The boat sailed on the water, crossed the Rouge River, entered Shijiu Lake, and then entered Danyang Lake from Shijiu Lake.
Then the team split into two groups, taking the Huangchi River into Wuhu and transferring to Dangtu, which is from Taiping Prefecture.
The other way is from Danyang Lake to Juxi, heading south, and when you reach Xuancheng, you enter Wanxi, and you will reach the dock after a short distance.
The four people did not follow them and got off the boat at two locations in Shijiu Lake. There were people watching at the door of the store here.
"My dear friend, who are we..." the student came to the door and asked the man sitting there weaving bamboo baskets.
"From the Xiaqiu Village Department Store? Do you have your keys? Go in and order some goods. If there is any shortage, it's my fault." The basket weaver stood up.
"Okay, thank you!" The student thanked him, took out the key and opened the lock. When the door was pushed open, some ash fell down.
The two went in, removed the latch from the window, and opened the window.
Light shone in, and the two people saw the packed boxes and bags, with seals and paint seals on the seals.
Compare it and confirm that there is no problem. Open it one by one, each person has an account book, and start ordering the goods there.
"Put it outside. It will be bright outside and no one will steal it. We will protect the business in Xiaqiu Village." shouted the man outside.
"Please help me call someone, my surname is Ma, and his surname is Qian." Upon hearing this, the student surnamed Ma felt that it made sense.
Soon a group of people came over, helped carry the things carefully outside, and stood there watching.
The two of them lit up the same thing. After ordering one kind, they took out a few, put them on the counter and grid inside, and put the others away.
The same goes for the department store on the other side. With help, the things in Xiaqiu Village must be guarded.
The sun moved slowly, and the onlookers had dispersed, leaving only a few children squatting in the shade and waiting.
The children came over to bring water, boiled hot water, and put some tea leaves in it. The two students drank when they were thirsty, and the children followed suit.
"Shopkeeper Ma, shopkeeper Qian, please order again in the afternoon! It's time for dinner." After a while, the people here came to greet me.
"Okay! I'm really tired, my waist! It will be fine tomorrow and I can start selling." Ma Hui stood up and twisted his waist.
Qian Dushi also wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand and gasped: "Whose house are you going to eat at? As agreed, we will pay for it."
"Eating at the pier, look in front, everyone is here. No need to pay, just two pairs of chopsticks for you.
We are now following the example of Xiaqiu Village, where everyone eats together, saving both fire and labor.
Each family is calculated based on head count, no matter how big or small, each person pays a share, and it doesn't matter if they eat more or less. "
The person who came looking pointed to the front. The department store was not far from the pier, making it convenient for others to come and buy things.
"Then each of us will contribute a share of the money." Ma Hui heard that it was no problem to join in.
"You go and tell the chief, I don't care. There are two chiefs in this lake now, and each one is responsible for half of the lake.
We all go to our respective piers for meals, and it doesn’t matter if they are far away. We just happen to be rowing there, and we can also take a ride on the way.
Once the wheat is harvested, Xiaqiu Village agrees to build two waterwheels for us to grind flour. "
This person was walking sideways and turned to talk to two students.
"Since they are far away, why don't we get together? The lake is not small." Qian Dushi gave an idea.
"We raise ducks and geese, how can we raise them together? They are scattered, and several families live together, just in the same area.
When fishing for crabs this fall, crab baskets are also placed according to the position, and boats go on top to transport the goods.
Now every family has a boat and we have money, which is a life we couldn't even imagine before.
Don't be afraid of anything you encounter here. As long as we are here, we will protect the people of Xiaqiu Village. arrive. "
As the man spoke, rows of long tables and chairs appeared in front of him.
Next to it is the kitchen for cooking, with a shed on three sides built outside the kitchen to block the wind.
"You two, sit down quickly. Oh, wash your hands first, here." Many people are already here.
They each carry a dinner plate, just like those in a box lunch restaurant. The food is piled next to it and they serve it themselves. There is a special bowl for the soup.
"Are you the chief?" Qian Dushi asked after washing his hands.
"Just call me Lao Huang. I don't know what you like to eat. Let's see if you can eat it. If not, let me make it." The man looked polite.
"Huang Lichang, we agreed when we came here that we have to pay. How is the money calculated?"
Qian Dushi mentioned the money thing first, and you can't develop the bad habit of eating other people's food outside.
"One hundred dollars per person." Huang Lichang raised his index finger.
"How is one time calculated?" Ma Hui didn't understand. He thought it was paid monthly.
"Regardless of men, women, old or young, including newborn babies, take out one hundred coins and hand them over when you use them up.
You wait until next time. You pay when you pay next time. It’s hard to collect it now. I have to calculate how much is left and then divide it according to people. It’s troublesome. "
Huang Lichang introduced the situation and asked the two to meet again later.
Qian Dushi and Ma Hui looked at each other and exchanged words, saying that they would be able to pay each other soon, because there was meat in the dish. How many meals could one hundred Wen eat like this?
"Okay, then we will take advantage for a few days." Ma Hui expressed his thanks.
"It's okay, you can eat!" Huang Lichang waved his hand.
"Huang Lizhang, when did you pay last time?" Qian Dushi asked curiously.
"Last time... uh... it was two months ago, right?" Huang Lichang recalled.
The person next to him spoke up.
"Yes, yes."
"There are still a few more days!"
"How much money do you have left? If it's not enough, we'll pay it."
"The main thing is that the seasoning cannot be missing. Without seasoning, it will be fishy."
"Yes, don't worry, everyone, there is still a lot left. It will be no problem if you take it for another two months." Huang Lichang nodded.
Ma Hui and Qian Dushi looked at each other again: "..."
Qian Dushi touched Huang Lichang: "Huang Lichang, how did you spend the money? I think there is meat."
"Buy seasonings! Sichuan peppercorns, aniseed, bay leaves, cinnamon, strawberries, amomum villosum, salt, vinegar, sugar, cooking wine. Isn't this money?"
Huang Lichang looked like the money we asked for was real money and not fake.
"Where's the meat? Where's the rice and noodles?" Ma Hui emphasized meat and staple food.
"Fish, rabbit meat, there are few people here, rabbits are running around, and whoever catches them throws them to the kitchen.
There are also fish, just cast a few nets or take a trip and you will have them.
Rice and noodles are exchanged for fish with people on the shore. Jiangning County is very big, and we all belong to Jiangning County.
Some people specialized in farming, so we caught fish and walked to the Rouge River, where it connects to the Qinhuai River.
There are people setting up stalls and buying and selling things there every day. Can there be more fish in his river than in the lake?
In the evening we put out shrimp pots and sent them with the shrimps in exchange for rice, noodles, and rapeseed oil.
If anyone has free time, just ask a few people to go over and change them, and then bring them back for everyone to eat.
We grow our own vegetables. If anyone has more, pick them quickly and bring them here to cook. Today’s cucumbers are a bit old.
If you have to stare at cucumbers to eat at night, whose land is it? It would be nice to pick it two days early. "
Huang Lichang introduced the food to himself while complaining that the cucumbers in the field were picked late.
“My family wanted to pick them two days ago, but the fourth family picked them first, and then Feng Xiaoliu picked eggplants and cowpeas.
I would go pick it early in the morning, otherwise it would be over again because I planted too much. "
A person next to me spoke up, looking very helpless.
Ma Hui and Qian Dushi: "..."
(End of chapter)
