Farmer's happy event

Chapter 34
Early the next morning, Yang Shi and Liu Jingren set off with lotus seeds.

When I arrived at Shopkeeper Zhang's shop, I saw that the front door was no longer as grand as before, and only a few customers came and went from time to time.

Although shopkeeper Zhang knew that Lianzi would definitely come, he didn't expect it to be so soon.After hearing from the clerk that this family had come again, he hurriedly asked the clerk to invite them into the living room, while he carefully adjusted his clothes, sat down and drank a cup of tea, and then slowly went to meet the guests.

Lianzi waited for quite a while, seeing that he still hadn't come out, she knew that this time it might not be easy to talk about.

"It's so early." Shopkeeper Zhang chuckled, and sat on the left of the two grand master's chairs facing the door in the hall.

Lianzi rolled her eyes in her heart: "It's almost lunch time, it's still early."

Shopkeeper Zhang picked up the tea bowl on the table, took a sip of tea, and said to Lianzi, "My niece, the honey-soaked strawberries you asked Zihe to bring that day were good, and they were delicious."

"It's good that shopkeeper Zhang likes it, so I don't worry." Lianzi smiled calmly. When dealing with such a cunning and cunning person, she must be calmer than him.

Shopkeeper Zhang twisted his beard and said again: "It's good to eat, but it's also quite laborious to cook, right?"

"No, it's very strenuous," Lianzi said.It wasn't that she was exaggerating, how many days would it take to make a kang of preserved fruit, and how many days would it take to make a jar of candied fruit?This time is also a cost.

Shopkeeper Zhang was silent for a while, and then he got to the point: "If this is the case, the price will naturally be much higher than that of preserved fruit. However, the business in the shop is not good in the current situation. If you add candied fruit, all What if it's broken?"

That's right, this is what Yang was worried about, so she didn't rashly let lotus seeds make honey-soaked strawberries.

Lianzi was not in a hurry, and said again: "Master Zhang, the roasted seeds and nuts in your shop are really delicious, but how to eat them to make them taste the best?"

Shopkeeper Zhang smiled. After all, he is a child from a poor family, and he doesn't even know the best way to eat roasted seeds and nuts.

"Of course it's served with sugar."

"Then what if it is served with our candied fruit?" Lianzi continued to ask.

The shopkeeper stopped moving, looked at Lianzi and said, "You mean to sell this candied fruit and roasted seeds and nuts together?"

Almost right, but not quite right.

"It's not for sale, it's for giving away." Seeing that shopkeeper Zhang couldn't believe it, she repeated again, "Yes, it's free. As long as you buy roasted seeds and nuts, you will get candied fruit."

Only then did shopkeeper Zhang realize what Lianzi said. It's just that the method of candied fruit is very troublesome and the cost is already high. If it is given away for nothing, it will not be a loss?What's wrong with this little girl this time, is she trying to do good deeds?

"This honey-soaked strawberry is delicious, isn't it?" Lianzi looked at shopkeeper Zhang and asked, seeing him nod, and said, "If I buy a catty of peanuts, and you give me a tael of these honey-soaked strawberries, what effect will it have? "

Shopkeeper Zhang bowed his head in thought for a moment, then nodded involuntarily, yes, why didn't he think of it?

Customers in the shop now will not buy in large quantities like they did during the Chinese New Year. They will only buy two or three taels, half a catty is considered a lot.If you buy a catty and get a couple of honey-soaked strawberries for free, this will not only attract more people, but also increase the number of people buying.

In this way, although honey-soaked strawberries are given away for free, they can be earned back from roasted seeds and nuts.Although it may not make much money, at least it is much better than the current dying situation.

"You have also seen that business is also difficult now. We should work together so that we can make more money." Shopkeeper Zhang said to Yang and Liu Jingren.

Liu Jingren nodded, the shopkeeper's words really make sense.

Yang didn't speak, but just looked at Lianzi, she still believed in her daughter.

Lianzi gave Yang a reassuring look, then looked at shopkeeper Zhang, waiting for his next words.

"Brothers and sisters of the Liu family, how about this, I'll buy your honey-soaked strawberries for fifty cents a catty." He shook his head after speaking, with a helpless expression on his face, "It's really difficult, I want to close the door."

Lianzi just wants to laugh, this is too much.

The current situation of the shop is in the off-season, and the sales volume is not very good, but it can sell tens of catties of goods a day. As for the money, at least a few taels of silver can be earned. In the peak season, it will not make a lot of money. , how could he coddle Zhang Zihe like that?
"Shopkeeper Zhang, we sell 47 renminbi per catty of preserved fruit, and the price of fresh strawberries is higher than that of apples. Besides, making honey-soaked strawberries is more troublesome than making preserved apples." Yang also felt that it was not appropriate, and opened her mouth Said.

"Li'er is such a rationale, but the current situation really can't be compared with the New Year's Eve, can it? That's why I added money to you." Shopkeeper Zhang still looked very helpless.

Lianzi knew that this negotiation would definitely not go smoothly, and she had already prepared a tug-of-war in her heart.

"Can't we add more?" Lianzi asked, "We have enjoyed working together in the past, so once I make this honey-soaked strawberry this time, I want to try to cooperate with you again." The implication is that, again Let's add some price, if not, we can change to another place.

Shopkeeper Zhang frowned: "I also know what's going on, so I asked Zihe to notify you immediately, and come to discuss it as soon as possible. However, it is really difficult right now."

"Your young master tasted it that day, and even my grandparents liked it. It seems that this food is suitable for all ages." Lianzi smiled, with a proud face on her face, and said: "Look at It’s almost summer, and it’s really hot and dry, so it must be good to eat something with these honey-soaked strawberries in the ice water shop.”

Shopkeeper Zhang frowned even tighter: "How about this, 55 Wen a catty, I'll take it as a favor for you."

"Help us?" Lianzi thought, "Not to mention that we are helping you, at least we are helping each other."

"Shopkeeper Zhang, we also know that it is really difficult at this time, but think about it, the output of fresh strawberries is small, and the price is only twelve or thirty yuan a catty, and a lot of honey and sugar are used. The cost is too high. It's too high. Sixty Wen a catty, I hope we can cooperate in the future." Lianzi said, with a bit of regret on her face.

Shopkeeper Zhang thought for a long time after hearing the words, and finally sighed, and said as if he had made up his mind, "Okay, just sixty yuan a catty."

The price of lotus seeds is quite satisfactory. After excluding the cost, you can earn a net profit of more than 20 yuan per catty. Although it is less than making preserved apples, it is still reasonable.

Lianzi felt a little happy in her heart, and heard shopkeeper Zhang say, "Let's make some preserved strawberries too, at the price of preserved strawberries."

The price of preserved fruit is 47 Wen, and a catty of strawberries is several pennies more expensive than a catty of apples.

"Okay, let's make some." Lianzi thought for a while and agreed.The price of preserved fruit is too high, and there are few to buy, and there are so many fresh fruits in this season, who would buy dried ones?Now that I have made strawberry preserves, I have to wait until autumn and winter to buy them. It takes some cost to preserve these things, so I don’t care too much about lotus seeds.

In this way, this business can be regarded as a deal. Although there is no huge profit to be made, but after careful calculation, it can make a small profit. At least the price of a cow can be earned. The three members of this family are satisfied .

After leaving Zhangji roasted seeds and nuts shop, Mrs. Yang asked Liu Jingren to drive to Jishang and asked about the price of honey.I was taken aback by this question, and it turned out to be more than 30 Wen a catty.

When making this honey-stained strawberry, it is fine to use only sugar, but the consistency, taste and appearance are not as good as making it with honey.You don't need a lot, just a catty of fresh strawberry fruit with one or two honey and three liang of sugar.

Fortunately, Liu Jingren still remembered that there was a beekeeper in Shanqian Village not far from this town. Back then, Liu Jinglin always had a bad cough. Shen Shi once asked him to buy honey for Liu Jinglin there, and it was relatively cheap there.

Lianzi went to sell the medicinal materials again, and exchanged them for several hundred Wen.I didn’t bring much money when I came out this time. If I went to buy honey, it would definitely not be enough, so I just went to Jishang to buy sugar and a jar for making pickles.Originally wanted to buy a few jars, but the price added up was more expensive than a large jar, and it would be laborious to make a small jar, so Lianzi asked Yang to buy a jar directly.

With the household items, except for honey and fresh fruit, it is considered complete.Strawberries are very hard to store, so Lianzi plans to wait until he comes back from buying honey.

However, the yield of strawberries is low, so few are planted. It is also a problem to buy so many strawberries at a time.

After returning home, Mrs. Yang took out all the savings in the family, counted it several times, and it was still a few taels of silver.If the cost is taken into account, it will take another ten taels of silver to buy a cow.The autumn harvest is said to be fast, and it will be too inconvenient if there are no more cows by then.

Now she is too embarrassed to go to Zhao's house to borrow an ox cart, and she has to bring something with her every time she goes.Although Mrs. Zhao said that you are welcome, she is still very sorry.

Lianzi thought to herself, in the future, if you buy a catty of roasted seeds and nuts in the shop, you will get a couple of honey-soaked strawberries. The demand should not be large, so let's make about [-] catties first.

Some grass grew in the peanut field in the field. Yang stayed at home and weeded the field, while Liu Jingren drove the ox cart and took lotus seeds to Shanqian Village to buy a few catties of honey, and then went to the nearby town I bought dozens of catties of fresh strawberries in the suburbs.

Caojia Wanzi also grows strawberries, but after the woman from Cao's family came to make trouble, Lianzi didn't want to go there anymore.So this time, she would rather spend more money and walk more to go to other places than go to Caojiawanzi.

Everything was ready. That night, Lianzi cleaned the newly bought vat and prepared the firewood, cauldron, oilcloth and other items for making honey-stained strawberries.

The steps of making honey-soaked strawberries are the same as making preserved fruits, you only need to add sugar, water and honey to fry, mix them evenly with preserved strawberries, and then put them in the tank for seven or eight days.

When the candied strawberries are ready, the whole family is very excited.This is silver, and it can be exchanged for half a cow.

　There's one more at four o'clock.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)