I couldn't take it anymore; when I went home for Chinese New Year, the family genealogy book ha

Early the next morning.

The entire Qinghe County, and even several surrounding counties and cities, were completely ignited by a piece of news.

The news wasn't delivered through newspapers or television, but through an older, more direct method—the village loudspeaker.

"Attention! Attention! The Jiangjia Village 'Grand Market on the 8th of Every Month' is about to open!"

"The address is at the south end of Jiangjia Village, a brand new market square covering 100 acres!"

"To give back to our fellow villagers, Mr. Jiang Chen, President of the Jiang Group, has specially approved that all vendors who come to set up stalls will be free of charge!"

"You heard right! No booth fees! No water or electricity fees! Even lunch boxes are provided free of charge by our village canteen!"

"Don't miss out! This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"

Hu Lahua's signature loud voice was recorded and played continuously for 24 hours a day over dozens of villages and towns around Jiangjia Village through hundreds of high-quality loudspeakers.

At the same time, Jiang's Group's official website and short video account also simultaneously released this investment promotion announcement, which was simple and blunt in wording but extremely explosive in content.

This completely stirred up a hornet's nest.

The merchants from all around went crazy!

"What?! No stall fee? And meals included? Is there really such a good deal?"

"Has Jiang Chen gone mad? This isn't business development; it's pure charity work!"

"Who cares if he's crazy! Why not take a free stall? My tricycle's sausages have been itching for a bite!"

"Don't try to take it from me! I just got a new batch of socks yesterday, I'm going to test the waters!"

You know, the city is getting stricter and stricter these days. Forget about setting up a stall, even doing business on the street will result in hefty fines.

Even in night markets where street vending is permitted, the stall fees, management fees, sanitation fees, and various other charges add up to a significant portion of the hard-earned money at the end of the day.

The "three exemptions" policy implemented in Jiangjia Village is like a godsend for these small vendors struggling to survive.

In no time, the phone number used by the Jiang Group for registration was ringing off the hook.

Countless small trucks, tricycles, and tractors came from all directions, heading towards Jiangjia Village in a grand procession. The scene was even more lively than during the Spring Festival.

Of course, at the end of the announcement, there was also a strict rule, emphasized three times in bold, bright red letters.

This was personally decided by Jiang Chen, and it is the only inviolable bottom line in the entire market.

[All merchants must guarantee that all goods sold are genuine and of fair quality, and that no one is cheated, young or old! Anyone found selling counterfeit or substandard products, shortchanging customers, or engaging in other fraudulent activities at the Jiangjia Village market will, upon verification, not only have to compensate consumers tenfold for their losses, but the individual and all related personnel will also be permanently blacklisted by the Jiang Group! They will be expelled from Jiangjia Village, stall and all!]

This rule served as a wake-up call to those who had hoped to take advantage of the situation.

This also reassured those who genuinely wanted to do business.

Finally, the day arrived for the "8th of the month market" to officially open.

The sky was just beginning to lighten, with only a faint glimmer of white appearing in the east.

The huge square at the south end of Jiangjia Village, which had risen from the ground in just a few days, was already bustling with people and brightly lit.

Thousands of vendors from all walks of life, pushing their carts and driving their trucks, entered their designated areas in an orderly manner under the direction of the security team led by Wang Dagou.

An elderly man selling handmade cloth shoes stands next to a young girl selling trendy phone cases.

A couple selling freshly fried dough sticks and soy milk stand opposite a college student selling Italian handmade ice cream.

There were people making sugar figurines, blowing sugar paintings, writing couplets, forging iron pots, fluffing cotton on the spot, and popping old-fashioned popcorn with a loud "bang" that startled people...

Those old crafts and trades that had gradually disappeared from people's sight during the process of urbanization seemed to have been revived in this place overnight.

The various shouts, calls for sale, and sounds of bargaining, mixed with the sweet aroma of roasted sweet potatoes, the cumin of grilled meat skewers, and the unique smell of stinky tofu, intertwine to create a most beautiful and down-to-earth symphony.

In an instant, the long-lost lively atmosphere was completely ignited!

As the sun rose, tourists began to pour in from all directions.

Soon, even those millionaires and billionaires who were originally waiting in line at Changsheng Hospital, each with a net worth of at least nine figures, couldn't sit still anymore.

They were initially putting on airs and looking down on this "low-end" occasion.

But when the aroma of the food wafted into their noses, all thoughts of haute couture suits and socialite etiquette vanished.

An oil prince who had just flown in from Dubai couldn't resist the aroma of roasted sweet potatoes from a nearby stall. Ignoring his bodyguards' attempts to stop him, he squeezed through the crowd and spent two dollars to buy a piping hot roasted sweet potato.

He imitated the migrant workers next to him, blew on it, and carefully took a bite.

Its fragrant, sweet, and chewy texture instantly won over his taste buds.

"Oh my god! Delicious!"

The prince ate until his mouth was covered in ash, tears welling in his eyes, yet he kept giving the stall owner a thumbs-up in his broken Chinese: "Delicious! This is delicious!"

Hu Lahua led a group of middle-aged women from the village, whose average age was over sixty, and they stormed into the market.

They all wore a bright red armband with three large characters printed on it: "Inspectorate Team".

This is a "price and quality supervision team" that they spontaneously organized.

These middle-aged women are more formidable than any law enforcement officer from the market supervision administration.

Each of them had a precisely calibrated electronic standard scale that they received from the village committee.

He walked up to a stall, and without saying a word, picked up the vegetables the customer had just bought and put them on the scale.

"Young man, your scale is a bit inaccurate. It's two ounces short!"

"Hey girl, your pork is pretty good, all the right balance of fat and lean. Could you also give this guy a couple of scallions? It's not easy for him to come all by himself to buy groceries."

The older women chattered amongst themselves, making the small vendors extremely nervous. They would rather give half a pound more than give a penny less.

The entire market presented an unprecedented scene of bustling activity yet orderly activity.

Su Qing's father, Su Tianhao, the richest man in the provincial capital, had originally arranged to have tea with Jiang Chen today to discuss a cooperation project worth hundreds of billions.

As soon as the car arrived at the village entrance, it was stunned by the scene before it.

Looking at the sea of ​​people and the bustling scene, he inexplicably asked the driver to stop the car and wandered in alone.

Then, this once powerful figure in the business world completely lost his way.

He first went to a stall where people lasso geese, and spent fifty yuan to buy all the hoops. He struggled for a long time with the big white geese with their heads held high. Finally, amidst cheers, he successfully lassoed a plastic basin and was as happy as a 200-pound child.

Then, he was drawn by the clanging sound of blacksmithing and went to watch a master craftsman forging an iron pot. He watched for more than half an hour and finally spent a lot of money to order a large, handmade iron pot, saying he would take it back to his wife to make pancakes.

Jiang Chen stood on a makeshift platform in the distance, holding binoculars, looking at the vivid "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" below, watching Su Tianhao's silly grin without any regard for his image, and took a deep breath of the air filled with the mixed smells of grilled gluten and lamb skewers.

He nodded in satisfaction.

"This is what life is all about! This is what it means to live!"

Just as Jiang Chen was basking in this sense of accomplishment, a vibrant voice came from behind him.

"Jiang Chen!"

Jiang Chen turned around and saw that Su Qing had changed her clothes at some point and was running towards him with a smile.

She grabbed Jiang Chen's arm and shook it hard.

Stop looking! Come on! Let's go shopping!