Chapter 0068 Private Matters
I had a good night's sleep and the weather was good the next day. There was a light breeze when I woke up in the morning, which was very cool.
It feels very comfortable, but in fact the cooler weather in June is not a good sign at all. It only means that this year will still be a cold year and winter will come relatively early.
The feeling of being on the road and being at home is different. The tense parts of my heart finally relaxed. Xiao Rong didn't have any dreams the whole night. He opened his eyes shortly after dawn in the morning. He didn't sleep much, but he didn't feel sleepy at all.
The first thing I do after getting up is to brush my teeth with willow branches. I have to say that the wisdom of the ancients is really endless. It hasn’t been long since people got rid of slavery, but they have even developed toothpaste.
However, this toothpaste is not the same as the toothpaste Xiao Rong knows. It is made entirely of Chinese herbal medicine, does not foam, and does not have the fragrance of mint. It tastes a bit bitter. This toothpaste is a little worse in terms of cleaning ability, but it is definitely a leader in improving oral problems.
Since using this toothpaste, Xiao Rong has never had bleeding gums again. …
This is not something that can be bought normally. It was given to him by Yu Shaoxie. People call this thing Fulingxiang, which was the dowry that Yu Shaoxie's mother brought from her parents' home.
As expected of a noble family, even the prescription can be used as a dowry.
Xiao Rong once asked Yu Shaoxie indirectly whether he could sell the toothpaste. He could open a shop for Yu Shaoxie, and the profits would be split 50-50 between the Yu family and the government. Yu Shaoxie didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He didn't feel offended. He just felt that Xiao Rong, who was always thinking about how to make money, was really... too honest. ...
But Yu Shaoxie told him that he could not sell it. If his maternal grandfather's family found out that the recipe leaked out, not only his mother, but also his maternal grandfather, his aunt and uncle would be punished by the family. At the very least, they would be kicked out of the house, and at the worst, they would be directly expelled from the family.
This is only because they did not participate in person. If they did, the head of the family would even invite the elders of the clan to come and lynch those clan members who made mistakes.
Not all noble families are so cruel, but there are always a few closed families that ignore the law and form their own country.
Yu Shaoxie's mother had died when she gave birth to Yu Shaocheng, and the Yu family had been in decline for more than ten years. Even though Yu Shaoxie and his brother almost forgot what their maternal family looked like, blood ties follow people throughout their lives, and they will never be able to get rid of this shackle.
This phenomenon seems extremely anti-human... But for thousands of years, people have long chosen to live together in families. This is for a reason, because when natural disasters and man-made disasters occur, the survival ability of a large family is bound to be stronger than that of a small family. Only when everyone works together can they survive in a harsh environment. ...
Now Xiao Rong is no longer short of money, as the emergency funds are in place. He doesn't need to think about these little things anymore. He just stares at the Fuling incense in the porcelain plate beside him, his eyes slightly fixed.
Fuling incense is to Yu Shaoxie's maternal grandfather's family what Xiao Gong paper is to the Xiao family of Linchuan. Both of these are the family assets they are most proud of and rely on for their livelihood, and outsiders are absolutely not allowed to touch them.
Yu Shaoxie's maternal grandfather's family would even execute people from their own family for this, and the Xiao family's power is much greater than the former. If the Xiao family were to take real action, Xiao Rong, with his current size and connections, would really be unable to cope with it.
But whether it is building a library or developing the imperial examination in the future, they cannot do without paper. The price of paper must be lowered, and the papermaking industry must involve the Zhenbei Army.
Previously, Xiao Rong could not think of a good solution and had to put this idea aside temporarily. But this morning, he suddenly had an idea and found that without realizing it, his position was no longer so passive.
With a slight smile, Xiao Rong lowered his head and rinsed his mouth. After he finished washing, he went out humming a song.
Ashu on the side: "???"
What song is the master humming? Why has he never heard it before?
Since he got up early, Xiao Rong did not get busy right away. He first went to check on the various projects he had assigned before leaving.
Jian Qiao was in charge of Baibao Street. When Xiao Rong left, it was still a foundation, but now it has been built up in a proper manner. The street is 600 meters long, which seems to be longer than the average commercial street, but in fact there are not so many shops here, because the Zhenbei Army has limited building technology, and now no one knows how to build high-rise buildings. Most houses are only one-story. Xiao Rong asked to build two stories in the most core areas. Any higher would be difficult for these soldiers. …
When the first batch of shops were completed, the wealthy families also came to take a look. They were all amazed, because the style was what Xiao Rong requested. Therefore, he changed the format of local shops with doors and windows. He simply removed the windows and replaced the entire wall facing the street with doors. One wall can have six doors, and when opening for business, the six doors would all be open so that people could see at a glance what goods were displayed inside.
In addition, space has been reserved for flower beds in front of each shop. According to Zhen Beijun, who is building the houses, it is up to the shop owners to choose whether to plant flowers or display samples. Opposite the flower beds, next to the river, a square open space has also been reserved. They said that they would put stone tables, wooden blocks, and even pavilions and swings there for guests to rest.
Actually...it's not a place for guests to rest, but a place to attract rich people to go out. The idlest group in the city are the rich wives and old men. These people have money and time, so they made Baibao Street more beautiful and fun. Naturally, they regard it as a good place to take a walk and digest food. While taking a walk, they look at the commodities around them. How many people can resist not buying anything?
The nobles naturally understood Xiao Rong's intention, and when they looked at the surrounding details, they were immediately more satisfied.
Look, even the garbage has a special garbage passage. As long as they put it behind the shop, Xiao Lingyin said that someone will collect it for them in the early morning!
Oh my, this was the treatment only available in Chang'an in the past. I didn't expect that their small Chenliu would also enjoy it. Then think about it, these shops don't charge rent, great, really good. It would be even better if they didn't even collect taxes.
Xiao Rong: You wish! If you dare not pay the tax, I will kick you out with your goods the next day. ...
As long as they saw the real thing, the wealthy families realized that Xiao Rong was not bragging, he was really prepared to manage this place well. The wealthy families have lived for so long and have some experience. As long as the officials are serious about it, there is no place that cannot be built.
As a result, Baibao Street became more and more busy. In the first half, the housekeepers and shopkeepers of the wealthy families kept moving goods and handing over goods. In the second half, the skilled workers worked hard to cap the houses. General Jian said that after the street was built, they could go back to the barracks to rest! Indeed... Now that the money is in place, there is no need to treat the soldiers as small workers. They can spend money to hire refugees outside the city and try to make these refugees' pockets richer so that they choose to stay in the city and settle down.
After the houses on Baibao Street were built, the only thing that needed manpower was to reinforce the city defenses. He had already talked about this with Prime Minister Gao yesterday, but Prime Minister Gao was absent-minded afterwards and he didn't know if he remembered what he said.
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