Siheyuan: I decide the fate of the world with my medical skills

"The army's stay in Fuhan is a solution to this problem." Zhang Han explained with a smile. "It is quite difficult for us to find the Qiang camp in this vast plain. However, for the Shaodang Qiang, it is very easy to find the adjacent zero-level Qiang camp."

"In fact, there is not much space for nomadic movement on the grasslands, and the places that can accommodate Qiang communities are usually near rivers."

"Therefore, the place mentioned in the information provided by Shaodang Qiang is the winter camp of the Zero-level Qiang." Zhang Han pointed to a section of the river, using his index finger to draw a rough outline of the Yellow River. "According to the information provided by Shaodang Qiang, this is where the Zero-level camp is located."

Li Xin nodded: "From now on, on the tenth day, the army will begin to move!"

Unlike the small vendors on the street, the official shops under the Shaofu had already started to set up their business early, paving the way for the large-scale trade to come. As the market flags were raised, crowds quickly gathered in front of the shops, bustling with activity.

The newly opened iron pot shop was particularly popular because of its novelty, and the area in front of the shop was so crowded that it was almost impossible to move.

"Line up, come one by one, and don't squeeze in if you don't have a badge in your hand..." A dark-complexioned young man, who looked to be about ten years old, shouted instructions, responsible for getting customers who were rushing to buy iron pots to line up.

After several rounds of competition, the people who managed the iron pot business found a way to deal with it: that is, to distribute them by issuing labels! The specific method is to determine the number and order of the labels according to the number of iron pots delivered from Lantian the day before the opening. This distribution based on the principle of priority has greatly ensured the orderly development of market transactions.

As for those who failed to get the brand, they would have to wait until another transaction. After all, the daily iron production was limited and was mainly used to make objects or weapons and equipment. Only after these needs were met would the remaining molten iron be used to make cooking utensils, such as iron pots.

The reason for this boom is not due to the scarcity strategy (hunger sales) caused by insufficient supply, but the recent practice of Hamgyong citizens putting iron pots in dowries when getting married, which is considered an honor. At the same time, another newly opened meatball shop also adopted the front door licensing system to attract customers.

The craze has given rise to an industry of so-called “number sellers” — middlemen who specialize in selling these entry cards.

At the edge of Chang'an Market, a tall and handsome young man, wearing scholar's clothes but looking a little suspicious, quietly bypassed the security personnel who maintained the order of the market and quietly approached the dark corner on one side of the market. There, several ordinary people with black cloth wrapped on their heads were squatting quietly, each holding a few bamboo strips with specific symbols on them, which were admission tickets issued by the iron pot shop.

Seeing the young man coming, the people around him stood up and surrounded him.

"Everyone, be quiet." The young scholar whispered, motioning for people to line up. "I can only help you with two things. The iron pot ticket is 15 copper coins each, and the meatball shop ticket is 10 copper coins each."

After a while, the people who left with their hands full of satisfaction dispersed. The young man touched the hard object in his pocket and walked out with satisfaction. He came to the other side of the market and asked the middle-aged man in servant clothes in a jargon he had learned from somewhere, "Brother, do you want to sell these tickets?"

The middle-aged servant's eyes lit up and he rubbed his hands excitedly, "Which one do you want to do?" In fact, when the cards were distributed, in order to successfully complete the task, he had to stay outside the gate and think about other feasible solutions.

After observing the surroundings, the young man lowered his voice and said, "We have both iron pots and meatballs. Which one do you need?"

A middle-aged servant was very happy, but also asked cautiously: "How much is the price?"

The young student smiled and said, "The price is 50 coins for one at the iron pot store and 20 coins for one at the meatball store. If you want two, 10 coins can be deducted!"

After hearing this, the middle-aged servant was so excited that his liver was upset. If he bought the badge from that person now, he would need to pay for it himself, and he could no longer ask his master to reimburse him as before. Because in the Qin law during the Spring and Autumn Period, when trading, merchants not only needed to mark the price outside the price, but also had to give the buyer a voucher similar to what was later called an invoice, to resolve possible disputes. But in this situation, he had to spend his own money to buy it. He couldn't even do such a small thing. He might lose his master's trust, and the threat of losing his current position was approaching him step by step.

So, he bit his lip and asked, "I want to buy three badges from the iron pot shop. Can I add one from the meatball shop?"

“Sure, no problem!”

After a while, the transaction was completed. The young student did several similar transactions in the same way. As a result, except for a few meatball shop emblems that he bought, the rest were sold out very quickly. His wallet was full again, and he felt happy, humming a cheerful little song in his heart.

Suddenly, a familiar voice sounded behind him. The voice showed concern for him: "Chen Ping, what are you doing?"

The young man looked back and found that all the people who came were people he knew at the Warrior Academy. The one who asked him questions was Ji Bu. The remaining two were Chen Ying and Zhongli Mei. After the four of them exchanged greetings, Chen Ping smiled and asked, "Why are you two gentlemen and three here?"

Zhongli Mei replied, "According to Brother Chen Ying, there is something called fried balls from Changyang County that has become very popular in Xianyang City recently, so we came here specially to taste the delicacy."

Why are you here at this time? Well, if you can't taste it, you can only smell it... Chen Ping didn't say much, and smiled aside: "In this case, I will no longer disturb you from tasting the food..."

But at this time, Ji Bu said bluntly: "What's the good and bad about the slow-tempered music? It's because Zhongli Mei was greedy that he insisted on bringing us here!"

Chen Ying smiled and shook his head, holding Chen Ping's hand and saying, "It's not easy to get together, why not go out and enjoy a good meal together!"

After several refusals, they were taken on the road at the insistence of Zhongli Mei and Chen Ying. They decided to spend more than just a visit to the Changyang County Market on their day off. They also stayed overnight at the residence of Ji Bu's relatives. They happened to meet Chen Ping there, so they simply took him along.

Of course it’s more fun to hang out together! At the Changyang County Market, Chen Ying and others were waiting in line at the meatball shop and enjoying the delicious fried meatballs.

"It smells really good. Is that the legendary lard in it?" Zhong Liming, who was standing nearby, couldn't help but come forward and ask as he looked at the pork meatballs floating in the oil pan.

In front of him, a gray-haired old man turned around and saw a burly young man who had not yet completed the rite of passage. The old man laughed and said, "The soup has rapeseed oil and some butter mixed in for seasoning. Otherwise, how could it be so fragrant!"

Zhongli Yan bowed to express his gratitude, and suddenly his eyes turned to the long nine-layer crown-shaped ornament on the old man's head. He estimated that he was a nobleman of at least the ninth rank of doctor. He did not expect that the people queuing in the market to buy vegetables were those nobles of high status.

"I have tried it several times at home. The fried balls are fragrant and tender, but after cooling, they are very hard. I almost broke my teeth when I took a bite of them!" the old man said to himself.

The people around laughed and talked about the food they cooked at home. There was a similar situation. It was unknown what the secret of Gongying's meatball shop was. The fried meatballs were placed in small bamboo baskets waiting to be sold. Each basket was priced clearly. On the other hand, the vegetarian meatballs with soybean sprouts as the main material were sold at a lower price.

Zhongli observed the transaction scene at the front of the line while laughing. Fried pork balls were placed in small baskets waiting for buyers and sellers to choose, with prices clearly marked; on the other side, bean sprout balls were displayed, which were relatively cheap. The merchant standing behind the counter took the buyer's money and put it into the earthen jar in full view of everyone. Zhongli understood that this was a procedure set up to prevent merchants from making profits privately.

“Do you want meat or vegetarian food?”

The vendor running the shop behind the counter spoke with a slightly weary tone when he saw that it was just a bunch of young people coming to shop.

Firstly, because this shop is managed and operated, the employees have a fixed and limited income, so they certainly won’t appear to be making money for the public good with a smile on their faces.

Secondly, in this land under the rule of Tianjiao, just a small suggestion can attract the attention of many royal families and dignitaries, which is not enough to cause major trouble for this group of young people.

Chen Ying glanced at the bamboo container on the countertop and pointed at the pork meatballs inside: "I want this one, five baskets worth!"

Chen Ying anticipated sharing two of the baskets of food with his four companions, and keeping the rest as small gifts for Ji Bu's relatives.

"Is there a brand?" he asked again.

"Brand, what's the brand?" Chen Ying'er frowned, as if he was not clear about the current store system. It was similar to the place next door that sold iron pans, and the purchase process was based on tickets.

“Why don’t you go and get the tag, you idiot…” After the vendor sold him the tag, he was about to scold him, but when he saw Ji Bu glaring at him, he couldn’t help but feel a little scared.

Although Qin law will severely punish private bribery, no matter how severe the punishment is, it cannot guarantee that the person will not be beaten half to death due to certain factors.

So he instantly changed his smile and said in a warm voice: "Gentlemen, I'm sorry, according to the rules of this store, each token can buy one meatball. Do you want it to be all pork?"

Chen Ying nodded slightly, a gentle smile on his face, and bowed slightly to show respect: "There is no need for me to apologize. We really didn't understand the rules well enough before. Please forgive us."

"In that case, let's each take a portion of meatballs and vegetables."

He then took out thirty-five halfpence and placed them neatly on the edge of the counter.

Chen Ping turned his head slightly, fixed his eyes on Chen Ying, and secretly praised him in his heart: It is said that Chen Ying is a steady old man, and this meeting is indeed true to his reputation.

Zhongli Mei and Ji Bu, who were standing behind, exchanged glances and frowned slightly, but remained silent and did not respond.