Jian Ning and Ding Youtian took Erniu and Sanniu for a walk on the street and found that almost all the stores selling general merchandise had dolls made by them hanging on the wall. She asked around and found out that dolls from Journey to the West and Romance of the Three Kingdoms were the hottest sellers, and the price of each one was three times higher than what Lu Huaian gave them.
The reason why these dolls sell well is closely related to the promotion of storytellers. Almost every teahouse and restaurant has storytellers telling stories about Journey to the West and Romance of the Three Kingdoms. In order to attract diners, some restaurants even hang signs in front of their doors, saying "Today we will tell you the chapter and section of Journey to the West or Romance of the Three Kingdoms". Some restaurants even organize prize-winning guessing games.
The main activity is guessing lantern riddles, the answers are names of characters in the book. If you guess one correctly, you get fifty coins, and if you guess five correctly, you get a free meal. The maximum number of people is eight, which means that all eight people in the group can get a free meal.
Of course, the store will provide a menu of dishes that can be ordered. As long as the food is on the menu, you can order it, but alcohol is not included. It is just a gimmick to attract diners.
Teahouses and bookstores were also filled with scholars from various counties and towns. Most of them were invited by local merchants to copy books. This shocked Jane Ning, who was a special police officer in her previous life. She only told these stories to entertain the children, but she didn't expect that the industrial chain of Journey to the West and Romance of the Three Kingdoms would boost the GDP of this time and space, allowing countless people to benefit from it.
"Speaking of which, these people should thank you, Uncle Liu. If you hadn't thought of copying it down and selling it to Uncle Liu in exchange for the koji recipe, I would never have thought of it. Moreover, we have also made a profit from it and helped more people. I still feel quite accomplished."
Jian Ning smiled at Ding Youtian.
"I only thought about deceiving Master, but never considered helping more people. I'm afraid... Master must have anticipated and seen the current situation. Although he lives in seclusion in the countryside, he still cares about the people. Such a broad mind is truly admirable."
The two of them couldn't help but feel moved and ashamed. At the beginning, they really hadn't thought so far ahead. They only wanted to improve their own lives. Compared with Blind Liu, this pattern and vision were really shameful.
This reminded Ding Youtian of the time he went to the capital to take the exam and investigated the cause and consequences of his master's injustice. With a sigh, he said solemnly, "If I can't clear my master's name in my lifetime, I will truly be standing in vain between heaven and earth, and I will be ashamed of his careful teachings!"
"Just do your best and don't feel any burden. Uncle Liu certainly doesn't want to see you implicated by him. I will support you in whatever you want to do in the future, but you must discuss it with me before you do anything. Don't act on your own, and don't do something stupid like trying to stop a rock with an egg."
"As long as the green mountains remain, there will be no shortage of firewood."
Upon hearing this, Ding Youtian took Jian Ning's hand and squeezed it gently. "Don't worry, I won't do anything like what happened last time I went back to the mansion. Brother Yifan is right. First of all, we must be in the right position to better display our skills. Some sharp edges should be avoided. Avoiding the sharp edge does not mean retreating or giving in, but rather waiting for the opportunity to defeat the opponent in one fell swoop."
Jian Ning nodded, "Remember to think twice before you act. Just remember that you are not alone, you have a family behind you."
"Don't worry, I'll keep it in mind and never let you worry about me day and night."
"Mom, I want this." Erniu and Sanniu ran to a stall selling headwear. They were holding several colorful hair beads and headbands. Sanniu picked out one of the hair beads and said, "Mom, I want to give this to Sister Qiaofeng. It will look great on her."
"Okay, you two can each pick one from the others. Ah Man has given you a lot of hair ornaments, enough for you two to wear for several years." Jane Ning didn't want them to learn to be extravagant, and even more so, she didn't want them to think that their family had money and they could do whatever they wanted. It's easy to develop bad habits, but it's hard to correct them in the future.
Erniu: "Mom, can you pick one for my own sister too?"
"Of course, but Sister Qiaofeng is also our family, just like Shu'er. Shu'er is your sister, and Qiaofeng is the big sister of you and Shu'er, understand?"
Both little ones nodded to show that they understood.
After a walk around, it was almost time for dinner. When they came out, they promised Lao Liu and Xiao Yu to go back to the inn for dinner. Each of them carried one child back to the inn.
Pei Xiyuan and his group of four were also having dinner in the lobby downstairs. When they entered, Sanniu looked at one of the people at their table and suddenly pointed at him and said, "Mom, Monk Sha."
It was too late for Jane Ning to cover her mouth, so she could only nod and smile at the man awkwardly.
"Little boy, this is not a monk. Monks don't have hair on their heads, not even a single hair." Yuji looked at the wizard and said with a smile.
Jian Ning saw that the man's hairstyle was somewhat like that of a Yuan Dynasty person. There was no hair in the middle of his head, only hair on the sides. Xiong Er and the other three were all wearing Yanchao costumes, but he was the only one dressed strangely. His clothes were neither monk-like nor Taoist-like. No wonder Sanniu mistook him for Monk Sha. The Monk Sha puppet she made had a bald head, with only a circle of hair at the back.
However, Monk Sha gave people the impression of being simple and honest. He had a hooked nose and a very unfriendly face. Jane Ning felt very uncomfortable when he glanced at her.
He had been thinking of saying a few more nice words but he lost the mood. He just said to Xiong Er, "Take your time to eat." Then he walked towards the table where Xiaoyu was setting the dishes and ignored them.
After dinner, Jian Ning went to Dabao's room in the backyard. She originally wanted to tidy up his room and see if there was any laundry to do. However, she found the room spotlessly clean, with all the clothes, shoes and socks neatly stacked in boxes. Lao Liu, who had brought her there, smiled and said, "Xiaoyu's mother helps him and Xiaomi clean the room every day. It's spotless."
"What do you mean Xiaoyu's mother? She's your mother-in-law. Calling her mother won't do you any harm."
"I usually call her mother. I just mentioned this to my fourth sister-in-law. I'm afraid she'll be confused by calling her mother and think I'm the mother I'm talking about."
"How could your mother be so virtuous? By the way, why don't you go and chat with your fourth brother? Why are you following me here? Go and chat with him."
Lao Liu smiled and scratched his head. "It's not that I don't want to talk to Fourth Brother, it's just that Fourth Brother loves to scold people more and more these days. He'll start nagging me about Manager Tong's family affairs soon."
"Aren't you afraid that I'll tell your fourth brother that you're gossiping about him behind his back?"
"Fourth sister-in-law has never been a talkative person."
"People change. Your fourth brother can become a lecturer, but I can't become a gossipmonger? You really are still on your fourth brother's side."
"Who said that? I, Xiaoliu, always side with Fourth Sister-in-law. Since I was little, I knew that Fourth Sister-in-law was the only one in the family who truly loved and protected me."
As Lao Liu finished speaking, Ding Youtian's voice echoed from the east corridor: "How many stupid things have you done since you were little? I, your fourth brother, have always cleaned up your messes. Now you only remember the kindness of your fourth sister-in-law and only side with her, right?"
Seeing him come in, Lao Liu slapped his forehead and said, "Look at my memory. I forgot everything else. I have to get busy now."
After he said that, he ran away.
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