The next day, Ren Baqian was woken up by an anxious Caretaker Shi before he could even wake up.
"What's the matter?" Ren Baqian asked drowsily.
"Was what you said last night true?" Caretaker Shi asked.
"About the shaved ice shop? Of course it's true. How can I joke about this? "
"That's it. Let's go out and see if there are any suitable shops! "Caretaker Shi reached out and lifted Ren Baqian up.
"Brother Shi, just look around. As long as the location is good and there is a lot of traffic, the place doesn't have to be too big," Ren Baqian said helplessly. Didn't he look for Caretaker Shi to work with him because he didn't want to do anything?
After Caretaker Shi left excitedly, Ren Baqian fell back onto the bed.
Late in the morning, Ren Baqian was woken up by a squeaking sound.
He initially thought it was the chirping of birds, but when he opened his eyes, he realized it was actually the two little chaps.
This was the first time Ren Baqian knew pandas made such sounds. They sounded like birds.
Looking at the empty bamboo basket at the side and the two little chaps gnawing on it, Ren Baqian knew they were hungry.
However, when he was about to put on his shoes and get down, he suddenly saw a few disgusting footprints on the ground.
Two of them were stepped on by him when he came back last night, and a few were stepped on by Caretaker Shi in the morning.
Ren Baqian gritted his teeth as he walked out of the house. He found an odd-job worker and asked where the grass and meat were sent to the beast park last night. Indeed, there were two baskets of bamboo leaves there.
Ren Baqian carried one in each hand. It wasn't light, and it seemed to be stuffed to the brim.
He went back and poured the bamboo leaves to one side. Then, he carefully cleaned up the floor full of excrement.
He thought it was time to let the two little chaps out.
After breakfast, he gave the two little chaps a bath since he had nothing to do. He spent a lot of effort and got himself drenched before he managed to wash them clean.
In this world, people used a kind of plant fruit called bath beans to bathe. They were really beans. When bathing, they would be thrown into the water.
After bathing, Ren Baqian found a clean slate and placed the two little chaps on it. Not long after, they were completely dry.
This time, he felt much more comfortable when he hugged the two little chaps again. the smell on his body had lessened significantly.
Both of Gungun's front palms pressed against Ren Baqian's face and pushed him back with all its might.
He teased the two little fellows for a while before asking for some deer milk to feed the two panda cubs.
Seeing the two panda cubs licking the food happily, he finally tasted the joy of raising pets.
In the afternoon, he strolled around the beast park and looked at the familiar and strange animals.
At night, Caretaker Shi came back. He pulled Ren Baqian aside and said, "I still can't make up my mind. You have to follow me to take a look tomorrow."
Upon hearing this, Ren Baqian could only nod his head.
The next morning, he was dragged out of the beast park by Caretaker Shi.
It was better in the morning. It was not as hot as the day.
This city was called Lan City. When Dayao was first founded, it was called Jiulan. Later on, it was changed to Dayao. That was how the city got its name.
The city was divided into nine districts, which were the names of the first nine strongholds.
Beihong, Bead Curtain, Shuiboping, Eagle Beak Cliff, Gou Clan Village, Wudaogou, White Stone, Shihu, Yiwulu.
The first six districts were mainly residential districts, while the last three were commercial districts.
Among them, Shihu mainly sold various weapons, farming tools, and ironware. Shihu mainly sold leather. Yiwulu sold herbs and animal bones. This was where Ren Baqian and Caretaker Shi went to the beast park to buy food.
Of course, there were many residences in these three districts.
It was just that the shops were relatively concentrated.
The place where the court officials lived was called Beihong District.
In addition, the street from the main city gate to Beihong District was called Jingyuan Road. The best shops were actually on this street. Most of them were foreign merchants who sold all kinds of goods. There were also a few shops opened by locals.
Caretaker Shi found two shops. One was located in Yiwulu, and the other was in Gou Clan Village. Caretaker Shi's wife and children lived here.
Ren Baqian accompanied them to take a look. The locations were alright, but not particularly good. However, shaved ice was currently the only thing in the market. He wasn't afraid of competition, so he could accept the slightly inferior locations.
The most important thing was that these two shops weren't expensive. The total cost of each shop and the courtyard behind it was only slightly more than ten silvers a year.
Of course, this was according to Ren Baqian.
Caretaker Shi's job was considered not bad. His monthly salary was only six taels.
This shop alone cost Caretaker Shi two to half a month's salary. The two shops added up would cost him almost half a year's salary. There was also the hiring of people, so the expenses were even higher. No wonder he insisted on bringing Ren Baqian to take a look.
After all, his salary was used to support his wife and children. After drinking a few mouthfuls of wine, he didn't have much left. This time, he listened to Ren Baqian and was prepared to bet his son's wife's savings.
One of the two shops was occupied, but it was ready to leave.
Ren Baqian followed Caretaker Shi and walked around the shop. It was about 50 to 60 square meters. Other than the counter, there were also a few tables for pedestrians to sit down, eat shaved ice, and rest.
The courtyard behind the shop was slightly bigger than the shop. There was a small room for people to stay in and store things.
"These two are fine," Ren Baqian said to Caretaker Shi after he finished walking around.
"Alright, this time I will bet everything I have." After hearing Ren Baqian's words, Caretaker Shi immediately made his decision.
After that, the two of them walked around the streets and even enjoyed a street fight. Ren Baqian chose two more places. One of them was on Jingyuan Road. It had the highest flow of people. Of course, the rent was also expensive. It cost close to 100 taels of silver a year.
"This is too expensive. If we sell shaved ice, we will almost lose money." Caretaker Shi saw that Ren Baqian was interested in the shop on Jingyuan Road, which was more than 100 square meters.
"If we only sell shaved ice, we will lose money. How about selling ice?" Ren Baqian suddenly thought of an idea.
"Selling ice? Will it work? Also, anyone can make shaved ice at a glance. It's just that they don't have ice. If we have ice, what will happen to our shaved ice shop? "
"If we buy ice to make shaved ice, including the melted ice, we won't make any money. Who will do it then? Also, after the shaved ice is used up, we still have to heat it up. If we buy a piece of ice and install a fan at the side, it will simply be a simplified version of an air conditioner. Yes, let's do that. "Ren Baqian suddenly thought of an idea.
They couldn't make an air conditioner now, but what about a simple fan? There was no need for an electric fan at all. All they had to do was install a bearing, a rubber ring, and a rope in the fan. Then, they could pull the rope downwards, and the fan would rotate accordingly. It looked similar to the yo-yos that could be seen all over the streets.
However, this was much more energy-efficient than using a fan. Furthermore, it was much cooler. Most importantly, this was something new. Many rich people would be interested in it.
If they placed a basin of ice in front, it would definitely be a pleasure in such a hot place.
Even if they didn't put ice in, they could still put a basin of water from a well.
"Heh heh, let me show you the technology from Earth." The more Ren Baqian thought about it, the more he felt that this idea was feasible. He patted Caretaker Shi and said, "This is it. I still have some money with me. Let's rent these three shops first. I will make something for you to see when we get back. "
Upon hearing that Ren Baqian wanted to invest money, Caretaker Shi repeatedly rejected him, "Brother Ren, making ice is your idea. I can't let you invest money again. If you are confident, I will rent this shop even if I have to sell everything I have. "
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