Rebirth of the pastoral landlady

Chapter 65
Chapter 64 Listening to the Quotes
Grocery stores in this era are no different from modern supermarkets, with old-style wooden counters and no glass.If you want to buy something, you have to inquire carefully with the shop assistants and shopkeepers.

Before Jin Xi came to the town, she had roughly heard some things from Sun Yuxia about people's basic necessities of life in this era.

In terms of cleaning products, the most common one is to use saponins powder to wash clothes and decontaminate. The leaves of saponins are used to grind them into powder, which are also sold in shops.However, there are also many poor families who still follow the old habit of using rice washing water and plant ash to wash and decontaminate.

Those who can afford to use soap are from very well-to-do families.As for the scented soap that can whiten and rejuvenate the skin, it is not only rich, but also a way to find such a fragrant soap. It can be said that the fragrant soap is both luxurious and rare.There are not many families in a small town who can afford such fragrant soap.

The grocery store that Jinxi entered was a relatively large store in Changqiao Town, so it only sold soap.Jin Xi originally planned to buy soap locust powder when she entered the shop, but since she entered the shop, she was naturally curious about the soap, so she asked the shopkeeper to take out a piece to have a look.

The shopkeeper took a look at Jinxi's clothes, and reluctantly found a yellowish-brown rough object. He didn't want to hand it to Jinxi. Cover with tinfoil.

Jin Xi is dissatisfied with the shopkeeper who judges people by their appearance, but she is a little surprised when she sees the soap.It is similar to modern soap in terms of appearance, but the color is darker. There are some small black pieces deposited on the surface of the soap. The workmanship is obviously not sophisticated, and even a little rough.The shopkeeper slapped the noodles so symbolically that Jin Xi only smelled a strong saponin smell, nothing else.

Although it is far from being comparable to modern soaps, in this era, the yellowish-black soap in front of me is considered a top-grade household cleaning product.

"Is there soap with a scent?" Jin Xi asked.

"Little girl, don't look at that fragrant soap, our grocery store doesn't sell that rare thing."

"Then where can I buy it?" Jin Xi asked.

The shopkeeper glanced at Jinxi again, twitching the corners of his mouth, a little wanting to laugh, but still said: "If you really want to see it, just go to the Zhilantang in the town and ask, there might be some there. However, the fragrant pancakes there, It’s not exactly the center either, if the little girl wants to buy the fragrant soap that is the center, she has to go to the big store in Wanghai County.”

Zhilantang is the only rouge and gouache shop in Changqiao Town. When Jinxi was at Liang's house, she heard Liang Jinlan and Liang Yumei mention it.But what the shopkeeper in front of him said was obviously playing tricks on Jin Xi.

Jin Xi disdains to haggle with this kind of businessman who judges people by appearance, the main purpose of her coming to the shop is to inquire about the market. "Then what is the price of this soap in your hand?"

"Fifty cents a piece."

Jin Xi was stunned for a moment, why is a piece of pancreas more expensive than a catty of pork?Isn't the fragrant soap more expensive?

"Little girl, if you want to buy it, just weigh some saponin powder, it's much cheaper!" The shopkeeper also saw that Jin Xi didn't seem like a customer who could buy soap, so he persuaded Jin Xi to buy the soap. Jin Xi buys saponin powder.

"What's the price of saponin powder?" Jin Xi asked.

"Twenty cents a catty," said the shopkeeper.

"It's expensive, the soap leaf in the market is only five cents a catty!" Jin Xi asked him to lower the price.

The shopkeeper smiled: "Our saponin powder is finely ground, a pinch of it can wash a big pot of clothes! The soap leaves have to be dried and ground after buying it. Can it compare with this saponin powder?"

Jin Xi shook her head, and said in a clear voice: "Fifteen cents a catty, it's not worth it if it's too high. I only offer this price, if you think you can't sell it, then forget it."

The shopkeeper was getting impatient, he glanced at Jinxi, and waved his hands: "Come on, you, a country girl, probably don't have much money on you, so just treat me as a good deed, fifteen cents is fifteen cents , cheap hello!"

Although it is said that the money is not revealed, but Sun Yubao and Sun Erhu were waiting at the door of the shop, so when Jin Xi paid, she deliberately took out the one thousand Wen coins strung together.

Under the astonished gaze of the shopkeeper, Jin Xi calmly took off thirty cents from the heavy string of coins and bought saponin powder.Before she was about to leave, the shopkeeper stopped her again, but in the blink of an eye, the expression on the shopkeeper's face changed to one of kindness and enthusiasm, as he rubbed his hands, his eyes showed incomparable kindness.

"Little girl, we have a lot of other things here, such as headbands, shuttlecocks, sweet-scented osmanthus candies, wax gourd candies... Would you like to take a look too?"

Jin Xi stood there, looked at the shopkeeper calmly, and patiently listened to him finish a long list of sales words, and then, under his expectant eyes, Jin Xi frowned: "Well, it's really tempting, but today I'm not interested in buying it, maybe I'll come back another day." After finishing speaking, Jin Xi turned around and left calmly under the disappointed gaze of the shopkeeper.

"Xi'er, where are we going next?" Sun Erhu sat in front of the bullock cart and asked while driving.

"Well, go to Zhilan Hall first, and then go to the market."

"Hehe, our Xi'er has grown into a big girl now? Want to dress up?" Sun Yubao teased Jinxi with a smile, while Sun Erhu smirked and stared at Jinxi.

Jin Xi smiled and ignored their teasing.

In Zhilan Hall, when Jin Xi entered, the shopkeeper inside was greeting several ladies and ladies who came to buy things.

Jin Xi didn't make a sound, just looked around, just in time for one of the girls to ask about Xiang Jianzi, so she moved to the side.

"Is there any fragrant soap?"

"Miss really came here by coincidence. Just two days ago, a batch of goods came in from outside, and they brought a few pieces of fragrant soap. Miss?"

But the shopkeeper took out a piece of milky yellow, about the size of a child's palm, which was pressed and oblate.

As soon as you take it out, you can smell a strong aroma, not the kind of faint, refreshing fragrance, but a strong and harsh smell, somewhat similar to the smell of inferior perfume, because the aroma is too strong, Jin Xi hurriedly stood back, but still couldn't help but sneezed.

After being stared at by those ladies and shopkeepers, Jin Xi didn't take it seriously and stayed in the shop.Then I listened to the lady asking the shopkeeper.

"What's the price of this fragrant soap?"

"Two hundred coins a piece."

"Hey, where did your fragrant soap come in? Fang Yatang in Wanghai County sells it for one tael of silver! Two hundred cash is really cheap, but cheap is not good!" The lady picked up the fragrant soap and played with it. Go, said.

The shopkeeper laughed along, didn't refute, and murmured in his heart, anyway, what I sell is a fake, if there is a way to get authentic incense sticks, at least I will sell you two taels of silver!

An older lady at the side laughed: "This fragrant pancake is not that fragrant pantry. Authentic fragrant pancakes are priceless in small places like ours! As for this kind, forget it." , Two hundred Wen is only two hundred Wen, just give me a piece of emergency, at least it is much better than that soap and saponin powder!"

The shopkeeper laughed along and hurriedly wrapped a piece for the talking lady.

"Are there any other fragrances? I don't like this rose scent very much."

"Hehe, what a coincidence, the jasmine scented one was bought by a lady yesterday, and only the rose scented one is left, only the last few dollars. This stuff is in short supply now..."

Jin Xi left Zhilan Hall, Sun Erhu and Sun Yubao saw her coming out empty-handed, frowning slightly, looking thoughtful.

The two looked at each other, and the two of them, who were joking, became serious.Sun Yubao greeted her, and asked with concern: "Why does Xi'er look like this? Did the people inside have wronged you?"

Jin Xi came back to her senses, seeing Sun Yubao's anxious look, her heart warmed up, and she hurriedly said: "No, no, I was thinking about something on my mind."

"Xi'er, why did you come out empty-handed? Just buy whatever you like, don't worry about the money, I have it in my pocket!" After saying that, Sun Erhu came over and wanted to take money from his own pocket to Jin Xi.

Jin Xi couldn't help but smile bitterly, thinking that it must be her appearance when she just left the shop, which gave the two of them a false impression.I mistakenly thought that she fell in love with something and was reluctant to buy it, or that she didn't have enough money and was cast a blank stare.

Jin Xi hurriedly grabbed Sun Erhu's hand: "Uncle Erhu was wrong, I didn't like anything, and besides, I have more than six taels of silver in my pocket now, what is there in Zhilantang that is me?" Can't afford it?"

That's right!Sun Erhu scratched his head, hehe smiled, and Sun Yubao finally let go of his heart.The three of them got into the bullock cart and went to the market. Jin Xi weighed three catties of suet in front of the pork shop.In the rice and grain shop next to the market, I weighed a few catties of soybean noodles.

"Why did Xi'er buy so much lard and bean noodles? Was it your granny's order?" Sun Yubao asked in surprise.

Jin Xi shook her head: "Grandma didn't order it, I wanted to buy it myself."

Sun Yubao looked at Jin Xi with distress and shame in his eyes.

"Uncle, don't look at me like that, I'm not greedy, I bought these lard for other uses!" Jin Xi said mysteriously.

"What's the use?"

"Uncle will know when the time comes!" Jin Xi put it off on purpose: "Yes," and said to Sun Erhu who was concentrating on driving the car ahead: "Uncle Erhu, come to our house to eat dumplings tonight!"

"Oh, you're deliberately trying to whet my appetite. Are you trying to make dumplings stuffed with oil shuttle?" Sun Yubao was complacent about his guess.

Jin Xi pursed her lips and chuckled, he only guessed a little scrap of the matter, none of them knew what she was really going to do, of course, this time, she still wanted to surprise them.

For Sun Yuxia who grew up in the south, their eating habits are very different from those in the north.I like rice grains, but I don't eat much pasta. It is even rarer to knead dough and roll dumpling skins by myself. I am not very proficient, and I don't make dumplings a few times a year.

As a result, Jin Xi, who had a certain amount of research on northern and southern cuisines in her previous life, rolled up her sleeves and went to battle in person.For dinner that night, Sun Yuxia's family ate big, thin-skinned dumplings filled with fried lard and leeks.Sun Erhu also came, and the whole family had a great time eating, praising Jinxi for her cooking skills.

Looking back, when Sun Erhu was about to leave, Mrs. Sun even filled a large bowl for him to take back for Old Sun to eat.

(End of this chapter)