Niu Da was a silent person, he usually spoke very little and would concentrate on his work. He suddenly came to Yang Haiyan, so he must have something to say. Yang Haiyan said, "If you have something to say, just say it. It's okay."
Niu Dadao: "Madam, I am a farmer. Farmers depend on the weather for their livelihood, so I have a certain understanding of the weather since I was a child. Judging from the current situation, it will rain before dinner today, and the rain is expected to be heavy."
Yang Haiyan doesn't know how to check the weather, or rather, modern people all check weather forecasts, and don't need to check the environment to judge the weather. But Niu Da is different, he depends on the weather for his livelihood, so he attaches great importance to the weather and environment. Hearing what Niu Da said, Yang Haiyan said, "I see, it's great that you are thoughtful. If you encounter this kind of thing next time, you can always come and tell me, don't worry about it."
Niu Da was relieved when he heard the mistress of the host family say this. He was afraid that he would not be trusted, but after all, they had been together for more than half a year, and he had some understanding of the mistress's temperament. She was definitely not the kind of person who would implicate others, so he was not afraid of anything going wrong.
Yang Haiyan turned around and went to find Qin Fang, who was assembling the team and preparing to set off. "Husband."
Qin Fang motioned for everyone to rest where they were. He walked towards Yang Haiyan and asked, "What's wrong?"
Yang Haiyan talked about Niu Da's concerns: "… So if it rains before dinner, it's okay, we can make preparations in the afternoon, but if it rains at noon, it will be bad. Husband, what do you think?"
Qin Fang's idea was very direct: "I don't plan to hurry up. Let's set up camp and rest here. Even if it takes a day or two, it's better than getting sick from the rain. Otherwise, when it rains and we set up camp again, it will be too late."
Yang Haiyan said: "That's what I think."
Speaking of which, the weather has been good these past few days. Although the team has slept overnight outside, they have never set up camp because it is too troublesome to set up camp and then pack it up. But we are going to set up camp today.
Qin Fang was very happy to see that she agreed. "But just setting up camp is not enough. We have no food, so we need to prepare some. I will set up camp here with my men, and I will let Kun Shi take people to the nearest county to purchase food."
Yang Haiyan took the opportunity to say, "I'll go with Kunshi. As far as food is concerned, I know better what to buy. And if it rains, we need to prepare medicine for colds and flu, and we may need to hire a doctor." At this point, Yang Haiyan suddenly had an idea, "Husband, let's hire a doctor to accompany us. When we get to Yunxiang County, we can send someone to send the doctor back. What do you think?"
Qin Fang was on his own for the first time. Although he was brave and resourceful, he was used to this kind of life and was not as careful as Yang Haiyan. After listening to Yang Haiyan's analysis, he felt that her method was better. However, "It's really hard for you to go to buy food." He didn't want her to work so hard.
Yang Haiyan smiled and said, "No matter how hard it is for my husband, I am happy." Besides, she wanted to go to the county town to buy food, and there were other reasons. However, she had to say something nice.
Hearing her say this, Qin Fang was even more moved. He hid his feelings in his heart and did not express them in words. He just remembered it. "Well, I'll have the team camp here and wait for you to come back. You...be careful." Even if Kun Shi and other soldiers were accompanying him, he couldn't wait to go by himself. But as the general leading the team, he couldn't leave.
Yang Haiyan: “Yeah.”
After the couple discussed it, Qin Fang called Kun Shi and said, "Today's weather is bad. It may rain in the afternoon. We are not going to hurry on our way. We will camp here. This time, Madam will take you to the county town to buy food. You and Madam, remember to protect her."
When Kunshi heard this, he knew what the rainy day meant to those on the road, and he said seriously, "Yes."
Yang Haiyan, accompanied by her Kunshi and other soldiers, as well as Nanny Lian, Aunt Fan, and Mrs. Niu, hurried to the county town.
The reason why she brought Nanny Lian was because she needed someone by her side. She brought Aunt Fan because she was a cook and knew more about food. It was the same with Niu Da’s wife because Niu Da was her wife’s housekeeper, and this kind of woman knew best what to buy.
These people were in the same carriage with Yang Haiyan. On the carriage, when they were going to the county town today, Yang Haiyan briefly explained the reason and then made the assignments: "Aunt Fan, Mrs. Niu, you take five soldiers to buy steamed buns, dumplings and pancakes. Don't buy raw food on rainy days, otherwise it would be too troublesome to cook them yourself. Two meat buns for each person at noon today, eat some meat to replenish your body, and two steamed buns or pancakes for each person tonight and tomorrow morning. If it is still raining tomorrow at noon, tell the owner of the steamed bun shop to send meat buns tomorrow at noon..." In this way, at least they can eat hot food at noon tomorrow. If the rain stops tomorrow, it will be easier.
As for steamed buns, if you buy them now, they will be fine to eat at noon, but if you eat them in the evening or tomorrow morning, the cold steamed buns will have a smell that is not pleasant.
Aunt Fan and Mrs. Niu: "Yes."
The road to the county town was a bit far, but they had a carriage and horses, so no matter how far the journey was, it was not a problem for them. The only thing that took some time was asking for directions.
After arriving at the county town, Aunt Fan and Mrs. Niu took the five soldiers to buy their things. Yang Haiyan took Aunt Lian to buy ginger, brown sugar and other things, as ginger soup was essential on rainy days.
Baozi Shop
"What?" The owner of the bun shop was stunned when he heard Aunt Fan's explanation. "Then... such buns and steamed buns? This... we don't even have such buns at home now."
There are 3,000 people in the brigade. They will have meat buns for lunch today. Two buns per person, that means 6,000 buns are needed. The bun shop definitely can't produce that many.
Aunt Fan asked, "If we don't do it now, how many can you make in one hour?"
The boss of the bun shop calculated that his wife, daughter, daughter-in-law, and mother could make 500 in one hour.
Aunt Fan said, "I'll pay you half of the deposit, and you can pick up 500 meat buns in an hour."
This is a big business, the boss said readily: "Don't worry, sister-in-law, there will be no problem."
Then, Aunt Fan and Mrs. Niu went to other bun shops, and after visiting ten of them, they finally managed to get 6,000 meat buns for lunch. But the problem was that after lunch, they still had to get tonight and tomorrow morning.
So, Aunt Fan and Mrs. Niu negotiated with the ten bun shops again, and they could deliver the buns to their doorsteps tonight and tomorrow morning. Only a fool would not accept this order. On weekdays, they could only sell less than a hundred buns a day, but now they could get hundreds of buns in one order. What's wrong with the rain? They would deliver regardless of wind or rain.
Aunt Fan was relieved after hearing everyone's assurances. Moreover, the bun shop owners knew where their brigade was camping and knew that this was a military need, so they worked even harder. They were ordinary people and could not contribute to the court, but they could still be used in such small matters. Besides, they also made money.
Aunt Fan and Niu Da, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, have talked to ten steamed bun shops in a row. Their mouths are already dry. Repeating the same words to each one is actually very time-consuming.
However, while they were talking, Yang Haiyan and her men had already cleared out the ginger and brown sugar. She even surprised the seller by buying so much ginger and brown sugar at once.
Ginger and brown sugar are very heavy, weighing about 500 kilograms in total. Yang Haiyan asked two private guards to transport them back to the team’s camp first.
Then, she ordered a batch of boiled eggs. When the weather is bad, the body's immunity will decline, so it is very important to improve physical fitness. In ancient times, the way to improve physical fitness is to nourish the body. How can you nourish the body with just steamed buns? So eggs are indispensable.
I ordered boiled eggs, but I couldn't pick them up yet. I had to wait for them to be cooked. But boiled eggs are faster than steamed buns. Yang Haiyan ordered 6,000. The only problem was that she had to go to 10 stores. The store didn't have eggs of that quality, so she suggested to the store owner that they go to the countryside to collect the eggs themselves. She could wait for him for two hours. Two hours equals four hours, which is enough time for them to collect the eggs and come back to cook them.
The eggs are taken care of, the only thing left is the doctor.
When Yang Haiyan was buying ginger, brown sugar and eggs, she asked around to see which doctor in the county had good medical ethics and good character, because such doctors were more likely to go with them, while some doctors would dislike the long journey or be difficult to get along with.
There is a doctor named Feng in this county. His family has been doctors for generations and he has a very good reputation in the county. Doctor Feng is also a great philanthropist in the county. If you see a doctor and get medicine at Feng's Clinic, Doctor Feng will not charge you for the consultation.
Yang Haiyan couldn't help but laugh when she heard this. It wasn't that she had a problem with Doctor Feng, but she felt that the wisdom of the ancients was also very high. Feng's hospital didn't charge consultation fees for dispensing medicine, which was like buying more and getting more for free in Super Time. It was similar to bundled sales, but it was considered benign.
For ordinary people, they have to take medicine when they are sick, so saving a few cents on medical consultation fees is good. For medical clinics, how much money can they make from medical consultation fees? It is not as much as the money earned from medicine fees, so giving up small money to make big money is killing two birds with one stone.
Feng's Clinic is very famous in the county. Yang Haiyan found Feng's Clinic after asking around. Feng's Clinic is located in a prosperous area of the county, with a huge storefront. Yang Haiyan and others stood at the door and saw that there were many people inside, and it seemed that the business was very good.
Yang Haiyan said to Kun Shi, "I will go in with Nanny Lian. You guys wait outside."
Kunshi: “Yes.”
The waiter in the clinic had seen them a long time ago. There were many rich people in the county town, and the waiter had sharp eyes. This noble lady was accompanied by a maid and so many guards. She must be a noble lady, but he didn't know her well. When the noble lady came in, the waiter went to greet her enthusiastically.