Zhenniang, The Three of Us (Fifteen)

Ye Xiqing stared intently at him, "Write a letter quickly, I'm going to pretend I can't see you."

But Jian Yu'an wasn't stupid; he quickly grasped the rules of the game.

When the "divine oracle" arrived, Ye Xiqing gave up struggling.

They learn very quickly.

The villagers are busy working during the day, and only have time to learn things at night, so it's true that they can only be taught at night.

But my second sister only said she would teach arithmetic, so she would only teach arithmetic; she would find a teacher to teach literacy.

If my second sister asks why, it's because I can't write traditional Chinese characters.

Jian Yu'an felt somewhat frustrated after receiving Ye Xiqing's reply.

She never hesitated to do anything Ye Xiqing asked her to do, but when she asked Ye Xiqing to do something, she would suddenly have a multitude of excuses.

The excuse of not knowing traditional Chinese characters seems quite plausible, since she can't write them either.

But if you can't teach traditional Chinese characters, why don't you just teach simplified Chinese characters?

You've already led the villagers to set up communal kitchens, can't you even teach them simplified Chinese characters?

Ye Xiqing responded that it was impossible to teach this, and that the historical process should be respected. If it were all taught now, what would happen when it came to literacy campaigns later?

Jian Yu'an: ...

Ye Xiqing's flexible respect for historical perspective infuriated Jian Yu'an.

But there was nothing they could do. Ye Xiqing had also issued a divine decree, and Granny Wang and Zhao Zhenniang had already gone to consult a tutor.

The two were unaware of the battle of the gods above them; they simply listened to whoever gave the order.

They posted a notice at the entrance of Ping An Girls' Middle School: "Our shop is opening and we need a teacher to teach the shopkeepers to read."

After the new government came to power, in order to demonstrate equality, a girls' middle school was opened in the city, exclusively for female students.

However, many stubborn ideas still exist in modern times, let alone back then.

Most parents send their daughters to these schools hoping to enhance their social standing and improve their chances of marriage.

Outsiders don't take the girls' school students seriously. They won't hire them for important jobs. If they want to hire female workers, they know how to read and write, and they're not cheap, so they won't resort to that method.

So this seemingly legitimate teacher recruitment poster stood out: "Someone actually came here to recruit a teacher? And isn't it just for their daughter, or a worker?"

"That's interesting! I want to go check it out!"

Lan Shuyan looked up.

Although those who could attend girls' schools were not from particularly poor families.

However, during this period, every social class lived a precarious existence, and there was always the possibility of falling from one's social class.

An adult cannot have the confidence to focus on studying without working.

Students at girls' schools also try to find part-time jobs to supplement their family income, like her friend.

But there are very few jobs suitable for women, and this position is so good that it's almost like bait, so Lan Shuyan is a little uneasy.

After thinking for a moment, he volunteered, "I'll go with you!"

...

The villagers had to farm, grind oil, and run shops, so there was clearly not enough manpower.

It's not easy to find people outside, and it costs money, so Ye Xiqing instructed that her married daughter be brought back.

Not only were the villagers stunned, but Jian Yu'an also couldn't believe it.

In this era, it is believed that once a daughter is married, she is like water spilled from a cup; how could her husband's family possibly let her go?

A woman who has been thoroughly brainwashed has a distorted worldview and may not even want to leave.

Ye Xiqing remained calm: Have you figured out where to find workers who don't require wages and are trustworthy?

Everyone: ……

Although it is unorthodox, so-called orthodox doctrines are nothing in the face of interests.

Let's try to find our daughter...

Thanks to the underdeveloped transportation, the daughters didn't marry far away, and they could always be found.

Contrary to what everyone expected, my daughter herself was unwilling to leave, but she was more than willing to go.

Although patriarchal parents treat their daughters and husbands' families treat their wives the same two piles of shit, one pile is always less smelly.

Even her own parents were better than her husband's family, who were thinking of buying livestock. Several of them cried and wanted to go back.

Of course, the husband's family couldn't release him, so Ye Xiqing sent out the village soldiers: Do you think I'm a pushover?

Husband's family: ...

No one listens to reason; you have to force people to resort to violence.

If a married woman has a good relationship with her husband, not only can the married woman come back, but the son-in-law and children can also come back to find some work, but they are not paid, only provided with food.

If a woman has a bad relationship with her husband's family and they often beat and scold her, the people of Zhao Village will beat her up and throw a bag of grain at her afterward, and force her to write a pledge.

If they were stuck in the middle, didn't want to live with their husband's family, and had children they couldn't bear to part with, Ye Xiqing would let them bring their children over and exchange grain for their children with their husband's family.

The children have grown up and have their own ideas. They neither come with their mother nor let her leave, so let them stay in that house.

Anyway, no matter who raises the child, they'll all recognize the rich when they grow up, so worrying about it is pointless.

Children who are raised by their mothers from a young age but are not close to them are likely to lack both judgment and conscience, and even if they are reunited with their mothers later, they will not be allowed into the core area of ​​Zhao Family Village.

Those who hold core power in Zhao Family Village must be true members of the Zhao family; those whose hearts are not in it will not be accepted.

There were indeed many outrageous systems in the old days, but the old society was not a place where rules were superstitious and breaking them meant certain death.

Even in a world full of strange rules, the players are still alive, and none of them simply follow the rules obediently.

Upon hearing that the village was going to take someone away, the smart ones, without needing to be taught by the villagers, would first cause a ruckus at their husband's home.

She didn't have to do anything else; she just broke the lock on the mung bean cakes her father-in-law had hidden in the cupboard and ate them all. Her husband's family jumped up and down, yelling that they wanted to send her back to her parents' home.

That was exactly what his wife had been waiting for. As soon as she heard those words, her back pain disappeared, her leg cramps stopped, she ate a full meal, and ran several miles home.

After returning home, he slapped his thigh and laughed with the villagers, telling them how clever he had been, and recounting the details of eating mung bean cakes several times.

Her father, listening nearby, felt a little embarrassed. Fortunately, the other aunts and uncles were studying the plan to recruit women, and their eyes lit up when they heard this, finding a way to proceed.

With inside help and outside cooperation, things proceeded more smoothly.

All the married women have been found, and those who went out to work have also been found.

Huang Liushen's daughter, Er Ya, worked as a maid in a wealthy family. After the village issued a "recall order," Huang Liushen called her back.

Having worked as a maid in a wealthy household, she had seen quite a bit of the world and was eventually assigned to manage a shop.

Hearing this decision, Aunt Huang and her family were overjoyed. Following the example of Zhao Zhenniang, they changed their daughter's name to Zhao Zhenxiang, urging her to seize this opportunity!

Zhao Zhenxiang was originally thinking about how to marry a rich man outside, but after returning to the village, the village improved dramatically, and she became a rich woman.

Zhao Zhenxiang beamed with joy upon receiving the task from the shopkeeper. She enthusiastically directed people to stock the shelves, as the business would open tomorrow and all the goods would be stocked today.

While she was busy, two students suddenly came in and stood at the door looking at her.

Upon seeing this, Zhao Zhenxiang hurriedly went to greet them, her smile unable to be contained: "I'm sorry, we haven't opened yet. Please come again tomorrow!"

The two people at the door were Lan Shuyan and her classmate Zhang Ying, who had come for an interview.

Before coming, I had a million doubts, but after seeing the female shopkeeper, all my doubts vanished instantly.

Lan Shuyan's friends are wild and outgoing in front of her, but surprisingly shy and hesitant to approach her in public.

Seeing this, Lan Shuyan quickly pushed her forward and answered for her, "We're here to apply for teaching positions!"

...

The talks went very smoothly.

The shop doesn't require teachers to work all day. In the evenings, when there are fewer people and students have finished school, they can set aside an hour to teach the shop workers to read.

First teach the important words, then the unimportant ones. You get two silver dollars a month, eat with the shop workers in the evenings, and they provide transportation. When it gets late, they send someone to take the teacher home.

This was an excellent offer, and Zhang Ying immediately agreed, even working hard to write their bills today, free of charge!

Zhao Zhenxiang was surprised by this good news and hurriedly handed the account book to them. Zhang Ying glanced at it and burst out laughing.

Although there were no words on the ledger, it was filled with a row of vivid illustrations, making it easy to understand at a glance: "You guys are quite resourceful?"

When people discovered her illiteracy, Zhao Zhenxiang scratched her head embarrassedly: "It's a clumsy method that country folk come up with, just to make do."

Zhang Ying immediately held out a pen: "This isn't stupid at all, it's much smarter than when I was learning to write. I'll write the words next to you, and you'll know what they mean. You can practice writing even when I'm not around."

"You need to learn practical characters first, so I'll teach you like this for now!"

Zhao Zhenxiang and the sisters who were taking stock thought about it and realized that it made sense. They quickly translated their pictographic writings with Zhang Ying to explain what they meant.

In her spare time, Lan Shuyan would submit articles to the newspaper to earn money, but she didn't need to do this job; she just watched from the sidelines.

As they looked at the notes, they suddenly noticed that the shop owner's writing was very simple, but the numbers were modern Arabic numerals, which surprised them: "Did someone teach you arithmetic?"

Zhao Zhenxiang was busy translating for Teacher Zhang and didn't have time to deal with the situation, so she casually said with a smile, "Yes, tonight our boss will ask a celestial being to possess us and teach us arithmetic."

Arabic numerals are becoming more common now, so it's not surprising that someone is teaching Lan Shuyan.

But after Zhao Zhenxiang finished speaking, Lan Shuyan suddenly looked up: What?

Although it was written in Chinese, Lan Shuyan couldn't understand it when put together and was about to ask again when Zhao Zhenxiang suddenly looked up and said with a joyful expression, "Master, you're back!"

Zhao Zhenxiang was in charge of stocking and arranging goods in the shop, while Zhao Zhenniang was in charge of running around to different shops to promote their own sesame oil.

After a long day of running around, I finally took a breather and, without even having time to speak, just smiled and said "Mmm".

When Lan Shuyan turned around, she saw a young woman dressed in indigo floral fabric, dressed in an old-fashioned style. The shop assistant called her "the boss."

As Zhao Zhenniang entered, she saw Lan Shuyan, who was dressed in a school uniform and exuded a distinctive student-like aura.

The two of them were stunned for a moment when they met, as if they didn't know that such a person existed in the world.

However, they quickly realized what was happening, stood up, and greeted each other.

Hello! Hello! Hello!

...

Zhang Ying actively helped Zhao Zhenxiang take stock of the goods, while Zhao Zhenniang diligently prepared tea and snacks for the two students. Opening a shop definitely requires preparing some things to receive guests.

Lan Shuyan and her two students were all well-educated and rather reserved, but they couldn't resist Zhao Zhenniang's attentiveness and each ate a long strip of cake.

After eating the boss's food, one should definitely praise the boss. After praising him, Lan Shuyan asked curiously, "Boss Zhao, what do you sell at your shop?"

Zhao Zhenniang was waiting for her to ask, and her eyes lit up instantly: "Our shop is run by people from the countryside. We specialize in selling all kinds of fresh vegetables, chicken cakes, biscuits, and other local farm products. There's no fixed price."

"The only thing we mainly sell is sesame oil."

"Our sesame oil is genuine, high-quality sesame oil!"

Lan Shuyan understood that this was a general store selling food-related daily necessities.

She was curious about everything and liked to get to the bottom of things. Seeing that the boss was also eager to talk, she asked, "So what's your sesame oil called?"

Hearing her question, Zhao Zhenniang finally gave in, a smile playing on her lips: "Our sesame oil is called—One More Bottle!"

Lan Shuyan: ...

What?

That's right, the sesame oil in Zhao Family Village is called "One More Bottle," which is simple, clear, and gets straight to the point. The shop is also called "One More Shop."

The key is to remain silent until the moment of truth, then make a stunning debut.

Modern people have become desensitized to all kinds of marketing, but people in this era are still very curious.

Students Lan Shuyan and Zhang Ying were fascinated by the "buy one get one free" marketing concept.

"If you deliver like this, how do you even make a profit?"

Zhao Zhenniang was originally a very honest person, but these days she has been running around everywhere, and it has become difficult for her to settle down and be honest.

When Lan Shuyan asked, she looked away and sighed deeply.

"Hey, money isn't important. What's important is that people have a conscience. You can't just focus on making money; you should also give back to your customers."

"I only produce my own sesame oil brand, a conscientious domestic brand."

"In the future, my shops will definitely surpass the foreign firms!"

Lan Shuyan: ...

Zhang Ying: ……

Something dazzling flashed in my eyes...

Schools are places for enlightenment, and they have never given up on patriotic education. Every student has a high level of patriotism.

They were already pleasantly surprised to see that the shop was full of female workers, and they were even more excited to hear this, saying they would go to the school to promote it!

Those who can afford sesame oil are probably from middle-class or higher families, which is exactly the target customer group of the girls' school.

Zhao Zhenniang immediately thanked them excitedly, saying, "You people are so kind! You must take this package of long cakes!"

My marketing direction and business strategies were taught by my second sister.

My aunt taught me to talk about patriotism with students, health with the elderly, and filial piety with public servants.

Zhao Zhenniang learned a variety of things, and her learning became quite complex.

But I have to say, every single one of them is useful!