pjbooks Chapter 241 Pedestrian Street
Chapter 241 Pedestrian Street
"Really!?" Xu Yan exclaimed in surprise. Putting aside whether it tastes good or not, the fact that it's free is enough to make most people want to learn. Besides, nothing Song Jiaojiao makes is bad.
Take barbecue for example. I've hunted and grilled game before, even though I used to live a rough life and spend the night outdoors. But no matter how I cook it, it's never as good as the barbecue at Song Jiaojiao's food stall.
"That's natural. But with more stalls, hygiene becomes a problem. So each town needs to build a pedestrian street for vendors to set up their stalls."
Song Jiaojiao understands the importance of hygiene, especially in summer. The oil stains left by the stall can easily attract mosquitoes, and a lot of mosquitoes can bring diseases. In the end, she won't make any money and will get sick instead.
"pedestrian mall?"
"Yes, a pedestrian street, as the name suggests, is for pedestrians only, not for vehicles."
This effectively protects customer safety and also brings the stalls together, making cleaning easier and facilitating customer movement.
"Over time, as the pedestrian street gains a reputation, it will attract many tourists from other places, which will naturally boost the economy."
Xu Yan suddenly realized and continued.
I understand Song Jiaojiao's intention now. No wonder she built so many workshops in just two years.
"That's right, so there are limited free slots in each township, and you have to set up a stall on the pedestrian street for a year. This is provided free of charge, and you will need to charge rent after that."
"The idea is good, but such a large investment is probably difficult to realize in a short time." Xu Yan said with difficulty. According to Song Jiaojiao's plan, they would definitely have to find an empty place.
If the property is unclaimed and owned by the government, that's fine. But if it's already owned, then there's the issue of buying and selling.
"That depends on whether Magistrate Xu's promises are big enough and round enough, and whether these wealthy merchants will buy into them." Note that Song Jiaojiao has already made her move; as for what happens next, that depends on Xu Yan.
Xu Yan instantly understood that this was Song Jiaojiao's test for him. Whether he would retain the position of county magistrate depended on this incident.
"I understand, Madam, please rest assured."
"Yes, I believe Magistrate Xu can do a good job. I'll remind the county once again that everyone has to go to the toilet, especially when there are more people, there will be even more people in need."
Xu Yan was confused; Song Jiaojiao's words had troubled him for a long time.
Until one day, when he went to supervise the construction on the pedestrian street, he drank some cold water at noon, and now his stomach was growling and he felt very uncomfortable.
But they couldn't find a toilet anywhere and ended up relieving themselves in the mountains. Only then did they suddenly understand what Song Jiaojiao meant.
So that's what the lady meant when she said that people have three urgent needs.
………………
In the early morning, the sunlight spread across the earth.
The clatter of hooves echoed from across the river, and the village chief, who was at Song Jiaojiao's house, happened to see it.
With such a grand procession, it seems Jiaojiao has returned.
Thinking to himself, the village chief hurriedly came down from the second floor.
Song Jiaojiao's house was located on a hillside, higher than the houses in the village, so the view was naturally more open.
As soon as the carriage crossed the bridge, the village chief brought over a lot of villagers.
"This humble subject pays respects to General Changsheng, Lady Chengen, and Lady Huide."
The village chief led everyone to kneel down and pay their respects. Now that Song Jiaojiao was an official, no longer a peasant like them, the proper etiquette could not be disregarded.
"Uncle Wang, what are you doing? Get up quickly!" Wang Chi hurriedly got off the carriage and helped the village chief up.
Song Jiaojiao then came to the village chief's side, saying, "Uncle Wang, isn't this shortening our lifespan? You are an elder, how can you bow to us like this?"
“It’s different. You are officials now, and you can’t disregard etiquette.” The village chief said with a smile. Jiao Jiao spoke as usual, without looking down on them because she had become an official.
“What do you mean by ‘same’ or ‘different’? In my heart, you are my elder. No matter how high your official rank is, there is no such thing as an elder bowing to a junior.”
Song Jiaojiao said with a laugh, "Don't do that next time!"
As soon as Song Jiaojiao finished speaking, her third uncle's voice came from the side.
"This humble subject pays his respects..."
Song Jiaojiao and Wang Chi quickly stepped forward to help him up, without making him bow.
"Third Uncle!!!" Song Jiaojiao cried out in a voice that was both anxious and angry.
“Third Uncle, why are you acting like this? Are you planning to disown me and Jiaojiao?” Wang Chi asked from the side.
Having just finished talking about the village chief, Song Jiaojiao was also annoyed and amused by the fact that her third uncle, the clan head, was doing the same thing.
"Third Uncle, the children care about us, so let's not make things difficult for them."
Seeing that Song Jiaojiao genuinely treated them as elders, the village chief did not insist on them bowing.
"Good, good, good child, your third uncle was right about you," the clan chief said with a gratified smile.
Unlike the warm atmosphere on Song Jiaojiao's side, when Old Lady Wang received the news of Wang Chi's return, she rushed to the riverbank, only to find that Song Jiaojiao and the others had already left.
When Song Jiaojiao returned home, the courtyard had changed drastically.
The old and new courtyards were both demolished, and the current courtyard was built according to the blueprints drawn by Song Jiaojiao.
In front of you is a small courtyard on the second floor, somewhat like the wooden houses of the Miao people. There are six such houses, which, together with the surrounding wall, form a sun shape.
The main house in the outer courtyard was for the men of the household to live in, while the first floor on both sides was for servants, and the second floor was for the male relatives' guest rooms.
Entering the backyard through the covered walkway, one finds the women's quarters. The last three-story wooden house is the main house, a place Song Jiaojiao reserved for herself.
She actually loved the feeling of looking out into the distance from a high place. In her previous life, the small apartment she bought with a loan in modern times was a penthouse that others looked down on.
"Jiaojiao, everything was done exactly as you said. The furniture was finished and put in three days ago," the village chief said from the side. He had gathered his men as soon as he received Song Jiaojiao's letter and worked as fast as he could to finish it before Song Jiaojiao and the others arrived.
"Uncle Wang, you've really worked hard. You've done such a good job in such a short time. It's no worse than what you do in the county town."
Song Jiaojiao was deeply moved, remarking that the genes of the Chinese people, who are known for their powerful infrastructure, are so excellent wherever they are.
"It's rare for Jiaojiao to ask me for help, so of course I have to do it well." The village chief said with a smile. In order to finish building the house as soon as possible, he personally went to the county town to hire the most famous house-building team. In addition, he was worried that there would not be enough manpower, so he went to various villages to recruit people. Fortunately, it is not the busy farming season now, and all the farmers in the family are idle at home and are worried about where to find work.
When the people behind heard that they were building a courtyard for Mrs. Huide, they all worked with great enthusiasm and energy. In just twenty days, the main structure was completed, and the rest was finished in a few days.
"Perfect timing! We'll have our housewarming party tomorrow, everyone should come!" Song Jiaojiao said with a smile.
The surrounding villagers readily agreed, saying they wouldn't miss it.
To hold a banquet, the help of villagers is naturally indispensable; otherwise, the few people in Song Jiaojiao's family simply wouldn't be able to manage.
Wang Chi then directly recruited the head chef of Sifanglou Restaurant. Since it was his own, he figured he might as well use it.
As a result, Sifanglou had to close for three days, much to the dismay of diners on the street.
Not only Sifanglou restaurant was closed, but hot pot restaurants and food stalls also closed for three days.