Reborn in Dunhuang, I am farming and doing business in the desert

Chapter 25 Buy a Big Iron Pot

"What kind of money-making ability do you have?" Shen Heng became curious and asked quickly.

"I'll tell you in detail when we get back." Shen Zhao said as he turned and walked back.

When I got home, my mother had already killed the chicken she had gotten yesterday and was squatting in the yard plucking its feathers.

The plucked chicken feathers were also placed in a bamboo basket, ready to be stored for use as bedding.

In fact, it is impossible for people in the northwest to get enough chicken feathers to keep warm, because not every family has chickens. Even if someone raises a few chickens, they cannot slaughter them easily. They are only willing to kill one or two chickens during the La Festival and the New Year.

The chicken we got yesterday was a bit old and probably couldn't lay eggs, so the owner sold it for something else.

Such an old chicken cannot be cooked in a short time and needs to be simmered slowly for several hours.

But at noon, my father would bring people back for lunch, and if the food prepared at home was too simple, it would not be tasty.

Shen Zhao thought about it, went back to his room and brushed the small bronze mirror for a while, then bought a few pieces of tofu and bean skin, some oyster mushrooms, duck blood, coriander, fish balls, etc., plus a bag of ten kilograms of rice, spending a total of 150 coins.

After all the goods were delivered, I felt that my own pot was too small and could not hold so many dishes at once.

Or, how about buying a bigger iron pot?
Stewing all the dishes in one pot can also save a lot of firewood.

Thinking of this, Shen Zhao did just that and spent 120 coins to buy a large iron pot with two handles and a diameter of 60 centimeters.

However, in order to use it in time, she paid an extra five cents to the shipper at Xiaoqing's suggestion so that they could start cooking.

After receiving the goods, Shen Zhao tiptoed into the kitchen carrying the big pot, but was dumbfounded because the big pot could not be placed on the small stove.

"What are you doing?" The mother saw her daughter carrying something into the kitchen and followed her: "Hey? What is this?"

Even though she had never seen this thing before, she could tell that it was a cooking pot.

"This is an iron pot." Shen Zhao explained, "Every time we cook, we use two clay pots, which is not only wasteful of firewood but also troublesome, so I bought a big iron pot."

"Child, you spend money recklessly." Although Zhang Shanyue was happy, she still had to educate her daughter: "This pot must be worth a lot of money, right?"

Shen Zhao: "Not much, only one hundred and twenty coins."

"What? Such a big iron pot only costs 120 coins?" Zhang Shanyue was surprised: "The copper cauldrons and copper cauldrons in your father's post station cost at least 1,000 or 2,000 coins each, and they are not even as big as this one."

Shen Zhao blinked and whispered, "How about we sell some iron pans in the future?"

Zhang Shanyue glared at her and said, "Are you going to die? You dare to sell ironware? These things are supervised and manufactured by the government. The control is very strict. We have to register when we buy a hoe or a sickle. Won't you be arrested for selling a big iron pot?"

"Is that so?" Shen Zhao pretended to be surprised and asked, "Then will it be okay if we use an iron pot?"

"What's wrong with cooking at home?" Zhang Shanyue lowered his head and stroked the smooth iron pot, marveling in his heart: "Besides, you've already bought it, are you going to return it? Besides, we didn't steal it, and we won't sell it to the Huns, so how can there be any problem?"

Shen Zhao laughed.

My mother has already said all the good and bad things about me, what else can I say?
"Mom, but our stove can't accommodate such a big pot." Shen Zhao said in embarrassment.

Zhang Shanyue frowned when he heard this, and then he noticed the difference in the pots and stoves.

"Then just get a few stones and make do with it. After the guests leave, ask your father to hire someone to rebuild the stove."

Zhang Shanyue said as he went outside to look for stones. If there were no stones, clods of earth would do. He would move some to the open space in the middle of the kitchen.

Shen Zhao also went to find some dirt and clods of dirt, and together with his mother, he built a simple stove and barely put the big pot on it.

After cleaning the big pot twice, she went to the side room and carried out a pile of ingredients, pointing them out to Zhang Shanyue one by one: "Mother, this is called tofu, made from beans, and this mushroom, it's so delicious when put in chicken soup with tofu. Let's put duck blood and chicken blood in and cook them together, it will definitely be delicious." Shen Zhao said a lot of things, and then he saw his mother staring at the ingredients in shock.

"Oh my dear, how come you can prepare so many dishes? How much will it cost?" Zhang Shanyue felt that her family's New Year celebrations were not so extravagant, and she was heartbroken.

Shen Zhao smiled and hugged A Niang's arm and shook it: "How can you know the deliciousness of tofu without spending money?"

She pointed at a few large pieces of white and tender tofu and said, "This kind of tofu is very simple to make, and tastes better than bean rice. I'll teach you how to make it later. If we can't finish it, we can sell it. Even if no one buys it, we can make it into fermented bean curd, which can be stored for a long time."

Zhang Shanyue stared at the snow-white tofu, picked up a piece and put it in his mouth. It was tender and smooth, with a fresh fragrance of beans. It was indeed better than bean rice.

But she still puffed her lips and glared at her daughter: "How much did you spend on so many things?"

"One hundred and fifty coins." Shen Zhao answered truthfully.

"A meal costs one hundred and fifty coins. Do you know how much your father's annual food allowance is?" Zhang Shanyue decided to educate his daughter.

Shen Zhao: "Sixty dan a year, which is six thousand coins."

"You know that too." Zhang Shanyue poked her daughter's forehead with her finger: "You spent nearly three hundred coins a day, which is almost as much as your father's monthly food allowance."

Shen Zhao rubbed his forehead and said defensively: "But I earn a lot too. When the tofu is made, I might earn even more."

Zhang Shanyue:
Well, my daughter seemed to be very reasonable and I was convinced again.

So, the mother and daughter began to prepare the ingredients.

Before that, stew the old hen in a ceramic jar.

Shen Zhao lit a handful of grass with a lighter, stuffed it into the stove, and then put a few dry branches in.

When the fire is burning vigorously, add a few thick wooden sticks.

Looking at the small stove eye, she was afraid that she would accidentally poke a hole in the pottery jar.

Alas, it would be better to install the iron pot as soon as possible.

Just as I was daydreaming, my second brother Shen Heng came back pushing a cart with a few bundles of leeks on it.

When Shen Zhao saw the leeks, his eyes lit up and he blurted out, "Mom, shall we make some more leek cakes?"

Zhang Shanyue glared at her daughter, but finally nodded, took down a tattered basket from the hook, grabbed a few handfuls of dried ground vegetables from it, and soaked them in water in a ceramic bowl.

The most delicious pancake is made by putting leeks and ground greens together, but it is a bit difficult to make.

"I'll make leek pancakes later this afternoon." Zhang Shanyue put the leeks into the basket and muttered, "There are already enough dishes for lunch. Even if your father brings back ten people, they will be full."

Shen Zhao agreed.

It’s one thing to entertain guests at home, but you can’t take everything out.

"Huh? Where did the big pot come from?"

As soon as Shen Heng entered the kitchen, he saw the big pot and asked curiously, "Why are there so many dishes today? Are you going to ask a matchmaker to send a betrothal gift to the Cao family?"

He fell asleep immediately last night, and when he woke up in the morning, his father had passed away, so he had no idea what had happened at home.

(End of this chapter)