Dongjiang is located in a remote area overseas, and although salaries are not in arrears, the officers and soldiers have no place to spend the money except saving it for themselves or leaving it for their families.

Zhu Youxiao also knew the situation in Dongjiang and believed that this closure was not conducive to the development of Dongjiang and was not conducive to the national finances.

According to the current rationing system, the imperial court has to keep investing, and the economic benefits created by the Dongjiang military and civilians cannot be reflected!

Therefore, the process of gradually resuming normal economic activities in Dongjiang, like other places, began before the Spring Festival this year.

The supply and marketing cooperative, this product with a somewhat strange name, appeared before the people of the Ming Dynasty hundreds of years in advance.

It first opened in Lüda and Pidao. The variety of goods was not very large, but it was still a big sensation for the Dongjiang military and civilians who had been isolated overseas for a long time.

Lushun Fort was filled with military supplies, and for safety reasons, civilians were not allowed to enter. The supply and marketing cooperative was located in a small village not far from the fort, and it was planned to become a market in the future.

There aren't too many items, including cotton, silk, daily necessities, tobacco, alcohol, grain, tea, sauce, vinegar and condiments, but the sales are quite brisk with clearly marked prices.

It wasn't just locals who came, but also residents from the islands, and officers and soldiers on rotation. The soldiers had just received their pay and were coming to see if they had anything they needed, or to relax and take a walk.

Yingzi and A Tao, who hadn't been to the market or bought anything for a long time, opened their eyes wide, looked left and right, and exclaimed in amazement.

"This cloth is so beautiful." A Tao stared at the colorful silk without blinking, feeling envious and regretful.

Yingzi also liked it, but she knew that it was not something that a poor family could afford, so she interrupted, "Look at this cotton cloth, it's so thick, is it from Songjiang?"

Ah Tao reluctantly withdrew her gaze, reached out and touched it, and said, "It's thick, but the color is too plain."

Seeing that she had drawn her good sister's attention back, Yingzi asked the waiter to buy some needles, thread, and cotton.

"They're not using silver, are they?" Ah Tao looked curiously at a soldier who bought cigarettes and alcohol with silver dollars and got a small silver dollar and some copper coins in return.

The waiter explained with a smile, "Yes, those are silver coins minted by the imperial court a few years ago. They are interchangeable with silver. The military pay issued by Dongjiang Town is in new silver coins. The soldiers love them very much."

Yingzi blinked and asked, "Can you show it to us?"

"Sure!" the waiter agreed cheerfully, and showed the maids two silver coins, one large and one small. "Look, the big one has "Your Highness" printed on it."

"Your Majesty!" Ah Tao squeezed her head over and stared with wide eyes.

Yingzi flipped through the silver coins, admiring their beauty. She asked, "Will this be the only kind of money we'll have to use from now on?"

"The yuan and liang are currently in common use, but from now on, I guess only silver dollars will be accepted." The waiter smiled and pointed, saying, "You can exchange silver for silver dollars at the house over there. Of course, you don't have to exchange it."

The Dongjiang Army changed its salary payment to silver dollars for the purpose of saving money.

Think about it, if we distribute silver, we have to transport it back to mint coins later, which is very expensive. So we can just exchange it all for silver dollars, set up exchange points, and gradually exchange the silver from the people and soldiers, killing two birds with one stone.

Yingzi returned the silver dollar to the clerk with some reluctance, selected the goods, took out a piece of silver, and said, "It's five cents and seven cents in total, and this is one ounce of pure silver."

The clerk smiled and nodded, praising her: "Madam, you are really quick at calculating. Where are these five or six items of merchandise?"

Ah Tao hurriedly urged, "Hurry up and give me the change. It's four qian, two fen and nine li. Don't make a mistake."

The shopkeeper at the counter looked over, took a look, and then walked over and told the clerk, "Take one cent and give me four and a half cents in change."

After saying that, he smiled and said to the two girls, "You two young ladies are locals. Are you interested in selling goods in our store? We will provide you with food and wages."

Yingzi and Atao looked at each other, a little confused, and did not answer immediately.

The shopkeeper smiled and said, "The guys in this shop don't all live here. If they were away for a long time, it would be very inconvenient. So, we decided a long time ago to recruit people locally. I think you two are very quick at calculating, so you're a good fit."

Oh, now I understand. The guys don't want to stay in this remote place for a long time. No one wants to leave their home and their loved ones!

"Then..." Ah Tao rolled her eyes and asked, "How much is the salary?"

The shopkeeper reached for the silver dollar, paused at the "Zhu Xiaotou" and then took out the "half-dollar" dragon coin. He showed it to the two maids and said with a smile, "One a month, that's six big yuan a year. And they provide food, so you just work to earn money."

Yingzi's eyes lit up, staring at the "half-yuan" dragon coin, and almost nodded in agreement.

"You work all year round without a break?" A Tao was also quite tempted, but still asked a follow-up question.

The shopkeeper smiled, a little cunningly, and said, "Three days off a month, and five days off during the Chinese New Year." He then added, "Ministers in the court only have five days off during the Chinese New Year!"

Yingzi was about to nod when Ah Tao secretly pulled her aside and said to the shopkeeper, "Well, we need to discuss this with our family and then get back to you."

The shopkeeper smiled and nodded, saying, "The sooner the better. If there's no response by the sixth day of the first lunar month, we won't hire you."

After saying that, he asked his servant to bring two door god paintings to give to Yingzi and A Tao.

The two girls thanked him and turned away.

"It's the sixth day of the Lunar New Year. They're anxious to get home for the Lantern Festival!" Ah Tao pouted and said, "They look down on this place. They can't stay here for long."

Yingzi nodded in agreement and said, "No one wants to leave their hometown. Everyone wants to be with their family!"

"If you ask me, I think they might agree to it if I pay them one yuan a month."

Ah Tao's eyes flashed with a hint of cunning. She raised her eyebrows, shook the New Year picture paper tube in her hand, and complained, "We only have a few people here. We can't sell it even if we keep it."

Yingzi laughed and said, "Then you don't want it!"

"Why not take it for free?" Ah Tao laughed and said, "I want to exchange it for a big yuan to have a good time during the New Year."

Although the Liao people suffered heavy losses in their home ownership when they relocated, they were still able to take some silver and money with them. It was not uncommon for each family to have a few taels of silver.

Yingzi agreed and said, "I want to change it to a small yuan and make some colorful money to carry with me. That dragon head looks fierce, can it ward off evil?"

"This is a good idea. I'll try it too." Ah Tao clapped her hands.

Yingzi rolled her eyes, as if suddenly remembering something, and said to Tao, "Oh, I forgot to buy herbs for Dad."

"Then I'll go with you!" A Tao said.

Yingzi shook her head and said, "Don't bother you. I'm not sure if I can find it yet. So, let's meet at the village entrance in an hour and go back together."

A Tao thought it was a good idea. Just then, she saw another sister from the same village, so she waved goodbye to Yingzi and ran after her, shouting.

Yingzi breathed a sigh of relief and turned in the other direction.

At the entrance of the village, she finally saw a familiar figure, waiting there looking around!

………………