Infrastructure Throne

The Yuanliu City Exhibition and Sales Fair was held in the small square in the east market of the city.

As soon as the news spread from the City Lord's Mansion, people's enthusiasm was immediately ignited.

The temporary shop exhibition area on the square is equipped with red lacquered wooden billboards of uniform style, classified into categories, forming a circle around a circle, and between the buildings on the edge of the square, there is an empty street for people and horses to pass.

The people were surprised to find that at some time, every shop in the city east market was hung with red lanterns.

The paper from the paper mill is dyed festive red, and the round belly of the lamp is supported by bamboo slices, with red tassels at the end. When the strings are hung high, the tassels flutter in the wind, decorating the cold winter into a warm red.

Looking down from the air, the small square in the east of the city is like a huge red "Hui" character. During the time when people rushing through the market, the small market is filled with excitement, and the whole Yuanliu City is full of vitality and vitality. popularity.

Since the attack of the orcs, the city has not been so lively for a long time.

Foreign businessmen who received the invitation from Yuanliu City entered the city one after another.

Previously, Shen Qingze specially asked Fan Mizhou to clear out a dilapidated street near the market, and simply remodel it with red bricks, cement and terracotta tiles, and build it into a hostel and a specialty food street.

All red walls and black tiles, coupled with bright red lanterns, have become a unique scene in the city, especially eye-catching. It is very convenient to eat, live, shop and buy one-stop, attracting foreign merchants to move in.

The shops and stores that were forced to close by the city lord's mansion for refurbishment were still complaining in their hearts, but they were afraid to speak out because of the majesty of the chief priest. Now they have changed from a dilapidated alley that no one cares about to a popular location next to the "commercial center" .

The shopkeepers are making a lot of money one by one, and they are very happy. The land price has risen again and again. Some nobles tried to secretly buy the shops here to drive up the prices. They were beaten by the city lord's mansion with a purchase restriction order and a business license. .

The Lu family business in Beijicheng lived in the VIP room of the largest hotel in Red Wall Lane, "Diaoyutai".

As the highest-standard hotel on the entire street, the people staying at Diaoyutai are all big merchants from nearby towns, and they are all acquaintances. It is inevitable to compare and exchange news among colleagues.

Who sells well, who has higher quality, who loses who wins, as long as there is a little wind, it will be known all over the world in a blink of an eye and become the laughing stock of peers.

Third Uncle Lu was refused to change his sweater with others that day, and was seen by his colleagues nearby. He couldn't bear face, so he simply refused to buy the porcelain, and immediately returned to the carriage, and went to find a hotel to stay.

Wrapped in a thick bearskin cloak, Lu Xin shivered as he left the warm carriage. As soon as he entered the room, he greeted the attendants to serve the charcoal basin and stove. Unexpectedly, as soon as he opened the door, a wave of warmth rushed over his face, wrapped in the cloak There was a thin layer of sweat on the back.

When rebuilding the Diaoyutai Hostel, Shen Qingze's suggestion was adopted. Each room was built with a kang, and the kang road connected the stove and the chimney. In winter, a special person was assigned to burn the kang.

The briquettes produced by the honeycomb briquette factory can be ignited quickly, the firepower is strong, the burning time is long enough, and the most important thing is that it is cheap. Only a few briquettes a day are enough to keep a bedroom heated all day long. Also more, more fuel saving.

The budget-minded ordinary people are most sensitive to the cost of all aspects of life.

Once the briquette was released, there was no need for Shen Qingze to use the power of the city lord's mansion to force it to promote it. The common people would naturally discover its benefits, and the sales continued to rise.

Soon it spread from the city to the small and large villages on the outskirts of the city. Even the poor no longer have to worry about not being able to burn carbon in the cold winter.

In the VIP room of Diaoyutai, Lu Xin threw the cloak aside, lay down on the kang covered with thick mattresses, and groped curiously:

"Third Uncle, look, the bed here can actually be hot! How can it be done? It's amazing! If our family can do the same, I won't be afraid of the cold."

Uncle Lu touched the warm red brick, frowned and said:

"There may be firewood inside. If it burns like this, I don't know how much firewood and charcoal it will consume in a day. Is this store owned by some noble? Even in Pearl City, I have never seen such a luxury."

Young master Lu doesn't care about these, as long as he lives comfortably, he will be happy.

Uncle Lu walked around the hostel for a while, and immediately noticed the weirdness of this store, not only the incomprehensible store name.

Mattresses, curtains, and even cloth towels for washing the face are all made of high-quality linen. Although the tea set is pottery, its texture is uniform, its colors are bright, and its designs are eye-catching.

If the sweater was just an unexpected coincidence, coupled with the kang and various furnishings in the room, Third Uncle Lu had to pay attention to the subtle changes in Yuanliu City.

"Perhaps, only this big noble's property can show off." Uncle Lu secretly made a reasonable guess.

During dinner time, he took his young master out for shopping, and as soon as he went out, he met two well-known business owners in Nanji City—Boss Tao, who started from pottery, and Boss Mi, who was in the rice and grain business.

The two of them were pointing at a coal cart passing by the door, and when they saw Third Uncle Lu, they stepped forward to say hello.

"What kind of coal is that? Why are there holes in it?" Lu Xin felt novelty when he saw everything on his first trip.

Boss Tao said: "The guy said, that's called briquette, and it's a specialty of Yuanliu City."

Seeing the thoughtful expressions of the two, Third Uncle Lu frowned, with a touch of self-confidence: "Isn't it just briquettes? Don't you two have a fire at home to keep warm? What's so strange?"

Boss Tao shook his head slowly: "Mr. Lu doesn't know something. Winter consumes the most firewood. An ordinary person's family consumes a large bundle of firewood a day. A cart like that will be used up in a few days."

"But the same truckload of briquettes is enough for a family to live for a month."

"I have sent people to inquire that a few catties of briquettes are only sold for a copper coin. If you save a little, a family can save half of the firewood money every month. Moreover, this thing does not take up space, it is easy to store, and it is not easy to be damp. There is even a firewood room for piles of firewood. can be saved.”

Uncle Lu and Boss Mi were shocked at the same time. They are both businessmen. Although the unit price of firewood is not expensive, it is definitely a huge expense to consume it for many years.As soon as this thing comes out, the other briquettes and charcoal have to stand aside.

Boss Tao smiled: "My own pottery kiln burns a lot of charcoal every day when I open the kiln, so I am more concerned about the cost of fuel."

"According to what you say, this thing can replace all civilian fuels?" Boss Mi clicked his tongue, "This business is indeed big, but if the price is lowered to half, I'm afraid it's not even enough to pay the buddy's salary. "

None of the three could understand the concept of the efficiency of semi-mechanized centralized production.

Third Uncle Lu could only barely guess, "Maybe they are all slaves, and they don't cost a few copper coins."

Lu Xin half-understood.

The three of them walked and chatted. When passing by the food street, Lu Xin was attracted by the honey painting sweets on the street.

I saw a craftsman pouring honey on a heated drawing board, drawing it into various shapes, shoveling off a thin layer, and letting it sit for a while, it solidified into a beautiful picture of honey painting.

Lu Xin took a small bite, and the sweet but not greasy honey melted in his mouth, much more delicious than caramel.

Seeing that he liked it, Third Uncle Lu bought a small jar of honey, and asked casually, "Shopkeeper, what kind of candy is this?"

The craftsman happily accepted the copper coins: "This is not sugar, but honey."

Boss Mi laughed: "My father-in-law knows how to keep bees?"

The craftsman waved his hand: "It's not me. I have a farm in the city that specializes in raising bees. Unfortunately, it's too cold this season and there will be no production. You came at a bad time. But honey can be stored for a long time without spoiling. If you like it, you can make more bees." Buy a few cans and go back."

A few people chatted with the craftsman for a few words, only to know that there is a large-scale farm on the outskirts of Yuanliu City, which raises everything from chickens, ducks, fish and pigs to crabs, shrimps, cattle and sheep, and even raises earthworms. field.

With this farm, the residents around Yuanliu City no longer raise free-range poultry - because it is much cheaper to buy from the market, and even poor people can eat at least one or two meals of meat a week.

Several people were taken aback. What is the concept of eating meat twice a week?In Beiji City and Nanji City, an ordinary family may not be able to eat one meal a week, and often only eat more meat during festivals.

In Yuanliu City, a notoriously poor and remote place, it would be nice to have a stutter in winter, how can there be such a luxury?

The three of them frowned and looked at each other in disbelief.With a skeptical attitude, several people walked towards the sales fair together.

At the entrance is the agricultural trade area, with a large number of green and tender fruits and vegetables, full-grained rice and wheat, and potatoes piled up into hills. In the exhibition area, there are even cooks who set up iron racks, turn on the stove, and roast the whole lamb on the spot.

On the contrary, the ore that was often sold cheaply in the past disappeared.

After a while, Lu Xin saw someone selling paper lanterns. The bright red lanterns were painted with patterns. He bought two in a row, and carried one for Uncle Third and one for himself. The candlelight shone warmly on his face.

Uncle Lu held the lantern and looked left and right: "What material is this lampshade made of? Leather is not like leather, cloth is not like cloth, it is light and transparent, and it can also write."

Boss Mi ran over out of breath, holding a few books in his hand, with a look of disbelief on his face: "Look quickly, this book, this paper, guess how much this book is?"

"The book..."Postpartum Care of Sows"?" Uncle Lu took it over and flipped through it for a while, and the more he looked at it, the more surprised he became. No matter how cheap it is, at least a few silver coins are needed, right?"

Boss Mi's face turned red, and he stretched out ten fingers.

"Ten silver coins?"

Boss Mi couldn't help but let out a low growl, and rant like a machine gun:

"Copper coins! Ten copper coins! A book only costs ten copper coins. My God, what is going on in Yuanliu City! There are so many good things, and they are all so cheap! Will the people here know how to do it?" Business!"

Now, even the ignorant young master Lu was dumbfounded. The whole Lu's business can only be used for him and a few brothers to study, because books, paper, pen and ink are too expensive, and books have to be borrowed from each other. Can't buy two copies, it's too wasteful.

Uncle Lu shivered, ignoring the sense of absurdity in his heart: "Young master, let's go and buy all the books in the store!"

It's only ten copper coins, so it's a big profit!

"Don't buy books, just look over there!" Boss Tao pointed to the exhibition area in the center of the market. There were crowds of people moving about, many of them were familiar businesses, and the noise was like a torrent, wave after wave.

The keen intuitions the three of them had developed over the years in business told them that there must be real good things out there!

After a few people struggled to squeeze into the crowd, they were instantly dazzled by the dazzling array of goods——

In the bright candlelight, booths of different heights were filled with all kinds of crystal glass wine vessels, blue and white porcelain vases as moist as suet jade, cold cross swords, delicate and soft handmade blankets...

Third Uncle Lu traveled all over the major cities in the Northland, even in Pearl City, he had never seen such a pure and clear glass.

Boss Tao's eyes almost popped out of their sockets!

His family has been running pottery kilns for generations. He covets the exquisite porcelain from the Great Xia Kingdom in the East, but he has never fired it successfully. What's more, the white porcelain in front of him is as beautiful as ice and snow, elegant and immortal, not to mention knowledgeable. Haven't even heard of it!

Boss Tao’s shock was far from over. After displaying the white porcelain, the assistant brought out several colorful porcelains one after another, instantly pushing the atmosphere of the audience to a climax!

The underglaze color baked at high temperature, the flowers, birds, fish and insects are lifelike, completely covered by a layer of light and transparent glaze, the colors are bright and colorful, and the merchants are fascinated by seeing them.

"I bought it!" I don't know a merchant who couldn't hold his breath and yelled.

"Me! I came first!"

"I have money! I want whatever price you ask!"

As if waking up from a dream, everyone bid loudly one after another. The calls and exclamations came one after another, intertwined into a network, and a trade fair turned into an auction.

Uncle Lu and the others were squeezed in the middle by enthusiastic businessmen, kneading them like dough.

At this moment, they were shocked over and over again, their minds were in chaos, and their eyes were red with excitement.

They have completely forgotten the original intention of selling goods in Yuanliu City, and their minds are full of "good things!", "Baby!", "Buy it and you will make money!" Be preempted!"

The poor and thin young master Lu Xin was squeezed to the outside by the crowd. He could only look in with his feet on his feet. He couldn't see anything except the dark back of his head.

He didn't understand at all why Third Uncle Lu kept talking about "Little Tucheng" and "ignorance" during the day, but now he is like a bumpkin who came to the city for the first time, raring about everything and wanting to buy everything.

Young Master Lu was holding a pot of honey and a small bamboo stick in his hand. He didn't want to eat too much, so he just dipped a little bit in his mouth and tasted it carefully. The sweet taste lingered on the tip of his tongue. He squinted his eyes contentedly. It was so delicious!

Just as he was bored waiting to eat honey on the side of the street, the crowd behind him suddenly burst into cheers, Lu Xin blinked curiously, turned around——

I saw the pedestrians on both sides of the street separated to the two sides like a tide. People's faces were filled with sincere joy and excitement, and their mouths kept overflowing with shouts, which Lu Xin couldn't hear clearly for a while.

Until the crowd on the inside fell to their knees like wind blowing over wheat waves, Lu Xin stood on tiptoe and finally saw two figures, one black and one gold and one silver and white. They were surrounded by the crowd and came slowly side by side.