Chapter 125
How long do you plan to stay in Damao City?
"Of course, I'll wait until I've seen the scenery of Damao City."
When they return to Xiaxi Village, she and Liu Niang will have been to both the capital and Damao City. In the Great Sheng Dynasty, only those who have been to these two most important places can be considered worldly-wise. This is another reason why Gu Ran insisted on coming to Damao City.
Of course, she, the boss Gu, must be a person who has seen the world, so that whatever she says or does in the future will be convincing, right?
"That's good. I just happen to have something I want to discuss with someone. If Sister Gu can stay for a few more days, can you leave some time for me?" When He Qinghuan heard this, she felt that the opportunity had come. She smiled and took Gu Ran's hand and asked.
"Okay, Huanhuan, do you have any grand plans?"
"Sister Gu, you understand me. How about staying at our house for dinner today and we can talk about our grand plans?" He Qinghuan immediately took the opportunity and signaled to his father and mother with his eyes.
"That's right, our He family doesn't know many people in Damao City. It's a rare opportunity for you to come, so why not stay and have dinner?" Uncle He and Aunt He understood what their daughter meant, and they immediately tried to keep her.
"Okay!" Gu Ran nodded, then looked at He Qinghuan.
She wanted to see what Huanhuan was planning this time? A branch? But she had just said that the shop she had bought was bought with borrowed money, so she couldn't possibly be thinking of opening a second herbal grass jelly shop right away, right?
"Actually, I didn't plan to open a second store so soon."
After the meal, everyone else went about their business. He Qinghuan explained this when she served tea to Gu Ran and Pei Liuman.
"Look, we've only been here for less than a year and we've already opened this shop. It shows we're doing well."
Although Damao City is the second largest city in the Dasheng Dynasty, the combined jurisdiction of the inner and outer cities is actually larger than the entire capital area. It is only because the capital is the imperial capital that it is ranked as the second largest capital.
Moreover, Damao City has a large population, and unlike the capital city, which is surrounded by wilderness outside the city gate, the several mountains and forests adjacent to Damao City have been reclaimed and turned into farmland, including paddy fields and dry land.
Of course, there are more rice fields.
This was because Damao City was the old capital. When the Dasheng Dynasty was still a small country, it used the three farming methods promoted by Emperor Gaozu to develop agriculture, combined with horse-drawn plowing technology, and quickly reclaimed the mountains and forests or wastelands around the royal city into farmland. This was also the reason why Gu Ran and his companions could see thousands of miles of fertile land along the official road as they left Nanfeng County.
During the reign of Emperor Gaozu, the royal capital of Damao City was able to achieve complete self-sufficiency thanks to the rice fields inside and outside Damao City.
Now, even if the imperial capital in the north wanted to emulate Damao City, overturning mountains and valleys, clearing forests and cultivating wasteland to create thousands of miles of fertile land, it would still fail.
Because the climate is unusual.
Damao City has a mild climate, plenty of sunshine, and abundant water resources, which is suitable for growing rice two or even three times a year.
But not in the North.
The climate in the north is extremely cold, with frequent sandstorms and not as much water as in the south. Therefore, even if the mountains and forests are razed to the ground and turned into fertile soil, it is still impossible to grow rice, a staple food with such a high yield. Therefore, the support of the imperial capital depends on the manpower and material resources of the entire capital area.
Damao City has abundant grain and is a good place to live, so naturally many people migrated here.
A large population naturally drives the prosperity and development of all industries.
In Damao City, there are carpenters and blacksmiths with the most craftsmanship and the best skills, schools with the largest collection of books and the best teachers, people with the most knowledge and the best character, and merchants with the most wealth and the best brains.
Every year, Damao City not only supplies various staple foods and supplies to the capital, but also sends talented soldiers and generals. It can be said to be the rear base for the stability of the court.
In such a prosperous city like Damao, the people have a higher standard of living than anywhere else, and are particularly generous with their food, clothing, housing and transportation. They are happy to try any new food in the city.
At the same time, celebrities, tourists and merchants from all over the world came to visit Damao City in an endless stream. These people also treated themselves well with food.
This is why the He family was able to save money so quickly and open a store with just a loan, and it is also the reason why He Qinghuan dared to open a store without fear of losing money.
Since the business opportunity was right in front of him, He Qinghuan naturally thought of opening a second branch.
Gu Ran thought about it and asked, "Since you are studying in a local institution, you must know many local people in Damao City. Why don't you think of cooperating with them?"
Do you have to wait until she comes to Damao City before you bring me along to make a living?
"First of all, didn't I just buy this shop? I borrowed money from people I know, and if I were to ask them to open a second shop now, many of them would think I'm dreaming and wanting to get rich overnight." He Qinghuan sighed helplessly, "Besides, there is a clear rule in Damao City."
Anyone who runs a business in Damao City can only own two shops or two businesses.
This was a basic strategy adopted by Emperor Gaozu more than a hundred years ago in order to attract the largest number of merchants to Damao City to do business. It was also a preventive measure to prevent a single merchant family from becoming too powerful.
Although powerful people may find loopholes to cleverly seize the qualifications and business licenses of shops in Damao City, as ordinary people, the He family can only abide by these official regulations and business policies.
Those who can enter Shenghua Academy to study must not have a bad family background. No matter they are from local or foreign places, those who want to make a living in Damao City have quickly obtained the qualifications of two shops and are already doing business. However, those who are not making a living also have to consider whether it is worthwhile to cooperate with the He family and waste a quota to make a living by selling roasted grass jelly.
Although He Qinghuan didn't say it explicitly, Gu Ran understood it.
Merchants who have no shortage of money would naturally prefer to do big business. The business of roasted grass jelly is too small and may not be of their interest.
So He Qinghuan had to find another partner.
Now it happened that Gu Ran came to Damao City. Not only was she a partner with whom he had cooperated for many years, but she was also the only granddaughter recognized by the general of the Qiao family in Damao City. Naturally, he was attracted to her and wanted to make a move on her.
"I want to open a He's Herbal Jelly Shop in the inner city," He Qinghuan said honestly. "We don't need to buy a shop. We can rent one the size of our current shop, or even a little bigger. Sister Gu, what do you think?"
"I'll have to think about this."
"If Sister Gu is willing, we will split the profit of the shop in the inner city 50-50." He Qinghuan first proposed the profit distribution method. Gu Ran didn't need to do anything. She just needed to rent a shop. The rest of the store opening matters would be handled by the He family, and Gu Ran would only be responsible for collecting the money.
According to He Qinghuan, the He family's herbal jelly shop can now make a profit of fifty to sixty taels of silver every month after deducting costs and commercial taxes. With a fifty-fifty split, she can earn about thirty taels of silver every month.
Gu Ran was also tempted, but, "If I really open another store, will I be able to supply the raw materials and ingredients?"
"It's because we have enough raw materials and more than enough that I want to open a second store," He Qinghuan explained.
Gu Ran had handed over the farming work of growing grass jelly and konjac to Village Chief Wu and two families in the village. He focused his main attention on the orange grove, so he was not clear about the supply of materials for the grass jelly shop.
But according to He Qinghuan, the dried herb and konjac sent from Jianzhou to Damao City not only fully met the needs of the small shop, but also had a large amount stored in the warehouse.
This is understandable to Gu Ran.
Although it is said that fairy grass cannot be planted in winter, in Fujian, the spring heats up quickly, and the fairy grass begins to sprout in February. In about a month, the tender shoots and leaves can be picked and dried. Because it grows quickly and is easy to care for, the fairy grass grown by the three families in Xiaxi Village is not only supplied to several places in Jianzhou, but also partially transported to Damao City by Uncle Yang.
As for konjac, there is no need to mention it.
Maixiang's family has become a major konjac grower in the village. Now not only the ten acres of land originally belonging to Maixiang are planted with konjac, but also the twenty acres of Ophiopogon japonicus and Aunt Mai's land are planted with konjac.
Maidong also personally escorted dried fairy grass and konjac powder to Damao City with the grain delivery team arranged by Uncle Yang, and brought a message from Maixiang, asking whether there was a need to expand the planting.
Konjac has higher requirements for its growing environment than fairy grass, but the climate and water resources in Fujian are suitable for the growth of konjac. As long as you pay a little attention to applying appropriate amounts of fertilizer, the yield will not be reduced. Moreover, konjac can be harvested continuously from the beginning of the year to the end of the year. Every time konjac is harvested, there will be a bunch of small konjac that can grow again. Mu after mu, not only is the yield stable, but the seedling income can also be continuously increased, which can be used to make a living. It is simply the best agricultural product with low cost and high return.
Since there is such a stable and large amount of food ingredients that can be delivered to Damao City, it is no wonder that He Qinghuan wanted to open another branch before the newly opened herbal grass jelly shop could be successful.
Gu Ran was also eager to try it out.
Although she no longer made a living by selling grass jelly, the shop still made a profit every month, which accumulated to a considerable sum of money.
Although her focus is now on the orange grove, and it seems to be going smoothly with no reduction in production or other obstacles caused by pests, in order to reduce production risks, it is necessary to have another side job that can bring her a steady stream of income.
Therefore, Gu Ran immediately agreed to He Qinghuan's idea.
"So where do you want to rent a shop?"
"The best shops are naturally those around Shenglin Academy." Because the He family first set up their stall near Shenghua Academy, their main customers were students enrolled in Shenghua Academy.
Students from Shenghua Academy and Shenglin Academy interact with each other, and the two academies often share what they have and what they need, and have long cultivated a large number of customers who eat Shaojingcao.
However, there is no Shaoxiancao embankment in the inner city, and these customers can only patronize her family's business when they pass by Shenghua Academy after class or on weekends. If she can open a shop in the inner city, she can do business with these students.
"Okay, I'll go back and keep an eye on it."
"Then I'll leave it to Sister Gu." He Qing laughed happily, feeling that there was an 80% chance that their branch would succeed. "By the way, Senior Brother Lin is very familiar with the streets and alleys near Shenglin Academy. You can ask him."
Lin San glanced at He Qinghuan, smiled dotingly, and nodded at Gu Ran: "Yes, you can ask me."
When Gu Ran and Pei Liu took the Qiao family's carriage back to the inner city, Lin San took them along because he also lived in Shenglin Academy in the inner city.
Since He Qinghuan already planned to open a second store and even confirmed the location, and it seemed that he had wanted to recruit students he knew to become partners, Gu Ran felt that He Qinghuan and Lin San might have already chosen a store, so he directly asked Lin San if he had chosen a suitable store.
Lin San nodded and immediately mentioned several shops that he had taken a fancy to but failed to rent.
"One was in a restaurant next to Shenglin Academy, but it's been rented out. Another was behind Shenglin Academy, in a less desirable location. However, there's another one on the corner of the street across from the academy, on the main street after Guanyun Gate. That one was doing well, but it was later taken back by the government."
"Is there something wrong with the shop?"
"There's nothing wrong with the shop itself, but..." Lin San felt awkward for a moment before saying, "I heard that the shop originally belonged to the Qiao family."
General Qiao was wrongly accused back then. Not only were all nine members of the Qiao family imprisoned and some were slaughtered, but all their property, money, land, and shops were confiscated and then sold. Now that it is known that General Qiao is not dead, the government has collected all the things that originally belonged to the Qiao family and can be returned, and is preparing to return them to General Qiao when the time comes.
If the shop owner wants to continue doing business, he will need to negotiate with the Qiao family. If he does not want to continue doing business, the government will compensate him and then take back the shop.
Ha! No wonder He Qinghuan wanted to make me a partner, it turns out he was waiting for me here!
After returning to the Qiao Mansion, Manager Qiao informed the two that the reward from the Marquis had been delivered to the mansion.
Gu Ran immediately put aside the question of whether to open the store or not, and then took a look at what treasures he had obtained: a box of gold, a box of silver, two gold items, four pairs of jade cups, and ten pieces of cloud satin silk brocade.
With this calculation, the box of gold was only worth two hundred taels, and the silver was only four hundred taels in total, which was not as much as the reward from the emperor. However, after considering the value of the jade and gold pieces, the money she received was actually doubled.
"Marquis Dingsheng is actually more generous than the emperor!" Gu Ran exclaimed.
"Of course." Pei Liu looked at his reward which was obviously halved and did not take it seriously.
General Qiao is from Damao City, and the Qiao family has its roots in Damao City. It can be said that General Qiao is under the command of Marquis Dingsheng.
The fact that Marquis Dingsheng personally welcomed him shows how much he valued General Qiao.
In addition, Damao City is comparable to the Imperial Capital in wealth. It is said that even the branch of the emperor that stayed in Damao City, although only a marquis, after each generation of Marquis Dingsheng passed the throne to the next generation, he retreated behind the scenes and became the King of Zhennan. However, only the Marquis Dingsheng in power is the orthodox city lord and holds real power. It is rumored that the private property under his command is more than that of the Imperial Capital, so he is naturally generous.
"Since Damao City has strong soldiers and horses, how can the emperor be at ease leaving the Prince of Zhennan to live in peace in a corner? Isn't he afraid of..." rebellion?
"If there is no true emperor, the other ministers will nominate the princes to the throne. The prince of Zhennan Palace can also compete. When the previous emperor ascended the throne, he defeated the other candidates, including the prince of Zhennan Palace. However, the current emperor is said to be similar to Emperor Wen and Emperor Wu, both of whom have been granted the power of the dragon by heaven. This is why the third prince was defeated."
"What is the divine dragon power?" Gu Ran was puzzled.
"Emperor Gaozu was able to establish a prosperous dynasty thanks to his exceptional knowledge of astronomy and geography. He could control the Three Mountains and Five Peaks at any time and in any place. This talent is unparalleled in the world and is a vital tool for establishing a nation. It is said that this talent was bestowed upon the royal family by heaven, and only the true emperor could inherit this artifact, known as the Dragon's Might." Pei Liu said, "Even the saints of today possess this ability."
"So powerful?" Gu Ran didn't quite believe it.
"What's so amazing?"
General Qiao rarely returned home, and from a distance he heard Gu Ran talking to Pei Liu about a saint. He chuckled and interrupted, "If they're talking about the current saint, then he's truly impressive!"
Not only did she become the third empress of the Great Sheng Dynasty, she also cleared her own grievances and restored the innocence of him and the soldiers under the Qiao family. General Qiao was grateful and admired the current saint.
"Grandpa Qiao, are you done with your work?" Gu Ran turned around and watched Little Jinhua jump out of General Qiao's arms and then jump onto her knees. Gu Ran started to pet the cat casually.
"I'm afraid I'm too busy..." General Qiao said, and his originally cheerful face showed a gloomy tone. It was obvious that things were not going well.
Gu Ran and Pei Liu didn't ask any more questions.
General Qiao came back to comfort the soldiers and provide relief to the orphans, which was originally a military matter. They were just ordinary people and could not help, so they did not want to cause trouble.
After the steward brought the new tea, the three of them sat down to sip it slowly. Seeing that General Qiao's mood had returned to normal, Gu Ran asked him about the Qiao family shop.
"Which shop?"
"I haven't been there yet. I only heard about it from my good friend. Grandpa Qiao, if you don't have any plans for the shop, can you rent it to me?"
"Are you planning to make a living by selling oranges?" General Qiao guessed.
"Of course not."
Gu Ran told him about how he used to sell grass jelly and later partnered with the He family to make a living from it. "Now Huanhuan is studying at Shenghua Academy, and her parents have come with her. They've successfully opened a small shop near Shenghua Academy, also selling grass jelly. The income is quite good, so we planned to look for another shop in the inner city. We happened to like your shop, Grandpa Qiao, so I took the liberty to ask you about it."
"If you do this business, do you need to find a servant?" General Qiao did not give a reply on whether to rent or not, but asked instead.
"To open a shop, of course you need to find assistants." Gu Ran said with a smile. The He couple is now running the herbal jelly shop, and they have also hired assistants. During the holidays, Lin San and Huanhuan need additional help. They don't need many people, but they have to recruit them.
"Well, tomorrow, take me to see that shop that sells grass jelly. Let me take a look first." General Qiao didn't know what he was thinking about, but his face was slightly excited.
Gu Ran and Pei Liu were confused and looked at each other, but had no objection.
Just go and have a look at the shops, and you can also take General Qiao to try some roasted grass jelly!
When she brought General Qiao back to Xiaxi Village a few years ago, she had never made grass jelly, nor had she invited him to eat it, and she had never told him about her business with the He family. No wonder General Qiao thought she only made a living by selling oranges.
The next day, General Qiao really did not run out. He called Gu Ran and Pei Liu, and left the inner city and went to the restaurant street of Shenghua Academy. After getting off the car, he found out which restaurant it was and observed outside for a while. Seeing that there were a lot of diners in the He's Herbal Jelly Shop, General Qiao's expression relaxed and he went into the shop.
Lin San and Huan Huan both went to school today and were not in the store. Only Uncle He, Aunt He, and the two shop assistants were there.
Seeing Gu Ran and Pei Liu coming again, they both smiled, and then Aunt He hurried over to welcome them into the store: "Second Mother and Sixth Mother, why are you here again today? Is this the shop..."
Just as Aunt He was thinking about greeting the guests, a customer came to place an order: "Boss, give me four cups of grass jelly, one bowl each of red bean, konjac, honey, and hay."
"Hey!" Aunt He waved to Gu Ran and the others, "Feel free to come into the store. I'll go do some business first."
There were only four tables in the restaurant, three of which were occupied, so they sat at the last table and ordered a bowl of grass jelly each.
It was Qiao Jinjun's first time eating there, so he ordered a red bean dish. He was obviously not used to it, but seeing the endless stream of diners in the restaurant, he couldn't help but smile.
"Grandpa Qiao?" Gu Ran seemed to have guessed something, but was not sure.
Could it be that Grandpa Qiao is also interested in the grass jelly business?
After sitting in the herbal jelly shop for a while, General Qiao took Gu Ran and Pei Liu back into the inner city to see the shop they liked.
The shop has an excellent location, being on the main road after entering Guanyun Gate. It is the only way for people traveling between the south and north districts of the inner city. If it is used as a shop, there will be no worries about customer flow.
Moreover, the size of the shop is actually twice as big as the current Hejia Shaoxiancao shop.
However, Gu Ran and Huan Huan had considered that there were many powerful and wealthy families living in the inner city, and even ordinary people were richer than those in the outer city. If they wanted to do their business, the shop would have to be decorated in a high-end and elegant style, and the space to accommodate customers would also need to be larger, so the shop would have to be bigger.
Now it seems that this shop fully meets their requirements.
"Grandpa Qiao, are you willing to rent it to us or not?" Gu Ran asked, "I'll rent it out at the original price in the city, is that okay?"
She had just received a reward from Marquis Dingsheng, so she would not be short of money in the short term. Even though the rent was a little higher, she could afford it.
Due to restrictions, it is difficult to find a shop in Damao City, especially in the inner city area, where the rent is very expensive.
It is rumored that the shops in the inner city of Damao City originally belonged to the royal family. Ordinary people could only rent them but not buy them. Those who owned shops in the inner city were not rich or noble, because they had earned them through merit and even their lives.
The Qiao family's shop was bought by the Qiao family's father with his numerous military exploits.
Therefore, after hearing that General Qiao was innocent, the government immediately wanted to take back the shop and return it to the Qiao family. The owner of the shop, who was being asked to pay, knew a little about the origin of the shop, so he had no complaints. After receiving the compensation from the government, he left obediently.
Today, the shop still looks the same as it did after the original owner moved out. Judging from some of the items that have not been moved out, it is likely that it was originally a bookstore.
Yes, this place is close to Shenglin Academy, and many shops mainly serve the students of Shenglin Academy. No matter when, people who can afford to go to school have some money in their pockets. With money, they naturally have more spending power than ordinary people.
They now open a herbal jelly shop mainly for these students.
"Second Mother, I'm not unwilling to rent this shop to you, but you must agree to one condition of mine." General Qiao looked at the shop for a long time before speaking.
Are there any conditions for renting General Qiao’s shop?
"What conditions?"
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