30 Chapter 030
◎Six Six Grocery (Second Update)◎
In the courtyard behind the county government office, two men dressed as servants, sweating profusely, were fighting cocks, each holding one of the other's feet.
One of them was exhausted and was the first to be defeated. He turned around and looked towards the corridor.
A man leaned back in a rocking chair on the porch, bored, and said, "That's enough, it's all gone. It's not interesting at all."
The attendant stepped forward and said with a cheeky smile, "Young Master, do you want to go to Yuchun Tower to have some fun?"
"I've been to all of them, and none of them are beautiful. They're even worse than dilapidated temples—" Master Fan suddenly sat up, "How could I have forgotten?!"
He quickly beckoned his chief attendant over and whispered, "Go to the household office and ask if there have been any female customers from Zhending Prefecture looking to rent a house or shop in the past two days."
The chief attendant received the order and left. After an hour, he returned to report.
"Master, I've found out everything. Just a quarter of an hour ago, a woman came to the household office and said she wanted to rent a room and live here permanently. She's from Zhending Prefecture."
Master Fan became interested: "Where did you rent it?"
"It's in Zhuangyuan Lane," the attendant urged. "Young Master, do you want to go take a look tomorrow?"
"No, there's no rush." Master Fan waved his fan and said in a serious tone, "Wait a little longer. You go and keep an eye on it for the next few days."
"Okay."
*
After successfully renting a house, Xie Mingzhuo and his six companions left the inn the next day and moved into Zhuangyuan Lane.
Xie Mingzhuo and Li Jiuyue lived in the main house, and the east and west wing rooms were left to Feng Caiyu and the other three.
After all the household belongings were put away, Li Jiuyue and Feng Caiyu went to cook, while Jiang Qing and Luo Qi cleaned the yard.
In the main house, Yang Yunkai reported the news.
"Your Highness, the newly appointed County Magistrate Fan Biqing has an only son named Fan Zhao, who is nineteen years old and arrived at the county government office three days ago."
"Um."
"The yamen runner who caught the thief at the inn yesterday was named Lin Fan, twenty years old, and the head of the county yamen's express squad."
Xie Mingzhuo was surprised: "Such a young squad leader?"
"He saved the life of the previous magistrate, and everyone in Anlu County knows about it." Yang Yunkai paused, and without waiting for a response, he continued, "When he was ten years old, he fainted from hunger in the wild. By chance, a circus troupe happened to pass by, and the troupe's owners kindly took him in."
"That's why he's into lion dancing." Xie Mingzhuo figured it out, but then asked, "Do you think his skills come from acrobatics?"
Yang Yunkai's expression was slightly serious: "Not entirely."
"Why did you fall into trouble when you were ten?"
"It is said that his hometown was hit by a disaster and he was lucky enough to escape. If there is more, it is impossible to find out. It is my incompetence."
"No problem, just a yamen runner." Xie Mingzhuo stopped paying attention and talked about the key person, "Yao Sanniang..."
"Knock knock." Someone knocked on the gate.
She stopped talking.
Luo Qi went to open the door with a broom.
There was an old lady outside the door, wearing a plain hairpin and a cloth skirt, with kind eyes and a smile that was just right, not overly enthusiastic nor cold.
"You guys just moved in here, right? My last name is Jin, and I live next door to you. We'll be neighbors from now on. Here's some freshly pickled cauliflower I made. It's appetizing, give it a try."
Luo Qi hung his head and looked at the pottery bowl that the other party handed over.
The ceramic bowl was large and deep and could hold a lot.
"What are you standing there for?" Aunt Jin said helplessly, seeing how dumb he was. "Go to the kitchen and get some bowls."
Luo Qi said "Oh", looked back at Jiang Qing, and turned to go to the kitchen.
Jiang Qing understood, smiled and walked forward, inviting Aunt Jin into the yard.
"No, no," Aunt Jin waved her hand quickly, "The food is still cooking on the stove. I have to go back and take a look."
At the same time, I thought to myself: This girl is too strong.
Jiang Qing was not good at dealing with elders either. She was smiling awkwardly when Li Jiuyue came over in time to rescue her.
"You must be Aunt Jin, right? Oh, that's too polite. White cauliflower is a specialty of Anlu County. I'm so lucky to be able to taste it right here."
When Li Jiuyue came out, she was holding a food box in her hand and pushed it over as she spoke, "I will accept your kindness without hesitation. This is the snack I just made. You can take it back and try it to see if it suits your taste."
Before Aunt Jin could react, the pickled vegetables in the bowl were gone, and the bowl returned to her hand, along with an extra food box.
She was stunned for a moment, not knowing what to say.
Li Jiuyue made a big move: "Why don't you come to my house and have a simple meal together?"
"Oh, you're welcome. The stove is still burning. I have to go back and check on it." Aunt Jin turned and left, but she didn't forget to be polite. "Come to my house when you have time."
Without waiting for a response, he slipped into the yard.
Li Jiuyue leaned against the door and greeted each of the nearby residents who were curiously sticking their heads out to watch the fun, without any stage fright.
She watched everyone go into the yard before she dusted off her clothes, closed the door and went back into the house.
Jiang Qing was filled with admiration, her eyes shining as she said, "Jiu Niang, you are truly amazing."
"What's the big deal? Compared to those bandits and villains, they're much easier to deal with. Talk some nice things to them, and no one can find fault with them."
Jiang Qing: “…”
She understood the reason, but she just couldn't speak.
Aunt Jin from next door came home and put the lunch box on the table.
"Mom, where are you from?" A man in his forties came out of the study and asked casually.
Aunt Jin: "I gave pickled vegetables to the new neighbors as a return gift. I don't know what was inside."
As he spoke, the man had already opened the food box and couldn't help but exclaimed.
"What's wrong?" Aunt Jin hurried closer.
"These are the Eight Great Beijing Delights!" the man said with a look of shame. "These are much more valuable than pickled vegetables. Mother, please return them quickly."
There were eight cakes neatly arranged in the food box, each with an exquisite shape and a completely different taste.
It is said that this snack originated from the palace and has been spread among the people for decades. It is often used to entertain guests.
He had the good fortune to see it at the birthday banquet of the prefect and tasted only a small piece. It was crispy, soft, sweet and pleasant.
Aunt Jin said, "How can you return a gift given by someone else? If you feel bad about it, I'll be more helpful in the future. I'll go get the plates and free up space, and I'll return the lunch box later."
"That's good." The man breathed a sigh of relief.
"By the way, I heard the new county magistrate went to the county school this morning. Did you see him? What was he like?"
The man shook his head. "I just followed the instructor and the mentor and had no say."
"I didn't ask you to talk. I was asking what he looked like and whether he was easy to get along with."
"Oh, I didn't dare to look closely, but he seemed quite gentle when he spoke."
"That's good." Aunt Jin emptied the food box swiftly. "I was just worried that the King of Hell would come and bring disaster upon us."
Man: "Don't tell anyone about this."
"I know, I know." Aunt Jin carried the food box and went to the next door again and knocked on the gate.
This time it was Li Jiuyue who opened the door.
"My dear, the Beijing Eight Pieces you gave me are too expensive." Aunt Jin picked up the food box and put it in front of her, saying proudly, "If you need anything from now on, come to me, Aunt Jin. I know this place very well!"
Li Jiuyue took the food box and smiled happily: "Thank you, Auntie. My last name is Li, you can just call me 'Jiu Niang'."
"Got it. You go ahead and do your work. I'm going back now."
Aunt Jin was afraid that she would be asked to stay for dinner again, so she turned around in a hurry. After taking a few steps, she exclaimed "Huh" again.
She leaned out of the alley and looked out, her face showing joy: "The Third Lady is back!"
The sound was neither loud nor soft, but it was just loud enough for the neighbors to hear. In an instant, the alley was crowded with people, all running in one direction.
Li Jiuyue looked at it curiously and asked hurriedly, "Auntie Jin, where are you going?"
"Go to Carp Lane next door. Sanniang is back. I asked her to bring something."
"Which Third Lady?"
"Call her Yao Sanniang," Aunt Jin replied hastily. "I won't tell you about her yet. I'll introduce her to you tomorrow."
Li Jiuyue: ???
Is this the Yao Sanniang she met in the dilapidated temple?
There were so many people around that she didn't want to disturb them. She went back to her room and mentioned this to Xie Mingzhuo. She couldn't help but laugh and said, "If it really is Yao Sanniang, then they are truly destined to be together."
Xie Mingzhuo also laughed: "Then I'll have to trouble Jiuniang to go and find the door when you have time."
"no problem."
"Let's eat first. After that, we'll discuss opening a shop."
The plan to open a shop was already made before leaving Beijing.
Every month, a caravan would depart from Zhending Prefecture, bringing the capital's most fashionable goods to Anlu County.
There are traces of the caravan's origin and their cooperation with the caravan. Even if someone is interested in investigating, they will definitely not find any problems.
After finishing the meal and cleaning up everything, the six of them gathered in the main room.
Xie Mingzhuo sat at the table and casually extended his hand, saying, "Everyone, sit down and talk."
The five people were stunned for a moment. If they really sat down, it would be against the rules.
"There aren't so many etiquettes out there. You all have to get used to it. Revealing something in front of others is much more serious than breaking the rules. Also, you have to get used to changing your words from now on. When outsiders are around, call me 'Second Lady'."
"I obey your command." Yang Yunkai sat down first.
The other four people sat down at the table one by one.
Xie Mingzhuo nodded secretly, and it looked like a meeting now.
"Jiu Niang, please tell me about the location of the shop first."
Li Jiuyue immediately got into the groove: "Yesterday morning, Ji Yalang introduced three shops."
She elaborated on the pros and cons of the three shops in detail, and the five of them voted, and finally Xie Mingzhuo decided on the second one.
Located in the southwest of Yushui Street, a quarter of an hour's walk from Zhuangyuan Lane, it is surrounded by restaurants, noodle shops, and cake shops. It has a good flow of customers and the shop rent is within their "affordable" range.
"Do you have any suggestions for the opening?"
Feng Caiyu: "I'm going to buy some firecrackers."
"Three days of opening bonus." This is a common method used by stores to attract customers.
Xie Mingzhuo asked, "How do we reward our guests?"
"30% off on the first day, 20% off on the second day, and 10% off on the third day." Li Jiuyue thought she didn't understand business practices and explained, "Customers will be more willing to spend money if they feel they're getting a good deal."
"Anything else?"
Li Jiuyue shook her head.
"Should we also hire a lion dance troupe?" Jiang Qing asked hesitantly. "A lot of people showed up at the restaurant's opening."
"Lion dancing is indeed good," Xie Mingzhuo said encouragingly before continuing, "But a restaurant is different from a grocery store. A grocery store is just a small business, so hiring a lion dance team wouldn't be appropriate."
Jiang Qing understood: "Your Highness is wise."
Li Jiuyue asked, "Your Highness, do you have any advice?"
"It's not a brilliant idea." Xie Mingzhuo took out some papers from her room. They were the ones she had written in the inn over the past few days. "Take a look first to see if there's anything suitable."
She would not be so arrogant as to think that she must be wiser than the ancients.
In Daqi, Li Jiuyue is an experienced businessman. As a newcomer, she has not yet fully adapted to the business practices of the Qi Dynasty.
She just listed some common advertising methods in modern society for Li Jiuyue's reference. It would be best if they could be directly applied.
Li Jiuyue became more and more excited as she watched, and from time to time she looked up at Xie Mingzhuo, with a strange light in her eyes.
After she finished looking, Xie Mingzhuo asked, "Are there any suitable ones?"
"Your Highness's ideas are truly wonderful and interesting," Li Jiuyue said, both shocked and impressed. "These methods can be used both for opening a business and in daily operations, but..."
"But it's okay."
"These three are more suitable for a grocery store." She flipped through the papers and tapped on them.
Xie Mingzhuo nodded: "The operation of the grocery store is entirely under your responsibility."
"Thank you for your trust, Your Highness." Li Jiuyue was full of energy and turned to go out to find Ji Yalang. After a few steps, he said, "Your Highness, please give the shop a name."
Xie Mingzhuo was terrible at naming, so he said without thinking, "You choose the name."
"Hmm..." Li Jiuyue pondered for a moment and said, "Since we are six, why don't we call ourselves 'Six Six Grocery Store'? It means 'six six good luck'. I hope everything goes smoothly for all six of us."
No one objected.
To open a store, one must report to the government and obtain permission from the government. In addition, there are things like customizing containers and decorating, so it will take some time before the store officially opens.
These matters were mainly handled by Li Jiuyue and Luo Qi, with Jiang Qing, Feng Caiyu and Yang Yunkai helping out from time to time.
Xie Mingzhuo established her character and hid in the house all day long.
After she finished reading all the books she brought, she took Jiang Qing and Feng Caiyu to the bookstore on Yushui Street to buy books.
Unfortunately, most of the books in the bookstore are imperial examination textbooks, and there are not many miscellaneous books. The few books that are available are relatively old and lack novelty.
Xie Mingzhuo asked the shopkeeper, "Do you have any new books?"
"What kind of new book would you like, sir?"
"Interesting miscellanies, storybooks, and the like."
The shopkeeper shook his head: "The books are all here."
Xie Mingzhuo nodded, turned and left.
"Sir, please wait." The shopkeeper suddenly remembered something. "Speaking of something new, have you heard of newspapers?"
Xie Mingzhuo turned around and asked: "Do you have any here?"
"Yes, they were brought back from the capital by merchants. These past few days, people have been coming to buy them, some buying more than ten. Now there are only three left. Do you want to buy some to see for yourself?"
"Take it out and let me see it."
The shopkeeper took out three newspapers from the drawer of the counter, two with the first issue and one with the second issue.
According to the schedule, the third issue should have been released, but it has not yet reached Anlu.
Xie Mingzhuo asked, "How much for all three?"
"One hundred and twenty coins."
A newspaper sold for ten cents in the capital, but became forty cents in Anlu.
It is true that travel expenses will increase costs, but as far as she knows, those merchants just carry newspapers with them, and newspapers are light and do not take up space, so the premium is really outrageous.
She looked hesitant.
The shopkeeper advised, "Don't you want to read some new storybooks? There are some storybooks right here. They're so exciting, I guarantee you'll want to read more!"
"Do you think it looks good?"
"certainly!"
Suddenly, a scholar came in from outside, looking anxious: "Manager Wang, when will the third issue of the newspaper arrive? Please give me a definite answer!"
"The weekly newspaper only comes out once every ten days." Shopkeeper Wang said helplessly, "The capital has the final say on when it will arrive."
The scholar lamented, "How long will it take for Wu Chuanyue to become the top scholar?!"
Xie Mingzhuo: “…”
Is Wu Chuanyue's success in the imperial examination included in my second brother's outline? I'll ask him next time we meet.
"Sir, do you still want the newspaper?"
Xie Mingzhuo nodded and took it, just to contribute some sales to his second brother.
【Author’s words】
Muah muah muah muah!
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