Chapter 85 - 84: The Marketplace is Built

Chapter 85: Chapter 84: The Marketplace is Built

Lin Feng returned from the performance area and was on the phone with his father, asking him to help purchase some grain to feed the small animals in the mountains.

Hu Zhiming ran over, panting. "Brother Lin, the Marketplace is finished! I just went to check on it. The foundation is completely hardened."

"It’s done? I’ll call Uncle Ma in a bit and have him notify everyone who wants to sell their wares to come over."

"Of all the urgent buildings you assigned, only the Lord’s Mansion is left. But the construction team says it won’t be long before it’s finished, too."

Lin Feng was pleasantly surprised. This meant he could complete a quest and also see the village’s upgrade requirements.

The next priority was to get all the buildings constructed.

However, the Wharf was a tricky one. There were no major rivers or lakes around Lin Xian Village where he could build it.

Hu Zhiming asked, "Are we going to take a commission from the people who come here to sell things?"

"No commission. We’ll establish clear rules and enforce them strictly. There can be no short-changing and no shoddily made goods."

"I understand."

It was just like a rural market. In fact, Mountain Ridge Town already had its own market, but it mostly sold vegetables and meat.

Things like woven goods and other unique handicrafts had practically no buyers in town.

After Hu Zhiming left, Lin Feng went to the Marketplace himself, preparing to upgrade it into a village building.

The Marketplace was built on a patch of mountainside that had been leveled by heavy machinery. A street, 50 meters long and 5 meters wide, had been paved with stone slabs and concrete, and a few simple wooden cabins were built on either side.

These small cabins were mainly intended to be used later for selling some of Lin Xian Village’s specialty products.

The open-air stalls set up on the street were for the visiting vendors.

He thought about it for a long time here. Finding very few compatible devices, he finally chose an electronic scale to perform the upgrade.

[Marketplace (Level 1): Attracts customers, boosts commercial transactions, adds weight-detection function.]

This new function was equivalent to adding a scale for ensuring fair trade to the Marketplace. As long as any short-changing occurred, he would be notified.

’Next time I upgrade, I can add a quality-inspection device. Maybe I can roll an attribute related to product quality.’

That way, he wouldn’t have to worry about some scammer ripping off tourists with the products sold in the Marketplace.

"Hey, Uncle Ma, the Marketplace over here is finished. Could you spread the word? There are fifty stalls in total.

Oh, right. Everyone who wants to sell things here must sign an integrity contract with us. No fraud or deception will be tolerated."

When Ma Dehua heard the news, he said joyfully, "This is wonderful! I’ll notify everyone right away."

After hanging up, he first notified the special artisans he had contacted previously, then made an announcement over the town’s loudspeaker.

At this, all of Mountain Ridge Town was abuzz. Many people had already gotten a taste of the profits brought in by the tourists.

This was especially true for the first families who converted their homes into guesthouses. They had taken advantage of being first-movers and made a good deal of money.

Anyone with eyes could see the huge number of tourists taking the bus into Lin Xian Village every day, and then taking the bus back out.

These people didn’t stop in Mountain Ridge Town. If they could set up a stall to sell things in Lin Xian Village, business would definitely be explosive.

Some of the more quick-witted people were already heading for the town hall, mulling over what kind of business to start.

A few clever individuals went straight online to look up reviews posted by tourists who had visited Lin Xian Village.

Li Hong was one of them. His family ran a breakfast stall, and thanks to the tourists from Lin Xian Village, business had been great recently.

"Dad, our breakfast stall could totally set up shop in that Marketplace.

I was just looking online. A lot of tourists said that since Lin Xian Village is in the mountains, there’s no breakfast available after they take the bus over in the morning, so they can only eat snacks."

"You think I needed you to tell me? Your mom already went to sign up the moment she heard the announcement.

I just called to order a set of mobile equipment. If we get chosen, you and your wife will be the ones going up the mountain to sell breakfast."

"Dad, if we’re going up the mountain to make breakfast, should we raise the prices? I’ve seen that prices at scenic spots are usually really high."

SMACK!

"Are you an idiot? You think we’re the only ones who thought of this? I just saw Crooked Neck’s family heading over too.

Besides, Boss Lin isn’t charging any fees. If your prices are too high, do you think he’ll let us sell there?"

"You’re right, Dad, you know best. It’s true, if the price is too high, Boss Lin would definitely kick us out."

"If our family gets chosen, remember to carefully read their regulations after you get up there. Don’t make any mistakes."

"I know. I’ll definitely follow the rules on the mountain."

Li Hong wasn’t a fool. They weren’t charging any rent and were providing the space for free.

If you didn’t follow their rules, they could kick you out at any time.

The owner of the convenience store at the edge of town heard the news but had no intention of signing up. He knew there was already a store on the mountain with prices lower than his.

Ma Dehua looked at the crowded mob and yelled, "Get in line! Get in line! Anyone who cuts in line will be disqualified from signing up. If you can’t even follow the rules here, how can you be expected to follow them on the mountain?"

As his voice fell, the originally chaotic crowd slowly began to form a line.

"It makes no difference whether you sign up first or last. After this list is submitted, they will screen the applicants. Only those who are selected will be able to do business on the mountain."

Someone asked, "Mayor Ma, what kind of businesses are most likely to be chosen?"

"Good question. I’ll tell you all right now: businesses with unique characteristics are more likely to be selected.

For example, things like bamboo weaving, woodcrafts, straw weaving, and embroidery have already been approved. They don’t need to be screened and are selected directly.

In other words, pure handicrafts or other specialty products are more likely to get picked.

Those of you selling vegetables or meat don’t need to bother signing up. You definitely won’t be chosen."

"Mayor, what about me? I sell flowers. Is that more likely to be picked?"

"Selling flowers does have a better chance of being selected."

"It’s over for me. Selling tofu and bean sprouts is definitely a lost cause."

"Well, duh! People are here as tourists. Who’s going to buy your tofu and bean sprouts?"

More and more people arrived, and after hearing the explanations from the crowd, some of them started getting ideas.

There were many kinds of "specialty" products. Some required skill, while others could simply be sourced and bought with money.

The most important thing now was to secure a stall, then find a suitable specialty product to sell.

For example, one clever person immediately thought of Mountain Ridge Town’s little-known tea leaves.

Others planned to source some local specialties from Wuyuan County and sell them.

This registration drive lasted for two days, giving everyone plenty of time to consider what kind of business they wanted to run.

Of course, Ma Dehua gave the collected list of names to Lin Feng every day so he could start screening them in advance.

And what do you know, the list actually contained some specialty products that even Lin Feng wasn’t aware of, like a ceramics workshop in Wuyuan County.

This small workshop primarily fired porcelain figurines of small animals, which they sold online. Business was neither good nor bad.

Upon learning that Lin Xian Village was opening up stalls to outsiders, they rushed right over to sign up.

There was also a village where many of the elderly knew paper-cutting. They had even run a village-owned enterprise in the past. It was only after an old party secretary reminded him that Ma Dehua remembered it.

Many of these hidden folk handicrafts were actually very difficult to monetize.

Despite the prevalence of the internet and the ability for anyone to open an online store, there were no young people in the village, and some of the elderly simply didn’t understand any of it.