Celebrating the Chinese New Year in Beijing
At the end of December, Peng Gaofei came to pay for the Taibai wine. Taibai wine had become the best-selling wine in Peng's wine shop. Peng Gaofei was all smiles as he told Fu Zhiqiao about the supply shortage of premium Taibai wine on the market.
As soon as he left, Yinxing couldn't help but ask Fu Zhiqiao, "Miss, doesn't our restaurant also sell Taibai wine? Why do we still cooperate with the Peng family's wine shop? It's just letting them take away a lot of money for nothing."
Yinxing was very puzzled by Fu Zhiqiao's decision to share the profits of Taibai Wine with Peng Gaofei. During this period, Fu Zhiqiao had been busy with various tasks and stayed up late writing business plans. Yinxing had seen all of her hard work. Why should her daughter share the money she had worked so hard to earn with others?
Fu Zhi Qiao laughed and pinched Yin Xing's cheek: "It's because your girl is lazy!"
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Fu Zhiqiao straightened her expression and warned Yinxing, "We business people can't think about taking all the benefits."
Transporting Taibai wine is a rather tricky problem. The earthenware jars used for transporting the wine are very fragile. During transport, wooden frames must be used to secure the position and prevent shaking. A large amount of straw must also be placed inside the boxes to cushion the impact.
“We don’t have to worry about the manpower and resources involved in transporting Taibai wine from Qingzhou to the capital, nor do we have to bear the losses from any damage along the way. In addition, the Peng family has its own caravan, so we can save money on hiring bodyguards along the way. Isn’t that a good thing?”
In Fu Zhiqiao's view, cooperating with Peng Gaofei is a win-win situation.
Since its opening, Taibailou has maintained a good momentum. When the accounts were settled at the end of the month, Taibailou's income had reached the level of making a fortune every day.
Knowing that Taibai Tower was doing brisk business, Yu Roulan couldn't stop smiling. She had long since moved on from the loss of her husband, and now her daughter was successful in her career, and she herself was doing a great job managing the accounts. Over the past year, she had been living a very relaxed life, her complexion had improved, and she looked several years younger.
The younger a person looks as they age, the happier their life is.
Taibai wine is selling very well in the capital, and Taibailou's business is on track. It's time to start preparing for the opening of Fuyunge.
Fuyun Pavilion is a must-open; whether it makes money or not is secondary. The biggest purpose of Fuyun Pavilion is to help her build connections.
Fu Zhi Qiao initially got to know Zhou Miao Si by using her makeup skills and a few beauty-enhancing porridges. Then Zhou Miao Si introduced her to Qin Xi Yu and others... As a commoner merchant with no background, she was able to become friends with these noble ladies entirely through her knowledge and skills!
Fu Zhi Qiao tapped her fingers incessantly on the table. With the pursuit of beauty by noble ladies in the capital, she believed that Fu Yun Ge's business model would definitely be successful in the capital!
Xiaoyue is currently being assigned to help out in the kitchen of Taibai Tower. Once Fuyun Pavilion opens, she won't be able to stay at Taibai Tower anymore. Fu Zhi Qiao plans to have Xiaoyue take full charge of the food at Fuyun Pavilion, so Taibai Tower will need to hire a few more cooks and helpers.
With a series of tasks arranged, everyone got busy again.
Once December is over, it's time to start preparing for the Chinese New Year.
This year, Fu Zhiqiao and Yu Roulan planned to stay in Beijing for the Spring Festival. Since they couldn't go back to Beijing, she wrote a letter to Wen Jiang in Qingzhou.
In the letter, she said that she would give all the workers a bonus before the Chinese New Year, which would be double the amount of the previous year. She also said that after the spring, the plantation area of peaches and millet in the manor would need to be expanded, and that they should organize manpower to continue to reclaim wasteland.
Considering the surplus of rice, sorghum, and other grains and the lack of storage space, two more granaries need to be built to prepare for next year's harvest.
The granary is used to store grain, so special attention must be paid to preventing moisture and insects. Therefore, the walls must be thicker than those of ordinary houses, and the thickest stone and the best tiles must be selected... Fu Zhiqiao wrote several pages of text before stopping.
It was the first time that Cui Mama was spending the New Year in the capital. She took Yinxing out to buy red lanterns and red paper, hoping to redecorate the courtyard.
The New Year atmosphere is getting stronger and stronger. I wonder what the customs are like in the capital. I suppose they should be similar to those in Qingzhou.
Following her usual practice, Fu Zhiqiao selected a piece of indigo brocade fabric with gold embroidery to make new clothes for Yu Roulan. The shimmering gold cloud and goose pattern made her look exceptionally noble. She also spent a lot of money to buy a set of red jade and coral headdresses for Yu Roulan.
"Mother, come quickly and see if you like it!"
"I'm already quite old, and I have enough clothes and jewelry to wear. I really don't need to buy so many."
"What can we do? Since we've already bought it and can't return it, you'll just have to make do with wearing it!"
Yu Roulan pretended to be angry, but she couldn't hide the smile in her eyes: "You just waste money!"
Fu Zhiqiao quickly put on a flattering smile: "Mother, you are now the most important accountant in Taibai Tower. If you don't even have a decent set of jewelry, what kind of face will people have?"
Yu Roulan wasn't angry to begin with, but after being coaxed by Fu Zhiqiao's endless sweet talk, she couldn't even keep a straight face. She couldn't help but reach out and pinch Fu Zhiqiao's little face: "I'll let it go this time, but you're not allowed to spend money recklessly in the future!"
Fu Zhi Qiao nodded in agreement, and the maids in the room covered their mouths and giggled, filling the entire courtyard with a joyful atmosphere.
*
The 25th year of the Great Wei Dynasty.
Barbarian states such as the Western Jurchens launched an invasion of the Great Wei border, breaching several border fortresses and causing numerous casualties among the Great Wei soldiers.
Northern Frontier, Liangzhou City.
Soldiers are loading supplies onto horse-drawn wagons, which are already piled high with provisions, weapons, and clothing needed by the army.
Xie Zhuo looked at the densely packed soldiers not far away, took a deep breath, and asked, "Have all the spies been sent out?"
The soldier behind him replied, "Reporting to the general, it has already been dispatched!"
"General, the provisions are ready. May we depart immediately?" A convoy of over a thousand vehicles formed a long line, awaiting Xie Zhuo's orders.
All supplies have been inventoried.
"Let's go!" Xie Zhuo spurred his horse and ordered the entire army to set off.
Xie Zhuo is currently in Liangzhou City. His mission is to deliver 100,000 jin of grain to Anfeng Town, 200 li away, where Luo Zhenhai's vanguard troops are stationed.
Food supplies are the lifeblood of military operations and warfare, and also a target coveted by the enemy.
An army marches on its stomach; supplies are crucial to the success of a battle and cannot be compromised in the slightest!
As long as people are alive, there will be food!
For the next ten days, Xie Zhuo's life was tied to these provisions.
Despite holding the title of deputy general of the cavalry, Xie Zhuo was not sent to the front lines to fight the enemy, but was instead assigned to the rear as reinforcements.
This job looks easy, but it's actually not easy at all.
Escorting grain was a tough job. Not to mention the hardships along the way, the grain escort officers were rarely rewarded when it came to merit. What's more, if they were ambushed by the enemy on the way and delayed for several days, missing the grain's arrival time, that would be a capital offense.
It would take at least ten days to travel from Liangzhou to Anfeng Town, and transporting hundreds of thousands of kilograms of grain from Liangzhou to Anfeng Town was no easy task. Xie Zhuo had only a little over ten thousand men under his command, of whom two thousand were from the elite cavalry, while the remaining nine thousand were troops drawn from various places.
To lighten their load and speed up their journey, Xie Zhuo led over ten thousand men in lightly equipped clothing. Most of the soldiers wore only thick coarse linen garments, with only the outermost two or three thousand soldiers wearing genuine armor.
This was Xie Zhuo's first time undertaking the task of escorting grain supplies, and he remained on high alert at all times.
The northern border region is cold, and heavy snow has blocked the roads. Vehicles and horses are stuck in the snow and can hardly move. Xie Zhuo can only send a team of people to shovel snow ahead.
"Pass down the order: everyone speed up! We must reach Anfeng Town in two days. We absolutely cannot let the soldiers of our Great Wei fight on empty stomachs!"
They shoveled snow as they made their way.
Xie Zhuo led more than 10,000 troops to continue northward.
The further north they went, the fewer people they encountered. After traveling day and night for several days, everyone was exhausted.
Even in the freezing cold, the soldiers were all sweating profusely. The hot breath they exhaled from their noses and mouths instantly turned into mist, and even wisps of white steam rose from the top of their heads, which quickly dissipated into the air.
It was getting dark.
Wang Qianxin lit a tinderbox and, by its light, unfolded a marching map. Pointing to two dots on the map, he said, "General, we have reached the territory of Anfeng Town. Gutang Mountain is not far ahead. What do you think we should do next: set up camp here or continue our journey through the night?"
The map for the march was drawn in great detail, with every mountain and water source marked.
Xie Zhuo stared intently at the map, which clearly indicated that Anfeng Town could be reached by crossing this mountain.
The closer they got to Anfeng Town, the closer they were to the enemy. The soldiers were unfamiliar with the terrain, and carrying heavy provisions over the mountains at night might lead to accidents. Xie Zhuo immediately ordered everyone to set up camp on the spot.
We can rest here for the night. As long as we set off early tomorrow, we won't be late in delivering the grain.
Xie Zhuo rode his horse to inspect the encampment, and as he rode, he ordered Wang Qianxin beside him, "Pass down the order to everyone to be on high alert! Escorting the grain is a top priority, and there must be no mistakes!"
"Don't worry, General! As you have instructed, the scouts ahead have already established a perimeter of over 100 meters."
The allied forces of the Western Barbarians and the Western Jurchens captured several towns in succession, and Anfeng Town was the last line of defense for Liangzhou City. Although their current position was relatively safe behind the defensive line, Xie Zhuo still dared not relax for a moment. He set up numerous sentry posts along the way to prevent the enemy from ambushing and seizing their supplies.
Nighttime is the best time for the enemy to launch a surprise attack.
At midnight, the soldiers were resting, a time when their energy was at its lowest and their vigilance was lax. To prevent any unforeseen events, Xie Zhuo ordered all the provisions to be concentrated in the very center of the camp, and the soldiers camped around the provisions.
By placing the supplies in the very center, the enemy would have to break through the outer cavalry and infantry defenses to seize them, thus minimizing the risk of an enemy attack.
Xie Zhuo remained on edge throughout the journey.
Fortunately, he escaped unharmed. Ten days later, he successfully delivered the grain to Anfeng Town. After handing it over to Tian Sheng, the captain beside Luo Zhenhai, the mission of escorting the grain was finally completed.
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