"Congratulations, Madam Hui! If you have such a good business in the future, please remember us too," said Manager Cai.
"Mrs. Hui's bar is truly unlike any other tavern; only you could have come up with such a thing," said Manager Meng.
"Madam Hui, what exactly is this membership activity?" Manager Liu asked curiously.
Song Anxin exchanged pleasantries with them, and just as she was about to explain when they asked about the exact time, Master Liu hurriedly came over and said:
"Madam Hui, the magistrate has arrived with his clerk."
Song Anxin turned her head and saw Magistrate Yan and his advisor Yan walk around the screen at the entrance and enter. Although Magistrate Yan was dressed in ordinary clothes, many people recognized him because he often visited the streets and alleys. Just as the people were about to kneel down, Yan Shuping waved his hand:
"No need for formalities, everyone. I am not wearing official robes or an official hat. I am just an ordinary guest who came here to join in the fun. Please make yourselves at home."
The people all knew that the newly arrived magistrate was very approachable and had done many good things for the county, making him a good official, so they were no longer constrained.
Song Anxin apologized to the shopkeepers and asked Master Liu to attend to them. She then stepped forward to greet them.
"Lord Yan, Master Yan, welcome, welcome."
Master Yan was utterly astonished by this peculiar tavern, and by the colorful array of red and green liquors. He exclaimed in praise:
"Madam Hui is truly a genius at making a living; she can make even a small tavern so extraordinary."
"Hehe, Master, Lady Hui's talents far exceed your expectations, and go far beyond these aspects," Yan Shuping said with a smile, looking at Song Anxin.
Song Anxin could clearly feel that the way this guy looked at her had become more intense, like the look of someone who had discovered a mine and found it full of gold.
Her inner thoughts were truly: "......."
He doesn't actually believe she wrote the Thirty-Six Stratagems, does he?! She really did read it in a book, even though that book didn't exist in this era. It's just that this Magistrate Yan is increasingly skeptical of her nonsense.
"Yes, yes, Madam Hui is very talented." Master Yan said without pretense, "Madam Hui, I've heard there are some kind of member activities. What's this new thing?"
Ignoring Magistrate Yan's gaze, Song Anxin explained to Master Yan, "This membership activity involves topping up a membership card. Topping up five taels of silver will give you one hundred coins, topping up ten taels of silver will give you three hundred coins... The maximum top-up is five hundred taels. Becoming a member will give you priority access to private rooms, and new products will be delivered to members for tasting as soon as possible."
Yan Shuling stroked his chin and said, "That's interesting. I'll top up five hundred taels."
Song Anxin immediately went to serve this tycoon, saying, "Come on, Mr. Yan, this side of the counter is yours."
She deliberately raised her voice and said, "Manager Han, Lord Yan has recharged his membership card with 500 taels, and we're giving away 20 taels as a bonus. Please activate the card for Lord Yan!"
Manager Han, being very astute, said loudly, "Alright! Lord Yan, congratulations on becoming a valued member of our bar. Your current membership balance is 520 taels. Here is your card, please take it."
The membership card is made of wood and has the words "Qianwei Bar" engraved on it, along with the bar's official seal.
Manager Han and Master Liu were initially skeptical of the membership card. They wondered why the customer would put so much money in before even having tasted or drunk anything.
Now they actually heard that Magistrate Yan had topped up the membership card, and for five hundred taels at that! The two men's faces immediately lit up with joy.
With a smile, Master Liu said to the restaurant owners, "These are the membership cards. Would you like to top them up?"
Seeing that even the county magistrate had topped up his card, how could the shopkeepers not follow suit? Besides, this was Lady Hui's business.
"I'll top up one hundred taels!" Shopkeeper Meng said.
"Then I'll top up two hundred taels," Manager Cai added.
Manager Meng was immediately displeased. "Hey, are you doing this on purpose? You have to recharge more than me, right? Fine, I'll recharge two hundred taels too."
Manager Cai retorted, "How much I recharge depends on you. I think you just like to copy me. No wonder you can only be a second-rate restaurant. I'll recharge three hundred taels."
Shopkeeper Meng immediately jumped up and down, and the two of them started bickering like children again, until one of them recharged 500 taels of silver before they stopped.
Manager Liu of the Everlasting Third Guest Restaurant: "......"
To thank Yan Tuhao for his help, Song Anxin personally mixed some drinks and served them to Magistrate Yan and Master Yan. The two were surprised that the drinks could be mixed like this, and that the flavor was much richer than the drinks on their own, which was a real treat for their taste buds.
And so, Qianwei Bar became an instant hit in the county, with everyone talking about its unique features. At night, the bar's lanterns were hung up, and the sounds of zithers, stringed instruments, and other traditional instruments filled the air. Whether ordinary people or refined gentlemen, everyone was willing to go in and linger.
And so the days passed until the eighth day of the second lunar month. The workers at Dafeng Factory in Linjia Village finished their day's work, and the people working the night shift at the distillery had also arrived. Everyone gathered in the open space in the factory, talking happily, because today was the day they would get their wages!
Several boxes of loose silver and copper coins were already laid out in front of them, gleaming in the spring sunshine. At this moment, Lin Fengshou walked towards the wooden platform in the factory to give a speech, and the workers automatically quieted down.
Lin Fengshou cleared his throat and said in a steady voice, "Hello everyone! Today is the first payday of the year for our Dafeng Factory. Thank you all for your hard work and dedication this past month. Our Dafeng Factory is gradually moving towards stability..."
"Today, our Dafeng factory is not only paying wages, but also preparing work uniforms for everyone, two sets per person! Everyone will wear their new clothes to work tomorrow!"
Immediately, applause and cheers erupted from below, especially from people in neighboring villages who were incredibly excited.
"My God! I didn't expect there would be clothes too!"
"Yes, the Hui family is so generous! I didn't even get to wear any new clothes for the New Year!"
One of the villagers said, "You are really lucky to be able to work in Aunt Lin's factory. Your good fortune is yet to come."
"Good, good, good! Fengshou is right, Sister-in-law Lin is good, Dafeng Factory is good!"
Lin, the drunkard, clapped his hands until they were red and shouted.
"........"
Then the duck egg workshop and the winery started distributing wages and uniforms. The duck egg workshop was managed by Song Mei and Sister-in-law Lin, with the assistance of the team leader. The winery was mainly managed by Feng He and An Lu, with An Fu, Qing Shan, and several others assisting. This was mainly because the winery had just been established and all personnel were still being assessed, and no managers or team leaders had been appointed yet.
“Shi Sanjin, your wages are one tael and four hundred and forty cash, plus two sets of work clothes. Come up and put your fingerprints on the document.”
"Chen the rotten dog, your wages are one tael and two hundred and ninety cash, plus two sets of work clothes..."
"......"
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