Chapter 198 Fried Pancakes
Erlang was neither anxious nor flustered. He first poured himself a large bowl of water to quench his thirst. Then, under Dalang's urging gaze, he took out the thick stack of papers in his arms and placed it on the table.
Then he searched his left and right trouser pockets and shook out a pile of scattered copper coins, which hit the table with a crackling sound, making a crisp metallic collision sound.
Qin Yao was shocked, and her first reaction was that the brothers and sisters were collecting protection fees.
He quickly picked up the papers on the table and checked. There were a total of fifteen sheets of paper, on which were Erlang's neat notes, which stated how much deposit he had received from so-and-so, and that the goods would be delivered before March, and he even pressed his fingerprints with ink.
It turned out to be a handwritten order!
The goods ordered were exactly the magical book boxes.
Qin Yao looked at the copper coins on the table, then at the cocky Liu Erlang, and laughed out loud in disbelief, "Sure, Liu Erlang, you will definitely get every penny of the sales commission!"
Erlang was waiting for this sentence. He smiled so hard that his mouth could not close, and a black hole was exposed due to his missing front tooth. When Sanlang and Si Niang pointed it out, he quickly covered his mouth again.
But his eyes were full of pride when he looked at his eldest brother and his younger brothers and sisters. You see, he said that his mother would definitely not blame him for selling the book box.
As soon as I thought of this, Qin Yao looked over and reminded me, "It will rain tomorrow."
When Liu Erlang heard this, he couldn't laugh anymore. Ink and paper are so precious and must not get damp.
Unfortunately, he had already sold the book box, so he had to beg Dalang to help him pack the books for a few more days.
Brothers settle accounts openly. Dalang calculated the account seriously and said, "The rent is two cents a day."
Jiro glared at him plaintively, gnashing his teeth and saying, "Alright!"
Qin Yao waved her hand and drove them out of the main room to make dinner. The room became quiet. She gathered the copper coins on the table and counted them. There were 150 coins.
There were fifteen orders, and I collected ten cents as a deposit for each order.
The total price of the magical book box was not specified on the order, but Erlang sold the first book box for five cents of silver, so I thought that if the price was set at five cents, or a little higher, these wealthy young masters would be able to accept it.
Carpenter Liu has a better understanding of the cost of wood and time. Qin Yao plans to go to him to finalize the price after sending the children to school early tomorrow morning.
Also, maybe they can take the initiative to promote the magical book box this time.
This is easier to sell than a water mill. It's done once it's sold. There's no after-sales service and no installation required, and the transportation cost is very low.
Although one can only earn a few cents from a book box, the market is wider and the profit margin is higher.
I just don't know if Bai Shan, who went south, has come back. If they can cooperate again, Liujia Village will have a pillar industry.
The most important thing is that making book boxes does not involve the risks of quarrying. Logging is much safer than quarrying, and she does not have to lead a team to mine stones personally every time.
This will also save some time to deal with the work in the vegetable garden and fields.
Now it is February, the weather is getting warmer day by day, and it is time to harvest the winter wheat in the fields. Every household in the village is busy in the fields, and the village is full of women weaving. Farmers have very little free time throughout the year.
If she and Carpenter Liu's small workshop did not receive a steady stream of orders, the villagers would not go to the factory to work during the busy farming season.
Even if the wages are higher than farming, food still comes first.
Because under the small peasant economy system, people are self-sufficient and there is no excess food for sale in the market to feed so many people who have left their jobs.
If there are fewer people growing crops, the price of food will rise accordingly, and the wages they earn will not be enough to buy food to fill their stomachs.
People in the village have long been accustomed to this lifestyle, which is hard but fulfilling.
It was hard for Qin Yao. She tried very hard to adapt but still couldn't fit in.
Who likes farming?
She likes the rural homestay life with internet, electricity, bathroom, toilet, smart appliances, and a comfortable and clean environment.
The first few conditions cannot be achieved in this lifetime, but at least the last one must be achieved.
This is also the reason why everyone wants to study and take the imperial examination.
The corvée and taxes in Sheng State were much better than those in the previous dynasty, but for ordinary people, the pressure was still great.
Especially compared with modern farmers, the difference is almost qualitative.
At least in the future, your whole family won't die if you fail to pay the grain tax.
By the way, there is no need to pay grain tax in later generations.
"Mother, it's time for dinner!"
The twins, a boy and a girl, ran into the room carrying bowls and chopsticks. The cheerful atmosphere pulled Qin Yao out of her melancholy.
She strung all the copper coins together and put them away, cleared the table, lit the oil lamp, and prepared to eat.
Dalang and Erlang cooked porridge, and fried a bowl of vegetables and a plate of bacon slices as side dishes. The salty fragrance of the bacon and the freshness of the vegetables, mixed with a mouthful of white porridge, was very appetizing.
After dinner, it was already completely dark, but I couldn't rest yet. I had to prepare breakfast and lunch for tomorrow so that I could take them to school.
Dalang wanted to make pancakes, so he had let the dough ferment while he was making dinner just now. Now he took a break after dinner, and the timing was just right, so the dough was fermented quite fully.
Erlang cut a piece of bacon, washed it and chopped it into small pieces. He also took a handful of bamboo shoots that he had picked from the mountain two days ago, cooked them and spread them out to dry under the eaves, soaked them for a while, chopped them up and mixed them with the bacon.
Finally, wrap the fragrant filling in the dough kneaded by Dalang and fry it in an iron pan.
If He saw this practice, he would definitely call it a waste.
But Qin Yao has never saved on food. The four brothers and sisters of Dalang have gradually become accustomed to the cooking method of using a lot of oil and salt. They only think about how to make the food delicious, and now they rarely consider things like wasting oil.
Late in the night, waves of aroma wafted out from the kitchen. Qin Yao was lying on the bed wondering when the ten acres of wheat in the field would be harvested. She was about to fall asleep when she was instantly awakened by the tempting aroma.
They got up and went outside the kitchen. The two older ones were working in front of the stove, and the two younger ones were standing behind them, craning their necks to watch.
Sanlang was so greedy that his saliva was about to flow out. He tried hard to suck and swallow his saliva, "Big Brother, Second Brother, it smells so good~"
Erlang took out the first batch of pancakes and put them on the plate. Sanlang reached out to take them, but was ruthlessly pushed away by his brother.
"Idiot, I'll burn you to death!" Erlang scolded.
Saburo felt aggrieved.
Erlang was so soft-hearted that he scooped out one of the cups in a small bowl and placed it on the chopping board beside him. He handed each of the twins a pair of chopsticks and told them, "Let it cool before eating, okay?"
"Hmm!" The two little ones nodded vigorously and blew "whoosh~" happily into the bowls.
After it cooled down a little, Si Niang divided the cake into small pieces. She and her younger brother tasted them first, then she picked up a piece and passed it to her eldest brother's mouth.
Dalang was busy with his hands, and as soon as he opened his mouth, he took the pancake with filling into his mouth. The dough was crispy, the filling was salty and fragrant, the bamboo shoots were cooked to perfection, crispy with a little sweetness, and especially delicious.
But there seems to be too much oil. I have to ask Erlang to filter the oil for the next batch, otherwise the pancakes will be too greasy when the oil gets cold tomorrow.
(End of this chapter)