When Zhao Qi went back and told them about building the kang (a traditional heated brick bed), sure enough, no one said they wouldn't go. Building the kang was harder than farming, and there was no money to be made.

They were all terrified of poverty, and now that they have money to make, how could they dare to complain?

What's more, they themselves went out of their way to find a way to make money.

Furthermore, the Li family is now making tofu, and isn't that hard-earned money?

They had already found out that they got up at dawn every day, when it was still pitch black! People were used like mules to pull the millstone, and grinding beans would take one or two hours, with three millstones grinding at the same time. Pulling the millstone was no easy task.

The tofu only sells for three coins per pound, while the beans cost six coins each, plus all that manpower.

They see it all as hard-earned money these days.

Making a kang (heated brick bed) is different; it requires skill, but it's not too difficult, and it's sure to be popular.

In previous years, many people froze to death in the winter, so anyone with a little money would be willing to spend money to take on a job. Just by taking on jobs in all the surrounding villages, they could make enough money. They would charge twenty coins for each job, or even more if meals weren't included. Once they got faster and did more jobs a day, they could save up the money.

Besides, they could easily bring their son and adult grandson along to do it; with several people in the family, they could earn quite a bit each day.

The villagers of Shuxia Village were eager to learn, and the able-bodied men followed Zhao Qi to the Li family to learn their skills.

As for setting up the kang (heated brick bed) for the Li family for free, isn't that the least you can do? You have to pay tuition to become an apprentice, but setting up the kang for free not only lets you practice your skills but also repays a favor. You should be secretly happy about that.

Since they could make money, the villagers looked at the Li family like gods of wealth, as if they were good people who brought them money.

He couldn't help but despise himself for his dark thoughts of forcing the Li family to make money for them. People really shouldn't be too bad.

The villagers all told Li Xuming, "If anyone dares to bully you in the future, just tell me, and I'll give them a piece of my mind!"

"Yes, yes, we're all from the same village, so just call us if you need anything."

Li Xuming simply smiled and politely agreed.

My feelings about the word "profit" have deepened.

He curries favor with Cao Shangjin, and the villagers curry favor with the Li family; it's all the same thing, it's all about profit.

The villagers spent two days learning and building the kang (a heated brick bed) for the Li family. Soon, Zhao Qi and his team were ready to become proficient.

First, they built the kang (heated brick bed) for their own family. Then, the other branches of the Li family also paid money to hire a kang-building team to do it. They got more kang-building jobs in the village to practice on, and their skills became more and more proficient before they started to look for opportunities.

This is still thanks to the Li family. The closest town to Shuxia Village is Huangshi Town, while Liantang Town is farther away and larger.

There were also restaurants in Huangshi Town that traded tofu with the Li family, so they asked a clansman who delivered tofu there to take Uncle Zhao to recommend the restaurant to some shopkeepers. Some shopkeepers were interested and spent thirty coins (excluding meals) to hire the kang-making team from Shuxia Village.

After working on one or two projects, the reputation of the kang (heated brick bed) team spread far and wide. This was because everyone who had used the kang knew how powerful it was.

Just use it, and they won't say a word.

Later, when word spread that the people of Shuxia Village had even built kang beds for the homes of county officials, the business became even more booming. Not only were they easy to use, but they had also been used by county officials. These were things that wealthy people would buy, so how could they be bad?

As the weather gets colder, the kang (heated brick bed) construction team in Shuxia Village has split into four smaller teams, taking on jobs and doing work everywhere every day.

Today I'm either in the next village, or the village after that. If there's only one order, I won't go. Sometimes I'm even taken to the county seat, where the jobs are usually big, and I can't get back for several days.

Not only have orders increased, but the fees have also been raised to forty coins. It's the twelfth lunar month, and we have to raise prices to work in this cold weather.

The work of the kang-making team wasn't always smooth sailing; there was another incident involved.

After the kang-making team in Shuxia Village became popular, they received so many orders that they couldn't keep up. Later, when they were too busy to handle everything, the older members split into several teams and led their nephews and nieces to do the work.

When Zhao Qi first started taking orders, he heeded the Li family's advice and instructed his team to work efficiently, never steal anything, and never glance at anything that didn't concern them while they were working.

The kang trays are also beautiful, neat, and easy to use.

Prices are not arbitrarily set; they are all the same. No one charges more or less than another, causing market chaos. Even though the business of making heated brick beds is booming, prices are not arbitrarily raised.

When this rule was first implemented in the team, some people objected, but Zhao Qi suppressed them all. Everyone felt that profitable businesses were hard to come by, and since they had finally found one, they figured they should just do it well since Zhao Qi had made this requirement.

The villagers got used to it, and when others led teams out, they followed suit. Occasionally, after finishing their work, they would be praised by the host for their skill and good manners, which made them feel much happier.

The business of the kang (heated brick bed) team was booming, and others also got interested.

Later, some people secretly learned their skills while they were working and went out to take on jobs, still at a lower price.

This has had a significant impact on businesses in Shuxia Village, with many families canceling their orders and opting for the cheaper option.

Of course, those families with plenty of money trust the first team to build the kang (heated brick bed), since everyone in the market speaks highly of the kang-building team from Shuxia Village. They're willing to pay a little more for a better kang.

Cutting off someone's livelihood is like killing their parents!

They were all furious. Some of them had explosive tempers, like Qian Shulin, who wanted nothing more than to storm into someone's house and start a fight. It was only because the villagers held them back that Zhao Qi managed to stop them, saying, "Don't delay making money."

But not long after, news spread that the gang of brothel makers had been stealing money from each house they worked for. They were caught after working for several houses and reported to the authorities. They are now going to spend the year in jail.

Those who cancelled their orders are now filled with regret, as reordering now not only costs more but also requires waiting a considerable amount of time.

Those who didn't cancel their orders are now saying their decision was wise. Everyone is saying they were farsighted and insightful, and they feel their money was well spent.

The reputation of the kang-making team in Shuxia Village became even more prominent. Later, when other kang-making teams emerged, Shuxia Village still had plenty of orders, and even the price increase in December did not affect them at all.

After this incident, the villagers of Shuxia Village felt as if they had drunk the finest nectar, experiencing a blissful state of bliss. They all praised Zhao Qi for his foresight.

Zhao Qi didn't take any credit, telling them directly that it was the Li family's suggestion. In business, a good reputation is more important than anything else. Look at them now, there are quite a few people doing this kind of kang (heated brick bed) business, but their Shuxia Village kang-making team still gets orders even after raising prices, all because of their good reputation.

The villagers of Shuxia Village thus gained even more trust in the Li family.

Of course, that's all in the future.

————

The Li family's strategy of currying favor with Cao Shangjin was already set when they learned of Cao Shangjin's identity.

First, he used playing cards to appeal to Li's tastes and deepen their connection through this. Later, he delivered tofu to Li's door as soon as it was made, and he did so many times afterward. As a result, Cao Shangjin became closer to the Li family and casually arranged for the three members of the Yan family to work for them.

That day, Li Xuming and his brothers went to Cao Shangjin's house to make a kang (heated brick bed).