SFS Chapter 247 Using chicken feathers as arrows
Chapter 247 Using chicken feathers as arrows
The next day, Shen Zhiqiu took Shen Youyou and followed the waiter Xiaowu of the post station in a horse-drawn carriage to Xinle County.
When the strong laborers who were sent to the surrounding villages came back last night, they could not push carts because the roads were still muddy, so they had to walk.
Carrying bamboo baskets, palm bags and palm ropes.
They also had to buy live chickens, ducks and geese, and the actual amount of buckwheat noodles they could buy was very limited, so the bulk of the noodles had to be bought by the father and daughter in the county town.
Chickens, ducks and geese were not enough, so I bought a total of 30 chickens, 40 ducks, and 10 geese. All in all, I spent more than five taels of silver.
They also want to see if there are any live chickens and ducks for sale in the county town.
Xinle County is very close to the post station, and a horse carriage can arrive there in half an hour.
At this time, there were a lot of people at the city gate, and the gatekeepers were already checking the documents for entering the city gate. However, there was no charge for entering and exiting the city gate, but there was strict control and only local people could enter. As for outsiders, they had to have relevant written certificates.
This kind of certificate is not the one that Shen Zhiqiu and others are using now. You must have a household registration in the northern border and a pass issued by the government office where you are registered.
This is why, under normal circumstances, unless absolutely necessary, even if Shen Zhiqiu and his companions have temporary customs clearance documents, they still cannot enter and leave the county town at will.
There will be no problem going into the city tomorrow because the county town is open during the temple fair.
But today the officers are still strict in their investigations.
As expected, the gatekeeper knew Xiaowu, so Xiaowu said that he wanted to go into the city to buy food, as many distinguished guests had come to the post station and the food in the post station was not enough.
The gatekeeper didn't even glance at Shen Zhiqiu and Shen Youyou sitting in the carriage, and called out to the others in line: "Make way, make way, there are errand boys over here, let them pass first."
The father and daughter were stunned. Isn't this too simple?
They thought they had to ask, "Who is this? Is he new to the station? Why does he look unfamiliar?"
Then Xiaowu explained: "There is a temple fair recently, the post station is busy, and several relatives came to help."
In the end, all the trouble was saved. The gatekeeper just waved his hand and let them go.
You guys are like this? Are there really no spies sneaking in? Why do the officials from the North seem a little unreliable?
The father and daughter actually felt like they were holding chicken feathers as a token of authority.
Xiaowu bowed to the gatekeeper, thanked him, and drove directly into the county town.
Xinle County is located at a higher altitude, which is conducive to flood control and drainage.
The layout of the county town is reasonable, with four city gates in the east, west, south and north. The streets in the city are crisscrossed and lined with shops, making life convenient for residents.
In addition, there are many temples and pavilions in the county, such as the Temple of Ancestor of Man and the Temple of the City God.
Xiao Wu was familiar with the route and drove the carriage directly to the familiar grain store, not forgetting to inform Shen Zhiqiu:
"Uncle Shen, let's go to the grain store first. If we buy a lot of grain, we can ask them to arrange for us to have it delivered first. Then we can go to South City, where they will have chickens, ducks and geese for sale."
Shen Zhiqiu lifted the car curtain to observe the merchandise and flow of people in the shops on the streets of the county town. Hearing this, he nodded quickly: "Okay, Xiaowu, just make the arrangements."
Xiaowu's aunt is Bai Zhantang's wife. Now that Shen Zhiqiu and Bai Zhantang are brothers, Xiaowu no longer calls him "Scholar Master" and "Scholar Master" but just calls him uncle, which feels closer.
Moreover, Xiaowu admired Shen Zhiqiu from the bottom of his heart. He only found out about this yesterday when he talked with the young boys in Shenjia Village.
Shen Zhiqiu was a scholar who fled famine with hundreds of people. He had to worry about food and drink, as well as safety issues.
You have to be ahead of the times in everything you do. Is it so easy to keep the elderly and children safe while fleeing from famine?
In addition, people ate the soba noodles in their store and made pressed noodles for them.
This shows that Uncle Shen is a smart man. He knows that his uncle, Shopkeeper Bai, did not charge them extra money. He is also a man who values friendship and loyalty and is unwilling to take advantage of others.
When we arrived at the grain store, there were door curtains of four rooms in the front and a large courtyard with two entrances in the back. It was said that the back was the granary.
It is obvious that this is one of the best grain stores in Xinle County.
Xiaowu was very familiar with the shopkeeper and started greeting him as soon as they entered the door. They arrived early and there were not many people in the grain store.
The owner of the grain store was also very welcoming. Xiaowu usually came to buy grain for the post station, and he was generous. He would not bargain over a few buckets of grain, but would instead buy by the shi.
In this dynasty, one dan was equal to 120 jin.
However, due to disasters and wars in the south, refugees entered the city, and the original grain prices rose a lot.
Shen Zhiqiu also wanted to find out more. Although his purpose this time was to buy buckwheat noodles, he was also prepared to ask about other grains.
The price of ordinary rice was exactly one tael of silver per stone, which was 120 kilograms, the same as what they had bought at the inn before.
The price of brown rice is one tael of silver for a little more than one shi. How much more? It is about 220 kilograms.
As for what brown rice is, it is actually rice that has undergone a simple hulling process and still retains the outer skin, endosperm and germ.
The taste of brown rice is rougher than that of white rice, which is what people often call pulling the throat, but brown rice gives a stronger sense of fullness than white rice, which is why most ancient people chose brown rice.
White flour, which is the most common kind, costs 140 kilograms to one tael of silver.
Shen Youyou did the math in her head: "One pound of white rice is equivalent to more than eight wen, white flour is more than seven wen, and brown rice is only more than four wen."
Shen Zhiqiu: "What are the prices of buckwheat and buckwheat noodles?"
The shopkeeper didn't think much of it, because the post station was already very famous for its buckwheat noodles, and many wealthy people would specifically order them to try something new.
This has become a hot topic in every household in Xinle County, and people often chat about it:
"The wealthy people from other places love to eat the buckwheat noodles that we are all tired of, and they must order them when they go to the post station."
But no one has ever thought about why the buckwheat noodles at other people’s post stations are so popular, while the ones you make at home are a bit hard to swallow?
The price of buckwheat is the same as the one that Manager Bai bought from them. Buckwheat flour is 4 wen per pound. If you want unground buckwheat, it's wen, and unhusked buckwheat is wen. Sweet buckwheat and bitter buckwheat are the same price.
Afterwards, Shen Zhiqiu inquired about the prices of soybeans, sorghum, corn, and millet.
Except for corn, which was sold at one stone and eight cents of silver, the prices of other coarse grains and buckwheat were similar.
The shopkeeper was a little suspicious at this moment. He knew all the prices at these stations, so why did he ask in so much detail this time?
Xiao Wu said, "This is a relative of our shopkeeper. He came to visit us because of the temple fair. He thought it would be a good idea to come here for nothing. Heard that food is cheap here, so he bought some to take back."
The shopkeeper said, "How much more do you mean? It's really not a discount at all. The price I quoted to you is the price given to their post station. Others don't pay this price."
Shen Zhiqiu: "Boss, what you mean is, if I want more, can I get a discount?"