During the Yin hour, the sky is just about to brighten in summer, but it is the darkest time in winter.
In the Gubei Army camp, only the torches outside the tents were burning, occasionally making crackling sounds. There was no movement of grass or chirping of insects. It was completely silent.
Soon, the cotton curtains of several tents fluttered, occasionally leaking out pinpricks of candlelight and white steam, and rustling and complaining sounds arose.
Either they are cold, or they are urging those who are slow to wash up quickly so as not to waste time on field work.
Speaking of field missions, the soldiers standing guard outside the tent all listened with envy.
In the past, getting up early in winter was a painful thing for all soldiers, but now getting up early is envied by most people because they can eat meat again!
After the winter clothes and salaries were distributed by the garrison at the end of last month, the two northwestern military camps were in an uproar.
In the past, only centurions could occasionally get clothes made of good cotton. Most soldiers wore clothes made of old cotton that were heavy and not warm enough. Not to mention whether the cotton was warm or not, the outer fabric would tear at the slightest pull.
But when the new garrison took office, the first of the three fires was work points, and the second fire was winter clothes, which kept them warm from the outside to the inside.
Especially when they learned that the soldiers who went out on missions could get extra work points and even eat the delicious food at the Jufu Inn, and could have a full pot of meat for only one or two taels of silver, almost all the soldiers with some connections rushed to go on missions.
No matter how lazily a person is, the lazier he is, the more he likes to eat meat!
That was not just ordinary delicious meat. Zhou Ding and Jing Zhuzi had been beaten several times before. They felt guilty but did not dare to turn against him. The beating hurt, so they had no choice but to take the silver coupons and roast duck coupons they got to the inn to exchange them.
All the silver coupons were exchanged for large steamed buns with meat scraps. As there was no roast duck at that time, the roast duck coupons were exchanged for large steamed buns with meat paste after discussing with Sun Laohuo and others.
One roast duck can be exchanged for a thousand big buns, plus silver coupons. If a few people pool their money together, it is just enough for all the brothers in the two camps in the northwest to get two buns each and a bowl of bone soup.
This can be considered as compensation for those who stole the delicious food.
The military camp saved a dinner, and the chefs in the kitchen worked hard to make baked buns for everyone to have a hot meal.
Those chefs secretly went to Sun Laohuo to learn from him, and made big buns that were brushed with rapeseed oil and roasted until golden brown, and paired them with thick bone soup. Many people drank it on the spot and burst into tears.
The situation in the North Camp is easy to deal with. Jing Zhuzi and others have high fighting power and are troublemakers. Others can't beat them, but they can still hold back.
But on the Xiying side, Zhou Ding and Xu Dayao are not the best fighters, they are just people with flexible minds.
Someone came up to Zhou Ding, who had been on a field mission, crying bitterly. Zhou Ding thought he was thanking him.
Then the centurion, who was crying uncontrollably, choked out a sob: "I'm going to beat you."
Xu Dayao was also surrounded by his fellow villagers, saying, "We're going to beat you up, too."
They both: "..."
No, before you could at least find a reason to bump into us or get stepped on by us, and then yell at us before attacking us. Why are you going to start beating us up right after we treat you to delicious food?
"No one expected the buns to be so delicious. I heard some of you got tired of eating them and threw the bun skins to others. You deserve to be punished by God. Is it wrong for us to beat you up?"
Those who are going to be beaten: “…” Those are the children, not us!
"No... Ouch! Be gentle, don't hit my face!"
"Listen to my explanation!"
"I just want to hear wailing from your mouth, so shut up!"
“…”
With the tacit approval of their superiors and the instigation of their subordinates, the soldiers who were on field duty were beaten up enough. Even being fat (and swollen) could be a reason to be beaten again. In this way, everyone actively promoted work points and field duty.
Some people have been beaten before, so they dare not hide any delicious food they eat when they are out on duty. Besides, everyone has a habit of bragging.
The shops in the commercial street began to be topped off one after another, and the merchants who learned various recipes were looking forward to it. Miao Wan delivered the shop keys to the merchants and also issued new policies.
Merchants who learn Qianjinlou’s recipes are collecting trial experience reports, and merchants who learn how to eat are pulled out for trial operations to let people taste the food.
This is called trial operation. There are two mailboxes at the end of the commercial street. If there are no complaints, you can move into the shop and start business directly.
If there are too many complaints, the opening will have to be postponed and the business will have to continue trial operation. If it fails to pass the test after three months, it will be asked to leave the commercial street.
Merchants dare not be careless at all. No matter whether they make a profit or a loss, they have to open the business to know, and work points can be exchanged for money.
The soldiers could exchange one centimeter for ten coins, and the merchants could exchange one cent for five coins, so they did not lose money.
Wow, this way, the newly rotated soldiers who are sent out for field duty will have more things to brag about.
Not to mention the toiletries, there is so much to brag about in terms of food every day.
Spicy skewers with big steamed buns, crystal meat with Baiji steamed buns, mapo tofu with sorghum rice, barbecue with steamed buns, boxia gong with noodles, and fried chicken, roast duck and happy water have turned this winter into a carnival for the Gubei Army stationed in Xining Town.
Regardless of how many years they have been in the army, this is simply their peak, and they are constantly surpassing it.
So when Qiao Ruichen issued the new field work requirements to the two camps, the soldiers willing to escort customers back and forth between Xiping County and Xining Town were almost scrambling to get them.
Those who got up so early today and rushed to Xining Town were the best of the best, most of them with grimacing faces. Most of their injuries were in invisible places, with the most being a bruise on the neck or corner of the lip.
Everyone understood that they couldn't show any color on their faces when escorting the people, so they hit people in places where they couldn't see. Some people even took a breath and cursed while riding horses.
"Damn it, those bastards are so ruthless."
"Hiss...someone is biting me. I'm afraid they'll tear my cotton-padded jacket. They're biting my neck."
"Hahaha... Does that guy want to be your sworn brother?"
"Get lost, I only like young ladies."
…
The group left the military camp in the dark and reached Xining Town in the dark. It was still dark when they arrived at Fangkou.
The colder the weather, the later the sun comes out. The entrance to the village can be seen from afar because two big torches are burning at the entrance.
But nowadays it is no longer appropriate to call it Fangkou.
From the beginning of August when Xining Town was burned to October 18, more than two months passed. Xining Town was like a phoenix reborn from the ashes, gradually spreading its gorgeous feathers.
With Jufu Inn as the center, it is twenty miles west to Xiying, forty miles east to Lao Miao Mountain, sixty miles south to Xiyong County, and one hundred miles north to Hehuang Valley. It has expanded by half the area of the original Xining Town and built a one-meter-high city wall, of which one-third has been completed.
There are still gaps in other places. The Beifangkou, which is the first to be affected, has a two-meter-high city wall. The watchtowers on both sides, which are one person tall, are made of blue bricks and tiles. If you only look at this side, it is almost as tall as Xiping County.
So now it is called Zhenbei Gate.
After entering from the north gate, there is a two-horse carriage wide official road paved with gravel and coal ash.
There is sparse vegetation in the northwest, especially in Xining Town, which is close to Xifan. Anyong County can afford charcoal, but the people in Xining Town and Xiping County mostly use coal transported from Datong Prefecture, which contains a lot of coal ash.
The stones were directly smashed from the old house that was burned down, and the waste was reused.
Going forward, you can see Ju Fu Restaurant and Commercial Street in the distance. The road connecting the two places is paved with blue bricks. The stove shed has not been demolished yet and is not far from the blue brick road.
If you go to the left, you can see smoke rising up that cannot be covered by the city wall. That is where the brick and tile kiln and the alkali factory are located. Next to the city wall on the inside are the textile factories and garment factories.
Of course, these are just nice names, and they can't grow to such a large scale in just a few months. Miao Shiren just took up the name first, and now it is at most a small workshop with a dozen or twenty people.
To the right is Xining Commercial Street, where soldiers and civilians work in shifts every day. A large stone that was brought from nowhere stands in the front. Six large characters written in iron and silver are written by Qiao Ruichen himself.
A square ten carriages wide has been built at the back. The newly planted poplars have not yet grown into full-fledged trees, but flower beds have been built, and it will be much more beautiful when the spring and summer weather gets warmer.
There are two rows of wooden benches in the square, with some wooden tables interspersed in the middle. Nowadays, soldiers and civilians like to sit here and eat after getting food from the stove shed or the tasting area.
Although it was cold, everyone was having a great time and everyone was having a try. One work point could buy you several delicious dishes.
The shops in the two rows on the left and right have been built and decorated inside.
The sofas, display cabinets and shelves were all placed in accordance with the requirements of the merchants. The merchants were very reluctant when they paid the money, but now they were grinning from ear to ear.
From the outside, one can see the transparent windows inside, as well as the clean glass display counters, rows of display racks like antique cabinets, and matching natural wood tables and chairs... Almost everything is of a style they could never have dreamed of, and just looking at it makes people feel uneasy.
Compared to the past when goods could only be placed randomly and customers could not squeeze into the shop, now even if they have to queue, they can sit on the waiting chairs outside the door and wait.
Not afraid of the wind and rain in winter, the wooden frames extending from the outside windows are covered with several thick layers of oil paper to keep out the wind and rain while still allowing for sun exposure.
Those who have elderly and children at home like to come and join the crowd at noon. They have to buy a few work points worth of food just by smelling the food. Even though there are no customers from outside, the merchants seem to be getting busy.
Only the entertainment and leisure venues at the innermost part were still closed.
Because these shops are now owned by the Qiao family and no one has taken care of them yet, there is no rush to open them. They will just slowly polish the facilities inside and wait until the trial operation is over before opening them.
The soldiers were familiar with the place and deposited the horses outside the newly built farm. They registered and went to the kitchen shed to get food.
The food tasting didn’t start until noon, and breakfast was still buns and bone soup.
After finishing the meal, everyone wiped their mouths and did not dare to delay. They hurried to the farm to register and lead the camels and horses to Xiping County.
Speaking of which, the soldiers have been thinking about camels and horses for a long time.
The soldiers who were out on duty in the front had angered the public, and now all six centurions were taking their men to patrol the border.
In previous years, patrolling the border in winter was the biggest headache for all soldiers.
Firstly, the weather was cold and the bandits in Western Xia and even some roving bandits were particularly rampant. They would launch sudden attacks at any time, kill people, rob things and then run away immediately. They were strong in both men and horses and were not afraid of Dayue's pursuit.
As long as it is not an all-out war, the Xiban people are not afraid. They are also well aware of the shameless policy of "when the enemy retreats, we advance; when the enemy is tired, we harass; when the enemy advances, we run away". They have mastered it accurately and caused the Dayue soldiers to suffer a lot of losses.
But they couldn't eat as much as others, and they couldn't resist the cold as well as others. The soldiers were not as strong as others, so there was really nothing they could do and they could only fight with their lives.
This year is different.
They all patrolled the border wearing thick cotton jackets and trousers. After registering, everyone was even given a camel-hair coat, which was made in the style of later military coats, but it was made of navy blue cloth and did not have a thick fur collar. They could only wear a felt hat, scarf and gloves.
But it is much warmer than before. In previous years, it was difficult for horses to resist the cold, and it was unrealistic to carry too much supplies to patrol the border because the horses could not bear it, so the soldiers could not eat well.
This year is different too.
With a camel or horse for each person, they can carry three to five times more baggage than before when patrolling the border. They can also carry more pots, pans, meat and food, but they are often damaged by the patrolmen.
The houses for patrolling the border are all straw houses. It’s not that we don’t want to build them well, but once the Westerners invade, the houses will be destroyed. It’s useless to build them too well, so we can only build the simplest houses.
Such houses were not warm, and countless soldiers fell ill from the cold at night.
This year is even more different.
The superiors ordered them to sleep with camels and horses for a few nights before setting off to try out how much bedding they needed to keep warm. By then, they could bring bedding and other things with them, and there would be no need to find a way to repair the straw hut.
After sleeping like this for a few times, everyone was surprised to find that this camel-horse was really a treasure!
They slept next to each other with their heads facing outwards, and the soldiers squeezed in the middle. As long as they laid oilcloth and a quilt on top and covered themselves with the quilt, they wouldn't feel cold at all!
It's even warmer than sleeping by the fire pit! I can't even feel the wind.
Camels and horses became the treasures of all the soldiers. The North Camp had envied the West Camp for raising camels and horses for a long time. After they got three hundred camels and horses, they wished they could serve them like masters.
But even so, all the camels and horses had to follow to patrol the border, and ordinary soldiers had no chance to get involved.
As a result, this time when they went out on a mission, they could actually drive camels and horses to Xiping County to pick up people. The soldiers were so excited not only for the food but also for the camels and horses.
Before daybreak, they all pulled their camels and horses, carrying the goods sent by the garrison, and hurried to the county town excitedly.
As I walked out of the north city gate, I happened to see a notice posted on the gate. Someone read it out loud: "The 10th year of Xuanhe, winter, October 18th!"
The centurion on the camel chuckled, "Yes, the garrison commander asked us to post the date here so that we can all learn a few more words. This kid, who was illiterate, can now write the year, month, day and many numbers."
The soldier who was reading out the date just now scratched his forehead and laughed. Not only that, he even remembered how to write Xining Town Commercial Street!
"Eighteen means prosperity. Madam Garrison has chosen a good date for the opening. I only hope that Xining Town will get better and better. I am reluctant to leave."
They can only stay for another year after the New Year, and then they have to return to Xiping County.
The soldier muttered quietly, "Who knows, maybe work points will be implemented in the county town soon. Didn't Madam do her business in the county town?"
The centurion smiled without saying anything. In Xining Town, the garrison couple were the gods, but in the county town, they were not.
The general who has not yet taken office may not be able to watch the Qiao family grow stronger in Xining Town. Everything is still unknown.
He glanced at the growing Xining Town behind him. Although the phoenix feather was still immature and had visible scars, everyone could see that it would become magnificent in the future. The gap would be difficult to fill, and he was afraid that someone would keep eyeing it.
Miao Wan was not afraid of anyone's resentment. She did not forget to carry her imperial edict with her when she came to the county town. It was more useful than the imperial sword. The imperial sword could not kill people at will. If the imperial edict was disobeyed, the person would be beheaded.
Now that the swordsman is finally gone, she can make money freely and she wishes someone would come out and be her helper.
But what is depressing is that even though Qiao Ruichen arranged the weak soldiers to guard Xining Town, the old foxes in Xiping County still took a wait-and-see attitude.
He also occasionally made things difficult for Qiao Ruichen and was not very cooperative with him in his work.
As for the work points and field work that were currently booming in Xining Town, no one paid any attention to it. They completely pretended that the matter did not exist, leaving Qiao Ruichen unable to even bring himself to mention it.
After all, once the Gubei Army implements the work point system, it will be a matter for hundreds of thousands of soldiers. From top to bottom and from bottom to top, changes have always been accompanied by countless troubles.
Qiao Ruichen was also very clear, "The general hasn't arrived yet, and no one can say whether he will support them. Even if they are tempted, if they make trouble now, they will be suppressed by the general when he arrives. That will cause more trouble. It's better not to move."
Miao Wan was a little unconvinced. What if someone like Chen Sixu came along again?
She would never give anyone the chance to take advantage of her again, preventing her from making money, or having the money she made go to someone else.
Since they are unwilling to cooperate, she might as well do something big before the general comes to the northwest.
Therefore, marketing methods alone cannot satisfy Miao Shiren's ambitions, and she has been very busy in the past twenty days.
The twenty literate young ladies she bought were assigned to work in various places, and eight of them were left with her.
But she made full use of the twenty illiterate people and the Bodhisattva named Yunxi, and directly choreographed a dance for them.
This time it’s not “A Fire in Winter”, it’s directly “The Most Dazzling National Style”. No one can resist the charm of square dancing, no!
At the beginning, it was naturally Miao Wan who showed them. After following the village party secretary's grandmother in dancing at the village entrance for so long, Miao Wan just started dancing.
This old man and old woman can dance well. It's rare that she has clumsy hands. She just twists her waist, hips and arms, as long as it's cheerful and lively.
Yunxi and the others were stunned. "Dong, Dong family, are we going to do this in Xiping County?!"
"Well, there will be a lion dance team following you. They will dance in the wide streets and then leave after dancing for a while. They will start from the front of our Jufu Supermarket, go around the county town and come back." Miao Wan drew a map for them on the blackboard.
Twenty or so young and beautiful ladies, all familiar with the county town, looked around the route... and their faces turned green.
They don't understand the charm of flash mob, they only know how to dance such embarrassing dances with such straightforward lyrics. They have to sing and dance more than ten times, I don't know if it's embarrassing enough.
Miao Wan saw their embarrassment and didn't try to persuade them. She simply used data to tell them, "You know A Dun, right? His skin color is different from everyone else's, so whatever he does outside will attract everyone's attention. But he does everything better than others. Now he can cancel his indenture at any time, and he has invested in the Qiao family caravan, making a lot of profit every month."
"You've met Ayuan before. She's the director of the alkali factory, equivalent to a shopkeeper. Her annual salary is 100 silver coins, and she can start receiving profits after five years."
"No one else is as good as them. Do you know why?" Miao Wan smiled. "Because they dare to do things, dare to fight, and dare to learn things they have never learned before."
Everyone: “…”
A Yuan who came to watch the fun ran away. She dared to fight, but she didn't dare to perform a ritual in front of others!
But other people don’t know that Miao Wan doesn’t waste words and just encourages people to do what they want. No matter if they want to cancel their indenture or want to work for Miao Wan for the rest of their lives, who doesn’t want to be the best?
Yunxi, with a gentle and soft face, secretly encouraged herself and started to learn tremblingly. The lyrics of "The Most Dazzling Xining Town" were catchy and the melody was extremely brainwashing. They all learned it in one day.
On the second day, we danced outside the inn. On the third day, we danced in the commercial street square. On the fourth day, we danced while walking...
On October 18th, there was still no snow in the northwest, and it was so dry and cold that people hunched their necks and didn't want to go out.
In the middle of the morning, the sun finally brought some warmth, and everyone put on thick clothes and started to work for the day. But before they had been busy for long, they suddenly heard a "dong dong dong dong" sound outside, which sounded a bit like the lively noise of New Year's acrobatics.
Many people who have elderly and children at home couldn't help but go out to watch the fun.
As soon as I went out, I saw two big fiery red lions shaking their heads beside me. It looked like a lion dance, but not too serious, as if they had not learned the job well.
The most eye-catching thing is the young lady in the middle who is dressed in a bright red jacket and skirt and a blue shawl. She kicks and taps her feet beautifully and twists and turns as if she was struck by lightning.
“Delicious roast duck is my favorite, and free fried chicken is also delicious.”
“What kind of roast duck is the cheapest, and what kind of fried chicken is free?”
"Jufu Supermarket roast duck is free, it's delivered right after you walk in, come quickly"
"We look forward to everyone's love, and eating and singing along the way is the most comfortable." [Note]
Everyone: “…”
"What the hell is this? It's so lascivious! Unbearable to listen to! It's immoral!" A scholar who looked quite old was so angry that he started cursing. He was reading a book and couldn't read any further because of the evil music that filled his ears.
As soon as he finished speaking, his little grandson beside him nodded and hummed: "Eating and singing along the way is the most comfortable!"
The children couldn't agree more. As for how to sing while eating, well, we can't hum.
Old man: “…”
Many people couldn't help laughing. Even though it was quite noisy, even though it got a little bit too noisy, people didn't keep making noise all the time. They would sing and dance as they walked, and soon the noise would stop.
But many people had nothing to do, and since the kids liked to join in the fun, they followed along and listened all the way, finishing the entire modified version of "The Most Dazzling Xining Town".
Before everyone understood what a supermarket was, they started humming along unconsciously.
"Xining Town, where singing is always the most dazzling, is free, come quickly..."
Someone nearby heard: ???
What's free? If something related to free money is so popular... then I have to join in.
When Yunxi led the team to jump all the way over and arrived at the entrance of Jufu Supermarket, the stage that had been built in advance for a morning and a half rose from the ground, 60 centimeters above the ground.
Behind the stage, two wooden poles poked in place like tents supported a two-meter-high red cloth backdrop with the inscription - 'Jufu Supermarket Grand Opening Giveaway'.
The place was packed with people, all discussing the supermarket and the giveaways.
Miao Wan, who was sitting on the second floor of Jufu Supermarket, nodded with satisfaction. Relying solely on marketing methods was too slow. If they held a few rural stages, they would have everything they wanted!
Ruan Jialin, who was in charge of going on stage, felt a little weak in the knees when he saw so many people. Although there were not as many people as when Xining Town distributed work points and benefits, it was much more lively than that time.
Ruan Jialin opened his mouth, his voice trembling, "Ah, Awan, I don't think I can do it."
Miao Wan said earnestly, "Men, how can you say you are not good enough? You need to learn more from my husband in this regard."
Qiao Ruichen on the side: "..."
Ruan Jialin: “…” He was both timid and full. Did he eat something strange again?
But he held Miao Wan's hand as she dictated the script he had written, swallowed, and began to shake his legs. He wanted to go to the toilet, and his calves were shaking.
"How about I stay in the shop and you go and talk?" Ruan Jialin had a bitter face. Seeing that more people kept coming over, he was so nervous that he almost wet his pants.
Miao Wan didn't quite understand. "You looked quite impressive earlier when you were using a megaphone to get people to line up and register, trying to avoid crowding. There are only a few hundred people here, what are you afraid of?"
Ruan Jialin's face wrinkled into a bun. "Back then, if they didn't obey, I wouldn't give them work or benefits, so they didn't dare disobey. But these people out there...if they don't obey, will I stop selling them things?"
In other words, he was the boss before, but what about now? The customer is God, can you ask God to listen to you?
Miao Wan choked and thought so too.
"I can go too." Miao Wan wasn't afraid of going on stage, but she was a little worried. "But you have to go on stage eventually. When I become the richest man in Xiping County, I have to have some pomp and show. I can't do everything by myself. What will I need you for then?"
Ruan Jialin: "...Now you're not even the richest person in Xining Town, are you overthinking it?"
Miao Wan snorted coldly, "Just wait and see!"
She raised her chin and snatched the card from Ruan Jialin's hand. Fortunately, she dressed up before going out, otherwise it would be difficult for her to go on stage.
"Husband, would you dislike me for throwing my head away..."
Qiao Ruichen helped her down and interrupted her, "Just do it if you like. Listen to whoever pays for it."
Miao Wan was overjoyed to hear this, and she secretly kissed him as she walked down the stairs, "My husband, you're speaking much better today!"
Qiao Ruichen accepted the compliment with a smile, thinking that Chen Wu, who came up to him to ask for help, was quite useful, and he would have to learn some more skills of being a henpecked man later.
Yun Xi was a little shocked when he learned that Miao Wan was going to go on stage herself: "Boss, you're going up?"
"The shopkeeper was so scared that he had diarrhea." Miao Wan saw her standing there stupidly and snorted, "You don't think I'm letting you do all the embarrassing things while I hide behind you, do you? I'm giving you a chance to practice."
After saying that, Miao Wan rubbed the sweat from her palms on the hem of her skirt calmly. She was also nervous.
But if she couldn't hold on when everyone was nervous, then Agula's birthday party would have ended in failure.
As she walked onto the stage, she recalled how she had calculated how much money Agula had taken from her a few days ago. Then, she looked at the crowd of heads, treating all of it like gold ingots...
Very good, all the tension turned into motivation, she is ready!
Yunxi felt a little embarrassed. She really thought that the boss had assigned them such a shameful job.
Although the Dong family is very nice, she is lazy and greedy... ahem. These are Miao Shiren's characteristics. The servants are good at observing her words and expressions and have noticed it privately, but they just don't dare to say it.
But they didn't expect that the boss would be much more powerful (shameless) than them when he got angry.
"Fellow villagers! Children! Good afternoon everyone! I'm Madam Qiao, the owner of Jufu Supermarket. You can just call me Boss Qiao!"
Everyone: "..." This young lady is pretty, but a little bit talkative, and her words are quite funny.
As soon as Miao Wan thought that there were golden ingots underneath, her adrenaline aroused by the stage surged, and she became extremely dramatic, with her blood boiling without a care in the world.
"Are you curious about what a supermarket is? It's a super market run by merchants!"
"Why is it called a super market? Because the things I sell here are better than those in the market. There's precious white sugar, warming chili sauce, fragrant soap, body wash, white jade dragon cream, skin gel, beauty lotion, rouge and powder, fried chicken, roast duck, and big hamburgers. I can sell everything you can't think of!"
"Not only are they better than what you'd find at the market, they're also cheaper. You can buy things from me for half the market price, and if you spend a certain amount of money, I'll give you goods worth the same amount!"
"Today, I'm having a grand opening sale at Jufu Supermarket. As long as you buy something, you'll get a free roast duck. Even if you only buy a penny worth of food, I'll give you a free roast duck. I guarantee that the roast duck at this place in Juncheng is better than anywhere else!"
"Not only that, today, I'll give you coupons worth as much as the amount of silver you spend on things. Look at this coupon in my hand! As long as you go to Xining Town, you can use the coupon to make purchases."
"Don't exceed the coupon amount, and I guarantee you won't spend a penny! We'll take care of the pick-up and drop-off. The Gubei Army soldiers will escort you back and forth, ensuring your safety!"
…
The more Miao Wan spoke, the more people gathered, and by the time she was halfway through, everyone was getting excited.
"Really?"
"White sugar only half the price? Isn't it inferior?"
"How much does it cost to get the goods delivered?"
“How much roast duck is there?”
"Why do we have to go to Xining Town? Can't we just send it off in the county town?"
Miao Wan took the goods brought by Yun Xi and showed them to everyone. On the big rural stage, she was not afraid of people finding fault with her, but she was afraid of a dull atmosphere.
She smiled and invited the person who asked the question to come up. "Don't worry, you can ask me if you have any questions. The exhibits related to the questions asked on stage will be given away for free. You can taste them on the spot. If there are any quality problems, I will compensate you!"
"The sugar here is ground finer than that in other places. It's granulated sugar, which only the nobles in the capital can eat. Auntie, please try it, and little sister, you can try it too..."
Miao Wan squatted down and let someone taste a small spoonful, and gave the remaining small spoonful to the person who asked a question, and everyone rushed to taste it.
"Oh my god! It's so sweet! It tastes much better than caramel!"
"Ah! Don't fight over it, there's only this much!"
…
Miao Wan continued to invite the person asking the question up and showed them the goods. "This is our chili sauce. It's bottled in a glass bottle that only the imperial city can afford. Look at this chili sauce, it's bright red, isn't it a good omen? It's also auspicious to give it to others during the New Year or to eat it yourself. That's why this chili sauce is also called Jufu Sauce. Each person is limited to five bottles, first come, first served!"
"As for how much you need to buy to get the free gift, why don't you go into the shop and take a look? Just line up and walk slowly inside. Everyone will get a box of fried chicken for free. If you try to disrupt the line, don't blame the guards for being rude and kicking you out!"
"On the day of bestowing blessings, everyone must avoid bringing bad luck, lest they diminish the blessings of others."
When an old woman heard this, she slapped her grandson on the head and said, "I'm talking to you, did you hear me? You stood in line honestly. If you can't get the fried meat, you'll lose your luck. Later, I'll let your Ada beat you to death!"
After hearing what Miao Wan said, other families also started to line up unconsciously. So even though the scene was so big that Ruan Jialin and others had to be on high alert, the scene did not become chaotic.
Those who were there to join in the fun were all curious. Such a delicate young lady, holding only a strange piece of wood, could speak so clearly. With so many people making so much noise, everyone could hear her.
Ruan Jialin, Yunxi and others were all full of admiration for Miao Wan.
What impression did they have of Miao Wan in the past, whether they were familiar or not?
He is lazy and likes to eat and do nothing, likes to order people around to do work, likes to quarrel with children under three years old, and is also a bear... In short, his faults are too numerous to list.
But no one expected that Miao Wan would be so calm and composed in front of so many people, even the grown men were so nervous that their legs were shaking.
And he seemed to be feeling more and more at ease, making those queuing and joining in the fun burst into laughter from time to time.
Even Qiao Ruichen was holding Taotao, with his sister standing beside him, looking up at her: Miao Shiren, awesome!
To be honest, Miao Wan herself didn't expect that she could perform so well. Her palms were sweating and her legs were weak at the beginning.
But when she saw everyone cheering, she vaguely remembered that, yes, when she was working outside, she also worked hard on such a stage to earn tuition for self-study exams.
It was the village head father and the village party secretary grandfather who protected her. They were afraid that she would not be able to do anything, so they did everything for her. Gradually, she became a lazy and useless little thing.
Ever since Taotao was almost beaten to death by the Xiban people, that scene has frequently appeared in her dreams. The pig farming king who worked hard outside, saved some money to open a pig farm, and made his fellow villagers rich together, is back again.
Now she understood the meaning of the phrase "A mother is strong". Even though her life was busy and hard, she felt more fulfilled than ever before.
So the smile on her face became brighter and brighter, and became more and more contagious to the onlookers. After listening to her talk about the benefits of the goods and the various discounts that were almost free, everyone unconsciously went over to line up.
As for why they wanted to go to Xining Town, Miao Wan specifically explained -
"After Xining Town burned down, the newly appointed garrison commander, Lord Qingtian, rebuilt it! Thanks to the money given by the old saint! Now everyone can afford roast duck, and everyone lives in blue brick and tile houses. There's also a commercial street. You can find anything you want there, and it's free anyway. Do you want to go and take a look?"
The adults were fine, but the children, who were gathered in the front and being fed lots of delicious food by Miao Wan, shouted in unison, "We want it!"
Although they were all children's voices, the combined sound seemed like a considerable force, circling and exploding in the air, causing everyone's hearts to waver, and they couldn't help but follow them into the supermarket.
When we entered the renovated supermarket, we were shocked again.
The location of the shop that Bayin gave me was not particularly good, but it was big enough, with two floors, and was originally used as a grain and oil store.
There was not much grain and oil in northern Mongolia, so he bought a lot. Since he didn't make any money, he gave the shop to her.
Miao Wan directly had the decoration renovated, and as soon as you enter the door, you will see a whole row of tightly fitted counters.
The young ladies standing in front of the counter, the ones singing and dancing, all had bright smiles on their faces, which made people feel very comfortable just by looking at them.
Behind the counter is even more impressive, with rows of tall shelves neatly arranged, and cans, bags and tied-up goods are neatly placed on the shelves.
The young lady only let ten people in at a time. Each person was given a small cart with wooden wheels and could choose the goods by themselves. The price was marked under each item.
If there are people who are illiterate, there will be young ladies who will come forward to explain.
There were retired soldiers with scars on their faces or problems with their legs and feet patrolling in the corners, and guards standing guard at the counters, so no one dared to steal anything.
There was no need to steal or rob, Miao Wan only took out three things to start the business - white sugar, chili sauce and hundred-flower essential oil.
The white sugar sold outside costs six strings of coins per dou in the town, and is a little more expensive in the county town, at six strings of coins and three hundred coins.
Nowadays, one dou is basically fifteen jin. In Jufu Supermarket, everything is packed by jin and charged by jin. It only costs 200 wen per jin, which is half the price in the county city.
Even if the quality is not that good, people are willing to buy some. A pound of sugar can last for a long time.
Those who have money sell it by the bushel, and those who don’t have money grit their teeth and buy a pound.
The small blackboard in front of the supermarket said that as long as you buy something, you will get a roast duck for free. Even if the roast ducks are all gone, you can take the roast duck coupon to Xining Town to get one. In the county town, you need at least three taels of silver to buy a roast duck!
As long as you spend enough money, you can get something worth one guan for free, or you can get a Xining Town consumption voucher worth one liang and five li of silver.
This is equivalent to spending one tael of silver and getting something worth at most two taels and five cents of silver. Who wouldn't want that?
As for those who have cotton, dried vegetables, or grain at home, they can take the things to Xining Town to exchange them. The same one tael of silver can be exchanged for one tael and a half of silver.
Not only that, Baihua Essential Oil has also specially set up a separate event.
Jufushang
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