Moreover, for some reason, despite the show's rather corny name, they were suddenly deeply moved by its corny yet inspiring atmosphere.
The people here are indeed very poor. Look at the old house that Jiang Xiaoman bought in the village. The dilapidated walls make them tremble with fear, afraid that the house will collapse at any moment.
Looking at the narrow cement road in the village, with its dilapidated old houses on both sides, and contrasting it with the clear mountain streams of Langshan Village, the rolling green hills in the distance, and the young people like Jiang Xiaoman who come from poor backgrounds but are self-reliant, the audience suddenly had a wonderful feeling that this small mountain village would surely be able to get rid of poverty and live a good life through the efforts of these young people.
"I can't believe it, I'm a fan of this kind of thing, and I actually shed tears for a simple poverty alleviation program."
"Me too... Even though the production team and Brother Xiaoman didn't try to play the victim, and everyone was happy from beginning to end, why did I keep crying?"
"Although the production team didn't film Can Can's house, I still want to thank them for not disturbing Grandma Jiang's peaceful life. That's great!"
Just as viewers were showering the show with likes in the comments section, the ratings for "Old House, New Home" were also climbing steadily.
Although Jiang Cancan did not ask her fans to support the show's ratings on Weibo, when the production team said that Jiang Xiaoman went to great lengths to open a courier station in the village so that villagers wouldn't have to go to town to pick up their packages, the fans immediately understood!
This courier station absolutely needs to open as soon as possible!
Think about it, Cancan works hard outside and doesn't have time to go home often, so he must send things to his grandma and sister frequently, right?
I heard that Can Can's grandma has poor eyesight, and her little sister is too young. What if they can't find anyone to help them pick up the package in town?
If there were a courier station in the village, not only could Cancan send things to the village, but they could also send things to Grandma Jiang.
Some mothers also said that their children are all grown up now, and they could send the clothes, shoes, hats, toys, books and other items that their daughters wear to Jiang Yueyue.
Thinking about it this way, I suddenly felt motivated!
The express delivery station is now renovated, but they can't just throw money at it for nothing, right? The sponsors paid for it, so they definitely want to see results.
How do you judge the quality of a TV program?
That must be the viewership ratings!
Quickly, turn on all the TVs, computers, and mobile phones in the house!
...
"Hahahaha..." The deputy director of J Province TV station, who was in charge of business lines, laughed loudly as he watched the ratings soar. At the same time, he didn't forget to put down his old rival, "Heh! Didn't the other side always brag about being the top-tier second-tier provincial station? Now they're speechless, aren't they? Hilarious! Their prime-time ratings can't even compare to one of our station's obscure programs!"
An Miaomiao looked at the deputy director speechlessly.
Although... Deputy Director, you really don't need to label them as "unpopular programs," do you?
Although their show is not well-known outside the province, they have quite a few viewers within the province!
For example, the father of the person seeking help in this episode is said to be a loyal viewer of their show.
What the deputy director didn't know was that the reason this episode had such high ratings wasn't just because Jiang Cancan's fans were so supportive, but also because the courier company that Jiang Xiaoman was working with took the opportunity to boost its visibility.
There's no way around it, good deeds are always rewarded!
Although they didn't sponsor the show, the production team still had to reluctantly give their company a big shout-out at the beginning of the program in order to explain the origin of the land. They said that it was because the courier company had a "poverty alleviation and agricultural assistance policy for remote mountainous areas" that they were able to help Jiang Xiaoman set up a courier pickup point in Langshan Village, a small mountain village that did not meet the franchise requirements...
The regional manager not only called on all stations in the region to turn on their TVs, computers, mobile phones and other viewing devices, but also asked the office to write an article for the headquarters' official WeChat account.
That's great! After the headquarters forwarded the message, eligible branches across the country started supporting their company.
A previously unknown home improvement program on a second-tier provincial TV station has surprisingly overshadowed several prime-time weekend variety shows on first-tier provincial TV stations!
Overjoyed, the provincial leaders couldn't help but ponder: Although they were in a second-tier position, could they still put some effort into poverty alleviation and helping farmers?
It's probably impossible to make a second season of home improvement shows, but as the saying goes, "where the traffic is, that's where the focus is!"
If they don't have a show, can't they just create another one?
While the provincial leaders were silently pondering the secrets to wealth in the obscure Langshan Village, Jiang Xiaoman continued to purchase local mountain products.
This time, Ah Hu and Qing Shan brought him some good news—
"Brother Xiaoman, do you still want these tea cakes? We went into the mountains to buy mountain products this time, and many people said that their tea leaves are ready to be picked. If you still want them, I'll let them know."
"Yes, I'll take them all, but the style and weight must meet the standards. I've been too busy to make molds lately, but I happen to have some left over. Could you take them back for me and make some samples for them? Anyway, these things are made of wood, so if you have wood at home, you can make them yourself. You don't need to spend money to buy them."
As she spoke, Jiang Xiaoman went into the house and found all the molds that she had made but hadn't used.
Recently, people from all around heard that they could make money by picking wild vegetables in the mountains, so every household was busy going up the mountain to gather wild vegetables. The stone bamboo shoots, ferns, mushrooms and the like were quickly picked clean. In the past few days, those who came to sell their mountain products have started to complain that it has become increasingly difficult to find them.
A few opportunistic individuals subtly inquired with Jiang Xiaoman about when he would raise prices for mountain produce, saying it was difficult to sell. They explained that they wouldn't even earn a hundred yuan after a whole day in the mountains, and they really didn't want to go anymore…
Price increase? Haha...
Jiang Xiaoman immediately and humbly stated that the reason he initially bought mountain products was mainly because he saw that people had a hard time in the spring, so he helped them sell their mountain products to earn some money for seeds and fertilizer. He did not intend to make this a long-term business.
In other words, people can make money by picking wild vegetables near their homes, but if they really can't find any, he won't buy them at a higher price.
Those who want to deliberately hoard inventory and wait for him to raise the price before selling, can just go to sleep. You can dream about anything!
...
Fortunately, Jiang Xiaoman had a backup plan, having Ah Hu and Qing Shan set up another collection point in Laoshan Aozi, where the bulk of the wild vegetables and various wild mushrooms were sold.
Moreover, the wild vegetables and various wild mushrooms from the old mountain valley are not only of better quality and in greater quantity, but even with the commission he gives to Ah Hu and the others, the price is about the same as the purchase price he pays in the village.
Jiang Xiaoman must be out of his mind to offer such a high price for the purchase.
Besides, after finishing this batch of wild mountain vegetables, he still needs to make tea cakes.
After finishing the tea cake production, it will be time to harvest wild honey.
He's very busy and doesn't want to be a profiteer, buying up goods at inflated prices here and then exploiting his customers there. What's the point?
Why can't we all make money peacefully and amicably? Why do we have to play the capitalist game?
This time, Ah Hu and his group brought down more than 5,000 catties of dried wild bamboo shoots for Jiang Xiaoman, as well as more than 1,000 catties of dried wild mushrooms and more than 3,000 catties of dried bracken.
"There are still over 10,000 jin of dried bamboo shoots left. We really can't carry them all. After we finish this trip, we'll make two more trips later." Ah Hu was covered in sweat, but he couldn't suppress the smile on his face.
Can you stop laughing?
They had already calculated in private that, just from the commissions they had earned from collecting mountain goods recently, each of them could get at least five thousand yuan!
More importantly, because of the suitable climate, the Laoshan Aozi area has its own mountain products for almost three seasons of the year. As long as Jiang Xiaoman keeps collecting them, they can earn at least 60,000 to 70,000 yuan more per person per year just by collecting and reselling these mountain products!
If you calculate it this way, adding the income from raising native bees at home, and the income from planting golden chrysanthemums in the future, you'll get at least 100,000 yuan a year.
That way, even if they get old and can't climb rocks or harvest rock honey anymore, they won't have to worry about their family struggling to make ends meet!
Xiaoman is right. If you rely on physical labor to make money, there will always be a day when you can't do it anymore.
I still need to take advantage of my youth and find a stable, long-term business for my family...
Thinking of this, the young men looked at Jiang Xiaoman with even more gratitude in their eyes.
They knew that if it weren't for Shan Yan and Jiang Yu's influence, Jiang Xiaoman wouldn't have needed to go through all this trouble and settle commissions with them. He could have just sat at home and waited for the people from Laoshan Aozi to bring the goods down and sell them to him. Wouldn't that have been much more convenient?
But Brother Xiaoman still went through all the trouble to set up a purchasing point in the Laoshan Aozi area. What was his purpose?
Isn't it all so that they can also get a share of the profits and make some money?
The mountain people are simple and honest, and they simply couldn't bring themselves to say those sentimental words of gratitude. The young men could only secretly vow to listen to Brother Xiaoman and strictly control the quality of the mountain produce they collected!
Only when the quality of the mountain products improves can sales continue to be good, and only then can their business as a collection point continue for a long time...
After counting the quantity of the mountain goods, Jiang Xiaoman transferred the money to Ah Hu's phone according to the purchase price. As for how much each family owned and how the profits would be divided after they got back, that was none of his business.
Jiang Xiaoman originally wanted them to stay for a meal before going back, but she didn't expect these guys to be so addicted to making money that they couldn't bear to spend their precious time eating. They said they brought two meals of dry food with them so they could eat on the way.
Moreover, they now arrange for two people to be on duty at the collection point every day when collecting mountain products, while others can still go into the mountains with their families to collect mountain products.
If you calculate it this way, a family with many hands can easily earn 20,000 to 30,000 yuan in one wild vegetable season. Mountain products don't require capital, and whatever you can pick is pure profit!
“Brother Xiaoman, you don’t know, before, some people in our village insisted on continuing to grow potatoes. But since our collection point started accepting mountain products, many families have said that they want to grow chrysanthemums with us next year.”
"We can plant the chrysanthemum seedlings before the wild vegetables come out after the New Year. That way, when the wild vegetables come out, there won't be any problems in the field, and the whole family can go into the mountains to pick wild vegetables and mushrooms. We can earn much more than planting potatoes!" Ah Hu happily shared this good news with Jiang Xiaoman.
This is wonderful!
Chapter 161
A few days later, Kong Feifei, a second-generation beneficiary of land expropriation in the capital of G province, finally received the local specialties sent from Langshan Village!
There were several packages of various sizes, all incredibly heavy!
She's a total homebody and single, so she couldn't find a boyfriend to help her move. Luckily, Kong Feifei happened to be going home for the holiday, so she simply drove to the courier station, threw the packages into the trunk without even opening them, and drove straight home!
When her mother saw that her daughter's trunk was full of unopened packages, she couldn't help but start grumbling again, "She doesn't even date a boyfriend all day long. The money she spends on online shopping could buy her a child husband..." Kong Feifei rolled her eyes.
"Mom! I didn't buy anything random this time. This is all for you and Dad."
Hearing that his daughter was so filial, Mr. Kong happily strolled out of the house, rolled up his sleeves, and prepared to help unload the package from the car.
This lifting almost broke his old back!
"Feifei, what did you buy? Why is it so heavy?"
"Um, let me think... ten catties of rock honey, ten catties of old honeycomb, twenty catties of wild dried bamboo shoots, fifty catties of dried bamboo shoots, and a few bags of dried wild ferns and dried wild mushrooms. Oh right, I also bought a big bag of homemade sweet potato starch..." Kong Feifei counted on her fingers.
Mr. and Mrs. Kong almost fainted when they heard this.
Their family is just an ordinary relocated household that lives off rent; they have no intention of opening a local specialty store!
My daughter is buying so much stuff... could she be thinking of starting her own business?
"Feifei, do you remember Xiaolei, the guy next door to me?"
"I remember him. Has he been released from prison?"
"He's still locked up!" Mr. Kong couldn't help but feel heartbroken when he mentioned this. "You must never be like Xiao Lei. He had a perfectly good job as a landlord, but he insisted on trying to start his own business like others. And look what happened! Not only did he get swindled out of all his money, but he also became a fraudster himself and is now locked up in jail!"
"Exactly! Feifei, you absolutely mustn't follow others and start your own business! With so many houses, the rent alone is enough to feed us for generations. You like online shopping, buy whatever you want, as long as you don't start a business, your parents will never say a word to you again!"
Mr. and Mrs. Kong had initially intended to nag their daughter to be more frugal, but then they thought, compared to spendthrift Xiao Lei next door, what's wrong with their daughter buying some local specialties online? Buy them!
As long as you avoid entrepreneurship, investment, and financial management, buy!
With that thought in mind, the couple looked at the mountain of local specialties and suddenly their back pain and leg soreness disappeared. That noon, they happily opened a few bags and used them to cook.
Surprisingly, my daughter didn't have any bad experiences with her online shopping this time!
The dried bamboo shoots from Langshan are not the kind that come from a factory assembly line. Half of the soaked bamboo shoots are old and inedible stems.
With Jiang Xiaoman personally overseeing the process, only the tenderest bamboo shoots are selected. After soaking, the roots can be easily broken with a fingernail, so there's almost no need to remove them. The resulting bamboo shoot and old duck soup is incredibly delicious!
There's also stir-fried bracken with cured pork. Speaking of this dish, Kong's mother really wanted to praise Jiang Xiaoman, this conscientious shop owner, to the heavens!