I support the army through farming and business.

Chapter 74 Soybean Oil Shop

The next morning, a big, proud and vigorous rooster flew onto the courtyard wall, raised its head and crowed loudly, cock-a-doodle-doo!

Tang Zhao hid his head in the quilt.

Gu Ci lifted the quilt, got out of bed and went out. He picked up a small stone and flicked it lightly. The big rooster cried out and flapped its wings and ran away.

Aunt Fang stood at the kitchen door and saluted, "General."

Gu Ci ordered, "Watch the yard carefully. No one or any animal is allowed to disturb the Madam's sleep."

Aunt Fang quickly agreed, and only after Gu Ci strode a long distance out of the yard did she let out a deep breath: She was scared to death.

Then he became worried and thought, would the general go after Xiao Hei?

Xiao Hei just made the same mistake that every rooster would make. He hopes that the general will not pluck his feathers and cook him for food.

Aunt Fang was thinking while cooking porridge.

Without the crowing of cocks, Tang Zhao had a sweet nap and still did not get up until noon.

Aunt Fang was waiting outside the door. When she heard someone knocking on the door, she asked, "Madam, may I come in?"

Tang Zhao changed his clothes before saying, "Come in."

Aunt Fang brought a bucket of hot water and poured it into the wooden basin on the wooden rack. She turned around and saw Tang Zhao folding the quilt. She put down the bucket and stepped forward to grab the quilt. "Madam, go wash your face and have breakfast. I'll do the rough work."

Tang Zhao couldn't snatch it away from her, so he had to follow her instructions. He washed his face and went to the kitchen.

Breakfast consisted of white flour buns and wheat porridge, as well as a plate of finely chopped pickled cabbage. Tang Zhao had a big appetite, so he finished the buns and porridge by himself.

The pickled cabbage was too salty and bitter, so Tang Zhao ate a few of them.

When Aunt Fang returned to the kitchen, she saw the shiny plates and couldn't help but sigh. Fortunately, she had listened to the general and made two servings.

Tang Zhao asked, "Is salt cheap in the northwest?"

Aunt Fang replied while washing dishes, "It's not cheap, it's very expensive, a small handful costs five cents."

“How long does a pinch of salt last?”

"It depends on what kind of family they are. A rich family like my lady doesn't even have enough to cook one meal. A poor family like us can only eat for a month if we save."

A month? Tang Zhao frowned. "Eating too little salt will make you sick."

Aunt Fang wiped the water droplets off the bowl and said, "Yes, but there is no other way. There are no salt mines in the northwest. The salt we eat is all shipped from the south. Those merchants are ruthless. They know that people can't live without salt, so they raise the price several times and sell it to the people."

"King Xuan and the local officials don't care?"

"Why not? Even if we did, the price would be this low. There's nothing we can do. If the price were any lower, those merchants wouldn't be willing to ship salt to the northwest."

So even if it’s a little more expensive, it’s better than having nothing to eat.

Tang Zhao thought of the bag of salt that cost two yuan in his previous life, and an idea came to his mind.

Tang Zhao asked, "Where is the general?"

Aunt Fang cleaned up the stove and said, "The general finished his breakfast and left the village with Zhao Tian, ​​Liang Kang and the others."

"I'll go find him," Tang Zhao said, turned and walked out of the kitchen, slowly strolled to the village entrance, and happened to meet Gu Ci who had returned.

Tang Zhao looked at the wooden box that the men were guarding at the innermost part and asked, "Are you going to carry the silver?"

Gu Ci nodded and said, "I carried four boxes," two thousand taels.

Tang Zhao agreed, "It's enough for now."

The team leaders who reported on time stared at the four boxes of heavy silver ingots in amazement.

"Each person will receive a box. According to yesterday's arrangement, take people to order the oil pressing tools as soon as possible," Tang Zhao said confidently. "Once all the tools are ready, we will start the soybean oil mill in Chapter 75!" "Yes!" Everyone was in high spirits. One person dragged a silver box to Aunt Fang to hand in the account records.

Zhao Tian took out three hundred taels of silver and took a group of his men with him, pushing carts and rushing to other villages to collect soybeans.

Liang Kang withdrew two hundred taels of silver, rode the only old horse in the village, and went to the largest stone workshop in Lanzhou City to customize bean pounding tools.

Wei Zhaoniang paid two hundred taels and led her female army to the cloth shop, where she argued and bought one hundred rolls of linen and twenty rolls of yarn at a price 20% cheaper.

Aunt Fang was in charge of Changshou Village, directing Jiang Shenghui's mother and wife to lead the remaining men and women to build the soybean oil mill in Chapter 75.

The entire Changshou Village worked together and built a rough outline in less than ten days.

Beans are fried at high temperature in the west yard, pounded into powder in the east yard, pressed into oil in the south yard, and finally transported to the north yard to be packed in jars and sealed.

Tang Zhao strictly reviewed the skills of the team leaders and corrected any shortcomings one by one until there were no mistakes or omissions.

That night, the people in Changshou Village started eating soybean oil.

Aunt Fang never thought in her life that one day she would be so happy when adding oil to cooking, and she happily killed two more chickens.

Wei Zhaoniang:
Dishes with plenty of oil and water are delicious. Even the stir-fried green beans are so delicious, not to mention the chicken soup with a layer of oil floating on the surface.

It tastes so good that you can swallow your tongue.

After eating and drinking their fill and having hope for the future, the men rarely went up the mountain to chop firewood, but instead sat together happily chatting.

"Who would have thought that soybeans could be used to produce oil?"

"Who says it's not true? If we had known that soybeans could be used to make oil, we wouldn't have to be so frugal with oil. We could have just drunk it freely!"

"Then drink!"

"Hey! I drink it if I want to, and I drink it happily! As long as I think about how soybean oil can be popularized and become the oil that everyone in the world can eat, I will be happy even if I die from drinking it," the man said and started crying.

His parents never ate oil in their entire lives.

Zhao Tian kicked him, "What horse urine are you spilling? Hurry up and wipe it off! Don't embarrass yourself in front of the general and his wife!"

The man wiped his face embarrassedly.

Tang Zhao came to his rescue, "Soybean oil is not only sold in the northwest, but also in Luoyang and Jiangnan. I plan to form a few caravans. Maybe I can find some manpower?"

"I'm afraid Changshou Village alone won't do the trick," Zhao Tian shook his head. "There are too many men with mobility issues in the village. They can work in the village, but going out to trade is a complete hindrance."

Liang Kang said, "We can go to other villages that have resettled veterans to recruit people. I just don't know what price would be appropriate."

When it comes to important matters like starting wages, my wife has to make the decision.

Previously, Aunt Fang offered the villagers a salary of 400 wen per month, but was rejected by the lady. She changed it to a base salary of 300 wen, and the rest was calculated as commission, with the more work, the more money earned.

When the men heard this, they were immediately excited and squeezed out 10% more soybean oil than before!
It’s just that the wages are too difficult to calculate. Aunt Fang has been frowning these days and is angrier than a ghost.

Zhao Tian didn't dare go back to his room to sleep at night.

"Based on the number of trips and distances, a caravan going to Luoyang will earn 15 taels per person, and a caravan going to Jiangnan will earn 17 taels per person," Tang Zhao added, reflecting on Dayu's employment system. "Food and lodging are provided, plus two sets of work uniforms per quarter."

The men's eyes lit up when they heard this. Who wouldn't be tempted by such treatment?

Zhao Tian slapped his thigh and said, "Then I will go to other villages to recruit people tomorrow. Madam, don't worry, I guarantee with my life that everyone I recruit will be honest and have good martial arts skills!"

Tang Zhao praised, "I trust you to do the job."

Zhao Tian felt as if he had drunk a large bowl of strong liquor and was dizzy and disoriented.

Zhao Zhao: Getting better

(End of this chapter)