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

Chapter 66 Stranger

No mortgage or car loan, and I can sleep until I wake up naturally in the morning.

Stretching, Li Yi felt that it was another beautiful day.

"Good morning, Alang." Yu Se heard the noise in his room and immediately came over to pay her respects. The Silla maid was dressing Li Yi with her hands not being honest. Li Yi pinched her twice in retaliation and then stopped her.

Rejected, Yuse's eyes turned red, and she acted like she was about to cry. She said aggrievedly, "Ah Lang, do you dislike me? Since I came back from Chang'an, you haven't touched me."

"I've been so busy these days that I don't have time."

"Alang must have fallen for Ji."

"Haha, let's go to the bridge to have breakfast." Li Yi scratched her nose. This Silla maid was very cunning. She probably wanted to get pregnant as soon as possible. Then she would be honored as a mother with a child, and at least she could be released and no longer be a lowly slave.

But Li Yi doesn't want to get married or have children now, so he also used Durex when he was in Chang'an.

When I walked out of the room, Ji was already waiting there, "Good morning, Alang."

"morning."

Ji helped him put the towel and tooth powder in place, and served him very attentively. She washed his face, combed his hair, tied it into a bun, put on a scarf, and tied his head.

The sun is rising,

The bridgehead is still very lively.
When Aunt Wu saw Li Yi and the other two coming down, she immediately came over to greet them, "My Lord, what would you like to eat? Sanniang has just bought a Hu stove, and now she's making Hu pancakes. They're crispy and fragrant."

Luo Sanniang is quite capable in running this shop at the bridgehead. Now the variety of breakfast items has expanded. It no longer just sells soy milk, soy bean curd, and millet porridge. Rice dumplings, zongzi, and now Hu pancakes have been added.

"Vegetarian or meat?"

"We have everything," Sanniang came over. "The meat options include frog meat, long-tailed rabbit meat, and big-eyed thief meat. The vegetarian options are sesame and walnut."

Frog meat is purchased from the villagers. They catch it at night and sell it to her, which is also an extra income. Sanniang does not have to spend much money to buy it. The long-tailed rabbit is the white-bellied field mouse of the rice field, and the big-eyed thief is the yellow mouse in the wheat field on the plateau.

Also, I greeted the villagers and bought from them.
Compared to buying pork and mutton, it is much cheaper.

But if it is prepared and handled well, it actually tastes good, and there is no need to be too gimmicky. Just tell the customers directly and the response has been good.

"Three frogs first, and then three bowls of soy milk."

Sanniang nodded and turned to do it. Looking at Li Yi with two beautiful maids, she still felt a little sad.

The frog chicken pancake tastes very good.
The frog meat in the pancake is very tender, and the pancake skin is baked in a hot oven, making it bright yellow and crispy.

Judging from Li Yi's picky taste, frog meat would taste better if it were added with onions, cumin, pepper, and a little oil.

"Last time in Chang'an East Market, I ate Hu pancakes made by a man named Zou Luotuo. His mutton-filled Hu pancakes were the most delicious, with crispy skin and tender meat, and a fresh and fragrant flavor."

"He must have added sheep tail fat to the mutton," said Sanniang.

"Delicious, give me three more." Li Yi was very satisfied, and the two maids quickly said they didn't want any more.

Sanniang really only shoveled a steaming hot Hu pancake from the Hu stove for Li Yi. "The long-tailed rabbit and the big-eyed thief are also delicious. The guests who have eaten them all said they are good. Don't you want to try them?"

Li Yi smiled and shook his head. To be honest, he still had some resistance to rat meat, although in the eyes of the country people, it was a rare delicacy, and even yellow tail was loved by princes and nobles.

"I heard from merchants from Chang'an that the price of grain in Chang'an is still very high and has not fallen. The court has opened the Changping warehouse to release grain to stabilize the price of grain, but it has just prevented the price of grain from rising further," Sanniang told him.

"What's the price now?"

"It's still a dou of rice and two rolls of silk, which is worth more than 7,000 coins per dan."

Li Yi was not surprised by the news. Although there was a great victory at Changwu, after the defeat at Qianshuiyuan, a stalemate had formed on the front line.
Xue Ju was not repulsed;

The people of Chang'an were also always uneasy.

Food prices are the best reflection.

If it weren't for the great victory at Changwu, the price of grain in Chang'an would probably still be rising.

"You previously transported more than 100 stones of grain to Chang'an to sell. Did you lose money?" Sanniang asked.

"Why would I lose money? I bought all my food at 360 yuan per bushel, and I can earn half a thousand yuan per bushel by transporting it. I can make a lot of money in one trip."

"But now it's over 700 yuan a bushel, and it might even go up."

"It won't go up any more, Xue Ju. A rabbit's tail can't grow long. Once he loses, the price of grain will fall immediately. A peck of rice and a piece of silk are already too high. How can it always be possible to get two pieces of silk for a peck of rice?"

Li Yi has no food now, otherwise he would take it all to Chang'an to make a fortune.

Township Chief Wang and Village Chief Wang both had plenty of grain, but unfortunately, seeing the price, they were even more reluctant to sell. Li Yi had tried to persuade them, but unfortunately, it could only be said that they were too short-sighted to make any money beyond their expectations.

After breakfast, Li Yi went to the west courtyard workshop.

Two maids accompanied him. One was the accountant and the other the cashier. They picked up the job quickly and were basically in charge of the workshop's finances. In the west yard, there were four large mills, and four mules were grinding beans.

The most profitable bean curd shop, with thirty large pots constantly boiling pulp and removing skin, rows of stoves, rows of drying poles,
There are now ten women making bean curd sheets: two grinding the pulp, six boiling the pulp and removing the skin, and two drying, baking and packaging them.

"Now, a pot can be fished out in just one and a half hours. After two soakings, each pot can produce more than three kilograms of finished yuba. Each pot can be used for four rounds a day, producing 15 kilograms of yuba."

Thirty pots can produce 450 kilograms of food a day if they are fully operational.

This output has increased significantly and the efficiency is very high.

The big pots are processed for twelve hours a day, and one person has to take care of five pots, which is quite hard work, especially in this summer, with so many pots, it is as hot as a steamer.

Ji was in charge of the accounts and told Li Yi that the production of bean curd sheets had increased, but it still couldn't keep up with the sales. Wuji bean curd sheets had a good reputation and spread quickly.
Now, those big temples inside and outside Chang'an City are becoming customers one after another, and orders are increasing steadily. Famous nobles like Wei Du of Jingzhao also make purchases frequently.

Yushuchuan bean curd sheets have now become a well-known specialty of Chang'an.

Just from the bean curd sheets, we now earn tens of thousands of dollars a day, which is an astonishing profit.

The main costs were beans and firewood. Beans were 2,600 coins per dan, and pine firewood was 200 coins per dan—not expensive at all. Labor was also cheap. Sanniang and her sisters-in-law, with two meals included, earned only seven dou of millet a month. Although food prices had risen sharply recently, the workshop had already stockpiled a supply of beans, so it wasn't affected for the time being.

Li Yi is very satisfied with the current status of the workshop.
There was no need to go door-to-door to sell products anymore; word of mouth spread and business came naturally. The strong sales of yuba (bean curd sheets), tofu puffs, and natto even boosted the business of tofu, thousand sheets, and bean sprouts. Many temples and nobles who ordered yuba (bean curd sheets) would also order some tofu, bean sprouts, and other items.

Originally, the tofu business was not very profitable. In the past, Luo Er could only barely make a living. But now, because Li Yi's workshop has so many orders, they can even make the tofu after the order is placed and then deliver it to the door. There is no need to worry about sales, and the profit is still good.

With four mules, eighteen women, and Luo Er as the manager, Li Yi's workshop is now thriving.

There was already a considerable amount of silk and grain in Ji's account.

Li Yi never thought that this business would be so profitable and so easy to make money.

A pound of bean curd sheets costs one dou of rice, and bean curd sheets are as expensive as salt.

This workshop now has a stable business, with a daily turnover of 100,000 yuan. It is truly a cash cow.

"The demand for yuba is exceeding the supply. Do you want to add more pots and stoves and more people?"

The net profit of one pound of bean curd sheets is more than one hundred yuan. Adding a pot can make an extra one or two thousand yuan a day.

"Let's take it easy," Li Yi said after a moment's consideration. "Everyone has worked hard during this period, so I won't promise you anything. I'll reward everyone with two dou of millet. Uncle Luo has worked very hard as the steward, so I'll give him five dou."

No matter how much you say, nothing can motivate employees better than real rewards.

The basic salary will remain unchanged for the time being, but performance-based pay can be increased.

"This reward will be distributed today. Yu Shu, you take care of it."

"Also, the villagers who worked in the rice and wheat fields at home received the promised grain payment upon completion of their work on the same day."

Li Yi didn't have to worry about his own fifty mu of wheat and rice, which he had handed over to the village's Shi Gou. Shi Gou was one of the village's headmen, over sixty years old. When he was born, the family's female dog had just given birth to a litter of nine puppies. He was born a little later, so his family named him Shi Gou.

Li Yi entrusted his family's fields to Shi Gou to help take care of them, and gave him three dou of grain a month. He was asked to release water and patrol the fields on a regular basis. If there was any work to do such as fertilizing and weeding, he would help hire villagers as day laborers, and he would give them two liters of millet a day, not including food.

Uncle Shigou is still very dedicated. He takes good care of Li Yi's crops. Because of the manure from the toilets in the service area, his crops grow much better than those of the villagers.

"Yesterday, the bald man from the village came to borrow money, saying he wanted to rebuild a few cave dwellings."

Li Yi knew this bald man. He had lost his head in his forties. His wife made bean curd sheets in Li Yi's workshop. She used to be very thin, but now she has been doing this job for about a month. She eats two meals a day at Li Yi's house and has gained weight. Everyone started calling her Aunt Fat.

"My principle is to help in emergencies but not in poverty. His current cave house is still habitable. If he wants to move into a new cave house, he can slowly save money and food."

This bald guy is a bit lazy and likes to beat his wife and children. Li Yi doesn't like him very much.

People often come to Li Yi to borrow money and food. Li Yi lends money based on the situation. For those who are unable to make ends meet or who need money for an emergency, Li Yi usually lends some money. But for those who want to repair a house or do something else, like Baldy, Li Yi usually doesn't lend money.

He would rather provide more lucrative jobs for everyone.

evening,

After work, Aunt Pang had a full dinner under the ginkgo tree in the west yard, and then went to the well to wash the dishes with satisfaction. Today's dinner consisted of enough millet rice, a boiled eggplant, a stewed mixed fish, and an egg drop soup.

Dishes with oil and salt are delicious when eaten with rice. Aunt Pang ate several bowls.

"It's time to distribute the grain. Alang said that everyone has worked hard during this period, so each person will be rewarded with two dou of millet, and Uncle Luo will be rewarded with five dou. Come over here to receive the grain and put your fingerprints on it." Ji came to the yard with the account book and shouted to everyone.

Aunt Pang borrowed a bag, carried her two buckets of millet, and went home happily.

Back to the earthen cave at the foot of the cliff,
"Boss, the village chief has given us a reward. Each of us has received two dou of millet. Look."

As soon as she entered the room, Aunt Pang discovered that there were several strangers in the house.

(End of this chapter)