Chapter 23 How good can this stuff possibly be...?
Lu Xiaoqi was somewhat surprised.
She originally thought she would have to wait another two or three days for the system to announce the completion of the task, but she was surprised to receive the task settlement after only two nights since the people from Xiangjia Village arrived. She was both happy and a little confused.
"Player, you must believe in yourself and be the best!" The system provided emotional value as always before explaining, "Although you have only been in Xiangjia Village for a short time, your accommodation and food problems have been solved, and everything has stabilized and entered a positive cycle. That is why we have determined that you have completed the task ahead of schedule."
Lu Xiaoqi puffed out her chest, somewhat proudly: "You're right. I'm so outstanding, I finished the task four days ahead of schedule, shouldn't I get more rewards?"
The system immediately went silent and disappeared.
Lu Xiaoqi snorted coldly: Playing dead!
However, I was still very happy to receive 50,000 yuan, which basically recouped my losses from these big purchases.
Back in the ancient town, it was time for dinner. With Song Wu's help and guidance, Du Fang made braised radish with pork, stir-fried greens, braised fish, and stir-fried mushrooms with shredded pork. Each dish tasted quite good. Of course, Lu Xiaoqi had no doubt that even if Du Fang had made these dishes bland and tasteless, everyone would have devoured them.
In fact, these dishes were completely devoured as soon as they were served.
Everyone ate with gusto, especially those who had done physical labor in the morning. If it weren't for Sister-in-law Song and Lu Xiaoqi being worried that their stomachs hadn't recovered and not letting them eat too much, there probably wouldn't have been a single drop of sauce left on their plates.
She also saw an old woman carefully picking up the rice that had fallen on the table and putting it into her mouth.
Those who have emerged from chaotic times cannot tolerate even the slightest waste.
After the meal, someone naturally came to collect the dishes and wash them. The men rested for an hour before continuing their work. They went to dig river mud again, while the women, who had rested, were responsible for clearing the weeds on the riverbank and carrying the river mud together.
After the river mud was cleared away, Lu Xiaoqi discovered that it contained a lot of garbage, including milk cartons, plastic bags, and rotting leaves, which explained the foul odor. She planned to hire a garbage collection company to remove it all later.
Lu Xiaoqi observed for an afternoon and felt that Yuwen Kai's organizational skills were indeed amazing. Everything was on the right track as the system had said, and it had gone from being chaotic at the beginning to being well-organized.
But she also discovered a new problem—
The people in Xiangjia Village are of all ages, both men and women, and each bears different responsibilities. Some do skilled work, while others do manual labor. There are also elderly people and children who are completely unable to work, and some women can only stay at home and share the housework.
The entire ancient town now operates under a collectivist system, with the town providing all food, clothing, and shelter equally for everyone, but everyone's work is different. This might be acceptable during special times, but over time, some people will inevitably become disillusioned.
A new wage system should be put on the agenda as soon as possible.
We finished work at 6 PM and had dinner at 6:30 PM. In ancient times, this time would have been for washing up, and by 7 PM, those who couldn't afford candles would all be in bed. But here, with bright electric lights, the light was as bright as day, and the villagers marveled at this power, their initial fear now replaced by acceptance.
At this moment, Sister-in-law Song and Zhao Feiyan bid her farewell.
"We agreed with the young couple that we would take over the place two days later," said Sister Song Wu. "We're going back today to buy some things in the next couple of days."
Lu Xiaoqi then remembered this: "Okay, you guys go back first, I'll stay a few more days. Just call me if you need anything."
She had two things to do here: first, to help Xiang Dazhu get discharged from the hospital; and second, to educate the villagers on modern literacy, which she planned to do by opening a night school and teaching a few classes. It seemed that no one but her could do these two things.
Sister-in-law Song patted her shoulder affectionately: "You go about your business, we can handle it ourselves. Just come and be a customer when we open."
Xiaolu is already busy enough. Let them do what they can themselves. It's just a matter of asking more questions.
With tears streaming down her face, Lu Xiaoqi hugged Song Wusao tightly, saying, "Wusao, you're the best!"
Zhao Feiyan smiled and teased, "Then I'll be in trouble?"
She pouted, and Lu Xiaoqi clutched her heart and shook it a few times, covering her eyes: "I can't take it anymore, quickly rein in your damn charm. Sister Feiyan, if you shoot a few short videos and post them online, I guarantee you'll become a sensation."
Zhao Feiyan had also learned to watch short videos these past few days, but she didn't understand what Lu Xiaoqi meant at first. Lu Xiaoqi, on the other hand, was stunned after speaking and fell into deep thought.
"The path?"
Lu Xiaoqi suddenly jumped up excitedly: "I know!"
Song Wu Sao and Zhao Feiyan looked at her with confusion.
She chuckled and didn't explain further: "It's nothing, it's nothing. I just suddenly thought of a good idea that might give us some extra income and also help promote Qinghe Ancient Town."
Self-media is her original profession.
"I'll tell you what I'm going to do once I've figured it out."
She saw Song Wusao and Zhao Feiyan off, then skipped off to prepare for tonight's night school.
The night school was very simple. It consisted of a board erected in a brightly lit square, and everyone in Xiangjia Village had to participate, including the elderly over sixty and children as young as a few years old. Even Yuwen Kai sat upright on the board.
Lu Xiaoqi acted as the little teacher: "Today we'll mainly talk about various forms of address. We don't have titles like 'Master,' 'Young Master,' or 'Madam' here; we usually just use 'you,' 'me,' and 'him'..."
Besides the name, it's also important to remember the origin of Xiangjia Village. She has already fabricated a little story—this is a group of ordinary people from remote mountainous areas who responded to the national call and bravely left the mountains to pursue their dreams, no, to make money.
Coincidentally, the address on their ID cards was a rural village in the north.
"You must pay special attention to your ID card. Yes, it's this hard little card. It's everyone's identification, every Chinese citizen has one, and it's used in many places."
"You must keep it safe and not lose it, otherwise it will cause a lot of trouble. Also, you must remember every piece of information on it. I have noticed that some of you have slightly different names on your ID cards than your own names. You must remember the name on your ID card."
The system is very intelligent. For example, Song Wu Sao's name on her ID card is Song Wei, but according to her, her maiden name was Song Weiniang. The system seems to have modernized these names that have very obvious ancient characteristics.
Huang Si Niang listened attentively below. She asked Lu Xiaoqi if her name on her ID card was Huang Si.
“Huang Si…” Huang Si Niang murmured, savoring the name.
She really likes her new name.
......
Back in her rented apartment complex, Zhao Feiyan felt completely relaxed. Although she had only stayed there for less than ten days, she already felt a sense of familiarity.
"Have some water." Sister-in-law Song handed her a glass of warm water, which came from the water dispenser. She had found it quite novel when she first saw it, but now she was used to it.
Zhao Feiyan took it.
"Does Your Majesty have something on your mind?" Sister-in-law Song asked her with a smile.
Zhao Feiyan almost spat out the water in her mouth, choked a little, and smiled wryly: "Fifth Sister-in-law, please stop teasing me."
She sighed, "I don't think my wish will ever come true."
She already knew the history; now, this place no longer had an empress, nor even an emperor! The last emperor relinquished the palace and became a humble worker, opening the palace to the public for visits.
This greatly shocked her.
Without an emperor, where would an empress come from?
So, perhaps she will disappear in three years. She felt a pang of regret, wondering why she hadn't thought of some more practical wishes back then.
Sister-in-law Song was quite optimistic: "Don't worry, since Xiaolu said it's possible, she will definitely have a way. We don't need to start worrying about things three years from now."
Zhao Feiyan said sullenly, "Actually, it's not about that. It's just that you and Teacher Yuwen have both found things to do, but I still don't know what to do, so I'm a little anxious..."
She understood from a young age that people must have value, otherwise they will put themselves in an awkward or even dangerous situation.
So what is her value here?
Doing some auxiliary work is certainly fine, but that doesn't align with Zhao Feiyan's consistent self-perception.
Sister-in-law Song Wu understood her feelings. Finding something you're good at is like finding your anchor; the feeling is completely different. She often saw this kind of confusion in some of the women in the backyards back then, but unfortunately, they themselves were unable to perceive or understand it.
Clearly, Zhao Feiyan was no ordinary woman confined to the inner quarters.
She went from being a singer to becoming an empress. Even if she usually behaved respectfully, her vision and ambitions were no longer the same.
"Didn't Xiao Lu say she had an idea?" Song Wu Sao tried hard to recall Lu Xiaoqi's original words. "It seems to be related to those damn short videos...? I must say, those short videos are quite interesting."
If she hadn't been so busy these past few days, she would definitely have become completely engrossed in it.
Zhao Feiyan nodded. A few days ago, when she and Sister-in-law Song were strolling around the streets, she saw that almost every shop owner and elderly person relaxing under the trees had a mobile phone, and most of them were watching short videos.
She'd done it too, and before she knew it, an hour or two had passed—it was terrifying.
She slowly took out her phone: "Let me take a look and study it..."
Song Wu's wife: "......"
She took out her phone: "How about I help you figure this out..."
The next day, the two got out of bed yawning, looked at each other's dark circles, and remained silent.
The small restaurant that Sister-in-law Song chose was located downstairs in Lu Xiaoqi's residential complex. It was a street-front shop in the complex, catering mainly to the local residents. The young couple had a stable customer base, but they didn't earn much. Therefore, they were eager to find someone to take over during the months they couldn't operate, so they wouldn't have to pay rent idly.
When they saw Sister-in-law Song appear, they all breathed a long sigh of relief, and their smiles became more genuine: "Sister-in-law Song, you're finally back."
They thought the deal was going to fall through.
Sister-in-law Song smiled and said, "Don't worry, I definitely won't go back on my word. So, as we agreed before, shall we take over tomorrow?"
"No problem, we'll do it the way we always have." The young couple quickly agreed. "You can use everything in the kitchen, just put it back exactly as it was. But you'll have to use your own storefront sign and business license."
They're all in the food service business, and they're afraid they'll have to take responsibility if something goes wrong.
Sister-in-law Song understood immediately and readily agreed. She had already called 12315 to inquire, and they said that in this situation, she could open for business while applying for a business license; she only needed to get a health certificate. Speaking of which, 12315 is truly a wonderful thing; ever since Sister-in-law Song learned about it, she has treasured it like a precious gem.
Furthermore, small vendors are treated very well here.
The Song Dynasty was already a very tolerant era for merchants, but it was still impossible to avoid bribing minor officials with some money when faced with such a situation. Here, however, there was no need to incur any extra costs; in fact, many minor officials would even proactively come to their door to solve their problems. This was something Song Wu Sao, who had been in business for half her life, never dared to dream of.
She dragged Zhao Feiyan to buy a lot of kitchen utensils, and also got a sterilizer. She only found out about this when she overheard a customer telling the owner that he felt more at ease with this.
In the food and beverage industry, while taste is the most important thing, uncleanliness can also damage the reputation.
So she didn't want the old bowls and plates with chipped edges that belonged to the previous owner, and dragged Zhao Feiyan to buy a bunch of new kitchen utensils. After taking over the business the next day, she did a thorough cleaning for two days, cleaning the small restaurant inside and out, even wiping away the years of grease on the stove.
She didn't plan to build a new storefront; she simply covered the original shop sign with a piece of cloth.
Back in Qinghe Ancient Town, Zhao Feiyan had already asked Yuwen Kai for a piece of calligraphy. The words "Song Sao Fish Restaurant" were written in a flowing, gold-flecked style on red paper. Lu Xiaoqi even suggested that they have it framed at a calligraphy and painting shop and hang it there as a signboard.
The owner of the calligraphy shop was astonished when he saw the painting and excitedly asked Zhao Feiyan which master wrote it. Zhao Feiyan simply said that it was the work of an elder in her family and brushed it off.
Yuwen Kai was quite pleased with himself after learning about this: "Back in the day, although my calligraphy was not as good as Ouyang Xun's or Yu Shinan's, it was still praised by His Majesty."
His emperor was a complete mess in politics, but his aesthetic sense was impeccable.
Of course, that's a story for another time.
At this moment, Sister-in-law Song was standing under this plaque. She looked up at it slightly, a satisfied expression on her face. After looking at it for a while, she suddenly asked Zhao Feiyan beside her:
Do you know the name of the restaurant I run in Lin'an?
Zhao Feiyan knew she just wanted to say something, so she shook her head.
“It’s called Liang Family Restaurant.” Song Wu’s wife still remembers what the signboard looked like. “Although I’m the cook and all the customers come because of my name, the shop can only be called Liang Family Restaurant because my husband’s family name is Liang.”
I didn't think much of it before, but now, seeing this new plaque, I feel a subtle sense of satisfaction, different from before.
Zhao Feiyan nodded thoughtfully; she could roughly understand the difference in these emotions.
The shop belongs solely to her, and it was born because of her, stemming from her own skills and abilities. This in itself is a very fulfilling thing.
Where does her sense of accomplishment come from?
Is it just her beauty?
From the side came Song Wu's voice: "Your palm dance is very famous! Even many poets in our Great Song Dynasty have written about it, so don't underestimate yourself..."
Zhao Feiyan then realized that she had blurted it out aloud. She paused, a troubled expression on her face, and said, "But... I haven't danced in a long time, let alone something as difficult as the Palm Dance..."
After becoming empress, she stopped dancing much. That's been over ten years.
She wasn't very confident that she could dance the same way she used to.
“How will you know if you don’t try?” said Sister Song Wu. “Didn’t you say before that if your wish came true, the ability you would gain would be ‘Dance of the City’? That’s obviously related to dance. The system is also interested in your dance expertise.”
This is a talent that has been certified by the system.
Zhao Feiyan lowered her head and looked at her toes with some hesitation.
Sister-in-law Song patted her shoulder generously again: "Now that we're here, anything is possible. You know, I could never have imagined standing next to the esteemed Empress and chatting and laughing with her before."
Zhao Feiyan chuckled at her words, then nodded and made her decision: "Alright, I'll give it a try!"
She was also a woman of action with strong execution skills; once she said she'd do something, she did it. When she got home that evening, she started studying the short videos on her phone in the living room. She vividly remembered that the first time she watched one, she almost smashed her phone, thinking some kind of supernatural event had occurred—this little thing could actually collect people's souls!
Later, I quickly came to like it.
The first thing you see when you open it is a Hanfu transformation video with 100,000 likes. Sister-in-law Song Wu leaned over and said, "You make videos like this? Isn't this even prettier than hers?"
Scrolling down, this time it was a dancer, but a street dance. Zhao Feiyan didn't understand it, only that the music was unique and had a great rhythm. Song Wu's wife also didn't understand it; she crudely categorized it as shamanistic dancing.
"You're like you've been cursed! You're definitely better at dancing than them!"
After being praised like that, Zhao Feiyan felt it was indeed true, and her confidence increased greatly. The rest was simple; she just needed to figure out how to film and upload it.
"You'll take the picture for me?"
Forced into a corner, Sister-in-law Song gritted her teeth and said, "Fine!"
She temporarily acted as the photographer.
Zhao Feiyan cleared her throat and suddenly remembered how nervous and apprehensive she was when she first performed on stage at Princess Yang'a's residence.
It's also a time to change one's destiny.
She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and cast all her distracting thoughts aside, her mind becoming clear and lucid.
"Let's begin."
After fiddling with their phones and even turning to AI for help, the two finally managed to shoot a short video. They then registered a new account on a video platform and uploaded it.
Sister-in-law Song was very proud: "They say three cobblers are better than Zhuge Liang, so the two of us are equivalent to half of Zhuge Liang!"
Zhao Feiyan: "...Go take a shower, we're opening tomorrow at noon, we have to get up early."
She also wanted to help.
After washing up and lying in bed, it was already past midnight. Zhao Feiyan took out her phone and scrolled through the video she had just uploaded, only to find that it had a pitiful dozen or so viewers and zero likes.
She frowned, trying to comfort herself: "Maybe it's just not enough time yet, things should be better tomorrow."
She turned off her phone, closed her eyes, and tried hard to fall asleep.
Ten minutes later, I opened my phone again and refreshed my video. The number of views had increased to 20, but the number of likes was still 0.
Ten more minutes... Zhao Feiyan irritably shoved her phone under the blanket next to her, out of sight, out of mind: "Go to sleep!"
She had never been this nervous when His Majesty took new concubines into the palace!
This is absolutely outrageous!
She angrily drifted off to sleep.
The next morning, Sister-in-law Song happily told her, "Your short video got a like."
Zhao Feiyan took out her phone and saw that, indeed, the number of likes had become 1.
She looked at Sister-in-law Song suspiciously: "You didn't order this, did you, sister-in-law?"
To be honest, she didn't even know Song Wusao's online name.
Sister-in-law Song chuckled, "How could that be? If I wanted to order, I would have done it last night. Alright, let's hurry to the shop. We'll have to trouble Your Highness today."
Zhao Feiyan rolled her eyes, but remained exceptionally charming: "Let's go."
She touched her phone in her pocket and sighed silently to herself... It really isn't working out, is it?
"By the way, will Xiaolu be back today?"
Sister-in-law Song nodded: "Don't worry, I told her, and she said she'll definitely be back to support us before noon."
......
Lu Xiaoqi had actually returned to the city, but instead of going back to her residential compound, she went to the high-speed rail station.
Today, she is going to pick up a very important person.
After waiting for half an hour, the train arrived at the station. A round-faced girl carrying a suitcase walked towards her and gave her a big hug: "Long time no see, Xiao Qi."
"Long time no see!" Lu Xiaoqi said with a grin, taking the bag from her hand. "Let me help you with this. How come you can eat so much delicious food and not gain weight? I'm so envious!"
"You're the same, your skin is still so good..."
The two exchanged pleasantries before taking a taxi home.
"How good is your relative's cooking? You know, I turned down a promotional offer from another company and came specifically to find you."
Lu Xiaoqi patted her chest and said confidently, "Don't worry, it will definitely taste delicious, and I guarantee you'll have plenty to talk about."
The round-faced girl is named Qin Yue. She is a content creator on social media and a friend that Lu Xiaoqi met while working in self-media. The two are in the same task group. Qin Yue originally did mukbang (eating broadcasts), but later felt that mukbang required purging, which was too harmful to her health, so she switched to becoming a restaurant review blogger. She has tens of thousands of followers, which is considered quite good.
Lu Xiaoqi specially invited her to film a video a couple of days ago to promote Song Wusao's restaurant.
Qin Yue was very loyal; as soon as she heard it was run by a relative, she came over. Of course, a major reason was that Lu Xiaoqi said it had the best West Lake Fish in Vinegar Sauce she had ever eaten!
How delicious can this stuff possibly be?
Qin Yue immediately perked up.
And that's how the topic came about.
Just as the two were chatting, the system's weekly task arrived:
"Player, you have a new weekly mission: Please help Song's Fish Restaurant get 100 positive reviews within a week. Mission reward: 10,000 in cash."
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