Chapter 89: A Dreamlike Day
In front of the escalator stood a crowd of dumbstruck commoners.
“At first, I thought His Highness the Crown Prince had chosen the name ‘Number One City Under Heaven’ a little too arrogantly, without the slightest hint of modesty. But now, if it weren’t called that, I wouldn’t accept it.”
“Even the Mohist Mechanical City, famous for its mechanisms, can be no more than this at most.”
Especially after stepping onto the automatically moving escalator, that feeling was like a dream. No, even in their dreams, they would never have imagined such an unbelievable thing.
And how many people had already stepped onto this escalator? Yet it still moved at its own pace, neither hurried nor slow, steady and smooth.
That sense of shock, that unbelievable feeling—even after they had reached the second floor, they still could not help turning back again and again to look.
The “escalator guide” at the top also reminded them kindly, “Please watch your step. We have arrived at the second floor.”
Great Qian also had two-story buildings, such as some teahouses and restaurants, but this was the first time they had ever gone up to the second floor in such a miraculous way.
Miraculous. Aside from that word, they temporarily could not find a second word to describe what they had seen.
“Could this also be a Mohist mechanism? The mechanisms of the Mohists and the Gongshu clan dominate the world. Looking at it this way, the Mohists are still superior.” Discussions broke out one after another.
The “escalator guide” beside them really could not hold back. He looked left and right, then quickly slacked off for a moment. “It is not a Mohist mechanism. It is from our academy.”
Swish!
All voices stopped.
A mechanism from Cloud Academy? Cloud Academy belonged to their Great Qian. Did that not mean…
Chen Bai and Qi Zheng also arrived on the second floor at this time. Only then did the commoners gathered around the escalator disperse.
As soon as they turned their heads, they were immediately stunned by the scene on the second floor.
The student beside the escalator had just said that the second floor sold meat. Great Qian also had slaughterhouses and meat shops. To be honest, those places were bloody, with filthy blood, grease, and animal organs everywhere. Beside them were stinking drains and flies buzzing all over the sky. As for hygiene and environment, honestly, if commoners were not buying meat, they would never go there.
But now, what were they seeing?
Transparent counters, cleanly divided cuts of meat, all without the slightest filthy feeling. Even the organs that usually looked the dirtiest were separated by type and placed neatly.
Where was the grease smeared everywhere? Let alone stinking drains and swarms of flies.
It was completely different from the meat shops in their impression.
Not to mention them—even nobles who came personally would not look disgusted or cover their noses, right? Perhaps they might even stroll around happily for quite a while.
And the variety of meat was quite complete. As long as it was meat that people in Shangjing normally ate, it could be found here.
The shopping guides who had long been prepared began introducing things. “Just like the fruits and vegetables downstairs, everything has clearly marked prices. If you like a certain piece, choose that piece. If you feel the size is unsuitable, you can also ask the master behind the counter to cut it for you.”
The shopping guide hesitated for a moment and did not say the originally prepared line: If you wanted the meat sliced thinly, you could also ask the master to handle it. Because… there were too many people. The master probably could not manage it.
“Why does this transparent cabinet block the meat? When I bought meat before, I always had to pinch it and squeeze it.”
The corner of the shopping guide’s mouth twitched. “Because meat must eventually be eaten. Think about it. If every person pinched and squeezed it, how dirty would the meat be in the end? Could it still be put into your mouth? That is far too unhygienic.”
Everyone: “…”
Had they not always done that before? It seemed they had never paid attention to it before, but now that they thought about it, it really was a little dirty. They had dared to eat anything.
The shopping guide continued, “The first thing our mall emphasizes for the goods it sells is hygiene.”
Indeed. Even the fruits and vegetables downstairs were all astonishingly clean, each and every one of them delightful to look at.
In truth, there was another reason for doing this. If everyone reached out to touch the meat, their hands would become greasy. Then those commoners would definitely wipe their hands everywhere, and the whole mall would end up covered in grease, filled with strange smells, with flies surely following. Bacteria would probably breed everywhere too. That would be disastrous.
The commoners looked at the transparent counters. In fact, they did not obstruct their view at all.
Suddenly, one commoner said, “Strange. In the middle of summer like this, why don’t I smell that unbearable odor from meat shops?”
Everyone was also stunned. That was right. The meat shops they had seen before were not only filthy and messy to the eye; their unpleasant smell could be detected from far away.
Honestly, after going to a meat shop once, the smell would cling to your body when you came out.
But now…
“It really seems there is no strange smell.”
“With weather this hot, how was this done?”
“Right, we have been inside for a while, and the sun should already be high in the sky. But have you noticed? It does not seem hot.”
It was as if they had discovered something strange, and everyone looked at one another.
The shopping guide beside them quickly explained with a smile, “This is also thanks to mechanisms. Some mechanisms have not yet been seen by you, but they do exist…”
“To maintain fresh air and indoor temperature, we installed several large air-conditioning fans at the vents. They can expel the indoor air and draw fresh air in.”
“…”
Everyone was completely dazed. What were these things?
Although they did not understand, they roughly knew that the reason they did not feel hot now was because of some miraculous mechanism.
The shopping guide continued, “As for how the meat is kept fresh and free of strange smells, you will know if you look carefully.”
The commoners approached in confusion and looked. They immediately discovered the reason.
Beneath the meat in the counters was a layer of fresh broad leaves, and beneath the leaves were clean white blocks of ice.
“This, this, this… I heard that even the royal ice cellars do not have much ice. That ice is used to escape the heat. Could it all have been moved here just to keep the meat fresh and odorless?”
“Isn’t the cost a little too high?”
At this moment, Chen Bai was also talking with Qi Zheng. “How is my method of making ice with saltpeter? From now on, your royal ice cellars probably will not have much use.”
Qi Zheng was actually seriously thinking about something. “Do you think these commoners will treat this place as a summer retreat? They might only come here to enjoy the cool air and not buy anything. Should we think of charging an entrance fee or something?”
Chen Bai: “…”
This fellow had completely fallen into the eye of money.
“Look at how little ambition you have.” Chen Bai snorted.
Qi Zheng rubbed his nose. His idea should not be wrong, right? This place was so nice, almost exactly like a summer resort. Perhaps the commoners would even bring their own stools and leisurely sit all over the place. Mm, their floor was so smooth and white that perhaps some would not even bring stools and just sit directly on the ground.
Would they not then make his beautiful mall messy and chaotic?
Qi Zheng followed him. “The possibility is still quite high.”
Chen Bai: “…”
They strolled leisurely. The floor itself was large, and the walking paths had been specially arranged so that people would feel especially spacious while walking. In fact, many paths formed S-shaped loops.
In an environment like this, people easily lost their sense of direction. Once their sense of direction became inaccurate, they would feel that the mall was extraordinarily large and could be wandered around for a very long time.
Even Chen Bai’s students had gotten lost on this floor. Was that not magical?
At this moment, some commoners realized they no longer knew where they had wandered to.
The shopping guide beside them explained warmly, “Just follow the arrow markings on the floor. No matter where you are in the mall, you can find the exit.”
Only then did the group of commoners breathe a sigh of relief. Honestly, the feeling of getting lost was rather frightening. Now that they knew how to get out, there was no need to panic. They could stroll as they pleased.
Some other commoners noticed something and were asking the master behind the counter who was cutting meat, “Master, why don’t the rabbits you are selling have heads?”
The master wrapped the cut meat in a large tree leaf and tied it properly with hemp string. The mall had rules: even the tying method could not be wrong. Only this way could the meat be guaranteed not to scatter. After finishing, he pointed to a spot. “See that place? The rabbit heads are being sold over there.”
The group was stunned. Rabbit heads did not have much meat. Why would they be sold separately?
Chen Bai and Qi Zheng happened to walk over to this area as well. They saw Gan Xin standing straight with a broad smile, his eyes darting around as he looked at passing commoners.
If the mall had not forbidden shouting to advertise goods, he would have already pulled open his throat and yelled, “Selling spicy rabbit heads and five-spice rabbit heads! Especially delicious rabbit heads!”
That was how the street vendors used to shout. Their voices could be heard from far away.
Ai, the mall was good in every way, except it did not allow loud shouting. As a result, he had not sold a single rabbit head yet. The people passing by only looked twice, shook their heads, muttered that there was not much meat, and left.
They were clearly especially delicious. The classmates in their academy loved them.
Qi Zheng looked at that little figure and found it curious as well. “The dignified young master of Duke Gan’s household is actually here specially acting as a merchant.”
Chen Bai also smiled. “He is only interested for a few days. In a few more days, just watch. He will definitely let someone else take over.”
“Right, this rabbit-head shop is also your business. From the look of it, it has not opened properly yet.”
Qi Zheng: “…”
If someone had sold him rabbit heads as meat in the past, forget buying them—he probably would have beaten the other person up.
Chen Bai and Qi Zheng walked over. Gan Xin sighed repeatedly. “Why is no one buying? It is clearly tastier than meat.”
Especially when he saw that other people’s businesses were so busy that they could not keep up, while his own place could not even make a first sale.
Qi Zheng also nodded. The reason he had allowed this rabbit-head shop to open was because he had eaten the braised rabbit heads at the academy.
Chen Bai leaned over and said to Gan Xin, “Do this and this…”
Delicious was delicious, but people had to know that first. Otherwise, who would buy these rabbit heads with so little meat?
Gan Xin’s eyes curved into smiling crescents. He quickly took out paper and brush, wrote several large characters, and hung them on the shop.
“Free Tasting. One quarter per person.”
Qi Zheng: “…”
Chen Bai said, “When doing business, there must be some initial investment.”
Sure enough, as soon as Gan Xin hung up that sign, people really came to try it. Once they tried it, they simply could not stop.
Perhaps ordinary commoners would still hesitate, but noble households and wealthy families with money could not resist. How could one quarter be enough? They had to buy some at least.
The most popular street snack in modern times also had its market here.
When Chen Bai and Qi Zheng left, a large crowd had already gathered around Gan Xin.
Gan Xin’s mouth was almost crooked from smiling. “Aiyaa, slowly, slowly. I have to wrap them one by one for you. If I do not wrap them properly, I will be fined.”
Judging from his excitement, it should last several days.
The rules of the mall were roughly these. To Chen Bai, they were extremely ordinary things, but for these Great Qian commoners, they would probably need a long time to adapt.
Of course, they should be very willing to adapt.
Going up another floor was the floor mainly selling miscellaneous goods.
As they went up by escalator, the first thing they saw was a bakery.
It was also Qi Zheng’s business. For the time being, the one running it was… Gu Bao’er.
Such a tiny little person, not even as tall as the counter where the bread was displayed, was standing on tiptoe to fetch bread for customers.
As he fetched it, he smiled and said, “After getting tired from walking around the mall, wouldn’t it be nice to come here, eat some bread, and drink honey water?”
The shops on this floor were a little different. For example, around Gu Bao’er’s shop, there were specially arranged booth seats. Quite a few people were sitting there now, holding bread and cups of honey water, eating happily.
This counted as a place to rest one’s feet. It was indeed something a mall could not do without—the best choice for a temporary break after getting tired from shopping.
When Gu Bao’er saw Qi Zheng and Chen Bai arrive, he quickly said, “I didn’t shout to attract customers. They asked me first. I couldn’t possibly refuse to explain, right?”
Since others had asked him, of course he had to boast a little about how delicious his bread was. He was not actively pulling in customers.
Chen Bai smiled. “Business is pretty good. Even better than Gan Xin’s downstairs. When we went there just now, Gan Xin hadn’t even opened for business yet.”
Gu Bao’er’s eyes curved into crescents. “The bread I bake is delicious to begin with.”
A shopping guide on this floor drifted over with a remark. “Of course. All the ones you didn’t bake well were stuffed into us classmates’ mouths. These past two days, for the sake of letting you practice, we’ve been eating bread as meals.”
Gu Bao’er: “…”
So infuriating. How could they expose his past like that?
Chen Bai looked around and said, “Pay attention to hygiene.”
When it came to food and drink, taste was important, but hygiene was even more important.
Only after saying that did he walk to the side with Qi Zheng.
The shop next to it was also one Chen Bai recognized. It was actually opened by Mo Qianji.
Mo Qianji had been so busy lately that he had hardly had time to stop. But today was the mall’s opening, so he finally managed to give himself a day off.
Rather than calling it Mo Qianji’s shop, it was more accurate to call it a Mohist shop. What it sold were some clever little oddities, and they were rather interesting.
For example… a wind-up frog made of wood.
Chen Bai knew about this thing too, because he had forced Mo Qianji to give him a technical share.
The original wind-up frog had been brought out by him. Since they had imitated the wind-up frog based on that idea, surely he ought to collect a little fee.
At the time, the way Mo Qianji looked at Chen Bai was simply like he had seen a ghost. So this was what kind of Grand Secretary Zhaoxue he was—nothing but a greedy, insatiable profiteer.
Chen Bai had also been astonished for a long time that Mo Qianji could imitate the wind-up frog so quickly. He had no choice but to sigh with emotion that ancient craftsmen truly were remarkable.
He had heard that Mo Qianji was already researching the skateboard in Chen Xiaobu’s hands. If he had not been delayed by the matter of building the fief, perhaps even skateboards would already be for sale in this shop.
There were also mechanical birds and the like in the shop. Chen Bai’s eyes lit up when he saw them, and he immediately stuffed them into his arms, hugging a messy pile of them.
These were all remarkable works of craftsmen. He liked them. He had to buy some.
Qi Zheng looked at Chen Bai, who was happily holding a pile of small toys. “…”
For a long while, he could not come back to his senses. A famous grand secretary was actually acting just like a child.
Chen Bai said, “I… I’m buying them for Chen Xiaobu to play with.”
Qi Zheng: “…”
Why did it not look that way to him? Judging from the light in Chen Zixiu’s eyes, no matter how one looked at it, he would secretly play with them in private.
Business at Mo Qianji’s shop was also quite good. These little gadgets were rather popular among some nobles, though their prices were not cheap.
That made sense too. They were all handmade, and every single one took a lot of effort.
Every time one was sold, the corners of Mo Qianji’s mouth lifted slightly. “People all say Yan is prosperous in trade, but from what I see, we are not inferior here. I dare say that even in Yan’s capital, there couldn’t be business this good.”
He had built this mall himself, so naturally the better it did, the happier he was.
Now, besides the name of Number One City Under Heaven spreading far and wide, the reputation of the Mohists, who had built it, had also spread.
The Hundred Schools had disappeared from Great Qian for too long. Many people’s memories of them were probably already vague. But now, the Mohists had successfully returned to their sight.
In fact, when Mo Qianji had rashly agreed to settle in Great Qian, there had been quite a few disagreements within the Mohist school. But now, with the opening of Number One City Under Heaven, all those voices had stopped.
Number One City Under Heaven, built by the Mohists, was destined to become their highest achievement and glory, enough for their names to be passed down in history because of it.
Thus, the Mohists could now be considered bound together with Number One City Under Heaven. They would only become even more invested in the subsequent construction work. Even if Chen Bai or Qi Zheng drove them away now, they would not leave.
So Chen Bai naturally became a little closer to Mo Qianji.
Mo Qianji was currently pasting price tags onto the small mechanisms in Chen Bai’s arms. They would still have to be paid for at the front counter later.
There was no way around it. Since the rules had been set, they had to follow them themselves. Even Qi Zheng had to go through the same process. They had to lead by example.
Chen Bai was still explaining, “I really am buying them for our Chen Xiaobu.”
Mo Qianji and Qi Zheng: “…”
Then why did your hand keep stroking the mechanical bird?
After leaving Mo Qianji’s shop, there were many other shops run by various merchants, selling all kinds of miscellaneous goods.
Chen Bai said, “As long as the goods here are complete enough, from now on, whenever the commoners think of buying something, the first place they will think of is here. They only need to stroll around here. Whatever they want to buy, they can find it. There is no need for them to run all over the city looking for different shops.”
This was also one of the great benefits of a mall.
Qi Zheng was extremely satisfied with everything he had seen. “After today, there will probably be many merchants coming to discuss moving in. If they come late, there won’t be any good locations left.”
Chen Bai thought the same. Why would they need three days of trial operation? One day was enough.
Now even the third floor was already packed with people. More or less, everyone had chosen something in their baskets.
Instead, the goods were decreasing too quickly. Some merchants were beating their chests in regret. “If I had known, I would have prepared more stock.”
“I prepared more than usual, but unfortunately it still wasn’t enough.”
But their tone was certainly happy.
They had really never encountered business this good before. In the past, they only sold to people from a few streets around their shops. After someone bought something once, they would have to wait a while before buying again.
But could now be the same as before? The people coming here basically included people from all different areas and locations in Shangjing, from every social class. In other words, no matter what kind of product it was, it would have a market here.
This was an unimaginable kind of prosperity.
Yes, prosperity. At least in their eyes, the scene before them was the most prosperous moment countless people could imagine.
Moreover, these people had now been drawn in by this miraculous mall. After experiencing such a clean, bright, and hygienic environment, after seeing goods that were so complete, well-arranged, and available for personal selection, and after no longer having to worry about unscrupulous merchants charging them more than others, how could they possibly endure the old way of shopping again?
There was simply no comparison.
Chen Bai was not at all worried that this prosperity would last only one day.
If they had never seen these good things, then that would be one thing. They could continue repeating their messy old lives. But once they had seen them, there would never be any going back.
Now only the final floor remained. The final floor had not been opened for the time being. It had been reserved.
Chen Bai and Qi Zheng were now on this floor, with only the two of them there.
Chen Bai placed the wind-up frog on the ground and played with it happily.
Qi Zheng said, “Didn’t you say you bought it for Chen Xiaobu?”
Chen Bai said, “Can’t I test whether it works?”
Honestly, Qi Zheng was really choosing this moment to be so serious with him.
The corner of Qi Zheng’s mouth lifted. Chen Three-Year-Old!
It seemed he had discovered another side of Chen Zixiu’s personality.
Sunlight shone down from the glass dome, making Chen Zixiu look as if he were filled with warm light.
It was not glaring, but Qi Zheng did not know why he quickly turned his eyes away and said, “This floor should be the prettiest. What are you planning to use it for?”
Now that business was so good on the other floors, leaving this floor empty made Qi Zheng feel that it was not worthwhile no matter how he thought about it. Even using it to sell miscellaneous goods would be better.
Chen Bai answered without even thinking, “Entertainment, of course. Many people come to the mall with their families. We have to take care of those people too. Once I finish designing some entertainment projects, they’ll be placed on this floor. When the time comes, we’ll catch them all in one net and make every visitor feel right at home.”
Qi Zheng was stunned. “Entertainment? …Chen Zixiu, you aren’t planning to open a pleasure house here, are you?”
Chen Bai’s face darkened. In the eyes of these ancient people, entertainment probably meant nothing but pleasure houses.
Chen Bai opened his mouth to explain, “We have cloth shops, right? They sell clothes and fabric. In the future, every so often, we can hold a fashion show on this floor… You’ve seen Chen Xiaobu’s skateboard, right? Mo Qianji will probably be able to make skateboards soon. We can also open a skateboard learning class… Chess rooms, ping-pong, billiards, board games, escape rooms—we can arrange all of those…”
“And when the time comes, we’ll add some lighting effects. Tsk, tsk…”
There were so many kinds of entertainment. Why did he have to think of a pleasure house?
Chen Bai glanced at Qi Zheng. “A dignified Highness, yet so shameless.”
Heartbroken and indignant.
Qi Zheng: “…”
…
When some people walked out of the mall carrying large and small bags of goods, they suddenly discovered that the sky was already getting late.
They could not help sighing. “We actually strolled around for this long?”
Inside the mall, it was as if they could not feel time passing. It was also magical.
But their hearts were satisfied.
They looked back at the magical glass building.
Their Crown Prince had said that from today onward, this would become part of their daily life!
Then they looked not far away, at the building still under construction.
What would the new building be?
It truly filled people with endless anticipation.
