It was already dark when we arrived at the inn. The show must have just ended. There were still many benches in the hall, and some fruit plates had not been removed. The kerosene lamps on the pillars beside were lit, and a waiter was cleaning the table.
"The show is free, so the food is free too. If so, I'll have to stay tomorrow to take a closer look."
"You're dreaming. The premise of free admission is to make money. Remember, as long as you open a business, you are doing it for profit. No one is doing it to be a bodhisattva. Their stage is free, but you have to eat or drink something while you watch the show. You have to pay for it. Prices here are so high, these things are not cheap."
Shuwen nodded in agreement, "Aunt, you are amazing. How do you know so much?"
"Your aunt likes to use her brain. If you think about it more, you will naturally understand."
Although the food in the inn is not cheap, it is very reasonable considering the prices here.
Chunxiao ordered stir-fried pork with celery, mushrooms and cabbage, and finally a bone soup and a bowl of rice, spending a total of 310 Wen.
The three of them sat around the table eating. "Why did the driver say we could get information here?" Shuwen looked around carefully. "These are all people eating here. They are talking in low voices. How can we get information here?"
"If that doesn't work, let's find out for ourselves." The driver wasn't really kidding them, was he taking the money from the inn to help them get traffic? It seemed they were just being naive.
The next morning, they went to the land brokerage. A thin broker received them. Knowing that they were from out of town and inquiring about buying land, he suddenly smiled with great pride and said, "We've had quite a few people come here to buy land recently. Next year, Qingzhou can only grow grains. You are businessmen, right? The lack of land is affecting your business."
"Just tell us how much your land is worth. If you have any suitable places, take us to have a look."
"The land price is now 13 taels per mu."
“13 taels?
Shuwen almost bit his tongue. He tugged at Chunxiao's arm and said, "Aunt, this is too expensive! The land price could be multiplied several times!"
The broker glanced at them and said, "Don't say the land is expensive. It's still unavailable if you want it. I still have some if you want to buy it."
Since there was no land, it would be futile to stay any longer. Chunxiao thanked them and left with them.
They found several land brokerages and found that the land prices were similar, but none of them had any land to sell, and they were not interested in the scattered one or two acres of land.
Chunxiao hadn't expected that the land price here had become so scarce due to Qingzhou's decree. This trip would have been in vain without land.
They returned to the inn and Chunxiao extended the room rate for another day.
Sitting in the lobby of the inn, the three of them were a little dejected. "Aunt, why don't we go to other counties in Tongzhou? We have finally come to Tongzhou, we can't end up here."
"Let's ask around in the afternoon. If it doesn't work, we'll go to Sanchuan County next door tomorrow." The three of them planned their itinerary and had lunch. Chunxiao felt a little sleepy, so he took a nap. As a result, he was woken up by the sound of gongs and drums outside.
"What time is it? Why is it so noisy outside?" Chunxiao got up and straightened her hair.
"Just after 3 p.m., the troupe the shopkeeper hired started performing."
I didn't expect to sleep for three hours. "It's already 3 p.m., and you didn't even call me!"
"I saw that you were sleeping well, so I wanted to let you sleep a little longer. It's not too late to go out now. Shuwen came just now, but saw that you were still asleep and left again. It's time to go to the lobby to watch the show."
"Let's go out and take a look." This inn is not a teahouse, but it actually invites a theatre troupe, which can be regarded as an innovative approach by the owner.
The two went downstairs and found that the lobby was full of people. Shuwen saw them and waved to them. They walked over and sat down at a seat nearby.
"Auntie, the show has just started, let's sit for a while before leaving."
Chunxiao looked at the people around him with smiles on their faces and said, "Okay, let's take a look for a while before leaving." There were charcoal fires in the four corners of the lobby of the inn, which was really thoughtful.
They sat there and watched for a while when someone suddenly came over and patted Shuwen on the shoulder, "Little brother, it's you."
Chunxiao turned to look at the person who came, a wealthy businessman around 40 years old.
"Uncle, did you recognize the wrong person? We are not locals." The slap just now scared Shuwen.
"I'm not mistaken. Although you've grown taller and stronger, but with your appearance and the mole next to your eyebrow, I'm definitely not mistaken. You don't remember me, but last year, you came here with your father and sold cotton to me."
Shuwen then said to the man, "Oh, I remember now. Yes, it was the uncle who bought our cotton."
The businessman laughed, "I remember. What? You are here to sell cotton again? You came to me to sell cotton. Don't you know where I live here? Come, come, come, let's talk over there." Shuwen was almost dragged away before he could react.
"Boss, we are not here to sell cotton this time." Chunxiao stood up and grabbed Shuwen.
"Who is this?"
"Uncle, she is my aunt. I came here with her this time."
The businessman looked a little disappointed and pulled his hat, "What a pity, I thought you were here to do cotton business." At this moment, someone was calling him from a distance. He patted Shuwen on the shoulder and said, "Brother, if you want to sell cotton, remember to find me. I will give you a good price." After that, he walked towards a group of people on the side. Led by the waiter, those people entered a room on the far right.
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