Chapter 159 Ceremony
As the saying goes, she still holds the pipa half-covered, and only comes out after being called for many times.
Amidst everyone's eager anticipation, the foreign merchant caravan finally arrived at the Dongping County Bay Wharf early one morning.
Before this, the caravans from all over Dajin had already chosen their own warehouses under the arrangement of the government, and the goods they brought were placed on the containers. However, the goods of most merchants were still covered with cloth, and there was no trading between them.
After Cui Qingyi went out for a walk, she realized that these caravans were waiting for foreigners, and transactions among local people would have to wait until the end of the trade fair.
With the experience from the previous time and the presence of government officers and soldiers on guard, although many people ran to watch this time, it was generally quite orderly.
The merchants' attention was more focused on the carts of goods pulled by foreigners.
Since these days are critical for both Dongping County and Cui Qingyi Konjac, the girls' school has been temporarily closed so that the children can take this opportunity to come out and see the excitement.
Cui Qingyi and Konjac were mixed in the crowd, and at first sight they saw Fili, who was walking in front. This man's spirit and demeanor looked completely different from the last time they met. His long golden curly hair seemed even more dazzling, and his whole person looked so bright that he didn't look like someone who had been drifting on the sea for half a year.
As the head of the foreign caravan, Phil had to first go to the county government office to meet with Zhou Yanxiu and hand over the letter of credence. As for his caravan, they stayed at the market to sort out the goods.
Cui Qingyi turned her gaze back after watching Phili walk away with the people from the county government office. She was more interested in what good things Phili's caravan had brought this time.
It’s a pity that the goods were packed very tightly and nothing could be seen from the outside.
The market will start on the second day
Perhaps because of the formal cooperation, the foreign caravan seemed much more relaxed this time, and many blond-haired and blue-eyed people went to the county town together to play.
These people are not short of money. As long as they see something new and novel, they will spend money to buy it. Probably all businessmen in the world are the same. Even if everyone does not speak the same language, as long as you want to buy my things, we can complete the transaction in the end even with some gestures.
The restaurants in the city also welcomed a lot of customers. The foreigners were obviously very curious about the dishes of Dajin, and they ordered them all without caring whether they were used to them or not.
The table was almost full, and the waiter was very considerate in showing the foreign guests how to use chopsticks while serving the dishes. Just look at that tall and strong foreigner, stretching his neck to learn how to use chopsticks. Isn't it a very vivid picture?
After seeing enough of the excitement, Cui Qingyi returned to the teahouse outside the city.
There was still a curtain outside the teahouse. Fortunately, no official asked Cui Qingyi to remove the curtain on the grounds that it was an eyesore. She just wanted to create a little mystery before opening.
Unlike the hustle and bustle of the street, although there were people coming and going in the teahouse, everyone was in an orderly manner and busy with their own work. No one was lazy, which made Cui Qingyi very satisfied.
After the teahouse was completed, Cui Qingyi had asked several aunts and sisters in Huaihua Lane to come and clean it.
These people were all experienced workers, and since Cui Qingyi paid them a good wage, everyone worked harder. After the work was done, the already brand new teahouse was spotless and bright.
Waiting for the teahouse staff to come in, which means cleaning some details and overall arrangement.
She clapped her hands and motioned for everyone to look over. "Everyone, please work hard today. When the teahouse officially opens the day after tomorrow, I'll give everyone a big red envelope."
When everyone heard this, they all smiled excitedly.
I had heard before that Manager Cui was a kind man. He opened a girls' school in the county to teach girls skills. I didn't expect that he was so generous in doing business. They not only get wages but also red envelopes.
Yang Mei took the lead in applauding, "Thank you, shopkeeper. You are so kind. We will definitely work hard."
Yangmei is the girl who asked her brother to use the back door. At first, Cui Qingyi was a little worried that this girl was young and would be arrogant because her brother was an official in the county government. But after observing her for a few days, she found that this girl was really good. She worked neatly, efficiently and meticulously. What was rare was that she had a very good temper and was very caring towards the girls with her.
Cui Qingyi had originally planned to observe for a few days and then choose a leader from among these people, who would help her manage the teahouse in the future.
The others were all good too, but in Cui Qingyi's opinion, they lacked a bit of initiative. Of course, some people were born with this initiative, while some needed to be cultivated. Cui Qingyi was not in a hurry at all.
Cui Qingyi would be very satisfied as long as everyone could be diligent and obedient in the current situation.
On the second day, the market opened. Cui Qingyi sat on the second floor of the teahouse and witnessed an opening ceremony hosted by the government.
Zhou Yanxiu was wearing a crimson official uniform, and his tall and slender figure made him look dignified. The aura of a powerful family was not inferior to that of Philip, who was standing next to him with golden curly hair.
The two sides exchanged documents stamped with the national seal in the presence of the caravan and the people, and Zhou Yanxiu announced more than a dozen legal provisions regarding the market.
Afterwards, three sacrificial animals were placed on the altar, Zhou Yanxiu burned three incense sticks to offer sacrifices to the sky, and recited a sacrificial speech, and the ceremony was completed.
Immediately afterwards, the world was filled with the sound of gongs and drums, and firecrackers blasted. On the city walls and in the streets, the soldiers stood in unison, shouting "Long live the emperor". Even Cui Qingyi felt her heart surging amid the shouts.
For the first time in this strange world, she truly witnessed the prosperity of a great country.
Obviously, this scene also shocked these foreigners. They looked back and forth, and discussed very intensely with their mouths opening and closing.
After all the ceremonies are completed, the market officially begins with the sound of a clear gong, and what follows is the merchants' paradise.
Cui Qingyi did not go out to join in the fun that day because the Jiang family troupe was having its final rehearsal in the teahouse.
The closer the teahouse opened, the more nervous Jiang Bailing became. She even felt that she was more nervous than the owner Cui Qingyi.
Although he was clearly doing what he was best at, Jiang Bailing couldn't help but think in his heart what would happen if something went wrong during the performance tomorrow.
Will her actors forget their lines or fall down on stage? Will the flags on the backs of their costumes prick people? And what if a guest doesn't like their performance?
In contrast, Mao Lin did not have such worries. After just a few days of rehearsal, she completely mastered the operation of shadow puppetry. Even her little assistant Mao Ya could skillfully operate the shadow puppets according to Mao Lin's lyrics. The cooperation between the mother and the daughter was seamless.
Comparing the two, Mao Lin's psychological quality is far superior to Jiang Bailing's.
From this we can also see that the environment Mao Lin was in before must have been very complicated. People who are used to big scenes will naturally not be scared by such a small scene.
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