Zhuzhu and Chengcheng got married on the eighth day of the eighth lunar month. Since everyone was here, they decided to spend the Mid-Autumn Festival with them before going back.
This week has been the busiest time for Li Maiquan, but fortunately, Yanbao and Yubao have grown up, and Fubao is helping out all day. In addition, Chengcheng and Zhuzhu are also here, so the children have their own arrangements to take them out to play.
Li Mai mainly entertained the female relatives in the capital with food, drink and entertainment, and Xu Changhuan would spend most of his time with her.
Li Mai was well-liked in the capital and had saved many lives. When she took her female relatives out for fun, wherever they went, the host or employer would give them the greatest convenience.
When they buy things, they always give the lowest price, and sometimes even give things away for free.
This allowed Zhao and Old Man Zhou to witness once again the capabilities and personal charm of their daughter-in-law.
The two elders were always smiling when they went out with them to broaden their horizons.
They're getting old, and coming to the capital is quite a hassle for them; this is probably their only chance to do this once.
When Li Mai suggested taking them out for a trip, they readily agreed. A sedan chair followed them, and when they got tired, the elderly couple and the children would sit in it.
Zhou Quan treated the male guests to a tour of the capital, showing them around other people's businesses and the city's bustling prosperity. Sometimes Yun Chang would accompany them, and sometimes Chu Yan and Zhong Hui would join them.
Zhong Hui also returned from Chendi this year with his wife and children.
The festivities continued until after August 20th before everyone gradually left the capital.
When the Zhou family returned to Qingshi Town, Li Mai and Zhou Quan also wanted to see them off.
On the night before they left, Li Mai and Zhou Quan, along with Zhu Zhu, Cheng Cheng, Yan Bao, and Yu Bao, went to pay their respects to Gu Zhe.
Chengcheng then realized that they had such a mysterious place and relatives.
He also met the maternal grandparents that Zhuzhu had mentioned.
When he learned their identities, he was shocked and kept the news to himself. This kind of relationship and identity was something he couldn't even tell his own parents.
Gu Zhe and his wife also thought highly of Chengcheng and gave Zhuzhu and Chengcheng many congratulatory gifts. The dowry they prepared for Zhuzhu could only consist of rare items and gold and silver jewelry, which they could take back with them. As for silver notes, they were not exchanged between the two countries and would be useless even if they brought them over.
By August 24th, Li Mai had arranged things for the female doctor Shu and handed them over to Chu Yan and Zhu Zhu to manage.
The businesses in the capital are managed by Yanbao and Yubao, so they trust them.
Now sixteen years old, the two have been learning to manage a business and do business over the past few years. They are both very smart and will discuss things together, so Li Mai and Zhou Quan have less to worry about.
On August 25, Zhou Quan and his wife Li Mai accompanied the Zhou family as they left Beijing.
Along the way, they enjoyed sightseeing and traveled for more than a month before finally returning to Qingshi Town.
However, the Xu brothers, Lu Qian, Xu Shun, Zhou Lin, Yue Xiu, Pei Jing, and the others went back first, as they all needed to take care of their family businesses.
Zhou Wencong, Zhou Shifan, and their female relatives then traveled with them, enjoying the scenery along the way.
In early October, they returned to Qingshi Town.
By this time, Qingshi Town had become a large commercial town, and the two miles it had expanded outward more than ten years ago had now developed into a very prosperous place.
In addition, the imperial court's gold mine behind Beishan has not yet been fully exploited, and with the garrison camp north of Qingshi Town, the entire Qingshi Town has become a major town in the northern region with a reputation no less than that of Yongzhou City.
Today, in Qingshi Town, there are military officers from the barracks and people from the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Revenue who guard the gold mines. They have all settled down in the town so that they can bring their families to live with them while they are stationed here.
Merchants and business people from all over the country came to the town, making it very lively, especially the jewelry industry. Shops selling gold jewelry and other items sprang up, and a new industry even emerged.
Even the most honest officials in the imperial court would think about making some money on the side. And some of the miners, the bold ones, would secretly sell some gold dust to make some money.
Such things are unavoidable when the emperor is far away and the central government is far away.
This led to the gradual increase of several gold jewelry stores in Qing Shi Town.
Of course, the reason it's called "Liujin Jewelry" is because the gold used to make these jewelry pieces isn't pure, and the price is much lower than that of pure gold jewelry from jewelry stores. Gradually, this low-priced gold jewelry became quite popular.
These merchants don't dare to compare these gold-plated ornaments with genuine pure gold ornaments. When introducing them to customers, they simply say that these are gold-plated ornaments.
When these gold-plated ornaments first became popular, Manager Song and Manager Cui talked to Li Mai about it, asking whether they should do something about it, whether it would affect the business of Jin Yu Ge, or whether they should make them themselves.
Li Mai shook her head and said that it was fine to pretend she didn't know; some people had to be given a way to live.
Manager Song and Manager Cui understood, so they stopped interfering.
Those families didn't interfere with Li Mai's return, and later they started doing this kind of business normally, and it even got better and better.
The name "Liujin jewelry" then officially became popular in the Song Dynasty.
Li Mai has seen it, and it's actually similar to the 18K or 24K gold of later generations. The purity is different, so the texture and hardness are also different.
After being processed and refined by the small workshops themselves, the price is lower and the products look better, so there are quite a few people willing to buy them.
Pure gold jewelry lacks the robust texture of rugilite jewelry, which is why rugilite jewelry can be crafted with greater delicacy and beauty by experienced artisans.
This is one of the factors that led to its rapid popularity.
Meanwhile, the fashion businesses of the Li family's trading company and the Yue and Pei families have also been thriving in recent years.
With Li Mai's dyeing business now boasting a large volume of business and a wide variety of products, supplying the three families with the most popular styles, they have completely replaced the Jiang family as the original leader in the dyeing industry.
Fabric shops and garment workshops from other places came to visit, to look at the goods, to buy them, and to broaden their horizons; it was very lively.
Overall, it has met the expectations set by Li Mai and his team.
Upon their return, they will be planning their next big project.
Looking at the bustling Qing Shi Town today, some people even say that Qing Shi Town should be renamed Qing Shi City.
Because Qingshi Town is now much larger and more bustling, and there is also the famous Zhoujia Village in northern China located below Qingshi Town.
It has the famous Wende Academy, which is renowned throughout the Song Dynasty. It has a plaque personally bestowed by the emperor. Zhou Wencong, a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations), is in charge of Wende Academy. Some officials of the imperial court also live in the town and come and go, interacting with the local people.
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