Traveling through ancient times, I led my family to prosperity

Xiaoting and Xiaolan had prepared a family separation banquet last time, so they were very familiar with the process and were not afraid at all. Xiaoyan came to help, and the three of them got busy.

"Sister, when we prepare a homemade feast, please put more oil so that the dishes will be more fragrant." Xiaolan had told Xiaoting in advance.

People in the countryside are very frugal when it comes to eating, but they cannot be careless when preparing meals for guests.

Xiaoting nodded. She felt more confident this time. Last time she was still worried about Cui and afraid of being scolded, but this time she was at home and could do whatever she wanted.

The people who were busy at the back of the house heard the sound of the frying pan at home, smelled the delicious aroma, and swallowed their saliva in unison.

Sheng Yugui smiled as he built the wall, "I've heard from my uncle that your Xiaoting is a good cook. I want to try her out this time."

Hearing others praising his own child, Sheng Xuan's face lit up, and he smiled without being polite at all, "Eat more at noon, my child is really good at cooking."

Zhang glared at Sheng Xuan and said, "How can you boast like that?"

This made everyone laugh.

At lunchtime, Xiao Lan called Liu, Xiao Ye, Sheng Xin, and Jia Yu. Liu and Xiao Ye shirked responsibility for a while, but Sheng Xin heard that Xiao Ting was the chef this time, so she came with Jia Yu with a smile. Sheng Xuan personally invited Mr. Sheng, and Cui refused to come. (Sheng Yugui's wife and Zhang Shanfeng's wife are both surnamed Xin, so in order to distinguish them, the husband's surname is used in this chapter)

The dining table was set, and Xiaoting, Xiaolan and Xiaoyan brought the dishes. There were six hot dishes, two cold dishes and a soup, a plate of braised rabbit meat, a plate of stewed pork ribs with radish, a plate of braised fish, a plate of braised pork, a plate of stewed cabbage with tofu, a plate of scrambled eggs with mushrooms, a plate of cold-mixed cabbage, a plate of sliced ​​salted duck eggs, and a pot of tofu pudding. The staple food was freshly steamed white flour buns.

These dishes looked very good, and Shengxuan and Zhang arranged for the men's and women's tables to eat respectively.

Sitting at the men's table were Zhang Shanfeng, Mr. Sheng, Zhang Qingfeng, Zhang Qingnian, Sheng Yugui, Sheng Jiaxing, Sheng Hao, Sheng Xuan, Xiaowen and Xiaotao also sat at the table; the other table entertained Zhang Xin, Fu, Xiaoyan, Sheng Xin, Jiayu, Liu, Xiaoye, Xiaoting and Xiaolan.

Sheng Xin took a sip of the tofu pudding first and praised it repeatedly, "This is the food that the owner and manager of Tianxianglou came to find yesterday. Even the chefs in the town's restaurants can't make this food. I'm so lucky to have it today. I heard that this tofu is very expensive in the restaurant, and if you go too late, you won't be able to eat it. I came here this time."

"I think the banquet prepared by Xiaoting is no worse than the ones in the restaurant. I'd be very lucky if my Jiayu could be half as capable as her."

Zhang Xin smiled and said, "Xiaoting will be fourteen after the Chinese New Year. When her mother was her age, she was also in charge of both the house and the outside world."

"Oh, this girl has a good temper and is capable, especially when it comes to cooking. There is really no other girl in our village who can compare with her. I don't know who has such good fortune and can be praised by others." Sheng Xin praised repeatedly.

Everyone was very satisfied with the meal and continued working in the afternoon.

"Second brother, you should go back in the afternoon. I am worried about your wife looking after the house alone." Zhang Shanfeng said to Zhang Fengnian.

Seeing that her second brother was leaving, Zhang packed him a large piece of tofu, two dried rabbits, a basket of chestnuts, six dried fish, a large piece of pork, a pot of tofu pudding, and two bags of flour. "Second brother, drive slowly on the way, don't let the tofu pudding spill."

Seeing Zhang loading so many things into the car, Xin hurriedly argued, "Mom, these are all prepared by your son-in-law. He said it's far from enough, and he will bring you all here once my house is built."

When Xin heard that it was Sheng Xuan who prepared it, a bright smile appeared on her face. Knowing that her family was living a good life, she no longer refused. She knew that a thoughtful son-in-law would please her even more. When she heard that they would be brought in after the house was built, her eyes were filled with joy.

After seeing Sheng Qingnian off, the whole family continued to get busy.

The closer it got to the end of the year, the greater the sales of tofu became. People would carry a piece of tofu when visiting relatives and friends, as it would give them face. Tofu means happiness, and eating tofu is equivalent to eating blessings. Shopkeeper Xu increased the number of tofu to fifty boards a day, and Xiao Lan agreed immediately. She wanted to make more money while she could. Once tofu was developed, it would be very cheap.

Sheng Xuan and Zhang looked worried, "My girl, the order volume is too large, we are overwhelmed."

"Mom and Dad, let's hire someone." Xiao Lan added, "I mean to spend money to hire someone. We have to make the money no matter what."

If you don't have enough manpower at home and have to hire people from outside, it is better to ask for help from fellow villagers. It can also bring people closer together and make your family gain a good reputation in the village.

Sheng Xuan and Zhang are honest farmers, they don't have much economic sense. Farmers of this era are all the same, self-sufficient, self-producing and self-selling. Xiao Lan started with the tofu business and led them step by step. In the future, they will be managers, and they need to change their mindsets, so as not to be timid and embarrassed to give orders.

"The shed behind our house should be enough. If we want to hire people, we need to buy cows and millstones. We also need a few more stoves." Sheng Xuan said.

Zhang nodded, a little worried, "It's so cold, I don't know if the villagers are willing to come, but fortunately the shed we built can more or less block the wind."

Xiao Lan said, "Mom, the workshops in the town are open all year round. The villagers stay in the village during the winter because there is no work in the fields. Put yourself in their shoes. If you can make some money at home in the winter, would you be willing to do this job?"

Zhang thought about it and nodded. Regardless of how much money you can make, as long as you can make money, it is better than resting at home. The young girls and wives in the village are busy in the fields all year round, and the money will not pass through their hands. Even if there are diligent hands and feet, they can't find a place to do some work to supplement the family income. Their family's workshop is in the village, and it is only a few steps away, so there is no delay in any family matters. Saving the money earned every day, whether it is buying a piece of flowered cloth or a pound of pork during the New Year, is great.

Zhang thought that if it was her, she would be willing to come and work. Thinking of this, she became impatient and asked, "We want to hire someone, how much is appropriate to pay?"

"Let's just pay him the same as the wages for helpers in the workshops in town, twenty copper coins a day." Xiao Lan said.

"I'll go invite them right now. I'm sure they'll be willing to come," said Zhang.

The family split up. Sheng Xuan and Zhang Shanfeng went to the town to buy a cow, a stone mill, an iron pot and a large basin. Zhang went to hire someone, Zhang Qingfeng made tofu molds on the stove at the back of the house, and Shen, Xiaomei, Xiaoting, Xiaolan, Xiaowen and Xiaohu continued to make tofu.

Zhang dressed up and went out. Xiaolan and Zhang had already decided what kind of person to invite. First of all, they had to choose someone who was neat, hardworking, and quick at work. Zhang knew a little about the families in the village.

This was an opportunity to make money, so Zhang naturally looked for a family that she was close to first. It was none other than Chunzhu's wife, who lived in the same village as her when she was a girl.

After hearing what Zhang said about the job, Chunzhu agreed immediately. "It doesn't matter if I get paid or not. There's no work in the fields right now, and everyone is idle at home, so I'll just go and help out."

"This is not something that can be done in one or two days. The work is not easy. How can I let you do any hard work?" Zhang said with a smile, "No matter what, it's better to earn some money than to stay idle at home."