Hearing Song Wanyin say this, Meng Zhao felt a little relieved. Later, when others came over and asked, "I heard that the county magistrate likes your family's potato noodles, is that true?"
Meng Zhao would also generously say, "Yes, our potato noodles are sour, spicy, and chewy. Not only does the county magistrate love them, but the men, women, and children on this street probably want to come back for more after just one bite. Why don't you give it a try?"
Because of these factors, Meng Zhao's shop business has been booming, to the point where demand exceeds supply. She is not the kind of person who would push money away, but she is a money-grubber and doesn't mind taking a few days off to make money.
But her employees all have families, and the end of the year is the time to spend with their families and prepare for the New Year, so she couldn't force them to work.
Shops in the county will gradually close down after the 20th of the twelfth lunar month.
Therefore, Meng Zhao proposed an overtime system: from the 22nd day of the twelfth lunar month to the 26th day of the twelfth lunar month, as long as someone works, they will receive double pay. If the shop still has business after the 26th day of the twelfth lunar month, then starting from the 26th day of the twelfth lunar month, the pay will be triple.
After making the suggestion, Meng Zhao's gaze swept across everyone's faces, and then he said, "Aunties, would you like to work a few more days at the end of the year? Of course, it's all voluntary. If you can't come because of family matters, you can just say so."
The first to respond was Madam Liu. Her eyes lit up and her face was full of smiles. "I'd love to! I'd love to! I live so close by, it's just a short walk to the shop. I'd come even if it's New Year's Eve, let alone when I'm twenty-six.
Meng Zhao immediately laughed, "Auntie, why is it so late? When it's New Year's Eve, everyone will be at home keeping vigil. Who would come out to buy things?"
The villagers of Shenjia Village, led by Aunt Feng'e, also said that it was no problem. "What's so great about the New Year? It's just about lying at home eating and drinking. In this cold weather, I'd rather come to the shop and work around the stove in the warmth, and I can earn more money."
Seeing that everyone was not opposed to working overtime, Meng Zhao secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Taking this opportunity, she also finalized the system for after the New Year.
Work officially resumes on the eighth day of the first lunar month. If work is required before the eighth day, then everyone will be paid double wages.
No one objected to this. Meng Zhao wasn't just focused on making money; he would try to take at least seven days off at the end of the year and wouldn't actually have to work on New Year's Eve.
On the sixteenth day of the twelfth lunar month, snowflakes began to fall again from the sky. Fortunately, it wasn't heavy. If the heavy snow had blocked the roads for several days, Meng Zhao would probably have had to close his business early.
But the weather was getting colder and colder, and everyone said that a heavy snow was coming. So Meng Zhao didn't delay any longer and on the seventeenth day of the twelfth lunar month, he took Xu Yunrong out to buy New Year's goods.
At this time, Qingshi County was like a big market, filled with the festive atmosphere of the New Year. Everyone probably saved up money all year and was preparing to spend it at the end of the year. People from all the villages came to the county to buy New Year's goods.
In addition, if anyone had anything to sell, they would take this opportunity to carry it on a shoulder pole and push a cart to the county.
Along the way, the most common stalls I saw were those selling chickens and ducks raised at home, as well as furniture and household items, ranging from bookshelves and beds to brooms and dustpans. The variety was truly dazzling and all kinds of goods were available.
Meng Zhao had previously spent the Lunar New Year with dozens of people in the orphanage, but this was the first time she had spent it with her family, so she was very excited when it came time to buy New Year's goods.
Sunflower seeds and candy, buy some! There are lots of kids on the street, and everyone wants to carry some in their pockets for the New Year. A handful of sunflower seeds and two pieces of candy can grab a chubby little kid and give them a good pinch on the cheek, which is totally worth it.
Candied fruit and dried fruit, buy them! She's usually so busy, and finally has a long holiday. She'll put the heater by her bedside, wrap herself in a thick quilt, eat candied fruit, and read the storybook that Song Wanyin sent her.
"Young lady, young lady, how about some freshly picked winter dates? They're crisp and sweet."
Meng Zhao, who was walking on the road, was immediately drawn to these words. In ancient times, not only were there few kinds of vegetables in winter, but fruits were also rare. He saw several small baskets on the stall, each filled with a large, plump date.
Seeing Meng Zhao approach, the old woman immediately said warmly, "It's alright, you can try it. If you like it, you can buy it."
Hearing this, Meng Zhao didn't stand on ceremony. She casually took two winter dates from the basket, turned around and handed one to Xu Yunrong, then took a bite herself. Sure enough, they were sweet and refreshing, full of juice, and not dry at all. She immediately asked, "Auntie, how much are these winter dates per pound?"
"Seven coins a pound, but if you want more, young lady, six coins will do."
Meng Zhao turned to look at Xu Yunrong, who had just finished eating the dates. She nodded and said, "Okay, these dates are quite sweet."
"Then weigh out three or four pounds for me."
Although it was delicious, Meng Zhao didn't buy too much. The street was so long; there might be more good stuff further down the street.
Sure enough, in no time, Meng Zhao bought persimmons and crabapples. Seeing someone selling frozen pears, he bought more than a dozen of them as well.
It wasn't until she and Xu Yunrong had their hands full of things that they realized they hadn't even reached the end of the street. They then realized they had made a mistake and had to go home to put their things down before going out again.
This time, I didn't buy any for my own use, but instead prepared some for the workers in the shop. These past few days, they've been helping me get up before dawn to prepare the goods and cut the meat, and they don't finish cleaning up and go home until dark. They've really worked hard.
Therefore, Meng Zhao prepared very generous New Year's gifts for the employees in the braised pork shop: one pound of smoked sausage, one pack of peach crisps, two pounds of pork, three pounds each of rice and flour, and a red envelope containing two hundred coins.
Meanwhile, as the starch workshop's output increased, the demand for potato starch in his own shop also increased significantly. The workshop's profits continued to rise, and the workers inside worked very hard. After discussing with the village head, Meng Zhao took out a sum of money from the public account to purchase New Year's goods.
Compared to the New Year's gift packages given to the workers in the shop, the only difference was that one pound of smoked sausage was missing, and the red envelope was replaced with one hundred coins. Everything else was the same, with the main point being that every household could use it.
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