northernbook Chapter 112 The Cowshed
Chapter 112 The Cowshed
"I figured it out while I was bored at home, mainly because I'm a glutton," Song Jiaojiao explained with a light laugh.
"It's not just cold noodles, there's also braised pork intestines and sweet and sour pork, all made by my mother and sold to Sifanglou." Mu Xue proudly recounted Song Jiaojiao's glorious history.
"Wow, Sister Jiaojiao is amazing." After hearing this, Wang Baozhu admired Song Jiaojiao even more. She wondered what was going on in Song Jiaojiao's head, and how there could be such a big difference between people.
Under the admiring gazes of Mu Xue and Wang Baozhu, Song Jiaojiao struggled to finish the meal, which made her, who had initially thought nothing of it, feel somewhat embarrassed.
After dinner, Song Jiaojiao wanted to go to the west of the city. Wang Baozhu wanted to go with her, but considering that her son was still young and the west of the city was mostly a place that sold livestock, the food was really not good, so she gave up and agreed to go see Song Jiaojiao's shop the next day.
Arriving in the west of the city, the smell was indeed strong, but the cattle shed that Granny Zhang mentioned wasn't too far inside. As soon as we arrived in the west of the city, we saw that different cattle shed.
The people in this shop didn't look like people from Tongan County. They were tall and strong, with thick beards, colored eyes, and dark skin.
Song Jiaojiao was certain that these people came from towns on the northern edge of the city. Song Jiaojiao led everyone into the store. The burly man at the door spoke fluent Mandarin, so he must have been here for quite some time.
"Madam, are you here to order milk?" Sang Li said with a smile, but unfortunately his large beard covered his mouth.
"May I take a look at your milk first?"
"Of course, this way please, Madam. Our milk is freshly squeezed every day, absolutely guaranteed to be fresh." Sang Li led Song Jiaojiao to the cowshed. From the outside, you couldn't see how big it was inside. The long cowshed had about twenty cows, and some workers were working, milking the cows.
"This is my family's milk. It's freshly squeezed every day, and the workers wash their hands thoroughly before handling it. Soaking in this milk for less than seven days can make your skin a shade lighter."
Sang Li thought that most people who ordered milk here used it for bathing, and assumed that Song Jiaojiao did the same. He never expected that Song Jiaojiao would ask him such a question.
"Is your milk safe to drink?" Song Jiaojiao asked. The workers in front of her looked quite clean, and the cowshed was also well-maintained. In any case, Song Jiaojiao didn't find the smell too unpleasant.
Drink? Isn't it said that people here basically don't drink milk? This is the first time in all the years he's been here that someone has asked him if he can drink it.
"Of course, sir. Milk is a food where we come from, but people here can't stand the fishy smell of milk, so it's basically only consumed by our own people. You're the first person I've met who drinks it."
"So, how much does the milk cost?" Song Jiaojiao wanted to ask about the price before deciding.
"100 coins a bucket, and each bucket weighs about ten jin," Sang Li quoted the price.
100 coins for 10 jin (5 kg). If you're going to use it for bathing, you'd need at least 100 jin (50 kg). No wonder it's used by wealthy families. Just one bath would be enough to feed the villagers of Qingshui Village for a year.
"If I need it long-term, can you lower the price?"
“It depends on the quantity needed. If it’s a hundred catties a day, we can give customers a discount of 10 coins per bucket.” Sang Li thought to herself that wealthy families don’t need milk every day. Most of their orders come from brothels, and even so, they still have to throw away a lot of milk every day.
"Okay, let's go back and discuss it, and we'll come back to give you the result tomorrow." Song Jiaojiao thought that since they were still staying at the inn, even if they bought milk, there was nowhere to put it. Raw milk would have to be boiled and sterilized before it could be consumed, so they would have to wait until the room became available.
"Okay, sir, you can come anytime once you've made your decision." Sang Li didn't get angry because of what Song Jiaojiao said. Many people came to ask about prices, but not many actually placed orders.
Song Jiaojiao nodded and led Mu Qing and Mu Xue out. Before returning to the inn, Song Jiaojiao went to buy a packet of tea and brown sugar.
I also ordered a custom-made hand-cranked centrifuge from the blacksmith, hoping to see if I could make butter and heavy cream from milk. I also ordered two different sized iron drums to test if sodium sulfate could be used to make ice.
The bucket is easy to obtain; it can be acquired in a day. The centrifuge, however, is more difficult to obtain and will take three days.
In three days, Song Jiaojiao could make some adjustments to the back of the shop, especially the cellar. Currently, it's a straight staircase, which is inconvenient to climb up and down. Song Jiaojiao plans to change it into a staircase and also build some shelves so that things can be stored in the back.
The temperature in the cellar is much lower than on the ground. Even if you can't make ice later, you can prepare it in advance and put it in the cellar. It will last for a day.
As evening fell, Li Yuan arrived outside the inn, handed the key to Song Jiaojiao, and bid her farewell. There was a caravan heading to the capital that night. Originally scheduled for tomorrow, the caravan's owner was in a hurry and changed the time at the last minute, so Li Yuan had no choice but to set off earlier. Although Tong'an County was not very far from the capital, it would still take about 10 days to get there. The road ahead was uncertain, so it would be safer to go with the caravan.
Song Jiaojiao took the key and led Meng An out, thinking that they could move into the house tomorrow. Although there was a bed, they would still need to buy more daily necessities. Before it got dark, Song Jiaojiao told Mu Qing and started shopping with Meng An. This time, they brought the carriage, so they weren't worried about not having a place to carry their things.
After buying her things, Song Jiaojiao went straight to the house and put them down. As she passed by Sifang Escort Agency, she happened to see Xu Sen.
"Uncle Meng, what brings you here?" Xu Sen, who was bored in the shop, saw a familiar figure outside and hurried out.
Meng An stopped the car and saw Xu Sen, who had become much darker and taller. After training for so long, apart from being a bit darker, there was no muscle visible on the kid's body. Although no muscles could be seen, his strength had indeed increased a lot, so his training had not been in vain.
"Sen, you've grown quite a bit taller. My wife and I are in the county to take care of some business." Meng An happily punched Xu Sen.
Xu Sen rubbed the spot where Meng An had punched him; it was truly terrifying.
Upon hearing Xu Sen's voice, Song Jiaojiao lifted the curtain and asked with a smile, "Xu Sen, are you doing well at the escort agency?"
"The escort agency is great, but I can't follow the young master around. My master said I need more practice before I can follow him," Xu Sen replied, scratching his head sheepishly.
"It's alright, take your time. You can only go out after you've mastered your skills. That way it will be safer. Has He Fan been away lately?" Song Jiaojiao thought that she hadn't seen Wang He Fan for a long time and wondered how her adopted son was doing.
"Hmm, young master has been on a delivery mission to another prefecture for almost two months now. He should be back soon." Wang Hefan guessed, thinking that his mission had indeed gone very far.