The seven consecutive days of wonderful speeches gave the villagers of Laohu Town a feast for their ears and made the characters in the story of the Monkey King deeply rooted in people's hearts.
Nowadays, no matter where you go, you can hear people talking about monkeys. When children play, they like to use sticks to play with them, yelling, "Where are you going to run away, you naughty monkey?"
When Qiao Silang and Qiao Wulang led a group of half-grown boys to play house, they waved their hands and shouted majestically, "Little boys, quickly bring some wine to cheer up the king."
Nanny Qin smiled and told Qiao Xin these interesting stories. Qiao Xin felt that this was expected. Few people could resist the charm of Monkey King. Qiao Xin smiled and said, "They are just a group of monkeys with excess energy."
"No wonder the children like it. Even I, after listening to it, wish I could use a stick to play with it a few times, so I can learn from the Monkey King's unbridled joy!" Nanny Qin continued, "Manager Cao just asked me when Mr. Gu would start telling stories next time. Everyone gathers around him every day to get information, and they are so annoyed that they have even rarely gone out lately, hiding in the backyard to help!"
"Please don't rush him. Look at Mr. Gu. He has a hard time speaking now. At least let him rest for two days. If his voice is really damaged, not only will his skills that support his family be ruined, but where can you find such a good storyteller?"
Qiao Xin estimated that while the popularity was still there, she had to quickly release some books and peripheral figures. Otherwise, there would be a large number of piracy incidents.
"While the people from Leiwo Village and Tujia Kiln are still here, bring them the image of the Great Sage and have them print out the manuscripts of the first ten chapters as soon as possible! We will sell them as a set when the time comes!"
“I just don’t know how many copies to print and how many clay figurines to make?”
"First print 5,000 copies, and then make a kiln of clay dolls to test it out. If they sell well, we can place more orders!"
Nanny Qin took out a list from her sleeve and handed it to Qiao Xin, saying, "I think it's not enough. Take a look. These are the orders that some bookstore owners who have contacted Manager Cao in the past two days want to reserve. There are people from Weizhou Prefecture, Beijing, and other places. The amount listed here alone is a full 5,000 volumes, not counting the ones in our bookstore."
It happened that Xu came back from the provincial capital and told her that some businessmen in the city had begun to imitate Mr. Gu, and they all described the same Monkey King.
"Is it the Aristocratic Restaurant?"
Xu thought for a moment, shook her head and said, "That's not the case. They are just the tea stalls at the south city gate and the north city. There are none in the big restaurants yet!"
"Then don't worry about it. If there is a rich businessman busy doing this in a big restaurant of aristocratic family, we will come forward to trade. Don't worry about the small stalls on the roadside. We are all ordinary people trying to make a living, and it's not easy."
"Okay, that daughter-in-law and Erlang also want to have someone tell stories in their shop, do you think it's okay?"
Qiao Xin agreed readily, "Okay, why can't this be possible? But don't think about Mr. Gu, find the right person yourself!"
Xu sighed and turned around to get busy.
But as soon as this man left, Xu Can, Erlang and others came looking for him. It's really like speaking of the devil and he will appear!
Qiao Xin held her forehead with one hand, her head was full of worry. If the business was not popular, she would be worried. If the business was too popular, she would also have a headache.
"Isn't the money you earn from Yu Mancang enough for you to spend? Why are you thinking of opening a bookstore?"
Qiao Erlang grinned, pulled Qiao Xin's sleeve, and said excitedly: "Grandma, it's enough to spend, but Yu Mancang is already on the right track. We don't have to worry about everything. We just need to check the accounts every month. But the money is just sitting there, so why not use it to do something else. We originally planned to open a bookstore in the capital. Isn't this a good time?"
Qiao Erlang and Xu Can came prepared. Without waiting for Qiao Xin to ask, they told her about their plan to open a bookstore.
As they talked, Qiao Xin listened silently.
When she heard that they were going to rent another house, Qiao Xin suddenly thought of the comprehensive shopping malls in the future that combined food, shopping, and libraries.
Maybe you can learn from it!
"I see that the west of the Wang family's house is a slum area. Have you ever thought about exchanging or purchasing that land and then connecting it with Yu Mancang?"
Qiao Erlang was puzzled for a moment: "What does this have to do with opening a bookstore?"
"I mean, maybe you should consider renting another store and open one next to the Fish Barn."
Xu Can subconsciously retorted: "How can eating and running a bookstore be put together? Bookstores are usually opened next to schools or the Imperial Academy to attract customers, right?"
"If we just want to buy books, it would be better to open it next to the school or the Imperial Academy. But what if we mainly borrow books and buy books as a supplement?"
Qiao Sanlang was the first to react and said, "Grandmother means to build a library. After dinner, recommend that people go to the store to sit down, read a book, and help digest their food!"
Qiao Xin gave him a thumbs up, what a teachable boy, he understood everything at once!
"After a meal, it is common for scholars to read a book, have a cup of tea, and eat some snacks to help digestion. We put a few bookshelves in the hall for everyone to read for free. We divide the empty space into individual rooms so that people don't disturb each other, and provide exquisite tea and snacks. The cost of this comes from the fees for the rooms and tea.
Besides, you already have a stable customer base at Yu Mancang. If you open a study and lounge next to it, you can attract customers directly without having to cultivate customers from scratch. When the time is right, if you have enough money, you can buy that slum and turn it into a street-style leisure and entertainment mall. By then, it will be a great deal to make a fortune every day!"
The little guys were dumbfounded. They were only good at opening a bookstore, but the old lady could actually plan out a whole commercial street. This layout and vision were really beyond their reach.
They never dared to think so, but now it seems that if they really do as the old lady said and plan step by step, maybe it can really be realized!
Qiao Dalang asked a key question.
"The people there may not be willing to sell their houses, as that is where they make their living!"
If the land issue is not resolved, everything else is in vain!
People may not be willing to sell the place where they have lived for generations! They can't force the sale, others may be able to do it, but if they do this, Qiao Xin will be the first one to not let them off!
"Has anyone of you been inside that slum to have a look?"
The children shook their heads. Although they did business in that area, Yumancang was located at a street intersection where people gathered, with a large area of dilapidated houses behind it. For their own safety, they had never gone deep into the area!
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