Chapter 4, The Folding Basket

"Don't worry, dear, my elder brother has already instructed me. Tomorrow, I will definitely buy you some soft and white steamed buns to eat!" At this moment, Douzi also chimed in, saying that yesterday Li Zhang had explained to him a way to make money. Although he did not fully understand it, he had confidence in Li Zhang.

Two to three miles north of the orphanage lies the Bian River, which runs through the city of Kaifeng. Along this stretch of the river, there is a dock where many goods entering and leaving Kaifeng stop for loading and trading. Consequently, a bustling town gradually formed here, known as Bianhe Town, which is also the primary area of activity for Li Zhang and his group of orphans

"It's nothing, I already have a way to make money. Tomorrow we will have hot pancakes to eat!" At this moment, Li Zhang gave Li Er a reassuring smile.

Although Li Zhang is the leader of this group of orphans, he is not obligated to take care of them. In fact, he and these orphans have always been in a state of mutual support, sharing the benefits proportionally. Once one's share is used up, one should not expect others to help.

Due to the trust in Li Zhang and Douzi, Li Er finally felt at ease and ran to help Chou Niang and the others cook. The family's food supply was limited, and in the end, they could only boil a pot of watery millet soup. A few little ones complained, as the leftover dishes nearby were much more appetizing than the millet soup. However, Li Zhang did not allow them to eat the leftovers. Despite their complaints, they did not dare to say much, as Li Zhang was, after all, their leader.

However, Li Zhang's gambling father is truly too lazy, especially in the past two years when he has been away from home for extended periods. When there are matters at the yamen, he is nowhere to be found. If it were not for having acquaintances in the yamen, this position would likely have been lost, and at that time, he would not even be able to stay in the charity temple.

Early the next morning, Douzi took several older children, dressed them in clean clothes, and tied their hair up with cloth bands. Although the clothes were quite worn, they at least looked clean and comfortable. As Douzi and the others were leaving, Li Zhang specifically reminded him not to forget his instructions from yesterday, as this was crucial to their upcoming plans for making money. In response, Douzi confidently assured him that he would not let Li Zhang down.

Li Zhang, unable to move freely, could only direct a few children to assist him. However, these children were too small and sometimes did not understand Li Zhang's instructions. As a result, the group toiled for most of the day before finally repairing the cart.

The cart belonging to Li Zhang's family is somewhat special, as it is used for transporting corpses. After all, this is a mortuary, and when there are unclaimed bodies in the yamen, Li Zhang's gambling father is required to retrieve them for temporary storage. If they remain unclaimed for an extended period, they are taken to a potter's field for burial. Moreover, at times he also has to act as a coroner. Of course, the yamen provides him with some compensation for these tasks, which is one of the main sources of income for the Li Zhang family.

The cart used for transporting corpses had long been broken, and Li Zhang's father was too lazy to repair it, leaving it exposed to the elements in the yard. It now appeared even more dilapidated. However, after Li Zhang inspected it, he found that the issues were not significant; mainly, a piece was missing from the axle underneath. He could simply attach a piece of wood to it, and as for the nails, they were readily available, as this was a mortuary, and there were still a few nails for coffins.

Niu Da shrank his neck and arrived at the vacant lot by the dock, where many laborers like him had already gathered. Niu Da's surname is Niu, and he is as sturdy as an ox. To put it in his own words, he was born to do this kind of work. While others can only carry one sack at a time, he can carry two. Since laborers are paid based on the amount of work they do, he naturally earns more than others

Douzi left with several older children, while Li Zhang did not remain idle. Instead, he directed the few children who stayed behind to pull over a broken cart from the yard. The so-called cart is essentially a vehicle with a flatbed mounted on two wheels, with two frames at the front serving as the shafts, which can be pulled by either people or oxen, hence it is also referred to as a frame cart

It is now just the beginning of spring, the busiest time for river transport. Niu Da is not worried about a lack of work; he is currently contemplating how to spend the ten wen he has in his pocket. This ten wen is his food budget for the day, and he must eat a hearty breakfast, otherwise he will lack the strength to work later. At the dock, the steamed buns cost one wen each, and he can eat four or five in one go. Additionally, he needs a bowl of pickled vegetable soup, as they are engaged in physical labor, and without salt, they will have no energy. However, salt prices have risen, and as a result, Old Wang, who sells the pickled vegetable soup, has also increased his prices, charging two wen for a bowl, which is simply outrageous.

When Douzi returned in the evening, he still brought back a bucket of leftovers. However, compared to yesterday, today's bucket of leftovers was somewhat less, but it was much cleaner. A few younger ones, who had been hungry all day, immediately wanted to eat upon seeing the leftovers, but they were pushed away by Douzi

Chou Niang responded and immediately took a few girls to the kitchen to prepare the meal. At this moment, Li Er anxiously approached Li Zhang and whispered, "Elder brother, our family doesn't have much food left. If we eat it all today, what will we do in the future?"

In the early hours of the next day, Li Zhang woke Douzi and several older children, directing them to load the items onto the cart. Although he had difficulty walking, he decided to accompany them, considering that Douzi and the others were too young and that it was their first day of doing business. Thus, he took a seat in the cart and had Douzi and the others push it away from the ancestral hall.

Steamed Buns ~ Freshly steamed buns! Just as Niu Da was cursing Old Wang for being unscrupulous, he suddenly heard a familiar vendor's call, which made the laborers waiting to work perk up. The vendor selling the buns is surnamed Liu, known as Bun Liu. The buns he makes are not only chewy and delicious but also generously portioned. Most of the dockworkers prefer to buy a few buns in the morning to stave off hunger.

"What is that wonderful smell?" Just as the group around Niu Da was buying pancakes, they suddenly caught a whiff of a peculiar fragrance. Immediately after, they heard a child's crisp voice calling out: "Zhe Luo ~ One penny for a big scoop, with both vegetables and meat!"

"Ugly girl, pour all the food at home into the pot and cook it into porridge. Everyone should make do for now, and don't touch these leftovers!" At this moment, Li Zhang instructed the oldest girl beside him. This girl was as her name suggested; she was truly ugly, with dark skin, small eyes, a big mouth, and a large frame, resembling a boy at first glance.

However, Niu Dachang is tall and strong, and his appetite is enormous, so after several years, he is left in dire poverty. When there is work, he eats well; when there is no work, he eats poorly. It has become a challenge for him to even support himself, let alone save money to marry a wife

However, they soon noticed that just behind the right side of the pancake stall run by Liu, several children dressed in tattered but very clean clothes were energetically shouting. Behind them, a large pot was set on a makeshift stove made of bricks, with steam rising from the pot, emitting a peculiar aroma, which was the same scent they had just smelled.

Although Li Zhang's residence belongs to Kaifeng Prefecture, it is not located within the city of Kaifeng, but rather in the western suburbs outside the city. After all, a charitable establishment like this cannot be situated within the city; otherwise, no one would be willing to live nearby. However, with the current population of Kaifeng being quite large, the city itself cannot accommodate everyone, thus the area outside the city is also very prosperous, surrounded by numerous towns of various sizes.

Niu Da and others initially thought it was just a child making a fuss, and they had no idea what a folding basket was. However, the idea of having vegetables and meat for just one penny was simply impossible, especially since Old Wang's pickled vegetable soup costs two pennies a bowl

As soon as the call of Liu the Flatbread Seller rang out, the laborers led by Niu Da immediately gathered around. The large and soft flatbreads cost one cent for two; while others could fill their stomachs with two, Niu Da had to eat four or five.

Li Zhang sat calmly on the cart behind the stove, watching the beans as they shouted energetically. The so-called "Zhe Luo" is actually a hodgepodge of leftover dishes mixed together. This name was not widely known in Li Zhang's time, but if one were to go back a few decades, many people would recognize it. Many hotels would combine leftover dishes, heat them up, and sell them, as they contained both vegetables and meat. The most crucial aspect was that they were inexpensive, making them very popular among impoverished families. Today, he also intended to rely on Zhe Luo to earn his first pot of gold since arriving in the Northern Song Dynasty.

Li Zhang and his companions went straight to the dock. At this time, it was still dark, but a considerable number of people had already gathered at the dock, most of whom were laborers carrying heavy bags. Once it became light, foremen would come to select workers for loading and unloading goods, with wages settled daily, and they relied on this for their livelihood