Traveling through 1942 with space

Chapter 170 1 Bowl of Hot Water

It is much easier to do business at any time if you have connections. When the day was just getting light, the spicy soup in the pot had been sold out, and the spicy soup in the bucket was poured into the pot.

After the business got on track, Hou Xiaoge stopped shouting and came to the pot to help Erda serve rice.

As for collecting the money, Hou Xiaoge naturally didn't get involved. After all, it wasn't his business, so he let Second Aunt collect it herself! She felt relieved when she collected the money herself.

In fact, the hardest-working person in the entire stall is my cousin Hou Qiuju, who is responsible for washing dishes.

A coarse pottery bowl cost at least ten cents at the cheapest, so Erda's family bought a total of forty bowls.

There were quite a lot of people eating breakfast. Hou Qiuju sat in front of the sink and her hands never stopped working. Even in the middle of winter, she was sweating on her forehead.

Because it was the first day of setting up the stall, Erda and his wife had not prepared anything. Hou Xiaoge wanted to help, but when she saw that they were using cold water for washing dishes, she immediately gave up the idea.

In this cold winter with temperatures of minus ten degrees Celsius, just thinking about putting your hands in cold water makes you feel freezing cold.

"Sister Qiuju, washing dishes with cold water is enough to freeze someone to death. You are really awesome." Hou Xiaoge said with emotion.

"It's okay, just wash your hands and they'll be warm."

Hou Qiuju looked up and smiled at Hou Xiaoge, wiped the sweat off her face with her rolled-up sleeves, and started washing skillfully again.

Hou Xiaoge felt ashamed and picked up the washed bowl and walked up to Erda.

"Erda, come out and boil a bucket of hot water tomorrow. Your hands can't stand washing dishes like this in the cold winter. Sooner or later you will get arthritis." Hou Minyou's only job is to sit in front of the pot and cook because of his poor legs and feet.

"Hey, this spicy and hot soup with meat is almost sold out. I'll boil some hot water after it's sold out." Hou Minyou pointed to another stove where there was only half a pot of spicy and hot soup with meat left.

By nine o'clock in the morning, the spicy and spicy soup we brought today had been sold out, even faster than the braised pork stall.

This is normal. After all, the price of luzhu is more than twice that of hu la tang. There is not much to do in winter, and ordinary people can't afford to eat it.

"Heiwa, are we closing the stall now?" After washing the dishes, Second Aunt said excitedly with the money she collected in her arms.

"We don't have to close the stall. We can set up a stall at the train station. Passengers are getting on and off the train. Hu La Tang is economical and can be sold all day long.

We still have to pay a day's fee when we close the stall now, and it's easy for people to take up the seats now.

Second Aunt, please make a bucket when you go back, and also make some with meat.

It’s not meal time anymore, so it’s much easier. We can sell slowly.

It gets dark early in winter and it’s unsafe because there are too many refugees outside, so everyone closes their stalls while it’s still light at 4 p.m.

It would be best if we can sell them all, but if we can’t, we can take them back home for dinner.” Hou Xiaoge shook his head and said.

"Well, I want to do something too. It's still early in the morning!

"Master, you and Heiwa should stay here first, Qiuju and I will go back first." Li Cuihua said with a smile.

"Second Aunt, be careful when you come at noon. It's best to spend 1 cent to hire two people in the village, otherwise it will be unsafe for you two women to make the spicy soup on the way." Hou Xiaoge reminded.

"Do we need to hire more people? One cent is too much to hire two people for just this short distance." Second Aunt said reluctantly.

"Mother Qiuju, just listen to Heiwa. My legs are not good, and I have to look after the stall.

Look at the roadside, there are refugees everywhere staring at the food stalls. Have you forgotten how I injured my leg?

Hire two people to do the work, it will be easy for you, and it is worth every cent." Hou Minyou advised from the side.

"That's it!" Li Cuihua looked around, shuddered, and nodded quickly.

"By the way, Heiwa, what do you want to eat for lunch? I brought it here. I've been busy all morning and I'm a little hungry." Second Aunt asked before leaving after packing up.

"hehe!"

"Second Aunt, then I won't be polite.

Bring some noodles over at noon, we'll cook them here, and I'll get some braised pork soup from the stall over there." Hou Xiaoge said without hesitation.

"middle!"

After Second Aunt left, Hou Xiaoge spent three cents to buy several large buckets of water from the water vendor and asked Erda to fill the pot and then boil it.

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Sun Gousheng was from Lu's county. At the end of October, refugees passed through Lu's county and ate up all the edible things, and also destroyed many large households.

The village could have still managed to hold on, but the wealthy families in the village were robbed by refugees from other places.

The wealthy families in the village had fled, so the family of four lost their source of food and could only follow other refugee groups to "break through the Western Gate."

Fortunately, Lushi was close to Qin Province, and they had just escaped and still had some strength. Only one person in the family died of illness, and the remaining three people arrived in Chang'an smoothly.

After arriving in Chang'an, the couple and their seven-year-old son spent five days digging a pit about two meters wide and more than one meter deep.

The pit was covered with purchased corn stalks, and another layer was laid inside the pit. From then on, the family lived in the pit.

There was heavy snow the day before yesterday, and the heavy snow collapsed the "roof".

My son accidentally caught a cold. Although he had spent most of his money on urgently needed medicine, he was still sick.

Today, Sun Gousheng got up early in the morning and wanted to find some work moving goods at the train station to earn some food for his family, but he had no connections and no organization, so who would want him?

I had no choice but to wander around the train station to see if I could get some food and drinks to bring back to my children and wife.

But most of the stall owners treated the refugees as if they were the plague god, and either cursed at them or chased them away, making it impossible to get anything from them.

After much difficulty, he found out that the owner of a braised meat stall delivered broth every day, so he ran to see, but the owner only gave it to the children, so he had no choice but to continue wandering around.

“Free hot water!”

A voice came from a distance, and Sun Gousheng seemed to hear the sound of a fairy. He picked up the broken bowl in his arms and ran towards the voice like crazy.

The child caught a cold and they had no fire, so they went back and got a bowl of hot water to warm the child up.

……

"My fellow countrymen from the Central Plains, hot water is free. Come and get it if you need it." After the water boiled, Hou Xiaoge shouted to all around.

When the refugees heard that the stall owner was giving away hot water for free, they excitedly rushed over with their bowls in hand.

"The boss is really kind-hearted!"

"Long live the boss!"

"thank you boss!"

"Erda, you can't blame me for being a spendthrift!" Looking at the refugees who kept coming to get hot water, Hou Xiaoge said to Hou Minyou with a smile.

"What are you talking about, kid? You are only allowed to be kind, but not allowed to do good deeds?

I heard that after your uncle sells his stewed meat every day, the remaining broth is given to the refugees for free.

A little hot water costs only a few cents at most. Now that I can make money, I can still afford it.

After I sell the food, I will boil two pots of hot water to give to my fellow villagers in the Central Plains." Hou Minyou also lost himself in the flattery of the boss and the kind people.

"Well! We are all from the same village, so I'll feel more comfortable if I can help a little.

The old gentleman who gave me the prescription said to me before he died: what you have learned should be taught to others, and what you have earned should be used to help others.

We have made money now, and we live better than most refugees. Helping them is also a good deed for ourselves. "Hou Xiaoge was particularly happy when he saw the refugees holding hot water and smiling.

An ordinary person's life cannot be separated from the eight necessities of life: food, clothing, housing and transportation, among which firewood ranks first.

It is no exaggeration to say that firewood is more expensive than grain these days, especially in winter, when firewood becomes even more precious.

There are only a few families in the village who have a heated kang like Hou Xiaoge's. Most villagers sleep on a cold kang at night, leaning against each other.

The refugees who have no shelter are even more miserable, as winter is the real disaster.

This is also the reason why Hou Xiaoge has been so nervous and worried since the first snow fell.

Two pots of hot water plus coal cost no more than five cents, which was only enough for two bowls of spicy soup for Erda who earned one or two dollars a day, but it could save a life in a cold winter.

There were many refugees asking for hot water, but as luck would have it, when it was Sun Gousheng's turn, there was no hot water left.