Chapter 183

During this period, the whole courtyard lived very frugally.

The six hundred taels of silver used to build the workshop left only ten taels of silver for the family to live on.

In fact, this was still not a small amount of money. At least when the siblings lived in the dilapidated temple, they didn't even dare to think about it.

But life has always been easy to go from thrift to luxury and difficult to go from luxury to thrift.

Everyone had gotten used to Zhang Auntie stewing a pot of meat every day, stir-frying three to five dishes of vegetables, accompanied by seasonal fruits and vegetables, eating nutritious and balanced meals.

Suddenly the living expenses were reduced.

The first to be affected was that the pot of meat every day was changed to a dish, the dishes were all vegetarian dishes, and there was no sign of seasonal fruits and vegetables. The whole dining table looked shabby.

Jiang Sheng felt particularly embarrassed. She felt that it was herself who led to the situation before her eyes, and dragged her brothers to suffer with her.

But Xu Mo took the lead in picking up the greens and eating them before saying elegantly, "The ancestors said in books that eating more greens is good for the body."

Wen Zhiyun and Chang Yan followed closely, eating most of the greens with relish.

Seeing this, Zheng Ruqian hurried to join the battle, reminding Jiang Sheng while eating, "If you don't eat it soon, it will be snatched away by them."

How could a pile of greens be snatched away? They had eaten rotten vegetable leaves until they almost vomited. As a result, after Zhang Auntie took care of them, the most she cooked was all kinds of meat.

Pork hocks, stir-fried chicken chunks, braised fish...

The memories seemed to bring back the fragrance of the meat too. Jiang Sheng sucked in her saliva and swallowed the greens in big mouthfuls.

The brothers chewed the vegetable leaves to give them the taste of meat in order to take care of her self-esteem.

She also had to work harder to earn more money back for the brothers.

The months of July and August could be described as hot in Fengjing, but the heat was more dry than humid, without the moisture and dampness of Anshui Prefecture, and even the rain was rarely seen.

Jiang Sheng was very happy.

In summer, manual fanning was needed, and the yield of cured sausages and cured meat was much lower than in winter, but with the prerequisite of dryness, the yield would be 20% higher.

Although it didn't matter if it wasn't high. In a shabby vegetable market in Fengjing's west city.

According to the regulations of the Dayu Dynasty, in order to regulate the city, all vendors selling meat and vegetables must sell meat and vegetables at designated vegetable market locations, and most of them pay rent monthly.

Zheng Ruqian ran around several places before finding this vegetable market that charged rent daily.

"Second brother, selling cured sausages in such a remote place, can You Ran House get the news?" Jiang Sheng hugged ten catties of cured sausages while avoiding dirty water and asked carefully.

Zheng Ruqian had just opened his mouth when the fish vendor behind him scooped up the bloody water mixed with fish offal and splashed it at their backs.

Jiang Sheng was so frightened that she immediately protected the cured sausages.

It was too dirty, really too dirty. So much blood and water, fish scales and internal organs mixed together, as well as dead fish, rotten fish heads and gills that were dug out, the stench was overwhelming, and the ground was impossible to stand on.

If another basin was splashed over, Jiang Sheng was already waiting to go home and change clothes.

However, after closing her eyes, the expected stench did not come. On the contrary, she felt suspended in mid-air.

Jiang Sheng opened her eyes and found that the second brother had picked her up.

She hugged the cured sausages, and he hugged her, coaxing her like a child, just avoiding the splashing blood and filth.

But Jiang Sheng was in the air, and clearly saw that Zheng Ruqian's shoes were completely soaked in dirty water, and the hems of his clothes were also stained with fish scales and entrails. "Second brother!" She exclaimed.

Zheng Ruqian smiled unconcernedly, waded through the dirty water and put her on a clean pebble, "I'm fine, it's just some dirt. Let's sell the cured sausages first, and then change clothes later."

After speaking, he slapped the fish scales and entrails stuck to the hemline.

Fortunately, the fish vendor who had splashed the dirty water also realized that the two innocent children had been affected, and hurried over, "Did I get your clothes dirty? I'm sorry, I got used to it."

Zheng Ruqian waved his hand, "It's okay, boss. The clothes and shoes are worthless. It is their honor to be stained with the smell of your fish."

The fish vendor laughed out loud, and the two struck up a conversation.

When he learned that the two children had come to sell cured sausages, he waved his hand, "See if there is a spot over there, hurry over, that's the entrance, with more people."

Zheng Ruqian bowed with both hands, extremely grateful, "Thank you, uncle."

It is said that good interpersonal skills lead to more benefits. It would have taken them half a day to find that spot.

Jiang Sheng nodded beside, taking the opportunity to learn.

Being unfamiliar, the two siblings arrived at the stone table and displayed the cured meat, cured sausages, and the small amount of cured fish.

The location was quite good, right at the corner of the entrance to the vegetable market. People coming in to buy vegetables could see it, and people coming out could also catch a glimpse.

Rows of bright cured sausages and cured meat were placed right under people's noses. Someone was always tempted and couldn't help but ask the price. Jiang Sheng held out her left palm with a sweet and lovely smile, "Five hundred wen."

The siblings had discussed it earlier. The price of these cured meat and sausages could not be too low, so as not to allow people with intentions to hoard them and resell them to You Ran House.

It also couldn't be too high, easily scaring the people of Fengjing.

After thinking about it, they simply quoted the five hundred wen they sold to You Ran House.

But the person who asked the price was still shocked, "Five hundred wen? Robbery!"

The customer rolled his eyes and walked away, leading several customers behind him to retreat as well.

Jiang Sheng sighed with her cheeks in her hands.

Although selling cured sausages was not the real purpose, and letting You Ran House take the initiative to find them was the key, she still felt a little surprised that the people of Fengjing would think something worth five hundred wen was expensive.

"Little fool." Zheng Ruqian tapped her brain, "Don't forget, this is the west city."

Where there are rich people, there are poor people.

Fengjing only had more rich people, but it didn't mean there were no poor people.

No matter where, there are those who eat rotten vegetable leaves, and those who cut down on clothes and food, and even more who cannot afford food and clothing.

Haven't you seen that even the largest cities have street urchins, and beggars pass by even the richest family gates?

Fengjing was only the capital of the Dayu Dynasty, not a fairyland. While people in the east city splurged money, people in the west city also calculated carefully.

Nothing surprising. The most important thing is to work hard and not become the lowest level of people in the city.

Jiang Sheng nodded obediently, but there was some melancholy drifting through her heart.

If there were no more street urchins in this world, and everyone could have enough to eat, how nice that would be.

That day, until closing the stall, none of the cured sausages were sold.

Zheng Ruqian was thoughtful, deliberately wrapping up two cured sausages and one cured meat, giving them to the fish vendor, only saying that it was for the uncle to have a taste.

The vendor declined unsuccessfully and gave them two freshly killed fish.

That night Zhang Auntie braised them red and they had a wonderful meal.

The second day.

Still in this dirty and messy vegetable market, Jiang Sheng had gone from being enthusiastic at the beginning to being discouraged now. She felt that she might not be able to sell a single cured sausage and You Ran House would not find out about this place.

"Why don't we just go to the vegetable market in the east city? Even if we have to pay a few taels of stall fees, it would be better than wasting time here." She muttered with her head tilted.

Zheng Ruqian was about to tell his sister that the family could no longer afford the few taels of stall fees, when there was a commotion behind him.

Following that, the fish vendor rushed over with people, pointing at them and shouting, "Here they are!"