In years of famine and drought, their village even rejected fatty meat.

Chapter 478 Over 10,000 People

If goods can't be sold, they'll just pile up in the warehouse and gather dust, so merchants naturally won't be willing to buy or transport new goods.

Under such circumstances, the commerce of Taicang County will naturally shrink gradually, leading to a significant reduction in the county's commercial tax revenue, thus creating a vicious cycle.

In Chenjia Village, because the villagers had money and purchasing power, well-informed merchants naturally saw the business opportunities that were emerging. As a result, they opened shops in Chenjia Village, which is why all the shops along Chencun Avenue have now been sold.

This has also contributed to the current prosperity of Chenjia Village. When merchants come to open shops, they need to recruit a large number of workers to help them, which further increases employment opportunities in Chenjia Village and allows more people to earn money.

"This young friend Chen is truly generous!"

Looking at the prosperous scene before him, Zheng Qing couldn't help but sigh.

In a year when the cold was raging and most people were starving, and a strong laborer could be recruited for only one or two hundred coins, Chen Dao did not exploit the people like those unscrupulous merchants. Instead, he chose to pay the people higher wages.

This made Zheng Qing admire him greatly.

Honestly, if Zheng Qing could recruit people at a lower wage, he would absolutely not be willing to recruit them at a higher price, after all... that would be sacrificing his own interests.

"Yes."

Li Qingyun nodded in agreement. Chen Dao was truly the most selfless person Li Qingyun had ever met. If Chen Dao hadn't been in charge of Chenjia Village, the village would probably not have achieved its current prosperity.

The group continued on their way, and at the same time, many villagers noticed the arrival of the Zheng family's caravan and turned their attention to them.

"Is this the Zheng family's caravan?"

"Yes! I saw Miss Zheng, who is as beautiful as an angel."

"The Zheng family is really rich! This convoy stretches as far as the eye can see; I wonder what kind of goods they've brought this time."

"I heard that the Zheng family's Zheng Bao Lou in the village is about to open? I wonder what they're going to sell in such a big shop."

"You didn't know? Manager Wang said yesterday that Zheng Bao Lou will open tomorrow. I was planning to go and join in the fun. Maybe there will be an opening discount."

"I want to go and see too! I've heard people say that Zheng Baolou is really powerful, and you can buy anything there."

"You can buy anything there? I want to go check it out too!"

"..."

As the villagers pointed and whispered about Zheng Qing and his group, they arrived at the completed Zheng Baolou.

By this time, Zheng Baolou was fully completed. Covering an area of ​​nearly one acre and standing three stories high, Zheng Baolou could be considered a landmark building of Chenjia Village.

However, at this time, only Manager Wang and the people left behind by Zheng Qiuyan remained in Zheng Baolou.

Upon seeing Zheng Qing arrive, Manager Wang's eyes first showed a hint of surprise, then he quickly stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Master and Miss."

"Ah."

Zheng Qing nodded and said, "Manager Wang, you've worked hard these past few days."

Since Zheng Qiuyan decided to open Zheng Baolou in Chenjia Village, Manager Wang has stayed in Chenjia Village for several months now.

"It's not hard."

Manager Wang smiled and said, "Although Chenjia Village is a bit remote, my men and I are doing quite well."

Manager Wang was speaking from the heart. To be honest, he was somewhat unwilling when Zheng Qiuyan initially left him in Chenjia Village.

But as time went by, his feelings gradually faded. Although Chenjia Village was remote and not as prosperous as the county town, life there was very comfortable.

Staying in Chenjia Village, he didn't need to travel around. He only needed to supervise the workers and receive the goods delivered by the merchants. He could freely allocate the rest of his time. He could choose to rest or have a meal at the Chencun Restaurant next door and chat with the villagers. He lived a very comfortable life.

Over time, Manager Wang got used to life in Chenjia Village and even gradually grew to like the place, almost to the point of forgetting his homeland.

Seeing that Manager Wang's expression seemed genuine, Zheng Qing nodded and stepped into Zheng Bao Lou. Zheng Qiuyan, Li Qingyun, Qingying, Manager Wang, and the others followed.

“The layout of Zheng Baolou in Chenjia Village is roughly the same as that in the county town.”

Manager Wang explained to everyone, "The first floor is where we sell general merchandise, mainly catering to the working class. The second and third floors are for martial artists, selling medicinal herbs, martial arts techniques, and so on that are useful to them."

As Zheng Qing listened to Manager Wang's introduction, he asked, "Manager Wang, do you think this Zheng Bao Lou restaurant can make a profit?"

Upon hearing this, Manager Wang paused for a moment before replying, "Alright!"

"Oh?"

A hint of surprise flashed across Zheng Qing's eyes: "Why?"

When Zheng Qiuyan told Zheng Qing that she wanted to open Zheng Baolou in Chenjia Village, Zheng Qing was not optimistic about it. The reason was simple: large shops like Zheng Baolou often need to be located in cities with large populations to make a profit.

Because only large cities have enough people to consume. Although Chenjia Village looks prosperous, its population is ultimately too small. In Zheng Qing's view, such a population is not enough to support the revenue of Zheng Baolou.

That's why Zheng Qing was so surprised when he heard Manager Wang's confident answer.

"Does the head of the family know how many people live in Chenjia Village now?"

Instead of answering directly, Manager Wang asked a question in return.

"I don't know."

Zheng Qing shook his head. As a first-time visitor to Chenjia Village, how could he know how many people lived there? Even Zheng Qiuyan, who had visited Chenjia Village several times, could not know the exact number of people in Chenjia Village.

"When Miss and I first came to Chenjia Village, the village had only a few thousand inhabitants."

Manager Wang said with great familiarity, "Now, the total population of Chenjia Village, including the migrant workers, has exceeded ten thousand!"

Upon hearing this, Zheng Qing, Li Qingyun, and Zheng Qiuyan all showed a look of shock in their eyes.

In the land of Kyushu, a village with over a thousand people is already considered a large village with a very large population, but Chen Family Village...

The population is over ten thousand!

This number is simply appalling.

Is this still a village?

"How can there be so many?"

Li Qingyun looked astonished. As the magistrate of Ding'an County, Li Qingyun often checked the population register and had a deep understanding of the population situation in the villages within the county.

In Ding'an County, most villages have a population of less than 500, and even the larger villages have a population of about 1,000. Li Qingyun had never even heard of a village with a population of 10,000.

"Naturally, it's because you can make money here in Chenjia Village."

Manager Wang said, "Now everyone in Taiping County knows that you can find work in Chenjia Village and earn enough to support your family. Therefore, people from all over Taiping County who want to work will go to Chenjia Village in order to find a job to make a living!"