A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Starting from the Village Chief

Chapter 19 Sold out

It was dawn.

The yellow-haired girl Sanniang had already broken into Li Yi's room and disturbed his sweet dream.

"Hurry, it's dawn, time to set up the stall."

Li Yi rubbed his sleepy eyes and said, "It's still early."

"It's getting late, hurry up and get up, don't miss the time."

Li Yi got up helplessly, yawned, and stretched. Sanniang walked out the door without forgetting to tell him, "Remember to change into clean clothes."

West Wing Kitchen,

When Xiuzhi saw him get up, she immediately filled a basin with clean water and prepared a towel and a boar bristle toothbrush for him, which made Li Yi a little uncomfortable.

"Come and try the soy milk and tofu pudding I made," Sanniang said hurriedly.

By the time Li Yi finished washing up, Luo Sanniang had already brought two bowls of breakfast, one bowl of soy milk and one bowl of tofu pudding, both still steaming.

Try soy milk first.

"How about it?"

“Rich and smooth, very good.”

Try the tofu pudding again, it’s tender and smooth.

It is really nice to have a sip of soy milk and a spoonful of tofu pudding early in the morning.

However, it lacks the original flavor. In order to enhance the aroma and taste, the soy milk in breakfast shops in later generations will be ground with walnuts, sesame seeds, peanuts, fragrant rice, red dates, etc., and even some white sugar can be added to increase the sweetness.

Tofu pudding is eaten salty and spicy in the north, and sweet in the south. Some are added with soy sauce or sugar, while some are more particular and add broth with minced garlic, chili oil, green onions, coriander, etc. The taste varies from store to store.

"Your tofu pudding is really good. It's very tender and smooth, and it's piled high above the rim of the bowl. It looks jiggly, but it doesn't fall off. Amazing." Li Yi praised and asked, "How much soy milk and tofu pudding can you make from this pound of soybeans?"

Sanniang told him a surprising result.
"Ten jin. Soy milk and tofu pudding both come from one jin of beans."

"How can it produce so much? The old tofu only produces two and a half kilograms."

Sanniang told him that the more tender the soy milk and tofu pudding, the better. Of course, it was not easy for most people to make so much tofu pudding and soy milk. She did not hide it from Li Yi and told him that the key step was to wash the soy milk.

Soak the soybeans thoroughly, until they're doubled in size and free of any hard core. Then, prepare four buckets of water for grinding the soybeans. Use one bucket for grinding the beans, and the remaining three buckets for washing and grinding the soybean milk three times. This way, you'll get a larger volume of milk.

In this way, by cooking the soy milk and adding the brine, you can naturally get ten kilograms of soy milk or tofu pudding, and the soy milk will be smooth and the tofu pudding will be tender.

Sanniang prepared a pottery bowl,
One bowl is almost one pound of soy milk or tofu pudding.

"How much do you think is a reasonable price for a bowl?" Sanniang asked.

"Your old tofu is 20 wen a pound, and your soft tofu is 10 wen a pound. I think our soy milk and tofu pudding are only 10 wen a bowl."

"Isn't that too expensive? One pound of soybeans only produces two and a half pounds of firm tofu or five pounds of soft tofu, but we can produce ten pounds of tofu pudding or soy milk."

"Each steamed bun costs twenty cents, so we can't sell it too cheap, right?"

"How about five cents a bowl?" Sanniang felt that selling it for five cents would be profitable, after all, one pound of beans could produce ten bowls.

Li Yi shook his head and said that the prices should be based on other prices.

"How about two bowls for fifteen cents?"

"Then other people only eat one bowl? Eight cents a bowl?"

"One bowl is ten cents, and the second bowl is half the price." Li Yi said with a smile.

"what?"

"Stop it, hurry up and eat. After we finish eating, we'll go downstairs and open the stall."

Breakfast was soy milk and tofu pudding made by Sanniang herself, and everyone was able to taste this delicious food.

While it's still early,

Everyone helped to carry the buckets of soy milk and tofu pudding that Sanniang had made to the tree at the north bank of the courtyard.

Set up a simple wooden table, put a pile of ceramic bowls and wooden spoons on it, and you are open for business.

On the first day of business, the products were extremely simple, just original soy milk and original tofu pudding. There were no fried dough sticks, steamed buns, or dumplings, nor millet porridge, glutinous rice, sesame pancakes, etc., let alone appetizers such as sour beans, spicy shredded radish, and sour and spicy shredded kelp.

There is only one seasoning for soy milk and tofu pudding. You can add some salt and sprinkle some chopped green onions according to customer needs. Of course, there is no other seasoning such as sugar, honey, and soy sauce.

The price was also based on Li Yi's suggestion, ten cents per bowl, and the second bowl was half the price.

This price is higher than the profit of selling tofu at the market.
"Someone is coming," Sanniang shouted excitedly. On the road on the south bank of the bridge, a group of people were driving mules and horses towards them. There were seven or eight people and more than a dozen mules and horses. It should be a caravan.

It was so early, Li Yi probably didn't come out of Chang'an City in the morning, he must have come from Weiqiao in the morning. Judging from the looks of it, he was probably going to Ziwu Pass.

These long-distance businessmen are exactly Li Yi's target customers.

Not many villagers passing by are willing to drink soy milk and eat tofu pudding.

"Hurry up and shout," Li Yi said with a smile, and asked Gousheng and a few others to bring the prepared grass.

As soon as the pedestrians stepped onto the bridge, Sanniang quickly scooped a bowl of soy milk and tofu pudding and placed them on the table.

"Have you all come from Weiqu this morning, heading for Ziwuguan? You've already walked fifteen miles this early in the morning. Come rest here. We have hot soy milk and tofu pudding, both freshly made. Ten cents a bowl, and the second bowl is half price."

Sanniang is a brave person. She has followed her father to the market to sell tofu since she was a child. She is also eloquent and not at all stage-frightened. She goes up to greet people directly.

"We brought some dry food." said a man.

"Bring some dry food and take a break. We have free sweet well water here. Drink some water and rest your feet. Let the mule rest and drink water too. We also have some dry straw for the mule to chew on."

Her enthusiasm left a good impression on the old man leading the team.

"We often walk this road, but we've never seen any stalls selling soy milk or tofu pudding here before."

"I used to sell tofu at the market, and today is my first time at this stall. Uncles, please help me support the opening of this business."

Li Yi also stepped forward at this time, "Everyone, take a break. Our flower soy milk is special. It's called Xishi soy milk. It's tender, smooth and refreshing. You will know after trying it. If it doesn't taste good, you don't have to pay."

One big man joked, "This girl is really pretty, but I don't know if the soy milk tastes good. If it doesn't taste good, do you really want to pay for it?"

"Of course. If it doesn't taste good, not only will you not have to pay, you can even scold me." Li Yi said, patting his chest.

Everyone laughed.

The old man leading the group said, "It smells delicious from afar. Let's try it. Two bowls per person, and the second bowl is half price, right?"

"The first bowl is ten cents per person, and the rest are half price."

Nowadays, a steamed bun costs 20 coins, but this tofu pudding costs 10 coins a bowl, and the second bowl is even half price, which is still quite affordable.

They did set out from Weiqiao and traveled fifteen miles in one breath. They were a little hungry now. Although they brought some dry food with them, it was not as delicious as the fragrant tofu pudding and soy milk.

There were eight people, and each of them ordered two bowls of tofu pudding. It was obvious that they thought tofu pudding was more filling and cost-effective than soy milk.

"Would you like some salt and chopped green onions?"

"Add more salt," they said in unison.

"Sesame oil, it's freshly squeezed and very fragrant."

"add,"

"Do you want extra money?" the old man asked.

"Need not."

"Then add more, hahaha." "Okay, sixteen bowls of tofu pudding, add more chopped green onions, fine salt and sesame oil." Li Yi shouted with a smile.

Sanniang quickly opened the wooden barrel containing the tofu pudding and began to scoop it deftly. Her movements were very skillful, and a few spoonfuls were just enough for a bowl. Moreover, she was able to scoop the tofu pudding into a compact piece, which piled up in the bowl, trembling and about to fall off, highlighting the extraordinary quality of the tofu pudding.

Li Yize helped by sprinkling chopped green onions and fine salt, and finally pouring some freshly squeezed sesame oil.

The conditions are simple,
There were no chairs or stools, but people didn't care.
Everyone came and took a bowl, then sat down and started eating.

The fresh and hot tofu pudding, although only with a little chopped green onion, salt and sesame oil, was praised by the caravan members.

Twenty cents can only buy a steamed bun or a large piece of tofu, but at this stall you can eat three bowls of tofu pudding with added ingredients.

The old leader looked dry, but he finished two bowls of tofu pudding in one breath, then looked at the fragrant soy milk over there and ordered another bowl.

Sprinkle some chopped green onions and fine salt into the soy milk. Soy milk is already very fragrant, so there is no need to add sesame oil.

"Your soy milk is delicious, fragrant and thick. I thought it was just water."

The guys here were eating tofu pudding, and over there, Gousheng and his children helped to get grass to feed the mules, and Xiuzhi also helped the caravan people refill their water bags and gourds with well water.

"It tastes really good. Will you set up a tofu pudding stall here every day?"

"Um,"

The first business was surprisingly smooth, and the caravan gave it great praise. At last count, eight people had eaten 28 bowls.

Basically everyone ate three bowls, and four people ate four bowls.

A total of one hundred and eighty coins,

The merchant was quite satisfied and asked, "Can I pay you with half a piece of silk?"

"A piece of silk is now worth three hundred and sixty coins, and half a piece of silk is exactly one hundred and eighty coins. It's just right and it's fine." Li Yi had no objection to paying with copper coins or silk.

During the Sui and Tang dynasties, both money and silk were used. Although silk was inconvenient to divide, half a piece or a quarter of a piece was generally acceptable. Any smaller amount was not acceptable, as it would destroy the value of the silk.

Half a piece of silk is two zhang, and a quarter of a piece is one zhang, which will not reduce the value of the silk.

"The people have rested and eaten, and the mules have also had water and rest. It's really nice."

The team leader happily took half a piece of raw silk from the mule. Li Yi and Sanniang also started to check it and confirmed that the size and quality were correct. The transaction was then completed.

The caravan was in no hurry to leave, but sat under a tree and chatted for a while.

Li Yi also took the opportunity to take out some bean curd sheets to show the old man from the caravan. During the conversation just now, Li Yi had learned that this old man was not an ordinary person. He was the manager of a caravan of the Jingzhao Wei family. He specialized in running the trade route from Chang'an to Hanzhong, trading goods and making a lot of money for the Wei family every year.

They went to Hanzhong mainly to sell medicinal herbs.

"This is?"

"This is called yuba, also made from beans. Soak it in water for an hour or two until it expands. It can be eaten with meat or vegetables, roasted, stir-fried, served cold, or in soup. It's refreshing and fragrant, and both meat and vegetable dishes have unique flavors, and it's also very nutritious."

Li Yi also took it out to promote after knowing that they were the Wei family's caravan.
Manager Wei took one and looked at it left and right, even broke off a little and put it in his mouth to try, but he had no intention of buying it.

"I'll pack some for you, brother. You can soak it and try cooking. If you like it, you can sell it with other products. We are the only one who can have this kind of bean curd in the whole world. It's a good thing that can't be found anywhere else."

"How much is this bean curd sheet?"

"One hundred and fifty coins per jin,"

This price surprised Manager Wei. "You're charging the same price as pork."

"Pork is just cheap meat, even the nobles wouldn't even bother eating it. But my dried bean curd sheets are a premium product that can't be found anywhere else. Although they're vegetarian, there are many wealthy people in the world who eat vegetarian food."

Manager Wei immediately thought of the wealthy vegetarian monks and the Buddhist laypeople.

"The price is a bit high." Manager Wei said.

Li Yi just smiled and said, "How about I give Manager Wei ten kilograms, and you can take Xiaoxiao with you and try it?"

Manager Wei was still hesitating, but Li Yi immediately offered his trump card, "You don't have to pay first. You can sell them first and settle the bill in a month. If you don't sell them all, you can return the rest to me."

Manager Wei pondered for a moment, not knowing what he was thinking, and finally agreed.

This matter did not seem to have much risk. With many years of business experience, he intuitively felt that bean curd sheets were a good thing, especially since Li Yi reminded him that those wealthy vegetarian monks and lay Buddhists were good sales targets.

There's nothing to lose by bringing some goods to try.

"You trust me so much, why don't you sell it first and pay later?" Manager Wei asked.

"of course."

"Okay, then I'll take ten kilograms and try to sell them. See you in a month, Brother Wuyi." Manager Wei and the others continued on their journey. Li Yi saw them off. Because of a bowl of tofu pudding, the two became business partners.

It is five or six hundred miles to Hanzhong. Going south along the Ziwu Road, crossing mountains and ridges, the road is quite difficult. It takes the caravan about half a month to reach Hanzhong, trade and purchase there, and then return, which takes almost a month.

"Take care, bro. I wish you a safe and smooth journey!"

"Thank you for your good words, I'm leaving."

The caravan led the mules and horses away gradually.

Sanniang's face turned red with excitement and she was about to jump up.

"I didn't expect that I would sell half a piece of silk on my first day of business this morning."

She really admires Li Yi very much.

"Look, more people are coming, on horseback, several of them, hurry up and greet them." Li Yi was also very happy. The price of bean curd sheets was 150 coins per catty, and Manager Wei was willing to take 10 catties for trial sales. This shows that in the eyes of an old businessman like Manager Wei, this thing also has business opportunities.

Li Yi was not worried that he would cheat him out of ten kilograms of bean curd sheets. The reputation of Jingzhao Wei was definitely more valuable than these ten kilograms of bean curd sheets.

Sanniang went forward and called out, and sure enough, this second group also wanted to have a bowl of tofu pudding and rest their legs. Those who could afford to ride a mule these days could certainly afford a bowl of tofu pudding at ten cents, not to mention the second bowl was half price.

If you drink two bowls, each bowl costs only seven and a half cents. If you drink three bowls, each bowl costs less than seven cents.

Affordable price,

After tasting it, everyone praised it highly.

The second and third waves, when the sun rose, more and more people passed by the Luojiawan wooden bridge. Many people were willing to stop and rest, eat a bowl of tofu pudding, or drink a bowl of soy milk.

Of course, if you just want to take a break, the stall also provides free cool sweet well water or boiled water.

Early in the morning, the bridge was bustling with people, and the stalls under the big tree at the bridge head were also very lively.

It only took two hours for all the tofu pudding and soy milk that Sanniang had prepared in advance to be sold out.

There were more than 300 bowls of Wudoudou’s tofu pudding and soy milk, which were sold for more than 2,000 yuan. They were all sold out.

"It's not enough. I'll go back and ask my father and sisters-in-law to do more." Sanniang was excited but also felt sorry.

Li Yi said, "How can we have enough time? It takes half a day to soak the beans, and we have to grind them into pulp. Today's good results are unexpected. Let's soak more beans and make more tomorrow."

"But it's still early!"

"Then let's not close the stall yet. Let's provide everyone with some free boiled water and sweet well water, and promote our soy milk and tofu pudding. In business, the key is to keep it steady and sustainable."

Li Yi called Xiuzhi and her two daughters, "I'll take you to Fengjiabao to see Mr. Dong for a checkup, and then buy some fabric. I'll also take a look at some custom-made cookware."

Xiuzhi thought it was unnecessary to see a doctor and waste money, but Li Yi thought it was necessary. He didn't know if they had any infectious diseases, but he did find lice and fleas on their hair, and even the Shuanzhu brothers had some skin diseases.

If you don't get treatment, you will infect yourself.

"When are you going to Nianwan Mati Temple?" Sanniang was still thinking about the sales of bean curd sheets and fried tofu.

"Let's go to Fengjiabao first, and then to Nianwan in the afternoon."

(End of this chapter)