Chapter 64: Aying Village Elder
"Who says rich people look down on it?" Su Ying smiled.
"Kuzu root is both a medicine and a food. Kudzu root vermicelli has the effects of promoting salivation and quenching thirst, relieving fever and relieving restlessness, making it most suitable for consumption in summer.
Fern root vermicelli has the effects of cooling down and relieving heat, clearing away heat and relieving diarrhea, eliminating fat and lowering blood pressure, and reducing qi and resolving phlegm.
Although it is everywhere in the mountains and fields, it is rarely seen in wealthy families in the city, let alone prepared vermicelli.
This kind of vermicelli hasn't appeared on the market yet, but ours is Scorpion Baba, the only one of its kind!"
"Really?" Everyone was excited and whispered to each other, "Does that mean we're going to get rich?"
"Whether you can make a fortune depends on how you operate it!" Su Ying calmed everyone's restless hearts, "This requires long-term planning."
"What's the long-term plan? Ah Ying, tell us quickly!" Someone in the crowd couldn't wait.
"First of all, the production process requires the cooperation of the whole village. Digging the roots, cleaning, pounding, filtering, and making vermicelli are all essential. If we each work alone, we will not have enough production tools, the output will be low, and we will not be able to form a strong market effect.
If we work together, how will the profits be distributed? How can we reasonably calculate the labor cost for each process?
Otherwise, everyone will feel that they have contributed the most, but the income they receive is not what they expected, which will cause resentment and affect everyone's unity and harmony.
The second issue is sales. How can we sell our products? This Lingnan area is generally poor and backward, with little purchasing power.
If we want to make money, we must sell to big cities, provincial capitals, Jiangnan, and Chang'an. These are our markets.
But we can't go that far, and we don't have enough manpower or money to support us. We must find merchants to cooperate with, and we must choose merchants who are honest and financially strong.
Finally, there’s transportation. Not to mention transporting it to the county town, at least it has to be transported to the intersection outside the mountain, and it all depends on people carrying it on their shoulders.”
Su Ying outlined the difficulties she was currently facing.
"As for how to produce, let's discuss it with a few village elders, come up with a charter, and then everyone can work it out.
Transportation is not a problem either. When merchants come to pick up goods, the village laborers will go to move them. The wages will be calculated accordingly and settled once a quarter or half a year.
The hard part is choosing merchants. We've lived here for years, so how could we possibly know any merchants? "Mr. Su, you've been a county magistrate, so please take the trouble!" said Old Man Yang.
"Yes, the village chief is right! Ah Ying, you just arrived. Mr. Su used to be the magistrate of Chang'an County. He knows the situation outside better than us. Please take the trouble to find merchants!" The villagers echoed in unison.
"Uh, let's think of a solution together!" Su Ying was troubled because they didn't know the customer!
"Village chief, Su Langjun and Aying are so knowledgeable, have made great contributions and have good moral character. They are qualified to be village elders. Why don't we nominate them to be village elders!" someone in the crowd suggested.
"Yes! Village chief, this is a good suggestion!" others agreed.
"No, no! I'm a newcomer here, and I rely on your help. It's my duty to give back to you all. How dare I disgrace you as a village elder!" Su Bucheng declined.
"Mr. Su, please don't refuse. It's an honor for our entire village to have you as a village elder!
Although Ah Ying is a girl, her knowledge and abilities are superior to ours, and she is also qualified to be the village elder!" Everyone spoke sincerely.
"Well, my daughter is young and doesn't have much experience. Please stop praising her! She doesn't deserve it, she doesn't deserve it!" Su Bucheng himself hadn't even started to refuse when his daughter was dragged into this again.
"Hahaha, Mr. Su, this is the public opinion. You and Aying should join! We are all old and need young people to take over!" Old man Yang said sincerely.
"Village chief, we just want to repay everyone's care..." Su Bucheng still declined.
"Mr. Su, this village elder has no salary and is only here to help the villagers solve their problems. Could it be that Mr. Su thinks we are a burden?" Old Man Yang said with a smile.
"Village Chief, what you said really humiliates me!" Su Bucheng said shamefacedly, "I'm honored to be able to work for everyone. How could I be dissatisfied?"
"Then it's settled. From now on, Su Langjun and A Ying will be the village elders of our Huanggou Village." Old man Yang made the final decision.
"I..." Su Bucheng wanted to say something.
Su Ying gently tugged at her father, "Aye!"
"Thank you for your trust, fellow villagers! Su and my daughter will do our best to assist the village chief and seek benefits for Huanggou Village." Su Bucheng had no choice but to accept the idle position of village elder.
"Haha, Mr. Su, Mr. Aying!" Everyone congratulated.
I have almost finished sorting out the things here, it is already three quarters past noon, and there is still a lot of work to do at home.
"Let's stop here for today and come back tomorrow." Su Ying waved to everyone and prepared to go home with her father.
"Aying, Aying!" Yang Erlang came in holding a konjac. "Can you make one for me to try, that konjac you mentioned the other day?"
While washing fern roots and kudzu roots by the stream, Yang Erlang found one in the shade.
Although Su Ying explained the method, she was still unsure and wanted to witness the production process with her own eyes.
"Hey, Erlang, what are you doing with this thing? It's poisonous! Throw it away quickly!" Old Zheng said hurriedly.
"Uncle Zheng, you are ignorant! This konjac is poisonous, but it is also a vegetable!" Yang Erlang said proudly.
"How can it be called a dish? The juice will make your skin red, swollen, numb and itchy. How can you eat it? Have you forgotten that some people died from diarrhea, vomiting and throat swelling after eating it?" Old Zheng didn't believe it.
"Look, you are ignorant, aren't you? Do you still remember Zuo Si's "Fu of Shudu"? " Yang Erlang asked.
"It happened so many years ago, who still remembers it?" someone asked.
"This konjac is specially grown in vegetable gardens in Shu. It is a local delicacy!" Yang Erlang exclaimed.
The people who went up the mountain together that day sneered. If it weren't for Ah Ying, they wouldn't have known that Yang Erlang was pretending to be knowledgeable and scaring people.
"Aying, tell us how to eat it?" someone in the crowd shouted.
"It's very simple. Wash the konjac, grind it into a pulp, add wood ash water or lime water, and boil it until it's cooked. Let it cool and solidify into a paste. You can eat it by itself or stir-fry it with meat."
"Is it that simple?" Su Ying's words once again broke everyone's cognition.
"certainly!"
It is better to do it today than to wait for another day. Demonstrate it on the spot while everyone is here to avoid the message being misunderstood and people being poisoned by accidental ingestion.
So he took a wooden basin, washed the konjac and put it in it, then ground the konjac into a pulp with a stone.
Add wood ash water, mix well, pour into a clay pot and boil.
After being cooked, the konjac solidifies into a gray-brown paste and slowly cools down.
When you touch it with your hand, it feels very elastic.
Use a knife to cut it into small pieces, take it out, cut it into strips, put it in a bowl, mix it with salt water, and serve it to everyone to taste.
Su Ying was the first to pick up the chopsticks, picked up a piece and put it in her mouth, chewing it gently.
The taste is barely edible, and the salty and bitter taste of the coarse salt affects the taste of the konjac.
Su Bucheng followed closely behind and ate a piece without hesitation.
When you take a bite of konjac, you will be stunned. What is this thing and how can it be like this?
It’s chewy, smooth and tender. There is such a delicious food in the world.
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