Song Liyun secretly admired: This Wan family is really thoughtful.
If someone likes silver, they can just give them silver directly. Song Zhenping is a farmer, yet he went to great lengths to bring fresh lotus roots from afar.
Everyone was happy to have business to do, and Song Liyun personally cooked two dishes.
The pumpkins, eggplants, and green beans in the backyard were all ready-made, and we also caught two fish from the river.
Chive wontons, smashed cucumber, pork stew with green beans, and two fish—one steamed and one braised.
The Song family's dishes are ordinary, but their flavors are unique.
Manager Wan had traveled all over the country and eaten at countless restaurants. He praised the dishes he had just tasted, saying, "Miss Song, these dishes look ordinary, but they taste great. If you were to start a food business, it would surely be very successful."
Song Liyun smiled slightly. At home, they now use kelp and MSG, along with five-spice powder made from ground cloves, nutmeg, star anise, cinnamon, and other spices. Just a little bit can give the dishes several different flavors.
This is also the raw material she wants to use to turn acorns, potatoes, sorghum, and other local produce from Suijin Town into convenience foods.
However, the situation in Qili County is still unclear. The hidden dangers of Tianxianglou still exist, and the cardboard packaging factory has not yet officially started operations. Everything is still in the preparation stage.
After the meal, Manager Wan did not stay at Baolinju for long before Han Ming took him to Manager Mu's place.
When Han Ming returned, he saw Song Liyun and sighed, "Miss, why don't you let Manager Mu open an inn? I think his place is almost full. Manager Wan and the others should find a room from a neighbor."
Song Liyun immediately started scratching her hands: This problem needs to be solved!
Although Baolin Residence has a large overall area, it was burned down, leaving only the side courtyard and front yard intact and habitable.
The backyard is now filled with stables, rabbit hutches, and vegetable gardens.
The main house in the side courtyard was where the three siblings lived, Yunniang lived in one of the side rooms, and there was another room for storing chests, bedding and other items.
The main house in the front yard served as the dining hall and reception area. One of the two side rooms was where Han Ming lived, and the other was used to store miscellaneous items such as hoes and wicker baskets.
Abu and his companion stayed there temporarily for a few days, sharing a bed with Han Ming.
Xiao An and Hei Jin both dislike having too many strangers around, so they generally don't allow outsiders into Baolin Residence.
Even when carpenter Mu was working at Baolinju recently, he stayed at Manager Mu's place.
The newly built cardboard box factory hired more than a dozen migrant workers from the village, who also lived and ate in the town, and were managed by Manager Mu.
Even the five people who stayed behind to work at the cardboard box workshop lived in town.
With Manager Wan and his group gone, Manager Mu was left without a place to settle them.
If it were before, Song Liyun would probably have gone to the garrison to ask for an empty house again.
There's a reason why Han Ming said he'd open an inn.
Ever since the day it was mentioned that villagers from other villages wanted to go to the market in Suijin Town, it has sparked heated discussions among the townspeople.
Grandpa Zhang and the others certainly hoped to see Broken Gold Town prosper again, but Xue Zhuang disagreed.
Once bitten by a snake, twice shy.
Both times he caused trouble, he was the one who ended up being tied up; his wariness and aversion to strangers were ingrained in his very bones.
It was Song Liyun who gave them the idea.
All the burned-down houses were demolished and replaced with town walls, just like the city walls of a county town, separating the inside from the outside.
They set up checkpoints to confiscate the weapons and contraband of everyone entering the town.
In this way, the safety of the town was the responsibility of Xue Zhuang and others, while the safety of the garrison soldiers was the responsibility of the area outside the town.
Outsiders can set up stalls and sell goods in the commercial area outside the town, while ensuring their safety at home within the town.
This method was immediately accepted by everyone, and they took immediate action.
Because there were garrisons outside, the town walls didn't need to be very sturdy.
Xue Zhuang and his men first built a low wall about half a person's height using adobe bricks from the old house, and then put a wooden fence on top of it so that people could not climb over it at will.
The market resumed its previous practice of being held every five days. As soon as the news was released, even before the market officially opened, villagers began carrying their own grain to sell.
So, while busy building the low wall, Suijin Town also received the villagers who came to the market one after another.
Although there were only two general stores in the town selling things like oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, tea, and cloth, three food stalls, and one selling secondhand clothes and furniture, the first batch of villagers who came were satisfied.
In the years since Suijin Town was abolished, they have been going to Qili County or even more distant towns.
People are nostalgic; they've long been accustomed to the streets of Suijin Town during its prosperous years.
Once the dilapidated houses were demolished, a lot of open space was left in Broken Gold Town, and even the streets and alleys became wider.
With a few taels of silver in hand, some wanted to repair shops, some wanted to build new houses, and many people were eager to get started.
There's no set rule, and no one is allowed to arbitrarily repair or occupy land.
Han Ming's decision to have Manager Mu open an inn was actually a way of letting Song Liyun also own a piece of land.
Song Liyun planned to run the business for the long term, and she knew that her guests would need a place to stay.
If the town really allows her to build a house, she'll start taking over the land.
Moreover, they don't plan to simply build a house and put up two beds; they want to do it well and make it big.
The idea is good, but money is needed to realize it.
She has had no income for the past two months.
The Song brothers never stopped taking their medication.
It's not easy to go out. A while ago, she asked the garrison to bring out some ointment from Pingyang Prefecture, which still cost twenty taels.
In addition, there's the cost of building a cardboard box factory, purchasing timber and stone, ordering tree bark, and paying labor costs.
With her money running out, she was considering whether to start selling grain after a while, since she had plenty of grain herself.
Fortunately, Manager Wan delivered 100 taels of silver today. If he delivers a few more goods, we'll have enough money to repair the inn.
Three days later, the furs were still being transported from the garrison at night.
Two hundred cowhides and five hundred sheephides filled two large horse-drawn carts.
Song Zhenping was left at home; he no longer needed to catch the train.
Song Liyun and Han Ming each drove two cars out of the town.
After Zhao Ashi was discovered to be a "Never-Night Man," he stayed at the Song family's house for another day.
Then he placed a large order for acorn flour and acorn noodles in town and left, saying he would come back to pick up the goods in half a month.
During their stay at the Song family's residence, they retrained Juqingma.
Now, Juqingma's temperament has changed drastically. Not only can it be ridden obediently by Song Zhenping, but it can also be ridden by Xiao An and Song Liyun.
Zhao Ashi said that the horse is very smart, just like a child. Sometimes it is obedient, and sometimes it is ignorant.
It requires continuous and ongoing instruction from people to teach the horse the correct way to do things.
Song Liyun noticed that during horse training, the usually sunny and handsome Zhao Ashi suddenly seemed like a different person.
His cold and stern demeanor alone was enough to make Juqingma obedient.
Song Liyun was stunned once again.
The delivery address given by Manager Wan this time was not far, just five miles outside the town at Budai Temple.
At this moment, three covered carts were parked outside the Budai Monk Temple, and Manager Wan and three cart drivers were waiting quietly.
As soon as Song Liyun's car arrived, Manager Wan came over to greet her: "Miss Song is very punctual."
Manager Wan had arranged to leave at exactly 1:00 AM that day, but it was only early 1:00 AM, so he had arrived ahead of schedule.
Song Liyun put away the reins and got out of the carriage, asking with a puzzled look, "Uncle Wan, are you safe here?"
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