Chapter 36 Selling Salt
Lin Deqing was indeed an honest man. He didn’t ask a word along the way and just walked with his head down.
Su Ze had also heard Lin Chun talk about this uncle. Lin Chun was Lin Xianzong's youngest son. He was now twenty-two years old, but still unmarried.
In this era, a person who is not married at the age of twenty-two is considered an old bachelor, and there are old bachelors like Chang Ningwei in almost every household.
It was difficult for military households in the guards to get married. This has been the norm since the mid-Ming Dynasty.
In the military household system established by Zhu Yuanzhang, the status of military households is a shackles. This shackles is not only on the soldiers, but also on the families where the soldiers belong.
Lin Xianzong's family is a regular military household, and it is Lin Chun's father who is currently serving as a soldier in the guard station.
But this does not mean that Lin Deqing can sit back and relax. If Lin Chun's father has an accident, Lin Deqing will be drafted into the army.
Marrying a military household means that your husband may be drafted into the military at any time, and your son and grandson cannot escape the status of a military household and may be drafted into the army.
Would any woman from an ordinary family be willing to marry a child of a military family?
Some people say that it is not enough to just marry the daughter of a military family?
Fujian's long-standing tradition of infanticide and abortion has led to an imbalance in the ratio of men to women.
If the daughter of a military household has the conditions, she is not willing to continue to marry a military household, but prefers to marry outside the military and leave the military.
This has also resulted in a large number of singles in Changning Guards, making it increasingly difficult to get married.
Unable to get married, Lin Deqing became increasingly introverted. Apart from learning carpentry skills from his father, Lin Xianzong, he rarely hung out in the nursing home.
When the three of them arrived at the ghost market, Su Ze handed five bamboo tubes of refined salt to Lin Deqing and said, "
These are five tubes of refined salt. When you get to the market, find an open space to sit down, and you can take it out at a price of 100 yuan per barrel. Do you understand?"
Refined salt!
Lin Deqing and Lin Liangjun were both shocked.
Su Ze was drying salt at the beach, and everyone in Chang Ning's guard knew about it.
But everyone said that Su Ze made coarse salt. How did it become refined salt?
Lin Liangjun quickly opened a bamboo tube and dipped his fingers into a little salt. There was no bitter taste in his mouth. It was indeed refined salt!
This, how on earth is this done? Obviously what I and my friends exposed on the beach were coarse salt!
Lin Liangjun then remembered that Su Ze had been busy working at the temple every evening these past few days. Sure enough, Brother Aze had a secret recipe that could turn coarse salt into refined salt!
Five tubes of refined salt, that’s five hundred coins! That’s a lot of money!
Refined salt is much easier to sell than coarse salt!
You must know that a pound of official salt in the county costs one hundred and eighty cents! Moreover, every time refined salt arrives, the supply exceeds demand. Large families in the city sometimes have to go to other counties to buy salt!
Su Ze handed the salt to Lin Deqing. The dull Lin Deqing held the salt nervously and asked,
"Brother Ze, won't you go in?"
Aunt Jiu and Lin Xianzong were contemporaries. Su Ze is now Aunt Jiu's nephew, and he is better than Lin. Deqing was older, so Lin Deqing called him brother.
Su Ze shook his head and said: "When you go in, remember to cover your face, try not to talk, and leave immediately after the sale, pay the tax, do you understand?"
Although Lin Deqing didn't know why Su Ze was so cautious, he still nodded in agreement obediently.
When Lin Deqing entered the ghost market, Lin Liangjun asked in a low voice: "Brother Aze, is it still dangerous to sell salt?"
Su Ze smiled slightly, and the Changning Guards were well protected by the two generations of Baihu.
What is the situation in the southeast of the Ming Dynasty today? The records in the history books are as follows: "The Zhang and Quan pirates seduced more than ten thousand Japanese slaves, sailed more than a thousand ships, and killed countless Japanese pirates." Japanese pirates were rampant in the entire southeast region, and they were everywhere
. Pirates, horse bandits, bandits, how can you be careless when doing business in the black market?
This is why Su Ze only brought five kilograms of refined salt. He was ready to explore the depths of the black market.
This little bit of refined salt only cost a few hundred pennies in total. If he was really targeted, he would lose his money and run away.
This is why Su Ze did not sell salt himself, but asked the ordinary-looking Lin Deqing to sell salt.
Su Ze's height and status as a scholar were very recognizable in this era. If he was targeted, the thieves might be able to find Changning Guard, which would cause trouble for the guard.
Su Ze took Lin Liangjun and pretended to stroll through the ghost market.
While shopping, Su Ze improved his proficiency in the "Appraisal" skill and observed the situation at Lin Deqing's stall.
Before coming to the ghost market, Su Ze wrote "100 Wen of Refined Salt" on a wooden sign. He asked Lin Deqing to hang it beside the stall. Sure enough, people came up to inquire about the price soon.
A signboard is a signboard or advertisement. In the Tang and Song Dynasties, there were banners to attract customers. By the Ming and Qing Dynasties, it had developed into various signboards. Like modern times, big stores and famous stores also had store names, such as the famous Liubiju. It was opened in the ninth year of Jiajing reign.
The sign written by Su Ze is similar to a price list. This price is far lower than the price of 180 yuan per pound of refined salt in the county town, and also lower than the price of 150 yuan in the ghost market.
When the person who inquired found that what Lin Deqing was selling was indeed refined salt, and there was no shortage of jin or less in the pound, he immediately paid for a tube of refined salt and turned around and left.
After someone bought it, more people came up to inquire about the price. Lin Deqing was a little at a loss, but he followed Su Ze's instructions and did not say anything. He just pointed at the price of the plate and refused to let go.
By the time Su Ze took a tour of the market and raised his "Appraisal" skill to Level 1, 30/100, Lin Deqing had already sold all five bottles of refined salt.
Lin Deqing hurriedly cleaned up the stall. At this time, a middle-aged man who looked like a cashier walked to Lin Deqing's stall with two short-handed men.
The middle-aged man glanced at the sign, threw down a bill and said,
"Leave fifty coins and leave quickly."
Lin Deqing quickly left fifty coins and hurriedly left the ghost market with his things.
After Lin Deqing left, Su Ze and Little Luobotou slowly walked out of the ghost market.
Lin Liangjun saw that the salt was sold so quickly and said excitedly: "Brother Aze, we really sold it!"
Su Ze was not as excited as he was. Just when the people from the ghost market came to collect taxes, Su Ze heard When it comes to what the middle-aged man said.
Was he warning Lin Deqing that he would be in danger? Will I be targeted even if I sell refined salt once?
Su Ze took Lin Liangjun and instead of going directly to meet with Lin Deqing, he hid outside the ghost market and waited.
Sure enough, two men wearing rough clothes came out of the ghost market and chased in the direction Lin Deqing left.
Lin Liangjun's face turned pale with fright and said:
"Are they going for Uncle Qing? Will Uncle Qing be in danger?"
Su Ze shook his head and said: "They are trying to find out where we are. They won't do anything tonight. We Find a way to inform Ah Qing to take a detour instead of returning directly to the guardhouse."
(End of Chapter)