Chapter 197 196. Lei Li's Visit
The must-eat list had some success in Qingmi County, so Lei Li and Meng Luo discussed it and decided to launch it in other prefectures as well.
However, due to the different situations in each prefecture, the format of the must-eat list is also different.
Some are just food recommendation lists, printed in tabloids and appendices after some travel notes; some can get famous gourmets or old royal chefs to write recommendations; and some can use the influence of some celebrities -
For example, there was a great calligrapher in Wensheng City who loved food. When he was young, he traveled to various cities, wishing to taste all the delicacies and wines of the Dayou Dynasty, and he spared no effort in recommending the food to others.
As soon as I heard about the food recommendation list, I joined in with great interest, and even wrote a name for the final product, "Dayouchao Food Awards", to make it into a book cover.
This was eventually compiled into "Food Awards", and the second brother of the Meng family thought that since the list had been made, he might as well bind it into volumes and publish it as a book, dividing it into a large collection and a small booklet of local specialties, which would make him another fortune.
In particular, the local specialty booklets are specially placed in ports across the country and sold to outsiders. The map in the appendix highlights the various gourmet restaurants, which can attract customers to the store and also make money from selling books, which is simply killing two birds with one stone.
——Of course, apart from our own store, if other restaurants and stores want to occupy a beautiful layout with attractive illustrations, they have to pay advertising fees.
This kills three birds with one stone.
"Don't say that."
Lei Li was overjoyed after hearing the news. "Meng Luo said his second brother was dull, but when it comes to making money, he's definitely not dull at all. Is this something that most people would come up with?"
"This booklet is sold cheaply, only a dozen coins a copy, but beautifully packaged, it can cost hundreds of coins. It also comes with a map, so it's very popular with people from other places."
"Especially for those traveling for business and unfamiliar with the area, having a book like this to look at maps and find good inns and good food can save a lot of time. Even locals buy one to look at."
“This is a really clever approach.”
Zhou Yi thought about the time when they went to Xiling Prefecture City. They were unfamiliar with the place. Fortunately, they were accompanied by the Meng family, otherwise they would not even know where to rent a house.
Suddenly, an idea flashed in his mind: could he learn from the diverse and unique cultural tourism in modern times?
The number of merchants in the Dayou Dynasty was innumerable, and the water transportation was well developed, making travel relatively convenient. Except for the constant frictions between the Dongyuan and foreign tribes in the grasslands, the various prefectures in the dynasty were prosperous, and there should be quite a few people going out for fun.
I heard that there are foreigners in Baihui.
Zhou Yi thought about it and suggested, "How about printing some iconic scenic spots from various places in the booklet? It would be more interesting to watch, and we could also produce some stamps."
"seal?"
Lei Li couldn't think of the seal's use for a moment and was slightly confused. "What do I need a seal for? To admire... a seal with a picture engraved on it?"
"right."
Zhou Yi nodded, finding it quite interesting. "Some colorful stamps depict iconic local attractions, such as the Shuangyun Canal Wharf in Xiling, Baibei Mountain in Wensheng, the Wujiangjun Temple in Wuxing, and the Qianfang River in Zhongchuan."
"We put it in our stores in various prefectures. When customers go to our stores to eat, they can get one or more stamps with the local brochure."
"You can also write place names on the seal, such as [Xiling Sichuan Restaurant], [Xiling Shuangyunhe Wharf], and [Xiling Welcomes You]..."
"[Has Lei Li been here?]?"
Lei Li interrupted, his eyes wandering over Zhou Yi playfully, making Zhou Yi purse his lips and feel a little hot in his ears before letting him continue.
"These seals don't have to be red; they can be blue, black, or yellow."
“…It’s quite interesting.”
Lei Li thought about it for a while and thought this idea was very interesting. He smiled slyly and said, "If someone collects all nine provincial capital seals and brings them to our store, I can give him free meals for life."
He laughed as he spoke, "No one would be so idle as to travel all over the nine prefectures just to eat a few meals at our house, right? How much silver would the travel expenses alone cost?"
"That's hard to say..."
Zhou Yi thought of those modern netizens who had nothing better to do than buy a thousand cotton swabs to count them, and those who, when naming an aircraft carrier, were so eager to name "Pipi Shrimp" that they ranked first...
He felt that there must be such people in the Dayu Dynasty who were free to do nothing and did not mind getting involved.
"hiss……"
Lei Li pondered for a moment, "Do you think anyone would try to cheat and get on someone else's boat to travel to various prefectures to get stamps, or even buy a stamp book from someone else, just to get our prize?"
“…I think so.”
Zhou Yi couldn't say for sure, so he thought for a moment and said, "Add a seal and name, add insurance, and when you collect enough, you'll get a luxurious meal. As long as you can finish it, you can eat whatever he wants."
"That's all right."
Lei Li nodded.
They told Mengluo about this. Mengluo was lively and playful. After hearing this, he was stunned by her beauty and thought that there must be many rich ladies and gentlemen who like her.
"Some young ladies and masters are not like me. When they were young, they followed my second brother to run around. When they grew up, they ran around on their own. They were restricted very strictly."
Mengluo understood this deeply, and his face wrinkled. "Many of my friends in Zhongchuan said they wanted to come to Xiling with me, but their parents didn't agree. They thought Xiling was too far away, and it would take half a month or several months to go there."
"Some of them have been as far as the outskirts of the city, especially the boys and girls. They can only go out for a stroll when their mother or the old lady comes to burn incense at home."
"If they had something as novel as a tourist attraction stamp, they would definitely come to our restaurant for dinner every day, and the boys and girls would even ask their maids to collect stamps."
"That's good……"
Lei Litou nodded halfway and asked in surprise, "Is Zhongchuan's management so strict? Is it the same for ordinary people too?"
"That's right."
Meng Luo curled his lips and said, "Any family with a little money will not let unmarried boys and girls go out casually. Even if they can go out to play, they must be accompanied by brothers or married elders and wear a veil."
"There are far fewer businessmen and women than in Xiling, and almost no one would travel far to do business."
"Wouldn't that suffocate you?"
Lei Li frowned. Just thinking about being trapped in a large courtyard with high walls, spending the whole day either embroidering or reading, made her feel like she was going to die.
"Isn't Xiling quite open? Why is Zhongchuan next to Xiling so... I read in my travelogue that Zhongchuan is conservative. This is too conservative."
“Who says it’s not?”
Meng Luo also frowned, somewhat indignantly. "I've been in Xiling for a long time. I brought Xiaoqing home for the New Year, but a distant relative said that Xiaoqing came to my house without even entering the family. This is against the rules and too reckless!"
"They also said that good men from decent families never see other men before getting married, and they never show their faces on the streets casually. They said that they are not loyal to their husbands and are criticized by others..."
"My parents haven't said anything yet, so why would he say anything?"
Meng Luo was getting angrier and angrier as he spoke. "Besides, I was the one who took Xiaoqing out to play! The boys and girls from the good families of Xiling can go out to play on their own and even throw a bouquet to the guy they like. If that happened to him, he would curse me to death!"
“Tsk…”
Lei Li's face was filled with dissatisfaction as he twirled his fists. "According to what he said, wouldn't someone like me who puts pressure on my husband and still goes out to do business and show his face in public be chopped into pieces?"
"Luckily I didn't hear that, otherwise he would have died of old age if I had punched him."
“That’s right!”
Mengluo nodded repeatedly like a chick pecking at rice. "I'm getting married to Xiaoqing in July. If he says anything nonsense, Lei Li, help me beat him up! Beat him so hard he can't even talk!"
"If he wasn't involved in my family's business and hadn't shared a great-grandfather with my father, I really wouldn't want to invite him to Xiaoqing and my wedding. He'd ruin such a great day..."
Mengluo muttered to himself for a while, then became excited again about the stamp for the scenic spot. He even said that he would discuss it with his elder and second brothers and try to get the stamp out as soon as possible.
"Why?"
Before leaving, Mengluo suddenly had another idea, "Besides carving local seals, can we carve seals from other places?"
"Um?"
Lei Li raised an eyebrow slightly, "What's wrong?"
Meng Luo scratched his head and said, "That's right, my friends in Zhongchuan may not know that there are so many interesting places outside Zhongchuan. Even though I can't go there, it's good to show them a chapter..."
"I can even collect a whole set to show off to them!"
Mengluo chuckled.
He was a little embarrassed, but couldn't hide his eagerness to show off. He wished he had collected a complete set of seals so he could show off to his friends.
What a childish mind.
Lei Li smiled and replied, "Of course you can. Your family is the one paying for it. Zhou Yi and I are just making a suggestion - leave me a set of seals after you've finished them."
"good!"
Mengluo happily agreed and couldn't wait to go home to share it with Mei and Qing. He also wanted to leave a set of seals for Xiaoqing!
Let Xiaoqing build anything hehe!
—
The Meng family also thought that this seal was really interesting. Although there was a high probability of it being copied, as long as they released it early and seized the opportunity, they could still make a profit from it.
Mainly it increased visibility.
There is no rush to deal with the seal. After all, the pattern needs to be drawn, the seal needs to be carved, and various colored inks need to be made, and then the seal needs to be promoted.
This is also when hype comes in handy.
nature.
These matters were handled by the Meng family. Lei Li and Zhou Yi only needed to keep an eye on the business in Qingmi County, then keep an eye on the tomato and pepper gardens, and then check on Xiao Shengjiang's studies.
It is worth mentioning that Xiao Shengjiang has done well in school. At least he can now write dozens of characters - although they are all super simple characters such as population, hands and feet, it is still very gratifying.
He can also recognize more than 100 words, addition and subtraction within 20, and the multiplication table.
This is a very remarkable thing for a three-year-old child.
In June's final exam, little Jiang also achieved an excellent score! As long as he gets an excellent score at the end of the fall semester, he will be able to officially enter the second grade next year.
This made the little ginger very happy!
So little Jiang worked hard and studied diligently every day.
I studied and learned to read with my brother Xiaobao, learned to write big characters, and was able to hold a small brush very well. I also learned to draw little turtles and kittens.
While drawing and writing, Xiao Shengjiang's attention is always attracted by other things.
For example, the little butterflies flying by, the nimble birds calling out to the gods, or the fragrant cakes freshly baked by my father, and the sudden feeling of sleepiness...
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