The Second Sister of a Farmer's Family's Path to Imperial Destiny

The New Year has passed, and the hot pot restaurant in Suining City has been almost decorated with the help of Rufangzhai. However, suitable decoration and hot pot utensils alone are not enough to make a success in Suining City.

Because hot pot restaurants were still a novelty in this dynasty, it was obviously unrealistic to travel back and forth between the capital and the village every day, so Guo Xin rented a small courtyard.

She walked down the street, observing the city from a businessman's perspective for the first time.

The city was not as prosperous as her first impression. There were beggars scattered around the streets and alleys. The pedestrians on the road seemed to have no ill will towards the beggars and even had a certain respect for them, which made Guo Xin a little confused.

This was a situation she had never seen before. Even in her previous life, people kept their distance from beggars, and even despised or hated them. A small number of people felt sympathy for the beggars' plight, but among all these emotions, the only thing missing was respect.

She found a roadside noodle shop, sat next to the vendor and said, "Boss, I'd like a bowl of clear soup noodles and a small dish of stewed vegetables."

Street stalls have always been a good place to get information.

"Boss, this is my first time in the city. Why are there so many beggars on the street? There are no officials to drive them away, and the pedestrians on the street are respectful?"

The boss kneaded the dough while saying, "They are the great contributors to our Suining City. Previously, the bandits planned to attack the city to rob things. Those bandits were not ordinary bandits. They could even be called well-trained officers and soldiers. There was nothing they couldn't accomplish. Everyone here avoided them and hated them to the core."

"The officers and soldiers in the prefectural city didn't know what had happened. They didn't even receive any news that the bandits were coming to rob the city. It was a beggar who had been living in the outer city for many years who got the news from somewhere and risked his life to come to the prefectural government to ask for an audience. They thought the beggar was here to cause trouble, so they were ready to fight him off."

"Luckily, Magistrate Su came. He is a rare good official. He questioned the beggar in detail. He decided to make arrangements for the defense, but the problem came again!"

"Then we can't just defend without attacking! If we ask the officers and soldiers in the city to go, no one is willing. If we force them to go, I'm afraid they will turn to the bandits. At this time, the beggar came forward with a group of beggars and said they were willing to sacrifice themselves."

"So the beggars sneaked into the bandits' camp with explosives and blew up many of them. The remaining bandits were very angry and they plotted a surprise attack on the city, but we were well prepared and beat them to a pulp."

After saying this, the stall owner laughed somewhat smugly.

"If these beggars have no place to live now and don't steal things, but just rely on begging, can they maintain their lives?" Guo Ruo asked. This is very important for her future plan to open a hot pot restaurant.

The stall owner put the kneaded dough into the hot pot and boiled it. He said, "It is definitely not enough to live by begging alone, but the government office does not give them extra money, so they are hungry and full. But fortunately, the government office and some merchants will pay a small amount of money to the beggars to let them do some small things like running errands."

Guo Xin nodded thoughtfully. If that was the case, it would be feasible to let the beggars spread the news of the opening of the hot pot restaurant throughout the city.

She had already found a bookstore and printed a small notice about the opening of the hot pot restaurant. If it was handed over to beggars to distribute around the city, it would be more effective than asking people in other trades to distribute the small notices.

They have been in the city for many years and understand better which people are more receptive to these new things. They are also more familiar with the layout of the city, so the money they need to spend will be less.

"What if we want to ask beggars for help, but we can just find any beggar on the street?" Guo Xin asked.

"Yes, just find a beggar on the street. They have a leader who will arrange everything. When the money is done, someone will come to you. But the money they ask for is quite small, and my small stall can afford it."

"Thank you." Guo Xin took the bowl of steaming clear soup noodles and began to eat slowly.

If this is the case, there is no need to rush to find beggars to distribute flyers everywhere in the city.

After the meal, Guo Xin walked to the street, found a beggar at random, told him what he needed to do, and told him the address of the hot pot restaurant.

After the beggar recounted the story, he ran away and disappeared without a trace.

Guo Xin followed the address given by Rufangzhai and went to a small alley. It was a painting studio with excellent painting skills. They usually only took portraits of noble families, but the prices were not high.

I heard that he was a painter who was obsessed with his painting skills and had no interest in the worldly affairs. He would only come out to look for work when he had no money. This time, she just happened to meet him.

Walking into a secluded alley, you can only hear a few dogs barking. There are a few families living in the alley. There are densely packed clay pots on both sides of the alley, with all kinds of green vegetables planted in them.

When I arrived at the painter's residence, I found that the potted plants in front of the door were different from the ones in front. There were several kinds of unknown wild flowers planted in them. I don't know why they could bloom in this cold winter. They were very beautiful.

Guo Xin knocked on the door, and soon an unkempt man came out. He glanced at Guo Xin and said, "Are you the guest introduced by Rufangzhai?"

"Exactly."

Guo Xin told the man all his requirements. The man frowned and said, "This is not one of my previous paintings."

"But this painting is not difficult. It only takes me half the time to complete it as a portrait, and the price is the same."

The man was silent for a while and then said, "That's fine. This way I'll have more time for myself."

Guo Xin smiled, agreed on the next time to pick up the painting, left a deposit, and was about to leave.

The man called Guo Xin and said, "What is the name of this painting you want? Does it have a name?"

It was the first time he had seen such a thing. It was not an ordinary painting, but it was not calligraphy either. However, the paper required was very large, and he had never seen the content of the painting before. He could be said to be the first person in the Jokhang Dynasty to do this.

“I call this type of painting a paper banner.”

"Banner? What a good name. A horizontal painting hung on both sides. It doesn't require complicated painting skills or profound words, but it can convey what you want to convey to the public in a simple and clear way..."

After saying that, he went back into the house with the brush in his hand and ignored Guo Xin.

Guo Xin was stunned and looked at the man, thinking to himself what a weird guy he was. He wondered where he found Rufangzhai from.

But only this painter could mix the pigments and colors she wanted. If she wanted to find others, she would have to go to the capital.