There was enough food and wine last night, and the three of them slept soundly.
"Moo~"
Until a cow brayed in the early morning, Song Che was woken up first. It must be the caravan from the Huaxi Tavern passing through.
He stood up and stretched, and was about to leave the temple when Liao Heng suddenly jumped up from the ground, straightened his collar, straightened his hair crown, rubbed his cheeks, and said to Song Che: "Brother Chen, look Look at me, are you energetic?"
Song Che smiled and said: "He is so handsome. He will definitely enchant that lady."
At this time, Jiang Yun had also woken up, and the three of them walked out of the temple together.
Yun Niang drove an ox cart, led a caravan of ten or so people, and passed by the temple together with the store clerk.
"There's a ghost!"
As soon as Song Che and others went out, someone in the caravan exclaimed.
"Everyone, don't you recognize us after just one night? We met in the tavern yesterday." Liao Heng stepped forward and said.
The merchants and travelers stepped back one after another, saying, "It's because I saw you that you are ghosts... Could it be that you were resurrected by evil ghosts and turned into zombies, right?"
Liao Heng was unhappy, "After all, you are also traveling merchants. Why are you so blind? How dare you come out and walk in this daylight?"
Song Che and Jiang Yun led six horses, two of which were carrying the tigers killed last night. He smiled and said, "I didn't meet Li Gui, but I killed two tigers."
The three of them discussed last night that those who are pretending to be ghosts are behaving strangely, so they should stay away from outsiders for the time being and pretend that nothing happened.
Business travelers came up to watch one after another, touching and sighing at the tiger corpse:
"What a striking white-fronted tiger!"
"Two such big tigers must weigh 700 to 800 kilograms! The color of their coats and the feel of their hands make you two very rich!"
"Bosses, are you interested in this tiger skin? We can sell it to you at a low price without losing our wealth to outsiders." Song Che asked with a smile.
The business travelers waved their hands repeatedly, "We are all traders and traders. Your tiger skin is big and good. Only the wealthy gentry in the county can afford it."
"In this case, we should work together in the county."
"That's great. You three killed these two tigers and eliminated harm from all over the country. You are truly heroes!"
"In order to eradicate these two ferocious tigers, the county offered a reward of 500 yuan to recruit tiger hunting generals, but the tigers were hunted one after another. The tigers were not caught, and dozens of people were killed or injured!"
Only five hundred strings?
Wu Song killed a tiger, and the county rewarded him with a thousand coins. This shows that the old man in the county is a picky person.
"Three heroes, can you tell us about your experience of hunting tigers last night? Also, you passed by the mass graves and lived in this temple. Didn't you really see will-o'-the-wisps and ghosts at night?"
A group of dozens of people gathered around them to listen to stories.
After leaving Shima Forest, walk another twelve or three miles along the road to reach Shima County.
The rain was getting heavier today, but it was still raining non-stop. Yun Niang paid special attention to a few farmers, carrying hoes and shovels, filling in the fields as she walked, and clearing the way for the caravan. She actually walked not too slowly.
Yun Niang has always been at the front to lead the way, but she will also listen to the stories with her ears pricked up. She will also be nervous when she hears something wonderful, and she will laugh with everyone when she hears joy.
Song Che asked Jiang Yun and Liao Heng to continue greeting the business travelers, while he rode up to the front and stood side by side with Yun Niang.
When Yun Niang saw the person coming, she quickly straightened her posture, but she kept glancing at Song Che from the corner of her eye.
There are two types of shame, one is conscious blushing, and the other is deliberate avoidance.
Her tavern is not big, but it is well-organized. For such a public woman, it is reasonable for her to be more reserved.
"Boss Boss, the sword-wielding man is my friend. He is always quick-tongued and quick-tongued when he travels around the world. He beat Wang Er yesterday in Lei Li Feng School. It won't have any impact on you, right?" Song Che asked.
Yun Niang's eyes darkened, and she sighed softly: "I usually don't quarrel with the local bully, and he won't make things difficult for my business, but..."
She looked at Song Che: "Wang Er collects money for Zhang Yuanwai on weekdays, but his methods are not very clear, and he lives in the county ahead. Your friend knocked out his tooth yesterday. With his temperament, I'm afraid he won't Give it up and let it go."
Song Che smiled and said, "Is he as powerful as the white-fronted tiger?"
Yun Niang was pleased and squeezed her lips, "He bullies the weak and fears the strong, even a tiger's tail can't compare."
"Is that wine you pull on the bullock cart?" Song Che pointed to the jar covered with oilcloth behind the bullock cart. Even though it was sealed, you could still smell the aroma of wine.
Yun Niang hummed, "It's not easy to go to the city. I have some extra at home, so I thought of selling a few jars to make more money."
Song Che smiled and said, "The jar of wine you gave us yesterday was delicious to us all. How much does such a fine wine cost?"
Yun Niang also laughed out loud and said, "Thank you for the compliment, guest. They are all made from coarse grains grown by farmers. They can't be sold at a high price. In my own shop, it costs twenty-five cents a dime, and when I sell it wholesale to a restaurant, it costs twenty-five cents." Ten coins and a dime.”
"so cheap?"
Song Che is also a person who drinks a lot of wine. Although this wine is not as good as distilled wine, it is still a high-quality product. Even if it is sold in the county town, it is worth the price of fifty cents.
Yun Niang said: "It's not cheap. Twenty cents depends on the mood of the restaurant owner. If you're in a good mood, you'll have to lower the price. If you're in a bad mood, you'll have to lower the price. You may even give it up."
"Your Huaxi Tavern's monthly revenue should be pretty good, right?" Song Che asked.
Yun Niang shook her head, maybe feeling dissatisfied, "Excluding the wages of the clerks and the ingredients, it is quite good to earn thirty-five or sixty taels a month."
There is a lot of randomness in the Wilderness Shop. The more business trips you make, the more you make, and the less you make, the less you make. Thirty taels of silver a month is very reasonable.
"Isn't it enough to pay off the debt?"
Yesterday, Song Che heard that Wang Er mentioned the matter of "paying off debts", so he asked casually.
Yun Niang lowered her head and stopped laughing.
Only then did Song Che realize that his old habit had relapsed. He had only met you a few times, and anyone who wanted to know more about it would be rebellious.
"Don't mind, boss lady, I'm just talking but I don't mean it."
After that, we have to slow down and fall behind the team.
Yun Niang suddenly shouted: "Hey, it's okay. My debt is not a private matter. Most people in this country owe Zhang Yuanwai..."
According to her:
Zhang Yuan, also known as Zhang Chao, is the largest landowner in Shima County. Many farmers rent their fields from him. The same is true for Yun's family's few possessions.
Yun's mother's surname was Li, and three generations of her ancestors had made a living in the tavern. However, her father was a gambler and lost eight hundred taels of silver to Zhang Yuanwai after getting drunk one day. She woke up that night and regretted it. She was too embarrassed to see her family again, so she went to Shima. He found a tree in the forest and hanged himself.
When Grandpa Yun Niang learned about this, he was so angry that he died within a few days. As a result, the tavern business and the foreign debts owed fell into her hands.
Zhang Yuanwai gave two plans, one was to marry Yun Niang as a concubine, and the other was to pay off the foreign debt of 1,000 taels with interest within two years, both of which were overlord clauses.
But Zhang Yuanwai is a local rich man, and his family has a large business and has to give in. How can Yun Niang be willing to marry that fifty-year-old man? I can only repay high interest, and I have to go to the county town to repay thirty taels in the middle of every month.
There is a difference between a landlord and a wealthy businessman. The landlord owns the land and has the right to control it. Most of the county's fiscal revenue depends on him. Even the official has to give him a small share.
Especially in such inconspicuous counties, the landlords colluded with the government, and the people could only be manipulated. They had to pay as much grain as they were asked to pay, and the high interest rates were also decided by them.
The landowners are the emperors of the land, and this is not an exaggeration at all.
