The sky was dark, the clouds were dark, the snow was flying, and the wind was blowing.
On the 26th day of the twelfth lunar month of the second year of the Kaiyuan Era, just three days after the Lunar New Year, the fourth snowfall of winter began to fall. This snowfall was heavier than the previous ones, falling like pieces of paper.
The County Magistrate Cheng Lingxiang was the busiest today. He not only had to arrange the affairs of the Yamen, but he also had to help sell the cucumbers. The accumulated 5,000 kilograms of cucumbers would be sold in the next few days. These were all delivered by Song Jinggong these days.
In addition to these cucumbers to be sold, there were 200 kilograms of cucumbers left for County Magistrate Cheng. As for who he gave them to, it was not someone else's business.
At noon, Cheng Lingxiang put on his official uniform and took a group of people to a warehouse in the county. These people in the Yamen still did not know what the County Magistrate was going to do. It was the holidays, but he still called them out.
As the door of the warehouse opened, countless baskets made of bamboo appeared in front of them. Cheng Lingxiang knew that these were cucumbers that were processed with some methods to keep them fresh. The older ones were more than ten days old, and the fresh ones were just delivered this morning.
"Sir, you called us here just to see these baskets?" The Deputy County Magistrate of Sanshui County, Zhang Mingsheng, asked what others were thinking.
Cheng Lingxiang shook his head mysteriously and pointed to one of the baskets, "Someone come and open the basket."
Naturally, someone came forward and carefully opened the basket in front of him. What appeared in front of him was a layer of silk. He looked back at the County Magistrate, and under the County Magistrate's signal, he lifted the silk and suddenly couldn't help but scream.
Under the silk were neatly stacked cucumbers with thorns on the top. Looking back at the snow that was still falling, this person felt that he was not mistaken about the season. It was really winter, but the cucumbers in front of him were not fake.
"Sir, cucumbers, these, these are all cucumbers?" This person looked back at the County Magistrate and stuttered a little. It seemed that he wanted to get confirmation from the County Magistrate.
"Yes, they are cucumbers. These are all cucumbers, more than 5,000 kilograms in total. It is an auspicious sign. There is a farm, and there are cucumbers on the vine that should have died. Last night, I have written a memorial, and I will ask someone to send it out later."
This was exactly what Cheng Lingxiang wanted. When he saw cucumbers for the first time, it was also the same when he was clear about the season. It seemed that his surprise back then was not excessive, and it was the same for others.
The other people in the yamen also came forward to take a look. They all wanted to touch the cucumber with their hands, but they were afraid that they would remove the thorns and flowers on the cucumber. They all took deep breaths to savor the taste of the cucumber.
The deputy district magistrate carefully pinched the end of a cucumber and held it in front of him to take a closer look. He then moved his nose closer to smell it and nodded, "Auspicious sign, it's indeed auspicious sign. I just don't know which Zhuangzi is the auspicious sign."
"Which Zhuangzi? There's no need to rush now. You'll know when the time comes. For now, help this official carry the cucumbers out. We'll sell them on the streets. Thirty copper coins per catty. You can buy at most five catties at a time. If you want to buy more, line up at the back."
County Magistrate Cheng did not want others to know about the location of Zhangjia Zhuangzi now. There were still cucumbers there. If someone went to investigate now, all the cucumbers would be killed immediately. What a pity.
What they had to do now was to help sell the cucumbers. Thirty copper coins per catty was the price set by the expert over there. It was agreed at the beginning that people without money would not enjoy this thing. Even if you sold it for ten copper coins per catty, no one would be willing to buy it. The rich people did not care whether it was ten copper coins or thirty copper coins.
This was the price for today. Some people were allowed to buy and try it first. Today, they would only sell the earliest 2,000 catties. If they did not sell out, the next day it would be 50 copper coins, the day after tomorrow it would be 80 copper coins and the day after that it would be 100 copper coins. The closer it was to the New Year, the higher the price.
"Sir, it doesn't seem right to do this. We are all officials of the imperial court. If we sell vegetables, we will be impeached." When the deputy district magistrate heard that they had to sell the cucumbers personally, he felt embarrassed and tried to persuade them.
"How is this selling vegetables? We are selling auspicious signs. Quickly go and get a weight. I want those that can weigh up to one copper coin. Carry 2,000 catties of cucumbers to the entrance of the yamen. I want to promote auspiciousness for the imperial court there."
Cheng Lingxiang had thought of this and did not mention anything about selling vegetables.
"But Sir, the price is too high." The deputy district magistrate was still a little hesitant.
Cheng Lingxiang stared at him, "What do you mean by selling? To you, I am selling. To others, I am not selling. I am giving, giving auspicious signs. Those who pay money are asking for auspicious signs. They can get it for 30 copper coins per catty. "
Understood. Everyone else understood. The county magistrate played it beautifully. He had a reputation and money. The deputy district magistrate had to admit that this was indeed a good excuse. He thought of selling, oh no, giving away money again.
"Sir, I wonder how the money after giving away money …? Is it enough to give some to Zhuangzi? "
When Cheng Lingxiang heard what the deputy district magistrate said, he instinctively took a step back. He was afraid that he would be implicated by the deputy district magistrate. How would he dare to touch the money? He was not afraid of Zhuangzi. He was worried about the master. The money added up to only a few hundred taels. The master was still waiting for the new year. If he really took the money, the consequences would be …
When he thought of this, he stared at the deputy district magistrate again and said, "This money has to be given to that Zhuangzi. We are officials. We just want to promote the imperial court's benevolence and have auspicious signs. On the 30th day, all of you still have to follow me out. That Zhuangzi is benevolent and righteous. He will take out 1,000 Dan of grain and 100 catties of vegetable oil for us to help the poor people in the county."
"Sir, we understand." The deputy district magistrate finally understood. The district magistrate had already made an agreement with that Zhuangzi. He would help the district magistrate create auspicious signs and give him a chance to gain political achievements.
After the matter was settled, the people in the yamen started to move. They moved the baskets of cucumbers out and put them on the carriages outside. Each basket weighed about 50 catties. A total of 40 baskets were moved out. They did not need to be reminded and consciously became more careful. It was 30 copper coins. One cucumber could be exchanged for a few catties of rice.
The snow outside did not have any signs of stopping. It made the weather less cold. Four big carriages brought the cucumbers back to the entrance of the yamen. Someone had already taken the cucumbers and was ready to sell them.
The people were not worried that they would not be able to sell them. Although the price was scary, eating cucumbers in the winter was unique. There were many rich people. Why would they be afraid that they would not be able to afford it?
However, these people were all thinking that since cucumbers were so expensive, they would not be able to bear to buy 1 catty of cucumbers. They really wanted to eat them.
"Well, the people on Zhuangzi said that you have worked hard to manage the people in the county with me. After the sale on the 29th of the twelfth lunar month, everyone can bring back 5 catties of cucumbers home. It's the New Year and you can try something new."
Cheng Lingxiang seemed to know what his subordinates were thinking and said slowly. At the same time, he was impressed that Zhangjia Zhuangzi knew how to conduct himself. The last time he gave him money, he was like this. This time, he did the same.
When the people heard this, they were happy. At the same time, they were surprised by the Zhuangzi's generosity. There were more than 100 people in the yamen and he gave them so many cucumbers. When they knew which Zhuangzi he was in the future, they would help when they needed help.
Cheng Lingxiang looked at the expressions of his subordinates with satisfaction and continued, "That Zhuangzi also said that it is not enough to just have the vegetables. Everyone should bring back 3 catties of vegetable oil and 5 catties of carrots. The carrots have to be fried in oil when we go back. He said that it is good for the body. Don't eat it with other carrots and don't drink it."
Everyone nodded. Of course, they knew about the carrots and vegetable oil, especially how to eat carrots. Someone had already told them when they were selling them. Drinking and eating carrots was not a big deal, but they could get sick.
Similarly, the price of these two things was not cheap, especially the carrots. They cost 20 copper coins per catty and were sold to the restaurant every day. It seemed that the vegetable oil, cucumber, chili sauce, and carrots were all from the same family, Zhangjia Zhuangzi.
This time, they had guessed it, but when they looked at the county magistrate's eyes and the benefits they received this time, they all chose to forget. They were not stupid. They knew that once this matter was spread, Zhangjia Zhuangzi would not have a good time. If Zhuangzi was in trouble, would they still want to get anything in the future?
County Magistrate Cheng regretted his words as soon as he finished speaking. He had already told them that he would talk about the carrots and vegetable oil on the last day. In the end, he could not hold it in. When he saw that his subordinates seemed to understand, he could only add,
"The people of Zhuangzi don't have it easy either. On the 29th, I will send you the things. When you go home, take them out for your family to try. Friends and relatives can also eat a variety of dishes during meals."
His words were very clear. When they went home, they could show off. They could not mention Zhuangzi to their friends and relatives. Naturally, everyone nodded in agreement.
After dealing with this, a basket of cucumbers was opened. The yamen runners did not need to be told and directly shouted, "Auspicious, auspicious, auspicious. Cucumbers in winter. Villagers, come and see. You can buy them at home for 30 copper coins per catty."
The yamen runners were buying cucumbers in the middle of winter. This was a new thing. As soon as they shouted, a lot of people gathered around to watch.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
