Liangyue Farm Gate

Chapter 116
After two days, everything was calm. Guan Ming didn't agree or disagree, but Guan Wu went to Xing'er's family again. Although he was dull, after Xing'er mentioned something, he knew he was going to curry favor. To curry favor with the future Yue family.

Li Xin has been busy preparing ingredients for the past two days. She made up her mind to go to Yuanguang Temple to sell food during Xiaohan's time.

Guan Wen knew her plan and didn't stop her, he just said: "It's cold now, be careful outside at night, put on more clothes, and go to my aunt's house for a rest at night."

Li Xin nodded and said, "Don't worry, I'll go with my sister. Your two cousins ​​also said that they would come to help at that time. Besides, there will be many people in Yuanguang Temple by then, and I'm busy, so I won't be cold." of."

Guan Wen took her hand and said, "Be careful about your own safety."

"I know." Li Xin tugged at his coat, wrapped his neck around his neck and sighed, "Now we can decide on our own affairs at home, but the source of money is still a big problem. Increase income and reduce expenditure should be the top priority. .Borrowing so much money from outsiders will always have to be repaid, and we may have to live a miserable life for a year or two."

Guan Wen then smiled, put his arms around her waist and said, "With such a good wife as you, why don't you worry about the prosperity of your family? Money can be earned slowly, and it's not like I can't move because of lack of strength. Now my body is healed It’s almost done, and you can do something you can do.”

Li Xin nodded, "Then let's try that kind of food later to see if it tastes good."

"it is good."

A-mei brought a small handful of sun-dried corn kernels and asked Li Xin curiously, "Sister-in-law, do you use this for food?"

"Well, let's try it. You can taste it later to see if it suits your taste. If you like it, then this thing should be more popular."

My sister felt itchy when she heard it, "Sister-in-law, what the hell is it?"

"Make it for you to see, and wait until you eat it."

Li Xin made a fool of himself, took the small dry corn kernels in Amei's hand, took out a small pot with a thick bottom, first heated the small pot, then poured oil on the bottom of the pot, then poured the dried corn kernels evenly Heat it up, stir it with chopsticks for a while, then cover the pot and shake it from time to time. When you hear the sound of popping flowers in the pot, you open the pot lid again, add sugar, and continue shaking.

After a while, I heard the sound of "crackling" in the pot one after another.

A-mei stared straight at Li Xin's movements, while Guan Wen also asked curiously: "Will this...will the pot explode?"

"No, the bottom of the pot is thick."

Li Xin kept moving, and when he heard the sound of popping popcorn inside, he took the small pot off the fire, lifted the lid, and a strong smell of popcorn came to his nostrils.

"It smells so good!" A-mei cheered in surprise, looked at Li Xin eagerly and asked, "Sister-in-law, can I eat this?"

"Okay." Li Xin smiled, poured out the popcorn in the pot and put it in the prepared pot. Looking down, there were still a lot of unpopped corn kernels left at the bottom of the pot.

Still not stirring well.

Li Xin sighed and motioned for Amei to try it.A-mei couldn't wait to grab one and put it in her mouth to chew. She said happily, "Sister-in-law, it's delicious! It's so sweet!"

He couldn't stop reaching for it.

Guan Wen saw that Amei was eating happily, so he also tasted one, but frowned and said, "It's too sweet, but a girl like Amei should like it."

After the corn kernels popped out, there was a big pot. Li Xin thought for a while and said, "A-mei, you pack some and send them to Sister Xing'er and Sister Yinhuan, and see what they think, as well as Xiaokang and Sister Xing'er. The older two dolls. If they also like to eat, we Xiaohan can sell this kind of food that day."

"Okay, I'll go right away." A-Mei grabbed a handful and stuffed it into her mouth, and wrapped two bags with clean cloth, not forgetting to leave some for Li Xin.

"Sister-in-law, you can eat too..."

"Ah."

Li Xin ate two of them, but he knew in his heart that the taste was not comparable to modern ones.

In modern times, there are condiments such as butter and butter, as well as a new type of popcorn machine that can be heated evenly. The popcorn that is made has all kinds of flavors.But popcorn like this in ancient times can only give people a taste.She was used to eating popcorn before, so she didn't feel much about the sweet-tasting popcorn.

If only there were fats like butter and ghee, and the simplest popcorn machine.

She ate two and stopped eating, A-Mei packed up and said, "Sister-in-law, I'm going to Sister Xing'er's house right now."

"Go."

A-mei went out, Li Xin asked Guan Wen, "Do you still eat?"

"No." Guan Wen said with a smile: "You women like to eat this kind of food."

"That's not true. Anyway, most of the people visiting the temple fair are women, so I don't have to worry about no one buying them." Li Xin replied, took popcorn and went to the main room, where he was sitting and smoking a dry cigarette at the old juncture.

"Grandpa, come and taste this and see if it tastes good."

Li Xin put it in front of Laoguan and signaled him to eat it. Laoguan was fascinated by the taste at first, sniffed one, squeezed one, and muttered: "Ah Wen's daughter-in-law, it's hard."

"Grandpa put it in his mouth and it will soften after a while. Let Grandpa taste it."

Li Xin smiled, nodded and put it in his mouth at the last moment, pressed his tongue down, and narrowed his eyes slightly, "Sweet."

"It's sweet." Li Xin said, "If Grandpa doesn't want to chew it, just spit it out."

However, Li Xin felt that he could still eat it if he was soft, so he asked Guan Wen to pour water for Lao Guan, "If Grandpa feels dry, drink some water."

After eating a few at the old juncture, I asked Li Xin: "What is this?"

"Popcorn." Li Xin smiled and said, "Xiao Hantian tomorrow, I want to go to Yuanguang Temple to do a small business to earn some money. If this food is okay, I will get this."

Nodded at the old juncture, "Sweet, children like to eat."

Li Xin laughed: "Does grandpa like to eat?"

Eyes bulging at the old juncture, "Grandpa is not a child!"

Li Xin and Guan Wen laughed, and didn't expose the old juncture, just watched him twist the popcorn and put it in his mouth.

At noon, Amei came back, her face was flushed and she was very excited. When she came back, she pulled Li Xin and said, "Sister-in-law, sister-in-law! Sister Xing'er and the others said it was delicious!"

Li Xin smiled and said, "Really? Xiaokang and the others also like to eat?"

"I like it." A-mei nodded, "At first I thought it was hard, and children couldn't bite it, but it melted in the mouth after a while, and Xiaokang ate a few. In the end, Sister Xing'er was afraid that Xiaokang would choke on it." He won’t be allowed to eat it.”

He also said: "I also sent it to Sister Yinhuan's place. Sister Yinhuan likes to eat very much."

Li Xin knew that there is still a business opportunity for this popcorn, and the novelty wins.But if others know how to do it, I'm afraid someone will imitate it soon, and even do it more delicately than her.

After thinking about it, Li Xin thought it would be better to make a special popcorn machine, the simplest one, shaped like a pot with a lid, one side can be flipped up, and a wire for stirring is inserted in the middle, so that the popcorn can be evenly cooked. heat.As for the fire, you can use charcoal, but it won't burn much.

If you want to order it, you need to make it in time. Li Xin hurriedly found a pen and paper to draw a few top views, side views, front views, and internal transparent structure diagrams for Guan Wen, and asked Guan Wen to find a blacksmith to do it, and to make an agreement with the blacksmith. It cannot be passed on.

Although Guan Wen was puzzled, he still took a look at the picture and nodded.

Li Xin instructed him: "This thing is not very complicated, besides, I have already drawn it in great detail. If you rush to work, it will be finished in one day. I will get it tomorrow. You should discuss the price with the blacksmith."

Guan Wen naturally nodded, thought for a while and then hesitated: "Your third uncle..."

"Don't go to his house, the things in his house are not good, and the asking price is expensive, so I'm too lazy to make such a friendship with them."

Li Xin said lightly.

After falling out with her third aunt last time, Li Xin decided to keep a distance from this family.Third Uncle is still a businessman after all, and it's not good to talk about favors when doing business. She understands this truth.

So Guan Wen and Li Xin were busy at both ends. Guan Wen went to the town to find a blacksmith to make things, while Li Xin prepared raw materials such as dried corn kernels, oil, and sugar.

It was all right in the afternoon, and she was still trying to figure out where to get cream and butter.

Cream is easy to say, it can be separated by stirring milk continuously, and it can be sold for money just by making it.Butter is a bit more troublesome.But if the popcorn is added with this kind of oil, the taste is definitely unique, and others can't imitate it even if they want to. This is because there is a process in it.

Butter is rarely sold here in Yizhou, because everyone doesn't like it very much.This came from the Mongolian grasslands. Although today we encourage ethnic integration and internal and external development, and we also trade with Mongolia, Yizhou is still a little far away, and we don’t care too much about the introduction from Mongolia. of various foods.

If you want to buy butter, it can only be sold in that kind of big grocery store, and it is impossible for her to make it.One is that there is no milk, and the other is that time is too tight to make it.Moreover, the extraction rate of extracting butter is relatively low, and it is not worth the loss if you do it yourself.

Li Xin planned to set up a stall tomorrow to see if there was any butter for sale. If there was any butter, he would buy it and sell it, and the price of the popcorn could be raised.If not, it can only be made with existing condiments.

Li Xin asked Li Xin to find him a job when he had nothing to do. Li Xin smiled and said, "What does Grandpa want to do?"

"Let me do what you have to do." Lao Guan sat on the threshold of the main room, "I'm in a hurry."

Li Xin thought, setting up a stall requires a cart. Originally, I wanted to wait for Guan Wen to come back and let him do it. This job is relatively easy. Now that Grandpa doesn't want to be idle, let Grandpa do it.

So he compared the appearance of the cart with that of the old juncture, and the old juncture listened very carefully, and asked Li Xin from time to time what to do with the empty hole, what to put in the wide space here, how long the push handle should be, and the wheels underneath. Single or double wheels.

Li Xin listened to his questions carefully, and told him one by one, and started to do it at the old moment, which seemed to be very proficient.

"Grandpa learned carpentry from a carpenter before." A-mei said softly to Li Xin, "Eldest brother can also do carpentry, and he was taught by grandpa, but I think elder brother's skills are still not as good as grandpa's. Grandpa has never done carpentry in these years." Alive, I thought he was rusty."

How can there be a strange look at the old juncture?Li Xin was also very happy to see that his eyes were brightened because of the carpentry work.

Li Xin got up early in the morning of the second day to pack up the things to take to the town, and Amei also collected other needlework she had done to bring to sell.

The cart I made at the old juncture is still a little bit finished. According to Li Xin, the cart I made is really simple and elegant.There is a platform at the bottom of the cart for a small stove to light a fire, and there is a circle on the top, and there is an empty space on the right, and the front and left and right are respectively blocked by wood.I even made a cabinet to put money in, so as not to be unable to find it when I got it.

The cart handle is also made strong.A wooden wheel is installed on the right side, and a wooden block can be moved up and down on the left side.If you want to stop, just put the wooden block down, which is very convenient.

Yesterday, I was very energetic at the old time, so I went to bed very late. This morning, I got up early and hurried to finish the process. I kept muttering to Li Xin: "This car is good, this car is good..."

It is probably the first time to make a car with such a design, and I also realized the benefits of this cart at the old moment, and I kept praising it, and I kept saying that Li Xin was smart.

On the contrary, Li Xin felt a little embarrassed, tried the push cart, and found that it was very suitable for him, and quickly let Guan Wen hug the temporary stove, facing the opening on it.

"Can we get the pot after we go to town?"

"Yes, the master blacksmith said that it doesn't take much work, we are in a hurry, and we can get it in the afternoon today."

"That's good," Li Xin sighed: "Everything is ready, only the east wind is owed."

He also asked Amei to collect the wrapping paper to be used at that time.

These papers were made by Li Xin and A-mei last night. They folded the paper into cones, glued them with paste, and then flattened them. They were stacked one by one, and it looked like a tall stack.

A-mei brought the paper over, and Li Xin put the paper bags into the cloth in his pocket, and tied the cloth to the cart with a knot.

At noon, the family of four had finished their meal, and Li Xin and A-mei were going to the town.Guan Wen and Lao Guan would not go there. Guan Wen did not go hunting in the mountains and forests, so naturally he had no prey to sell.

Li Xin pushed the cart away, and Er Hei also came up to follow her.After chasing it several times, Erhei still had to follow, Li Xin had no choice but to let it follow.

Guan Wen sent them to the entrance of the village, explained to Li Xin the location of the blacksmith's shop, and repeatedly told Li Xin to be careful, which made Amei chuckle.

"Brother, why don't you worry about it?" A-mei shamed him: "Didn't sister-in-law say that the eldest cousin and second cousin will come to help, no one can bully sister-in-law."

"I'm afraid you'll cause trouble for your sister-in-law." Guan Wen taught his sister seriously, "Don't cause trouble for your sister-in-law. You should have a face when you help."

A-mei pouted, and poked Li Xin's waist with her hand: "Sister-in-law, brother-in-law made it sound like I was doing a disservice."

"A-mei is the most obedient, it won't help." Li Xin glared at Guan Wen, "Hurry up and go back, grandpa is at home alone."

"Hey." Guan Wen agreed, and said, "I'll be back tomorrow."

"Understood." Li Xin said.

(End of this chapter)