Zhang Xiaobao didn't know what to say for a moment. He nodded and waited at the side. His target was right in front of him, so he couldn't run ahead by himself.
The person who spoke before picked up a few more shovels of soil, clapped his hands, and stopped. There was no more work for him to do. He wiped his sweat and said to Zhang Xiaobao who was waiting, "Our team is only responsible for the 70 Li road from Yizhou City to the front. Normally, it would take an ordinary caravan a day to travel. This section of the road is completely repaired by us. Once the road is repaired, no one is allowed to set up stalls on the side of the road.
We have stalls 30 Li and 70 Li respectively. We specialize in selling things to people who come and go. Usually, people will be tired after walking 30 Li. They will drink tea and eat something. This is the money we earn. "
When he mentioned his words, Zhang Xiaobao understood. They were not a team that traveled far to do business. Instead, they set up stalls nearby.
If there was something wrong with the 70 Li road they were in charge of, they had to fix it so that it would be more convenient for people to travel. At the same time, they went out to work and occupied the spots on the road to do business.
Just like the small pavilion in Sanshui County, when people were tired, thirsty, or hungry, they would go to the pavilion to spend money to buy things. Of course, if they didn't have money, they could only eat for free. Sanshui County didn't allow people to starve to death there.
But he didn't know if the team in front of him had considered this.
"If people who come back from other places lose money because of business and don't have money, will you still provide food?" Zhang Xiaobao thought and asked casually.
"Of course!" The person answered straightforwardly, "Who doesn't have difficulties? People who don't have money to buy food today may be people who make a fortune tomorrow and form a caravan. It's just a meal. Who doesn't have a heart of compassion? Not to mention people, even if a dog is hungry, people will give leftovers when they see it.
You can't be black-hearted when doing business. Otherwise, if the authorities find out, the punishment will be very severe. Therefore, the things we sell are not bad. If they are bad, we will throw them away. There are also ordinary medicines in the stall. Relieving people's worries for a moment in exchange for a lifetime of merit. This is a good deal. "
Zhang Xiaobao listened with a smile on his face. He believed that as long as the leader of the team maintained this mindset, he would definitely be able to create a great family in the future. Unless there was a change in the political situation, however, it was absolutely impossible within the next few decades. In the future, it would depend on himself and Cuckoo.
Suddenly, Zhang Xiaobao thought of another problem. "What if other people also set up a stall? How do you deal with them?"
"It's very simple. If others also want to set up a stall, we'll just pull them into the team and maintain this section of the road together. Then, we'll sell things together, but we can't sell the same thing." Someone from another team happened to walk over and casually said when he heard Zhang Xiaobao's question.
"What if they don't join your team?" Zhang Xiaobao asked again.
"Then they won't be able to sell anything. Those who walk this road often know that the current section of the road is the responsibility of our Fan family's caravan. We've been working seriously, going back and forth once every three days to transport things.
They know that we maintain the road so that we can set up a stall. Once they buy something from someone else, it will be difficult for us to do business. We might not continue to set up a stall on this section of the road, and naturally, the road won't be maintained. Other people who sell things by themselves can't take on the work of repairing the road. Even an organized team might not be more serious than us.
Therefore, even if someone sells things at a cheaper price, those who walk this road often won't buy them. If they take advantage of them now, they'll lose their future. When you continue to walk forward, you'll know how good this section of the road is. "
The person who came later was very confident when he spoke.
It just so happened that there was a small team coming from the opposite direction. There were three mules and seven people. When they heard this, one of them testified, "It's true. The Fan family has maintained this section of the road quite well, especially the large river and two small rivers in front of us. As long as the bamboo rope shows obvious wear and tear, the Fan family will have someone change it.
If it rains and the water level rises, making it difficult to cross the small bridge, the Fan family will specially set up tents on both sides of the river to provide a place for us to rest and take shelter from the rain. Then they'll boil a pot of ginger soup and give it to everyone for free. With such benevolence and righteousness, how can we have the nerve to buy other people's things? "
"Yes, yes, it's been two years. The road that the Fan family has built is the most comfortable for us. Their two stalls aren't just set up stalls, they've built a large row of wooden houses. When you're tired, you can go in and sleep. It only costs one copper coin each time. If you want to rent their bedding, it costs three copper coins.
However, as long as someone has slept on their bedding once, they'll take off the outer cover to wash it. Usually, when there's sunlight, they'll take it out to dry. Lying on top of it and covering one's body is soft and warm.
Furthermore, as long as you eat at their stalls once, they'll remember your preferences. The people at their stalls speak at least ten different dialects. "
Zhang Xiaobao's target, Liu Feng, also spoke up.
When Zhang Xiaobao heard this, he felt that this wasn't an ordinary merchant setting up a stall on the Seventy Li Road, but the Oriental Hotel in Thailand.
Was there such a restaurant in the Great Tang? Yes, there was. Zhang Xiaobao was very sure. That was because it was his family's restaurant, and it could remember every customer.
However, the problem was that those who wanted to eat at his restaurant had to register. Furthermore, it was impossible for them to do a chain check. They hadn't reached that level yet, and only special customers would receive such treatment.
Now, this Fan Clan's stall could actually remember people, which meant that the other party had an outstanding memory. No matter how he looked at it, it wasn't worth it to spend so much effort on these two stalls. There should be better developments, and he shouldn't waste his energy on these customers who didn't need to be remembered.
Zhang Xiaobao sighed inwardly. While admiring the Fan Clan, he also felt sorry for them.
Thinking of this, Zhang Xiaobao said with good intentions, "The Fan Clan should actually make their business bigger. For example, they should take on the Five Hundred Li Road. Then, the Fan Clan will be responsible for all the transactions within this Five Hundred Li Road, and they'll have to pay taxes.
The Fan Clan doesn't just deal in food, drinks, and lodging. They can also repair cars and provide finished clothes. They can also take on the Five Hundred Li Road's emergency messenger business. They can even invite medical centers to station people at a certain place, and the Fan Clan will provide rooms, food, and lodging. "
Zhang Xiaobao said this to the people who had eaten his steamed buns. He believed that if the Fan Clan really did such a good job, his subordinates would naturally tell the person in charge that was beneficial to the Fan Clan.
However, just as he finished speaking, the person who came over to speak sighed helplessly and said, "I'm the current head of the Fan Clan. I've considered what you said. Right now, there's the aspect of repairing cars, but my family doesn't have the money for other things.
I'm thinking of a Five Hundred Li Road, which requires a lot of money. I went to the bank to ask, and they said that at most, they'll loan my family 15,000 strings of cash. It sounds like a lot, but the cost of building roads and houses is definitely far more than 15,000 strings of cash.
I plan to manage the Seventy Hundred Li Road well first, and when I have more money in the future, I'll gradually push forward. In fact, I've also thought of looking for someone to work with, but they couldn't meet my requirements, so it didn't work out. "
Zhang Xiaobao nodded. He didn't expect that the person who worked with him would be the head of the Fan Clan.
A businessman who lowered his status to work with his subordinates, a businessman who provided the best service based on the customer, a businessman who had a dream and seriously worked to start from scratch, shouldn't waste his time on the accumulation of raw capital.
Then fine, let's learn from him. I'll lower my status and stop looking at all the problems in the Great Tang's overall economic situation. I'll start from scratch and help him meet his needs in terms of capital first.
Zhang Xiaobao thought so, but he felt that he should ask more clearly, so he asked, "Why can't they meet your requirements?"
"Because they think that my requirements are unreasonable, and say that I'm stupid," the head of the Fan Clan said. "My requirements are. First, build a bathing pool in every resting area, and give it to the guests for free. "
The person from the Fan Clan raised a finger, indicating that he still had other requirements.
Zhang Xiaobao didn't reply and continued to listen.
"Second, regardless of whether the guests are sick or not, we have to arrange for people to examine them. At the same time, we have to prepare a change of clothes of all sizes for the guests to wear the clean clothes the next day, free of charge.
Third, we have to hire idle people to work at our place. At the same time, we have to buy local game at a high price and bring them back.
Fourth, every place has to have at least two women who can take care of children. Because some of the groups have women who give birth on the way, we have to think of them. "
The head of the Fan Clan listed three more requirements, and then he breathed a sigh of relief. "They think that what I said is useless, and that doing it will only increase the cost. But I've always felt that doing business is also being a person. Earn what you need to earn and pay what you need to pay. Only when you treat your guests well will they be willing to spend money at your place. "
Zhang Xiaobao decided to help the other party. He knew that in this era, there were many inns that could provide guests with services that made them feel at home, but he had never heard of one that was as detailed and free of charge as the other party.
Although it was said that the Fan Clan would lend a hand to any of their businesses when someone needed help and didn't have the opportunity to seek help from the yamen, the Fan Clan was different. The Fan Clan was not doing this out of the ideals of a businessman, but because he and Cuckoo were intensely interested in transforming the Great Tang. In the eyes of the two of them, there were no guests, only the common people of the Great Tang.
For the head of the Fan Clan to think this way was epoch-making, even better than his younger brothers and sisters.
He had to think of a way. Since the road was being repaired, the country should provide a portion of the money as subsidies, and then the banks should provide more credit loans. This way, there would be no problem.
Zhang Xiaobao made up his mind, but he didn't say it out loud. If he were to tell the head of the Fan Clan, he would need to show his status, or else why would the other party believe him? His target, Liu Feng, was right next to him.
Thus, Zhang Xiaobao continued to smile at the head of the Fan Clan. "Owner Fan's thinking is truly correct. I'm not very good at judging people, but I'm confident that you'll succeed this time."
"I'll borrow Brother's auspicious words. I'll write a written agreement for Brother. When Brother reaches the front, if we don't make it in time, Brother can go to the stall and drink tea. It's my treat."
As the head of the Fan Clan spoke, he really did find a pen and paper and wrote a written agreement that he would provide something for free, and then he handed it to Zhang Xiaobao.
Zhang Xiaobao still didn't know if he would have a chance to enjoy this free treatment. Right now, he was considering how to continue following Liu Feng, whether to reach the front first or find an excuse to stop.
After some thought, Zhang Xiaobao said, "Many thanks. How far will the road be repaired before you're done?"
The head of the Fan Clan looked at the road crushed by stones and said, "Now is enough. Brother Liu, thank you for your help. Why don't we go together? I've prepared some wine, and today's weather is pretty good." At the same time, he invited Liu Feng to drink with him.
Zhang Xiaobao knew that these were just polite words. If Liu Feng went, he couldn't refuse, but if he didn't go, then so be it.
With this thought in mind, Zhang Xiaobao revealed a surprised expression and said to Liu Feng, "So this Brother Liu isn't a member of the team. You're really a good person. Brother Liu, how about this? I have nothing to do right now, so I'll accompany Brother Liu to sightsee along the way. What do you think?"
When Liu Feng heard Zhang Xiaobao's words, he immediately revealed a difficult expression. After hesitating for a moment, he said, "I suddenly remembered that I still have something to do. I have to hurry. Sorry."
"It's fine, it's fine. Brother Liu, go ahead." Zhang Xiaobao sat on his horse and cupped his hands.
Liu Feng mounted his horse and urged it to gallop away at a fast speed.
Zhang Xiaobao smiled and also ran ahead. He was a bit slower than Liu Feng, but faster than the Fan Clan's team.
Zhang Xiaobao began to regret his decision. Before he came out this morning, he thought that Liu Feng would run a few dozen miles and then turn into a fork in the road. But now, it was obvious that he had run until noon, and he had passed by two of the Fan Clan's stalls.
Because Liu Feng didn't slow down, he couldn't stop to drink the free tea. If he continued to run, he wouldn't be able to go back today.
However, Zhang Xiaobao wasn't worried about not having a place to stay at night. There were still many people behind him, and they kept a certain distance. When they needed to rest, they would stop and wait. Naturally, someone would set up a tent for them.
After a while, Liu Feng finally stopped. Zhang Xiaobao had just let out a sigh of relief when he realized that Liu Feng didn't stop because he had reached a place, but because the horse needed to rest.
Looking down at his horse, Zhang Xiaobao also stopped a few miles away from Liu Feng. He found a place with water and led the horse to, watching it eat grass and drink water.
After resting for a while, Zhang Xiaobao mounted his horse again and followed Liu Feng.
When the sun turned salty like a duck egg yolk and fell on the mountains in the west, Zhang Xiaobao finally came across another stall set up by someone else. He bought delicious food at three times the usual price, and let the horse eat some grass as well. When he mounted his horse again, he sped up, afraid that he would lose track of Liu Feng.
Otherwise, when night came, the water cloud wouldn't be able to help.
When the stars twinkled in the sky, Zhang Xiaobao suddenly felt uneasy, so he urged his horse to run faster. After running for six or seven miles, he encountered a group of people walking forward with torches.
Zhang Xiaobao stopped and asked, but the other side said that they didn't see any other horses.
"Okay, you're good. You timed it so well. When night came, I was too close, so you could hear the sound of the horse's hooves, but I was too far away, so I couldn't hear your horse's hooves. Where did you come from?"
Zhang Xiaobao muttered angrily and turned his horse back, wanting to see if there were any traces left. If he went back directly, wouldn't Wang Juan be happy for half a month? If he lost track of Liu Feng with his own hands, it would be recorded in the history books.
"Where did you go? Is there a hoof print no matter what? The horse is so heavy, and there's a person sitting on it. It's impossible to disappear directly. "
Zhang Xiaobao, who lost track of his target, continued to mutter. At the same time, he took out his flashlight and shone it on the road, hoping to see an obvious hoof print.
After going back a few miles, Zhang Xiaobao met his family.
"Little Young Master, we're here. Do you plan to …" His family saw Zhang Xiaobao and asked.
"I plan to look for the hoof print. I don't know where Liu Feng went. Just before the sky turned dark, I saw a cloud of water hovering. After the sky turned dark, I ran for about 20 miles. This is the approximate range."
Zhang Xiaobao helplessly said to the people who rushed over.
Everyone understood that since the Little Young Master had lost track of his target, then they would help him find it. One by one, they took out their flashlights and divided into several groups to speed up. Then, they began to look for the obvious hoof prints left by the horses.
After more than an hour, when Zhang Xiaobao was looking forward to it, someone reported, "Little Young Master, I found it. It's about 3 miles ahead. Go down the left side of the road. There are traces of horses trampling on the grass there."
"Okay, come with me. I need to get the Ministry of Works' research institute to figure out the night vision equipment as soon as possible." Zhang Xiaobao called out and rode the horse to the place.
He asked the others to set up tents and rest here for the time being. A few others went back to report to their family. Zhang Xiaobao led ten people to follow the tracks.
He could have gone there himself, but he was afraid of encountering wild animals. He didn't want to play with wolves, bears, or anything like that.
After walking for about half an hour, there were hoof prints on the grass in front of them. If they continued to walk forward, they would reach the mountain. Following the tracks, they saw a horse tied to a tree in front of them.
The flashlight didn't shine directly into the horse's eyes. He was afraid that the horse would be startled and hurt itself while trying to break free from the rope. Instead, he shone the flashlight on the ground. When the horse saw the light, it opened its eyes wide and looked over curiously.
Unlike the well-trained hungry war horses, this horse didn't show any vigilance or irritation. It was a rental horse. For it, no matter who it met, as long as they didn't do anything to hurt it, it would feel normal, not to mention that there were eleven of its kind.
"He actually got off the horse and left. Leave two people to watch the horse. The rest of you follow me. Don't put the horse with his horse. Clean up the nearby tracks."
Zhang Xiaobao ordered and led the remaining eight people to follow the tracks left by Liu Feng. This time, Zhang Xiaobao was not afraid. Before, he was far away. Now that he was in the mountains, he hid the flashlight in his sleeve and didn't let the light spread out. He could find any trace left by Liu Feng.
If he didn't have this skill, he would have been caught long ago. After that, he spent money to learn the tracking methods of the special forces of other countries. No matter what, he was still a professional.
Moving forward, there was a river. Zhang Xiaobao observed the sand and stone tracks by the river. After confirming that Liu Feng had crossed the river, he followed him.
While walking, Zhang Xiaobao admired Liu Feng. He was really brave. What if he encountered a wild animal in the woods? Did he also carry snake and insect repellent with him? It was a behavior that valued money more than life.
"Little Gongzi, this person has been trained. He can be considered a talented person." A person said to Zhang Xiaobao.
"What I am thinking now is where he got the money." Zhang Xiaobao said.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
