On the wedding day, I was broken off, so I remarried his uncle

Chapter 198 Choosing a Stall

"There must be a lot of people in the prayer area, so why don't we set up the stall nearby?" Song An suggested after looking around.

Song Xile shook his head. "After all, the meat we sell is not good if it is too close to the prayer area. The people will be worried, and it will not be good for our business."

Song Xile shook his head gently. "After all, we sell meat. It might not be good to be too close to the prayer area. People come here to pray for rain and blessings, so we have to be careful about our behavior."

"You can't just pray for blessings and then go out and eat meat, right?"

After listening to Song Xile's proposal, Song An thought for a moment and felt that the previous proposal was indeed inappropriate, so he asked: "Then where should we put our stall?"

Song Xile smiled and raised his hand, pointing to an observation deck in front of him, "Let's go over there. It's in a good location. It can attract passers-by and you can also climb up and see far away."

“When the competition gets intense, there will definitely be a lot of people going there to watch the game. I think it’s a good place to set up the stall.”

Song An looked in the direction Song Xile pointed and saw that the observation deck had a wide view and he could clearly see the boats on the lake.

Moreover, the road there is wide, and there is a small path next to it that leads directly to the observation deck. Next time they don’t have to go around from the outside, they can just go directly through that path.

He nodded with satisfaction, "Okay, then we'll set up the stall over there."

The group walked to the observation deck, and then Song Xile chose a location nearby that was neither too close nor too far away.

It will not affect passers-by and can also ensure that people on the observation deck can smell the fragrance emanating from this side.

Song Xile pointed to an empty space and said, "Let's do it here. When we go back later, we can buy a piece of oilcloth and put up a tent here."

Song An looked around and asked hesitantly, "Are the stalls here fixed? Or is it first come first served? If it's the latter, wouldn't it be cheaper for others if we set up the stall now?"

Song Xile was stunned. She had actually forgotten about this. If this stall was not fixed, it would be quite inconvenient for them.

It’s not so bad now that there are few people setting up stalls. But once more people come here to visit, there will definitely be people arguing over stalls, which will definitely affect the order here.

The prefect had had this concern early on. If the rules were not set at the beginning, it would be bad if conflicts arose later.

So he ordered people to mark the locations for stalls here early in the morning. Stalls could only be set up in the designated areas to avoid occupying the road and affecting pedestrian traffic.

Similarly, he also gave some people who wanted to set up fixed stalls the opportunity, but they needed to pay some stall fees.

Just as they were discussing whether to go to the front to ask the wonton vendor, a middle-aged man who looked like an official, followed by two officers, walked up to the group and asked, "Do you want to set up a stall here?"

The officials spotted them early in the morning. They did not watch the competition going on in the lake, but kept pointing at the designated stalls.

The official had an idea in his mind, and when he saw a group of people standing in front of a stall for a long time without moving, he led two officers over.

When Song An saw the official asking questions, he looked nervous and responded repeatedly.

Song Xile was very calm. She asked slowly, "Excuse me, sir, we want to set up a stall here to sell some food. Is this stall fixed or mobile?"

When the official saw that the people were really going to set up stalls here, he immediately said with a smile: "The prefect sympathizes with the people's hard life and has set up a mobile stall here. Anyone who wants to set up a stall here can pay five cents as a stall fee when the officials come to patrol at noon."

"However, the Lord also considered that some stalls are not convenient to move, so he specially allowed them to set up stalls. However, such stalls must pay a stall fee of one or two taels of silver in one lump sum. I wonder what kind of stall does my lady want?"

Song An calculated in his mind and felt that it was not right. Five cents a day would only be three cents of silver in two months. The difference was too big.

Song An was a little confused, so he asked, "Excuse me, sir, both of them are setting up stalls here, why is there such a big difference?"

The official explained: "These mobile stalls were originally set up by the prefect out of sympathy for the people's hardship. They are mainly to provide them with convenience. Those who can occupy a stall can make a living, so it is understandable that they share more."

Song An thought about it and it was indeed true, but if the business was not good, wouldn’t he lose a lot more?

He thought for a moment and asked again, "Sir, if business is not good, can we change the stall?"

The official's smile faded a little, and he said unhappily, "Of course you can't do that. The Lord has already given you convenience, how can I let you take all the benefits?"

Song An felt a little ashamed of what the official said. He was indeed greedy.

Song Xile explained: "Don't blame me, sir. It's my second brother who is anxious. He is also worried that the business will be bad and it will be a waste of money."

The official's expression eased a little. One tael of silver was indeed a considerable expense for a farmer.

He pondered for a moment and suggested, "It's normal for you to have such concerns. Why don't you set up the mobile stall for a few days and then decide after you determine how the business is going."

Song Xile made the final decision: "No, sir, we have chosen the stall here. I wonder where we should pay?"

The official glanced at everyone present and saw that no one objected, so he said, "Then follow me."

After saying that, he led the group in the direction they came from.

Next to the prayer area at the entrance, there is a wooden shed with several wooden tables and benches for several servants to work.

The official walked to the table and sat down, taking out a freshly written document from a thick stack of papers.

He looked at the few people and said, "Pay one or two taels of silver as the booth fee first."

Song Xile quickly took out a small silver coin from his purse and handed it over.

The official carefully put away the silver and then asked for the name of the person who wanted to set up the stall.

After writing Song An's name and filling in the remaining space, Song An was asked to put his fingerprint on the deed. Two copies were made, one for Song An and one for filing.

"Okay, with this certificate, when the officials come to collect the stall fee, just show it to them."

Song An responded with a smile on his face, folded the voucher carefully and put it in his arms.

After choosing the stall, Song Xile led the group back.

On the way back, they bought two large iron pots, two clay stoves, and a large oilcloth.

Now everything is ready and we can start selling it tomorrow.