Drive to the Tang Dynasty, where supplies are refreshed daily!

Chapter 41 Chestnut Prices Rise!

Li Lizhi looked at Princess Chengyang, "Does Fanyin like it?"

"I like it, it's delicious," Princess Chengyang said.

"These must taste even better when they're freshly made," Princess Yuzhang said, looking at the roasted chestnuts. "I just don't know how they're roasted."

"Is the West Market inhabited by Hu people?" Li Li asked.

“No, it’s a shop owned by the Tang people,” Princess Yuzhang said.

The messenger immediately delivered the letter and money to Zhang Mingde's home in Kaolao Village.

Upon seeing the letter and a bag of money, Zhang Jinhe was overjoyed.

I never expected my grandfather's product to be so expensive and so sought after.

This profit is terrifying.

“Grandpa, Grandpa, it’s a letter from Father.” Zhang Jinhe ran back to the main room.

Even Zhang Mingde was astonished after reading the letter; this was incredibly lucrative.

Zhang Jinhe carried the money. "Grandpa, I need to go find the young master and ask if I can make some to send over."

"Jinniang, since these roasted chestnuts are profitable, let's discuss with the young master about raising the purchase price a little."

“Grandpa, needless to say, the young master can do it too.” Zhang Jinhe knew what kind of person Xiao Ran was.

"Go ahead!" Zhang Mingde would be very pleased if Xiao Ran and Zhang Jinhe could bring some income to the villagers.

Xiao Ran and Zhang Dalang were busy building the cowshed, while Zhang Erya and San Niang were also busy drying persimmons.

Now we really don't have to go out to work anymore, and we don't have to worry about not having enough to eat.

There's still plenty of millet left from the previous reward, so we won't go hungry.

"Young Master," Zhang Jinhe called out.

"Sister!"

Zhang Jinhe didn't see Xiao Ran, but she did see Xiao Hei next to San Niang.

Xiao Ran walked over from the other side. "What's wrong?"

“My father wrote that all the roasted chestnuts have been sold out and are very popular. He asked us to send some more over.”

Hearing Zhang Jinhe's words, Zhang Dalang and Zhang Erya were also happy.

“My father sold each serving for five coins, which is about two ounces, for a total of seven hundred and twenty coins.”

Upon hearing this number, Zhang Erya was startled.

Xiao Ran nodded, "It is indeed profitable. Go and prepare some more chestnuts, and price them a little higher so that the villagers don't suffer losses."

"Is ten coins for one bushel feasible?"

"Won't this affect the workers in your house?" Xiao Ran asked.

“Chestnuts are only found on the mountain, and the quantity is limited. They’ve been picked almost all by now, and each family doesn’t have many left, so it won’t affect the wages.” Zhang Jinhe hadn’t expected Xiao Ran to think of this.

"Then let's buy chestnuts for ten coins a bushel!"

Zhang Jinhe nodded. "The cost of the iron pot shouldn't be counted as the young master's; it should be included in the operating costs."

Zhang Jinhe returned the money to Xiao Ran and used the proceeds from the sale to make up the difference for himself.

"And the firewood that Dalang gave us before, that also needs to be paid for, it can't be burned for nothing." Zhang Jinhe counted the money and gave it to Zhang Dalang.

Xiao Ran nodded, "That's definitely the case. We'll need a lot of firewood later, not just chestnuts, but also firewood."

"And what about those things you put there, young master? How much do you want for them?" Zhang Jinhe didn't know what Xiao Ran had put there.

“I don’t have much of that, so we can’t keep using it. We need to use maltose instead. If there’s no maltose in the village, we’ll have to buy wheat and make it ourselves.” Xiao Ran had already thought of a substitute that could be developed in the long term.

"How about we charge the young man the price of maltose then?"

“No problem!” Xiao Ran didn’t care about that, but Zhang Jinhe preferred to keep things clear.

You can't pretend you don't know these things.

They even gave Zhang Erya some money, saying it was for venue fees, since the event was held at Zhang Erya's house.

Zhang Erya also helped wash the chestnuts.

After deducting these costs, the net profit from a bushel of chestnuts is still over 150 coins.

Compared to this, farming really doesn't seem very interesting.

Zhang Jinhe brought over the ledger; having been influenced by Zhang Huaicai, he knew a little about bookkeeping.

The handwriting is a bit messy, but otherwise there's nothing wrong with it.

After settling the previous accounts, the remaining money needs to be used to buy raw chestnuts and firewood.

Zhang Jinhe and Zhang Erya pushed a deer cart and began harvesting chestnuts.

They also asked Zhang Dalang to help carry back a few bundles of firewood.

Zhang Dalang's family had firewood, but they also needed it for their own household, so they saved it for the winter.

We can only buy from other people in the village.

The price of chestnuts at ten coins per bushel shocked the villagers, who rushed to sell them to Zhang Jinhe.

The news spread quickly throughout the village, and many women and children, carrying baskets, went back into the mountains in groups of three or five.

If you can find chestnuts, then go for them. If you can't find chestnuts, you can gather some firewood. You won't lose anything anyway.

By the time Zhang Jinhe and Zhang Erya returned with chestnuts, Xiao Ran's sand and gravel were almost heated up.

This time, five bushels were prepared.

While Xiao Ran was cooking, Zhang Jinhe had already arranged for someone to send it to Chang'an City as soon as it was done.

Knowing that roasted chestnuts were so expensive, Zhang Dalang and Zhang Erya felt a pang of regret. They didn't sell any of their own yesterday; they ate them all themselves.

Because of Xiao Ran, he now eats three meals a day.

Xiao Ran didn't bring anything in the morning, so he just cooked some millet porridge.

After the chestnuts were delivered, Zhang Jinhe didn't leave immediately. Instead, she followed Zhang Erya and pinched persimmons.

"Young master, what are you doing?" Zhang Jinhe asked curiously.

"Making persimmon cakes!" Xiao Ran also went over to take a look. "I just don't know if it will be successful. If it can be taught to others, they can make it themselves. It tastes much better than just drying them."

Aside from peeling and squeezing, it seems like nothing else is done.

Zhang Jinhe and Zhang Erya had no idea what the finished product would look like.

This year, Kaolao Village has had an unprecedentedly good tax collection; for the first time, all taxes have been collected.

The reason is that there will be no taxes for the next three years, so we can borrow some money this year and pay it back next year.

This made things much easier for Zhang Mingde.

When the sugar-roasted chestnuts were delivered to Zhangji Grain Store again, Zhang Huaicai immediately put the wooden sign that read "Sugar-Roasted Chestnuts" outside.

"Madam, send it to the master first," Zhang Huaicai urged. "It tastes better when it's hot."

"I'll go right away. Don't forget to leave some for Dalang," Qin Shi added.

"Okay, okay, I understand, I understand."

"Freshly roasted chestnuts, fragrant and sweet roasted chestnuts!" As Zhang Huaicai called out, a crowd quickly gathered around.

Zhang Huaicai had almost forgotten that he was a grain seller.

All I can think about right now is roasted chestnuts.

Xiao Ran doesn't need to give Zhang Huaicai any money; Zhang Huaicai's share will be given by Zhang Jinhe.

Since we're all family, it's the same whether we give it to Zhang Huaicai or Zhang Jinhe.

The two little princesses of the Rijō-den Palace wanted more food after finishing their meal and also wanted to go out for a stroll.

She kept asking Li Lizhi to take her out to play.

"Let's go to the West Market and see if they still have any roasted chestnuts." Li Lizhi actually wanted to go find Xiao Ran.

However, Kaolao Village is a bit remote, so she definitely can't go there by herself.

Li Shimin and Empress Zhangsun were worried.

"Hehe~ Mmm-hmm~" The little princess tugged at Li Lizhi.

Li Lizhi looked at Empress Zhangsun, seeking her opinion.

Empress Zhangsun nodded slightly, indicating that there was no problem in Chang'an.

"Sixth Sister, let's go together, I don't know where it is," Li Lizhi called out.

"it is good."

A carriage was prepared, and the four sisters left the palace and headed straight for the West Market.

Li Lizhi wasn't a glutton; she simply wanted to get out and relax. Her two little princesses, however, were definitely little foodies.

"Sister, it's over there. There are still a lot of people at Zhang's Grain Shop."

Li Lizhi looked in the direction Princess Yuzhang pointed and indeed saw a large group of people crowded together.

I also saw a wooden sign for roasted chestnuts.

The carriage stopped in front of Zhang's Grain Shop. Princess Yuzhang said, "Xiangcao, buy more of what Sizi Fanyin likes."

"Yes, ma'am."

Vanilla squeezed through the crowd and soon came out with roasted chestnuts.

However, all I had was a serving of roasted chestnuts.

"Why is there only one serving?" Princess Yuzhang asked.

"My lady, these are all that's left. I asked, and they said there will be more tomorrow."

Li Lizhi picked up one, "It's okay if there aren't any more, these are enough. Roasted chestnuts taste better when they're hot."

"Hey, hey~" The little princess grabbed a roasted chestnut, "Big sister, I want one~"

"Good, good, good!" Li Lizhi peeled the skin off the little princess.

The chestnut shells were hard, and the little princess really couldn't peel them.

“My lady, I asked around, and these roasted chestnuts have nothing to do with the Hu people; they come from Kaolao Village,” Xiangcao added.

"Isn't Kaolao Village the village that produced the curved plow a few days ago?" Princess Yuzhang also knew about it.

When Li Lizhi heard the name Kaolao Village, she thought of Xiao Ran.

“Kaolao Village?” Li Lizhi smiled.

"The shopkeeper is from Kaolao Village. He said this was made in the village and delivered here," Xiangcao continued.

Seeing her two younger sisters enjoying their food, Li Lizhi was certain that the roasted chestnuts must have been made by Xiao Ran as well.

Since Li Lizhi couldn't produce any evidence, it seemed like it must be Xiao Ran.

The four sisters returned to the palace, holding hands as they entered the front hall, where they saw Li Shimin there as well.

"Ah-yeah~ I'm here!" The little princess ran towards Li Shimin.

"Hehe, very good." Li Shimin held the little princess, overjoyed.

"A-Ya-Ya-Tai-Wo ...

"Father, please have the Imperial Kitchen prepare it. Shall we have fish for dinner tonight?"

"No~" the little princess shook her head, "Little Nangjun's is the best~"

The little princess wants to go find Xiao Ran.

"Playing with the big dog~"

"When Father has time, let's go fishing!" Li Shimin patted the little princess's head.

"Hmmmm~"

"Father, try these roasted chestnuts. Si Zi Fan Yin really likes them." Li Lizhi placed the few remaining chestnuts on the table.

"I just heard your mother say that, so I'll try it and see what it tastes like." Li Shimin picked up a piece.

"Father, it's delicious, a little sweet," said Princess Chengyang.

"Hey duck, hey duck~ Good morning~"

“Father, the roasted chestnuts are sold at Zhang’s Grain Shop in the West Market. The shopkeeper is from Kaolao Village, and the chestnuts are made and delivered from Kaolao Village,” Li Lizhi said.

"Kaolao Village? Isn't Xiao Ran from Kaolao Village?" I hadn't paid attention to this village before, but I've recently remembered it because of Xiao Ran.

"Hmm, I think the roasted chestnuts might have been made by the young master."

Li Shimin ate one and nodded, "If it's Kaolao Village, it might really be Xiao Ran."

"A bushel of raw chestnuts isn't worth much, but this batch of chestnuts costs five coins. The profit is really not low."

Li Shimin pondered, "The villagers must be selling chestnuts at a pretty good price."

Xiao Ran's personality doesn't seem like that of someone who would try to negotiate a lower price.

After two meetings, I felt that Xiao Ran was very generous.

"They should be given a fair price."

"When we have time, let's go to Kaolao Village to check on things." Li Shimin picked up a roasted chestnut and started peeling it for the two little princesses.

Upon hearing that they were offering a high price for chestnuts, many villagers brought chestnuts to Zhang Erya's house.

The price of ten coins was indeed tempting enough.

Three bushels of millet cost only nine coins.

Zhang Jinhe and Xiao Ran did not refuse the gifts that were offered to them, and accepted them at the price of ten coins each.

More and more people started heading into the mountains, and the few chestnuts that were left were picked clean.

There are no chestnuts on the trees this season; they've all fallen to the ground. You can still pick some up by brushing aside the leaves on the ground.

“Young master, I asked you before if you wanted to buy persimmons,” Zhang Jinhe said.

"Let's skip today and go collect some tomorrow. Buy a little from each family, not too much. If we can make persimmon cakes, we can make more money by making them ourselves."

Xiao Ran ran to get his two boxes; he wanted to go fishing.

"Big Brother, take the big iron pot and go to the river to cut grass. We need to gather some fodder," Xiao Ran called out.

"Okay!" Although he didn't know why he had to bring the big iron pot, Zhang Dalang did as he was told.

Zhang Erya and San Niang went to fetch the sickle.

Zhang Jinhe stared intently at Xiao Ran's two boxes, having never seen anything like them before.

Xiao Ran wanted to let the group try his cooking, so he stewed a pot of fish.

"Jinniang, if you have nothing else to do, let's go together!"

Zhang Jinhe was puzzled. "What is the young master doing?"

"Go fishing and try my cooking."

"Okay, if there's nothing else, I'll go take a look." Zhang Jinhe wanted to see what Xiao Ran's box looked like.

Zhang Jinhe couldn't possibly be without things to do; he just didn't have to do them himself.

She has a lot of things to do at home, and she hires workers to do all the work.

They provide meals, the wages are fair, and they have a pretty good reputation in the village.

Zhang Jinhe is also quite good at interpersonal relationships.

Although her personality is unlike other girls, she understands social etiquette and social dynamics.

The group chatted and laughed as they reached the riverbank.

Xiao Ran chose a suitable fishing spot.

Zhang Dalang looked around, picked up a sickle, and began cutting grass nearby.

There aren't many cows in the village, and no one raises pigs, so there's a lot of weeds.

San Niang and Xiao Hei guarded Xiao Ran, while Zhang Jinhe watched curiously as Xiao Ran took out fishing rods and other items.

Xiao Ran had never seen any of these things before.

Zhang Jinhe knew about fishing rods and had seen them before, but he had never seen Xiao Ran's kind of fishing rod before.

Zhang Jinhe looked around and then followed Zhang Dalang and Zhang Erya to cut grass.

Although he didn't prepare the bait in advance, Xiao Ran's bait was still quite good.

This is a devastating blow to earthworms in this era.

Soon the fish started coming in; they were small crucian carp weighing about half a pound each.

"Woof woof woof!" Little Black barked twice.

Zhang Jinhe, Zhang Erya, and the others looked over.

The two ran over to Xiao Ran and saw the crucian carp.

"It's quite big." Zhang Jinhe leaned closer to take a look.

Zhang Erya and San Niang had seen even bigger carp, so they didn't think this one was big.

But I'm still very excited.

"There are plenty of fish here, and this kind of fish is delicious." The fisherman's instincts began to awaken.

Thinking that Xiao Ran would be cooking here, Zhang Jinhe cut grass for a while, then took Zhang Erya to the nearby woods to collect firewood.

(End of this chapter)