Jiang Miao became excited when he thought about setting up a stall to make money. He asked Aunt Liu about this topic for a long time, hoping to get some useful information from her.
Aunt Liu naturally knew everything, but what she talked about was basically which temple's Bodhisattva was the most effective, the posture of burning incense and kneeling, etc. She had no idea how to set up a stall outside.
Jiang Miao did not lose heart, and instead asked where to buy incense, candles, paper money, and other items. These would definitely be the best-selling items during a Buddhist meeting, and if he could set up a small stall in front of the temple, he would surely make a lot of money.
"It's sold on the next street, but don't go to Chen Ji's at the very back. The incense they sell always goes out halfway through burning. How unlucky! It's best to go to Li Ji's. There are many good things there, and the prices are fair." Aunt Liu said.
Jiang Miao nodded: "Then I'll go over and take a look later."
Aunt Liu was very surprised: "Why go later? There are still several days before the Buddhist meeting. And even if you don't buy anything, it's okay. Several shops will set up stalls there to sell it. The price is the same as in the store. It is convenient for us pilgrims and saves the time of carrying it." Aunt Liu was very satisfied with this.
“Clang—”
Whose heart is breaking
Jiang Miao covered his chest and felt sad silently. It was indeed not easy to make money. What he could think of had already been thought of by others.
"Brother Jiang, what's wrong with you?" Aunt Liu looked at him in confusion.
Jiang Miao quickly smiled and said, "It's okay. I just think they are really good at doing business."
"Hey, that's nothing. There were a lot of people setting up stalls those days, selling all kinds of things. Oh, by the way, you can also set up a stall that day, and you can probably make a lot of money then!" Aunt Liu thought of Jiang Miao's business.
Jiang Miao nodded. He wanted to go and see the excitement. Wouldn't it be the best of both worlds to make some money while watching the excitement? Although he couldn't get rich by setting up a stall, he could still make a little money by selling some buns. While thinking about it, he suddenly remembered something and asked, "Auntie Liu, is it taboo to eat meat at the temple gate?"
Aunt Liu nodded and said, "Who would dare to go to that quiet Buddhist place to eat meat? Two years ago, there was a noodle vendor there who used animal oil to cook for customers and almost had his stall smashed!" Aunt Liu still has lingering fears when she talks about this incident. She was standing by to watch the fun that day and was almost pushed to the ground.
"Then I won't add dried shrimps to the radish buns in the next few days." Jiang Miao seemed to be thinking about something. Without dried shrimps, the buns would lack flavor, but there were other options to replace them.
After chatting with Aunt Liu for a few more words, and waiting for her to go back into the house, Jiang Miao got up, moved the things back into the house, and then went out with a basket.
It was almost noon and there were not many people walking on the street. There were some vendors guarding their stalls on both sides, stamping their feet from time to time and putting their hands to their mouths to blow on them to keep warm.
Jiang Miao was very glad that he was doing business in a hot market, and he could stand behind the stall to keep warm. He felt that the winter here was much colder than in modern times. Of course, it could also be that the tools to keep warm here were not as good as in modern times, such as down jackets, Lei Feng hats, scarves and gloves. How could it be cold if you put them all on
Walking and looking along the way, Jiang Miao soon came to a southern food store. The goods in this Wu Ji southern food store were of good quality and affordable. After comparing prices, Jiang Miao became a loyal customer of this store.
"Brother Jiang, business is booming. What are you ordering today? A shipload of goods arrived yesterday. They are all fresh!"
Well, in addition to the above advantages, the shopkeeper is nice and enthusiastic. He never gives a cold face to others just because they buy less things. He is kind to everyone. This is also the main reason why Jiang Miao became his loyal customer.
"Manager Wu's business is booming. Today, we still have the same items. Give me one or two ounces of each. By the way, no dried shrimps for now." Jiang Miao said, cupping his hands.
Shopkeeper Wu was stunned: "Really? This thing will taste delicious if you put it in buns." The unique salty and fresh taste plus the slightly grainy texture tastes really good. Although Shopkeeper Wu had to look after the store and couldn't leave, he still sent his employees to buy it.
"Well, isn't there a Buddhist meeting in a few days? I plan to set up a stall there for a few days, but I dare not put any meat or fish in there."
"That's right. I'll ask my clerk to weigh it for you." Shopkeeper Wu was about to call for help, but Jiang Miao said, "Don't worry. Do you have any dried mushrooms for sale in your store?"
"Dried mushrooms? They seem to be almost gone." Shopkeeper Wu frowned and thought for a moment, "By the way, Wang Er, was there a bag of them among the goods that came yesterday?"
The guy named Wang Er responded, "Yes, it's a big bag. I unloaded it."
"Go get some out and let Brother Jiang take a look."
Wang Er quickly picked up a few dried shiitake mushrooms. Jiang Miao took them and examined them carefully. The cap of the mushroom was very large and the edges were curled inward, which showed that the time of picking was just right. If the cap was flat, it would be overripe. Looking at it from the other side, the handle below was thick and the folds in the cap were very tight. When he put it to his nose and smelled it, he could smell a strange mushroom fragrance.
"How is it? Is this mushroom considered top quality?" When Shopkeeper Wu saw his movements, he knew that he was an expert. Most people choose mushrooms based on their appearance and fail to pay attention to many details.
Jiang Miao nodded and said, "It is indeed a top-grade product. I wonder how much it costs?"
Hearing the price, Jiang Miao quickly calculated in his mind. In ancient times, one wen was equivalent to 50 cents in modern times, and one liang was 5.5 yuan. One catty of sixteen liang was 176 wen, which was equivalent to 88 yuan per catty in modern times.
For high-quality mushrooms, this price is not outrageous. In the supermarket near Jiang Miao's home, 50 grams of good quality mushrooms cost 8.5 yuan, which means 85 yuan per pound.
"Okay, give me two taels of this first." Jiang Miao said.
"Brother Jiang is really straightforward. Many people said I was a profiteer after hearing the price, saying that one or two ounces of mushrooms are worth a pound of meat." Shopkeeper Wu was surprised and a little depressed.
"The prices of dried goods are high, which is a little hard for ordinary people like us to accept. But if we can't afford to eat them as dishes, we can still use them to season the food." Jiang Miao said with a smile. He only planned to buy it once or twice. Shrimp paste also has this function, and it is cheaper.
"Brother Jiang is really smart. He can actually use dried mushrooms as seasoning." Shopkeeper Wu thought, should he put two mushrooms in each dish
The two of them didn't say much, and the other side had already weighed and packed all the things Jiang Miao wanted. These small packages didn't even fill the bottom of the basket, but they cost him more than a hundred coins. It was really like making money and spending money like water!
He returned to his residence with his things and began to process the mushrooms. First, soak the dried mushrooms in water and wash off the dirt on the caps and stems. Then cut them into small strips and put them in the sun to dry out the moisture. When the sun sets, they are mushroom strips. Put these mushroom strips in a pot and dry them over low heat. Stir them constantly during drying to prevent them from burning. When the mushrooms are dried dry and without a trace of moisture, they can be taken out of the pot.
Jiang Miao poured it into a small bowl while it was still hot, and then used a small pestle to crush and grind it into mushroom powder. This process took a long time, and even though Jiang Miao was a very patient person, he couldn't help but feel sleepy.
After coming to the ancient times, Jiang Miao's daily routine gradually became very regular, especially in winter when it gets dark early, sometimes it gets dark after 5 o'clock, and he can only sleep when he stays alone in the room. There is no way to avoid sleeping, because the night in ancient times is not as good as modern times, and there are very few entertainment activities.
Normally, the evening drum would be struck after 1:30 a.m. to warn everyone that curfew has begun and that they need to return to their residences as soon as possible and are not allowed to go out. If they are caught going out, they will be beaten with a stick. At 5:30 a.m., the morning bell would be struck again to signal that the curfew is lifted and people can move freely.
1:30 is about 8:00 p.m. In modern times, some people might not get off work yet, but in ancient times, it was already very late. 5:30 is about 4:00 a.m. Jiang Miao usually gets up earlier. By the time he has steamed the buns and made all the preparations, the curfew has been lifted and people are coming and going in the morning market.
Finally, all the mushrooms were ground into fine powder. Jiang Miao yawned, and tears of sleepiness suddenly filled his eyes. When he finished everything and climbed onto the bed, he could hear the sound of even breathing in a moment.
As the day of the Buddhist meeting got closer, people's attention was almost all focused on this. It was hard to have such a lively event, so everyone naturally would not miss it. Even when eating breakfast, people were discussing this matter.
Jiang Miao was picking up steamed buns for the guests while listening to their conversation. Someone mentioned an incident. It was said that during the Buddhist meeting last year, the nobles had their servants go out of the city the day before to wait near the Puling Temple in order to fight for the first incense stick. They would line up as soon as the temple gate opened the next day. It was said that two families even had a conflict over the location of the main hall.
Some people also said that women were allowed to go out during those days, and the women of wealthy families were always surrounded by people when they went out, so he couldn't even see the legendary most beautiful woman in Liangjing from afar.
Jiang Miao also became interested when he heard this and asked, "Whose family is this most beautiful girl in Liangjing?"
The man was stunned for a moment, then smiled jokingly: "Brother Jiang, can't you sit still just because you heard about the beauty?"
Jiang Miao shook his head repeatedly: "No, no, I am an ordinary citizen, how dare I covet these young ladies, I am just a little curious."
"That's right. Let alone ordinary people like us, even those ordinary officials probably can't even come close to them. Do you know the Mansion of the Duke of Zhongguo?" the man asked mysteriously.
The buns were almost sold out by now, and Jiang Miao was willing to listen to some gossip, so he nodded in agreement.
As he had just arrived, he naturally had to understand the situation here clearly. It was the Liang Dynasty, the royal family was surnamed Dong, and the country had been established for more than a hundred years. The society was stable, except for occasional disturbances on the border, it could be considered a peaceful and prosperous era. There were all kinds of heavy taxes here, but they were all at a level that the people could accept. After paying these things, there was no problem with food and clothing, and the diligent ones had some surplus, so their lives were not too bad.
He is currently in Liangjing, the capital of the Liang Dynasty. The structure of Liangjing is a large U-shaped city, with the imperial palace at the innermost part and him at the outermost part. It is roughly equivalent to the five rings of modern Beijing, and the place he lives in is very close to the city gate.
The Duke Zhongguo's Mansion was different. It was located near the imperial palace and could be considered the center of power. Who could blame their ancestors for accompanying Taizu in conquering the world
The most beautiful woman in Liangjing is actually from his family? No wonder this person said that even ordinary officials can't get close to her. With such a family background and such a reputation, how many people in the world can be worthy of her
"This Duke Zhong's Mansion is not only powerful, but also famous for producing beauties. The most beautiful woman in Liangjing came from his family. The fourth son of Liangjing also has one in his family, and he ranks first! Their family..."
(End of this chapter)