Winter days are boring and boring, but there are exceptions. After a few snows, the temperature dropped to more than ten degrees below zero. Wherever there was water, there was a thick layer of ice. A group of people were holding various tools.

, clanking on the ice.

Ice harvesting is a very ancient occupation. It is said that there were related records in the Zhou Dynasty, and it was included in the national system and carried out in an organized manner. At that time, ice harvesters had a special name called "Ling Ren", which was passed down from generation to generation.

That’s where the last name comes from!

The time for ice harvesting is generally in mid-to-late December each year, around the Laba Festival, when the temperature is the lowest, the ice is the thickest, strongest and most transparent.

First find a piece of ice and draw a grid on it. The size is determined by the thickness of the ice. The grid is smaller for thicker ice, and vice versa. This is to facilitate transportation. The ice is too large and difficult to move by manpower alone.

move.

After drawing the grid, first use a long-handled metal chisel to dig out a groove one or two inches deep on the grid lines, then drill holes at the intersection points directly through the water, and then use a large shovel-like tool to push along the grid lines.

After a few chops, the neat ice cubes were separated from the ice surface, hooked by iron hooks, and dragged up the river bank along the pre-set wooden boards for transportation.

These ice cubes will be transported to the ice cellar and stored until they can be used in the coming summer. The ice cellar is similar to a basement, the deeper and more sealed the better. First use wooden boards and straw mats on the ground to act as insulation, and then stack the ice cubes neatly.

Then cover it with a quilt or withered grass and seal the door to keep the ice cubes from melting for more than a year.

This year, ice harvesters also appeared on the Liangshui River in the self-administered area. They stood on the ice and waved their tools vigorously in the cold wind, sending crystal clear ice cubes to the river bank, and watering them while placing them on the carriage. This

This is to freeze quickly and prevent slipping during transportation.

The carriages filed into the building to the west of the business center. There was a parking lot four floors underground. There were many small single rooms separated by bricks and stones. Thick quilts and straw were spread inside to serve as ready-made ice cellars.

"I said to the shopkeeper, can you sell so much seafood in winter?" Along with the vehicles transporting ice cubes, there is also a transport team from the east that meets in the market. You don't need to look at it just by smelling it to know what kind of goods are loaded.

Too fishy!

After checking the shipping documents, the lead handler asked curiously while accepting the cigarette from the owner. They are vehicles specialized in transporting seafood and know the market conditions of the seafood market very well. The seafood in autumn is the most plump in the year, and it is also

The sales are the best, followed by spring and summer, and winter is a completely dull season.

Due to the low temperature and poor transportation conditions, many seafood that could have been alive will soon freeze to death, affecting sales. At this time, the vendors in the market only purchase small quantities. Anyway, it is not far from Jinmen Port, and there is always a supply of goods.

But today's batch of goods is a bit the opposite. Not only is it a lot, but it is much larger than usual. Except for alliance bases and festivals, no private vendor will buy so much seafood at one time.

"It's not much at all. As long as the price is right, I plan to buy another batch before the Spring Festival. Come on, unload, unload, don't block the road, you will be punished!" The seafood vendor did not explain why he wanted to buy so much at once.

There is a lot of goods, but they are constantly urged to unload the goods.

Not to mention it is a trade secret, even if the secret is small, it is still a secret. If you can keep it secret for one more day, you can eat one more mouthful of meat. Winter is the cold season, and the sales are not good, so the price will be much lower. If it can be properly preserved until next spring when seafood is scarce.

If you sell it, you can definitely make a profit.

In fact, everyone who engages in seafood trading understands this truth, but understanding it is useless. No one can store seafood on a large scale. But with the official establishment of the ice cellar in the self-managed area, the idea can become a reality.

As long as you pay a small storage fee, any businessman can store goods that require low-temperature storage, such as seafood, meat, eggs, milk, and vegetables, in an ice cellar. If you are willing to spend a little more money, you can also rent a small ice cellar separately.

Store your own goods.

This is also one of the services provided by the market management office to merchants. A few merchants alone cannot afford the construction cost of an ice cellar, but it is much easier for the market management office to raise manpower, select venues, and arrange management personnel.

Although it is not free, it is still a great thing for businessmen in need. It is reasonable to spend money on renting. That little money is not included in the cost of goods. When the time comes, just a few cents more per kilogram will be enough.

Earn it back.

In addition to ice cellars, there are several such services, such as escort and delivery services. Usually, when large quantities of or high-value goods come in and out, it is up to the merchants themselves to find ways to ensure safety, which not only costs money but also provides no guarantee.

.

Well now, the Crossroads Market provides escort services. If you pay a commission according to the price of the goods, the market management office will provide joint defense members with armed weapons and ammunition to accompany the vehicles. You can have as many as you want. However, the current scope of the escort business is limited to the security in the east and south of the city.

Zone, the safe zone in the north of the city requires a pass to enter.

The delivery service is a supplement to the escort service. If someone wants to buy a certain kind of goods, but is too lazy to make a trip, and the quantity is not large and the value is not high, then he only needs to call the special channel of the Crossroads Market Management Office to explain the goods clearly.

Please specify the type, price and address, and someone will deliver it to your door at a relatively cheap price.

Although these facilities and services are only minor and do not seem to have much profit potential, they actually provide visible convenience to the merchants operating in the crossroads market, and can also attract more customers.

, increase sales in disguised form.

At the same time, many jobs have been provided for the refugees in the self-administered area, so that more people can rely on their own labor in exchange for remuneration. For example, ice pickers, ice cellar staff, escorts and delivery persons.

When more refugees have income, they will naturally have the need to spend money, which will lead to the prosperity of the local market and economic growth. Then, the prosperous market and growing economy will create more jobs. And then... this

It is a virtuous cycle, one link after another, that continues over a relatively long period of time.

In fact, this is not a very clever trick. It is the most basic common sense in economics. But knowing and doing it are two different things. There are more similar opportunities in other safe zones, but nothing good has happened over the years.

cycle.

Could it be that the top leaders of the East Asia Alliance don't understand economics and didn't think of this method? The answer is obviously no. Economics is Hong Tao's weakness. He has never studied it systematically. Even if a bottle is less than half a bottle, it doesn't count.

Most of them are half-informed.

On the other hand, there are many relevant professionals in the league's senior management. From a purely knowledge level, they don't know how many times more clever it is. It's not that they didn't think of this method, it's just that they can't do it!

Why? Because of the power, or interest, of government agencies providing services and trying every means to make the lives of refugees better, which is not in line with the concept of traditional culture.

Since ancient times, officials have ruled and managed. They have no concept of service at all, and they are not used to putting down their bodies to put themselves in the shoes of the people at the bottom. In the same way, the bottom people have no idea of ​​letting officials serve themselves. Officials and officials are all

Master, of course he is so high and mighty, how can he be a grandson?

In addition, the short-term effects of such services are very limited. In other words, there is no quick money or immediate results. As a result, both capital and officials have lost the motivation to think hard and do it hard.

Refugees do not have the right to vote, and their good or bad life has nothing to do with the appointment and promotion of alliance officials. As the ancients said, whoever gets up early is not interested in profits! Businessmen value profits, but in fact officials value profits even more. They will not do anything that is not beneficial to themselves.

Things cannot be done unless they are done.

But in the self-administered area, the refugees have the right to vote, and most of the positions on the management committee are voted by them one by one. If they want to be re-elected, get power, and not be scorned, the officials here must work hard.

, racking his brains to think about a problem: how to get the refugees to vote for him!

There seems to be only one answer, which is to try to bring about good changes in the lives of refugees. You cannot rush for quick success, but you must consider the long term. Otherwise, even if you step down, you will be held accountable and your reputation will be ruined.

You see, this is motivation, and it is also a benefit. Everyone knows that being an official is good because you can get power, and no matter how honest you are, you will benefit from it. This is an indisputable fact.

Since the founding of the country, mankind has been exploring through innovation and failure how to let officials use their power rationally. After thousands of years of summary, there is only one way so far. Make power public as much as possible, and at the same time make property private.

, as long as these two things don't meet, everything will develop in a good trend.

Is it the best way? Obviously not, but at this stage Hong Tao can only do this. He can neither innovate nor break through. He can only find some inspiration from the long history. As for how to develop in the future, to be honest, he himself has no idea.
Chapter completed!