Chapter 155 Teahouse Completion
Having come this far, Mao Lin wasn't too worried about the future. Just like she had said to Mao Ya before, she was a capable person. Her past suffering was due to her blindness and misjudging people, but she wouldn't make the same mistake again.
From now on, the fate of her and Mao Ya will be decided by themselves.
Ever since Mao Lin recovered, Mao Ya has also become a little more lively, of course, only when she is with Mao Lin. Looking at this girl who has suffered misfortune at such a young age, Mao Lin is not in a hurry to change her current habits. Time will heal everything.
The next day, Mao Lin followed the Jiang family troupe to Jinxiufang on time. After the Jiang family troupe returned to the inn last night, she went to greet Jiang Bailing. At night, she could vaguely hear the sound of Jiang Bailing practicing quietly from the next room.
Feeling the vitality around her, Mao Lin touched Mao Ya's thin little face and was full of anticipation for the new life that was about to begin.
On the second day, Cui Qingyi came later than everyone else. The good thing about being the shopkeeper is that she can adjust her time at any time, and no one will say anything if she slacks off when she is tired.
When she came, she brought a wooden box with her. After briefly greeting everyone and looking at the progress of the Jiang family troupe's rehearsal, she called Mao Lin aside.
The conversation was still straightforward. Cui Qingyi told Mao Lin her thoughts directly: "You were very ill when you came here. If I hadn't saved you, you might still be alive now."
This is a fact, and Mao Lin has nothing to refute.
"What does Manager Cui want?" Mao Lin was a little nervous. If she had to say what she was most worried about at the moment, it was that Cui Qingyi would take advantage of her kindness and make some demands that she could never fulfill.
Cui Qingyi waved her hand and said, "Mao Leren, don't be nervous. I just like to say the ugly things in advance to avoid unnecessary rifts between us in the future.
I believe you have just seen the repertoire that the Jiang family troupe is rehearsing. I hired you and gave you something unique. I can guarantee that you can't find another one like it in the entire Qinghe County.
So if you want to stay in my teahouse, we need to sign a contract. In the next five years, you cannot perform anywhere else except my teahouse, and you cannot spread the secret of my money-making.
Of course, as the employer, I will hire you at a wage higher than the market rate. If you agree to this, we will have the middleman come over to sign the contract."
Whether it is Qinqiang or shadow puppetry, as long as they are performed in teahouses for a long time, other imitations will definitely appear on the market. This is an era without intellectual property protection, and Cui Qingyi would not expect the ancients to have such high moral standards that they would not imitate.
But the form can be imitated, but she must keep the original opera script and personnel firmly in her hands within five years.
This will ensure that for at least the next five years, the Qinqiang opera and shadow puppetry performed in her teahouse will be the most authentic. As for what will happen in the future, that is beyond her control.
Mao Lin was nervous at first, thinking that Cui Qingyi would put forward some harsh conditions, but she didn't expect it to be so simple.
She smiled faintly, "Manager Cui, you're at a disadvantage with this offer."
Cui Qingyi also smiled: "It's not a loss. If I can keep people like you with special skills in my teahouse for five years, it will be a profit anyway."
Hearing her speak so frankly, Mao Lin smiled sincerely. She looked indifferent, but this smile made her whole person suddenly come alive, making people feel comfortable just looking at her.
Under the witness of the middleman, the two signed the deed in triplicate and kept it.
While waiting for Cui Qingyi to hand the wooden box to Mao Lin, Mao Lin was still a little confused. It was not until he listened to Cui Qingyi's explanation of the performance method of shadow puppetry that Mao Lin understood why Cui Qingyi went to the trouble of asking the passing caravans to find a ventriloquist. If the performance was good, one person could be a whole show.
Cui Qingyi made her demands clear, and Mao Lin began intensive rehearsals.
In mid-May, Cui Qingyi's teahouse was finally completed amid everyone's anticipation.
On the day of the topping-out ceremony, Cui Qingyi appeared on the scene for the first time as the owner of the teahouse.
Looking at the teahouse that was still completely covered by the curtain, Cui Qingyi felt very complicated.
Unexpectedly, her dream in her previous life was realized in this feudal era across time and space. It was really fate.
According to Uncle Fan, since it is a place for doing business, all aspects must be auspicious from the very beginning. Cui Qingyi was even more generous, and he prepared several strings of copper coins just for the roof.
It was packed in a small wooden box, and Cui Qingyi was afraid that the stuff would be scattered around and hit some unlucky person.
However, her worries were completely unnecessary. The atmosphere in the teahouse reached its peak the moment the experienced craftsmen threw out the copper coins. In Cui Qingyi's ears, apart from the sound of firecrackers, she heard auspicious words such as congratulations to the host for making a fortune.
Because Zhou Wu had a dog that loved to return home, the officials were familiar with Cui Qingyi. Knowing this was her business, they couldn't help but join in the fun. However, these officials, busy with their duties, simply stood aside to watch the fun and help maintain order, avoiding the children.
As the saying goes, it is easier to get things done when you have someone in the court. Seeing that the market built by the government was almost completed, Cui Qingyi thought that there would be more opportunities to deal with these officials in the future, so she quietly instructed Uncle Fan to pack some of the cakes he brought for the officials to take back when he returned to the city.
Giving money is definitely not allowed, but giving cakes and pastries is just a way for everyone to share in the good luck, and no one will refuse.
When she was about to return to the city in the evening, Cui Qingyi met an acquaintance, He Ya Ren from the pawnshop.
Cui Qingyi smiled when she saw him, "He Ya's business has been booming lately."
The man who was originally quite fair-skinned became tanned because he ran outside under the scorching sun every day, and his teeth were particularly white when he opened his mouth.
They were all old acquaintances, so He Yaren had nothing to hide. "To be honest, it's all thanks to Shopkeeper Cui. If you hadn't mentioned that you wanted to buy land outside the city, I wouldn't have gone to the county government office. If I hadn't gone to the county government office, the county magistrate would naturally not have remembered me, and the matter of selling the land outside the city would not have fallen on me."
Cui Qingyi understood what he said. It is impossible to build a market outside the city with just a market. Caravans from all over the country need a place for food, clothing, shelter and transportation. When the government built the market, it had reserved some land in advance for those who wanted to do business outside the city.
As long as you can afford the money, you can build a restaurant, teahouse or inn here. It can be said that once the trade opens, everyone in Dongping County who is not lazy can make some money.
This is also the reason why Cui Qingyi dared to build a teahouse. All the merchants in the county were mobilized, so she was naturally not so conspicuous.
Cui Qingyi cupped her hands and said, "Then I wish Mr. Heya a prosperous business."
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