Jiang Yunzhu realized that spring had come and people came to sell wild vegetables.
"Miss, these are all wild vegetables picked this morning. If you want them, I'll give them to you at a discount." Zhang showed the wild vegetables in the basket to Jiang Yunzhu and said with a hint of pleading.
She is a villager of Zhangzhuang Village. Her husband died of illness two years ago, leaving the old and the young at home. She had no choice but to dig these wild vegetables and go to the city to see if anyone wanted them.
Before coming to Laiqi Mountain, she had been to many places, but no one bought her wild vegetables.
Rich people don’t look down upon wild vegetables. If ordinary people want to eat them, they can just go outside the county town and dig them up. Why do they need to buy them
Zhang was almost in despair.
The wild vegetables were fresh, tender, green, and only as long as a palm, with crystal dew on them. Jiang Yunzhu liked them as soon as she saw them. After this winter, she had either cabbage or radish every day. Finally, she had green leafy vegetables.
"What wild vegetables are there?" she asked.
"I only dug shepherd's purse, wild river celery and wasp grass today. If you want any, just tell me which one you want and I'll go dig it for you right away." Zhang said hurriedly.
When she said that, Jiang Yunzhu really thought of a lot of delicious food, "Do we have wild spinach, Chinese toon, willow buds and elm seeds now?"
"We have wild spinach, Chinese toon, and willow buds. We have to wait two days for elm seeds, but we do have locust flowers now."
Sophora flowers are fine too. "How much are these?" Jiang Yunzhu pointed to the wild vegetables in the basket.
Zhang asked for a very low price, only eight cents for this backpack.
Jiang Yunzhu directly gave her ten cents and asked her to deliver the wild vegetables tomorrow. By the way, she also wanted the toon sinensis, willow buds and so on.
"Okay, okay, I will come tomorrow. Miss, please don't buy from others." Zhang said hurriedly.
Ten cents is nothing to Jiang Yunzhu now, but to her, it can save her life.
Zhang left happily, and Li He moved the wild vegetables into the kitchen.
"Boss, can you sell these vegetables?" Xue Jing picked up a shepherd's purse and asked. The people who came to their store were all young men and women with some money. Would they like to eat this kind of food? Even if they were asked to eat it, they didn't want to eat it. They didn't have enough food before, so they were afraid of eating this kind of food.
As soon as he saw it, he felt a sour feeling in his stomach.
Li He, Huang and others were not interested in these wild vegetables. If they were asked to choose, white rice and meat would be the best match. They would not get tired of it even if they ate it every day.
Jiang Yunzhu smiled. It was because their store had a special customer group that they could sell wild vegetables. If you want to eat modern vegetables, you can't dig them up.
Of course, if you want to get them on the table, you have to handle them properly.
For example, for the hornet's nest, chop it into pieces, add meat filling and mix well, roll it with bean skin, fry it in a pan until it is shaped, then take it out and cut it into oblique sections, then fry it in a pan again until the skin is golden brown.
Put it on a plate and arrange it into a flower-like tower. Make a pot of sweet and sour soup and pour it on top.
The rosy soup is like flower dots, the hornet's nest is crystal green, the bean curd is golden yellow, and two flowers carved from white radish are placed on the plate. This dish immediately becomes extraordinary.
Li He and Huang were both stunned. How could wild vegetables be cooked like this? With meat and fried vegetables, they could eat a big bowl of wild vegetables like this.
"This actually ruins the taste of wild vegetables." Jiang Yunzhu said. However, many people say they love to eat wild vegetables, but in fact, they are just Ye Gong's love of dragons. Basically, each wild vegetable has a special taste. If it is really served on the table after being mixed with cold, few people will like to eat it. Otherwise, everyone would have added it to the normal recipes long ago.
This is already very good. It not only gives you the flavor of spring, but also takes care of your tongue.
Next, Xue Jing saw Jiang Yunzhu use the broth to make shepherd's purse and tofu soup, mix shredded chicken with wild river celery, and pour a large spoonful of rich red chili oil on it...
Today, Qishanju launched four or five new dishes, including wasp vegetable rolls, shepherd's purse tofu soup, and cold river celery.
Most of these young men and women have heard of these wild vegetables, but few have ever eaten them.
Someone said that we should eat wild vegetables in spring, and everyone immediately decided to try them.
Wasp roll, this dish is colorful, just like the colorful spring scenery. Take a bite and it is crispy and fragrant. The sweet and sour soup on the outside blends perfectly with the flavors of bean curd skin, meat filling and wasp roll. It is really delicious.
Shepherd's purse and tofu soup is clear and white. Just one sip of it tastes so delicious that one can't help but sigh, this is the taste of spring!
There is also the shredded chicken mixed with river celery, which is spicy and crispy. Once you take a bite, you can't stop eating it.
They were surprised to find that wild vegetables were so delicious. By the way, they took them home for their parents to try.
Today's wild vegetable series received unanimous praise from everyone, and the store's turnover also increased significantly. Some people even wrote poems for the wild vegetables. Li He looked at them and didn't know whether to admire Jiang Yunzhu or sigh that wild vegetables could have such a glorious time.
Everyone is happy when they make money.
Jiang Yunzhu specially kept two bundles of wild river celery and decided to make dumplings for lunch. She called Xie Lian to join her.
There are now two kitchens in the backyard, one is a larger one, which is used exclusively for Qishanju, and the other is a smaller one, which is used to make snacks and brew tea. At this hour, the large kitchen is still busy, but the small kitchen is very quiet.
Wild river celery tastes similar to modern celery, but because it grows near water, it is more fragrant, crisp and tender. Cut it into small pieces and mix it with minced meat, it has a special aroma. Those who love it love it to death, while those who hate the taste will discard it like a worn-out shoe.
Jiang Yunzhu is one of those people who likes this kind of taste, so she moved quickly and soon a round and plump dumpling was wrapped and placed there.
Xie Lian was also quick and soon she had wrapped a dumpling.
"Do you like eating dumplings?" Jiang Yunzhu asked her casually.
Xie Lian nodded and liked it.
"Then eat more later." Jiang Yunzhu said.
Xie Lian curved her eyes. She really liked Qishanju and Jiang Yunzhu.
Jiang Yunzhu felt that the atmosphere was good and said, "In fact, it was you who saved Qin Yao, Master Lin, and even your brother that day."
When this matter was mentioned, Xie Lian froze.
Jiang Yunzhu slowed down her tone. "If you hadn't told me, how could I have saved them? So they should be thanking you. I know you are afraid of that man, but that man is already in jail, and he can never hurt you."
Xie Lian's eyes turned red and her hands were shaking.
Jiang Yunzhu thought it would be better not to provoke her for the time being, but she still had to tell her, "No matter what happened in the past, it was not your fault.
You can speak now, your brother or I, everyone likes you very much."
After saying this, Jiang Yunzhu continued to make dumplings with her head down.
Xie Lian looked at her. Could she speak? Wouldn't they hate her
Xie Lian slowly regained her composure, but she didn't want to talk. Jiang Yunzhu knew that this was difficult for her. She had said what she needed to say, and the rest would be left to time!
The next day, Zhang really sent more wild vegetables, including toon sprouts, wild spinach, locust flowers, etc., so a few more dishes were added to the menu of Qishanju. More people came, and everyone wanted to try these fresh wild vegetables.
On the same day, at noon, the number of customers in the store gradually decreased. "Excuse me, are you hiring people here? I can do anything. I don't want much pay, just enough for my family to eat." A thin man standing at the door asked Li He.
When Li He saw him, he thought of himself. He was in the same situation at the beginning, standing humbly at the door with his wife and mother, just asking for a full meal.
"Wait here for a moment, I'll go ask the boss." Li He said.
"Thank you, thank you!" the man said gratefully.
Li He went into the backyard and told Jiang Yunzhu what happened.
Jiang Yunzhu shook her head. She had no plans to hire anyone recently.
Li He went out and told the man about this.
The light in the man's eyes seemed to disappear in an instant. He thanked Li He, staggered away, and went to ask other shops if they needed to hire people.
Li He felt sad, but was glad that he was lucky enough to be able to stay in Qishanju.
The next day, Chabulan was open for business. A woman holding a child wandered around the door for a long time and then walked to the door.
"Little brother, does your store have any leftovers that you can give us?" The woman said, lowering her head in shame. She was not a beggar, but the child was really starving to death.
Li He looked at the child in her arms, who seemed to be about one year old, with a big head and a small body. At this moment, he seemed to be crying, but there was not even a sound of crying, only a faint hum.
"We can't do this to this child!" Li He said.
The woman burst into tears immediately; there was nothing she could do.
"I'll go ask the boss first." Li He entered the store and told Jiang Yunzhu what happened outside.
"Give them some snacks and milk." Jiang Yunzhu also saw the woman at the door and said.
Li He immediately agreed to go. He specially picked a plate of lotus root cake for the woman, which was easy to digest.
When the woman saw the white and sweet lotus root cake and two cups of milk, she wanted to kneel down to Li He. She couldn't even think about such good things.
"It was our boss who gave it to you, not me." Li He asked her to get up.
The woman kowtowed to Jiang Yunzhu from a distance again.
"Eat quickly!" Li He said.
The woman got up and took the lotus root cake and milk. She didn't dare to eat them herself, so she fed them to the child first. The child drank the milk and stretched his neck forward, wanting to drink more.
The woman was afraid that he would choke, so she could only let him drink slowly.
The child drank a glass of milk until his stomach was bloated, but he still wanted to drink more.
"Don't overeat." Li He said. This guy is obviously very hungry, so he must not be allowed to keep eating.
The woman quickly took the cup away.
There was still a plate of lotus root cake and a cup of milk left, so she put the lotus root cake into her tattered bag and saved it for the child. She drank the milk because she couldn't take it away.
Li He thought about it, took out a bunch of money from his sleeve and gave it to her, "This is the only way I can help you."
The woman thanked him profusely and then took the money and left.
Li He brought back the cups and plates and asked Jiang Yunzhu, "Boss, there are more and more people fleeing famine on the streets recently. Should we buy more food?"
Jiang Yunzhu also discovered this problem, "They are all refugees from Changfeng Prefecture, right?"
Li He nodded. "In previous years, we would have started to plant crops by now, but I heard that there hasn't been a drop of rain in Changfeng Prefecture so far..."
In the past two years, Changfeng Prefecture has suffered from disasters, and waiting for the spring rain to plant crops should have been the last hope for many people. But now, seeing that this hope is gone, everyone can only flee from the famine.
Moreover, there will definitely be more and more people like this, and then... Li He was worried about Qishanju, so he asked Jiang Yunzhu if she wanted to buy more food to store.
Jiang Yunzhu had already bought three batches of food when he came, spending almost all her money at the time. It should be enough for them to eat for a while. But she didn't want to be too special, so she asked, "Why don't you go to the grain store and take a look?"
"Okay." Li He went out quickly.
After a while, he came back, looking anxious, "Boss, hurry up and buy food, the price of food has started to rise."
He went to the grain store just now. Some people in the store were complaining about the grain price, while some people were scrambling for grain. The store owner said that this was the only grain available today, and he would not sell it anymore after it was sold out. The price might even go up tomorrow!
The price increased so fast? Jiang Yunzhu was surprised, and then she took out ten taels of silver and asked Li He to buy grain.
"Boss, why don't you buy some more?" Li He asked.
Ten taels of silver worth of food could last an ordinary family for a long time, but Qishanju could use up a bag of rice and two bags of noodles a day, so it seemed that this food was not enough.
"You go first." Jiang Yunzhu said. He might not be able to buy the ten taels! Usually, the grain store has a lot of grain, but if everyone buys, it will be sold out quickly.
Li He went there in a hurry. Half an hour later, he came back angrily. Just as Jiang Yunzhu guessed, he only bought six taels of silver worth of grain.
"It's enough for us to eat for a while." Jiang Yunzhu said.
In the next few days, there were more and more disaster victims on the streets of Wuling County. At first, everyone was willing to help them, but the prices of food and other commodities kept rising. Some people said that prices kept rising because of these disaster victims. When everyone looked at the extra money they spent on buying rice every time, they were not so enthusiastic about these disaster victims.
Some people even complained that the government didn't drive these refugees out.
But something happened that day that completely intensified the conflict between the two.
Several disaster victims robbed a small restaurant. Although the police quickly arrested them, the people still began to be wary of them.
Life is becoming increasingly difficult for the disaster victims.
That day, Captain Hu came to the door.
"Captain Hu, what do you want?" Jiang Yunzhu came out and asked personally.
"It's nothing serious. The county magistrate invites you to the county government office this afternoon. Don't worry, he's not just inviting you. He's also inviting all the wealthy families and shopkeepers in Wuling County." Captain Hu said with a smile.
"What's this for?" Jiang Yunzhu felt strange.
"I don't know either. You'll know when you get there. Goodbye, I still have to go and notify other places." Captain Hu left quickly.
In the afternoon, Jiang Yunzhu went to the county government office and saw that it was crowded with people. Who dared not to come when the county magistrate invited them
Jiang Yunzhu felt that she was just a small character, so she found a deserted place and waited.
About a quarter of an hour later, County Magistrate Meng arrived.
Everyone saluted County Magistrate Meng.
After only a month's absence, County Magistrate Meng seemed to have aged several years, his eyes were bloodshot and he looked tired.
He asked everyone to stand up and said, "I want to show you something." After that, he led everyone out.
No one knew what he meant, but they could only follow.
As we walked along, someone recognized that this seemed to be the way out of the city.
Sure enough, they soon arrived at the city gate. Someone noticed that there seemed to be many more soldiers guarding the city gate than before.
When they got out of the city gate, everyone was stunned.
All I saw were disaster victims, young and old, all dressed in rags, with pale faces and thin bodies.
When they saw County Magistrate Meng and others, they struggled to get up and begged the masters to give them a way out.
"You've seen it all, right?" Magistrate Meng said through gritted teeth. The disaster victims in the county were actually only a small part.
Everyone looked at each other, some sympathized with the situation, some were indifferent.
Soon, County Magistrate Meng explained the purpose of asking everyone to come today. He wanted to open a porridge stall outside the city to distribute porridge. However, to open the warehouse for disaster relief, he needed the approval of the court. However, these people were not from Wuling County, and the disaster relief should be provided by Changfeng Prefecture. He had no reason to open the warehouse.
He wanted all the wealthy households and shopkeepers in the county to donate some silver or rice to help the people.
So that's how it is. Some people are willing to donate a little, but some people think that County Magistrate Meng is meddling in other people's business.
"My Lord Magistrate, isn't Wuling Mine always short of people?" someone asked Magistrate Meng, wouldn't it be enough to send these people there
Magistrate Meng suppressed his anger and said, "Wuling Mine needs strong young men. If these disaster victims can survive, who would want to wait here to die?"
No one spoke, and donations began.
Some donated one tael, some donated five taels, and the most donated twenty taels. But this amount of money was just a drop in the bucket for the victims.
County Magistrate Meng was dissatisfied, but he did not dare to show it. He was also under great pressure by doing so. If he continued to force it, these rich families would make trouble and he would not be able to serve as county magistrate anymore.
"I will donate two hundred taels." Someone said at this time.
Everyone looked at him, and it turned out to be the shopkeeper Song from Baofulou.
"My Lord, I don't have that much money on me. Could you please allow me to go back and get it?" said Shopkeeper Song.
"Of course." County Magistrate Meng treated him gently.
Shopkeeper Song looked at Jiang Yunzhu behind the crowd and said with a smile, "Qishanju and Chabuliang are making a fortune every day. I wonder how much Boss Jiang is going to donate this time?"
As soon as he said this, everyone looked at Jiang Yunzhu.