Chapter 53 Fengxian Mall
At night, Han Yuan tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep. He was already old, and his mind was full of memories, which gave him a headache.
The headache made him more and more awake. Han Yuan suddenly remembered what his senior brother said to his eldest son, and thought of everything that had happened since the emperor ascended the throne.
Feng Guangwei, and several other officials who disappeared from the court...
Even Yuan Kang and Han Yuan were shocked to find that they were protected by the emperor using similar means.
He wondered why the emperor didn't guard against him. Although he was old, the power accumulated over three dynasties would be a big problem for him if he were to go against the emperor.
But apart from giving him some warnings at the beginning, the emperor later gave him more trust than he could have imagined. What was the emperor thinking?
It’s a pity that Han Yuan couldn’t think of a simple reason no matter how hard he tried: Yan Xuanyu had seen the original owner’s memory!
In the darkness, Han Yuan finally fell asleep after closing his eyes. He dreamed of many things and many faces, including the foolish late emperor and his master...
He knew that the problems had been planted a long time ago, but he always tried to change something by his own strength, so he recruited poor scholars from all over the world, accepted them as his disciples, and developed his own power in the court.
But it seemed to be of no use, because what he wanted to do was always to help a wise king to secure his throne...
But he is old.
…
The next morning, Han Yuan and Lin Fu went out with two guards. He and Lin Fu changed into ordinary people's clothes and asked the two guards to follow them from a distance.
After leaving the prefectural government, there were not many people on the road because it was too early.
"Teacher, I talked with Feng Guangwei last night and found that the public security in Fengxian City is much better than I imagined." Lin Fu said.
It was called a "conversation", but in fact Lin Fu was trying to get information from Feng Guangwei. Feng Guangwei had received the emperor's order and did not intend to keep it secret. He told Lin Fu a lot of things, including the soldiers who patrolled every day. What surprised Lin Fu was that the common item in Fengxian City nowadays is called an identity card. There is a special mark on the identity card. I don't know how Feng Guangwei did it, but no one else can forge it.
Feng Guangwei said that identity cards are currently being implemented in Fengxian City and surrounding villages. Each identity card contains the person's height, weight, facial features and some other characteristics. It cannot guarantee that the person will not be impersonated by others, but it greatly reduces the possibility of impersonation.
In this way, unidentified people sneaking into the city will be quickly discovered.
"This thing is excellent!" Han Yuan was surprised.
As they were walking, they heard a series of "swish" sounds at the corner. Walking further, they saw two old men with gaunt faces wearing the same strange-looking coats. They were sweeping the road with brooms that were half as tall as themselves, and they looked very tired.
Han Yuan frowned. "Why are we letting elderly people do such heavy work on the street? It seems that Fengxian City is not as good as Feng Guangwei said!"
But he quickly frowned and denied his previous guess: "Or perhaps he's a servant of a wealthy man nearby?"
“This road is not private.”
Except for the areas around the imperial palace which were cleaned by palace maids and eunuchs, and the mansions of the aristocratic families which were cleaned by servants, most of the roads in the capital were unattended, not to mention the roads outside the capital.
The inner city of the capital is okay, but the outer areas are relatively clean as long as there is no dirt or excrement, let alone fallen leaves and other debris!
So Han Yuan naturally doesn't understand what a "cleaner" is.
Although Fengxian City was not as cold as Beijing, the morning wind was also chilly. Han Yuan and the other man walked over to take a look, and sure enough, the two old men's hands were frozen red.
"Excuse me, two old gentlemen, why are you sweeping the floor here?" Lin Fu stepped forward and bowed, asking politely.
The two old men looked at each other, then looked at Lin Fu for a long moment before hesitating, "You're not from Fengxian, are you?"
"I came here from Jiyang City to make a living," said Lin Fu.
One of the old men laughed and said, "No wonder, he's a scholar, right? He speaks so elegantly."
The old man saw that Lin Fu was dressed casually and had nothing valuable on him, so he spoke casually.
Another old man interrupted them and said, "If you have any questions, you can go to the shop in front and ask. We haven't finished sweeping this street yet, so there will be a lot of people soon."
The old man who had just spoken smiled kindly and said, "Nothing, I'm going to finish sweeping anyway."
He turned and continued to say to Lin Fu: "Young man, if you want to make a living, you must first go to the government office to get a temporary ID card. Only after your identity is confirmed can you walk around Fengxian City. Since you are a scholar, you can go to the school and try to find a job."
The old man saw that there was an old man of the same age behind Lin Fu, and thought that he was the elder of this young man. Seeing that the other person looked energetic, the old man had an even better impression of Lin Fu.
"You can also try your luck at the government office. From time to time, there are sanitation quotas available, so you, the elder, can try your luck."
Han Yuan listened quietly. Lin Fu asked curiously, "What is 'sanitation'?"
"It's just sweeping a fixed road every morning." The old man laughed. "I just happened to be there. It's not a lot of work, and as long as I sweep it clean, I can earn a lot of copper coins!"
Not only Lin Fu, but Han Yuan also roughly understood it. It was just sweeping the floor. As long as they were paid, there would be a lot of young and strong people competing for it, and they would definitely work faster than the elderly. This "sanitation" was a job that gave some elderly people in the city a way to make money.
After the old man finished speaking, he went to work with another companion. After a while, the "swish" sound was heard again. One of them took a basket and swept the accumulated fallen leaves and debris into it. After finishing the work, the two went to check if there was any garbage left on the road.
Looking at it again now, it is clear that they were not forced at all; they were just happy to earn more money.
When they arrived in Fengxian City yesterday, they saw that all the roads in Fengxian City had been filled up, without even a pothole.
"Teacher?" Lin Fu saw Han Yuan staring at the backs of the two old men for a long time without moving, and couldn't help but call out.
Han Yuan said, "Let's go and take a look at the front."
There was no emotion in his voice, but Lin Fu had followed his teacher for many years, so he could naturally detect the faint, fleeting smile on his teacher's face.
He felt relieved.
...
The two continued walking along the road. As the sky was just getting light, people gradually appeared on the road.
The area around the Taishou Mansion should be the prosperous area of Fengxian City, but strangely, there are only three or two vendors here and not many people buy.
Several carriages passed by yesterday, and many people came in and out. It was quite crowded, but still orderly, and everyone was friendly.
Han Yuan didn't go up to squeeze in, but walked slowly on his feet.
There was a bun shop on the side of the road, and Han Yuan walked over.
"Old man, would you like two buns? They are freshly steamed and still hot!" the bun vendor said enthusiastically.
"I want two buns." Han Yuan said.
"Okay!" said the vendor happily.
Han Yuan took the buns but didn't leave. He stood at a distance and chatted with the vendors: "Excuse me, why are there so few vendors around the prefectural government?"
The vendor laughed, "Are you two from Fengxian City?"
This was the second time they had heard this today.
Without waiting for their response, the vendor continued, "It's a short walk south from here, or you can take Bus No. 22, and you'll see Fengxian Mall. They sell all sorts of things there. If you go early, you might even be able to catch breakfast."
Han Yuan asked in a low voice, "Boss, may I ask, did the governor order all the vendors to sell their wares in the mall? Can they collect money? Are you being coerced?"
After he said this, the bun stall owner looked at him with a strange look: "Wow, you are so bold."
Han Yuan was about to speak when the bun stall owner explained: "Of course the governor has to collect some money. The mall is sheltered from the elements, large and well-equipped, so it's only natural that he should collect some money! But as long as you move in—the governor calls moving into the mall to sell things 'moving in'—you can sign a contract to cooperate with the mall, and the mall will subsidize you with money for the opening ceremony."
As he spoke, longing appeared in his eyes.
"If the mall is as good as you said, why don't you go?" Lin Fu asked.
The boss scratched his head. "Oh, I was mistaken. I thought everyone went to the mall to sell things, so I would make money if I sold them here. Who knew the mall was holding a welcome event? You can enter a lottery if you spend a certain amount of silver. A few days ago, someone won several taels of silver..."
"And Fengxian Mall is in a great location. It's right in the middle of the city, making it very convenient for people traveling north or south. If you're really lazy, you can just take a horse-drawn carriage! So, besides the shops outside, it's a great place for small vendors to go." The boss said, "Well, I'll go see if there's any room in the mall in a couple of days."
After saying goodbye to the bun stall owner, the two walked towards the Fengxian Mall he mentioned.
Han Yuan gave the bun to Lin Fu behind him and said, "Let's go see what the mall looks like."
He thought to himself that this was indeed a good idea. Of course, those who owned shops would not go there, so there was no need to worry that there was no one doing business in Fengxian City except the mall. As for the merchants and peddlers, they could go to the mall, pay some money and find a fixed place, which would be both sheltered from the wind and rain and safe. The merchant said that if anyone caused trouble, there would be special guards in the mall.
As we walked forward, more and more people came to see us. Han Yuan hadn't been in such a noisy environment for a long time.
Lin Fu supported the teacher with one hand. After all, the teacher was old and would inevitably get injured if he was bumped into.
"I have been in a high position for too long." Lin Fu heard his teacher mutter to himself.
He looked in the direction the teacher was looking, and saw the woman on the side of the road holding a small child in her arms and holding an older girl's hand. The girl was holding food wrapped in oil paper in her other hand and eating it with relish.
"Mom, I want to eat sesame balls tomorrow!"
The woman smiled and nodded the girl's head, "You are the greedy one. Okay, okay, I will bring you here tomorrow."
The woman didn't look like she was from a wealthy family, and her clothes were patched.
The closer we got to the large mansion-like building, the more people there were.
"The mall is in front." Lin Fu looked forward and whispered to the teacher.
This "mall" is also interesting. Han Yuan stood at the door and watched for a while. He saw that many people had finished their breakfast or were walking out while eating something in their hands.
There were several bright words on the building above their heads -
"Fengxian Mall".
There is a notice board below, which seems to have been posted for several days, and people coming and going are no longer curious to look at it.
Han Yuan walked over and read it carefully. He found that it was about a shopping mall promotion. Spending 20 wen or more could be exchanged for a clay pot, and also for one of six kinds of food...
There are also different ones, such as fifty wen, two hundred wen...
Ordinary people in the city can also afford this money.
Lin Fu also read it and said, "This is quite novel."
...
"Ma balls! Ma balls! Five cents each!"
"Fresh porridge... fried dough sticks, three cents..."
"Pancakes, pancakes!"
As soon as the two walked in, the overwhelming aroma of food came towards them.
There was steam rising everywhere, and the pots under each stall were sizzling, making the entire mall warm.
The interior of the mall dazzled both of them.
Although there are many stalls, the layout is very regular, which makes people feel comfortable looking at it!
There are tables and chairs in the corners for free use, and there are notices next to them telling you to take your own things with you. If you litter, you will be fined.
Han Yuan walked to the stall selling sesame balls and saw the stall owner very skillfully pick out a few round and plump golden sesame balls with long wooden chopsticks.
"I want one," Han Yuan said.
Seeing that it was an old man, the other party smiled and handed him an extra piece of oil paper: "Hey! Take it, it's just out of the pan, it's hot!"
Han Yuan also smiled.
After paying, he took the sesame ball, walked to the side, found an empty seat and sat down, and said to Lin Fu, "You should also go buy some food."
Lin Fu left and Han Yuan opened the oil paper package.
The sesame ball was about two-thirds the size of his palm. It felt soft when touched through the oil paper. There was a dent when pressed, and oil stains seeped through the oil paper.
When he was in the capital, Han Yuan never ate such oily food, but he didn't know why he remembered the smiling face of the little girl he had just seen, and he actually opened his mouth and tried to bite it.
The outside is extremely soft and sticky, and it emits a fragrant aroma after being fried.
There is hot red bean paste inside, which is a bit hot when you take a bite.
No wonder the girl likes it.
Before he knew it, Han Yuan had eaten the entire sesame ball.
The sesame balls looked greasy, but they didn't taste greasy at all. He felt warm in his stomach after eating them.
Lin Fu bought a sandwich filled with minced pork. He took a bite and found the crust was so crispy that it was falling apart, which was a bit unsightly. Moreover, it happened in front of the teacher, so Lin Fu covered his mouth with his sleeves in embarrassment.
But the sandwich was really delicious. The crispy crust and pork meat were delicious when eaten together.
This mall is very large. When you walk in, you can see a door with "rest area" written next to it. After walking a little further, you will enter another door and arrive at another place.
There really is a wide variety of goods available.
Han Yuan even saw an old man selling hand-woven baskets. He said he came to Fengxian City from the countryside and originally only made a few to sell. Unexpectedly, his baskets were favored by some women in the city and they bought them to hold things.
Everyone in the family was busy farming, and the old man came to the city alone. His son was worried about him, so he made up his mind and rented the cheapest place for him here.
I didn’t expect to get my money back in just a few days, and now I’m making a profit.
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