Chen and Qin Fangniang over and began to teach the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law how to make mung bean vermicelli.
She was in confinement and could only narrate orally. Fortunately, she had done this before in order to make some money by shooting videos, so she was quite familiar with it. But what was familiar to her made Chen Pozi and Qin Fangniang confused. They asked her six or seven times to make sure she remembered everything clearly, and then they said they would go back to make tools and try to make some first.
He asked questions at each step, and failed twice because he didn't control the details well. On the third time, he went directly to the second courtyard of Shen's house and did it in small amounts behind closed doors. With Sang Luo watching the whole process, he finally succeeded.
That night, the Chen and Shen families tasted the vermicelli they made at home and were so excited that they started preparing to produce it in large quantities.
September passed in the blink of an eye, and Chen Lie and his friends returned to school. When Shen Lie's close classmates in the state school learned that he had just had a pair of twins, a boy and a girl, they all congratulated him.
It is also said that when Doctor Xu returned to the capital from Shezhou, the first thing he did when he entered the palace was to cancel his leave. Then he quietly found Cen Xi and looked for a chance to report back to the Emperor.
Doctor Xu was very glad that after staying on the boat for half a month, the little weight he had gained at the Shen family had been lost again. Otherwise, it would not look good to the emperor.
He explained Sang Luo's situation in a proper manner. The emperor was very happy to hear that they were twins, a boy and a girl. He thought that this was a blessing for the Shen couple. He asked a few more questions about the people's livelihood in Shezhou, and then waved his hand to let them go.
The emperor felt melancholy as he watched Doctor Xu bow and take a few steps back before turning around and leaving with clean sleeves.
The only one who could bring him some food was probably the secret guard he brought with him.
The ministers still can't do it.
When will there be a shop like that in the capital?
…
The Daxingzhuang specialty shop, which was favored by the emperor, added a new product in early October, called fermented bean curd. A small can costs 60 cents and is said to taste great when eaten with porridge.
Sang Luo's shop has already built a good reputation in Shezhou City. People are always afraid that they can't get the goods, and no one has ever complained that the food is bad. In addition, the consumer group is originally positioned as the wealthy families in the city. Sixty cents is really very cheap in this shop. People have also developed the habit of rushing to get the goods in the past. It is certain that they will buy several bottles of one flavor first.
It is true that people in the south still eat more porridge in the morning. This thing was served on the tables of some wealthy families in the city the next day, and then... the shop became lively again.
Because I didn't know what this thing was made of, I was afraid that it would be like the bread, cakes, meat floss and jerky mentioned above, which would be out of stock if they didn't buy it. So the next day, repeat customers came back and bought it in a stockpiling manner. Fortunately, this thing will taste better after being marinated for a while and opened the can. As long as they don't buy too much, it's up to them.
And because this is a relatively cheap item in the Daxingzhuang specialty shop, its reputation gradually spread and attracted a lot of new middle-class customers, so business is really good.
After selling for a few days, Chen Ning did a check on the accounts. The three siblings were really enthusiastic about making this thing again. Because the things had to be placed directly on the steamer to ferment, Chen Lie and Chen An made more than ten sets of steamers. In the whole early October, they almost never rested except for playing with the children after school. It was because there were enough rooms in the backyard, otherwise how could they dry so many things? It was not until Sang Luo said that this thing could not be stored for a long time that the three siblings took it easy.
In mid-October, the popularity of fermented bean curd has not yet subsided, and jujube paste cake and vermicelli are on the rise again. People in Shezhou have already realized that in Shezhou, if you want to eat something rare, you can visit the Daxingzhuang Specialty Shop more often. Even people from the counties below Shezhou, if they occasionally come to Shezhou City, they will inevitably visit the Daxingzhuang Specialty Shop.
The specialty shop of Daxingzhuang became famous, and Daxingzhuang also became famous. In addition, the exchanges between the Shen family and the governor's mansion finally caught the attention of some people.
In the provincial school in Yuezhong, Mr. Lin, the current doctor of the provincial school, called a teacher in the school and whispered a few words to him in private.
The gentleman was originally hired by him and was very close to the Lin family. He was startled when he heard the old man's words: "Sir, what are you doing? It's not what I thought, right?"
Mr. Lin smiled and said, "Please go and ask around first."
The teacher hesitated for a moment, but still advised: "Sir, don't you think about it? In September, most students in the school had a month's holiday. Only five, no, six, including Wang Yunzheng from Daxingzhuang came back with a lot of black hair after a month's holiday."
What this means is that they are a family that really farms.
Old Master Lin stroked his beard and laughed, "I know, I have considered everything. Please go and ask for me first, but don't say that I asked you to find out."
After he said that, the teacher would have nothing else to say. And if you think about it carefully, the five people from Daxingzhuang plus Wang Yunzheng have made rapid progress in their studies. It seems that some of the things they have learned are not even taught by the teacher in the school.
He realized that Mr. Lin might have also discovered this.
So what are you afraid of if you are farming now? There will always be a day when you can succeed.
So he agreed with a smile, turned around and went back to school, and after class he called Chen Lie aside to talk.
…
When Chen Lie returned home in the evening, the two children were still awake. He washed his hands, played with the children, and then told Sang Luo about something.
"Brother Wei's marriage should be in sight."
This made Sang Luo look over. Wei Qinghe's marriage was a big concern for Wei Lingzhen. It was because Wei Qinghe was 24 years old this year and would be 25 after the new year. How could she not be anxious?
It happened that during the years of war, it was really hard to find a woman of marriageable age. In addition, every family had to open up land in the first year, so even if there were women of marriageable age, they would stay at home to help out. It was very realistic and they had to survive. As for the Wei family, Wei Qinghe himself was not very concerned and was only focused on his studies. He said that it was okay to start a career first and then start a family.
Not to mention that Wei Lingzhen was anxious, the Zhou family and the Lu family were also busy looking for Zhou Sanlang and Lu Sanlang. It happened that these two had been living in the mountains before, and they were also busy in Daxing Village. Recently, they had some free time, so the two families were asking around to see if there were any young ladies of the right age.
So when Sang Luo heard Chen Lie talking about Wei Qinghe's marriage, she was quite curious: "Which family? Did Wei Qinghe tell you about it?"
Chen Lie shook his head and said, "The teacher in the school asked me in secret today about Brother Wei and his family, and whether the Wei family has any arrangements for his marriage."
"Has your master chosen Wei Qinghe as his son-in-law?"
Chen Lie waved his hand: "I don't know, but this gentleman probably doesn't have a daughter that old. Maybe he is asking for someone else. If they are interested, maybe you will hear the truth after a while."
By the end of October, Sang Luo really knew what Xu Wenyin had whispered to Chen Ning. She dared to say it out loud because the matchmaker had already visited the Lin family twice.
It turned out to be the Lin family.
The Wei family's move seemed to open up a new market for Daxingzhuang. In early November, Sang Luo finally left the confinement period, and the Zhou and Lu families also received good news.
Zhou Sanlang and Lu Sanlang's marriages have been arranged. Sang Luo is particularly familiar with the one the Zhou family is talking about. She is Dong Ge'er's sister, Xin Niang, a female clerk in her shop.
As for Lu Sanlang, he was referring to a cousin of his second sister-in-law Feng Liuniang.
Daxing Village was filled with joy. As the world had delayed their years, the dates were chosen close to the beginning of the year, either the end of the year or the beginning of the next year.
This was a happy event in the farm. When Sang Luo was looking very happy, Concubine Fan came with Nanny Zhong and two maids. One reason they came was because they calculated that Sang Luo was out of the period, and the second reason was to see the baby. The third reason was to bring a message for her husband on official business.
At the end of the year, all prefectures and counties had to present tribute to the capital. As for the tribute that Shezhou City had to send to the capital, Governor Zeng selected several specialties from Daxingzhuang.
Sang Luo’s eyes widened:!!!
"A tribute? Sent to the palace?"
Sang Luo sat up straighter.
Tribute! As long as this thing is sent to the palace, the packaging of all her products will be upgraded again next year!
Concubine Fan burst out laughing, teasing Ayao who was playing with her fingers in the rocking bed, and laughing at Sang Luo: "You have no idea about the things in your own shop? If the things were not short-lived, I would have arranged to send them to Taiyuan as New Year gifts. And this is just the beginning. Can you guess what the highlight of this year's tribute is?"
Seeing Concubine Fan looking at her with interest, Sang Luo wondered, "Is it related to me?"
Concubine Fan laughed and nodded: "Yes, you still have to make a name for yourself."
Sang Luo: “…”
Any feats she's accomplished this year?
She looked at Concubine Fan, then lowered her eyes and thought carefully. Li, it has already become famous once, papermaking technology, this cannot be announced to the outside world, so what is it?
Just when she came to this thought, Sang Luo's eyelids jumped, and she realized something. She stared at Fan Fei Niang with her eyes wide open: "You are not saying..."
Concubine Fan couldn't help laughing, and Sang Luo knew that she had guessed it right. She covered her eyes with her hands, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
"You don't have to use this name, really."
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