Chapter 561 Chinese New Year

After leaving the Nancheng Gate and walking along the official road for about 30 miles, you will find the Jingcheng Toll Station.

In the past, this was a wasteland and forest, and there were only birds and no people.

Since the cement road was completed and the toll station and rest station were built, this place has become more and more lively.

Around the toll station and on both sides of the official road, tea houses, restaurants, inns, grocery stores have been built one after another...

There is a large flow of people to and from the capital. When many people arrived at the toll station in the capital, it was already dark and it was too late to enter the capital.

It's better to find an inn near the toll station to rest for a night, wash off all the dust, and go to the capital clean.

There are also those who go out of the city to visit relatives and friends, and walk to the toll booth, just in time to eat and rest.

After all, this dilapidated place that used to be unpopulated seems to have a tendency to develop towards the market.

Youfu Inn is located here, less than 100 meters away from the toll station.

Under the kitchen in the backyard, five large coal stoves are burning vigorously.

Today, the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth lunar month, the inn is still full of people.

We supply hot water, provide meals, and cook five large coal stoves. Since the day I bought it, I have never stopped.

His coal stove is expensive.

A coal stove requires at least twenty honeycomb briquettes a day.

Five coal stoves, one hundred briquettes a day. Sometimes there are so many people using hot water that a hundred coal stoves are not enough.

Of course, his honeycomb briquette is in great demand, and the price can be cheaper than 50 yuan and 100 briquettes outside.

But even so, after a month, it will cost nearly two taels of silver just for the honeycomb.

The owner of the Fortune Inn used an abacus to settle accounts.

It used to be firewood.

The five earthen stoves, according to the current passenger flow, burn one or two load of firewood a day.

A load of firewood is about 100 jin.

The weather is cold this year, and the price of firewood has risen.

From 20 to 30 yuan per dan.

After all, it seems that burning firewood can save money.

However, a coal stove does not require anyone to watch the fire.

To burn firewood, you have to add two firewood girls and a firewood chopper.

For three people, a month's wages would have to be four or five hundred yuan. Have to include two meals.

In this way, it is still cost-effective to burn coal stoves.

The owner of Lucky Inn finished the accounts and made up his mind to burn coal stoves in the future.

He told the shopkeeper, "The two girls in the kitchen who burn the fire, don't let them come after the new year. From now on, the inn will burn coal stoves."

The shopkeeper took the order and asked again, "Do you want to stay with the guy who chops wood?"

"The business of the inn is good. Didn't you say that there is a lack of a handyman. Let that guy be a handyman."

The shopkeeper nodded, it was a pity for those two girls who set fire to it.

The owner of the inn is not a pity at all.

The two fire-fighting girls left the inn, and they could find better errands in a blink of an eye.

Now in the city, more precisely in Xinmin County, there are job openings every day. Also recruit female workers.

Such as textile workshops.

I heard that there are female workers who have passed the first-class craftsman exam and can earn eight or nine hundred yuan a month.

"Hey! If my daughter can also take the exam as a craftsman, she doesn't need to be too high. If she takes the exam as a second-level craftsman, wouldn't she be able to earn a tael of silver a month."

The shopkeeper listened and laughed, "Is the owner willing to let the girl work as a craftsman?"

The owner of the inn shook his head, "Reluctant."

It is too hard for women to work as craftsmen.

Craftsmen, men still have to do it.

The owner of the inn has a son who is studying.

"If my child can't read it, I will ask him to learn to be a craftsman from others. I heard that a craftsman who can read and write can get 2 taels of silver a month as long as he is admitted to the second level. It is better than anything else."

The shopkeeper shook his head, "Now the world is different from before. Who would have thought that those refugees could build a county. Last time I went there, the houses were neatly repaired, not to mention how beautiful."

The owner of the inn patted the shopkeeper on the shoulder, "Work hard, you can also buy a two-story building in Xinmin County."

"Can't afford it, can't afford it."

In the second phase of the project, the cheapest suite costs one hundred and twenty taels.

Based on his income, I don't know when and how much money he praised.

The owner said, "You can take a loan."

The shopkeeper smiled wryly, the loan is easy to repay and difficult to repay.

The whole family depended on him for food and drink.

Moreover, if one day the boss dismisses him, he is already a lot of age, where can he find work.

If there is no work, where can there be money to repay loans.

The owner shook his head, "You are just being too cautious. The house, when that day comes, it's a big deal that it won't be sold. You can make a few dozen taels if you change it. I heard that the price of the house over there has been increasing. Start, you will regret it in the future."

When the shopkeeper heard this, he hurriedly asked, "Is the price of houses in Xinmin County really going up?"

"Of course. Such a good house is rare for so many people. Can you expect it to never increase in price? But if you go to buy it, you can go directly to the sales office, and the price is fair."

The owner of the inn kindly persuaded me.

The shopkeeper was a little anxious, "Master, I want to take a day off and go to Xinmin County to see."

"Okay! Twenty-eight tomorrow, are you going?"

"is it okay?"

"Of course. I'll give you three days off, and you can come back on the first day of the new year."

"Thank you boss."

"polite!"

...

The twelfth lunar month in Beijing this year is more lively than in previous years.

Everyone had a happy New Year's Eve on their faces.

Even the poorest people in previous years can buy 2 catties of pork for the Chinese New Year this year.

In previous years, it was said that the end of the year was sad.

As soon as the Chinese New Year comes, those who want debts come to smash, smash, and rob every day.

Fewer people are in debt this year.

Many households do not need creditors to collect debts and clear their debts a few days in advance.

In previous years, during the Chinese New Year, young and old in the family hoped that the head of the family could get some money, cut some meat, and be able to pull two feet of cloth.

Whenever this time, when the family is full of sorrow. Brows furrowed, not stretched.

This year, there will be not only meat to eat, but also sugar cakes and new clothes to wear. Maybe you can get two cents of New Year money on the first day of the new year.

This year can be regarded as the best year in the family's memory.

New Year's Eve, every family eats New Year's Eve dinner.

The fragrant fat meat, the mouth is full of oil, and the children are all smiling.

The adults are sighing, "It's a good day."

"Yeah! This year is a bit stronger than last year, and I saved a couple of points."

"Next year, we will work harder to get our family to take out a loan to buy a house."

The whole family laughed.

The smile is sincere and shining, which is the expectation and yearning for a better day in the future.

"Go to the temple fair tomorrow and burn incense sticks for the owner of the four seas. Bless the east family of the four seas with a hundred years of life. Such good days will come every year."

"That's how it should be."

"Every family in our square city is not smeared by the cosmopolitan business houses. Opposite the old Zhao family, three sons and three daughters-in-law all work in Xinmin County. This year, the family has saved a suite. "

"They have a large family, and we can't match it."

"Head of the family, I will also go to Xinmin County to find work next year. The two of us are saving money together, and we can't believe that we can't save the down payment for a house."

Similar conversations are taking place in every corner of the capital.

Businesses from all over the world, moisturizing things silently, from clothing, food, housing and transportation, quietly changing the lives of ordinary people in the capital.

Gu Jiu, the owner of the cosmopolitan commercial firm in the mouth of Xiaomin, will be having a palace banquet in the palace.

This year, the third prince brought his bride, Cui Shi, into the palace to give the Queen Mother, all the empresses to pay New Year's greetings.

The three princes worked hard for two years and finally won the love of Empress Dowager Xiao. She loves Wu and Wu, and Empress Dowager Xiao also likes Cui very much.

In front of everyone, Empress Dowager Xiao gave Cui a heavy gift.

Huyang County Lord cheerfully said, "The mother is so kind to the third daughter-in-law, I can't keep up."

Empress Dowager Xiao smiled and said, "If you are as capable as Mrs. Cui, you can choose whatever is in the Aijia's warehouse."

"The queen mother just thinks that I am not competent enough." The county master of Huyang acted like a spoiled child and wanted to order some good things from the queen mother Xiao.

Who told her to spend a lot of money, raise a little wolf dog, and have a son and a daughter to worry about, so she can only try to get money.

Empress Dowager Xiao deliberately said with a straight face, "You, the boss is not young, and you still think about Aijia's things all day long. It's okay, it's okay, Aijia allows you to choose the same thing."

"Thank you mother." Princess Huyang looked surprised.

The mother still loves her.

"Why are you so happy?"

Emperor Wende brought the harem concubines to greet the Queen Mother Xiao.

The Huyang County Lord smiled, "The queen mother allows me to go to the storeroom to choose a gift. Brother Huang has something to reward me, and it's a happy New Year's Eve."

Emperor Wende laughed, "If you are rich this year, I will not reward you."

"If I have money, it's mine, and the reward from the emperor is another matter. The emperor should also be more generous. If he doesn't give me a title, he will give me something good to make me look good."

The originally lively hall suddenly became quiet because of a title.

Gu Jiu thought to himself, the Huyang County Lord is really full of resentment towards the title.

The Empress Dowager Xiao angrily scolded Hu Yang, "If you are a New Year's Eve, keep your mouth shut if you can't speak. Hurry up and apologize to your imperial brother."

The Huyang County Master pouted, not happy.

Emperor Wende laughed, "Huyang has complaints against me?"

The county master of Huyang looked aggrieved, "I don't dare to complain, I just want a reward."

Empress Pei pursed her lips and smiled, "Look at her, she is not young, but she is begging for New Year's money like a child. It is said that the eldest brother is the father, and Your Majesty might as well satisfy Huyang, and make everyone happy."

The Empress Dowager Xiao also said: "Huyang has never grown up, the children are about to get married, and there is no right way all day long. Be careful of your imperial brother beating you."

The head of Huyang County said aggrieved: "Brother Huang didn't beat me too much. When I was in the palace, I often listened to Brother Huang's teachings, and my ears were almost calloused."

Emperor Wende laughed when he heard the words, "I have good intentions to teach you, but you blame me. If I knew this, I shouldn't have blamed you in the first place. Let the father and emperor clean up you and take your title. If you demote you as an idle clan, you will be honest."

The Huyang County Lord's face turned pale.

Empress Dowager Xiao couldn't bear it anymore, and said hurriedly, "Don't scare her, Your Majesty. Look at her pale face, it doesn't look like a new year."

Emperor Wende said eloquently: "Don't make a fuss about her, this year will naturally be lively and lively."

The Huyang County Lord lowered his head and secretly said, "Bengong never makes a fuss."