During the Chinese New Year, the entire Ruian County is extremely lively.
People were chatting lively in the streets and alleys, and waves of aroma wafted from the streets.
It seems that during the Chinese New Year, the business of those restaurants is very prosperous.
Huang Tinghui supported the old patriarch and wandered around Ruian County.
Take a step!
Take a look!!
The old patriarch did not speak, and neither did Huang Tinghui.
It wasn't until the two of them passed by a salted fish shop that the old patriarch stopped.
He stopped in that salted fish shop for a long time and never left.
"Could it be that the old patriarch wants to eat salted fish?" Huang Tinghui thought.
You must know that in ancient times, the state had very strict control over salt.
Because the income from selling salt, iron and other resources is an important source of tax for the rulers.
Selling illegal salt is a serious crime punishable by beheading.
However, in addition to directly smuggling salt, salt dealers also think of using salted fish and smuggled salt vegetables to sell private salt.
In this case, the court naturally had its own response.
During the Dasheng Dynasty, the imperial court had strict control over fishermen on the seaside.
Any fish will be carefully counted after landing, and there are clear statistics and regulations on the flow of fish caught.
Not only that, the salt used by fishermen to pickle salted fish also has extremely strict regulations.
The fishermen needed to buy salt from the government and then go to the salt farm of the imperial court to receive salt.
In order to prevent fishermen from colluding with some customs officials to make false reports, and also to prevent fishermen from selling the saved salt.
The government would also dye the salt pickled by fishermen red to distinguish it.
Therefore, the unused salt could not be sold at all and could only be returned to the government.
Fishermen who use illegal salt to pickle fish will also be severely fined.
There is a clear passage in the "Da Sheng Dian Chapter": Anyone who uses private salt to pickle fish, shrimps, turtles, bamboo shoots, sell or exchange other things will be punished by the law of "Salting in Private Salt". The prisoner will have a staff of seventy, half of the property will be deprived of the official position, and he will be enslaved.
Two years.
Therefore, in ancient times, salted fish was a very valuable thing, and only the ruling class of society at that time could afford it.
It would not be strange if the old patriarch was greedy for this salted fish.
"Old patriarch, Tinghui will buy you a salted fish?" As Huang Tinghui spoke, he was about to walk into the salted fish shop.
But the old patriarch's skinny hand grabbed Huang Tinghui's hand.
The old patriarch moved forward, followed closely by Huang Tinghui.
The two of them entered the salted fish shop.
When he saw a customer coming in, the salted fish seller immediately came up.
"My lord, my lord, do you want to buy salted fish?"
"This is the best salted fish. It tastes the best. Members Li and Zhang in the city all like to buy salted fish from my shop!"
"Sir, would you like to buy one and try it?"
The shop owner is extremely enthusiastic. There are not many customers in the salted fish shop, so he hopes that people will come into his shop and buy one or two salted fish.
This way he can also make some money.
"How much is this salted fish?" The old patriarch pointed to a salted fish in the salted fish shop and asked the shop owner.
"Sir, this salted fish is two and a half pounds, I won't charge you much, just the same amount is enough!"
The owner of the salted fish shop said cheerfully to the old patriarch.
Hearing the price, Huang Tinghui couldn't help but take a breath.
Traditional money was one thousand copper coins, which was equivalent to about 450 yuan in later generations.
A piece of salted fish weighs only two and a half kilograms, but it can be sold for a normal price.
This is not eating fish. Isn’t this swallowing money?
"That's it!" the old patriarch said to the owner of the salted fish shop, without any hesitation.
okay!
The shop owner immediately took out the salted fish and handed it to the old patriarch.
Huang Tinghui touched his pocket and was about to hand the money in his pocket to the shop owner.
However, this move was immediately stopped by the old patriarch, "I'll do it!"
The old patriarch's voice was not loud, but Huang Tinghui could clearly feel the old patriarch's persistence.
In this case, Huang Tinghui could only take back his hand.
I saw the old patriarch taking out the copper plates strung together with a rope from his package.
The copper plates were piled neatly together. The old patriarch touched the copper plates and placed the money on the shop owner's table.
"Thank you, guest! Thank you, guest!"
The shop owner said to the old patriarch very happily.
The old patriarch nodded, and he and Huang Tinghui walked out the door.
The shop owner stood at the door and said to the old patriarch, "Sir, come to me often to buy salted fish when you have time!"
"The salted fish in my shop is the best in Ruian County!"
He is really a good businessman.
It's really going to happen!
Huang Tinghui thought secretly.
The old patriarch and Huang Tinghui walked in the streets of Ruian County and soon arrived at the city gate, but Huang Tinghui insisted on sending the old patriarch to the ferry.
The two of them walked forward, and then the old patriarch said to Huang Tinghui: "Brother Hui, do you think it is a bit extravagant for the old patriarch to spend all his money just to buy a salted fish?"
Hearing the old patriarch's question, Huang Tinghui hurriedly said: "Everyone in the world has their own preferences. Spending money on your preferences is worth it."
The old patriarch shook his head and looked up into the distance, as if he was recalling the past.
It's more like letting go of the regrets in my heart.
"Brother Hui, I was just like you when I was young, as high-spirited as you are!"
"At that time, my mother was seriously ill and had reached the point where medicine could not cure her."
"My mother doesn't want to be cured, and she doesn't want my father and I to waste more money on her."
"She then touched my head and said, She said Zhang'er, my mother felt that her mouth was a little light, and she wanted to take a bite of salted fish."
"I moved to Ruian County, but salted fish is expensive, only one tael of silver per piece!"
"The money I carry with me is not enough to buy salted fish for my mother!"
"Perhaps my mother knew at that time that I couldn't buy back the salted fish, so she deliberately cut me off like that to prevent me from spending money."
"When I got home, my mother was already dead!"
"When I was about to die, my mother couldn't even take a bite of salted fish!"
At this point, the old patriarch was already in tears.
At this time, he burst into tears!
"Brother Hui, studying is not really about changing the world, it is really about making everyone live a good life."
"Studying is just to make you live a better life, to make you more powerful and wealthier."
"If in the future, you have to eat a mouthful of salted fish before the person closest to you dies, you won't be like the old patriarch holding the fifty coins, crying bitterly, regretting, and blaming yourself in the heavy rain!"
"Berate yourself for your uselessness, blame yourself for your incompetence, blame yourself for your powerlessness!"
"And all this is just because with the fifty cents in my hand, I couldn't even buy the salted fish my mother wanted to eat before she passed away."
The old patriarch patted Huang Tinghui's shoulder. His body was shaking and his voice became more choked up.
"Brother Hui, the old patriarch only hopes that you will study hard in the future!"
"Don't let the old patriarch down!"
…
Chapter completed!