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

Chapter 901 A sumptuous dinner

"Even so, we still have to thank Brother Zhang! Without Brother Zhang, the families of the fallen soldiers of the Great Wall Army would probably still be living in dire straits!"

Tian Yu's gaze fell on Wu Cheng, who was entertaining guests downstairs, and his eyes were filled with satisfaction.

The Great Wall Army lost many soldiers on the battlefield, and these soldiers were often able-bodied men. After their deaths, how their families would live naturally became a huge problem.

Just like Wu Cheng, after his brother died, how would Wu Cheng, who was only 11 years old and had no relatives left, have survived if his neighbors hadn't been kind and helped him?

In the ten military towns behind the Great Wall, orphans like Wu Cheng were not isolated cases, but rather a common phenomenon.

Wars inevitably result in death, and the casualties would be even greater when fighting barbarians. But the soldiers of the Great Wall Army were never afraid of death; they were only afraid that their loved ones would be heartbroken and unable to survive after their deaths.

Although the Great Wall Army never mistreats its fallen soldiers and provides them with a generous pension, the pension eventually runs out. Therefore, the affairs of the Great Wall Army soldiers after their deaths have become one of the important things that Tian Yu needs to focus on.

Two days ago, after learning that Zhang He needed to hire people for his shop in Shaman Town, Tian Yu immediately approached Zhang He and begged him to give priority to recruiting people like Wu Cheng, whose relatives had died in the Great Wall Army.

Zhang He had no reason to refuse, so when people like Wu Cheng, whose relatives had died in the Great Wall Army, came to Zhang's Department Store to apply for jobs, they were often hired very easily.

The reason they were recruited was not because they were lucky, but because Tian Yu asked Zhang He for help behind the scenes.

Tian Yu shifted his gaze from Wu Cheng to the other shop assistants, his eyes filled with even greater satisfaction. Zhang He's shop alone required the recruitment of 20 people to work, ensuring a stable and sustainable income for 20 residents of Shaman Town. In the future, more merchants would arrive, more shops would open, and more people would be recruited...

In short, from Zhang's Department Store, Tian Yu seemed to see the bright future described by Chen Dao. Developing commerce seemed to really be able to lift the military towns behind the Great Wall out of poverty and allow the people who supported the Great Wall Army to live a life of plenty.

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Because the main purpose of this trip to the Great Wall was to transport 10,000 chickens and ducks for the Great Wall army, Zhang He brought only about 1,000 chickens and ducks to sell in Shaman Town.

With the enthusiastic purchase by the people of Shaman Town, the thousand chickens and ducks were sold out in less than a morning.

The local shopkeeper from Shaman Town, whom Zhang He had hired, had to step forward and inform the crowd of people still swarming in: "I'm sorry, everyone, all the chickens and ducks in our shop are sold out. If you want to buy other goods, you can come in and take a look. If you want to buy chickens and ducks, then please leave!"

As soon as he finished speaking, an uproar erupted outside Zhang's Department Store!

"Ugh! I finally managed to squeeze in, and you're telling me there aren't any left?"

"Shopkeeper, what's wrong with your shop? You only sell this little bit of chicken and duck, who's going to buy that much!"

"Your boss is really something! Can't you just bring more goods? You don't even know how to make money!"

"I rushed over as soon as I heard the news, but the chickens were gone? The ducks were gone too?"

"..."

The people were very disappointed. Most of them had rushed over after hearing the news, but they found out too late and were unable to buy chickens and ducks for 200 coins each!

However, they also knew that the shop was doing a good deed by selling chickens and ducks for 200 coins each, so even though the goods were gone, they didn't cause any trouble. They just muttered a few words about it!

"Don't worry, everyone!"

The shopkeeper smiled and reassured everyone, "We are indeed out of chickens and ducks! But we will be bringing more to sell in the future. If you're craving some meat, come back later, and you'll definitely be able to buy some then!"

"Is it true?"

Will more shipments continue?

"Shopkeeper, when can you send over another batch?"

"Shopkeeper, will the price of each chicken and duck still be 200 coins from now on?"

"..."

People's eyes lit up. They thought that the chickens and ducks costing 200 coins were a one-time offer, and if they didn't buy them, they wouldn't get them. Little did they know...

Zhang's Department Store will continue to receive new chickens and ducks.

Faced with a barrage of questions from the crowd, the shopkeeper patiently replied, "Don't worry, everyone. The owner told me that the price of chickens and ducks in the shop will not change; they will still be 200 coins each!"

"Great!"

The crowd outside the door instantly became excited.

"The owner of this shop is so kind! 200 coins a chicken or duck. When the new chickens and ducks arrive, I'm going to buy 10!"

"You bought ten of those? Are you trying to prevent others from buying them?"

"Shopkeeper, when will the next batch of chickens and ducks arrive?"

"Shopkeeper, will the next batch of chickens and ducks arrive within three days?"

"..."

While marveling at the conscience of the owner of Zhang's Department Store, everyone was also eager to inquire about the arrival time of the next batch of chickens and ducks.

The shopkeeper shook his head helplessly and said, "How can it be that fast! Our chickens and ducks are all transported from Chenjia Village. It takes several days just to get them there, so it's impossible for new goods to arrive in the short term!"

After saying that, the shopkeeper added, "Of course, if you are in a hurry, you can also buy from other merchants! In addition to our boss, a large number of merchants will arrive in Shaman Town later. Their goods are similar to our boss's, and the price of chickens and ducks will not exceed 300 coins each!"

"There are other merchants? That's great!"

"That works too! I'll go buy from other merchants! 300 coins apiece is acceptable."

"Thank you for telling me, shopkeeper!"

"Thank you, shopkeeper!"

"..."

Upon learning that other merchants would be arriving, the people gathered outside Zhang's Department Store thanked the shopkeeper and then left satisfied.

Seeing this, the shopkeeper and his staff returned to Zhang's Department Store to serve the remaining customers.

Zhang He brought not only chickens and ducks this time, but also various specialties from Chenjia Village and Qingzhou. So even though the chickens and ducks were sold out, there were still many customers in the store choosing other goods. The shopkeeper and the shop assistants needed to introduce the goods to them and help them make their selections.

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The sun sets.

Smoke rose from the chimneys of Shaman Town, and the air was filled with the unique aroma of meat. All the people who had bought chickens and ducks at Zhang's Department Store were slaughtering them, cooking, and preparing to enjoy a sumptuous dinner.