The sun was bright in the sky, and the lake surface was rippled by the breeze. The white clouds in the sky were moving slowly, and the reflection on the water was broken into pieces from time to time, and then condensed again.
The waterfowl flew freely and leisurely, and suddenly dived into the water. When it started flopping, it already had a fish in its mouth.
From time to time, dogs barked in the distance. After a while, two dogs ran closer with a rabbit in their mouths.
The dog owner flicked the rabbit hard on the forehead, and the struggling rabbit stopped moving.
"Wait, I'll give you the leftover food. Go and stay over there."
The dog owner spoke to the two dogs. The two dogs first ran to the water, stuck out their tongues and drank a few mouthfuls of water. Then they ran to the shady place over there according to the owner's directions, and lay there sticking out their tongues.
Ma Hui and Qian Dushi looked at the rabbit brought by the dog, and after listening to Huang Lizhang's introduction and what the man who provided the cucumber said, they suddenly understood.
The one hundred cents was really used to buy seasonings, because no one would change the seasonings for them, so they could change everything else.
People here regard raising ducks and geese as their main occupation, as well as catching crabs in autumn.
It is estimated that harvesting wheat and planting soybeans will become the new main business this year, and everything else will be done casually.
Grow vegetables and catch fish to exchange for things. Whoever has time can do it.
This is why a newborn baby has to pay one hundred pence. The baby cannot do any work and has to be fed, so the person who feeds the baby has relatively little work to do.
The baby's one hundred cents is left to the mother, and it will take a long time anyway.
The money they get from selling duck and goose eggs, as well as the money they get from selling duck and goose seedlings, they keep as their own and save them.
Other times, everyone netted fish together to exchange for rice, flour and oil, and caught rabbits. Obviously, the rabbits caught by the dogs today will become part of the dinner.
The two of them served their own meals and sat next to each other, listening to the chatter of the people here.
Some people said that when they went to change the oil in the morning, they saw a pork seller and didn't know if it was good or not, so they didn't dare to change it for fear that it was bad.
Some people also said that there seemed to be mullet in the shrimp cage, which was so big that it opened the cage, and there was still meat hanging on the bamboo bars of the cage.
"The pickles are almost gone. Who will go to the city tomorrow to buy pickles in Jubiqi?" the person in charge of cooking asked.
Only then did Ma Hui and Qian Dushi realize that they were familiar with each other! Jubiqi’s pickles.
"Yes, there are pickles in the department store, Jubiqi. There are a lot of vegetables in your vegetable patch. Quickly make them into dried vegetables and the store will collect them.
Last year, Xiaqiu Village collected 2,000 guan of dried vegetables from Nanjing. If you put them in the fields and get old and rotten, you might as well sell them.
From now on, I will buy seasonings at department stores, which are no more expensive than elsewhere, and some are even cheaper. "
Ma Hui heard that someone was going to Nanjing to buy pickles, so he introduced the business to everyone.
"Yes, the department store has opened. It was promised to make it easier for us to buy things. Why should we go so far away to buy things?"
"Hurry up and put the goods on the shelf so that I can see what's there. I'll let you guys know what you receive."
"Xiaqiu Village thinks things are different from others, so it opens a store directly at home."
"We have to take care of the store, and they will hire people to pay for their wages. Dahuang, Erhuang, over here, oh! Stupid!"
The man said and threw the two bones of the rabbit to the dogs. The two dogs ran to catch them, but failed to catch them. They picked them up on the ground and ran back to chew them.
…
After eating, Qian Dushi and Ma Hui went back to order and arrange the goods.
"Others can give other things. One hundred coins at a time, what can we give?" Ma Hui worried.
"Yes! Why do they live like this? That's not right! One hundred coins per person is just money to buy seasonings." Qian Dushi was equally depressed.
"But people live happily, don't worry too much, and help each other. Brother Ma, can you fish?"
"I haven't learned anything. I know how to shoot archery to prepare for the imperial examination. Who would have thought..."
"I can do it too. Let's go shoot rabbits? Shooting one or two a day should be enough for food, right?"
"There's no time! We have to buy and receive goods."
"There are just these people, they buy and sell every day? We will be idle. If it weren't for the requirement to hire four people, we would be enough."
"Let's teach the children when we have free time! Does it count as a contribution if we teach the children?"
"We should forget it! Ask Huang Lichang tomorrow?"
"No need to ask, I'll bring twenty booklets and ten sets of picture-reading books, one set of five. Tomorrow..."
"We have to sell the goods first tomorrow. On the first day of opening, everyone is curious. At least they want to buy pickles."
"Yes, the first few days are the busiest, and then we will teach the children. We are lucky."
"Others don't have such good things! Especially those in Taiping Mansion."
"Work quickly, I just remembered that our place is close to Nanjing!"
"Isn't that right? You can just go through it if you say so. If anyone wants to go back in the future, just leave him alone here."
"Go in the morning and come back in the evening."
The two people talked and kept busy until the sun turned into the yolk of an egg in the west, or an orange-red egg yolk.
Feeling almost exhausted, the two were called to the pier for dinner. They saw a large group of dogs eating not far away.
A dog and a small wooden basin were filled with rice soaked in vegetable soup and rabbit bones.
There was still rabbit meat for dinner, a lot of it, so obviously these dogs had done something good.
"Huang Lichang, feeding the dog rice?" Ma Hui thought this was a luxury.
"The leftovers at noon. When I used to raise dogs, the dogs would run to the lake to find food. Sometimes they would eat grass or get some chaff.
If there is no meat to eat, the dog will eat rats, or catch and tear up rabbits to eat. If there is really nothing, the dog will starve to death.
Now there is no shortage of food. The dog can help look after the ducks and geese, catch rabbits and look after the house.
If he is fed well, he will grow strong, and if he throws a bone, the dog will be happy for a long time.
Next time I go to the city, I will buy some pork and eat it with big bones, and then come back to celebrate the New Year for them. "
Huang Lizhang looked at the group of dogs and said with a smile on his face when he said he wanted to buy bones.
Ma Hui and Qian Dushi nodded at the same time, yes, buy big bones, you are rich, you are indeed rich.
…
Compared to the shopkeepers of the two department stores in Shijiu Lake, people in other places are tired.
The students who went to Taiping Prefecture arrived at noon, met the magistrate and others, and went their separate ways. Those who stayed in Dangtu County were considered popular.
For other places that are far away, there are government servants who will take you there all the time. It is estimated that they will arrive in the middle of the night. Fortunately, it is hot and if you are not afraid of mosquitoes, sleeping outside is not a big deal.
It would be better if there was a mountain temple, earth temple or something like that.
The students heading to Ningguo Mansion have just arrived, 208 of them. They took a day boat ride, and some of them had to go ashore for convenience.
But when they got here, they were home. Magistrate Li asked them to take them to the Yamen to rest, and arranged side dishes for them instead of rice and soup.
The students brought water bags with soup in them, and then there were roujiamo. After they sat down, they ate the roujiamo with the soup.
"We'll stay here tonight. There's a mosquito net. If you can't sleep, you can get up and drink. I'll take you to your place in the car tomorrow."
Li Zhixian originally wanted to take care of the students, but seeing their looks, he probably wouldn't agree and was in a hurry to get to work.
Then he can only arrange it to this extent, and will help if there is any situation in the future.
I still have it today, making up for an update I signed earlier.
(End of chapter)
