Men from poor families were all good at everything. Raising pigs and horses, farming, building walls, and building houses, there was nothing they couldn't do.
Farming was a skill to make a living. If they didn't have money to hire a craftsman to build a house, they had to do it themselves. This was a skill passed down from generation to generation. Those who didn't learn it would have starved or frozen to death.
Fang and the others moved very quickly. In just half a day, the stove and kang that Li Yi wanted had already appeared in the kitchen.
After measuring it, the size was exactly the same as his drawing. There was no problem with the principle.
The kang that had just been made couldn't be burned immediately. Otherwise, it would crack. This problem wouldn't exist after two days of drying.
The stove and the kang were connected. Naturally, they couldn't cook during these two days.
Li Yi originally planned to solve the problem of eating in a restaurant outside. He didn't expect this idea to be opposed by Xiao Huan and Ruyi.
Although his family didn't lack that bit of money, which decent family would go to a restaurant every day to eat? That was something only prodigal sons and prodigals would do.
Ruyi Workshop wasn't far from here. The kitchen there didn't lack anything. They had cooked there yesterday. They could just eat in the shop for the next two days.
Li Yi didn't have any objections. The brothel was just next to Ruyi Workshop. He could discuss things with Old Man Sun on the way.
Fang had already brought a few people to smash his own stove. He didn't even consider the problem of where they were going to eat today. The stove in the son-in-law's house had been smashed. How could his house not be smashed?
Those who didn't smash would be fools. Who didn't understand that if they followed in the footsteps of the son-in-law, they would have food to eat and money to earn. They had been living like this for the past few days. Otherwise, they would still be living in the village on the mountain.
When Li Yi and his family were preparing to go to Ruyi Workshop, Mrs. Fang was pointing at Fang's nose and scolding.
"You're such a glutton. The stove at home is broken. Where are you going to cook today?" Fang's mother-in-law was full of anger. She washed the vegetables and was about to cook, but this guy ran in and smashed the stove. She was almost scared to death. The mother and son in the family relied on this man to survive. If he was crazy or hysterical, she and Zhuzi would not be able to live.
"What's wrong with eating at the Intoxicated Fragrance Restaurant for a couple of days? It's not like our family lacks this bit of money." Fang retorted.
It would have been better if he didn't say it, but the moment he did, Mrs. Fang got even angrier. "Do you feel uneasy with so much money at home, so you're thinking of ways to give it away? This morning, you wanted to buy a performer, and now you want to go to Drunken Fragrance Restaurant for a meal. You'll have to spend a few taels to eat there. Why don't you take a look at the kind of people who eat there? Sooner or later, the family's savings will be used up by you …"
Fang retorted again. When Li Yi walked to the door of the house, he saw a broom flying out from the yard of Fang's house.
Sure enough, you can't judge a book by its cover. One was an iron man who wouldn't frown even if a knife cut his body, and the other was a seemingly virtuous and dignified peasant woman. Suddenly, the dignified and virtuous woman turned into a female tyrannosaurus, and the indomitable man turned into a good-for-nothing … What a sin!
Once again, he sighed at his luck.
Although when they first met, Ruyi smashed the solid wooden table in front of him, and he didn't know how much fiercer she was than Mrs. Fang, but for the rest of the time, she was a good housekeeper, a gentle and virtuous ideal wife. Although there was still a veil between them, it was still better than … Thinking of Fang's wailing under the broom, he quickly threw that possibility out of his mind.
…
…
It was still early, and there was just a touch of white in the east. There were always reasons to get up late in winter. Most people were still sleeping in their warm beds and were unwilling to get up. There were not many people in the tiled houses. Who would come here to watch a show in the early morning? The open brothels were empty, and the doors of the wine shops and teahouses were closed. Only a figure occasionally walked out of the brothels. His footsteps were weak, and he was still thinking about how good the girls' kung fu was last night …
In one of the brothels, Sun Yun, who had just turned fifteen, got up very early. He put the rag in the warm water and quickly wiped the tables and chairs.
He needed to wipe the tables and chairs clean before the brothels opened. There couldn't be any dirt on them. Then he boiled the hot water so that he could prepare tea for the customers at any time.
He was only wrapped in a thin jacket, but his forehead was covered with fine sweat. The young man's body was not afraid of the cold. After working for an hour, he only felt that his body was steaming hot, and he didn't feel cold at all.
He didn't do this work for free. Sister Ruoqing said that if he could get up so early every day and finish wiping the tables and boiling the hot water, she would give him ten copper coins. She would pay him once a day.
Thinking about the dozens of copper coins lying in the small money bag that he secretly hid, he thought that one day he would be able to save enough money to marry a wife. He wouldn't need his old grandfather to worry about him anymore. His heart was full of energy, and the frequency of his hands also increased. He didn't even notice that his grandfather had walked behind him.
Old Sun walked over and looked at him lovingly. He said, "Xiao Yun, rest for a while. There are still two hours before the brothels open."
Sun Yun turned his head and wiped the sweat off his forehead. He grinned, revealing his white teeth. He said, "Grandpa, I'm not tired. I'm almost done. I still have to boil the water later."
Then he continued with the work at hand. There were only two sets of tables and chairs to be wiped. He could rest for a while when he boiled the water later.
Looking at the child's quick movements, Old Sun's old face showed a gratified expression.
A diligent child wouldn't starve to death. Even if he were to lie in a coffin one day, Xiao Yun could live on alone. Of course, before he found a wife for his child and settled his marriage, he wouldn't be willing to close his eyes. If he could live to the day he held a great-grandson, he would die with a smile on his face.
Looking at the empty brothel, Old Sun's face showed a trace of a smile. It didn't matter that there was no one now. He knew that it wouldn't be long before this place would be full of customers.
"The Painted Skin" could still be performed for a period of time. When the number of customers gradually decreased, the number of performances of "The Painted Skin" would be reduced, and "Ying Ning" and "A Chinese Ghost Story" could officially appear on the stage. With Li around, there would be no shortage of such good stories, and of course, the customers' tips would not be less.
As a wandering actor, when did the future become so worth looking forward to?
When a person was immersed in beautiful things for too long, he couldn't help but think of some sad things.
Yesterday, a brothel outside the city collapsed, and an old friend of many years was crushed under it. Although he wasn't seriously injured, his old bones were probably lying in bed for at least ten days to half a month before he could get out of bed.
He could be considered to have made a name for himself, but there were still countless actors who found it very difficult to live. In the past two days, countless old friends had come to him, hoping to make a living here. However, the number of people here was indeed saturated, so Old Sun could only helplessly shake his head and refuse.
He had been wandering around for a lifetime, so he could understand the situation of most actors the best. If there was anything he could help them with, he would not hesitate to help. However, he was small and weak. In the big environment, he couldn't change anything at all.
Early in the morning, there was not a single customer in the brothel. Only Old Sun was sitting in the corner in a daze. Li Yi walked over. Old Sun heard the footsteps, raised his head, and hurriedly stood up.
Li Yi waved his hand and motioned him to sit down. He asked with a smile, "How was business yesterday?"
Old Sun smiled and said, "Very good. The reward I received is a little more than the day before yesterday. I haven't had time to send it to you."
Yesterday was the second day of the Painted Skin Stage Play. Not only did the popularity not decrease, but it also rose. Old Sun had clearly felt that the space in the brothel was not enough.
"Don't be so anxious. The money will be with you for now. You can pay me once every half a month or once a month." Li Yi didn't come here early in the morning to ask for money. After a few greetings, he went straight to the point and said, "There is something I want to discuss with Old Sun."
"Just call me Old Sun. What's the matter? Just tell me," Old Sun said hurriedly.
"It's like this. You should have seen that this brothel can't accommodate many customers, so the profit is naturally not much. I want to recruit more actors and build such a brothel in and outside the city. I want to sign a contract with them. I can provide them with stories and scripts. As for how to distribute the profit, you can distribute it according to the proportion like we do, or you can give them a fixed monthly salary." Li Yi looked at Old Sun and said.
This wasn't an idea that came to him in the past two days. When Li Yi saw the strange culture of the brothel for the first time, he had this idea.
What he didn't lack were good stories and scripts. The library contained the essence of thousands of years of culture in Huaxia. It was almost inexhaustible, and he couldn't use it all in his life.
After seeing the celebrities who made money so much that their hands cramped, and then looking back at their miserable predecessors, he always felt strange in his heart. Li Yi was very interested in making a small change in this industry.
In addition to this reason, he was also happy to see the poor people at the bottom of society live a better life. Many people were intoxicated by their graceful dance and long sleeves. They were the creators of art, but when people appreciated art, they imposed a lot of suffering and humiliation on the creators of art. This was unfair.
Of course, there were some reasons that were not known to outsiders. When the entertainment industry in this world began to flourish, the lowly actors became the idols in people's hearts. A name written casually could be sold at a sky-high price. Wherever they went, they could hear the cheers of fans. People knew which actor's dance was the best in the world, and their singing was unparalleled. They didn't know who the emperor of the country was. This kind of scene always brought back some memories in the depths of his heart.
Living in this world, both material and spiritual enjoyment were indispensable. When people were no longer hungry, they would pursue a higher level of spiritual pleasure. This could be seen from the Painted Skin stage play, which was always sold out.
This was a huge cake, a cake that had not been noticed by people yet. He had to seize the opportunity before others discovered it.
Of course, after recognizing the particularity of the brothel, Li Yi didn't intend to give up the opportunity to control the invisible power in his hands.
This world was too unsafe. If he didn't have enough power in his hands, he could be crushed like an ant at any time. In the past few months, the peaceful life in Willow Leaf Village was gone forever. There had been earth-shaking changes. He always felt a little guilty if he still lived as carelessly as before.
"Childe … you, you, what did you just say?" The old man thought that he had heard it wrong, and even his voice was a little trembling.
Before Li Yi spoke, he asked again, "Are you willing to accept those poor people who wander around and give them food?"
The old man's voice was still a little trembling, for fear that he had misunderstood.
Whether those wandering performers could fill their stomachs depended entirely on luck. If they met a generous customer, they wouldn't have to starve for a long time. If the customer only watched the performance and didn't give money, they would have to tighten their belts for the next few days. When did people from Lu Qi get a fixed salary?
Li Yi was a little puzzled as to why the old man had suddenly become so agitated. Since the stage play "Painted Skin" had such good ratings, when "Journey to the West" and "Legend of the White Snake" came out, who knew how shocked these country bumpkins who had never seen the world would be?
This was a business that would not lose money at all.
It was too ridiculous to rely on other people's money to eat. Some people didn't even need to pay a penny to watch a performance. After watching, they left. No one thought that this method was unreasonable. Each person had one ticket, and they could sit according to the number. It was so simple and convenient …
If he wanted to completely change this industry, he couldn't do it overnight. He temporarily suppressed these thoughts and looked at the old man who was staring at him with excited eyes. He said, "What do you think about giving them 500 cents a month?"
"That's too much, too much!" Old man Sun was so excited that his beard trembled. In this industry, it was already a blessing from the heavens to be able to eat their fill. Most people didn't even dare to dream of receiving 500 cents a month. If they didn't do this kind of good thing, they would be kicked in the head by a donkey …
"You can discuss this with Miss Wan first. You can first call some people to try it out. It's not certain whether it will succeed or not. Remember to choose people who know everything. For now, don't send money over. You guys use my share first. If it's not enough, then we'll talk about it."
Old man Sun patted his chest and promised, "Don't worry, young master. Leave this matter to me. I will definitely do it properly for you."
Old man Sun's face turned red. This was a good thing for the many performers in Qing 'an Prefecture. He was very happy that these people in the same industry could have a meal.
Li Yi raised his head and looked at the stage covered by the curtain. There was a look of anticipation in his eyes. This world's first entertainment company was about to take its first step …
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