sjar Chapter 107 Youth Has No Price, Colleague Cuts Price Slightly
Chapter 107 Youth Has No Price, Colleague Cuts Price Slightly
After finally finishing their work, the group of people were exhausted, massaging their shoulders and hands.
I used to sell 3 or 4 taels a day, but today I counted and the turnover is almost 10 taels!
After deducting costs, you can earn about 7 taels.
Seeing that Gao Mengli and Lin Xi finally had some free time, Dou Weiyi quickly led the fat constable in.
"Lin Xi, Gao Mengli, I've come to get some rough tissues today!"
Upon hearing this, Lin Xi couldn't help but ask curiously, "Lord Dou, can the public restroom be used for finishing up?"
Dou Weiyi nodded smugly, "That's right! However, based on the inspiration from your house's outhouse renovation, I also built another independent 3+3 cubicle public toilet next to the public toilet, with a water tank and flushing function!"
He's willing to charge five coins per transaction! He's overjoyed!
Lin Xi and Gao Mengli both looked surprised upon hearing this.
Gao Mengli couldn't help but glance at Dou Weiyi a few more times. "Do you want wealthy people to have to use the outhouse when they're out?"
But as far as she knew, most families in Pingyao County were below the middle-class level.
There were no gold and silver jewelry stores or grand restaurants in the county town, so there were no wealthy or powerful families in this county.
Dou Weiyi smiled and nodded, "Yes, our county is a bit poor, and there really aren't any wealthy families! But who knows what will happen in the future!"
He's taking precautions and improving the infrastructure first! With these two around, they'll definitely attract more people sooner or later!
After all, if pork stalls sell well, pig farmers will raise more pigs, which will lead to a greater consumption of rice bran, vegetables, and wild greens.
Where do these come from?! Besides growing them ourselves, if we don't have enough, we buy them from the villagers!
Now that the villagers have money, they come to the county town to buy their daily necessities, including firewood, rice, oil, salt, meat, cloth, and vegetables!
Commerce became more developed, and small vendors could make money. As they made money, commercial taxes increased along with the accumulation of wealth!
Gao Mengli and Lin Xi consumed the same amount of white flour.
Pingyao County is located in a mountainous area with inconvenient transportation. All grains, including wheat, sorghum, and rice, are obtained from local people.
When people have money and live well, it can boost commerce.
I heard that Gao Mengli and Lin Xi have boosted vegetable cultivation in their village; they grow whatever vegetables are needed!
Therefore, commerce can also drive the development of agriculture!
Isn't this a win-win situation?
Pingyao County will develop sooner or later, and when the people's living standards improve, it might even attract other big merchants to open shops here!
When that time comes, with more wealthy people strolling around the streets, there will be a demand for latrines!
This perfectly solves their needs and allows them to earn some copper coins at the same time!
Gao Mengli and Lin Xi exchanged a glance, seeing confusion in each other's eyes.
I really don't understand what Dou Weiyi was thinking at that moment.
Because Dou Weiyi's gaze was wandering far away, and she was laughing loudly with her mouth open.
His hands were rubbing together excitedly, and suspicious water droplets were dripping from the corners of his mouth.
Gao Mengli stretched out her hand, waved in front of Dou Weiyi, and called out several times, "My lord? My lord?! Lord Dou—"
Dou Wei jolted awake, snapping out of her daze. She quickly focused her gaze and wiped the suspicious water stains from the corner of her mouth with her sleeve. "Hehe, what are you guys saying?!"
Lin Xi curled her lip. "Now that the public toilets are built, we need to maintain their hygiene and prevent people from defecating everywhere. Otherwise, this western part of the city, along with other districts, will be filled with a stench."
Although Dou Weiyi has been keeping a close eye on things lately, things have improved considerably.
However, some dead-end alleys are still littered with excrement. They can't be like India, where there's excrement everywhere and people stubbornly refuse to change their ways.
After all, once a habit is formed, it's very difficult to correct it if you attach a belief to it.
Dou Weiyi frowned, her face serious: "That's true, those dead-end alleys are really troublesome... and my father, Miss Tooth, has gone to the prefectural city, so we don't have enough manpower..."
He only had two cunning old dogs suitable for managing this kind of situation: Qian Yan'er and Miss Tooth's father.
We have the force to fight, and we have the underhanded tactics to employ.
Unfortunately, both of them are currently busy with "serious business" and cannot spare the time.
Seeing Dou Weiyi's troubled expression, Gao Mengli understood his predicament.
Just then, Gao Mengli spotted a figure sitting by the curb. Her eyes lit up, and she excitedly pointed at him, saying to Dou Weiyi, "I think you've found a helper!"
Dou Weiyi followed the direction Gao Mengli pointed and saw the man sitting on the curb.
A man with one hand reaching into his shirt to scratch an itch, while the other hand was picking his nose.
Dou Weiyi frowned even more. "Zhang Biao? Can he handle it? That guy idles around all day and doesn't seem reliable at all."
Every time he came, he saw Zhang Biao either eating or showing off his food.
And judging from his slovenly appearance, he's probably contributed to all the excrement and piss in that dead-end alley.
Lin Xi chuckled when she saw Zhang Biao, and seeing Dou Weiyi's furrowed brows, she kindly explained, "Lord Dou, Mengli means that the problem of those dead-end alleys should be solved by someone familiar with 'poop and pee'."
Zhang Biao spends all day wandering the streets and alleys, and he knows those nooks and crannies very well.
And don't let his appearance fool you, Zhang Biao is actually quite formidable! He can't even beat Qian Yan'er!"
Qian Yan'er, who was washing dishes, was inexplicably shot. She looked up in shock, pouting and accusing Lin Xi.
Boss, what happened to our promise of being a loving family? How could you undermine Dou Weiyi like this?!
Seeing Qian Yan'er's expression, Lin Xi almost laughed herself to death!
Upon hearing this, Dou Weiyi turned to look at Qian Yan'er's expression and knew that Lin Xi was telling the truth!
His eyes lit up. "Even Qian Yan'er can't beat him?!"
Dou Weiyi quickly led the fat constable to Zhang Biao and said, "Zhang Biao, are you interested in joining the Pingyao Guard Team? We'll be in charge of managing the sanitation in the county town. You'll get 800 cash a month, and you'll eat the same food as the yamen staff."
The fat constable next to him: "??????"
The fat constable looked aggrieved and kept glancing at Dou Weiyi.
Sir, I've been working for two years now. Could you please raise my salary from 700 coins?
Will Dou Weiyi be able to see this problem, given his calm and unchanging nature?
Unfortunately, Dou Weiyi is really busy right now!
He just kept staring at Zhang Biao, waiting for his answer.
Zhang Biao picked his nose, glanced at Dou Weiyi, flicked his nose, and grinned, "Sir, I can take this job! But breakfast has to be at a snack stall or eatery!!"
Dou Weiyi raised an eyebrow. "A snack stall? You've got a good eye for things."
Okay, as long as you handle the sanitation issues in the county town well, especially those dead-end alleys where no one lives, it's fine to eat breakfast at food stalls.
However, let me make this clear from the start: if the management is poor, I will replace the person!
Zhang Biao wiped his hands on his clothes. "Don't worry about that. If anyone pulls on me, I'll sew their skin back on so they won't do it again!"
Dou Weiyi was overjoyed, her eyes lighting up. She hadn't expected him to be such a ruthless person!
He readily nodded in agreement: "Okay!"
Fat Constable: "???"
Sir, may I also eat breakfast from a street food stall?
The fat constable looked constipated, which amused Zhang Biao, who was standing next to him.
He circled around the fat constable triumphantly, patted his round belly, and grinned smugly!
The way he was showing off was so obvious!
Who would have thought that Zhang Biao would one day brag about his wages!
"哐~"
With a crisp sound of a sword being drawn, the fat constable, his face contorted in anger, gritted his teeth, raised his sword, and roared, "I—will—cut—you—down—by—myself!"
Upon seeing this, Zhang Biao was so frightened that he jumped three feet high.
Zhang Biao, with a sly look on his face, made faces and teased the fat constable as he chased him down the street to chop people up, "Hehehe, fat guy, come on, come on!"
The fat constable was so angry that he was fuming, cursing incessantly, "You rotten bastard with sores on your head and pus oozing from your feet."
Like a chamber pot with a hole in it, it not only stinks but also has no proper form. You stop right there!
The fat constable chased after Zhang Biao, brandishing a knife, and hacked at him in the street.
Youth has no price; my colleague just gave me a small discount!
Dou Weiyi watched the two run further and further away, and the corner of his mouth twitched. It seemed like none of his subordinates were normal...
His eyes were full of disdain. He shook his head and turned back to the snack stall.
When Lin Xi saw Dou Weiyi return, she couldn't help but ask curiously, "Hey, Lord Dou, have you finished dealing with this?"
Dou Weiyi nodded. "By the way, where's the rough paper? Give me three cuts."
Upon hearing this, Gao Mengli quickly brought out the rough paper and handed it to Dou Weiyi, "Three cuts, 210 coins."
Rough paper cannot be mass-produced yet, mainly because it uses a lot of tree bark.
Right now, they only buy shrub bark in the village for one cent for two kilograms.
After all, the demand for firewood in this era was very high.
If we don't want to cause unnecessary soil erosion by mass-producing rough paper, then it would be a losing proposition.
After all, the villages are all nestled against mountains and beside water.
Moreover, this area has no flat land for more than three miles and receives a lot of rainfall.
If a landslide occurs tonight and buries them all, then it won't be beautiful.
Dou Weiyi excitedly took the rough tissue, picked up one and examined it over and over, clicking his tongue in amazement.
"This rough paper can be made so soft!"
He's learned a lot today!
Lin Xi leaned closer, her face beaming with pride, "That's right!"
This was made by my daughter Mengli herself, and she even improved upon it!
You don't even need to knead it in your palms to soften it before using it!
Dou Weiyi glanced at it and chuckled, "However, I need you to mass-produce this thing. If it works well, I want to make it widely available."
At this point, a glint appeared in Dou Weiyi's eyes!
These rough toilet paper towels are used in public toilets. People come in and are charged one coin per use, and a sheet of toilet paper is given to them for free!
The rough paper towel in front of him could be cut into 6 small sheets! That is to say, he could charge 6 coins for each sheet of rough paper!
After deducting the cost of buying paper, there's also the wages for the person who cleans and maintains the public toilet, so he can still make a profit!
A smile on my face, and a heart full of joy inside!
Seeing Dou Weiyi's delighted expression, Gao Mengli couldn't help but frown and pour cold water on him!
"Lord Dou, this public toilet is now in the promotion phase after its construction. Aren't you worried that no one will use it?!"
Dou Weiyi waved her hand, her face full of confidence, "What's so difficult about that?!"
I've assigned Zhang Biao to patrol regularly. If he catches anyone littering, he'll fine them 2 coins for small-time offenders and 3 coins for large-time offenders!
Compared to public toilets which only cost one cent and even come with free tissues, this is an absolute steal!
Lin Xi and Gao Mengli exchanged a glance after hearing Dou Weiyi's remarks.
Dou Weiyi, as expected of a local official, has quite a flexible mind!
Dou Weiyi chuckled as she touched the rough paper in her arms, eagerly looking at Lin Xi and Gao Mengli. "Oh right! I'm off now!"
I need to take it back and cut it right away so the public toilet can be put into use today!
After saying that, he grabbed the tissues and ran away as fast as he could!
Lin Xi frowned and pursed her lips, "Mengli, Dou Weiyi's decision to have us mass-produce rough paper, I'm afraid..."
It's very difficult.
This era is unaware of soil erosion, but he and Mengli are aware of it...
After all, in the late Qing Dynasty, everything was barren, and there was not a trace of green in Qixia.
In this fictional ancient world that does not belong to any historical dynasty, the first year was marked by a drought and a reduced harvest, leaving the foothills of Wangyue Village barren from the villagers' eating.
He was still a little worried if these tissues were mass-produced, fearing that one day they might be buried by mudslides and landslides while he was sleeping!
After all, trees and shrubs don't grow well in just one or two years.
Otherwise, later generations would not have had the "returning farmland to forest" policy, which allowed the mountains to recover and flourish for decades before the green forests were restored.
Natural disasters cannot be avoided, but man-made disasters can!
The problem needs to be solved at its root.
Gao Mengli frowned and rubbed her chin. "I've also considered this issue, so the bark of the shrubs cannot come solely from our village."
We can order a "safe amount" of timber from other villages each year that will not damage the ecosystem, thus preventing excessive logging.
When we get back today, we'll study how to make paper from bamboo!
That thing grows faster!
Lin Xi looked at Gao Mengli with sparkling eyes. She truly deserved to be his "best friend"!
That's a brilliant idea!
He patted Gao Mengli on the shoulder excitedly and joked, "Mengli! How could I live without you!"
Gao Mengli feigned disgust and shook off Lin Xi's hand, saying, "Stop it, that's cheesy."
Jiang was sweeping the floor in the backyard, her eyes glancing at the two of them from time to time, a motherly smile on her lips!
These two have such a great relationship!
My eyes were fixed on the front yard, and my hands kept moving, increasing the intensity of my sweeping, but I found that I couldn't sweep it up.
With two more sweeps, Jiang frowned. "What's so hard to sweep?"
Looking down, I saw Qian Yan sitting on a small stool washing dishes, her face dark with grime, and the broom was still being vigorously swept around beside her...
"Ah, Yan'er, please don't be offended! I'll remove the broom right away!"
Just then, Lin Xi's voice came from the front yard, "Mom, pack up, we're going back to the village."
Jiang looked up and replied, "Yes, good!"
She lowered her head, her face full of apology. "Yan'er, it's all my fault! Look at your face, it's all covered in grime. Quickly wipe it off."
Qian Yan'er pouted, "Auntie, it's alright, you should go back now."
To think that Qian Yan'er, one of the five great villains of Wuhu Mountain, could actually be kind one day is astounding!
Jiang bent down apologetically, patted Qian Yan'er, put the broom back in the corner, and hurriedly ran out.
Fatty waved to Qian Yan'er, then followed the Lin family back to the village!
As they passed the open space at the city gate, Lin Xi and Gao Mengli saw a group of students from Beicheng Academy practicing archery and horsemanship.
There were three horses in total, and the foal stood out the most.
Because every student lining up to ride it was holding a carrot...