SFS Chapter 225 Is this shopkeeper also a time traveler?
Chapter 225 Is this shopkeeper also a time traveler?
In the end, the old ladies spent two taels of silver to buy all the black and white cotton thread from the peddler, as well as two rolls of green coarse cotton cloth and two rolls of blue.
However, the cloth was bought by Old Lady Hua separately, saying that she wanted to make new clothes for her son, mainly because Shen Zhiqiu was called a beggar.
It was like her heart was being torn out, because this was her "little Sanyuan" son whom she had raised after going through so much hardship.
As for why she bought four horses, it was because the old lady thought that she had three sons and one daughter, as well as a daughter-in-law and son-in-law, and she couldn't be too partial.
Although we can’t afford to make one for each adult, we can make one for San’er and give the rest to the kids.
The child is small and not tall enough, so save cloth.
The peddler even agreed to charge him the price of white cloth.
But even so, when Old Lady Hua took money out of her belt, her heart was bleeding.
Holding that small piece of silver, he was unwilling to let go.
The men took over the work that women usually did, boiling water, making ginger soup, and then boiling more water for washing and soaking feet.
After walking all day, I feel like my legs and feet are no longer my own. Soaking in hot water can help relieve the pain.
But they would not be so shameless as to ask for firewood and water just because of the kindness of the shopkeeper.
Some men helped the shopkeepers fill up all the empty water tanks and cleaned the tanks as well.
There were also people chopping firewood for shops. This was in the city, and they could not go to the mountains to chop firewood. However, it was still okay to chop the firewood that others had not chopped yet. After all, they thought that they had nothing but strength.
After watching the grandmothers go back to their houses, Shen Youyou walked towards the lobby alone. She was not afraid of human traffickers. If she really met one, it was hard to say who would kidnap whom.
It was probably around six in the evening, definitely before seven, because his father had said before that Daqing had a curfew at around seven in the evening.
Although not many people were out at this time, the inn was still quite lively.
I have to say that the owner of this restaurant is quite good at doing business, because the reason why the lobby of the inn is so lively now is because the waiter said that when the curfew arrives, there are people telling stories in the lobby of the inn.
When Shen Youyou heard this, she had an expression of disbelief. Her ideas were so avant-garde. Could it be that this shopkeeper was also a time traveler?
In ancient times, storytellers were called the lower nine classes and were the lowest class of people in society.
But it doesn’t stop other people from enjoying listening to it!
Just imagine, in ancient times people had dinner very early and there was a curfew and people could not go out.
What do most wealthy businessmen do when they can’t sleep?
Hehe, needless to say, you can guess that, of course, they would find a brothel or singing house to kill time in the boring nightlife before curfew.
Especially for those who are doing business away from home and don’t have a wife to look after them, of course they may not be able to keep an eye on them.
Even if they were staying in an inn, there was no stopping them from leaving the luxurious rooms empty and going to other places to give money to others.
But the shopkeeper was smart. He hired a storyteller to tell stories for free during curfew.
Although there is no entrance fee, the big businessmen will be happy to hear this, so how can they not give tips?
Also, when listening to a book, even if you are full, you can't help wanting to have a pot of good tea, some melon seeds, peanuts, and some snacks, right?
Won’t the money just come?
Of course, he cannot retain all the customers who want to go to the red-light district, but as long as he can retain some of them, he will make money!
A storyteller's wages are only two or three tenths of the money he receives as reward, and at most no more than 40%.
That has to be the kind of storyteller who becomes a star.
And a truly talented storyteller does not just repeat the script verbatim.
It also includes lyrics, performances and ventriloquism.
Add a folding fan and a wake-up stick.
Adjust the rhythm and create an atmosphere.
He told the ups and downs of the story vividly and captured the attention of hundreds of people at the scene effortlessly.
It is a bit of an exaggeration to say that a good storyteller can triple the customer flow of a teahouse with a bad location and mediocre food.
This point is still applicable to inns. The purpose of running an inn is to eat and sleep, but people also let you listen to books.
Do you want to listen?
As time went by, word of mouth spread. I think many businessmen would go directly to this Yingying Inn when they arrived in Huguan County.
The same is true even for small vendors who come into the city to purchase goods.
Hehe, Shen Youyou also thought of a good idea, but she still decided to ask what she wanted to know first.
"Boss, I have something to ask you."
The shopkeeper was counting the bills with a smile on his face. Suddenly he heard someone calling him. He looked up and saw it was a little boy. He said, "Young sir, if you have any questions, please feel free to ask. I will answer them if I can."
Shen Youyou got straight to the point: "Boy, I think there should be a lot of pottery kilns in Huguan County!"
Everyone knew about this, and the shopkeeper had nothing to hide. He told the story directly: "Our Huguan County is known as the 'City of Pottery'. In the surrounding Sanjia Village, Xiaoshannan, Qingliu, Han Village, and Cheng Village, almost every household has a pottery kiln and a potter."
When he said this, a hint of pride flashed in the shopkeeper's eyes.
Shen Youyou smiled slightly and thought: Just like in the previous life, Huguan County is located on the southeast peak of Taihang Mountain, which is right in the middle of a rich kaolin mineral deposit area, and most of the kaolin is buried shallowly, making it easy to mine.
This geographical condition has enabled the pottery jar firing industry to be passed down for a long time in Huguan County.
"Then does the shopkeeper know where to deal with defective porcelain and pottery?"
When the innkeeper heard this, he understood what Shen Youyou was trying to do. While he was amazed at how smart this kid was, he also shook his head helplessly:
"Yes, I can tell you. Just walk a mile from the north gate, there is a big pit. It is a place for processing defective ceramics. There is no one guarding it, so you can take whatever you want.
But there is one thing, ceramics are fragile, and potters will not be careful when unloading them. Since they are all unsalable waste, most of them are broken, and some pottery kilns will even break the defective products there..."
After hearing this, Shen Youyou understood. There was no shortage of poor people in ancient times. If someone picked up defective products for free, it would definitely affect the sales of normal products.
After all, if they can make do with something and don't know how to spend money, many people from poor families will not choose to buy ceramics.
It is also possible that they may be picked up by small vendors and sold secretly.
This would obviously have an impact on pottery kilns, after all, there were still many poor people in ancient times.
However, for Shen Youyou, the intact parts have their own uses, and the fragments have their own uses, so it doesn't matter.
She smiled and said, "Thank you for telling me, boss. I'll bring you a thank-you gift later."
The innkeeper couldn't help laughing: "Just asking a question, and you want a thank you gift? What can a thank you gift from a little kid like you be?"
Shen Youyou raised the corner of her mouth: "Wait a moment, you will know."
After saying that, she turned around and went to the kitchen to find her father. She put the ceramic matter aside for the time being because she had another important thing to do right now.
The innkeeper smiled and shook his head: "This little kid...why isn't he afraid of people at all?"