If there were a drone flying overhead right now, you would see crowds of people thronging the roads and lanes leading to Huichuan County.

Huichuan County is like a heart, the roads and lanes are like blood vessels, and the people are like blood, constantly flowing to the heart.

At seven o'clock in the morning, Central Street in Huichuan County was filled with stalls.

There were vendors selling straw hats, wicker baskets, winnowing baskets, brooms and brooms made of sorghum stalks, curtains and shallow baskets, and willow wood shovel handles!

There are also vendors selling fish and shrimp, and vegetables grown in their own yards!

Of course, the most numerous stalls were those selling maltose, forming a long line along Central Avenue.

The loudspeakers in the county government compound were playing the revolutionary song, "Many Hands Water the Flower of Happiness."

"Thousands of flowers, tens of thousands of flowers,

It can't compare to that red flower of happiness.

May it bloom for a thousand years, ten thousand generations, and never fade.

May it grow year after year, and flourish month after month.

Monthly payments~

The fragrance of flowers lingers in my heart.

Flowers bloom brightly in every villager's home!

The catchy and upbeat song plays repeatedly, both inspiring and creating a lively atmosphere.

People walked, looked around, and picked through the crowded streets.

Every now and then you can hear fellow villagers discussing things with each other.

"Brother, I think your straw hat is pretty good. I haven't opened for business yet. Can I trade it with you for my shallow one?"

"Our sturdy bamboo stalks are made of white sorghum stalks and bound with thick cotton thread. They're incredibly durable, so you can use them! I guarantee they won't break for ten or twenty years!"

"OK!"

The two made a deal: a straw hat for a shallow piece of paper.

This happens from time to time; people trade black carp for shovel handles, or wicker baskets for brooms.

Li Xiangdong happened to run into Liu Donglai, who was on an inspection tour. Liu Donglai waved and asked, "What does your brigade sell?"

Li Xiangdong beamed, "Uncle Liu, look how lively it is! Our brigade is selling leftover fish scraps from making canned fish, wheatgrass seed oil, and all kinds of sugar."

"Heh! Ready to show off your skills? These things your brigade sells aren't cheap!"

Wang Fugen frowned and said, "But now it seems that everyone is bartering, and not many people are actually spending money to buy things."

Seeing Wang Fugen's worried expression, Li Xiangdong comforted him, "Uncle Wang, relying solely on the commune members in our county, our purchasing power certainly won't be enough! We have to wait for our big customers to come!"

Wang Fugen looked at Liu Donglai, "A big customer?"

Liu Donglai nodded confidently, "It will take some time for people from other counties and cities to get here."

Li Xiangdong added, "When the oil refinery workers come to spend money after they get off work, they have money!"

Wang Fugen laughed heartily, "Secretary and Xiang Dong are brilliant strategists, I'm just waiting!"

Sure enough, after 8:30, the number of people on Central Street suddenly increased several times, and the malt candy stalls that had been deserted were now full of people asking about prices.

Li Tang also hired several young women with clear voices to hawk their wares behind the stall!

"Look everyone, take a look! This is a specialty of Huichuan: Lijiapo canned fish! Same quality, same delicious taste, but half the price!"

"Buy a can of fish and get a free colorful glass bowl! Don't miss out!"

"Lijiapo canned fish, deep-fried until thoroughly cooked, with plenty of star anise, Sichuan peppercorns, and soy sauce. Just one whiff and it's intoxicatingly fragrant! One bite and you'll be blown away by its deliciousness!"

The phrase "three young wives, taking turns, resting when they get tired" was coined by Li Xiangdong and perfectly captures the essence of later advertising slogans.

When I shouted that, some people actually came over to ask.

"Is this the kind of canned fish sold at the supply and marketing cooperative?"

"Yes, it's genuine! We are the manufacturer!"

"Then why are you selling this for such a low price? And you're even giving away a bowl?"

"Isn't it good to sell cheaply? Brother, to be honest, the canned fish we sell now is leftover from the canning process. There's nothing wrong with it, except that some of the fish meat is not whole, so we picked it out! But the taste is exactly the same."

Seeing that the man seemed skeptical, Li Tang generously took out a pair of chopsticks and a plate, picked up a few pieces of fish, and let him try them.

The man tasted all four flavors one by one, put down his chopsticks, and said, "Give me a pound of each flavor! How many of those bowls do you want?"

Li Tang said with a smile, "One per pound!"

Soon, the canned fish was weighed and packed into canning jars.

The canning jars used here are custom-made, one jar per pound, with a simple design to distinguish them from ready-made canned fish.

The buyer happily paid four yuan, even though the supply and marketing cooperative sells them for two yuan a can!

I bought four cans with the money I would have spent on two, and even made four beautiful glass bowls for free! What a bargain!

Once one person started, others began to line up. It tasted the same, except the meat was a bit minced. You can't find this kind of cheap food every day!

Someone nearby said that fatty pork only costs seven or eight cents a pound, and immediately someone else retorted, "Go buy fatty pork, don't block our way."

They fry it in oil and add soy sauce, and it doesn't cost them anything?

Li Tang's business is doing well, and Liu Changhai's business is not bad either.

Everyone knows that maltose is sold, but not as many varieties as those in Lijiapo.

Liu Changhai has a loud voice and a sweet tongue. Whenever he sees someone looking into the basket, he goes up to them and introduces it to them.

"Grandpa, how about some dragon beard candy? What? No teeth? No problem, our dragon beard candy melts in your mouth, and eating it will ensure your health and longevity!"

"Auntie, these candied scallions are only five cents each. Buy one for your child, and it'll last them five days! Isn't that a good deal?"

"You only have one cent? No problem! We have some Ding Ding candy here, we'll give you one cent!"

Liu Changhai moved around like a big butterfly, constantly promoting his products in the crowd, and soon his stall was surrounded by people.

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