Chapter 65: Unwelcome Request
Shopkeeper Xu runs a food business, and most of the ingredients are actually supplied by others, but he often goes out for a walk. Seven or eight days ago, he went to the East Market and saw the Fairy Tofu. At that time, he asked how to eat it, bought several pieces and brought them back to let Chef Yu try to make it.
He originally wanted to introduce a new food, but when he went there again the next day, the man selling the magical tofu had not come, and he had not come for six or seven days. He went to the West Market, but did not see the tofu stall. He asked people and was told that there was indeed a tofu stall that had been there for a while, but it had not been there recently.
Shopkeeper Xu guessed that it was because of the busy farming season, so he thought it was over and decided to wait for a while, as if to keep watch for him. Then he discovered that there was not only the magic tofu, but also a white thing called tofu.
That day, I asked for ten pieces of the magical tofu, mixed them into a small dish as a cold dish to try, and then asked for a few more pieces of tofu to bring back for Chef Yu to try.
I was originally planning to buy some more today, and just in time I happened to see Sang Luo coming to sell this vegetarian tripe.
Sang Luo smiled: "It's my family's business. I used to sell this in the West Market, but now it's a few aunts from the same village who are selling these in the county. Has Manager Xu bought any?"
Shopkeeper Xu told the story of the origin of the incident and said, "I was going to go take a look today, but by chance, I saw you here, Madam Sang."
Sang Luo raised her eyebrows, roughly guessing that Manager Xu would have gone to Qin Fangniang to discuss the order, so she didn't say anything and smiled, "It's fate."
Then he asked Chef Yu: "I wonder how Chef Yu cooks this dish?"
Chef Yu told Sang Luo about several cooking methods he had thought of. When Sang Luo heard it, she laughed. He was indeed a restaurant chef. He really didn't need anyone to teach him this. Once he got the ingredients, he could come up with something new on his own.
She praised Chef Yu and said to Shopkeeper Xu, "With a great chef like Master Yu here, it's not my turn to show off my skills. But my family has a recipe for making tofu, and we have figured out some ways to eat it. I think some of them are suitable for restaurants. It's fate that I can bring business to your Dongfulou today. I'm giving you a few recipes as a thank you for your care in the future."
Shopkeeper Xu was overjoyed when he heard this, and Chef Yu's eyes also lit up.
What is the most important thing in restaurant operation? It is to keep innovating while maintaining high culinary skills!
Sang Luo didn't say much, and explained the several tofu cooking methods she knew, such as pocket tofu, fermented tofu, steamed tofu, two-color tofu, and stuffed tofu. Shopkeeper Xu and Chef Yu's eyes lit up more and more as they listened.
Chef Yu, who was originally only slightly interested, now came forward, pushed Shopkeeper Xu aside, and asked in detail about the things he didn't understand.
The more he asked, the more excited he became. For complicated shapes like the tofu with a pocket-shaped tofu, he simply took the pieces of tofu that Sang Luo brought and called Sang Luo and Shopkeeper Xu to the kitchen, asking Sang Luo to teach him how to make it on the spot.
Not to mention anything else, the tofu pouch dish, with white tofu made into a golden pouch, stuffed with seasoned stuffing, tied with green onions at the mouth of the pouch, and garnished with soup, is so pleasing to the eye just by looking at it. Shopkeeper Xu applauded as he watched!
"This can definitely become a signature dish of our restaurant." He was a little excited and turned to ask Sang Luo: "Madam Sang, your family still makes this tofu, right?"
"Of course I made it. Several tofu stalls in the county were originally supplied by my family, but." She paused and said with a smile, "If Shopkeeper Xu wants to order tofu, he can order it directly from the place where you bought it in the East Market. She will come here to set up a stall every day, and she can deliver the goods to you before setting up the stall. It is more convenient than buying from me. I will also ask her to bring my vegetarian tripe to you. As for the price of long-term orders, the profit of tofu is not high, and it is actually hard-earned money. You can discuss the details with her directly."
Shopkeeper Xu raised his eyebrows. This business did not require the help of other people. He probably heard that the tofu had been bought in the East Market before, and guessed that the tofu stall in the East Market had the intention of placing a long-term order, so he was unwilling to cut off the business halfway.
He is a kind person.
As for the price, two cents a piece was not expensive, so he was not going to haggle over it, so he smiled and said, "That's fine, I'll go to the East Market again later."
Sang Luo smiled and turned to Chef Yu and said, "Master Yu, you can think of various combinations of fish and tofu. Fish head stewed with tofu, stewed until the soup is milky white, the taste is very fresh, and it is also good with braised fish."
Chef Yu was really opened up to a new world: "Tofu goes with everything. Tofu will be available tomorrow. I have to come up with a new dish every day."
Sang Luo smiled with her eyes curved. If they had the ability to make tofu banquets, that would be the best. Dongfulou would have no shortage of tofu orders every day. Although they were ordered from Aunt Youtian, they would eventually come from her. With Dongfulou making all kinds of dishes, people in the county would follow suit, and the business of several tofu stalls in the county would be better.
When the few people came out of the kitchen again, Manager Xu was much more enthusiastic. He went back to the private room and asked the waiter to serve more tea and snacks.
Sang Luo quickly waved her hand and refused, saying, "Manager Xu, don't worry. I have something urgent to do, so I have to leave now."
Sang Luo did not plan to take back the more than one thousand dollars she earned today. She planned to buy food directly in the county and borrow Qin Fangniang's cart to transport it back. She had already informed Qin Fangniang about this in the morning.
She couldn't care about anything else now, everything was focused on paying the rent and taxes.
At a time when grain prices are rising, it is better to buy early and live a safe life. She originally planned to exchange tofu for grain from the three friendly families in the village and slowly store it up. Now it is not realistic. Once the tax is paid, who in the village will have surplus grain to sell? The Chen family, the Shi family, and the Lu family will not have surplus grain to exchange for tofu with her.
So she could only buy grain in the county, and grain merchants would never raise the price without reason. The situation outside was probably not good, but Sang Luo didn't know how bad it was. At the moment, all she could do was to stock up more grain and be prepared for another increase in grain prices.
Because Sang Luo was not sure whether the grain merchants raised the price because they knew the news of the imperial court's taxation in advance. If not, the sudden taxation by the imperial court would inevitably interrupt the grain merchants' grain purchasing plans, and the price would probably rise again.
Thinking of this, I asked Manager Xu about the reason for the rise in grain prices.
When Manager Xu saw her asking this, he sighed and said, "You don't know, this flood affected several states and counties."
He lowered his voice and said, "I heard that because the court had no relief, the victims in those states were living in a miserable state. Some even had to eat their own children. Last month, I heard that an epidemic broke out in the states that were most severely affected. Have you seen any refugees coming here recently?"
Sang Luo thought about it carefully and it was true. Her original body never left the village before, but after Sang Luo came, she often went to the county town. She had indeed never seen the victims coming here again.
Shopkeeper Xu shook his head: "I can't come over."
When Sang Luo heard this, she felt a chill all over her body.
If the original body had escaped a little later, what would have happened if she had traveled through time?
The one who starved to death or the one who was eaten? If there was a plague, this would be hell.
Shopkeeper Xu didn't know that Sang Luo was a disaster victim who had fled from the south. When he heard her asking about the price of grain, he asked, "Are you going to buy grain?"
Sang Luo nodded.
Shopkeeper Xu then reminded him, "You have to do it early. As soon as the notice of early tax collection was issued yesterday, the price of grain in the county has risen to 82 wen per bushel this morning."
Sang Luo's expression changed slightly: "It's going up again?"
Shopkeeper Xu nodded, "That's right. Many people don't know it yet. The owner behind the grain shop seems to be in a hurry to collect the grain and is not making it public. If we didn't deal with the grain shop often, we wouldn't know it so quickly. But we can't hide it either. There are always people buying grain, and the county residents have to pay rent and taxes. I'm afraid the diligent ones have started buying today. The fact that the grain price has risen can't be hidden. I'm afraid there's already a long line in front of the grain shop right now."
When Sang Luo heard this, her scalp went numb. She didn't dare to delay for a moment, so she hurriedly said goodbye to Manager Xu and went to the grain shop.
Seeing her like this, Shopkeeper Xu called out to Sang Luo, "Don't worry, Madam Sang. How much grain do you want to buy? If you're buying to pay rent and taxes, don't queue up. I have some connections with the grain store. I can ask a clerk to run over there and have it delivered directly to you. Then I'll have a clerk drive a cart to deliver it to your home."
Sang Luo didn't know what to say for a moment. Thinking about the several recipes she had just given out, she simply told them all: "It is indeed to pay the rent and taxes. I need four stone and four dou. To be honest, I came from the north and settled down here a few months ago. I just built a house. Now I can be considered penniless. I only have one thousand coins to buy grain. I buy grain as I earn. The price of grain has risen so fast. I am afraid it will rise further in the future. Shopkeeper Xu, Sang Luo has an unwelcome request."
Before she could say anything, Shopkeeper Xu raised his hand to stop her: "I know how much money you need. I'll lend you some first. Buy the food you need first, and then use it to offset the payment for the Su Maodu."
Sang Luo breathed a sigh of relief and imitated the man's bowing: "Thank you, Shopkeeper Xu, for your help. I don't have much food at home. If Shopkeeper Xu trusts me..."
She quickly calculated in her mind and said, "I have one thousand coins on me today. Please lend me four thousand coins. I will buy six stone of grain and ship it back."
As he spoke, he took out the pass he had brought with him and handed it to Shopkeeper Xu, saying, "This is my pass. Shopkeeper Xu, take a look. It contains information about my family and the location of my land and property."
Shopkeeper Xu pushed it back, "Madam Sang, there is no need to be so. I, Old Xu, think I have some ability to judge people. I trust you. I think you will have to pay four stone and four dou of tax. I can also roughly estimate that your family has more people. Buying six stone of grain is not enough. The price of grain should rise for a while. It is hard to say how high it will rise. Madam Sang, you don't have to be embarrassed just because you are borrowing money from me. I think I will lend you six taels of silver, and you can buy nine stone of grain. After paying the tax, you will have four stone and six dou left, which is estimated to last until next spring and summer. By then, the disaster will be over, and the new grain will come in autumn, and the price of grain will not be the same as it is now."
Sang Luo quickly calculated in her mind: nine stone of grain, seven thousand three hundred and eighty coins.
If she borrowed six taels of silver from Manager Xu, it would be equivalent to 7,200 wen, and after buying grain, she would have more than 800 wen left in her hands. Together with the more than 400 wen at home, that would be more than 1,200 wen, enough to exchange for one tael of silver. She could pay it back in time next time she came. Plus the tofu, vegetarian tripe, and crystal jerky later, the tofu and vegetarian tripe alone could bring in several hundred wen a day, so the debt would not take too long to pay off.
After this calculation, Sang Luo had a clear idea in her mind. She clasped her fists and said, "Thank you very much, Shopkeeper Xu."
Shopkeeper Xu smiled and said, "You're welcome. Just consider it as my thanks to Madam Sang for the recipes she gave me. Please sit down for a while. I'll ask my waiter to go buy some food."
Seeing Sang Luo was about to thank him again, he quickly stopped her: "Madam Sang, please stop being so polite."
He called the waiter to bring back the tea and snacks, then called another waiter, gave him a few instructions, and sent him to the grain store to buy grain for Sang Luo.
Shopkeeper Xu arranged everything. He was worried that Sang Luo would not feel comfortable here, so he smiled and said to Sang Luo, "I have some things to do in the restaurant. I will go out and arrange them. Madam Sang, you just need to rest. The food will be delivered directly to the back door soon. You don't have to worry about not being able to take it back. I will ask the waiter to help you take it by car."
Sang Luo thanked him again. Shopkeeper Xu smiled and said a few words to her and told her to take a rest. Then he left the private room.
Not long after, the accountant who helped draft the contract came over with two silver ingots, one large and one small, in his hands. He placed them on the table next to Sang Luo and said with a smile, "Madam Sang, this is the six taels of silver that our shopkeeper asked me to bring. Please keep it."
This was the first time Sang Luo had seen silver since she came to this world. Unfortunately, she had to spend it before she could keep it warm. However, she felt more at ease when she thought that she could have a few stones of grain left.
She stood up and bowed: "Thank you, sir."
The accountant smiled and said, "Ms. Sang, please sit down and relax. I will go back to the counter first."
He said this, bowed, turned and walked out.
Sang Luo looked at the two silver ingots, one large and one small, and felt emotional.
Originally, she was in urgent need of money, and she was worried about the sales of tofu in the future due to the court's increase in taxes, so she wanted to expand the sales of tofu. In addition, Manager Xu was a very straightforward person, and her crystal jerky sold well in the morning, so her purse could not hold any more, so she got a nice purse from Manager Xu for free.
For several reasons, she gave away several tofu recipes, but she didn't expect that Shopkeeper Xu would accept her favor and the reward would come so quickly.
The encounters in life are really unpredictable. When she went out in the morning, she was still thinking about how to ensure that she could buy enough grain to pay the rent and taxes within twelve days. In just one or two hours, not only was the grain enough to pay the rent and taxes collected, but if she and her two children saved some, it would be enough to eat until the autumn harvest next year.
Shopkeeper Xu expected to be able to eat until spring and summer because she thought there was at least one strong laborer in her family who could eat enough.
In fact, this strong laborer did not exist at all. If she and her two children really bought nine stone of grain, after paying the rent and taxes, the grain would be enough for them to eat until the autumn harvest next year.
Although she owed six taels of silver, a debt so large that anyone in Shili Village would want to die upon hearing it, Sang Luo felt that it was not so bad. Compared with the unknown rise in grain prices, it was much better to owe Manager Xu the money to buy the grain first.
I've been working hard these days and running several businesses at the same time. It shouldn't take too long to pay off this debt.
Thinking of the situation of several northern states mentioned by Shopkeeper Xu, Sang Luo's shoulders slumped. The Dagan Dynasty seemed to have been established for only a few decades, right? It was so chaotic. At the current situation, she was afraid that she would not be able to live in peace until the end of her life.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
