Traveling through the farm, I just want to earn money by farming

"In spring, all things come to life. Spring can be admired, smelled, tasted, and marveled at. Appreciating the newness, smelling the fragrance, tasting the freshness, and marveling at the colors. If all this spring beauty could be enclosed in a small world, do you think anyone would be willing to pay to see it?"

The more Shopkeeper Xu listened to Qingning's words, the more enlightened he became and he was extremely happy.

"Great, great, great! Spring is beautiful. Students and young ladies enjoy outings during this time of year, and wealthy families also hold flower-viewing banquets. However, these are for children of appropriate age to meet new parents, and the people who come are usually wealthy or noble. If this spring banquet were open to ordinary people, there would naturally be many people coming, but I'm afraid the price can't be too high."

Shopkeeper Xu pondered how to position the Spring Festival Banquet. Whether to set it high or low was a matter of consideration. If it was too high, the wealthy would disdain to come, and ordinary people would be reluctant to come. If it was too low, the banquet would fail to capture the artistic conception of the Spring Festival and would be even less attractive than the temple fair.

"Uncle Xu, Qingning has some ideas. Why don't you listen to them and see if they are feasible?" Since she brought this up, she had naturally made preparations. These were things she often did when she was a corporate slave. She treated it as the company's annual meeting.

"I'm all ears," Shopkeeper Xu asked humbly.

"First, find a venue with pleasant scenery, including mountains and water. If there's an existing building, that's best. If not, invest in some grandstands. No need for an enclosure; just station personnel at strategic points. Second, limit the number of invitees to a hundred, first-come, first-served, giving students preferential treatment. Third, plan the itinerary for the tour. If it involves waterways, prepare boats; if it involves land, prepare cars. If it's both, even better, let them choose freely. Fourth, include some games and prizes to spice up the banquet. Fifth, plan the time, make the food innovative, and create a setting that appeals to both the elite and the masses. Sixth, and most importantly, publicize the event—make a brochure about the Spring Festival banquet and distribute it. Make it as grand and mysterious as possible."

Qing Ning paused to take a sip of tea to moisten her throat, then continued, "Also, this number of people isn't too small. We're probably understaffed in the Food Treasure Pavilion. If we add more people at short notice, there might be some hidden dangers. Furthermore, the village headmen in town, the county lords, and other senior officials know more than I do, but we can't send too many. We also need to find some experienced people to protect us, just in case."

Qing Ning briefly explained the general process of the Spring Appreciation Banquet and saw that Shopkeeper Xu was silent and not in a hurry, just sitting there and waiting.

After a while, Shopkeeper Xu came back to his senses. He hesitated and said, "Qing Ning, this banquet is not an ordinary banquet. It sounds similar to the flower viewing banquets held by wealthy families. I'm afraid it will be difficult to attract people."

Qing Ning, understanding Shopkeeper Xu's concerns, immediately took out the detailed outlines of her planned Spring Banquet. From the promotional design and promotion, to the venue selection, layout, itinerary, how to make the banquet more interesting and visually appealing, the banquet start time, the banquet format, the dishes, the estimated number of staff and costs, how to ensure safety, and how to handle emergencies, she even spelled out the price of the Spring Banquet and the accompanying gifts. She had Mr. Wu write all of these, and after they were completed, Mr. Yu and his son, as well as Mr. Ma, expressed their desire to attend and experience it for themselves.

Shopkeeper Xu took the banquet's details and read them carefully, his face filled with amazement. The more he read, the wider his smile grew. If he could advertise and arrange it this way, why would anyone be worried about no one coming, or no one willing to pay? If there were a temple fair among the common people, this would be an elegant gathering!

"Good girl, it's really hard for you. You are so thoughtful and meticulous. Even Uncle Xu is impressed! Can Uncle Xu ask you for a favor?" Shopkeeper Xu looked at her hopefully.

"Uncle Xu, you're welcome. Please speak."

"Uncle wants to ask you to help organize this banquet. Don't worry, I will not let you work in vain." He has made up his mind to let Qingning help him with the arrangements. Not to mention the things that this little head has come up with, even some housekeepers in other houses may not be as thoughtful as her.

After hearing Manager Xu's request, Qing Ning frowned and began to think. Manager Xu didn't dare to disturb her and waited carefully.

"Uncle Xu, how can you arrange the venue and personnel?"

"Don't worry about the venue. Our boss has several properties in Ruyi County, including one in Changqing Town, not far from your village. I've been thinking of holding the banquet at one of these properties. I'll send a letter to our boss to let him know, and I think it won't be a problem. As for the people, I'll also borrow some from other families in the county, along with the people from the other manors and my subordinates. If these two things can be settled, it can be done in as little as five days. What do you think?"

Qing Ning calculated the time and thought that five days would be enough to confirm the venue and manpower, so she nodded in agreement.

When Shopkeeper Xu heard this, he stood up excitedly and subconsciously wanted to pick up Qingning, but then he retracted his hand awkwardly. This was not his own child, so he still had to be careful about his words and actions. He just walked back and forth happily.

"Uncle Xu, I also need someone who is good at painting, someone who is good at music, and someone who is good at eloquence. These will be of great use." Since Qing Ning agreed, she naturally put forward her requests one by one.

Shopkeeper Xu immediately agreed upon hearing this: "Okay, I'll go find it."

"Uncle Xu must give me an answer tomorrow. Or if Uncle Xu can't find one for the time being, I have some recommendations." Qing Ning suddenly thought of Grandpa Yu and the others, and wanted to find some jobs for them to make money.

"Okay," Shopkeeper Xu agreed without hesitation. If Qing Ning had someone with him, it would save him the trouble.

"Uncle Xu, I will write down the recipe for this dish and you can arrange for the chef to learn it. Don't spread it to anyone else at will~" Qing Ning added worriedly.

Shopkeeper Xu naturally knew the importance of recipes. The chef, like him, was a member of the Xu family, so he could naturally trust them. The Xu family's staff was also interesting; important positions were all chosen from among their own members, ensuring absolute loyalty.

"Uncle Xu, I'm busy in the mornings because I have to go to school, but I'm free in the afternoons." Qing Ning made an appointment with Shopkeeper Xu, then thought for a moment and said, "Uncle Xu, Qing Ning has a request."

"That's what you say."

"This spring banquet is closer to our village, so I thought of adding a spring market and letting the leaders display their goods. At least there will be some income, and some of the rich young men and women can have some fun." This was Qing Ning's last-minute idea. Of course, she would ask the village chief to restrain the villagers at this market and not to disrupt them.

"Okay, but don't let them get in the way." When Qing Ning heard that Shopkeeper Xu had the same idea as her, she nodded in agreement.

"The time is set for the 16th of this month. Any later will be boring." The two of them calculated that the time really couldn't be later. Although it was a bit tight, it would be quick as long as the manpower was in place.

Manager Xu suddenly thought of something, asked Qingning to wait for a moment, and then went out. After a while, he came in and took out a hundred taels from his sleeve and gave it to Qingning. Qingning was stunned and looked at him in confusion.

Seeing Qing Ning refuse to take it, Shopkeeper Xu looked at him intently and said, "Qing Ning, take it. This is Uncle Xu's way of thanking you. You've helped Uncle Xu gain these benefits and made me proud in front of the boss. I'm deeply grateful. No matter what happens during this Spring Festival Banquet, I'll always remember my gratitude. You must accept this money and don't think it's too little."

For a small official like him, even a hundred taels would take a long time to save. He was determined to get this done. If his employer appreciated him, he could propose a change of citizenship. If successful, the children would no longer be enslaved. Of course, this was not unprecedented. Therefore, he was sincerely grateful for the opportunities Qing Ning had presented him.

Qing Ning didn't take it. She looked at Shopkeeper Xu and said, "Uncle, please keep this money. I won't suffer any loss when doing business with you. Take this Spring Festival banquet for example. I have many ways to make money. Please keep this money."

She knew that Manager Xu was from the Xu family, and that there were fixed rules for this. He must have had this hundred taels of silver for a long time.

Seeing that she refused to accept it, Shopkeeper Xu became a little anxious. Qing Ning took one look and comforted him, "Uncle Xu, I don't treat you as an outsider. From our business dealings, I've seen that you're kind and tolerant. I earn money more easily than you do, so you don't have to be so rude. You can carefully calculate how much benefit I can get from this Rejuvenation Banquet."

Qing Ning finished her words, looking at him with a smile, not waiting for him to figure it out. Shopkeeper Xu, upon hearing this, knew that Qing Ning understood his difficulties and was thoughtful of him, and was deeply moved. Seeing that she insisted on not accepting the money, he gave up and promised to take care of her business in the future and recommend her to other shopkeepers.

The two discussed some other details, and then Qing Ning said goodbye and went back. She wanted to go back and tell the village chief to arrange for the villagers to take action.