Jiang Sheng had received money to ward off evil spirits before in his life, but this was definitely the first time he received money from someone younger than him... Besides, he was no longer old enough to receive money.
But this man is his lord.
Younger than him, but of higher status.
Jiang Sheng had no choice but to bow and thank him, and accept this very "thin" money for warding off evil spirits. Although it was just a red string, it was woven delicately, and judging by its length, it should be worn on the wrist.
Jiang Sheng didn't hesitate and put it on directly.
"Have you gotten used to the days you've been here at Fugu?"
"Yes, I am used to it. Thank you for your concern, my lord."
Shen Tang asked, "Where are your family members at home?"
Unlike Shen Tang and his group of singles who thought that one person could feed the whole family, Jiang Sheng not only had a wife, but also a son and a daughter. It was impossible for him to pack up a few clothes and take his belongings and run around. Shen Tang asked him to stay in Luxia County to pack up, and then bring his family to Fugu City, so that they could arrange accommodation for their family in advance.
So, Jiang Sheng only arrived two or three days ago.
A slight smile appeared on his brows.
"Well, my wife is quite attracted to you, my lord."
"Yearning?"
"Yes, full of praise."
In fact, before Jiang Sheng had time to familiarize himself with the city, Qi Shan and others conscripted him into the army. Although it was just a small county, the year-end summary, New Year's sports meeting, and advance arrangements for spring ploughing piled up together, the workload was not small.
It needs to be done before closing the pen.
Except for a short rest on the first day, when he packed his luggage with his wife and daughter, decorated the new home, and visited neighbors, he spent the other two days in the government office and did not return home until very late.
When he got home, he saw his wife mending the children's clothes by the light of an oil lamp, and she was laughing and talking to him about what she had seen and heard during the day.
The words were full of praise for the new owner, and he asked him to ask where he could exchange the "tickets". He said that the newly opened Fugu Department Store in the north of the city had some limited supply goods, which must be exchanged for the corresponding "tickets", otherwise they would not sell them.
But Jiang Sheng didn't have time to inquire, because after he was busy, there was another sports meet.
Jiang Sheng understood the general process, and most of it could be carried out according to last year's plan. With Qi Shan and the others around, how could it be his turn? However, he never expected that he would not only be needed, but also an indispensable part.
Does the status of Wenxin literati in Ha Yin remain so low
But when he understood what Gong Shuwu, Xian Yujian and other brave warriors were going to do, he fell silent instantly.
Compared to the warriors, the working environment of the literary scholars was quite friendly. He also did not expect that the effect of the fireworks would be so amazing. They flashed under the sky, but left an unforgettable memory in people's hearts.
The long street lights are crowded with tourists
The trance gave him an illusion—
I feel like a man from Wuling who accidentally entered a paradise on earth.
Shen Tang chuckled and straightened his chest with some pride. What could be more fulfilling than gaining the recognition of the common people under his rule
The common people approve of it, even the newcomers approve of it, which fully proves that they really feel "happy" in Fugu City.
After walking together for a while, Shen Tang couldn't help but drift away, and was soon dispersed by the crowd.
Shen Tang waved at him through the crowd.
"Go ahead and have fun. I'm leaving now."
After saying that, he disappeared into the crowd.
Jiang Sheng: “…”
This is Fugu City, so he was not worried about the safety of his lord. He followed the market vendors and bought some toys that children liked, a few bags of Fugu specialty cakes that the vendors had been promoting, and a silver hairpin of fairly exquisite shape.
I groped my way back home along an unfamiliar road.
The lights in the courtyard are on.
My wife just came out from the side compartment.
She lowered her voice and said to him, "I finally managed to coax the kids to sleep. If they wake up and see all these bags of stuff you have, I don't know how long they will keep going."
The couple returned to the master bedroom.
The courtyard arranged by Shen Tang was not big, but it had everything it needed, including things you had never seen before.
The west side is the wing where the children sleep, and the other side is the clean and tidy east kitchen. The couple's bedroom is behind the main hall, with a small study attached. The bedroom has a new earthen kang, and Jiang Sheng's wife spent some time to figure out how to use it.
It was freezing cold outside.
The house is warm and cozy.
Sitting on the earthen kang, Jiang Sheng took off all his clothes except for his underwear, but still felt a little hot. At this temperature, the couple covered themselves with a thin blanket, which was enough to comfortably spend this cold night.
Even the next day, the earthen kang still had residual warmth. The same thing was available in every household in Fugu City, which only required hay, straw, fallen leaves or even animal manure to burn for heating.
For common people, it is a useful tool for surviving the winter.
His wife asked him, "What about the 'strip'?"
Jiang Sheng's heart skipped a beat when she reminded him of this.
He didn't speak for a long time.
His wife then realized that he had forgotten about it because he was busy.
Not giving a good look.
That thing is available in limited quantities and for a limited time.
If I miss this time, I don't know when the next one will be available. Seeing his wife looking depressed and sullen, Jiang Sheng knew he was in the wrong and coaxed her softly for a while. "What exactly is it?" he asked.
Why does my old wife miss me so much and can't forget me
As he said this, he took out the silver hairpin that was stained with his body temperature and bribed him with a smile, except for the fact that his face said, "For the sake of this New Year's gift, I won't bother with him." His wife felt the shape of the thing and guessed what it was, and her depression was relieved by about 70%.
"Ah, it's a batch of silk embroidery thread."
"No line at home?"
I'll take a day off tomorrow and look for it when I have time.
However, he saw that the shortage of supplies in Fugu City was not too severe, so it shouldn't be that he couldn't even find embroidery thread of decent quality, right
"That's not just any embroidery thread."
The wife lay on her side and then sat up again.
Jiang Sheng listened attentively to her next words.
"How unusual is it?"
"The embroidery thread sold at Fugu Department Store also comes with a set of 'velvet flower' patterns and instructions on how to make them... The flowers made with that thread are more beautiful than any other hairpins. If they are well made, the department store will even pay for them..."
She is good at needlework.
That day she saw a girl wearing a red camellia in her hair. At first she thought it was a real flower, but when she got closer she realized it was a fake one. The girl said she bought it at a general store. She asked around until she found out where Fu Gu's general store was, and it took her a lot of effort to figure it out.
Although her husband had found a reliable new mistress, the food, clothing, and social intercourse of several people in the family were not covered by Jiang Sheng's salary when he first arrived. In the past few years, Lu Xia had lived a tight life and had little savings left.
As my children grow older, my expenses also increase.
They had no land or shops in Fu Gu, and their family expenses depended on their remaining savings and Jiang Sheng's salary.
She also needs to plan ahead.
Jiang Sheng said: "I'll go and ask around tomorrow."
In his early years, Jiang Sheng was given money by various big brothers on the list. He had no concept of gold, silver and treasures. He knew that even if he spent all his money, he would still get it back.
However, he had been cheated by Qishan before and lost a lot of property on the way to escape. After that, he was trapped in Luxia County for many years. The former Lu County Magistrate did not value him and did not pay much salary. The family was almost in a desperate situation of eating up all the property.
A penny can make a hero fall, alas.
Jiang Sheng fell into a deep sleep with something on his mind.
When he inquired the next day, he almost broke his desk - the biggest characteristic of his new lord was that he was poor. The silver distributed to everyone was half of the normal level.
Jiang Sheng: “…”
Can we still live like this
Gu Chi was puzzled: "Why can't this be passed?"
With this little salary, there is still a surplus at the end of the year.
Jiang Sheng endured the headache, took a deep breath, and said depressedly: "After all, each family's situation is different..."
How could a group of single people without families know the burden of supporting a family? It is no problem to support one person, but it is very difficult to support several people. Gu Chi naturally did not miss his voice.
Realize the seriousness of the problem.
In order to save financial expenditure, my lord kept other officials in the office as usual, but the salaries of Gu Chi and others were relatively low.
In this case, no one had any objection. After all, the "literary luck/military luck" they were given was enough to make up for everything. Each household could also receive food from the government canteen regularly, including rice, grain, meat, vegetables, salt, and wine... In reality, the salary was extremely high.
But they are all single.
Jiang Sheng has a wife, son and daughter, and his family expenses are high.
Gu Chi said: "I didn't think carefully enough."
He only thought about the fact that Jiang Sheng had a family that needed to be settled, but ignored the fact that the family also needed expenses. Although He Yin was not rich, he was not so poor that he would force away the scholars under his command because of salary issues. Once the news got out, it would make people laugh.
This problem is also easy to solve.
Jiang Sheng finally breathed a sigh of relief: "Thank you."
Gu Chi said: "We are all colleagues, what does this mean?"
People eat grains and talk about money in order to survive.
Fortunately, Jiang Sheng is someone who can speak out. If he was the kind of person whose family is so poor that he can't even afford to eat, but is still too thick-skinned to say a word and chooses to resist head-on, that would be a real headache.
On the same day, the government office secretly sent dozens of "notes" to Jiang Sheng's home, enough for their family to eat for a month.
As for the silk embroidery thread that Mrs. Jiang Sheng had been longing for, it was also replaced, along with a detailed tutorial on how to make "velvet flowers".
She is very clever and deft, and she was able to do it quite well after just a few tries.
Not only her, but many women in Fugu City who are good at needlework also do this when they have nothing to do. Since silk embroidery thread is expensive, they use other things instead. They like to think about it and make improvements and innovations on the basic styles... Fugu Department Store will give different purchase prices according to the quality and materials of the finished products. Those with good skills can easily earn a hundred or eighty coins a day.
"This advertising slogan really sounds like a scam, just like the diamond painting scam..." Shen Tang couldn't help but complain.
Even if velvet flowers were her suggestion.
Previously, he saw that Yu Zi's hair was bald with no embellishment, and Bai Su was dressed in plain clothes. Lin Feng was barely better. She still had some jewelry savings, but most of them carried the memories of her time at home. The styles were too delicate and luxurious, not suitable for her, so she would not use them easily.
Looking at other women in the city, they all have plain faces, and it is considered elegant to have a wooden hairpin to tie their hair up.
Shen Tang gritted his teeth, secretly hating himself for missing the business opportunity!
What is the easiest way to make money in this world
Of course it’s a woman.
They not only need to buy things for themselves, but also for other family members. Which of these things, food, clothing, and daily necessities, doesn't cost money? But how can we make them spend money willingly
Shen Tang came up with many ideas for leeks.
But the leeks that were eaten by her no longer floated in the city.
And in Shangnan and other places.
There are many noble families and ladies in that place, which means they have strong shopping power. Shen Tang found Xu Jie overnight and said straight to the point: "Wen Zhu, we have a monopoly business here!"
Xu Jie: “…”
Shen Tang asked tentatively: "Do you know about velvet flowers?"
Xu Jie asked: "What kind of flower is that?"
Shen Tang chuckled: "You can wear these furry flowers on your head one by one, and they won't wither. You can reuse them many times. Isn't it better than those flowers that noble ladies carefully raise, but wither after wearing them on their heads for a day or two? Women can wear them, and men can wear them too."
It is an old tradition for men to wear flowers.
But the singles under her were too lazy to pick up the things. She had never seen anyone else wearing peach blossom branches except Xu Jie during the peach blossom season. Shen Tang felt that she could tap into the commercial potential in this area and make a lot of money.
One day I will be able to force these people under my command to wear flowers.
Regardless of gender, it is pleasing to the eye to see a beautiful woman wearing flowers.
Coupled with their reputation in Fugu City, they can also serve as a walking advertisement for Ronghua and lead a fashion trend!
Xu Jie: “…”
Pulling him out late at night just to talk about this
Shen Tang had no awareness of disturbing anyone's sweet dreams.
Complained: "Who told you to leave tomorrow?"
Doesn't she have to hurry
Xu Jie: “…”
He knew that Shen Jun was a talented businessman with a good business acumen, and that none of the business he did for the other party was a loss-making one.
Xu Jie did not refuse the so-called velvet flower toys, but asked his trusted attendant to fetch a batch of silk threads from nearby.
Xu Jie didn't expect to make money from this thing at first.
After all, no matter how well the flowers made of silk thread are made, they can't compare to the lively and vivid natural flowers, so it's enough to make a small profit.
In order to increase his popularity, he followed Shen Tang's instructions and picked the best ones to give to the wives of his lord Wu Xian.