After the spring plowing, the family sat together for a rare meal and chat. Li Erlang looked at his parents, who had lost a lot of weight, and said ashamedly, "These days, I've been busy with the preparations for the market. I'm grateful for your help in the fields at home!"
Wu waved her hand: "The county magistrate's affairs are the most important. Besides, the second girl has already taken care of everything. We are just lending a hand!"
At this time, Mr. Li suddenly asked, "You said building a market? Is Rongcheng going to build a market?"
Li Erlang nodded and told everyone in detail about the construction of the market.
"This is good for our Rongcheng! When will the construction of this market begin?" Mr. Li asked expectantly.
Li Erlang: "I was just about to tell you about this. The county magistrate will post a notice tomorrow morning, looking for people to build the market!"
"Then, sir, may I ask how much you want per day?" Li Dalang asked anxiously. Now that spring plowing was over, there wasn't much work to do at home, so he could go to the city and try his luck.
"Jobs like digging holes and breaking up the soil generally pay ten cents a day. As for jobs that require craftsmanship, like carving and building houses, I guess they'll pay more!"
After hearing this, both the father and son of the Li family were tempted. They couldn't miss out on such a profitable business right next to this family!
At this time, Li Yan, who was concentrating on drinking porridge, suddenly said, "Master, did you promise to help me find people to dig wells and ponds?"
The market is about to be completed, and the preparatory work on my side must also keep up. I need to dig the well and fish pond as soon as I have free time during this period. Once the shops in the city are opened, I am afraid I will have no time to take care of this matter!
Digging a well requires professionals, and digging a pond requires finding people. However, Mr. Li has a good idea about this matter. After all, the wages offered by his family are higher than those in the city, and since it is right next to his home, finding people should not be difficult!
Master Li said calmly, "Okay, I'll greet the villagers for you tomorrow, and then I'll go find a well digger for you!"
We have planted so many seedlings. Although they are all drought-resistant crops, they still need some water during the growth period. We can't say that we don't want any water at all!
The wasteland is too far away from the river, so the importance of this pond is particularly important. Since his granddaughter brought up this matter, Grandpa Li simply agreed to it.
As for digging a well in the courtyard, it was mainly to make it easier for Li Xiaomei to make tofu, so that Dalang wouldn't have to go to the shared well to fetch water every day! It was too time-consuming and very tiring!
Before the family left, Li Yan stopped Master Li and instructed, "Master, hire as many people as you can to dig the pond! This way we can go faster! As for the wages, just increase them by one penny, and don't include lunch!"
Old Master Li nodded in agreement with Eryatou's suggestion. Digging the pond would take at least a month. It would be easier with fewer people, but if thirty or forty came, they would be busy preparing meals for the entire day.
After all, thinking about his granddaughter's instructions, the next morning, Mr. Li began to go door to door looking for people to work.
When they heard that Mr. Li's family was hiring again, everyone was eager to join the effort. Spring plowing was over, and although there was still weeding and fertilizing to do at home, the family had a lot of labor at this time, so the lack of one person was not a big deal. It was not easy to find a profitable worker, so everyone was unwilling to give up!
"This time we're going to dig a large pond at the foot of the mountain. The price is thirteen cents a day, but lunch isn't included. What do you think?"
This was already a very good wage. The villagers were only happy and had no objections. They waved their hands repeatedly and said, "Uncle, when will the work start?"
"We've just finished our farm work. Let's all rest at home for another day and gather at the foot of the mountain early tomorrow morning!"
The man nodded rapidly, fearing that if he responded too late, he would miss out on this good job!
In this way, Mr. Li found another thirty young and strong men in the village before he gave up!
After greeting the people in the village, Mr. Li hurried to Dashi Village. There was a father and son in Dashi Village who specialized in digging wells for people. Most of the wells in the surrounding area were dug by this father and son!
But when Mr. Li found that family, the Shi father and son were not at home.
"You came at an untimely moment. My son and his wife have gone out to dig water for someone. They will be back in about five or six days!" said the old woman.
There was no rush to dig a well, so Mr. Li asked, "Can I get in line? If Mr. Shi is free, can I ask him to go to Li Erlang's house in Lijia Village?"
The old woman was naturally happy when business came to her door, and she accepted it with a smile on her face!
On this side, Li Yan started to get busy early in the morning. Since she wanted to do food business, seasoning was indispensable, so Li Yan came up with the idea of making soy sauce!
Ever since my aunt started grinding tofu, the amount of beans in the house has increased day by day. People in the countryside don’t have much money, so if they want to eat tofu, they can only exchange it for beans!
Li Yan found Li Xiaomei and said, "Aunt, I noticed some black beans were among the beans you harvested. Would you mind selling me a bag? I'll give you the same price as the grain shops in the city!"
"Just use it, why bother buying it or not?" Li Xiaomei scolded.
"That won't do. These beans are earned by my aunt who grinds tofu every day. I can't use them for nothing."
Standing aside and listening to their conversation, Lin advised: "Aunt, Yan'er is right. These beans are earned by your hard work. There is no reason to use them in vain. You must pay for them."
After some arguing, Li Xiaomei was only willing to take one tael of silver for 120 kilograms of beans. If it were based on the price of the grain shops in the city, it would have to be at least one tael and two cents of silver!
Li Yan thought to herself, "Well, wait until the shop in the city is on track, then I'll find a way to help my aunt make money!"
Li Yan took some beans and poured them into the wooden basin. The aunt and niece sat beside the basin and picked out the beans: "What do you need so many beans for?"
Li Yan: "Auntie, I'm going to use these beans to make fermented black beans!"
"Making fermented black beans? What kind of food do you want to make now?" Li Xiaomei asked curiously.
Li Yan smiled and shook her head: "This is not for eating, I plan to use it to make soy sauce!"
Li Xiaomei knew very well that soy sauce was expensive. One pound of soy sauce cost eighty cents, which was not something that ordinary people could afford!
Li Xiaomei said worriedly, "This soy sauce is mostly used by restaurants and wealthy families in the city. How can ordinary people in the countryside afford it?"
It is normal for Li Xiaomei to have such concerns. Nowadays, all soy sauces have to go through a fermentation process that takes at least half a year and at most a year, which invisibly increases the cost of soy sauce!
However, Li Yan has a simple method in mind. The soy sauce made by fermenting fermented black beans and adding some dried mushrooms and spices is also delicious and can also be used as a seasoning!
"The soy sauce I make doesn't cost that much money. Maybe ordinary people will be able to afford it in the future!" Li Yan said confidently.
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