On this day, Chen Fan, who came back from the Taoist Temple, peeled five preserved eggs himself, placed them in five bowls, and poured some vinegar into them. The pickled preserved eggs are dark, embellished with white snowflakes, and have a refreshing fragrance.
"A Chun, this is a chess egg. It is made according to the method described in the ancient book. Try it." After saying that, Chen Fan handed a bowl to A Chun.
"Is there one for me?"
"Of course, I regard you as my sister. As long as there is food for me, you will be indispensable."
"Langjun, thank you Langjun!" Ah Chun choked up a little.
"You're welcome. Since this chess egg is made using a secret method, it needs to be kept secret. Don't tell others, but I understand." Although Achun didn't know the specific method, Chen Fan still warned him.
"I understand, Ah Chun understands."
"Well, let's serve it." Since Achun came, the cook has only invited one. After preparing the meal with Achun, she went back first, and Achun was responsible for everything else. Just now, Chen Fan saw that Achun was the only one in the kitchen, so he came over to do it.
"What is this?" Everyone sat down and saw a black and white egg in the bowl. Master Huang was the first to ask.
"This is a chess egg, made by Lang Jun." Ah Chun answered first.
Everyone looked at Chen Fan.
"Everyone has a try. This chess egg is best eaten when drinking tea or drinking. It can also be eaten with tofu and peanuts. I accidentally saw it on an ancient book and made it according to the method. Let’s try it, everyone.”
"Well, it's delicious. When Fa Sheng made it, it wasn't just for us to taste it, right?" Master Huang took a bite, raised his head, looked at Chen Fan and asked.
"The main thing is to ask everyone to taste it, what do you think of the taste, and then give some opinions. I plan to sell this chess egg. What do you think the sales will be, and how much does it cost?"
"The taste is very good. As long as the price is right, I don't think sales will be a problem." Hou Feng said after tasting it.
"What do you think about selling it for six cents each?" Seeing that no one mentioned how much it would cost, Chen Fan simply asked for a price consultation.
"It's a bit expensive." Hou Feng was the first to stand up and express his objection. "Gusu salted eggs are two cents each, and duck eggs are two cents each. They are twice as expensive as ours. I wonder how much this chess egg costs? It's only six cents." One is really expensive and ordinary people can’t afford it.”
"How much do you think is appropriate?" Chen Fan did not refute, but continued to ask.
"Four cents, four cents at most. If it's more expensive, no one will buy it. After all, it's just duck eggs." Hou Feng is the one in charge of food expenses among these people. He has a clear understanding of vegetable prices, so he still puts forward his own opinion.
Alas, I can’t make much money. The middleman has to pay the price difference. The free gift at the beginning costs a lot of money. The initial investment in the workshop is probably a lot of money. It seems that I can only take the high-quality route.
"Okay, let's talk about this later. By the way, how did the fisherman named Langlibai go when he inquired about it last time?" If you want to control Qingfeng Hall, you still need to start planning. It's not possible without the right manpower.
"I heard about it. It's He next to a single person in Xiaohe Fishing Village. Most of the people who live there are named He. I also asked about the duck farmers nearby. There are about forty or fifty households raising about three thousand ducks. Just." Hou Feng has not been idle these days. He went to the villages around Suzhou and learned a lot about the basic situation.
"Hmm. I didn't expect that there are so few ducks in Suzhou. It seems that we need to raise some ducks." If we plan to start a roast duck business, these ducks are simply not enough to sell. One hundred ducks are consumed a day, which is three thousand a month. The normal growth period of ducks requires half a year, that is, 18,000 ducks. With a base of 18,000 ducks, we can ensure supply by consuming them every day. If business is good, it is possible to consume 1,000 ducks a day. of. In addition, the consumption of duck eggs is estimated to be quite large. After all, Suzhou has nearly one million residents. If the preserved eggs are popular, consuming 1,000 of them every day will not be a problem. Then there will be 1,000 egg-laying ducks. This is currently on the market. There are so many ducks, but it is impossible to sell duck eggs to just one family. If you buy them on a large scale, the price will inevitably rise. This is something Chen Fan doesn't want to see.
"By the way, what areas are included in your duck statistics?" Chen Fan suddenly felt that Hou Feng's data might not be complete, but only a part of it, so he asked.
"We went to all the villages near the eight city gates, but we didn't have time to go to the places a little further away."
That does not include the farmers near Yangcheng Lake and Taihu Lake, but they are indeed a bit far away. If possible, it would be better to raise some ducks by yourself. Chen Fan thought about it in his mind and said: "Hou Feng, do you think there are any suitable ducks in Xiaohe Village?" To rent out a house, you need a yard where you can raise some ducks, two side rooms, one used as a workshop for pickling chess eggs, and a kitchen where people can live and have a fire. Everything else doesn't matter. ”
"Okay, Mr. Lang."
After everyone finished eating, Chen Fan started to draw the oven in his private room. It was a circle with a diameter of about one meter, with three legs on the ground, a bit like a tripod. There was a lid on top, and there was an iron ring around the ring. You can hang ducks on it and roast it. There is an opening at the bottom, and you can put firewood in it for burning. It is a bit like a Bagua stove. Chen Fan named it Ding stove.
Just as Chen Fan was finishing the painting, Ah Chun came in and announced: "Lang Jun, someone is looking for him. He said he was sent by Dean Lu and has invited him to the main hall."
"Okay, pour some tea." Chen Fan hurried out of the side room. The main hall and the side room were next to each other. As soon as he left the side room, Chen Fan saw the person coming, and it was Shi Zhongkai.
"Brother Shi, welcome. Have you had dinner? Can you have a casual meal at my place?"
"Fasheng, don't bother me. You came after dinner, just say a few words and leave."
"Okay, then I won't be polite to you. Sit down." Chen Fan asked Shi Zhongkai to sit down.
"Fa Sheng, your arrangement is quite elegant."
"My eldest brother helped me do this. It means it is close to the Taoist temple and has a place to eat and sleep."
The two chatted for a few words, and Ah Chun served the tea. Shi Zhongkai did not refuse, and said while tasting: "Dean Lu asked me to tell you that Faqing won a great victory, and the Jizhou governor was defeated and killed. How did the Northern Wei Dynasty deal with it?" It’s not clear yet. However, the imperial court has announced that 50,000 troops led by guerrilla general Zhao Yue will be sent to attack Xiashi in the Northern Wei Dynasty. This is just the front army. If Xiashi is captured, His Majesty will send more reinforcements."
"Okay, it seems that the Northern Wei Dynasty is going to have a headache. Please give me a message to Dean Lu, just say that I have said before that Fa Qing will be defeated in three months, and my confidence remains unchanged."
"Okay, no problem." Shi Zhongkai also participated in the listening and chatting in Cuixiang Pavilion. He naturally knew the cause and effect of what Chen Fan said. He agreed immediately and continued: "The words have been brought, it is getting late. I’ll take my leave.”
"Okay, then I won't keep you. Let's meet again another day." Chen Fan sent Shi Zhongkai out of the door, returned to the main hall, and saw Xiao Qing in the hall.
"Here, I'll lend you these ten taels of gold first." After Xiao Qing finished speaking, he handed over a bright yellow gold bar. The person who came just now didn't go behind everyone's back. Xiao Qing just happened to hear the conversation. He probably knew that Chen Fan had no money and became a rich man again.
"Okay, I'll lend you the money." Chen Fan was not polite. Although he didn't intend to borrow money to participate in gambling, it was completely different if someone took the initiative to lend money.
On the morning of the next day, Chen Fan first gave the drawing to Hou Feng, "Hou Feng, this is a cauldron pattern. Can you see if there is a blacksmith who can make it? How much does it cost?"
"Yes, Lang Jun." Hou Feng accepted the drawing and agreed.
"In addition, you go to Liangjia Casino this afternoon and bet 10 taels of gold that Faqing will not be able to hold on for three months. The latest bet date Faqing insisted on at Dafang Casino was November 28th. I guess Liangjia Gambling is similar, but I don’t know what the odds are now, but they must be higher than last time’s payout of four to one, so go ahead and bet on it.” After saying that, Chen Fan took the ten taels he got from Xiao Qing yesterday. The gold was handed to Hou Feng.
"Okay, Lang Jun." Hou Feng nodded in agreement.
The casino was crowded, and the gamblers who knew the news brought their money early in the morning to arrange the match, betting that Faqing could persist. Many people believed that not to mention three months, but half a year, or even a year would be no problem.
When Hou Feng arrived in the afternoon, the gambling houses had basically stopped accepting bets on Faqing's ability to last three months because no one was betting on Faqing's failure. When Hou Feng came to bet that Fa Qing could not hold out for three months, everyone looked at Hou Feng like a monster. However, Hou Feng's behavior made the gambling house overjoyed. They were receiving bonuses anyway. Someone bet that Fa Qing would fail, so they immediately A probability of 20 to 1 was offered. The higher the odds, the more bonuses they received. As a result, the gamblers who had no bets were overjoyed and bought them all at once.
"Lang Jun, this is the proof of the bet." In the evening, when Chen Fan came back from the Taoist temple, Hou Feng handed Chen Fan a signed note of the bet. It said that the odds were 10 to 20, and the bet was 10 taels of gold. , the bet is that Faqing will lose before November 26th.
"Okay." Chen Fan thought for a moment and took it, feeling that he would keep it safely.
"In addition, I contacted the blacksmith for the cauldron that Lang Jun wanted to make. It is one meter square. Since it is made of iron, it will cost four taels of silver."
"Okay, there's no rush for this. It won't be too late to build it after we rent the house."
"Yes, I will check if there are any houses for rent in Xiaohe Village in the next two days."
"Okay, if we are selling chess eggs, it is best if the production location can be kept secret. This will reduce the risk of the secret recipe being discovered and fewer people will peep."
"Okay, Langjun."
The production of preserved eggs officially started when Hou Feng rented a farmhouse in Xiaohe Village.
There are quite a few vacant houses in Xiaohe Village. Chen Fan and the others rented a house by the river. The place was big enough. The monthly rent was two hundred cash. They marinated 5,000 preserved eggs in advance and put ten of them in each house. In the big vat, the duck eggs cost 1,500 Wen. They were collected and purchased in the village. They were cheaper than in the city. The vat cost 500 Wen. In the other vat, four kilograms of salt were placed. One kilogram of salt cost 30 Wen. Thousands and two hundred texts. The tea was bought cheaply at 20 cents per catty, totaling 40 catties, and cost 800 cents. Not counting the cost of the vat, the cost was 3,500 cents. Five thousand preserved eggs, although there will be some wear and tear, such as tasting some by yourself, bumps and bumps are inevitable. Even if the labor cost, rent cost, and transportation cost are taken into account, it will only cost about one penny, which is still lower than Chen Fan expected.
There is also an uncertain cost, which is the cost of heating. Fortunately, the temperature in Gusu in September and October is still over 20 degrees, so the temperature for pickled preserved eggs is just right. However, the house will need to be renovated later. Chen Fan plans to change it to a sealed one, put a stove inside, build a chimney, and cook it. The cost of firewood for hot water is not low, but it is not urgent at the moment. Chen Fan plans to wait until he returns from the capital.
There is another problem, that is, the manpower issue. The house rented in Xiaohe Village needs someone to guard it. Chen Fan naturally likes Langlibai, but Hou Feng talked to him and was rejected. He was not willing to be a caretaker. Chen Fan couldn't offer a high price, so he had to give up temporarily.
Hou Feng had to work hard for the time being. After dinner in the evening, he had to let Hou Feng sleep in Xiaohe Village to prevent night thieves. Naturally, he would go back to Suzhou during the day and the house was empty. However, this was only a temporary solution, not a long-term solution. .
There was really no other way, so Chen Fan wrote a letter to his eldest brother, telling the truth about the situation here, his current plans and difficulties, and his plans to go to the capital, to see if his eldest brother could arrange some manpower and provide some money. The letter was sent by a courier from the government, so naturally he gave some money. Fortunately, the eldest brother was a government official and his house was next to the county government office. The courier didn't charge more, so he just took ten cents, which was regarded as helping Chen Fan. A small favor.
After sending the letter, he was waiting for a reply. Chen Fan was not in a hurry and went to the Taoist temple for classes and practice as usual.
