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

Chapter 40 The price of sheep is too low
As for Shen Zhao, he spent a thousand coins to buy a lot of wood from a neighbor's house and had it delivered to his home.

Not only can these woods be used to make doors, windows and furniture, but the remaining scraps can also be used as firewood for the winter, which really kills two birds with one stone.

Mother Zhang Shanyue also stopped by Uncle Qin's house and saw his daughter running around in the yard. She smiled and said, "Wow! She's so lively. Has the chickenpox healed?"

Xiao smiled and hummed, then bowed to Zhang Shanyue: "I have to thank Chief Shen for the medicine. The worm healed so quickly."

Zhang Shanyue returned the greeting and asked, "Is your husband home? My family bought some wood and wants to make some tools. I wonder if Mr. Qin is free?"

"When I'm free." Mrs. Xiao quickly agreed on behalf of her husband and said, "My husband has gone to the market to sell sheep. He will be back later."

As he was speaking, he saw Qin Zhang limping back home leading two sheep.

"Huh? The sheep hasn't been sold?" Xiao hurriedly went out, took the sheep rope, and put it into the sheep pen.

Qin Zhang nodded and said weakly, "The price of sheep is too cheap now. No one wants a two-year-old sheep for 250 coins. Sigh."

When he looked up, he saw Zhang Shanyue standing in the yard and quickly bowed to her: "It's Sister Zhang, how come you have time to come here?"

Zhang Shanyue smiled and said, "I'm here to ask you to make some home furnishings for my family. Don't worry, we will pay you for your work."

"What are you talking about, Mrs. Zhang? They're just a few pieces of home furnishings. It's not a big deal. I can finish them in a few days. No work required." Qin Zhang said.

Zhang Shanyue smiled: "How can that be possible? Since I'm doing the work, how can I not get paid? I have to pay others to do it anyway. Ah Zhao said that you have good skills, so I must invite you to come."

Qin Zhang scratched his head: "Well, then, just call me whenever you want to do it, and I will be there whenever you call."

"Let's do it tomorrow. I have the tools at home, you can just come over." The daughter said that she would draw the home design drawings tonight, and then Qin Zhang could just follow them.

Qin Zhang: "Okay, I'll go tomorrow."

After leaving Qin Zhang's house, Zhang Shanyue met the mother and daughter of the Cao family halfway.

Cao Qianjun broke off the engagement with her family and married to Yuli Township the day after. It is unknown why she returned home now.

Zhang Shanyue rolled his eyes at the mother and daughter, then went home without looking back.

The mother and daughter of the Cao family did not say anything. They avoided Zhang Shanyue's sight and went to the other side.

"Bah! Such a shameless person! It's a good thing my family didn't marry her!"

Zhang Shanyue cursed inwardly, "I hope your Cao family will continue to be so successful. Only then will I admire your courage!"

When I got home, my son and his cousins had already returned from the market and were discussing making tofu.

"Let's soak one more stone of beans tonight and send them to the county town early tomorrow." Shen De said excitedly.

Shen Heng nodded: "That's fine, but I don't know if Lao Niu can handle it?"

Xiaogu County is about thirty or forty miles away from home. Lao Niu was exhausted after a trip to Wangsha Township today. If he goes to the county right after that, he will probably get sick from exhaustion.

Shen De blinked, then he realized that the old cow also needed to rest and could not walk such a long distance continuously.

Today's round trip is only thirty miles, but the county town is twice as far away as Wangsha Township.

"Then let's carry them." Ah Zhu's father said in a muffled voice: "Ah Heng has a wheelbarrow, we can also put some on it."

"A wheelbarrow can't hold much, at most four sheets of tofu."

If each board is counted as one stone, that is four great stones.

Shen Zhao was listening and said, "Soak two stone of beans first, and we'll talk about this later."

"Okay! Let's soak the beans first." Shen De and A Shi, father and son, quickly sifted the beans they brought back, picked out the mud and bad beans, and then transported them to the river to wash them clean before soaking them in a big bathtub.

After everyone went home to rest, Shen Heng secretly took his sister to count the money. "Hey! Guess how much we earned today?" Shen Heng put the money bag on the small table and poured out a pile of money.

Shen Zhao raised his eyebrows: "How much do you sell a piece of tofu for?"

Previously, they brought eight large plates of tofu, each of which could be cut into 40 coins. If calculated at two coins per piece, it should be 640 coins.

But we still have to deduct the three stone of grain and beans we brought back. If we exchange two pounds of grain or beans for a piece of tofu, we should have two hundred and eighty coins left. But the pile of money in front of us is obviously more than that.

Shen Heng held up three fingers and said, "Three cents a piece. If I were to exchange it with beans, I'd have to exchange it with four catties of beans."

Shen Zhao opened his eyes wide: "So there are 690 coins here?"

Even if the three families divide the money equally, it is still a huge fortune for an ordinary family. If they can earn two or three hundred coins every day, it will be six or seven thousand yuan a month, which is almost as much as my father's annual salary.

"Of course not." Shen Heng grabbed a handful of money and threw it down again, saying proudly, "We each had a big bowl of mutton soup and a piece of naan at the market, which cost us 40 coins. The rest is all here."

Shen Zhao nodded and helped count the money, and in the end it was indeed six hundred and fifty coins.

She thought for a moment and said, "Yesterday, my family contributed one stone of beans. Today, I will return one stone. I will also take out my money for brine. I will also set aside money for firewood. If I don't set aside money, then everyone will contribute firewood."

In the northwest, firewood is also a scarce resource, and it is impossible for us to give it away for free.

Since the three parties are in partnership, these things need to be calculated clearly.

Shen Heng nodded: "These are all written in the deed. Let's ask them to come over and sign it. When we have time, we can ask the head of the village to be a guarantor."

Asking someone to be a guarantor also requires leaving food for them. They have to deliver goods to Xianggu County tomorrow, so they can only wait until they have time to ask for help.

"Okay then, I'll go buy some tofu frames and filter cloths, and you'll have to pay me back for these later." Shen Zhao said, "And the cost of the brine."

"I got it. We will return the money to you when we have enough money." Shen Heng smiled and pushed his sister back to the house.

Shen Zhao returned to the house, closed the door, and started buying wooden frames for making tofu.

They are going to make two large stone beans tonight, which will require an estimated sixteen wooden frames and corresponding filter cloths.

Brine also needs to be purchased, but the cost is too high, so it is more cost-effective to buy gypsum.

So, under Xiaoqing's introduction, Shen Zhao bought 50 kilograms of plaster of Paris and a small scale for weighing it.

You need to mix the dosage yourself, so it is better to use a high-precision scale to weigh it.

Just like that, Shen Zhao spent two thousand coins, which made her heartbroken.

Alas, if I had known earlier, I would have let them wait a few days before expanding the scale. Now they are in a difficult situation.

If Uncle Qin were to do it, it certainly wouldn't cost so much money.

However, thinking that the money could be returned, Shen Zhao gradually felt relieved.

After sending the frame and filter cloth to the kitchen, Shen Zhao used a small scale to weigh the gypsum.

These plasters are all in large chunks and have to be broken into pieces. Then the weighed plasters are wrapped in yellow paper and placed in bamboo baskets for later use.

From now on, I will use one packet for each pot of soy milk to prevent my second brother from making mistakes.

I was busy until the evening and only weighed out a small part.

Shen Zhao put it away and went out to eat.

As a result, as soon as he entered the kitchen, several people came to the house. They were Xue Wangshi and Xue Lingyao, a brother and sister.

(End of this chapter)