The original shopkeeper of this general store was surnamed Chiang, a shrewd and capable middle-aged man. When a person stays in one place for a long time, emotions inevitably develop. Shopkeeper Chiang was willing to stay and work here, as long as the treatment from the Lian Family wasn’t too poor. When he learned that the Lian Family would continue to employ him as the shopkeeper of Lian’s Department Store, and that his treatment and authority were better than before, Shopkeeper Chiang was naturally very happy and promised the family that he would certainly do a good job.

Wu Lang also discussed the arrangement of the store with Shopkeeper Chiang. Besides the products provided by the Lian Family farm, all other general goods, from purchasing to sales, would be managed by Shopkeeper Chiang. After all, Shopkeeper Chiang was well-versed in this field, knowing what type of goods had good sales and where to source the best quality for the lowest price.

With such an arrangement, Shopkeeper Chiang was naturally willing and said he needed to promptly tidy up the store, hire shop assistants, and purchase goods to open as soon as possible.

"Before that, we need to change the windows of this shop." Lian Manman walked to the window and said.

"How should we change them?" Wu Lang asked.

"I know," Xiao Qi smiled and said, "On the way here, my sister told me. My sister said that if we find a desirable shop, the first thing is to replace all the windows with bright glass windows."

"Replacing them all with glass windows would cost a significant amount of money," Shopkeeper Chiang said when he heard.

Not to mention in Jinyang County Town, even in the Prefecture City of Liaodong Prefecture, only large households used glass windows, and there were almost no shops using glass windows. Even if there were, it would only be one or two windows, not all of them.

Almost all shops, like ordinary households, used wooden lattice windows. There were detachable wooden boards outside the windows. During the day, when the shop was open, the boards would be removed, and at night, when business ceased, the boards would be replaced. This was almost a universal anti-theft measure for shops, and passersby would know whether a shop was open based on whether the boards on the windows had been removed, without paying attention to whether the shop’s door was open or closed.

Because of this, when referring to a shop’s opening, people would say the boards are open, and when a shop closed, they would say the boards are closed.

"Replacing them all with glass windows costs a bit more, but it’s worth the expense," Lian Manman said.

Changing to all glass windows would first improve the lighting inside the shop. Imagine, for two shops selling the same goods at the same price, would a customer prefer to enter the spacious and bright shop or the dimly lit one?

Glass windows not only benefit lighting but also allow people passing by to see the goods displayed inside the shop without entering because they are transparent.

Lian Manman planned to replace the windows with glass and naturally planned to create display windows. Once the display windows were set up, they would catch the attention of customers and naturally draw them into the shop.

Moreover, in Jinyang County Town, Lian’s Department Store had a novel and striking name, and by replacing all the windows with glass ones, even those who didn’t intend to buy anything would be attracted to take a look out of curiosity.

Since they’ve taken a look, it would be quite natural for them to come in and buy a couple of essential items.

There is no need for other kinds of promotion; just these two aspects, through word of mouth, would be the most effective advertisement for Lian’s Department Store.

As the first shop opened by the Lian Family in the county town, Lian Manman was willing to invest and also anticipated great future returns.

Shopkeeper Chiang, being quite capable, went ahead to arrange everything as they discussed.

Lian Manman returned to the backyard, where Xiao Xi had already set up her bedroom. Since there was no account room set up yet, for the few days she would be in the county town, she had to play the role of the accountant, and all expenses for preparing the residence and shop for opening had to be withdrawn from her.

At noon, Xiao Xi cooked, and the family had a simple meal. Liu Yakuai came again. This time, he was to take a few people to see another shop.

Besides running the shop with goods from their own farm, Lian Manman also planned to open a restaurant, mainly selling Lian’s Bun Shop’s buns, which already had a reputation.

They looked at three shops in a row that were up for sale, and Lian Manman finally chose the one on Nine-layered Pagoda Front Street.

Nine-layered Pagoda Front Street was located in the most prosperous commercial area of Jinyang County Town, surrounded by numerous shops, with the two largest inns in Jinyang County Town located on it. South of Nine-layered Pagoda Front Street, just one street over, was the County Yamen, located at the center of the county town. The most famous landmark in Jinyang County, the Nine-layered Pagoda, was directly behind this street.

The Nine-layered Pagoda, a Buddhist pagoda, was said to have been built over two hundred years ago and was always symbolic of Jinyang County Town. After the founding of this dynasty, it was used to honor the soldiers who made outstanding contributions and sacrificed their lives during several major battles for the country’s founding.

It’s said that on the topmost floor of the Nine-layered Pagoda, the tablet of a general from the Shen Family is enshrined. This Shen Family is, of course, the one from the Prefecture City. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

Around the Nine-layered Pagoda, there are numerous flowers and trees, with rockeries, pavilions, and terraces among them. The largest river in Jinyang County, Jin River, flows under the Nine-layered Pagoda, with willow trees planted on both sides of the riverbank, bustling with tourists when spring flowers bloom.

In such a location, opening a bun shop wouldn’t need to worry about business.

And for a shop like this to be up for sale, naturally, there would be many buyers vying for it.

This restaurant had three floors, five rooms wide, and a small courtyard at the back. Inside the building were tables and chairs, mostly seven or eight parts new, being purchased by the current owner when they took over the restaurant.

The entire restaurant, including the tables and chairs inside, the small courtyard at the back, and all the kitchen equipment, was priced at two hundred seventy taels of silver.

"Others offer more than this amount, but we owe a favor to Imperial Doctor Wang. As long as you offer this price, the restaurant is yours."

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Here’s the second update, asking for pink votes.

Recommended book by Ruoyan: "The Brocade Screen Chronicles" light house fight farmland tale, detailing the daily life and emotional entanglements in a grand mansion.

Book ID: 1771214

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