However, things don't always go according to plan.
At the street corner, a few idlers who had originally intended to go home and sleep found their feet rooted to the spot, unable to take a step forward as they gazed at the brightly lit street.
"Hey, look at those flowers," one idler pointed at the roadside. "So pretty, red like the lips of the girls at the Crimson Mansion."
"Look at what flowers, it's the lamps that are nice!" another idler sprawled on a bench, humming contentedly. "This bench is absolutely perfect, and it's free! On such a hot night, the house is stuffy like a steamer basket. Nowhere is as cool as here! And there's light!"
People are naturally drawn to light.
Those hiding indoors complaining of the heat, those just about to sleep, even those already in bed—once they caught a glimpse of the light outside through their window cracks, they couldn't stay lying down.
One, two, three, five.
More and more people emerged from their homes, like moths drawn to a flame.
They weren't really doing anything, just strolling under the lamps, touching the Taihu rocks, sitting on the benches and shooting the breeze. But with so many people gathered, the atmosphere began to change.
Zhao Si watched the crowd gathering at his door, his shrewd little eyes suddenly darting around twice.
These people aren't going home to sleep, just chatting idly here. Their mouths must be getting dry, right? Chat for long, and their stomachs are bound to get hungry, right? On a big night like this, if only there were some food and drink...
He glanced at the shop shutter in his hand that wasn't yet fully closed and abruptly threw it aside.
"Old woman!" Zhao Si turned his head and shouted, his voice so excited it cracked. "Stop sleeping! Fire up the stove! Bring out all the unsold melon seeds and peanuts from today! And that jar of sour plum soup, add extra ice!"
That shout was like flipping a switch for the entire street.
Next door, Wu Da the pancake seller had already blown out his lamp, but hearing the commotion, he scrambled up, poked his stove fire back to life.
Across the way, Pockmarked Wang's pancake stall was dismantled, but he pushed his family's cart out and parked it right under a streetlamp, claiming the prime spot. The aroma of frying pancakes wafted with the steam, and immediately the idlers' stomachs began to rumble.
"One pancake! Add an egg! Extra sauce!"
"Get me a bowl of sour plum soup! I want it cold!"
"Zhao Si, bring out your good wine! Let's drink right here tonight! It's bright! This has more atmosphere than drinking in the daytime!"
The clamor rose.
Taoyuan County, which should have been silent, was now alive.
Xu Qinghuan hadn't gone far.
Hearing the noise behind her, she turned back in confusion.
She saw the landscape boulevard, originally intended only as a "money-burning showcase," now teeming with people, shoulder to shoulder.
The hawkers' cries, children's playful shouts, and diners' finger-guessing game cheers merged into a wave of heat called "the hustle and bustle of life," soaring straight into the sky.
Under the lamplight, every face was clearly visible. It was excitement, novelty, the revelry of long-suppressed consumer desires utterly unleashed.
"This..." Li Sheng's mouth hung open, his jaw nearly hitting the ground. "Young Mistress, this street... how is it even livelier than daytime? Don't these people sleep?"
Xu Qinghuan stood there stunned.
She watched that miser Zhao Si, his face creased with smiles, stuffing handfuls of copper coins into his bosom, grinning from ear to ear.
She watched that traveling merchant set up his stall right on the roadside, taking out a pile of strange and curious little trinkets, surrounded by a tight crowd of young women and wives, silver flowing into his pocket like water.
"Night market economy..."
The four words suddenly exploded in her mind.
She had only thought about burning money, but forgot that in ancient times, the lack of nighttime commerce was purely because people couldn't see! Now she had lit the lamps, paved the roads flat, improved the environment, and even provided free seating and security (albeit the Night Soil Department).
How was this squandering the family fortune?
This was clearly setting up an all-weather, twenty-four-hour business cash cow for these unruly commoners! It was effectively doubling the operating hours fueling the Great Qian Dynasty’s GDP!
"Young Mistress!" A yamen runner came panting up, his face beaming with joy. "The Assistant Prefect sent me to report good news! He said that in just this short while, the commercial taxes collected are more than an entire regular daytime! The master said these mermaid oil lamps are worth burning! So worth it! This is a stroke of genius!"
Li Sheng beside her was so excited he was waving his arms about: "Young Mistress! We profited! We've hit the jackpot again this time! Just this tax silver alone..."
Xu Qinghuan's account book fell to the ground with a thwack.
She should have been angry.
She should have been desperate over making money, agonizing over failing to squander the family fortune, just like before.
But at this moment, looking at the brightly lit street, at those vendors and commoners growing as robustly as chives, the "heartless rich" system in her mind suddenly pinged.
[Detected that the host not only exploits the daytime but also does not spare the night, forcibly extending the working and consumption hours of the common people. Capitalist tendencies are beginning to emerge! Infamy value fluctuation warning...]
Xu Qinghuan's expression changed.
It was a shift from "despair" to "greed."
Before, she only thought about spending money—that was low-level squandering.
Now, looking at this street full of people, what she saw were no longer "unruly commoners," but fattened sheep ready for slaughter, a continuous cash flow.
"Li Sheng." Xu Qinghuan's voice suddenly became somewhat low, a smile that sent chills down one's spine curling at the corner of her mouth.
"Yes, ma'am!"
"Since they like doing business here so much, and are always mooching off me..." Xu Qinghuan picked up the account book, dusting it off. "...then let's not stand on ceremony."
"Spread my word. The light on this street is lit by my Xu family burning money; the bricks on this ground are laid by my Xu family spending money; these benches are built by my Xu family spending money."
Xu Qinghuan spread her arms as if embracing the sky full of gold coins.
Starting tomorrow, stall fees on this street will be tripled! Want to freeload off the lights? Fine. We'll charge by the hour! Not only will we collect taxes, but also "illumination fees," "bench wear-and-tear fees," and "flower-and-plant viewing fees"!
She smiled brilliantly, her eyes sparkling with a simple, unadulterated "malice."
"The money they earn, I want a cut. The money they spend must also end up flowing into my pocket."
"Since these lamps can't be extinguished, then let them burn even brighter."
"I will use their money to fuel my lamps. Then use my lamps to squeeze out their last copper coin!"
Li Sheng listened, dumbfounded, then abruptly gave a thumbs-up, his eyes full of admiration: "Young Mistress... brilliant! Truly brilliant! Is this what they call... 'the wool comes from the sheep's back'?"
Xu Qinghuan gave a cold laugh, turned, and left. Her silhouette stretched long under the lamplight, looking exactly like a true mastermind behind the scenes.
Despair?
Nonexistent.
How was this a failure to squander the family fortune?
This was clearly the beginning of a brand-new "harvesting mode." With this continuous stream of money, next time she could play an even bigger game!
