The two of them traveled through the Tang Dynasty to open a supermarket, and the little Sizi was sup

Chapter 347 Delivery Job!

Although it's described as light, the breakfast I eat every morning is actually similar to this. The little princess accepted it well, not only drinking a bowl of porridge but also eating a piece of pumpkin cake, filling her little tummy to the brim.

Xiao Ran ate the same food as the three little princesses, without even having any pickled vegetables with it, for fear that the little princesses would be envious if they saw it.

After they finished eating, Xiao Ran took the three little princesses and Xiao Ruoying to the kindergarten.

Two classes had already finished at the kindergarten by then, and when they arrived, the third class was just halfway through.

The teacher is Li Lizhi.

Xiao Ran knocked on the door, attracting Li Lizhi's attention.

Li Lizhi, who was giving a lecture, looked towards the door and put down her book.

"Alright, everyone, please read it yourselves first."

After saying that, Li Lizhi went to the door and patted the heads of the three little princesses one by one, asking with undisguised worry, "How are Sizi and the others?"

Xiao Ran said, "It's just that I overused my voice yesterday. Drink more hot water and it will be fine in a couple of days."

Hearing this, Li Lizhi felt relieved. "That's good. Go and tell your brother later. He's very worried because he heard that Si Zi Fan Yin and Seventeen are not feeling well."

Xiao Ran nodded, "Okay, I need to talk to him about something."

After saying that, Xiao Ran bent down and looked at the little princess, "Then Si Zi Fan Yin Seventeen, be a good girl and go to class. I'm leaving now."

The little princess hugged Xiao Ran's neck and kissed him on the cheek.

"Goodbye, little pouch!"

His voice was still hoarse, but it sounded a little better than in the morning.

Princess Chengyang and Princess Gaoyang also waved to Xiao Ran.

After watching Li Lizhi lead the three little princesses into the classroom, Xiao Ran went to find Li Chengqian.

Li Chengqian is now extremely diligent. Almost every time Xiao Ran comes over, he is never seen relaxing. He is either reviewing memorials or thinking about political affairs.

This time was no exception.

When Xiao Ran arrived, someone was reporting to him about the cement factory's recruitment efforts. The process was going very smoothly, which was a lifesaver for the vagrants and beggars.

Some even offered to forgo wages, requesting only room and board.

However, Li Chengqian rejected it.

"Young Master?" Li Chengqian was listening to a report when he saw Xiao Ran.

"When did you arrive?" Li Chengqian asked, looking puzzled.

Xiao Ran said, "I just arrived not long ago. I just sent Si Zi Fan Yin and Seventeen to school."

Li Chengqian recalled that he had just sat down in the Lizheng Hall and had gone to relieve himself.

"Oh, I was out just now. How are the others? Are they serious?"

Xiao Ran shook his head. "It's not serious. Just make sure you get some rest."

Li Chengqian was relieved. "That's good, that's good. If it doesn't work, let the imperial physicians take a look at them."

Xiao Ran had no objection to this. Although he believed in modern inspection technology, it was always good to have an extra layer of protection.

"Then let's wait until noon."

Li Chengqian nodded.

Xiao Ran continued, "Besides this matter, there's something else I want to tell you."

“You can say it, when did you start treating me so politely?” Li Chengqian joked.

Xiao Ran smiled and said, "It's like this, about the synthetic track over at the playground, you can find some people to come over, and we can start laying it soon."

Li Chengqian naturally knew that they were going to lay a plastic running track. Upon hearing this, he nodded and looked at the person who came to report.

"Go and call a few people over."

Halfway through his sentence, Li Chengqian looked at Xiao Ran and asked, "Approximately how many people do we need?"

Xiao Ran stroked his chin and thought for a moment, "Let's start with ten people."

Li Chengqian nodded, then continued to instruct, "Ten people are needed."

"Yes."

Xiao Ran added, "You can just go to the kindergarten playground."

The guard responded again and then walked towards the door.

Xiao Ran sat down next to Li Chengqian without any hesitation. He had been busy all morning and planned to rest for a while.

Li Chengqian originally intended to continue dealing with the issues in the memorial, but seeing that Xiao Ran hadn't left, he thought for a moment and then asked, "Young master, I have a problem and would like to hear your advice."

Xiao Ran immediately returned his words: "Since when have you become so polite to me?"

Li Chengqian was amused and punched Xiao Ran on the shoulder. He then said, "It's like this. Actually, there are refugees everywhere. Those beggars have it tough too. The problem in the capital has been solved, but the refugees in other places still worry me."

As he spoke, Li Chengqian sighed.

He couldn't possibly allow refugees from other places to gather here. Putting aside the possibility that too many refugees would cause unrest, there would also be a lot of deaths along the way.

Emotionally, those are lives; rationally, they are resources.

Previously, Li Chengqian might not have thought much about this matter, but now that the people in the capital have been dealt with, he will naturally start thinking about other places.

As for this matter, Xiao Ran doesn't have any good solutions at the moment. The only option now is to wait.

"There are too few factories in the Tang Dynasty right now. We can only hire them as workers when there are more factories. If there is a factory in every place, the problem will be solved naturally, but we don't have that many factories right now."

Building a factory also requires money, and they don't have that much stuff to produce.

Hearing Xiao Ran's words, Li Chengqian was somewhat disappointed, but he also knew that this was the current situation and there was nothing that could be done.

However, Xiao Ran then offered a suggestion that could indirectly solve the problem.

"The cement road hasn't been paved yet, but we can spread the word and give a brief introduction. I'm sure those with brains, especially the merchants, will understand the importance of the cement road. Once the cement road is completed, it will facilitate caravans and boost economic circulation, and naturally there will be a need to hire people."

As he spoke, Xiao Ran analyzed the current economic situation for Li Chengqian. Although he was only a dabbler, he still knew a little about it.

After listening, Li Chengqian nodded, "What the young master said makes sense."

Xiao Ran also thought of another very important issue, which was the road planning.

"The current official road is the one that was left over from before, but if we are to pave it with cement, the route of the cement road still needs to be replanned to make it as short as possible. This will not only save costs, but also indirectly avoid banditry."

For many caravans or security escort agencies, the biggest problem is bandits. To save time, they often take back roads, which are easy to encounter bandits.

Once the plan for the cement road is finalized, bandit suppression will naturally follow during its construction. With the bandit threat eliminated and the cement road's convenience enhanced, transportation costs will be significantly reduced. As Xiao Ran spoke, Li Chengqian listened intently, when suddenly he saw Xiao Ran slap himself on the forehead.

Li Chengqian was startled. "Young master, what are you doing?"

Xiao Ran shook his head. "I must have been stupid to only think about these developments."

After saying that, Xiao Ran looked at Li Chengqian and said, "I just suddenly remembered that if we want to help those refugees and beggars, it's not entirely impossible."

Li Chengqian quickly pressed, "What method?"

Xiao Ran said, "Actually, we could organize them to deliver food."

"Delivering takeout?"

Xiao Ran nodded, "Yes, it's food delivery, but it's a bit different from modern food delivery. After all, modern food delivery workers are paid by their companies, but here we can just organize them and promote it."

"And set a price, for example, how much to pay these delivery drivers for each order. This price cannot be high, because we are in the business of small profits and quick turnover."

In fact, compared to modern food delivery workers, what Xiao Ran described sounded more like the Song Dynasty's "suohuan" (a type of food delivery service).

Wealthy families all had servants. If they wanted something but didn't want to go out, they could simply have a servant or maid bring it back to them. Deliverymen could also deliver it to their homes. They were essentially doing business with these servants and maids.

Poor people would not spend even a single copper coin on such things; only families with some money but not enough to support servants, and servants and maids, would do so.

Especially the servants and maids of wealthy and powerful families.

They have much more money than ordinary people, and since it saves them trouble and fulfills the host's requirements, they are certainly willing to pay this amount.

Another reason is that when people go out to eat, they usually don't bring too many people with them, only their personal servants and maids. If they leave, it's definitely not enough for the host to be left alone. This is when the importance of delivery drivers becomes apparent.

"However, these delivery drivers can only walk, so we need to divide them into areas of responsibility. Also, it would be best if someone were to take charge and manage them in a unified manner, and provide them with uniforms. That way, if someone is not serious, they can be kicked out of the team."

"Otherwise, if some cunning and dishonest people cause the overall reputation to decline, then no one will be willing to use them anymore, and everything will go back to the way it was."

As Xiao Ran spoke, Li Chengqian listened attentively.

"Also, this can increase tax revenue."

Li Chengqian's mind was filled with what Xiao Ran had just said. He said to Xiao Ran, "Young master, I need to think about these things some more. Thank you."

Xiao Ran waved his hand, "I just thought of it suddenly. The plan is not yet perfect. Your Highness can think about it carefully. After you have thought it through, we can talk to His Majesty about it again."

Li Chengqian nodded. He not only spoke to Li Shimin, but also planned to invite Qin Qiong and the others to discuss the matter together.

Seeing Li Chengqian's thoughtful expression, Xiao Ran knew he was probably thinking about the deliveryman. Since it was almost lunchtime, Xiao Ran took his leave.

He first went to the kindergarten, where the little princesses were having their last class. However, Xiao Ran saw Xiao Ruoying there.

The installation of the plastic running track is not actually difficult. The only problem is that the necessary materials have not yet arrived, which gives Xiao Ruoying time to train the workers.

When Xiao Ran arrived, Xiao Ruoying was playing a video on her phone, explaining things to them step by step.

Seeing this, Xiao Ran also went over.

Xiao Ruoying noticed Xiao Ran.

"Brother, are you done with your work?"

Xiao Ran nodded. "How are you all doing with your studies?"

The guard who had gone to fetch someone earlier quickly replied, "Young master, this seems quite simple."

Xiao Ran believed this, because if it were too difficult, Xiao Ruoying wouldn't have been able to learn it so quickly.

Xiao Ruoying said, "Now we're just waiting for the materials to arrive so we can start construction. They should arrive tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow if they arrive late."

Xiao Ran had already entrusted this matter to Xiao Ruoying, so upon hearing what Xiao Ruoying said, he replied, "You can decide for yourself. If you need any help, just let me know."

Xiao Ruoying nodded and continued talking to the guards about the plastic running track.

Xiao Ran took a walk around the school, secretly planning other construction projects in his mind.

After walking around for a while, Xiao Ran had just reached the classroom door when the bell rang to signal the end of get out of class.

Yan Liben came out from inside.

His last class today was his art class.

"Young master," Yan Liben greeted Xiao Ran.

“Uncle,” Xiao Ran responded to Yan Liben, then asked with a smile, “Uncle, are you settling in well at kindergarten?”

Yan Liben laughed upon hearing this.

"I'm used to it, I feel much younger now."

Just then, the little princess's slightly hoarse voice came through.

"Little Bag~"

Xiao Ran looked at the little princess, whose eyes were sparkling. She eagerly shared with him, "Little Princess~ I drew pictures today~"

Xiao Ran smiled and said, "Really? Then Si Zi will have to draw herself for me later."

After saying that, Xiao Ran looked at Yan Liben, "Uncle, I'm taking Sizi to dinner, why don't we come along?"

Yan Liben shook his head, "You guys go ahead, I'm planning to eat at home today."

Xiao Ran asked in confusion, "Is the food in the cafeteria not to your liking? Why don't you eat there?"

Yan Liben chuckled twice. "Of course it suits my taste. It's just that I suddenly had some insights, and I was planning to draw them when I got back."

Xiao Ran understood; inspiration had struck.

"Then I won't keep you any longer, Uncle."

After saying that, Xiao Ran looked at the little princess, "Sizi, say goodbye to your teacher."

The little princess smiled at Yan Liben and said, "Bye-bye, Lao Xi~"

Yan Liben nodded, smiled at the little princess, and then left.

After Yan Liben left, Xiao Ran looked at the three little princesses.

"How about we go home for lunch today?"

The cafeteria definitely needs to cater to the tastes of most people. Although they would prioritize the little princess if requested, there was no need for that. Therefore, neither Xiao Ran nor Li Lizhi asked the cafeteria to change the dishes at the last minute.

Moreover, nowadays, it's not just kindergarten children who eat in the cafeteria; some high-ranking officials also come to freeload. So the cafeteria has a lot of work to do and has to start preparing food very early.

If the dishes are changed suddenly, it may not be possible to prepare lunch in time.

(End of this chapter)