Chapter 199: Chapter 198: Fried Meat Pies

Second Lang was calm and unhurried. He first poured himself a big bowl of water to quench his thirst, then under Da Lang’s urging gaze, he took out the thick stack of papers he had and placed them on the table.

After that, he dug into both of his pants pockets and shook out a pile of scattered copper coins, which fell onto the table with a clear metallic clatter.

Qin Yao was startled, immediately thinking that the siblings had been collecting protection fees.

She quickly picked up the papers from the table to inspect them. There were a total of fifteen sheets, containing Second Lang’s neat notes, detailing who paid how much deposit, with a promise to deliver by March, complete with fingerprints pressed with ink.

They were actually handwritten orders!

The ordered goods were none other than the Divine Power Book Box.

Qin Yao looked at the copper coins on the table and then at the cocky Liu Erlang, laughing in disbelief, “Well done, Liu Erlang, your share of the sales will certainly be paid down to the last cent!”

Second Lang was waiting for this comment, his smile was too wide to close, revealing a missing front tooth as a black gap, which Sanlang and Si Niang pointed at, prompting him to quickly cover his mouth.

But his gaze towards his brothers and sisters was full of pride, see, he just knew Mother wouldn’t blame him for selling the book box.

Just as he thought that, Qin Yao’s faint gaze looked over, reminding him, “It’s going to rain tomorrow.”

Liu Erlang’s smile instantly disappeared upon hearing this, as ink and paper are valuable and must not be exposed to moisture.

Unfortunately, he had already sold the book box and could only plead with Da Lang to help him store the books for a few more days.

Clear accounts among brothers, Da Lang calculated with seriousness, saying, “Daily rent is two cents.”

Second Lang glared at him resentfully, and through clenched teeth, he said, “Fine!”

Qin Yao waved them out of the main room to prepare dinner, and the room quieted down. She gathered the copper coins on the table and counted them; there were 150 cents.

Fifteen orders, and each one had a deposit of ten cents.

The order papers didn’t state the total price of the Divine Power Book Box, but Second Lang sold his first box for five maces of silver, so he thought of pricing it at five maces, or slightly more, as these wealthy young masters could accept it.

Liu the carpenter knew more about the cost of materials and time, and Qin Yao planned to find him tomorrow after sending the children to school to finalize the price.

Moreover, this time with the Divine Power Book Box, perhaps they could take the initiative to market it externally.

This is much easier to sell than millstones, with no aftermarket, no need for installation, and very low transportation costs.

Although each book box might only earn two or three maces of silver, the market is much broader, and the profit margin is higher.

She just didn’t know if Bai Shan had returned from the south yet; if they could cooperate once more, the Liu Family Village would have a cornerstone industry.

The most crucial part is making book boxes poses no risk like stone quarrying does, and logging is far safer than quarrying. She wouldn’t need to lead a team to break stones every time.

This way, she could save some time to attend to the vegetable garden and the fields.

Now it’s February, the weather is getting warmer day by day, and the winter wheat in the fields is ready for harvest. Every household in the village is busy in the fields, and everywhere you look, you see women weaving cloth; farmers have very little free time throughout the year.

If she and Liu the carpenter’s small workshop cannot secure a constant stream of orders, villagers wouldn’t come to work during the busy planting season.

Even if the factory wage is higher than farming pay, food is the top priority.

Because under the traditional agricultural economy, people are self-sufficient, and there’s no surplus grain in the market to support so many people outside the farming economy.

If fewer people grow grain, the price of grain will rise accordingly, making the wage insufficient to buy food for sustenance.

Villagers have long been accustomed to this lifestyle, it’s tough but secure.

Qin Yao struggles to adapt, still failing to truly integrate.

Who enjoys farming anyway?

What she enjoys is a countryside vacation home with the internet, electricity, bathrooms, Smart appliances, and a clean and tidy environment.

The first few conditions might never be realized in this lifetime, so at the very least, achieve the last one.

This is also why everyone dreams of studying for the imperial examination.

Sheng Country’s corvee labor and taxes are much better than the previous regime, but for ordinary people, the pressure is still immense.

Especially when compared to modern farmers, there’s almost a qualitative difference.

At least in later generations, if you fail to pay grain taxes, your entire family won’t face death.

In fact, in later generations, grain taxes were long done away with.

“Mother, dinner’s ready!”

The Dragon and Phoenix Twins ran into the room with bowls and chopsticks, the lively atmosphere pulling Qin Yao out of her gloomy thoughts.

She strung together all the copper coins and put them away, clearing the table, and lit the oil lamp to prepare for dinner.

Da Lang and Second Lang had cooked porridge, along with stir-fried vegetables and a plate of sliced bacon as side dishes. The salty aroma of the bacon and the fresh taste of the vegetables, combined with a sip of white porridge, was very appetizing.

By the time dinner was finished, it was completely dark, but there was still work to be done. Breakfast and lunch for the next day had to be prepared, to be conveniently brought to the school.

Da Lang wanted to make bread. While cooking dinner, he had already prepared the dough for fermenting. After eating dinner and resting a bit, it was just the right time, the dough was swelling nicely.

Second Lang cut off a piece of bacon, washed it and chopped it into small pieces. Taking some thin bamboo shoots collected from the mountain a couple of days ago, he combined them with the bacon after soaking for a while.

Finally, the fragrant filling was wrapped in the dough kneaded by Da Lang and placed in an iron pot for frying with oil.

If He saw this method, she would surely exclaim about the waste.

But Qin Yao never skimped on food; Da Lang Brothers and Sisters had slowly gotten used to cooking with heavy oil and salt, only thinking about how to make it delicious, rarely considering the cost of oil now.

Late at night, the aroma drifted out of the kitchen in waves. Qin Yao lay on bed pondering when to harvest the ten acres of wheat, drifting into sleep, only to be awakened by the tempting scent.

She got up and went to the kitchen door, where the two older boys were handling things at the stove, and the two younger ones were craning their necks to watch.

Sanlang was drooling, trying hard to suck it up and swallow, saying, “Big Brother, Second Brother, it smells so good~”

Second Lang took out the first batch of cakes and placed them on a plate. Sanlang reached out to snag one, but his brother slapped his hand away mercilessly.

“Fool, you’ll burn yourself!” Second Lang admonished.

Sanlang looked aggrieved.

In the end, feeling soft, Second Lang still put one cake in a small bowl on the counter, handing each of the Dragon and Phoenix Twins a pair of chopsticks, advising, “Cool it before eating, okay?”

“Mm-hmm!” The two little ones nodded eagerly as they joyfully blew at the bowl, “hoo hoo~”

Once cooled, Si Niang cut the cake into small pieces, trying them with her little brother first, then raised a piece and wobbled it over to the eldest brother’s mouth.

Da Lang, busy with his hands, opened his mouth and bit into the stuffed cake. The crust crunched, the filling was savory, and the bamboo shoots were just cooked right, crisp with a hint of sweetness, particularly delicious.

But the oil seemed a bit much, the next batch would require Second Lang to filter the oil well; otherwise, when the oil congeals the next day, the cakes would be too greasy.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep