Baozi Xishi's Struggle

After resting for about an hour, the driver pulled the well-fed big blue mule over and harnessed it to the cart. He cracked his whip in the air, making a loud noise, and continued on his way.

There was nothing much to see on the road, except for large fields and the villages we passed by. Because it hadn't rained for a long time, the car raised a lot of dust when it passed by.

The car bumped along the way westward, and just when Shen Yu felt he was about to fall apart, it finally arrived at the Qu Family Old Store in Ershilipu.

This inn is indeed an old inn. The house is large, but the storefront is not very big, and the paint-peeled signboard reveals the marks of time.

In front is the hall where waiters are waiting. There are tables and chairs in the hall, serving tea and meals, and allowing guests to rest.

Passing through the hall, there is a large courtyard with a gate on the side where carriages and horses can be driven in and parked. On one side of the courtyard is a row of stables where guests' mules and horses can be tied up and fodder is provided.

Led by the waiter, Shen Yu and his family went to the guest rooms on the other side of the yard.

They asked for a second-class room. The room was not big, but fortunately it was clean. The waiter was attentive and brought them hot water. After asking if they did not want tea or food, he left.

They had never sat in a carriage for so long before. After a day, they felt like their bones were about to break and their whole bodies ached, but they couldn't tell where it hurt. They quickly washed up, turned off the lights, and went to sleep.

The next morning, everyone ordered a bowl of vegetarian noodles. Shen Yu felt that the taste was just average, but the Li family members ate it with relish, probably because they had a good sleep and their appetites had recovered.

After eating the noodles and paying the bill, the driver came over with his mule cart.

After getting in the car, Shen Yu and the others felt much better after a night's rest. They lifted the car curtains and looked out along the way.

Perhaps because we were getting closer to the county town, the road became much busier. Some were driving carts, some were walking, and we even saw a camel caravan.

Yu Tao and Yu Cheng had never seen anything like this before. They opened their mouths in excitement, leaned against the car windows and stretched their necks, shouting in a low voice, "Mom, big sister, look, look."

Although Li had never seen it before, she managed to pretend that she didn't care and scolded the brother and sister in a low voice: "What a shame! Sit down quickly, or you won't be able to see anything if you get shaken off." As she spoke, she couldn't help but glance out the window a few times.

Shen Yu really didn't care, it was just a camel, but she carefully observed the camel drivers. They had deep noses and high eyes, and their clothing was very different from that of the locals. They were indeed outsiders from the far north. It seemed that there were quite a lot of people traveling between the north and the south in this county.

Having more people is a good thing. With more people, more people will eat and more restaurants can be opened.

What should I sell at the beginning?

Noodle soup, steamed buns, or roujiamo?

While thinking about these things, we arrived at Anping County.

From a distance, you can see the tall city wall. This is the north gate of the county town. The gate is very wide and there are soldiers guarding in front of the gate. They don't check the people coming and going, but when a caravan passes by and there are too many carriages and horses, they come over to maintain order.

The city gate was bustling with people, including ordinary people in short clothes, and wealthy young men riding tall horses and wearing silk shirts. There were even more caravans and merchants, making it very lively.

There were small vendors in the open space outside the city gate. Shen Yu glanced over and vaguely saw grocery stalls selling sundry items, food stalls selling steaming food, and fruit stalls displaying colorful fruits.

The coachman Liu Laosi was used to taking this route and seemed to be very familiar with the soldiers guarding the gate. He greeted them loudly while sitting on the shaft of the coach, then drove his coach behind a convoy and slowly entered the city gate.

The doorway was very deep. Once you entered it, it was dark in front of you. It took a long time before you could see the light again as you followed the convoy and slowly squeezed out of the city gate.

The caravan turned left after leaving the city gate, and Liu Laosi followed suit. He turned to Shen Yu and said, "Girl, the market is to the east of the county town. There used to be a large open space over there. After the border was opened to trade, caravans from the north would always go to the open space over there to let the camel caravans rest after entering the city. Gradually, caravans from the south also went there, and when they found a suitable price, they would trade directly there."

Later, the government simply fenced off the empty land, built rows of sheds, and built some houses around it. The old shop with good vision opened a branch there, and it became a fixed market in the county. There was everything there, and people in the county loved to go there if they needed anything. They could find everything they wanted. "

"That place was originally inhabited by poor people, and the rich nobles all lived in the west. They usually didn't come here before, but now that the market has started, the nobles often send people to come here to buy." |

Liu Laosi spoke very clearly, as if he was familiar with the county town. Shen Yu listened carefully and asked questions such as: This market is managed by the government. Do the caravans have to pay some fees to buy and sell goods? How many days do the caravans usually rest here? After they rest, do they continue to travel by land or by water?

When Liu Laosi heard this, he became very excited. Normally, he was always busy helping people transport goods or carry passengers, and they just treated him as a driver. But when a pretty young girl looked at him with a curious look and asked him for advice, he must feel a sense of accomplishment.

Liu Laosi chattered all the way, answering every question, which gave Shen Yu a general idea of ​​the market.

The government did not manage this vacant land at first. It was just an idle depression. Due to its low terrain, people were unwilling to build houses here, and the grass grew taller than people.

Later, caravans from the north took a fancy to this grassland, as it was very convenient for camels to graze and rest. However, when they rested here, the place became filthy, and it was even more stinky in summer. When they rested and left, the surrounding residents complained.

This border trade is something that the current emperor strongly supports. The government is also polite to the caravans coming from the northern border. The surrounding people always clean up the filth they leave behind after they leave, and they drive away the caravans from time to time. These northerners are used to being flattered wherever they go, and they can't stand this, so they report it to the county government. The county government is often quarreled over these things.

The county magistrate, who was annoyed by the noise, came up with a solution. He fenced off the open space, leveled the ground, built a wooden shed, and sent special people to take turns to clean, provide clean water, and maintain order. When a caravan came, he would charge a small amount of money according to the number of people. A caravan of camels could rest here for a night for only a hundred or so coins. If they needed to stay longer, they could also buy fodder for the merchants and send it here, and then they would just pay them some errand money. "

Outside the south gate of the county town is the canal, with a pier for docking. The canal starts from Jiangzhou Prefecture in the south, turns west here and goes all the way to the capital.

If the caravans coming from the northern border wanted to sell their goods to the capital, they could either take the official road here and turn west to the capital, or load the goods onto a ship and take the water route to the capital.

The official land route is closer, but it has to pass through the mountains, the road is difficult to travel on, and the travel expenses are higher.

The water route is more than twice as long as it has to go around the mountainous area, but the boat ride is stable and comfortable, and costs much less money.

In the past, when there was no trade on the border, the county town was not very lively and there were not so many people. Now it is much more lively and there are more people doing business. It is said that the nobles of Ji'an Prefecture sometimes send people here to buy popular clothes and jewelry.

Shen Yu was listening intently when Liu Laosi suddenly stopped the mule cart in front of an inn.