The Daily Life of the Daughter of a Minor Official

Chapter 20 Laba Porridge

 Mother Dong was still worried: “What if someone doesn’t care?”

 “Let’s talk about it when it happens.” If you are always looking forward and backward in everything, fearing this or that, then you will never make a living or make a fortune.

Su Ruojin felt relieved and thought, we will talk about the future later. Anyway, we have passed this test today.

It was almost noon, and almost all the breakfast stalls were gone. Pedestrians were walking in groups, and the Ruoda alley entrance became empty. The temporary mule cart hired by Su Ruojin arrived, and Shutong and Dong's mother worked together to move the boiler and other items up.

Su Ruojin couldn't help but stood aside leisurely.

The two stalls opposite saw that the baskets of copper they were selling were all empty, and they were so jealous that they wanted to grab them. With the bright sky and people coming and going, they finally suppressed their greedy, jealous and hateful eyes.

The Su family's mule cart disappeared from everyone's sight, and the Xu family's Zaotou woman spat, "If you were hit by a cart while walking, or drowned when crossing a river, you are a dead girl."

The scolding is really vicious.

 Xiaolongbaozi came to the edge of Xu's house and asked in a low voice, "Are we coming again tomorrow morning?"

 Mrs. Li, the wife of the kitchen stove of the Xu family, glanced at the basket. She had just lost all the copper coins she had sold, and she still didn't know how to pay for it when she went back.

"I don't know." After saying that, she glanced at the other party's money basket. It was no better than hers. Someone was comparing her. Mrs. Li thought to herself that it would be easier to do business now when she went back. She twisted her waist, cursed and ordered the helper to pack her things quickly. The cart was pushed away.

When she got home, she was scolded by Mrs. Xu, who suspected that she was greedy for flour money. Mrs. Li swore that she had not, "Master, you don't know. The Su family's housework was confiscated by the patrol, and they actually bought it again." I ordered a set, and it arrived earlier than us this morning. Not only that, but there were also new pot stickers and pan-fried vegetables. There were so many people coming to buy them, so no one bought our fried dough sticks and soy milk. "

Mrs. Xu was surprised, "There is actually new food?"

Mr. Li nodded, "That's right."

 “The Su family has so many food recipes?” Mrs. Xu pursed her lips, brought her facial features together, and clusters of juice burst out from the slits in her eyes.

Seeing the calculation on the mother-in-law's face, Mrs. Li asked cautiously, "Our fried dough sticks are not as delicious as Su's. Even if we lower the price, those people will still go to Su's to buy them. Will they still set up a stall tomorrow?"

"Show it, why don't you show it." Mrs. Xu said with a look of disgust on her face, "If you don't go to Xiqiao Lane tomorrow, go to Xinzheng Gate instead." There were many ordinary people entering the city in that area, so just by frying them in oil, they could make people laugh. They ate deliciously.

 “The master of the house is still smart.” Granny Li flattered her.

Mrs. Xu narrowed her eyes again. It seemed that she was going to ask her sister for advice, otherwise the money would not reach her pocket!

The xiaolongbao seller also returned home. A middle-aged woman came forward excitedly and asked, "Aying, how is the business?"

Wu Yueying looked frustrated, "Forget it, the soup that I made at home didn't soak into the dough. I didn't expect that when I went to the stall to make the dough, the soup soaked into the dough. It was hard to wrap the dumplings. Not to mention steaming, it was okay. I sold some siomai, otherwise I wouldn’t be able to sell a single coin today.”

Wu Yue'e frowned: "How did you get the soup in?" "Who knows." Wu Yueying, who set up the stall, didn't have any confidence at all, "I didn't expect that all the effort was in vain."

Hearing this, Wu Yue'e pursed her lips, "What's more, your brother-in-law finally helped you get such a profitable business, but I didn't expect that you can't afford it. Your brother-in-law's hard work is really in vain."

Wu Yueying was furious, "Then my brother-in-law didn't give us the food recipes. He just bought a few steamed dumplings and let us eat them. How can we make money?"

Wu Yue'e's eyes widened, she opened her mouth and scolded: "I've helped you to get revenge."

“I don’t care, ask your brother-in-law to get the secret recipe for wrapping the soup, otherwise this business won’t work.”

Wu Yue'e was so angry that she didn't speak for a long time.

Seeing that her sister was angry, Wu Yueying was still pointing at her, and she quickly came over and hugged her arm and acted coquettishly, "Good sister, you see that your sister is dying of poverty. Since you have done everything, let's do it thoroughly. Get the secret recipe." Well."

Wu Yue'e felt sorry for her sister after all, "You..." She wanted to wait for the man to come back and see what to do.

Su Ruojin didn't know what the two families were planning. Now that she knew who was setting up the stall, she knew it in her heart. Whether it was the sister of the slave of the Jin Palace or a relative of the patrol officer of the Army and Horses Division, the status of these people was similar to Compared with Su Yanli, he was still far behind. If he wanted to continue the Su family's business, he had to think carefully.

Sure enough, Uncle Shutong came back from setting up a stall the next day and said that the two stalls were no longer in Xiqiao Lane. Su Ruojin asked someone to inquire. One went to Xinzheng Bridge and the other went to East Street to sell siomai. It was said that the business was good.

 There is no vicious competition, Su Ji’s morning stall business is getting better and better, and the daily revenue is rising steadily. This year’s business seems to be good.

The Su family wanted or didn't want the other things that were confiscated, but the mule had been with Su Yanli for several years and had a relationship. For this mule, Su Yanli found someone and invited someone to a decent restaurant to have a meal. The livery was brought back.

Su Ruojin said in surprise, "I thought the mule was starved to death by them, but I didn't expect it to come back alive."

Horses, mules, donkeys, etc. are important means of travel for Dayin people. Yamen like Bingma Division have internal places dedicated to raising horses and mules. If the owner cannot get rid of the confiscated mules, they will be destroyed after a certain period of time. Those disposed of by the people of the Military and Horse Division may be confiscated for personal use or auctioned. The money obtained should be confiscated, but in fact, most of these confiscated items have become gray income for the subordinates of the Military and Horse Division.

As expected, he was a child who was inexperienced in the world. Su Yanli reached out and tapped his daughter's forehead lightly, "This is an important means of transportation. How could she let her starve to death?" What an ignorant child.

If the 'ignorant child' knew that her father thought of her like this, she would definitely feel aggrieved. She was born in an era when there were no mules and donkeys to travel!

It was the twelfth lunar month, and there were only a few days until Laba. Su Ruojin and Dong’s mother went to the market to buy ingredients for making Laba porridge. If they were eating it at home, the confinement meal for Cheng Yingzhen would actually include eight-treasure porridge, but since this festival, how could it be done? Missed the opportunity to make this money!

Su Ruojin decided to sell from the first day of the twelfth lunar month to the seventh day of the twelfth lunar month to make a good profit. Then he had to buy it quickly. If he bought it late, it would be gone.

Laba porridge is rich in ingredients, including large green red beans, japonica barley, longan, red dates, ginkgo, lily and lotus seeds, candied chestnuts and walnuts, etc. Each place has its own variations, and the colors of the porridge are also exciting.

According to the Five Elements theory of Zhouyi, green (mung beans) belongs to wood and governs the liver and gallbladder; red (red beans, red dates, etc.) belongs to fire and connects to the heart; yellow (soybeans, walnuts, etc.) belongs to earth and connects to the spleen; white (lily and lotus seeds) belongs to Gold is connected to the lungs; black (longan, black beans, etc.) belongs to water and is connected to the kidneys. The ingredients of Laba porridge are all five elements and have a tonic effect on the five internal organs, which can strengthen the body and prolong life.

So on the official day of Laba, Su Ruojin will no longer sell Laba porridge. On that day, the emperor will personally give Laba porridge to the prince, ministers, guards and others. There are also Laba porridge given by the royal family in the imperial street, which shows the emperor's great kindness and happiness with the people. .

 (End of this chapter)