Guiyi Fei Tang

Chapter 289: West Market News
"Is there any beef today?"

"No, but there is no shortage of mutton. Take a look at the mutton."

"My driver wants to eat some beef..."

It was only 9 o'clock, but the West Market was still bustling with people.

The streets in the city are wide, nearly four meters wide on each side. The shops on both sides of the road have already opened their doors to welcome customers, and the vendors are busy in front of their respective stalls. The sounds of shouting and bargaining can be heard one after another. The air is filled with the aroma of various foods and the unique cool breath of winter.

While they were busy with their own lives, Liu Jilong appeared at the entrance of the market.

He was wearing a red round-necked robe, a leather belt around his waist, and no jade pendant. He walked into the West Market with steady steps and a calm expression.

Although his clothes were not conspicuous, some people still recognized him and exclaimed in a low voice: "Marshal Jie! Marshal Jie is here!"

"Jie Shuai..."

The sound spread quickly like ripples, and the entire market seemed to be ignited and boiling in an instant.

The shop managers, servants, and people selling snacks all put down their work and looked around.

Soon, they found Liu Jilong and all their eyes turned to him.

Some people were whispering excitedly, while others stood up straight and bowed respectfully from a distance.

"I'm here to check the market price. Don't try to deceive me. Haha..."

Liu Jilong was already accustomed to such scenes. He smiled and nodded to everyone around him, not forgetting to make a joke.

His arrival seemed to inject a warm current into this winter market, and the already bustling West Market became even more bustling at this moment.

"Marshal Jie, what do you want to see? I'll lead the way for you."

"Marshal Jie, check the price of meat."

"Yes, Marshal Jie, the price of meat in Longyou is too expensive."

People gathered around him, some wanted to talk to him, while others just watched from afar, their eyes full of admiration and curiosity.

Liu Jilong walked steadily. Occasionally, when he saw someone familiar, he would greet them in a gentle tone and without any airs.

"You are all the people who migrated from Jiannan Road, right?"

Liu Jilong questioned those people who said the price of meat was high, and they did not hide their feelings and nodded:

"My family worked in a craftsman's workshop, and that's how I got the chance to live in Didao's home."

"Me too……"

"So is a certain family..."

Liu Jilong nodded to the group of people and walked to the butcher shop with them.

"Jie Shuai..."

The butcher's shop owner bowed and fawned, and several servants who were distributing the meat also bowed and fawned, looking very restrained.

Seeing this, Liu Jilong smiled and said, "Don't be nervous, just think of me as asking for the price."

He looked inside the shop. On the long table was a cut-up pig, and hanging on the ceiling were three pigs and five sheep, all of which had been processed.

Apparently, the butcher was confident it could sell them all.

In addition, the butcher shop leads to the yard, where chickens and ducks are clucking.

There was a wooden sign in front of the pork on the long table with the price written on it.

The more lard it has, the more expensive it is. Offal is the cheapest, at 30 cents per pound, followed by lean meat, at 35 cents per pound, and then pork belly, at 50 cents per pound.

The last thing to be placed is whole pork fat, which costs sixty cents per pound.

The price of mutton also varies, but the price per catty is basically between 25 and 50 cents, which is not as high as pork.

The manager of a butcher shop is basically a selected relative of a martyr, with a monthly wage of 800 coins, while the servants receive 700 coins.

"Our meat prices are indeed higher than those in Jiannan Road and Shannan West Road."

Liu Jilong admitted this matter very frankly. He turned around and said to the crowd of people:

"But this is mainly because the number of pigs raised in farms around the country is too small. I believe that in a few years, the price of meat will drop little by little."

Upon hearing this, the people cheered, and Liu Jilong also started talking with the owner of the butcher shop.

"What's the price of this poultry? You don't have to show it to me."

Liu Jilong saw the other party trying to take it and quickly stopped him.

The person in charge is in his fifties and is obviously the elder brother or grandfather of a martyred relative.

Facing Liu Jilong, he was very excited, but also a little restrained: "Marshal Ji, this poultry is also divided into several grades."

"A fat hen costs 150 coins each, a fat rooster costs 120 coins each, a thin hen costs 100 coins each, and a thin rooster costs 80 coins each."

After the manager finished speaking, Liu Jilong nodded secretly and said, "The price is still high, but it will come down in the future."

It is true that the price of meat in Longyou is higher than that in Shannan West Road and Jiannan Road, which are close to Longyou, but it is much lower than that in Guannei Road and Gyeonggi Road.

There has not been a complete upheaval in the Tang Dynasty yet, so the price of meat is generally stable.

The price of pork in the Tang Dynasty was not high. A whole pig cost only 1,500 coins, or only 10 coins per pound.

The reason why the price of pork in Longyou is so high is mainly because the pork sold in Longyou is fanned pork, which has less fishy smell and more fat.

As for mutton, it is mainly divided by region.

In Guannei Road, northern Hedong and northern Hebei, a sheep was only worth 900 coins, but in Jingji, Shannan, Jiannan and Central Plains it could be sold for 1,500 coins.

The price of mutton in Longyou is even lower than that in Guannei Road, and a whole sheep costs only 800 coins.

As for poultry, Longyou was lower than Guannei Road and Jinggi Road, but higher than Jiannan Road and Shannan Road.

"There is no beef for sale today. The price of beef is around 40 to 80 wen per pound."

Speaking the truth, Liu Jilong nodded and said, "Mutton is cheaper, but it is really not easy for the people."

He turned around and looked at the people, picked out an old man in his 50s or 60s and asked, "Father, I wonder how many acres of land you have at home, how many men and women you have, how many kilograms of grain you can sell each year, and how much money you can get in return?"

"I...I...I?"

"Of course it's you."

The old man was a little excited. After confirming that it was him, he stammered:
"General, my family has 180 mu of cultivated land and 15 mu of reclaimed wasteland. There are two of us in the family, my wife and I, and four other sons. My eldest son joined the army and died. We also have three daughters."

"Last year, after leaving food rations at home, we sold 70 shi of grain for more than 30,000 yuan."

After the old man finished telling the situation at home, the people around him looked at him with confusion, envy, or regret.

Those who envy him are mainly envious of the large amount of land his family has.

Those who feel sorry for him probably know that most of the land in his family is used as relief land.

"Have the three gentlemen studied? Are the ladies married?"

Liu Jilong sighed inwardly and couldn't help asking.

"They are all studying in Songzhoufang. The girls will get married in two years."

The old man responded, and Liu Jilong nodded and said, "I just went to the cemetery to pay tribute today, and I think I also paid tribute to Dalangjun."

"Thank you, Marshal! Thank you, Marshal!" The old man was about to kneel, but Liu Jilong held him up:

"You, Lord, sacrificed yourself to protect the country and the people. If you kneel before me, I'm afraid I'll lose my life."

"This this……"

The old man didn't know what to say, but Liu Jilong supported him and bowed to him: "That's all."

The old man quickly bowed in return, and Liu Jilong also looked at the huge crowd around him.

"Is there anyone in your family who is not a craftsman or a relative of a martyr?"

"Yes! Yes!"

Among the hundred or so people, seven or eight raised their hands.

"We have lived in Didao since the beginning, Marshal Jie!"

They were very excited. After all, it was a great honor to be able to talk to the commander-in-chief.

"That gentleman, please come forward."

Liu Jilong made a gesture to invite someone in, and soon someone squeezed to the front.

He was about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, about the same age as Liu Jilong, but was only about five feet two or three inches tall, or about one meter sixty-five.

This kind of body shape is basically the average body shape among the common people in this era.

"General, my family is from Didao, and we live in Taozhoufang. We have 37 acres of public land and 12 acres of reclaimed land. There are five of us: my father-in-law, my mother, me, my brother and my sister."

"Last year, after leaving behind food rations, I sold the grain for 1,350 coins."

"Every winter, I can earn 600 coins by making linen for the government."

The men's words basically represent the lives of most civilians, except for martyrs' families and craftsmen.

Even the man's family was still an upper-middle class environment among the common people.

Even so, apart from food rations, the annual income was only less than two strings of cash.

"Why don't you join the army, man?"

"Yes, it would be nice to join the army!"

While Liu Jilong was still thinking, many people in the crowd were already "teaching" the man.

The man was helpless and could only say, "My grandfather is old and my brother and sister are still young."

"If I leave, my mother will not be able to cultivate all the land in our family, and will have to give it to others to cultivate."

"Even with military pay, life is not much better."

Seeing the man say this, the voice of instruction gradually became quieter. Liu Jilong also came back to his senses at this time, and after thinking for a while, he said:
"Is it because you were too old that you were not qualified to study?"

"Yeah!" The man nodded quickly. Liu Jilong sighed in his heart when he heard that.

Teaching qualifications in Longyou were limited, especially seven years ago.

This man had already reached adulthood seven years ago, so naturally he was not qualified to go to school.

The income of only two strings of coins was basically only enough to buy firewood, cloth, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, tea and other items, and eating meat was just a dream.

"Why are you here in West Market today?"

Liu Jilong asked the man, and the man said, "I come to help Mr. Wang next door to sell vegetables. I can earn five cents a day. After Mr. Wang sells all the vegetables in the afternoon, I will go to the outside of the city to open up wasteland."

After hearing this, Liu Jilong thought for a moment and then said:

"Although I am a military commander, I cannot abuse my power for personal gain. However, your family situation is special, so I will teach you a way to make money."

"Thank you, General Jie!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the man bowed and saluted. Liu Jilong also looked at the butcher and said, "Bring me some paper and pen."

"Yes!" The manager quickly brought paper and pen. Liu Jilong thought for a moment, then waved his hand and wrote down the content.

When the ink dried, Liu Jilong took the paper off, handed it to the man and said:

"This is a snack. Go home and ask your well-read Erlang to help you solve the problem. Give it a try and it should be able to solve the situation."

It’s not that there are no snacks in Longyou, but they are basically snacks of this era.

The snack written by Liu Jilong is called "Ludagun", which is a snack that only appeared in the Ming Dynasty and is mainly made of glutinous rice flour and soybean flour.

"Thank you, General Jie! Thank you, General Jie!"

The man knew that Liu Jilong didn't like to see people kneeling, so he bowed three times in a hurry.

Liu Jilong smiled and said, "Three times is enough. If you continue, people will think I am getting married to you."

"Ha ha ha ha……"

The people around him burst into laughter and the man's face turned red.

The people did not expect that their commander-in-chief had such a jokey side.

"Okay, okay, I'll go check out the other shops and stalls."

Liu Jilong spoke with a smile, and the people spontaneously made way for him.

Next, he went to look at firewood, rice, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, tea, cloth and other items, and asked about the prices of vegetables and fruits.

Even though they are not in season at this time, people remember the prices of these things the most.

After this trip, Liu Jilong had a clear understanding of most of the prices.

The price of dried vegetables in winter is about ten to twenty cents per catty, while the price of vegetables in spring and autumn is about three to five cents per catty.

Green vegetables, leeks, celery and cabbage are the most commonly eaten vegetables by the people, and the rest are some wild vegetables.

During the period, they met officials and businessmen from other states in Longyou, and there were many servants in their team.

Through them, Liu Jilong learned a lot about the situations in other states.

Linzhou basically does not accept foreign immigrants, so the immigration wave in recent years has not swept Linzhou.

However, after the influx of immigrants to other states, prices inevitably rose, with only food prices remaining stable.

In other states, a family of five would have at most twenty acres of cultivated land, which was barely enough for themselves and their family.

If you want to increase your wealth, there are only two ways: reclaiming land and working.

Most people chose to participate in land reclamation. At least during the period, the government could guarantee their food supply.

A small number of people chose to work, basically working for the government. Since there was no corvee in Longyou, they had to be paid for their work.

In the past, the wages of the laborers were seven dou of grain per month. Now that it has been converted into cash, the wages are paid on a daily basis, at twelve cents a day.

However, as facilities in various states and counties improve, there are still few employment opportunities.

The state with the most opportunities now is Liangzhou. After all, Liangzhou has experienced war and has a lot of work to do.

Although Zhang Huaishen managed Liangzhou well, their methods were basically the same as those of their contemporaries.

Many of the facilities in Longyou are those that only appeared during the Ming and Qing dynasties, so a large number of civilian laborers are needed.

After careful questioning, Liu Jilong roughly understood the difficult situation of people's lives today.

Insufficient arable land and too few job opportunities are the two biggest problems.

As for things like being exploited and bullied, at least the Censorate was quite strict in handling them, and Liu Jilian had not heard any reports from the people in the market.

Occasionally, someone would report something, but it would be about the blatant bias in various cities and towns.

However, after listening carefully, it is found that most of the whistleblowers are too stubborn and feel that if they do not help themselves but help others, they are abusing their power for personal gain.

The informant himself never thought about how the family situation of the person being helped compares to his own situation.

In response, Liu Jilong just smiled and nodded, promising to deal with it, but never pursued the matter afterwards.

The entire West City became more vibrant with his arrival, as if even the winter chill had been dispelled a little.

After staying like this for two hours, Liu Jilong finally walked out of the East Market under the escort of his personal soldiers.

"Come on!"

Zhang Chang and Cao Mao hurriedly came out from the stable and looked at the huge crowd.

"Let's go."

Liu Jilong chuckled and walked forward, and Zhang Chang hurriedly led the generals and horses out of the stable.

After everyone got on their horses, they returned to the Protectorate in a short while.

Cao Mao and Zhang Chang were busy with government affairs, while Liu Jilian returned to the inner courtyard.

"Aye!"

As soon as he entered the inner hall, Liu Bilie staggered towards him.

Although he is only two years and three months old, he is very cute.

"Why are you running out here when you're not staying with your mother?"

Holding him in his arms, Liu Jilong shook him, and Feng Hui from the hall also came out.

"My dear, please move slowly, your tiger head is still small."

Her eyes were full of worry, but Liu Jilong smiled and held Liu Bilie back to her.

After taking over Liu Bilie, Feng Hui said to Mrs. Zhang behind him: "Mrs. Zhang, bring the letter on the table."

"Why, what happened in the court?"

Liu Jilong asked curiously, and Feng Hui nodded slightly: "My dear, you will know after you take a look later."

Not long after, Mrs. Zhang brought the letters. There were two letters in total, one from Chang'an and the other from Chengdu.

Liu Jilong opened it and read it, and quickly understood everything.

The first letter was written by Feng Ao, and its main content was that he asked the Supreme Emperor to retire, but the Supreme Emperor refused three times.

After the fourth time, the Supreme Emperor agreed, but discussed with him about transferring Feng Bangyan to the court to serve as the Minister of Rites.

After much thought, Feng Ao finally agreed to the Supreme's suggestion and prepared to transfer Feng Bangyan to the court to serve as the Minister of Rites.

As for him, he was planning to take some members of the Feng clan to Longyou and live in Wuquan County, Lanzhou.

It seems that Feng Ao knew that he didn't want the Feng family's children to live in Linzhou, so he proposed to live in Wuquan County, Lanzhou.

After all, the more than 300 members of the Feng clan who had entered Longyou before were settled in Wuquan County, Lanzhou by Liu Jilong. Feng Ao was not stupid and knew Liu Jilong's attitude.

After Feng Ao's letter, the second letter was written by Yang Zhiwen.

Yang Zhiwen mainly wrote about the war in the south, as well as the strength of Nanzhao and You Shilong's attitude.

In his opinion, the war between the Tang Dynasty and Nanzhao will last for a long time, because the current national strength of Nanzhao is enough for them to fight a protracted war with the Tang Dynasty.

Yang Zhiwen suggested that Liu Jilong speed up the pace of population migration, so Xiahou Zi had already retreated to Qiongbu County, and Qiongbu County could not be defended for long.

As long as Qiongbu County is lost and the Tang army retreats to Qingxi Pass, the court will definitely send someone to replace Xiahou Zi.

No matter who is sent to Xichuan at that time, no one will be as indifferent as Xiahou Zi, and it will be difficult for Longyou to migrate its population again.

In response, Liu Jilong closed the letter, burned it, and looked at the seal.

"You write back to Aung and tell him that I invite Aung and his three generations of relatives to live in Didao, but those outside the three generations of relatives should live in Lanzhou."

"In addition, if the children of the third rank can pass the civil servant examination in Longyou, they can also start from Zhibai."

"Okay." Feng Hui nodded, agreed to this matter, and then said:

"Are you not going to reply to Yang Dezhi's letter?"

"..." Liu Jilong rubbed his brows and continued:

"Write a letter back and tell Dezhi that if he cannot be an official in the court, he may as well come to Longyou."

"That's all?" Feng Hui didn't expect her husband to reply with such a short message. After Liu Jilong thought about it, he nodded and said, "That's enough."

"Okay!" Feng Hui agreed, and Liu Jilong also gave instructions:
"In a few days, I will summon officials from various states and counties to Didao. If they come with their families, you can comfort their families for me."

"Yes……"

"Aye, I'm hungry..."

Liu Bilie suddenly spoke, interrupting their conversation.

Liu Jilong and Feng Hui smiled at each other, then looked at Mrs. Zhang:
"Serve the food..."

(End of this chapter)