Chapter 18 Simple Prices
Emma’s attitude change is not surprising. There are very few scholars in this area, and people always respect experienced people.
Lawrence felt that he was a wise man, but he never thought about being complimented.
"Hello Emma." Lawrence looked at Salil, "How long do you need here? I want to go to the blacksmith shop first."
Salil said directly: "I can do it now."
Salil pulled Emma. He held up his hand and showed a girlish smile, "Emma, let's go make noodles. Today, I will let Lawrence make noodles for me and let him be the dough maker for half a day." This is a side that Lawrence has never seen before. Lawrence rarely interacts with people
. Getting along with girls in a girlish style, I didn’t expect it to be so pleasing to the eye when girls joke easily.
But when I think that I am the one who suffers the hardship, I feel somewhat conflicted.
There is nothing you can do about it. You always need some help when eating and drinking.
When you build up your own farm, you will be able to live a happy life.
Especially in the past two years, Sophia is about to grow up. When I think that such good days will slowly come, my body is full of fighting spirit!
Salil and Emma have known each other for many years. They chatted and laughed without delaying matters. They quickly moved out four baskets of wheat with the help of the children and the men of the family.
These four baskets of wheat have been dried and sorted in advance, and they are waiting for Salil to come and pick them up.
Together with Emma's family, Lawrence placed four baskets of wheat on either side of Dom's sheep.
"Saryl, if Andrew is not here, how will you pay for the wheat?"
Lawrence asked this proactively. He did not have the money to pretend to be a gentleman.
Salil said casually: "Let's go meet each other first. When my father comes from the tavern, he will share some wine and medicinal materials with Emma's family. This is the reward." Emma said happily: "Yes, it has always been like this
. Normally I would go with him to make a meal, and it’s the same today.”
Lawrence understood that this was a rural accounting method, and although there was a certain delay, there was little room for maneuver.
The four of them went to the backward Mill Street, where there were no people waiting to use the mill today.
Lawrence was undisturbed, and Salyl and Emma went to negotiate with the miller.
The miller brought a water cup that looked like a pen holder, and Emma poured wheat into it. After pouring a pot, she gained the right to use the mill.
The amount is not much, about one liter, which is equivalent to the food consumption of a normal person here for a day.
There are not many people who grind flour. Some people grind flour at home, and some eat wheat directly without processing it carefully.
Also, Salil is a mountain hunter. Those who actually farm have already grinded and processed flour soon after harvesting, and will not wait until winter is approaching to think about grinding flour.
The mill house is a wooden house where many wooden tools are placed. It is similar to a large warehouse. There are three stone mills inside.
One is a broken stone mill, one is a snail-type grinding disc that is still usable, and the other is a disc stone mill that is being polished, similar to the stone mill used to grind beans in ancient times.
Upon seeing this, Lawrence had the intention to talk to the miller about the manufacturing of the grinding stone mill.
"It's done~" Salil was particularly happy today. She stood aside and smiled at Lawrence, who was looking at the tools, and said, "Lawrence, now is the time for you to use your strength!"
Salil usually does this by herself. , she is actually stronger than Emma, but the joy of commanding people is indescribable. Salil wants to watch Lawrence work now.
Lawrence found that the miller had already gone out. Because he was an old customer, he didn't need to guard here. He might as well go have a drink while he had this time.
"Hmm."
Lawrence didn't say anything. He took off his linen coat, placed his hands on the left and right sides of the snail-shaped wheel, and controlled the stone wheel to move forward and backward.
Forward, backward.
Forward, backward.
Forward, backward.
...
Lawrence soon couldn't stand it anymore. This posture was quite draining.
"This millstone is too hard to use!" Lawrence stood up straight, frowned and made a speech.
Sophia quickly said: "Master, I'll do it!"
Salil said with a smile: "I only know how to complain. We have been using it for several years. Let me show you how it works!"
Salil left. Arriving in front of the stone wheel, Lawrence saw this and made room for her.
Soon Salil grabbed the left handle of the stone wheel, while Emma stood on one side and grabbed the other section. The two were soon shaking the stone wheel left and right together, and both looked at Lawrence with a smile.
Salil smiled and said: "Look! This is how this thing is used!"
The bottom end of the snail stone wheel has an arc-shaped groove, which allows the stone wheel to move forward and backward with the help of inertia, but it still requires continuous force.
It is indeed easier for two people than alone. Emma's three-year-old child quickly grabbed a handful of wheat and poured it down from the curved groove.
The dry wheat was quickly crushed by the stone wheel and became flat in just a few seconds.
There is no water in these sun-dried wheat. Unless you bite it with your mouth, you can't squeeze out the water.
Lawrence saw the two women working and didn't want to work anymore.
Salil seemed to guess what he was thinking from Lawrence's expression, and quickly said: "Lawrence, it's your turn."
Lawrence had no choice but to shake the stone wheel instead of Salil.
Emma's place was taken by Sophia, and Salil and Emma stood aside talking about winter clothes and the goats in the sheepfold.
Lawrence can only fight with Sophia.
Fortunately, I have done a lot of physical work before. Although this kind of repetitive physical work is tiring, it will not kill me all at once.
After spending four or five hours making noodles, it was already evening when I got up to find the blacksmith.
Andrew found this place and said, smelling of alcohol: "Lawrence, I've asked for you, Doug is willing to accept your silver!" Next
to Andrew was an old man wearing a woolen robe. The old man's temperament was like A boss who seems shrewd and gentle.
"Lawrence, Andrew and I are friends. I have heard about you. I can give you an affordable price, but it depends on the quality of your silver." After hearing this, Lawrence took it from his belt pocket
. After spending all his savings and buying Sophia and some travel supplies, Lawrence only had five silver coins.
Doug looked disappointed, took it, looked at it, and bit it again.
"The quality of these silver is very poor. After burning it, I can barely make a copper ring. I can only give you the price of two hundred cans of wheat." The unit
here is can, and one can is equivalent to one pound of sun-dried wheat.
Lawrence asked Andrew: "What can you get for a can of wheat?"
"You can exchange it for a can of wheat." Andrew said, and then said: "You can also exchange it for half a cup of ale."
Doug quickly said: "No, at least a chicken can be exchanged for a cup of wine."
Salyl replaced some brains Andrew, who was not sure, introduced the approximate prices to Lawrence.
Basically everything is bartered here, and the food that is easy to preserve is the basic price.
The price of a rooster is 15 cans, a male goat baby is 40 cans, three baskets of ewes (50 cans per basket, fifty or sixty pounds), four baskets of rams, and thirty baskets of adult bulls.
Most people will not raise dangerous bulls. If you breed a cow, you need to pay 30 cans of grain and add four eggs.
"One can of wheat can be exchanged for two cans of barley, three cans of rye, a piglet needs twenty cans, and a donkey needs sixteen baskets."
Salil kept talking, she was very familiar with these.
Lawrence thought for a moment and said quickly: "Then I'll trade three little pigs, two sheep, and an axe."
Doug shook his head directly, "If the axe doesn't work, I can give you two sheepskin coats."
Piglets will eat in the winter. Generally, we don’t keep too much food, so the price will be lower at this time.
The same goes for sheep. There are risks after winter, but axes are high-value items suitable for military and agricultural use, and the price is much higher than floating agricultural products.
Prices depend on demand, and prices in winter and spring are two different things.
Even the old people in the village don't know exactly how much a chicken can be sold for, and they always have to negotiate to find out.
Lawrence did not shop around to find a blacksmith. After some calculations, he purchased livestock and seeds. He first borrowed farm tools from Andrew's family and continued to work for Andrew for half a year in exchange for starting materials.
In the evening, Lawrence stayed at Emma's house for the night, huddled near the fire with Emma's father, brother and others to sleep. It was like a dormitory. After enduring the night, Lawrence desperately wanted to go home.
Early the next morning, we went to find Doug to get something, and then the group returned to the mountain quietly.
Lawrence quickly bid farewell to Andrew and handed over the raising of livestock to Sophia, asking Sophia to drive the pigs and sheep into Andrew's pen while he went to cultivate a new home.
No matter what, Lawrence wanted a home of his own, even if it meant building a shack first.
(End of chapter)