sjar Chapter 33 It's awful, absolutely awful.
Chapter 33 It's awful, absolutely awful.
After eating the same elm seed steamed buns for several days in a row, Gao Mengli got tired of it, Lin Xi got tired of it too, but Da Niu didn't.
Da Niu thinks that it would be great if he could eat this every morning for the rest of his life!
So in the morning, he ate two elm seed buns with relish, while the other two didn't eat any.
The fat constable came over for several days in a row, and every day without fail, he brought 50 steamed buns.
Although he really wanted to buy more, the magistrate had left him only so much money, and his wallet couldn't hold all of it!
My wallet is too small, so I can only buy what I need.
But today, the fat constable bought elm seed buns but didn't leave.
He stared at Gao Mengli and Lin Xi for a long time, his tone somewhat unfriendly, "I said, why didn't you pay the commercial tax when I asked you to? Do you want to go to jail???"
These two must be looking down on him too much. He had been reconciling accounts with the treasury accountant for three days in a row, and the data still didn't match.
Logically, this little stall should be charging at least 20 coins a day, so it would be 60 coins in three days.
He narrowed his eyes. Could these two be planning to evade taxes while the county magistrate was away? Thinking this, his face darkened even more.
Seeing the fat constable's long face, Da Niu's expression tightened, and he hid miserably behind his father. His father, however, hid behind his mother, looking timidly at the fat constable.
Upon hearing the fat constable's words, Gao Mengli crossed her arms and pouted, "Look at what you're saying, Fat Constable, don't make false accusations. It's not that we don't want to pay the commercial tax, it's just that we haven't had time to pay it yet!"
One sentence shut the fat constable down.
Gao Mengli took the money pouch from Lin Xi, counted out 60 copper coins, and handed them to the fat constable. "Here, these are for the next three days. Since you're here, you can take them back."
The portly constable quickly accepted the money. It turned out he'd misunderstood. He immediately put on a smile again, "Hehehe, I was just asking, just asking, don't be angry! You continue with your business, we'll be going now!"
Having received the steamed buns and collected the commercial tax, the fat constable was in a good mood. He took Constable One and Constable Two to the dungeon to see that group of oddballs.
Of course, every day they would share some of "that group's" breakfast on the road!
After the group left, Gao Mengli pouted.
Lin Xi tiptoed behind her and watched the departing figures of those people, then couldn't help but give Gao Mengli a thumbs up!
His best friend is amazing; he doesn't believe anything she says, but those three people do.
He quickly returned to the steamer and continued serving customers steamed buns, and business continued smoothly.
We've been selling about 1200 steamed buns every day recently, and despite daily purchase limits, the supply still can't keep up with demand.
As they packed up to leave, Da Niu happily counted his earnings for the day, then turned to his parents with a cheerful expression. "Dad, Mom, we could actually make more every day, and that way we could earn more money!"
Lin Xi and Gao Mengli rolled their eyes in unison.
Seeing the expressions on their faces, Da Niu cursed inwardly, realizing he had gotten a little carried away.
"Father... Mother..." Da Niu called out timidly, trying to awaken the conscience in their hearts.
He swore he wasn't teaching the two men how to do things; he just felt they'd sold out in half an hour and could have made more to sell.
Lin Xi glared at him. "What, do you want to work your father to death so you can inherit those two dilapidated thatched houses?"
Making 40 jin of wheat flour every day yields about 1200 steamed buns, which takes more than three hours just to prepare.
Although he goes to bed early, he also gets up early; he has absolutely no desire to do this "job".
Da Niu shuddered and quickly waved his hand, "Dad, that's not what I meant..."
"Alright, pack up the stall, let's go into town and get something to eat." Gao Mengli quickly packed up the stall, interrupting Da Niu's "argument."
After the three finished packing, they went into town together and strolled along the only bustling street in Pingyao County.
Seeing someone selling candied hawthorns by the roadside, Lin Xi tugged at Meng Li's sleeve, "Mengli, candied hawthorns!"
Gao Mengli paused, frowning as she looked at the candied hawthorn sticks stuck in a haystack next to her.
The hawthorns on the haystack were of varying sizes, skewered unevenly on bamboo sticks.
The syrup coating was uneven; in some places it was so thick it looked like a lump, while in others it was almost impossible to see any sugar.
Some hawthorns were even stuck together with syrup and looked crooked, as if they were about to break free of this terrible "binding" and fall to the ground at any moment.
Overall, this candied hawthorn looks like a failed experiment, making it completely unappetizing.
"Buy a bunch..." Gao Mengli felt a sudden ache in her teeth as she looked at the hawthorns.
Lin Xi happily stepped forward, spent three coins, and chose a string of berries that weren't so "misshapen and cracked," and was about to take a bite.
Turning his head, he saw Da Niu looking at him with bright eyes. Lin Xi was taken aback and bought another skewer, handing it to Da Niu.
Da Niu happily accepted it. He had wanted to eat candied hawthorn for a long time, but sugar was expensive, so candied hawthorn was not cheap.
I never thought my wish would come true today.
He imitated his father, taking a bite of the hawthorn, but suddenly his expression changed drastically.
"I'm telling you, don't you dare throw up in front of me."
He turned his head and looked at his mother, who was giving him a "fierce" warning.
He could only swallow the sour, astringent, and unpalatable candied hawthorn with tears in his eyes.
I wanted to cry. Why did he so shamelessly take it? I thought it was the perfect treat, the one I'd always dreamed of. But it was like a landmine, exploding in my mouth and attacking my internal organs.
Now, his heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys push his stomach forward, bearing the unpalatable candied hawthorn. They huddle together, trembling with sourness, causing his heart to ache faintly.
Then look at his father, he seems to be enjoying his meal.
He glanced at the bamboo skewer he was holding; there were still five hawthorns left. His regret overwhelmed him once more.
With tears in his eyes, he finished all the candied hawthorns, and his parents took him to sit at a wonton stall.
As soon as Gao Mengli sat down, she ordered three bowls of wontons from the owner.
Three steaming bowls of wontons were brought out. "Please enjoy, sir."
The wontons in the bowl looked quite appetizing.
Gao Mengli and Lin Xi had a big appetite and put a wonton in their mouths, chewing it a couple of times.
The two men's faces changed drastically; they didn't know whether to swallow or spit it out...
Then look at Da Niu, who is holding his bowl and eating with relish.
Da Niu thought it wasn't tasty, not as good as his dad's, and the meat was very fishy, unlike his dad's dumplings, which were fresh, fragrant, and delicious, and he couldn't stop eating them.
However, for someone from a poor background like him, this was a rare treat.
Therefore, he is not picky.
He wasn't picky, but it made things difficult for the two people next to him.
The two of them swallowed the wontons in their mouths with difficulty.
The meat wasn't even seasoned with scallion and ginger water to remove the fishy smell, and there weren't any scallions either. Eating it just made me feel nauseous.
It's awful, absolutely awful...