novelaction Chapter 715 The vendors disappeared
Chapter 715 The vendors disappeared
"Wait!" Just as he walked to the door, he was stopped by someone on the other side, "Sir, why are you so angry? Everything is negotiable. This deal was negotiated, don't give up just because you are not satisfied with a few words."
Zhou Guo turned around and said, "Boss, you should think about it carefully first. Come back to me when you have made up your mind. I am always here to serve you."
He nodded politely and left.
The shopkeeper stayed where he was, hesitating.
She walked around the street and found that there were fewer businesses in Huaiyang in recent years. When she came here before, there were many food stalls on the street, but now there are only a few.
There are fewer shops on the streets, especially food shops.
After walking through several streets, I finally saw a stall selling wontons and went up to order a bowl.
There was no one at the stall at this moment.
While waiting for the wontons, she talked to the stall owner, "I remember when I came here a few years ago, there were still many small vendors here. Why are they gone now? Even many shops on the street have closed down. Where have all these people gone?"
The stall owner looked back at her, then looked around and said, "Young man, are you from out of town? You don't know, these past two years have been tough for us small businesses. At first, the government would ask us for money every six months under various pretexts, then every two months, then one month, and finally every three days.
There were land occupation fees and cleaning fees, which were not excessive enough. In the end, we even had to pay for the oil, salt, and flour we used, as well as the tables, chairs, and benches.
You see, small businesses don’t make much money anyway. The money earned in a day is not enough to pay them. Who can afford to set up a stall? Gradually, everyone simply stopped setting up stalls and went to make a living elsewhere.”
Zhou Guo frowned, "You guys are the only ones who are paying?"
"No, I have to pay it all. I have a younger brother who used to work as a waiter in a pastry shop. Later, he was often asked for money. The shop could not continue and closed down. My brother was left without a job."
"If you don't leave, how much money can you make in a day?"
The stall owner sighed and said helplessly: "Where can I go? My ancestors have been here for generations, and I don't know how to do anything else. I originally thought that I would not lose money, so I would not make any money. But now it is impossible. I have to go home after today. It is much better to find a job than this!"
Zhou Guo ate wontons in silence, feeling that the situation in Huaiyang was not good. If she opened a shop here, the money she earned would probably go into someone else's pocket.
The North is still better, there are not so many taxes.
I couldn't help but suggest, "Stall owner, Huaiyang is not good, you should go somewhere else. I tell you, the north is very good, there is no such mess. Your wontons are so delicious, they will definitely sell well."
The stall owner hesitated, "The north? That's so close to the Hu people? If the border is breached, what will happen?"
Zhou Guo said: "Huaiyang is not far from the north. Besides, you are almost out of food if you stay here. If you wait for the barbarians to come, your family will starve to death. As the saying goes, moving a tree dies and a person lives. Maybe things will be different if you move to another place.
We have General Xu guarding the border in the north, and we have never seen the border breached in all these years. It is very stable! More and more people have gone to the north in recent years, and there are small stalls like yours all over the street. Maybe when you go there, you can still find the stall friends who used to set up stalls with you here. "
The stall owner was deeply moved by the advice.
As he was talking, a few men dressed in government-level clothes came over, holding an account book in their hands, and said coldly, "Today's taxes have not been paid yet."
The stall owner was about to cry, "Sir, I have paid it, I paid it an hour ago."
"Don't talk nonsense. What you paid before is what you paid before. Now someone will come to your stall to eat. They have to pay a head fee. Hurry up!"
Zhou Guo was shocked. She didn't know there was such a charge. She, who was just eating wontons, had to pay a head fee?
What kind of capitation fee is this?
The money was paid a little slowly, so the group couldn't help but fight and smash things.
The stall owner bitterly took out the last few coins from the money box and handed them to them, and emptied the box, "Sir, there is really no more, this is the last bit."
The other party looked at the few copper coins in his hand with disdain and shook them, "Why is it just this little? You are still doing business?"
After getting the money, a group of people left.
One of them saw Zhou Guo looking at them and wanted to scold her, but when he saw what she was wearing, he fell silent, turned around and walked to the next stall.
Zhou Guo looked at the stall owner and saw him shaking his head and sighing. He had stopped making wontons and no one knew what he was thinking.
After a while, the stall owner took the initiative to sit over and asked, "Is the Northland you mentioned really that good? Do you really not charge any random fees?"
Zhou Guo nodded, "Really."
I took another sip of the soup. It was delicious and fresh.
The stall owner was puzzled, "Why are all the lands of the imperial court different from ours?"
Zhou Guo said, "You don't know this, right? The taxes in Huaiyang are collected by the court, but it's different in the north. The taxes in the north are in the hands of General Xu, and he doesn't allow so many miscellaneous taxes. Do you understand? Anyway, the north is not far from here. If you are really worried, go there with your brothers and have a look."
Since the shop in Huaiyang cannot be opened, she can open a few more shops in the north.
The same thing happens when there are more people.
The stall owner nodded heavily and said, "You are right. If we stay here, we will starve to death sooner or later. We might as well go out and have a look. If the Northland is really good, my whole family will move there."
Zhou Guo happily ordered another bowl, ate it, paid and left. She was quite happy that she could not do business in Huaiyang, so as to avoid being skinned. She could not beat them.
She spent a day touring Huaiyang City and thought that even though the shops were closed, it would be nice to buy a few and keep them.
The key is that shops and houses are cheap now.
The next day, I went to the dental clinic and bought three shops and a house that I liked.
As a result, when I arrived at the government office, I found that the tax there was higher than anywhere else, almost doubled.
It is true that any rat that passes by will be skinned alive.
In the afternoon, the shopkeeper sent someone to invite Zhou Guo to the restaurant to discuss matters.
she went.
The shopkeeper smiled as soon as he saw her, as if nothing had happened.
Sure enough, these businessmen are not ordinary people. They change their faces faster than anyone else.
"Mr. Zhou, you've had a great time these past two days. How about we sit down and talk about the Sheep Mushroom?"
Zhou Guo smiled and said, "Sure, I love talking about business the most."
She is not planning to do business in Huaiyang now, so it is okay to make some concessions.
As a result, when she gave in like this, the other party thought she was scared and tried to lower the price even more, and the price he offered was less than half of what she had offered.
Zhou Guo raised his eyebrows, "I may not have told you clearly, I don't have much stock, you can take it if you want it, but if you don't want it, I won't have trouble selling it."