When Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan returned home, they deliberately went to the courtyard where their younger siblings lived.
The lights were still on, but they couldn't hear the sound of the diesel generator because the generator was placed very deep underground. Some of the wires were pulled out to the government office, some to the medical center, and the rest was used to light their own home.
The two walked into the courtyard, waved at the people who wanted to greet them, and went straight to the window. Inside, the nine little guys were discussing a problem. To be precise, they were correcting the mistakes Xiaobei made during the day and thinking of ways to make up for it.
After listening for a while, Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan understood. During the day, Xiaobei discussed with people who were hired by Li Xiaogang. They were all in the same industry, animal husbandry, and wanted to go to the newly occupied land to build a ranch together.
According to the ideas of her brother and sister, Xiaobei painted a pie in the sky for a group of adults. She said that safety was guaranteed, alfalfa was easy to grow, and the yield was high. They could also grow other crops without any rent or taxes. Whether it was grain, alfalfa, or the livestock raised, the country would buy them at a high price and directly send ships over.
At the same time, the goods in the country would be sold to the ranchers at a discounted price.
What Xiao Bei said was correct, but when she mentioned the shepherd dog, she promised to sell it to other ranchers. At that time, she spoke with assurance, and the livestock merchants listened attentively. Then, they were all enraptured.
Xiaoyuan and the other eight people were indifferent. When Xiaobei raised her hand to vote, the eight of them raised their hands together and passed.
After passing in front of others, the eight of them began to surround Xiaobei and talk about it when they returned home. The reason was that Xiaobei sold the dog. The dog's breeding cycle was short, and Song Dakang had already bred in the end. Wouldn't their cooperation with Song Dakang be a loss?
Xiaobei didn't say things like, "You just agreed, but now you're going back on your word." She knew that when facing outsiders, the nine of them were absolutely the same. If there were differences, they would talk at home and not give others any chance to sow discord.
Now, the nine children were discussing how to make up for the loss.
"We didn't sign a contract with them before, right? Can we … "Xiaofang reminded.
"No." Xiaogang shook his head. "We're different from others. Our words are more credible than a contract. If we make a promise, we won't regret it."
Xiao Bei sighed. "It's all my fault. I got too excited and sold the dog."
"We don't blame you, and we don't regret it. Since we chose you, we will fully support you no matter what you do. If it really doesn't work … we will raise the price." Xiao Qiang did not intend to hold anyone responsible.
"The price is basically the same. It's not good to raise it too much. We have to think of a way." Little Yuan imitated his elder brother and tapped his face with his finger, as if he could become smarter.
"If you really can't do it, ask Big Brother. Big Brother will definitely have a good idea, right? Anyway, we're all younger siblings. There's nothing to be embarrassed about. "Xiao Bei wanted to make up for what he had done wrong.
Xiaohai said in support, "It's fine if we don't lose face, but we have to think for ourselves first. If we keep asking our brothers and sisters, we will become dependent on them in the future. Our brothers and sisters don't want to see a group of brothers and sisters who don't have their own opinions and are only obedient."
"Think about it. Think about it first. If you can't think of anything, ask him tomorrow morning," Xiao Bei said loudly.
Zhang Xiaobao, who was eavesdropping outside, pulled Wang Juan. The two of them turned around and left carefully.
"Where are we going?" Wang Juan asked when she saw that Zhang Xiaobao was not walking towards the resting area.
"The kitchen. I'll make supper for them." Zhang Xiaobao answered and quickened his pace.
When the two of them reached the kitchen, there were still people busy cooking. Influenced by the work and rest schedule of the inner courtyard, the kitchen worked 24 hours a day.
"Young Master, are you hungry?" The person in charge of the kitchen greeted.
"Where are the leftovers from last night? Bring me … bring me … the amount that is normally enough for five people. Bring the whole pot. Don't be picky. "Zhang Xiaobao did not explain and asked directly.
The steward asked someone to bring the leftovers and waited at the side.
After a while, the person who brought the leftovers came back with a 'pot'. In fact, it was the leftovers from cooking in a big pot. The leftovers were snatched from the sides of the pot and became a 'pot'. Under normal circumstances, the white rice on top could be used to cook porridge, while the rice crust below was specially used to cook vegetables or steam things.
Zhang Xiaobao took it and looked back and forth. He was very satisfied and nodded to the steward. Holding the bowl, he followed Wang Juan to his own small kitchen.
Wang Juan sniffed. The smell was very good, better than the plain rice. There was a faint smell of paste in it. She asked, "Do you want to make smoked chicken?"
"No, I haven't cooked chicken yet. What's there to smoke? Just make rice crust." Zhang Xiaobao put the 'pot' on the chopping board and picked up a small sawtooth knife at the back. It was very similar to a western kitchen knife. He measured it back and forth, trying to find a suitable place to cut.
"It's already rice crust. Let someone scrape out the rest of the rice inside. The rest can be eaten directly." Wang Juan picked up a spoon and planned to scrape with it.
Zhang Xiaobao put down his hand and began to cut. He divided the 'pot' into small cubes. The outermost circle was curved. Then he stood the cubes up and used the knife to cut in the direction of the cubes. With the first cut, the outermost layer of rice was cut out. With the second cut, the middle part was separated from the last slightly black paste.
Every small piece was processed like this. After a while, Zhang Xiaobao finished processing the ingredients and said to Wang Juan, "Find a pancake and spread the rice crust."
Wang Juan knew where the pancake was placed. She walked over and took it. She brushed it with water and put it on the stove, "Are you sure you want to spread it and not dry stir-fry?"
"Is there a difference?" Zhang Xiaobao smiled, "If it's dry stir-frying, it's more convenient for me to use an iron plate. I need to bake and light the fire. You help me look after the pot. I'll prepare the other two pots."
As Zhang Xiaobao said, he lit the fire and threw in the blackest part of the rice crust. He spread out the spatula and let Wang Juan help him look after it.
Zhang Xiaobao found a big spoon, washed it, and put it on the other stove. He also lit the fire and put a little oil. He watched the oil melt and spread to the side as the temperature rose. He shook the big spoon to let the oil spread to every part of the pot, leaving only a thin layer.
When the oil started to smoke, he poured out the extra oil at the bottom of the pot and reduced the fire. He continued to bake the big spoon on the top of the pot. When the oil was no longer visible to the naked eye and gradually dried, he poured the rice on the top of the pot. After a few bakes, the rice turned yellow. He put it next to Wang Juan and let her continue to bake it.
Zhang Xiaobao only had the middle part of the rice crust left. He took out a flat net made of iron wire and carefully put the rice crust on it. He then took out charcoal and waited for the charcoal to be completely red. He took a thin piece of iron plate and rubbed it with ginger. He then covered the iron plate with the iron plate and used the charcoal to bake the rice crust on the iron plate.
Wang Juan looked at him and frowned. "This is troublesome. Looking at the situation, the rice crust in your hand is the best, right?"
"Yes, the rice crust in my hand has a little burnt smell. It's crispy and chewy. The fragrance of the rice and the rice crust are mixed together. When you eat it, it will make crunching sounds when you chew it. When you yell it in your mouth, it will be as chewy as a rice cake. When you process it later, just add a little salt."
Zhang Xiaobao's eyes were fixed on the iron wire. From time to time, he put his hand to the side to test the temperature. Occasionally, he would dip his finger in some saliva and bake it to see how fast it would dry.
Wang Juan looked at Zhang Xiaobao's serious expression and didn't know what to say. No wonder Xiaobei and the others didn't like to eat outside and always pestered her brother to cook at home. It was purely because they were spoiled. They really didn't get tired of eating good food and didn't get tired of eating small things. They were all very picky.
Wang Juan turned her head and continued to look at the rice crust in front of her. From time to time, she would use a spatula to turn it over so as not to bake it. If the little ones tasted it and immediately threw it aside, it would be very troublesome.
When she thought that the two kinds of rice crust in her hand might be worse than the one in Xiao Bao's hand, Wang Juan was puzzled and asked, "Since you're better at cooking, why don't you ask people to bring more rice? There's no need to keep me busy. "
"It's not the same. Things have to be divided into different grades to show which is better. Without comparison, there is no good or bad. If you compare the three kinds of rice crust to them, they will understand that the quality of things is the same even if they're not called the same. Like the one in my hand, it takes a lot of effort to make and the ingredients are very particular. If you sell it, the price will be higher than the rice that I've fried.
When the time comes, when I say that I'll sell you the rice crust, I'll sell you the rice crust. As for the rice crust that you're baking now, you can taste it a little and then smell it. As for the one in my hand, it can only be encountered but not sought. It can only be seen from afar and not touched. "
Zhang Xiaobao took a small pair of tweezers and began to flip the rice crust. His movements were gentle, but his speed was very fast.
Wang Juan laughed. "So you're saying that your rice crust is lotus flavored? If you throw it into the mud, won't it get mud? "
"Then you have to put a lot of oil on it. Otherwise, the rice crust will eat a lot of water."
"You're so talkative. If you say that your rice crust is good, will other people believe you?" Wang Juan rolled her eyes at Zhang Xiaobao and asked again.
"If they don't believe it, we can compete. Hold a rice crust competition, set up the rules and projects, and then give the final score. Whoever has the highest score will have the leftover rice crust. From then on, they can't sell it and can only rent it. They can only rent it for two days to smell it and then send it back. Do you want to continue renting it?"
As he spoke, Zhang Xiaobao finished baking the rice crust in his hand and continued to put new ones on it.
Wang Juan was stunned when she heard Zhang Xiaobao's words. Then, Weiwei shook her head and the corners of her mouth rose, revealing a gentle smile. Understood. Everything was clear now. Xiao Bei and the others were thinking of ways to make up for their mistakes during the day. They couldn't not sell it, and they couldn't find an excuse to raise the price. They wanted to come over and ask their older brother, Xiao Bao, and Xiao Bao was now providing them with an idea.
He was using supper to guide his younger siblings to solve their problems. If the teachers of Tang Dynasty were as omnipotent as Xiao Bao and could reach such a level, other than those with particularly low intelligence, there wouldn't be any stupid students in Tang Dynasty.
No, even if their intelligence was low, Xiao Bao would definitely nurture them into geniuses. For example, the child with very low intelligence had a very thorough understanding of music. Usually, when he was walking, he would follow the rhythm when he heard the song. In the end, he was actually able to conduct a symphony.
"Xiao Bao, your education method isn't something that anyone can imitate. It takes too much effort. Many of the children that Xiao Bei and the others provide funds to raise have low intelligence. Can you educate them one by one?"
Wang Juan said to Zhang Xiaobao. In fact, she wanted to express the bitterness in her heart. There were too few people like Xiao Bao. If there were more, would Tang Dynasty be better?
"Isn't a teacher's job to spend effort to educate children? I wasn't the one who said that there would be no discrimination in education. What is intelligence? Using a rule to classify all the children in the world? The human brain is complicated. If it could be studied thoroughly, humans would have become gods long ago. Since it can't be studied thoroughly, why should we use an incomplete standard to classify others?
In the future, he would specially nurture a group of teachers and give them a salary so high that it would shock others. Hard work would be rewarded. He could use the so-called low IQ children as the evaluation criteria. Whoever taught well and nurtured the child's talent would be qualified to receive a large sum of money.
I believe that someone will succeed. Didn't I say that when God closes a window, Allah kicks the door open and says' Amitabha '? That' Amitabha 'is filled with sweet sorrow. The Immeasurable Deity. "
Zhang Xiaobao changed the rice crust again.
"Be careful, Xu Zhimo will fight with you. I've finished roasting the rice crust on the claw. Do you want to add any seasoning?" Wang Juan grabbed the rice crust that Zhang Xiaobao made and threw in the rice that Zhang Xiaobao made.
"Wait, I'll be done in a while. I only put a little salt in my hand. You have to make it into a seafood flavor. Make the rice crust from before into a barbecue flavor. When Xiaobei and the others taste it, they will know that the more complex the taste, the better. Things that look simple may not be simple."
Zhang Xiaobao was still roasting his rice crust unhurriedly.
After ten minutes, Zhang Xiaobao finished his work. He placed all the rice crust on a big chopping board, took two steps back, grabbed a handful of refined salt and threw it into the sky. In the process of falling, he waved his sleeve and scattered the floating salt over the rice crust.
He picked up a rice crust and tasted it, saying, "Good, the salt is scattered very evenly. When you eat it, there is a little taste. When you taste it carefully, you find that it is not salty at all."
"Waste of salt." Wang Juan said.
"The main thing is that the salt is cheap. There is an endless supply of salt in the sea. The price of salt is not high. If the price is high, do you think I can still throw it casually? No, if the price is high, I have to clean it up. If anyone dares to raise the price of salt, I will make them bankrupt. Leave the work in your hands to me. "
After throwing the salt, Zhang Xiaobao did not clean up and waited for others to come and do the work.
Another quarter of an hour passed. A barbecue-flavored rice crust and a seafood flavored rice crust were ready. The two walked to the courtyard of the younger brother and sister. Zhang Xiaobao was in charge of the tray.
*****
"According to my method, we will kill all the male dogs sold there. See how they reproduce. After a few years, when the dogs are old, they will have to buy new ones. We will take back the old dogs and kill them for meat." The voice of the young man sounded when Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan stood under the window again.
"That's too cruel." The young man's voice followed. "Shepherd dogs are not like cows and sheep. They usually help people do things and have sacrificed a lot. Like the dogs we raise at home, they usually pull sleds when it snows. Some have been trained to search and rescue, and some will risk their lives to protect their owners when they encounter danger.
When they are old and can't work anymore, everyone will eat them. They are not like carnivorous dogs that are specially raised to eat. Let them spend their old age peacefully. Besides, dog meat is not delicious. "
"Then don't eat them," Xiaobei said.
Xiaoyuan added, "Old dogs are actually very useful. They are experienced and can communicate well with people. In some aspects, they can help the puppy learn faster. For example, an old dog can tell at a glance that a rat that has eaten rat medicine. If the old dog doesn't eat it, it won't let the puppy eat it. Just like the old people we support, they are all precious treasures."
When Zhang Xiaobao heard this, he signaled to Wang Juan. Wang Juan walked over and knocked on the door. She shouted, "Open the door for brother and sister. Delicious food is here. It is better than dog meat."
After a while, Xiaobei opened the door and pouted. "You still have to knock after eavesdropping."
"I didn't eavesdrop." Wang Juan shook her head.
"If you didn't eavesdrop, how would you know that we were talking about dog meat?" Xiaobei turned around and skipped two steps.
"Speak of the devil. Did he hear you?" Zhang Xiaobao asked.
Xiaobei was stunned and nodded. "I understand. As a diplomat, we should be shameless. Sometimes, even if we know that the other party is lying, we have to treat them as if they are telling the truth. Then, what is more delicious than dog meat?"
"How do you make dog meat that is delicious?" Zhang Xiaobao asked.
"To be honest? No matter how you make it, it is not delicious. It is much worse than beef and mutton, especially cold ones. You have to add a lot of seasonings, and you can't dip it in soy sauce. The bean smell and the taste of dog meat is really bad. It is okay to eat it in a pot. You can also put soybeans in it, but the taste is better.
It is better than beef and mutton. "Xiaobei summarized. She had eaten it a few times, but she didn't want to eat it anymore. The guards in the house also didn't eat it. They said that it was good for the body, but beef and mutton were not easy to kill. The inner courtyard couldn't slaughter cows every day, so they usually ate mutton.
Zhang Xiaobao grinned. "The supper we sent has something to do with the pot."
"Pot? Seafood pot? "Xiaobei walked into the house. She turned around and twisted her head to ask.
"Rice crust." Zhang Xiaobao answered.
When Xiaobei heard this, she ran over and hugged her brother. She couldn't stop laughing and buried her head in her brother's chest.
After a while, she looked up. "Brother, I really admire you. The rice crust is related to the pot. Aiya, I'm dying of laughter. It's the same as when you said that household appliances are flashlights, right?"
"Then, do you want to eat it?" Zhang Xiaobao asked while holding back his laughter.
The little guys nodded at the same time. "Yes ~!"
Zhang Xiaobao put the tray on the small table, opened the lid on it, and pointed to one of them. "It's seafood flavored. It's sold at a low price. One copper coin per small plate."
Xiaobei stretched out her hand and pulled it back instantly. "It, it costs money."
"Of course, your brother can't work for nothing. Your brother is Xiao Bao, who is very awesome in the eyes of the people. Xiao Bao makes supper that costs one copper coin per plate. Is it expensive?" Zhang Xiaobao pursed his lips and asked.
Xiaobei shook her head. "It's not expensive. It's so cheap. How much is this?"
She pointed to the plate next to the seafood flavored rice crust.
"There's no fixed price for this. It has to be bid. It's an auction." Zhang Xiaobao said. He was also willing to play with his younger brothers and sisters.
Xiao Yuan stood up and said, "Brother, why don't you introduce us to the fried rice crust that's going to be auctioned?"
"Okay, everyone, come and take a look. It's a product of a century-old shop. It has a traditional recipe, modern craftsmanship, meticulously made, and dedicated. The barbecue-flavored rice crust is officially unveiled today. The starting price is five copper coins, and each increment must not be less than one copper coin. Begin."
Zhang Xiaobao spoke very passionately.
"Five copper coins." Xiaobei raised her hand and reported the starting price. The other eight little guys shook their heads one after another, looking as if this thing was not delicious.
"Five copper coins, five copper coins going once. This most beautiful little princess has bid five copper coins. Everyone look, as expected of a woman who is not inferior to a man. This little princess has wisdom and courage as one. Is there anyone who wants to bid higher? "Five copper coins going twice. The barbecue-flavored rice crust is different from barbecued meat. Not only is it good for digestion, but it can also be used as a snack. It's a must-have item when going out, traveling, or killing people. Is there anyone who wants to increase the price? Five copper coins going thrice. Sold. Alright, no one wants to support me. If this continues, I'll lose money and won't get a single copper coin."
Zhang Xiaobao looked very sad as he sighed and shook his head.
The little guys laughed and rushed up one by one, picking up the two flavors of rice crust and putting it in their mouths to taste.
"Order, order, order." Zhang Xiaobao shouted like a qualified auctioneer.
"Brother, you are so funny. You are auctioning with us. How can we compete with each other? There's one left. What's that?" Xiaobei chewed the rice crust in her mouth and pointed to the last plate.
Zhang Xiaobao touched his sister's head and said, "The last one is only for rent and not for sale. If you rent it and smell it, you have to bring it back to me. One copper coin per smell. You don't smell it with your mouth, but you still chew it. Oh, it's a high-quality rice crust. It's not the same price as one copper coin per serving.
The nine little guys suddenly stopped eating when they heard their brother's words.
Wang Juan squatted down, kissed Xiaoqiang and Xiao Nan, who were closest to her, and said, "Why don't you eat? How's the high-quality rice crust compared to the shepherd dog's meat? "
Xiaobei looked up at her brother with misty eyes and buried her head in her brother's arms again. After a while, she shouted, "Brother, you are the best. We will let the dogs have a selection competition later. The bad ones will be sold directly, the medium ones will be auctioned, and the better ones will only be rented and not sold."
"Then eat, but don't eat too much. It's not good for the stomach. After all, the rice crust has shrunk. When it goes into the stomach, it is easy to get bloated." Zhang Xiaobao showed a caring smile and said.
Xiaoyuan and the others also became relaxed. The problem was solved. First, they would hold a competition. When the dogs were strong and weak, even if they wanted to sell directly, the ranchers would have to compete. Consumers would actively seek price advantages in the case of differences in goods and thus obtain.
Xiaobei ran out and asked for a few bottles of soda. She said that she was happy today and wanted to drink some.
Zhang Xiaobao naturally did not refuse. At the same time, he praised his sister's good timing. Usually, carbonated drinks were not drunk casually. They usually drank pure fruit juice, but the little guys liked the feeling of carbonated drinks in their mouth.
"Brother, the seafood rice crust is a lie, right? I can see that it is cooked with dried rice. It is different, and the rice crust at the bottom of the pot is different. Even if you put in real shrimp powder and crab powder, the taste is much worse. "
Xiaobei ate a few seafood rice crust that looked good and said to her brother.
"Xiao Bao, look at how you have raised them. They haven't discovered any special skills, but their ability to taste food is getting better and better." Wang Juan glanced at Zhang Xiaobao and said.
Zhang Xiaobao nodded to his sister. "Only those who know how to eat understand life. Only those who know life know what others need and want in life, and thus manage. But the true meaning of eating is not to be able to tell the recipe immediately. It is to understand the details of other people's eating from the food you eat.
Only when you know the suffering of the people can you find a way to turn bitterness into sweetness. Just like how your sister and I taught others to make cold jelly. Highland barley is not delicious. In the past, people in the northwest ate it because it was convenient to grow it in the climate. At the same time, there was only one way to cook it, which was to fry and roast it.
Then, even if wheat and rice were roasted and fried, the taste was not much better than highland barley. Wheat was better ground into powder, and it could be used to make cakes. That was how shortbread came to be.
Now that there is a pressure cooker, highland barley is not delicious. What should we do? Through understanding the taste of highland barley, we specially made cold jelly. Therefore, those who desire food first know the people, and the people regard food as heaven. "
The nine little guys had stopped all their actions and listened to their brother.
After Zhang Xiaobao finished speaking, the little guys looked at each other. Xiaobei said, "Brother, we know. When we have time, we will taste all the food that others eat. Then we will take the raw materials and give them to our family to try to make a better taste. Then we will teach others."
"Let's not talk about anything else today. Let's eat. The rice crust is still very delicious." Zhang Xiaobao was very gratified. His younger brothers and sisters were sensible. He did not teach them in vain.
"Brother, I have a question." Xiaobei ate a few and said to her brother, "Why is it that only a little bit of salt is the best? That barbecue taste is just a bluff. It's impossible to cover it up with the taste of cumin, pepper, and other seasonings. A bluff is a bluff. "
Zhang Xiaobao smiled and echoed, "Yes, a bluff is a bluff. Normally speaking, I would not cover it up. I would purposely improve it. A bluff is also a kind of taste, but it would be too sharp to reflect a bluff. So I chose the part in the middle. You see, it looks simple with only a little bit of salt, but it takes the most effort.
But in terms of appearance, it is the most ordinary, just like the people you see. Everyone seems to be doing things according to a law, and then there is prosperity. The market is noisy, the school is bright, and the children are laughing and shouting. As for me, the best rice crust I made for you is not actually the best, but I deliberately made it the best. In fact, I can still make the best seafood and barbecue-flavored raw materials.
Those who know their food must consider the problems in the process of the process. Those who know their people are more difficult than those who know their food. So what should we do when we are at a loss? It's easy to handle. Prosperity is confusing, and the Great Dao is simple. Those who stand with their hearts have no right or wrong. "
The nine little fellows nodded again.
Xiao Bei was still in charge of speaking. "Brother, if we had heard you say that a few days ago, we would not have cooperated with the livestock seller. If we cooperated, it would definitely put pressure on other people. Moreover, we contacted many people through Li Xiaogang. Aiya. Xiao Yuan, tell us what we are thinking now. "
"Me again?" Xiao Yuan did not know how many times he had said the same thing, but he had no choice but to stand up when he did not say it.
"Brother, we really did something wrong. Those who know their people should be guided first, and should not cooperate with others. Those who cooperate with others will seek our name. It is not in line with the law of the people, and it is not in line with those who compete with the people."
Wang Juan continued, "That's right. You've found too many people to work with. This is not a bait. Instead, it's to make the businessmen worry about your name and your identity. As long as they hear that it's you, they won't consider whether it's suitable for their current economic situation. Thus, they won't compete with their own efforts.
So now that you know, what are you going to do? Tear up the original promise? Announce another rule? Or simply let more people join in? "
"We … Wait, let's discuss it." Xiao Bei pulled the others to a corner of the room and muttered.
After a while, the little fellows came back. Xiao Bei said, "We plan to use a point system. Counting from the time we arrived at Jiannan Road, those who have contributed extra to the people's lives before that will gain points, while those who cooperate with us will have zero points. From now on, the rules for those who have contributed extra money will change. In the end, it will be those who have contributed more than they have received. Let's see who is still willing to continue cooperating with us.
Tomorrow morning's newspaper, we will take down the third page and send a telegram now to coordinate with the publishing agencies in other places. We will ask them to remove the previous page and replace it with ours. Is that okay? "
"There is no such thing as' okay ', only whether to do it or not. Go, but remember to eat less. I am leaving with your sister." Zhang Xiaobao patted Xiao Bei's head again and was kissed by his brothers and sisters. He turned around and took Wang Juan's hand to leave.
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