Records of the Cattle and Horses of Chang'an

As for bacon, different places have different ways of making it, with sweet and salty, savory, spicy and salty flavors. Jiang Shangxian particularly likes the smoky flavor. Some people may not be used to it, but she finds it addictive. She stir-fries it with chili peppers and garlic leaves, and she wants to eat every piece of garlic leaf cleanly. The aroma makes people spin in circles, and it can be said to be a magical artifact that can make rice disappear.

"Mother, come here. I need to use the pot. Have you washed the meat?" Jiang Shangxian dragged the bamboo basket towards the stove with both hands. This year, she planned to use this as the New Year gift to Cui Bianxu, Zhao Shan, Li Xueyan, Manager Wang and his three apprentices.

Normally, she was the master, and only her apprentices would give her gifts during festivals. However, her three apprentices were really filial, and she thought that since she had done this, she couldn't leave them behind.

Therefore, she felt that after giving away all the pork belly, chicken and duck in this big basket, only half would be left for her family.

Jiang's mother patted the flour off her hands and placed the large wooden board on the table. "Wash it. Wait until you get up before washing it. How long will it take? The big clay pot inside is filled with salt. Tsk."

"Mom, even if you earn money, you shouldn't buy anything big. It's almost the New Year, and we should eat something good at home." Jiang Shangxian added some firewood to the stove. There was still some water in the pot. While the pot was boiling, she took some peppercorns, star anise, cinnamon, bay leaves, and a bag of leftover orange peels from the oranges she bought two days ago.

(China is one of the countries with the longest history of citrus cultivation in the world, dating back to the reign of Emperor Wu of Han. Citrus was introduced to China from Southeast Asia and was already cultivated in many places during the Eastern Han Dynasty. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, it was spread throughout the country. Good news for those who love eating oranges, as they will definitely cause internal heat after eating them.)

"Hey, do you still remember what I told you before?" Jiang's mother suddenly asked.

Jiang Shangxian picked up the salt shaker and poured salt into the pot. He was stunned when he heard the words: "What's the matter?"

There are five people in the family, and there are so many things to do every day. Jiang's mother's things are so haphazard that she really can't remember them all.

Jiang's mother turned around with a look of dissatisfaction and reached out to tap her head, but when she saw that her hand was still sticky with flour, she gave up. "It's about Zhou Sanniang's brother who went out to do business. He came back a while ago. I saw him the other day. Although he looked a little thin, the fabric he was wearing was very fresh. I came to see my sister and she brought a lot of things, a whole cart full of them."

Jiang Shangxian felt a headache when she thought about this. After she had said that, her mother hadn't mentioned it again, and she thought it was over. She didn't expect that there would be a follow-up after so many months. This is really...

"Didn't you say last time that you wanted to find out whether this business was just for our family or whether other people knew about it as well?" Jiang Shangxian stirred the salt in the pot, always paying attention to the size of the fire.

When Jiang's mother mentioned this, she looked a little uncomfortable and said vaguely, "So many people saw her brother when he came. It must be more than just our family now."

Oh, it seems I have mentioned this to many people. Well, it’s definitely illegal fundraising.

Seeing that the salt was almost done, Jiang Shangxian poured a plate of spices into the pot and continued to stir-fry: "Mother, we don't do this at home."

She spoke with such determination that Jiang's mother immediately became anxious. She slammed the poor half-kneaded dough onto the wooden board again. "Why not do it? I've asked around. Four families in our neighborhood have already sent money. I heard that many people have been to Zhou Sanniang these days to inquire about the news. Zhou Sanniang told me that her brother-in-law can only carry a limited amount of goods on one trip. There are so many people donating money, but we can't bring it all. If we hesitate any longer, our family won't get a share of this good opportunity!"

Jiang Shangxian's hands kept moving. He could guess his mother's expression without even turning around. "Mother, don't you think about this? If we hand over our own money to someone else, it will take at least eight months to go back and forth. Can you be at ease? Aren't you afraid that you won't be able to sleep every day?"

This made Jiang's mother feel a little embarrassed. She was indeed like that. Let alone so much money, even if the family spent money to buy a big item, she would have to think about it for several nights. After buying it, she would still have to think about whether it was suitable.

But the profits from this business were so astonishing that she still managed to refute: "The good thing about money making money, even when I sleep, I dream of money clattering."

Jiang Shangxian sighed, "Mother, I told you last time that this journey is long and arduous. It would be fine if someone from our family came with us, but we don't have anyone here. Can you trust Erlang to go with us?"

"Of course not. Your brother is so young. It's only eleven after the new year. How can he run so far with you?" Jiang's mother was of course unwilling to let Jiang Wangri go out to do business with her. The child was so young. If something happened to him, it would be too late to regret.

"That's it."

Jiang Shangxian estimated the time and the quality of the goods. After about ten minutes, he poured the salt and seasonings from the pot into the jar. "I said it last time. If you ask me to do this, I will just transport my own goods and make my own money. I can make a lot of money every time I go back and forth. Why should I give my money away to others just to earn an extra 30% profit?"

When considering something, try to take yourself into account to increase the rationality of the matter.

After hearing this, Jiang's mother thought for a while and started kneading the dough again, but her mouth was still very stubborn: "Isn't Zhou Sanniang a good friend of mine?"

"Oh, what if he takes the money to do business and comes back saying that all the goods were stolen by thieves, where are you going to take the money? Wouldn't it be a waste of time?" Jiang Shangxian said as he picked up a clean wooden basin from the ground and dragged over a medium-sized jar. He decided to go to Jiang's mother's room and take away all the money she had hidden.

This kind of money case is difficult to handle in modern times, so how can we handle it here? We can't just beat the person to death, right?

Jiang's mother didn't know what she was thinking, and she felt a little unhappy. She didn't mention the matter anymore, and instead said, "You'll be fifteen after the New Year, and I wonder if anyone has come to propose marriage. Has that Cao guy in your building caused any trouble recently?"

"It seems not. If there is a next time, I will quit unless Manager Wang fires him." Good girl, they are really mother and daughter. If you make me unhappy, I will say something that makes you unhappy.

What Jiang's mother was talking about was an incident some time ago when the chef surnamed Cao in Lexianlou was always gossiping about her, saying that her cooking skills were not good, but she was very good at flattering and making the guests stunned. He always went into the private rooms to accompany the guests and did some unknown things.

Well, it mainly refers to Cui Bianxu, Li Xueyan, and Zhao Shan who ate and drank for free and put the money on Cui Bianxu's account.