Chapter 134 The Thriving Suijin Town
The large tracts of land outside Suijin Town are just right for growing coarse grains.
As soon as Song Liyun and Han Ming returned to Baolinju after a busy day outside, they were stopped by Yunniang: "Miss, you've been busy for so long, have a bowl of soup first!"
Since Jin Sanchong's death, Yunniang has never returned to the town, not even with a piece of clothing.
She is now in charge of the kitchen at Baolinju and arranges three meals a day.
Whenever I have free time, I do laundry and make clothes for everyone, and I am very busy.
Song Liyun had just gone to deliver acorns to Boss Mu early in the morning and had not had time to eat. She was really hungry at this time.
Having missed the meal, I thought I would just have some dry biscuits. When I heard Yunniang say there was soup, I was naturally happy: "Thank you, Aunt Yun!"
Turning around, I saw Xiao An, who had been washed and dressed like a Fuwa, running towards me. I couldn't help but smile and said, "Xiao An, you look good in this flowery jacket too."
The flowered jacket was prepared by Song Liyun for Heijin, but unexpectedly it was altered into two sets by Yunniang, so that it would also fit Xiaoan.
When she saw the flowery jacket, she remembered that she had two jackets from Aunt Ma before the New Year that she had not yet taken back.
Xiao An ran to Song Liyun and pointed to the backyard and said, "Black gold, eat melon!"
Just now, Heijin was still sulking when he saw the flowery jacket being worn, so he wanted to go to the backyard to pick cucumbers to appease it.
Song Liyun nodded: "Go! Remember to pinch off the top and tail of the melon for the rabbit."
Heijin was injured while protecting himself. Now he lies on the kang every day as a patient, and all the good things in the backyard are eaten by him first.
When Xiao An saw that her second sister agreed, she quickly ran into the backyard to pick the best-growing melon.
Looking at Xiao An's small body, Yunniang's thin face showed kindness: "From now on, make bone soup for Xiao An every day, and he will be healthy."
Now, when she sees Xiao An, it’s as if she sees Xiao Shitou back then. The emotions that have been suppressed for five years have finally found a place to vent.
Song Liyun just lowered her head and drank the soup, which was stewed with mutton, dates and red beans.
The nutritional value of horse meat is higher than that of beef and mutton. It can also lengthen tendons and bones, strengthen the waist and knees, and make the body strong and light. It is most suitable for Song Zhenping and Xiao An who are deficient in calcium and fat.
The horse meat that Song Liyun brought from the garrison was all smoked into jerky by Yunniang, and Xiaoan and the others were asked to eat it as snacks.
She would also stew other soups for Song Liyun to drink, and find different ways to provide nourishment for the three siblings.
After drinking the mutton soup and eating the scallion pancake, Song Liyun felt a burning sensation in her stomach, so comfortable that she wanted to moan out loud.
In the afternoon, Xue Zhuang came to pick up the vegetables.
Now Wang Junxu lets Song Liyun choose her own share of vegetable sales, and she only needs to report to the garrison every few days.
Song Liyun's act of saving people that day left a deep impression on everyone in the town. Now the acorn business brings benefits to the residents, and Xue Zhuang no longer deliberately makes trouble.
The Song family also has the right to carry knives with a license, so due to Baolinju's current status and reputation, the garrison began to delegate power.
In addition to delivering vegetables to Qili County, Xue Zhuang also has to sell the vermicelli made in Suijin Town.
When I came here today, in addition to getting vegetables, I also talked about acorn vermicelli.
The first batch of acorn vermicelli was tasted in Suijin Town and the garrison, and it was mixed with white flour and miscellaneous grains.
The feedback from Wang the quartermaster was good and could be recommended to other brother garrisons to replenish their military rations.
The most important thing is that acorn vermicelli is easy to eat. It only needs to be soaked in boiling water and can be used as food. Song Liyun is asked to process more of it.
After seeing Xue Zhuang off, Song Liyun ran to Manager Mu.
Since the garrison thinks it is feasible, we can produce more for export and expand the market, so that it will not only be consumed by the Zhenbei Army.
But there are not many acorns left that I have collected.
She asked Xue Zhuang to see if he could buy some acorns when he went to Qili County to sell vegetables.
It is also specially reminded that only acorns are needed and they cannot be ground into flour.
When Shopkeeper Mu heard that other garrisons also wanted vermicelli, he was very happy. But when he heard that the Song family’s stock was insufficient and that Xue Zhuang was required to go to Qili County to buy some, he immediately slapped his thigh and said, “Miss Song, how can you go to the city to buy acorns? This thing must be available in the countryside!
There were months of food shortages every year, and every family had to mix it with acorn flour. You only had to pay for it, and you could get as much as you wanted.”
Song Liyun was delighted when she heard this. She felt that she was indeed not as good as the locals. She quickly agreed to ask Manager Mu's family to help collect the acorns.
Song Liyun was surprised by the low purchase price offered by Manager Mu. It was too low, and it felt like she was robbing him for free.
When Xue Zhuang delivered the news to the village where Manager Mu lived, he brought back a large cart of acorns that same day.
Before the end of the first month of the lunar year, the acorn industry in Suijin Town had already started to flourish.
All the acorns purchased must be packed in baskets and piled up in Baolinju.
When there was no one around, Song Liyun put it back into the river.
With more acorns, more people are working, and Mr. Zhang and several other elderly people are now unemployed.
They were not idle either, as Song Liyun gave them a task.
Several streets and alleys in Suijin Town are divided into zones, and twenty elderly people are divided into shifts to patrol the streets every day.
It is their responsibility to find out who has not swept the ground in front of their house, who has not closed the yard door, and who has chickens running around.
If the area does not perform well, the team leader will be called out and reprimanded.
Now, if a outsider comes into the town, it is like going through five gates and killing six generals. Without Xue Zhuang asking, the old man will come forward to interrogate him and then send him to the doorstep to claim him.
Originally, Xue Zhuang's tavern could no longer be operated after the fire.
Song Liyun spent money to buy tables and chairs, and went to the garrison to apply for a courtyard, and asked someone to set up wine jars and tea bowls, which could be considered an entertainment venue in Suijin Town.
Everyone needs to vent their emotions. Providing a place for these frustrated people to gather and chat is also convenient for conveying any news that needs to be conveyed in the town.
The name of the courtyard was given by Old Man Zhang, and it is called Suijin Guild Hall. The manager is naturally Old Man Zhang.
This was welcomed by the town residents. On the day of the opening, Song Zhenping and Song Liyun, as investors, arrived at the guild hall early.
Because the Song family was a military household, Captain Luo and General Wang from the garrison also came to attend the opening ceremony and had a lively drink together, giving the impression that the military and civilians were one family.
After all, Suijin Town is now dependent on the garrison.
Especially when the Di Lu people attacked on the night before the New Year, it was not until after the New Year that the people of Suijin Town knew the truth.
At that time, everyone was shocked.
Song Liyun said that if she had known that the Di Lu people were coming, she would have definitely run away.
Others thought the same way. If the garrison was defeated, it would be a disaster.
But it has been several days since the incident. Thinking back on it now, if the bandits had not killed people and set fire that day, I would probably have woken up one night and not known anything. Naturally, I have more trust and gratitude towards the garrison.
In response to the thanks, Captain Luo laughed heartily and patted his chest, saying to the crowd, "From now on, you can just live here without worry. Work when you need to work, and farm when you need to farm. If the Dilu people want to cross the Huangsha River, they will have to step on my corpse."
As soon as he finished speaking, many eyes in the Suijin Guild Hall suddenly turned red.
If there had been a garrison in the town back then, such a disaster would not have happened.
Someone asked tentatively: "Master, can we go to the grassland..."
Before he finished speaking, the atmosphere suddenly became tense.
(End of this chapter)
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