dognovel Chapter 366 1. One's Own Power
Chapter 366 1. One's Own Power
Men, women, and children followed Wang Duwei's mansion while cursing.
Chen Wenfang led the people out, not wanting them to think he was cowardly. He mustered his courage and carefully identified the heads in front of everyone, then took five taels of silver as a reward on the spot.
The crowd erupted in cheers. It was true! It really was true! Killing the Japanese would earn them silver! Even if they didn't kill them, they could still get silver for the heads they collected! The fishermen were overjoyed; they'd gotten five taels of silver for free! Who wouldn't be happy?
Some of the big men hidden in the crowd immediately became envious.
Magistrate Zheng led his men to hang the heads of the Japanese soldiers high at the bustling entrance of the market for the public to see. He then loudly proclaimed that each head was worth one tael of silver, and that money could move people's hearts; he believed that the number of heads would continue to increase.
After seeing off the crowd collecting their rewards, Chen Wenfang, pale-faced, said to Uncle Hu, "Uncle, did you see clearly just now? From now on, you're in charge of confirming the numbers and distributing the rewards. I'm not going. Ugh!"
Aunt Hu quickly brought her some tea.
"Is Fang'er frightened?" Uncle Hu asked with a smile.
"There's one thing, it's still too ugly!" Chen Wenfang ultimately didn't vomit, but thinking about the Nanjing Massacre made her feel much better.
"You're still laughing? From now on, when you come to visit, don't call her!" Aunt Hu said, feeling sorry for him and scolding him.
"Hehe, I know! It's because you're ugly!"
"How's the workshop going?" Chen Wenfang had been busy calculating costs and drawing things these past few days and hadn't gone to check on the neighbor's yard.
“I’m keeping watch. That man is very diligent. Madam said he would be paid, and he worked very hard. He said the money can be used directly in three days. Caiyun is watching over the expenditure of the money. Madam, don’t worry.”
"That's good! Call Chu Yi over and have him come with me to the blacksmith's shop." Chen Wenfang has been trying to figure out something new lately. If this thing works, he probably won't have to worry about money anymore.
It's funny, ever since she transmigrated, she's been going to the blacksmith shop all the time, whether she has something to do or not. If all else fails, she'll open her own? That way, she can keep it a secret.
Well, opening one is fine, I'm not short of money anyway. I asked a local resident, and he said that iron is controlled by the imperial court and can't be opened casually.
That's easy. Chen Wenfang took the blueprints to the county government office to find Magistrate Lou. Magistrate Lou told her that there was no military equipment bureau in the county, only in Quanzhou City. Well, she had no choice but to go to the blacksmith shop again.
Huian County is a small place with only one blacksmith shop. The shop is quite large, but there's not much there.
As soon as Chen Wenfang entered, Zheng Dong, who was sitting idly there, greeted her with delight.
"Madam, what do you need us to do? Our shop operates on a low-profit, high-volume basis, so we can do anything."
"How many people do you have here?" Chen Wenfang asked, looking around.
"Besides me, I have two other apprentices."
"There are too few people, is there any left?"
"I have two other senior brothers who can do it too, but they don't do it anymore."
“We still don’t have enough people, but we won’t need this many at the beginning. How about this!” Chen Wenfang sat down on a stool, took out a drawing, and said, “Take a look and see if this can be made?”
"This?" Zheng the blacksmith looked at the round and square jar on the paper, with a pull ring on the lid. "It shouldn't be difficult to make, but why does my wife want to make this?"
“That’s my business. If it works out, I’ll need a lot more than you can handle. Besides, how many taels of silver can you earn here in a month?” Chen Wenfang looked into his eyes with sincerity.
"Actually, it's not much, maybe a little over one tael of silver a month!" Zheng Dong touched his nose guiltily. If the wife of Commandant Wang really offered him a high salary, he thought this price wasn't too high.
“Alright, then make two according to this blueprint first and let me see. How much is the deposit? If you make them to my liking, I will give you two taels of silver a month. If the quantity required in the future increases, the wage will be increased. How about it?” Chen Wenfang was generous and wealthy.
“No problem, no need to pay the deposit. I trust you, Madam. May I ask what material you would like to use to make this jar?” Zheng Dong rubbed his hands together and communicated with her enthusiastically.
"Let's use iron. The thinner the better. If it's too heavy, it'll be tiring to carry. But it can't be too thin either, or it will leak oil."
"Is this for storing food, my lady?"
"Yes! Is that alright?" Chen Wenfang looked around at the place. If it could be moved into the workshop, that would be convenient.
"of course can!"
"Alright, then you go ahead and get busy. Come find me at the Commandant's place when you're done." Chen Wenfang said and left.
"Take care, Madam Chen!" Zheng Dong happily started looking for materials and began cooking. He was rich! His skills had caught the eye of Commandant Wang's wife, and now he was earning two taels of silver a month. His wife would definitely stop nagging him from now on.
Wang Duwei's Office.
The residents are directing the deliveryman to arrange the goods.
"Hey, be careful! Put the long table over there, and where are the twenty stools? Why weren't they delivered?"
"It's behind, behind!"
"Where are the pots? Why are there only five? Weren't we supposed to have ten? And what about the spatulas? Where are the bowls?"
The waiter, wiping his sweat as he carried the pot, said, "One of the pots was knocked over on the way, so we're a little slow. It'll be here soon. The spatulas and basins will be next."
The courtyard was bustling with activity, with people coming and going to deliver things and do chores.
"Brother Lou, where should we put this drying tray?"
"Put it in the warehouse, and set it up once the shelves arrive."
"Yes!" The old woman responded and left with her things.
"Brother Lou, the third well is finished, and the water is clear now. Go and take a look!" Several villagers gathered around.
"Okay, let's go!"
Lou Min came to the courtyard. According to Chen Niangzi's requirements, each kitchen must be equipped with a water source and the sewage treatment must be able to discharge. Therefore, he designed to dig at least three wells. After checking the water output and quality, the water was indeed very clear.
Huian is located in a coastal area, so drilling wells is very convenient and can be completed in a day.
"Okay, no problem. I'll sign it. You can take this to collect the final payment!" Lou Min said, handing over the slip.
"Hehe, okay, thanks, Brother Lou."
Lou Min wiped his sweat and continued working.
It is said that Madam Chen is really rich. She directly told him that she had transferred a thousand taels of silver to his account to set up this workshop. He could buy whatever he needed. He and Lou Sheng would each be paid one tael of silver a day. He would be in charge of the internal affairs, and Lou Sheng would be in charge of the external affairs. They had to finish repairing the workshop within seven days.
These days, there have been many more trucks coming from Quanzhou to deliver goods here. They're carrying the goods and supplies like they're free, banging them into the workshops.
Carpentry shops, lacquerware shops, clothing shops, rice and grain shops, oil shops, and butcher shops all came to deliver goods. She single-handedly moved all the shops in Huian County. I heard that once the workshop is set up, they will recruit about a hundred people. He also really wants to work here. The wages are paid too quickly. Who can stand it!
The following day, a major event was reported from the county government: five more Japanese heads had been received. The whole county was in an uproar. The notice had only been posted for a few days, and yet Japanese heads were already arriving in droves. How had they managed to be bullied by these people until they couldn't be found at all before?
Magistrate Zheng was puzzled.