After doing all this, he just wanted to die. He was afraid that he would have to pay the price in a trembling manner. That would be worse than death. What else could he do?
It was the Dragon Raising Festival again. Taotao woke up early in the morning and was helped by Miao Wan and Qiao Rui to change into a maroon jacket and skirt. The cuffs and hem were gradient colors that Gu Shuyao had specially researched with the dyers, and they turned directly white at the end.
The cuffs and slanted lapels were dotted with light pink rabbit fur circles, which made Taotao's tender, fair and chubby little face look more like a girl in front of the goddess Guanyin. The hem of the jacket was also white. It looked bloated without the rabbit fur, but it was embroidered with crimson plum blossoms.
The hem of her skirt was not long enough to prevent children from tripping over it, and also to highlight her short boots, which were the same color as her jacket but embellished with rabbit fur balls.
"Wow! Little Aqian is like a plum blossom rabbit that has become a spirit." Qiao Rui held Taotao's face and couldn't help but bleed from cuteness. She kissed him several times, making Taotao laugh.
Even so, Taotao was still not satisfied, pointing at his forehead and begging Miao Wan, "My Queen, I want flowers~~"
Miao Wan covered her chest and took a breath. When this little thing was naughty, it made people hate her to death, but when she was well-behaved and cute, people wanted to give her their life.
She also came over and kissed Taotao's little face together with Qiao Rui until it looked like a chicken's beak. "I'll draw it for you right away!"
Taotao pouted in disgust, "Dede (Daddy), help!"
Qiao Ruichen, who was watching with a smile on his face, glanced at his wife and sister who were teasing the child, and always felt that something was wrong.
Hearing the noise outside, Qiao Ruichen stood up and said, "Someone is coming. It's almost time to go out."
It's okay for others, but he really can't do anything when his wife plays with the child.
Miao Wan leaned over to take a look. It was Gu Shuyao and her husband. They had even disguised themselves (using contouring powder made by Miao Wan) and dressed up like ordinary people. They then squatted on the doorstep.
"Oh, Taotao is like a fairy. I really want to have a baby." Even a devil like Cheng Shao couldn't help being attracted by the little brat, and whispered to his wife.
Gu Shuyao's expression was very calm. She had seen through the furry creature that looked like a fairy from a distance but a witch up close.
"You can have a baby if you're willing to take care of it."
Taotao stood with his hands on his hips, pointing and saying, "Auntie, you're ugly! Awan, too! Taotao, you're the most beautiful!"
Qiao Rui went to knock her, "You heartless little thing, who dressed you up?"
Miao Wan also raised her hand and slapped him, "I'll give you a chance to reconsider!"
Taotao covered his butt and yelled at Qiao Ruichen, "Dad! It's my birthday! Someone hit your daughter! Do you care?"
Care? No care.
Qiao Ruichen poured water for Gu Shuyao and Cheng Shao, and watched the three of them quarreling with each other. It took him a long time to start cleaning up again. Another half an hour passed before everyone could go out.
When Miao Wan and Qiao Rui went in to clean up, Tao Tao was hugged by Cheng Shao. He poked him in the chest and said seriously, "You fat! Eat less."
Cheng Shao: “…”
By the time he left the house and went to the supermarket, he had completely lost the desire to have children, and his mind was full of fat, fat, fat.
Gu Shuyao smiled secretly and suddenly felt that it would not be a bad thing if she could give birth to a little devil.
After coming out, because Gu Shuyao and the others didn't want to reveal their identities, everyone did not leave together.
Miao Wan's family rode in a mule cart, while Gu Shuyao and her husband walked.
Yes, because mules are more convenient than horses. Besides Qiao Ruichen, no one rides horses anyway. Xining Town also has camels and horses, but most people in Xining Town still use mule carts.
On the way, Taotao couldn't help but lift the curtain and look outside. This was their third Dragon Raising Festival in the northwest. The first two times were in Xining Town, and this time was in Xiping County. Each time was more lively than the last.
As for the county town, there are obviously more celebrations on the second day of the second month than in the town. In addition to dragon dancing, there are also stilt walking and lion dancing.
The central street from the county magistrate's office to the Jufu supermarket, which is a street with many shops, is full of people. There are also some open-air stalls on both sides of the road. Many of them are steaming. They must be snacks made by the people and sold.
The three young ladies were very curious and peeked in to take a look.
Qiao Rui was a little greedy, "Sister-in-law, is that Ga noodles? It smells much better than the ones in town, sour and fragrant, I'm drooling."
Miao Wan gave a thumbs-up: "You're quite accomplished. That should be hot and sour noodles, right? I smell our chili sauce. I'll ask my uncle to make it for you later."
Taotao picked at the two of them and said, "I want to eat too, uncle!"
"Call me uncle, you're so filial. If you eat your eldest uncle, no one will make delicious food for you." Miao Wan tapped Taotao's head.
I don’t know if all kids are like this, but they always like to say inverted sentences, which sound weird when they are inverted. Now all the kids at home say this, and it has caused a lot of jokes.
Their mule cart couldn't move after passing the government office. Miao Wan hadn't expected that there would be so many people in such a cold weather.
Qiao Ruichen said, "I'll hold Taotao, Awan, you hold Xiaorui, let's go over there."
Miao Wan hesitated for a moment. She wanted Taotao to appear on the stage, and there would be a lion dance and eye-opening performance. That would be the time to shine, and the publicity would be precise.
If Taotao were to go out now, it would definitely attract everyone's attention. It would be fine if it attracted attention, but it would not be good if there was a commotion. People might not even know that this was a product of Jufu Supermarket.
And what she and Qiao Rui wore was also very eye-catching.
Qiao Ruichen knew what his wife was worried about, and he took out a bundle from the cabinet next to him. "I guess there will be quite a few people, so I had three single-sided cloaks made in advance. Wear them all, and I guarantee your plan won't be ruined."
After the three young ladies opened it, they looked at the gray cloak with a hood and curled their lips in unison.
They were dressed up beautifully, and it seemed so out of place with this gray thing.
Taotao was the most direct, throwing himself into Qiao Ruichen's arms, "Taotao, no, you're ugly!"
There was no way. The adults could make sense, and the child was the birthday girl. There was nothing she could do even if she didn't want to. Qiao Ruichen simply put the kid in his arms, covering most of the kid with his cloak, leaving only the little head with a rabbit fur ball exposed to look around.
The little flower fairy bun that Aya and others had made on her head was also quite eye-catching. Fortunately, most of the glances were admiring, and some were envious from the children, so it didn't cause any commotion.
When we arrived at the Jufu Supermarket, the big stage had already been set up, and there were actors performing their special skills on it. Many people gathered there to watch and cheer.
Miao Wan had already discussed with the wife of the county magistrate in advance that the end point of the dragon dance team would be Shang Chao. They would throw the embroidered ball in the dragon's mouth, and the dragon dancer specially invited by Shang Chao would take over and continue the performance, attracting everyone.
In order to ensure that no stampede occurred, Qiao Ruichen specially borrowed two teams led by centurions from Xu Chang to be responsible for maintaining order on the scene and guiding everyone to stand in an orderly manner in three places on the stage.
If there is not enough space, there are places in the surrounding teahouses, restaurants and pubs. We have communicated with them in advance and sold them some snacks at a special price to attract customers.
Even if someone with ulterior motives wants to cause trouble, it will not work. The fifty plainclothes guards trained by Gu Shuyao are hiding among the people and can jump up at any time to pull out the troublemakers. Maybe they can even carry out a legal education activity on the spot.
In short, no matter how lively it is, there must be no disturbance.
After half of the Si hour, a mighty dragon dance team came from afar, and a large group of people followed with their families, also to share in the blessing of the dragon dance.
When the hydrangea was thrown high up and a big, round, fiery red lion jumped up and opened its mouth to catch it, the people cheered loudly.
Ruan Jialin had hired this lion dance troupe from Anyong County at a huge expense. If it weren't for General Yun Hui's face, the local gentry might not have let him succeed.
Fortunately, power is really useful at this time. Sometimes you don’t necessarily have to use power to force others to do bad things. If you have power advantages, others will naturally give way to you.
As for whether it is a good thing or a bad thing, it depends on whether the powerful people are human beings.
Back to the present, even the people of Xiping County had never seen a lion dance that was almost flying up to the sky. Many wealthy and powerful families had already heard the news and had booked private rooms in nearby restaurants and teahouses. They were all watching from upstairs, and they were also feeling nervous.
The lion dance team charged a high fee, one hundred taels of silver for a performance, which was enough for five families to eat for a year. An ordinary lion dance performance plus the wedding money would only make ten taels of silver.
There is a reason why they are expensive. They don't need to build particularly complicated and space-consuming wooden racks. They only need a tall wooden pillar that is firmly hammered into the ground, and then use the same thick and stable wood to build a triangular plane to fix it, and then there is nothing else.
In fact, if you get closer, you can see that these logs have iron claws and dug-out footholds, but most people can't see clearly. They can only see them flying close to a few logs in mid-air to grab a hydrangea. It is really thrilling and makes people shout out loud.
The performance, which lasted only half a cup of tea, was over. Many people were sweating profusely for the lion dancers, but they were also extremely excited and could not help but cheer for them.
But it didn't end there. The lion dance naturally had its highlights. Ruan Jialin, who was already familiar with the rural stage, went on stage in a wide and straight robe.
"Please welcome the owner of Jufu Supermarket, Madam Qiao! The young owner, Madam Qiao! The wealthy boss, Madam Qiao, to the stage and put the finishing touches on the lion dance!"
Everyone: "..." I'm a little confused. What does this have to do with anything?
But when the old, middle-aged and young... oh, it was the young and the teenager, hand in hand, walked onto the stage like a wireless signal, the scene suddenly became quiet for a few seconds.
This is really... really so beautiful that it leaves people speechless, even the ladies are speechless.
It's not that Miao Wan and the other two are fairies who have descended to earth. All three of them are beauties, but Miao Wan's beauty is not at all aggressive, Qiao Rui hasn't grown up yet, and Qiao Aqian is... a little more conceited, but still round, not to the point of being so beautiful that you can't be speechless.
But everyone subconsciously held their breath because they were so beautiful, for fear of scaring the three people.
Miao Wan was wearing a dark red Hu clothing with a wide collar and slanting lapel. The ivory-white sleeveless jacket was tightly bound with a dark red soft band. The collar was made of a circle of ivory-white rabbit fur, which made her waist, legs and face look thin and fair. It matched her high ponytail, which was decorated with a sword-tassel-shaped jade hairpin. On her feet were pointed high-legged deerskin boots, which made her look very energetic.
Qiao Rui and Taotao complement each other perfectly, also with gradient colors, but the ivory white on their bodies gradually turns into maroon on the cuffs and hem of their skirts. They also have short boots dotted with red rabbit fur balls, and the same color rabbit fur balls on their heads.
It's just like three rabbits turned into spirits.
And these three rabbit spirits also put dots on the lion’s eyes???
After the lion dance was over, someone quickly stepped forward to dismantle the wooden frame. By this time, everyone had recovered and an old customer asked loudly:
"Boss Qiao, is this something new from the supermarket? How much is it?"
Miao Wan gave him a thumbs-up and raised the megaphone, "Big Brother, you have good taste. Today, the three of us are going to show you what it means to spend one ounce of silver and make it look like a hundred ounces!"
Huh, her words immediately ignited everyone's enthusiasm. They only cost one or two taels of silver for all this?
Some people didn't even bother to think about what the three people were saying, and turned around and wanted to rush into the supermarket. Some people saw it, and there was a little chaos for a while, but they were quickly stopped by the soldiers.
Miao Wan also smiled and reassured the people, "Don't worry, everyone. Today, our Qiao family is having a huge loss-making sale, and it's only for the people of Xiping County. I guarantee you'll get the lowest price. Everyone who wants to buy can buy. Jufu Supermarket is committed to benefiting the people of Northwest China. We only serve as a transporter to ensure that the people have enough food and clothing. We will never let merchants or other merchants make a profit from the price difference!"
"Great!!!" This shout was no exaggeration to say it was like a tsunami.
Only Gu Shuyao's lips twitched. A certain sweet spring would probably cry if it knew you had done such a magical thing.
After everyone was calmed down, the three of them went down. Ruan Jialin immediately brought people up and began to read out the rules.
1. Citizens in Xiping County can use their household registration books to purchase goods in supermarkets. This month's special offers are women's clothing, men's clothing, and instant noodles. Each household registration can purchase one item based on the number of people in the household, and the price is one-third of the marked price.
Second, as long as non-local residents are registered in the Northwest, they can also purchase a commodity per person with their household registration booklet, at half the marked price.
Third, traveling merchants and businessmen (all those who are not registered in the Northwest) who want to buy goods need to buy them at full price. They can use goods as an exchange for cash, and there are purchase thresholds. For details, please go to the second floor to discuss them in detail. Do not compete with the common people.
This was a method that Miao Wan and Gu Shuyao came up with, drawing on the sales strategies of, but not limited to, a certain fruit brand.
After everyone understood the rules of JuFu Supermarket, most people were very happy, but a small number of people were shocked.
"This isn't fair! Are you discriminating against merchants? We have an alliance with Dayue!"
"That's right, you're excluding us merchants and not letting us go out to trade? At worst, we won't come!"
"Was it General Yunhui who made the decision? Does the general know about it?"
…
Many families of officials were anxious to buy the clothes, jewelry, shoes... everything that Miao Wan and her friends were wearing. Miao Wan guessed correctly that no woman would not be interested in such new and beautiful things.
But after hearing the rules clearly, many people paused with subtle expressions, looking at each other and hesitating.
Seeing that the traveling merchants and some merchants from the Western Regions were about to make trouble, Miao Wan walked onto the stage leisurely.
"What's unfair about that?" she asked, smiling. "Merchants paid exorbitant prices for our grain, cloth, and ironware, even though they were worthless to you. At that time, didn't you think much of our alliance?"
As for the merchants of Dayue, Miao Wan smiled even more playfully. "As for merchants, you dare to sell goods worth one tael of silver for ten taels after passing through the customs. I only sell them to you at the original price, but you can't accept it. Have you ever considered your compatriots in the northwest? You are only allowed to make money, but I am not allowed to feel sorry for my fellow countrymen? There is no reason in the world that only one side can benefit."
She looked unmistakably confident. "I'm open for business, I'm not afraid of losing money, but you're the one worrying about me losing everything? The shop is mine, the goods are mine, and I'm putting it this way. You can buy them or not, I'm not begging you. If I can't sell them, I'll burn them all. Am I eating your rice? Even a general can't control me. I'd say the same thing even in front of a saint."
After she finished speaking, she didn't even put down the speaker, but turned to look at Ruan Jialin, "Please, boss, please watch carefully and shout the loudest to let people remember that our supermarket can't afford to serve customers who are too arrogant. It's better to wait until the general opens a business one day, and then let them show off their power. We are too small to serve them."
Everyone: "..." My God, this young lady is so bold. Isn't she afraid that the general will be angry and punish your husband if he finds out?
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