The Little Lucky Girl

"What do you want a duck for? Aren't there some in the village?"

"I heard that the duck over there tastes different from here," Ming Youyou said, "I want to try making it."

Jia Er nodded, "Okay then, I'll try to bring you two back."

"No, two is too few. I actually thought of a way to make money. Do you want to hear it?"

Ming Youyou grabbed Jiaer's ear, and the two of them whispered for a while.

Jia Er hesitated and said, "Your idea sounds good, but ducks are living creatures. The captain will know if they are there after calling them twice. If we bring too many, I'm afraid we won't be able to hide it."

"I didn't mean to hide it from him. Why don't you go back and discuss it with him?" Ming Youyou looked around and whispered, "Brother Jiaer, tell me the truth, are you short of money?"

Jia Er's expression changed, "Don't pry into our affairs." Without waiting for Ming Youyou to say anything else, he hurried away.

But ten days later, Jia Er still brought back three ducks for Ming Youyou.

Ming Youyou bought two local ducks from the village, asked someone to pack them up, and then took them back happily.

Zheng Huan and the other two had been waiting for a long time. Feng Xu took it and quickly pressed the five ducks into the sauce they had prepared.

Zheng Huan and Lu Tai were busy setting up the grill in the yard. They thought that since the kitchen had partitions, it would be better to have it in the yard so that the aroma could spread more.

It was almost time for the duck to be marinated, Ming Youyou directed the three people to string the duck on and hang it up, and then start smoking and roasting it with fruit wood.

Feng Xu came over to help add fuel to the fire, "Do you think Captain Jin would really be interested in this little duck?"

Ming Youyou shrugged, "Let's try it. If he doesn't like it, we can eat it ourselves."

Lu Tai said: "The taste of duck may not attract him, but if he can make money from it, I'm sure he will consider it."

Captain Jin was short of money, this was the consensus among them.

In fact, the two courtyards are too close to each other, and the smell of whatever food is cooked on the other side will more or less drift over.

When they first came to Yuqing County, the neighbors killed chickens every day for food, but Ming Youyou and his friends were so poor at the time that they couldn't even afford eggs. They often ate black steamed buns at mealtime and enjoyed the smell from the chickens.

Gradually, without knowing when, the food on the other side began to smell less delicious, and the guards were no longer seen going to the village to get wine.

If Jia Er hadn't made Mao tofu to provide some supplementary income later, they would have suspected that the guards were coming to eat their meals for free.

Several people couldn't help but wonder, did Xiao Ningyi forget about his guards and stop paying them? Or maybe Captain Jin was doing something big, so he invested all the guards' salaries in it.

Zheng Huan said: "At first we all thought that Captain Jin, like others, risked his life crossing the Daqing Mountains just to smuggle goods and make some extra money. Now it seems that his intentions are probably more than that."

Feng Xu frowned and said, "Then tell me, does Lord Tao know about these things?"

"I think he knows." Ming Youyou had given hints to Magistrate Tao many times before, but unfortunately he always interrupted her. After so many times, she finally understood what was going on.

Feng Xu's expression relaxed. "Then we have nothing to do with it. If the sky falls, the officials will support it. But why are you rushing to give him a way to make money?"

Ming Youyou said: "Because I want to ask him for help."

Feng Xu was choked and said, "You are really brave. You even dare to go after Captain Jin."

Zheng Huan and Lu Tai were also curious when they heard it. They originally thought that Ming Youyou wanted to ease the relationship with the other party. After all, they didn't have the raw materials, so they couldn't use the roast duck method even if they wanted to.

"Is there anything I need to do that requires special consultation with Captain Jin?" This favor is not easy to use.

Ming Youyou chuckled and said mysteriously, "I want him to help bring people over from Da Qi."

"With whom?"

"My grandfather and his fellow villagers."

"Then why not just ask your grandfather to go there directly?"

"No, he's old, it's too dangerous to go into the mountains, there are poisonous snakes and blind bears in there, he can't stand being slapped in the face again." Ming Youyou shook his head, "and I heard that Da Qi is in chaos right now, they haven't been there for many years, they are not familiar with anything, what if they run into bandits?"

The Emperor of Da Qi was old, but he was still reluctant to appoint a crown prince, which led to open and covert fighting among the princes and chaos in the court.

There were fewer people keeping an eye on many things happening down there, and no one paid attention to small border towns like Qiqing County, so there were more bandits and ruffians.

There were old people in Dafeng Village, such as Shicun Changming and other old men who had escaped from Qi State. After hearing the news, they could not help but worry about their fellow villagers and whispered several times that they wanted to go over there.

Zheng Huan looked at the roast duck in his hand and said worriedly, "Captain Jin is not so easy to talk to. This matter is risky. I'm afraid the profit you offer won't impress him."

Ming Youyou scratched his head and said, "Let's try it first. If he's interested, we can continue the discussion."

Captain Jin was indeed a person who didn't know what was good. He ate the roast duck with a grunt, wiped his mouth and was about to leave.

Ming Youyou was anxious, clinging to the table and refusing to leave. "You just compared them, the two kinds of duck taste different. As long as you can bring some ducks over, we will be able to open a good store."

She specifically learned about the development history of roast duck in Zhengdao's area. They were able to develop an entire industry, so why couldn't she just copy them?

But looking at the people in the yard, Ming Youyou felt that even if she told them all her ideas, they might not be able to do them well.

Every profession has its own expertise. Let these guards who are used to beating people greet guests with a smile... Ming Youyou couldn't help shuddering when she thought about that scene.

"Then are you willing to cooperate with Jinxiufang? You guys will be responsible for producing the ducks, and they will be responsible for the management. Then we will share the profits in proportion?"

Captain Jin narrowed his eyes and asked, "Can you be the owner of Jinxiufang?"

"If you agree, I will go talk to Master Tao."

"We can open a store together, but not the one you mentioned."

Ming Youyou glared at him, "Why not? We are all from Da Qi. You are all going there anyway. What's wrong with helping and bringing him here at the same time?"

Captain Jin didn't answer, but just waved his hand, and Ming Youyou was carried out of the yard by Jia Er.

Looking at the child's condemning eyes, Jia Er touched his head and said, "This matter is really not as easy as you think."

They cannot be exposed, and they have to disguise themselves and hide their whereabouts every time they go there. It is indeed difficult to bring half of the village here at once.

Ming Youyou thought for a while and said, "How about letting them pretend to flee from famine and run into the Daqing Mountains first, and then you can bring them here?" Just like her grandfather did back then.

Jia Er said with embarrassment: "This is also very risky. I don't think the captain will agree."

Ming Youyou had no choice but to go back dejectedly.