Song Ning drafted two contracts. After signing the first one, Song Ning took out the second one.

"Of course, I can't let everyone suffer. Next, let's talk about everyone's wages."

"The work in the workshop varies in difficulty. The women and a few girls earn 700 coins a month, while the men earn 900 coins. They start work at the end of Chen Shi (7-9 AM), go home for lunch and rest at noon, and then come back to work at the end of Wei Shi (1-3 PM). Now that it's summer, they finish work at the end of You Shi (5-7 PM), and they rest for two days every seven days."

Everyone was stunned when they heard her words.

These days, I've never heard of workers being allowed to rest.

The host wishes you could live two days in one, and is afraid that you might not get a moment's rest.

Moreover, they are all farmers, people who are never idle throughout the year.

Aside from those who are lazy and love to eat, no one will truly be idle.

If you calculate it this way, you can get several days off a month.

Is there really such a good thing in the world?

"Does anyone have any more questions? If not, let's sign the contract and I'll take you to the workshop," Song Ning asked loudly.

No one spoke, and this time no one needed to take the lead. Everyone rushed to sign the contract, and then the group followed Song Ning to the backyard.

Princess Jianing had been watching from the window the whole time. Only after Song Ning left with his entourage did she turn around and sit down.

"As expected of my future daughter-in-law, listen to what she just said. Not just anyone could say that."

The people in front of her were all older than her, yet they behaved so respectfully in front of this thirteen-year-old girl. Tsk, they'd definitely be excellent housekeepers in the future.

Princess Jianing was very proud: "Oh my, my son has such good taste!"

Granny Qi stepped forward to massage Princess Jianing's legs and said with a smile, "Young Master is a dragon among men, so his judgment is naturally excellent. In my opinion, this Miss Song is indeed good. She has such courage at such a young age, which is something that the daughters of officials in the capital cannot compare to."

These words struck a chord with Princess Jianing.

"There are many good girls in the capital, but most of them have ulterior motives. Many want to enter the Rongguo Duke's mansion, but few are truly sincere."

The Rongguo Duke's Mansion has controlled the Jin Dynasty's army since Xie Linzhou's grandfather, and has always been the target of court officials and several princes to curry favor with.

Xie Linzhou's grandfather was a close friend of the late emperor. Although he held military power, he was never suspected. By the time the current emperor ascended the throne, the Duke of Rongguo was already Xie Linzhou's father.

Xie Linzhou's father and the emperor had grown up together and had a close relationship, which is why he married his sister into the Duke's mansion.

But now, the emperor's children are different.

They were engaged in open and covert struggles, all vying for the support of the Duke of Rong's mansion.

Therefore, Princess Jianing did not dare to bring those daughters of officials into her residence rashly.

But Song Ning is different; she doesn't have so many hidden agendas.

Princess Jianing also realized that it was her son's unrequited love, while the young girl was quite nonchalant and knew nothing about it.

"I just don't know if this young lady has any feelings for Lin Zhou."

"There are few people in the world better than our young master. In terms of appearance, family background, and ability, he is top-notch. Miss Song will definitely like him."

Princess Jianing sighed: "But you heard it yesterday too. Linzhou took that girl home, but she left without even saying goodbye the next day. We bumped into her on the road and I heard they got angry."

Princess Jianing knew her son's temper; he must have done something to upset the girl.

Granny Qi comforted him, "Your Highness, please don't worry. Didn't Zhang Ping, who serves the young master, say that Miss Song even wrote a poem praising our young master? Young ladies are shy and embarrassed to say it directly. In my opinion, this matter can be accomplished."

Song Ning, in the backyard, was unaware that a huge misunderstanding had just occurred.

She was leading people around the workshop and explaining the work.

The process of making soap looks complicated, but now that the division of labor is clear, it's much simpler.

Two women were assigned to render lard, two women to make wood ash, and the men were responsible for stirring. Two more women were assigned to add fragrance, two young girls and one woman were responsible for filling the molds and letting the mixture solidify and dry, and the remaining two young girls were responsible for packaging.

Song Ning arranged everyone's tasks and went over the precautions with everyone again. The soap workshop officially started operations.

Xiao Cui also wanted to help, but there was nothing for her to do at the moment, so Song Ning let her work as the warehouse key taker.

"Your task is to ensure that no outsiders enter this place. Also, if anyone wants to see our soap, they must notify me first. No one is allowed to enter without my permission."

Also, from now on, we'll be sending our soaps out, and we need to keep track of how much comes in and goes out each day. I'll give you a booklet; remember to keep a record of it every day.

"Don't worry, boss, I guarantee I'll keep a close eye on things and remember everything clearly."

"I have high hopes for you. When we have our own shop in the future, you will be my manager."

Xiao Cui grinned: "Really? Boss, I'll definitely work hard."

"However, this might affect your studies."

"Don't worry, boss, I won't fall behind."

Since Old Man Yu and Xiao Cui arrived, learning to read and do arithmetic has become a must-do activity for everyone in the Song family after meals.

At first, it was just Xiaomei, Xiaotao, and Xiaocui, but now even Liu Yuelan and Song Dahai have to learn to read whenever they have time.

Gradually, more and more of Old Man Yu's students came, including Song Xiu'e and her husband, Li Xingwang, and Sun's two children.

Old Man Yu's lessons were quite interesting. He not only taught people to recognize characters, but also told stories that even adults found fascinating.

Song Ning sat to the side, listening to Old Man Yu tell stories while writing something.

She dared not use her pen outside, and instead used charcoal that had been burned black.

She prepared several types of soap, each with its own fragrance and corresponding packaging. She also wanted to draw some patterns on the packaging paper and, ideally, write a few words: "Made in Tianxiang County."

We can't just sell soap; we also need to promote the name of Tianxiang County.

Writing with charcoal pencils is not easy, and Song Ning's handwriting is crooked and ugly.

Princess Jianing walked over and asked with a smile, "Er Ya, what are you writing?"

Song Ning smiled sheepishly: "It's nothing, just some things about soap."

Princess Jianing was taken aback when she saw what Song Ning had written on the paper, then smiled and said, "I heard you've never been to school, yet you can write?"

"I just learned it by myself from books, and it's not very good."

"I think it's well written, and I can understand it anyway."

Song Ning had assumed that Madam Jiang, being of high status, would be difficult to serve, but to his surprise, she got along quite well with them.

He's very approachable and sometimes doesn't mince words; he's a very easy person to get along with.

Moreover, she especially enjoys chatting with her mother.

Sure enough, she soon started chatting with Liu Yuelan, who was sitting next to her.

But as we were talking, things started to get a little off.