Seeing that it was not early, Du Zhongxiao got up and prepared to leave. This basket of sheep's trotters was placed in the Han family's store, and he could count the money at night. Before it was dark, he would go home and bring out a few more baskets and put them in a few other foot shops.

In addition to these familiar foot shops, Du Zhongxiao also has to carry baskets to sell along the street. In this way, after calculating the rent money, eating and drinking for myself and my mother, and removing the capital, I can have a slight surplus.

This business is small and profitable, and it is easy to do, but the profit is really not high, so you can make hard money. Linying County is too small to do much.

The reason why lamb's trotters are braised is because mutton is the most eaten meat in this era, and the supply is sufficient.

The people of the Song Dynasty liked to eat mutton, not because of luxury, but in an agricultural society, mutton was the cheapest source of meat among several large animals. Raising pigs requires a lot of feed, and in the era of food scarcity, the cost of pork is much higher than that of mutton. In Du Zhongxiao's previous life, pork was much cheaper than mutton, which was a matter after entering the industrial society, plus breed improvement. If you raise local pigs in the traditional way, the price of pork is actually higher than that of mutton. The idea that pork should be cheaper than mutton is just a delusion on the part of people in industrial societies. When you really come to an agrarian society, you will find that it is not like that. This is true not only for pigs and sheep, but also for poultry. The cheapest chicken in the previous life was expensive at this time, the meat was delicious, and it was not easy to raise.

There are many such illusions in the impression of antiquity, which makes future generations ignore what the real antiquity was like. This is where Du Zhongxiao feels powerless, many things feel easy, and only when he does it understand that it is actually difficult.

In his previous life, he was an engineering student, and Du Zhongxiao could think of ways to make money, mostly related to industry. How can his current family background have anything to do with industry? A belly full of knowledge, but useless.

opened the door, and Du Zhongxiao bumped into the people who came in outside.

There were two young people who came in, both of them were about twenty years old, dressed in green shirts, and they looked like scholars.

A slightly taller young man in front glared at Du Zhongxiao, didn't bother to pay attention to him, and went straight into the store. The slightly shorter and obese young man in the back didn't follow, pushed Du Zhongxiao and said, "What's the matter, don't you have long eyes?" ”

This is the Han family's shop, Du Zhongxiao didn't want to cause trouble for Han Yueniang, so he had to say: "This door is narrow and bumping into each other, but who is to blame?" Even if you have eyes, where can you see through the portal. ”

The young man who entered the store found a seat and sat down, and said loudly: "The weather is cold, the host's family has made a dime of wine, it is hot, and we will eat it to get cold!" If you have any snacks, come up together! ”

Han Yueniang agreed, and after a while, she took a corner of wine and put it on the table. He also said: "There is boiled mutton in the store, do you want to cut two catties of it?" - By the way, there are also marinated sheep's hooves, which are extremely fat. ”

The young man said, "Okay, cut one pound of mutton, and bring five more sheep's hooves." ”

Han Yueniang agreed, and while going to get the sheep's trotters brought by Du Zhongxiao, she asked her father to go inside to cut the meat.

The young man who confronted Du Zhongxiao looked at the back of Han Yueniang leaving, and said, "What a peugeot little lady!" I'm familiar with Linying City, and I've never seen such a beauty! ”

After speaking, he ignored Du Zhongxiao again, looked at Han Yueniang's departing back with his eyes, and entered the store.

Du Zhongxiao wanted to leave, but seeing that the young man's appearance was not the way, he thought about it and went back to the store.

Han Yueniang took the sheep's trotters and came over, and when she saw Du Zhongxiao returning to the store, she said with a smile: "Brother wants to have a glass of wine before leaving?" ”

"Yes, it's cold, and I'll have a glass of hot wine to get rid of the cold."

Han Yueniang listened, said crisply, put down the sheep's hooves, and went to help Du Zhongxiao get wine.

Helped Du Zhongxiao warm up the wine, and Han Yueniang was about to go back to the back of the cabinet, but was stopped by the obese young man on the table next to her.

The man gave a salute and said, "Xiao Ke Wu Kejiu is the second son of Wu Yuanwai's family in the county. This one is my uncle's cousin, a Fujianese named Cao Jucheng. I don't know my sister's name? ”

Seeing this person's frivolous appearance, Han Yueniang said a little unhappily: "We don't know anything in our lives, where do you ask for other people's names like this." You are a customer in the store, just order wine or food, and some of the store will come to you. ”

Cao Jucheng saw that his cousin was a little interesting to this little lady who sold wine, and said with a smile: "Cousin, asking for a name is one of the six rites, where is it to ask casually." You're still a reader, why don't you know etiquette? If you want to ask the name of the little lady, just go home and ask your uncle and mother to come to the matchmaker, not only ask the name, but also ask the eight characters of the birthday, how much is good. ”

"My brother is reasonable, and he is reasonable." Wu Kejiu listened and sat down again. "It's been three years since I got married, but I don't have an heir, and the elders in my family are very dissatisfied. As the saying goes, there are three unfilial pieties, and no queen is great, but it is not a way. I see that this little lady is very diligent and good-looking, and it would be excellent if she went home to be a concubine. ”

Cao Jucheng nodded again and again: "Okay, okay, I'll ask for a glass of wine then." ”

Han Yueniang listened to what the two of them were talking about, so she took a sip and turned to the back.

Wu Kejiu ignored Han Yueniang and said to Han Lian behind the counter: "The old man who sells wine, talk closely." ”

Han Lian saw that the two of them were not good and not easy to provoke, so he had to come to the table.

Wu Kejiu drank a glass of wine before asking Han Lian: "Restaurant, let me ask you, which restaurant did you get the wine from on credit in your store?" Look at you such a big scene, there should be a big restaurant to help you. ”

Han Lian didn't want to offend the guests, so he had to say: "Don't hide it from the guest officer, even the wine belt decorations in the small store are mostly taken on credit from 'Qixiangju'." I have been open for many years, and 'its fragrant residence' is very cared for. ”

Wu Kejiu clapped his palms: "That's right!" Do you know who I am? ”

Han Lian shook his head: "Forgive the little one, but I don't know the little official." ”

Wu Kejiu smiled: "I don't blame you, I mostly study in the countryside village, and rarely go to the city." I want to teach you that my surname is Wu Kejiu, my father Wu Yuanwai, 'its Xiangju' is my family's property! ”

Han Lian hurriedly saluted when he heard this: "I don't know if the junior has arrived, don't be guilty of neglect!" Wait a minute, let Xiao Lao'er go to the back and cut some meat. There is also a fat chicken in the store, which is boiled and served to the little staff outside. ”

Du Zhongxiao looked at each other coldly and didn't speak.

In the Song Dynasty's liquor monopoly, these small foot shops could not make their own wine, and they all sold wine on credit from the nearby big restaurants with wine-making rights. In a small county, how many wine-making restaurants can there be? In addition to all the official restaurants in the government, there are only two, the largest of which is the 'Xiangju' opened by the Zheng family. The Han family's foot shop has more than a dozen heads, which looks not small, but in fact, there are not many assets that really belong to them. Not only is the wine on credit, but many of the store's belongings are also borrowed from 'Qixiangju'.

Wu Kejiu is a member of 'Qixiangju', and he is half the master of the Han family, so he is so presumptuous. These foot shops rely on 'its Xiangju' to live, without the support of 'its Xiangju', they can't open at all, and it's not like you can do what you want when you get here.

In normal times, Wu Kejiu would not come to such a small shop. Today, I was strolling around with my cousin Cao Jucheng, and I was tired of walking on the road, so I came in on a whim. Who would have thought that this inconspicuous shop would have a beauty like Han Yueniang.

Seeing that Han Lian was well-behaved, Wu Kejiu was even more proud, shook his head and said: "You don't need meat, what delicious meat can you make in this small shop!" I didn't do it cleanly, but I ate the pickles. Let me ask you, who are you the little lady just now? ”

"Outside the junior staff, it's the little girl Yueniang."

Wu Kejiu clapped his hands: "That's it!" Wine will come up, and the food will be served. There is only one thing, let your daughter Yueniang come out and have a few glasses of wine with our brother. If you can sing songs, so much the better! ”

Han Lian was taken aback, and hurriedly said: "Don't blame the little staff, the little girl has been negligent in discipline since she was a child, where will she serve people." Girls from poor families can't sing. The little staff has to listen to the tune, and wait a minute, there is a third sister Liu next to the shop, the song is very good, I went to invite it, wouldn't it be good? ”

Cao Jucheng heard this, and scolded with a smile: "You old man doesn't know anything, don't you smell beautiful food?" I didn't ask my daughter to come over to listen to her sing, my cousin was just going to drink to her beauty. You are blessed, if your cousin likes it, you will accept Yueniang and go back to be a concubine, and you will have a settlement for the rest of your life. ”

When Han Lian heard this, he was so anxious that he rubbed his hands there, and he couldn't help it.

This kind of foot shop is said to be a businessman, but in fact, most of the capital comes from large restaurants, and it is just a place to distribute wine. Once the capital is collected by the big restaurant, there will be no livelihood. Outside a small person like Wu Kejiu, when he comes to the foot shop outside his own restaurant, everyone is flattering. There are those who are not successful, and they don't need to greet them, so they let their daughters and sisters, and even more shamelessly, let their wives come out to drink together.

In Wu Kejiu's view, he fell in love with Han Yueniang, which was a blessing for this family. Han Lian didn't hurry up and let his daughter come out and drink a few glasses of wine with him. If they are happy for a while, it is possible to exempt them from the profit of this month. This is a common occurrence, and everyone has become accustomed to it. Unexpectedly, Han Lian was there to push three and four, and Wu Kejiu's face immediately changed.

In this era, doing business is commonplace, and many do not require much capital. Just like this kind of foot shop that sells alcohol, as long as the big restaurant can be trusted, everything is on credit. Not only can you take credit for wine, but also for food, and even the wine utensils used can be on credit. As long as you sell it every day, you can go to the big restaurant and pay the profit. Compared with those who walk the streets and alleys to carry the burden of selling alcohol, the foot shop just has a shelter from the wind and rain, and it doesn't have to work so hard, and the money may not be able to make much more.

This is the case with the Han family's foot shop. Although it has been open for a few years, it has only bought this property, and most of the daily stores are sold on credit from "Qixiangju", and everything depends on the face of the Wu family.