Early in the morning of April 3rd, people were arranged to guard the rivers around Chang 'an, including the big pool.
Those who did not have good family conditions and could not work hard were all guarding a large pile of 'fart balls' made of bamboo and rope.
In addition, there were pigs blowing bubbles and medium-sized gourds. These two were charged one copper coin a day.
A big wooden bucket was placed under a tree by the river. Beside the bucket were tables, stools, and small bowls made of bamboo cut in the middle.
"Her Majesty is benevolent. She was afraid that we would drown in the water, so she asked us to guard the river. Those who want to swim have to wear this.
Don't take it away. Her Majesty also spent money. Bamboo is not easy to burn. Pigs blowing bubbles and gourds need a deposit. These two are one copper coin a day. "
Somewhere by the river, an old woman called out.
There was a lot of twine beside her. She could still weave a net while sitting, so it wouldn't delay her work.
The bamboo tube was covered with two layers of twine nets. If it was soaked in water for a long time, it would be damaged and needed to be dried.
Fishermen's three days of fishing and two days of drying nets were like this.
The net made by the woman was replaced when the other nets needed to be dried.
Some people wanted to swim. When they heard that Her Majesty cared for the people, they thought that they were good swimmers and didn't want to wear the net.
"What's in that bucket?" Some people were curious. Why were there tables and chairs beside it?
"Herbal tea. Li Family Zhuangzi's herbal tea. One copper coin a bowl. Drink it to quench your thirst. Today's bucket can only hold 150 to 160 servings. If you want to drink it, buy it quickly."
The woman opened the lid of the wooden bucket and let people take a look. After thinking, she scooped out a bamboo bowl and gave it to everyone to taste.
"It's delicious. There's sugar in it, right? One copper coin a bowl. It's not expensive."
"I'll have a bowl. I'll drink it before swimming."
"I'll try it too."
"Leave a bowl for me. I'll swim up and drink it."
"I didn't bring money. My father didn't give it to me."
There were adults and children. The weather was too hot. They wanted to swim and cool down before working.
Some of them were resting today and didn't work.
The children naturally didn't have anything to do. Several of them wanted to play in the river.
The woman hesitated again. She filled a bamboo tube and gave it to the children.
Under the woman's strong tone, everyone put on their things and went into the river.
The other places were more or less the same.
Standing by the riverside outside the west gate, Li Chengqi chuckled.
Pei Yaoqing and Li Yuanhong stood on either side of Li Chengqi and watched together.
Li Chengqi's Craftsmen's Alliance had rushed to make the items yesterday, and the herbal tea was also made by the Li Family Zhuangzi last night.
It was hot when it was made, but it cooled down after half a night in a cool place in the room.
Although there was a lot of ice in the Li Family Zhuangzi's icehouse, there was no ice.
One bucket of herbal tea could hold more than 150 servings. When night fell, someone from Zhuangzi would come over to check how much was left.
If there was nothing left, the guards would give Zhuangzi a hundred coins and keep the rest for themselves.
If there were about thirty portions left, they would pay seventy dollars.
As for the money to rent the balls, those people would keep it for themselves.
"King Song, do you know how much a tub of herbal tea costs?" Li Yuanhong was calculating how much profit Li Yi would make from it.
"The recipe for this herbal tea will be spread out soon. Everyone can make it themselves. You will know after making it once."
Li Chengqi didn't answer directly. He knew how much it cost.
Making a bucket of herbal tea would cost about 120 coins and 150 servings.
If it was a coin per serving, it wouldn't be a waste. Thirty coins wasn't a small sum, and there was no tax on small businesses.
The premise was that it had to be made on the same day and could only be made the next day. Otherwise, it would spoil and they wouldn't be able to make a loss.
Li Family Zhuangzi made hundreds to thousands of buckets at a time, and the cost of a bucket was only about 30 coins.
The taste of many ingredients could be fully utilized and boiled. Furthermore, the fire was always burning, pot after pot.
Li Chengqi wanted to keep it a secret. When others found out about the recipe, they could try to make it themselves. The cost of making a bucket of herbal tea would probably exceed 10 coins.
If they made it in buckets and sold it, they would find that they had a capital of 120 coins.
Considering that Li Family Zhuangzi only wanted 100 coins, he was benevolent and righteous to help others make money at a loss.
If he said 30 coins per bucket, others would think that Li Dongzhu was also doing it for money.
"Yi … Whenever I think of Li Dongzhu, I admire him. Li Dongzhu is always able to come up with good ideas to help the people."
Pei Yaoqing wanted to praise him, but he almost called him 'Brother Yi'.
He was like a thief. When he saw Li Yi, he would call him 'Brother Yi'. When others were around, he would call him 'Li Dongzhu'.
Li Yuanhong added, "Chang An has a lot of water. Every year during summer and autumn, many people would die in the river. Those who died were those who thought that they were good swimmers."
"There are also children who want to go down to play, but without adults to protect them, they are afraid that they won't be able to come back up. Everyone is at the edge of the river, and there are always some who accidentally slip and get hit by big fishes."
Pei Yaoqing said solemnly. He thought of the many people who died last year.
Li Chengqi looked at the others drinking herbal tea and motioned for two people to follow him. As he walked, he said, "This year is better. Look at how obedient the children are."
After taking a few steps, he said, "When we return, I will ask Prime Minister Yao to write a letter and order the various places to make sure everything is in place. Brother Yi will take out 50,000 coins, which is 50 million coins.
Send them to the well drilling team first and let the people there make bamboo. Wild bamboo is not valuable and grows quickly.
It's just a salary. A craftsman can make 180 to 180 sets of these simple things in a day. 40 coins is enough. "
Li Chengqi also knew how to calculate the salary. He did not consider how much a set of bamboo would cost, but the average income of a craftsman.
The craftsmen wouldn't be at a loss, and the one who paid would also be at a disadvantage.
"Three sets. Come over and get the money from me. Buy them separately. Don't just buy from one place. "
Li Chengqi placed three Kaiyuan Tongbao coins on the table and called for the guards to come over and get the money.
He had brought 300 coins with him. He did not bring more as it was too heavy.
Sixty people came over and each of them took a copper coin.
"Next time, I should let you bring money with you. It will be more convenient for me to buy things." Li Chengqi gave out the money and felt that it was much easier.
The woman here chose three bamboo bowls that no one had touched before and scooped up the herbal tea.
The three of them took a small sip and tasted it.
"How is it?" Li Chengqi asked. He was satisfied anyway.
"It's delicious. It quenches my thirst. My stomach feels better after drinking it. It will be even better if it's chilled." Pei Yaoqing said first and then made a request.
"I'll chill you." Li Chengqi said to Pei Yaoqing and looked at Li Yuanhong.
"There's the smell of herbs in it, but I can't taste it." Li Yuanhong analyzed the ingredients.
They drank slowly. The guards went to buy them separately. They drank big mouthfuls and wiped their mouths. It was good.
In the end, some people who did not swim saw it and came over to buy it.
There was also the leader of the workers at the docks. He came over and asked for a set of tea. He wiped the sweat on his forehead and said, "It's still too expensive for one coin per set. The workers can't bear to pay."
Li Chengqi looked over. The people at the docks were using hand gourds to help lift the big construction items. They were still carrying sacks and other things, especially the gangplank from the ship.
There were people selling tea at the docks, but they were selling it to the people on the ship and the leaders.
The workers were sweating and drank cold water directly.
"I'll ask Brother Yi later if there's anything cheap to drink for the workers at the docks." Li Chengqi muttered.
Li Yuanhong and Pei Yaoqing heard him and nodded at the same time. Yes, ask Li Yi.
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.
