When Shuiqing was recruiting people in Shanshui Village, she already realized that this place was different from China.

When factories in China open and hire people, they are simply providing jobs. It's a two-way selection process, and it's perfectly normal to change jobs if things don't go well.

But they had no choice here; they couldn't change jobs even if they wanted to. There were people willing to do even the most demanding and worst jobs. She didn't think the wages she paid were too high, but they seemed especially precious because of the exploitation by some unscrupulous employers.

Seeing the villagers of Zhulin wiping away their tears, a strange sense of joy arose in my heart, which had originally only been focused on earning money.

Although my abilities are limited now, I have unknowingly helped many people within those limited abilities and gained the gratitude and recognition of everyone around me. It feels really good!

It's especially great when helping others not only doesn't harm your own interests, but also brings in a steady stream of money...

The task of selling the candy was then handed over entirely to Bai Manshan.

White sugar was mostly sold at the Bai family shop, while brown sugar was mostly transported to the northern capital.

Sugar is not a necessity in daily life, but it can provide the body with energy very quickly when marching or fighting. Especially on rainy days or in winter, boiling a big pot of brown sugar ginger soup and drinking it hot will warm the whole body, and the soldiers at the bottom will feel warm from body to heart.

Instead of bringing the money back, he used it to buy shops and land in Beidu, and the land was used to grow potatoes.

Selling, buying, buying—every time Bai Manshan and Hu Wenhua came back, they would hand her land deeds and house deeds. Sometimes there were more, sometimes fewer. At first, they would check the location on the deeds, but later they stopped looking at them altogether.

Shuiqing doesn't remember how many fields and shops she owns in Beidu, Yuhang, and Nandu. The only thing she remembers is a few houses; she currently owns three in Beidu and one in Yuhang.

Actually, it's not a small amount. After all, Shanshui Village is too far from Beidu, and we may not live there in the future. Houses don't have the same high rental return rate as shops. If it's purely an investment, shops are more cost-effective.

The situation outside remained unclear. In the past, the villagers didn't care much about the war. Now, they only cared because of the troops that went out. However, Shanshui Village was not only far away but also remote. By the time news of the war arrived, it was often months later.

So he stopped asking around and focused solely on making money, while also praying to God and Buddha to bless the village's team to return home safely.

Shuiqing's family has dwindled in size, and several rooms in the once-full house are now empty.

My parents moved out.

Ling Ran was not there, Fan Jiang was not there, and the three members of the Bai family came and went in a hurry. They did not even appear together. Bai Manshan led a team alone by waterway to Beidu, while Bai Ziqian and Li Huyu led a caravan south to sell goods.

Hu Wenhua, Fan Heding, and Li also spend half the year in the village and the other half away from home.

Year after year, time passed, and the business of making toothbrush handles in Zhulin Village was stopped. A few more houses were built and the business was changed to making calligraphy brushes.

The war over the past three years has caused a significant increase in the number of displaced people, and Zhulin Village has added about ten more households, growing from a population of over one hundred to over two hundred.

Zhulin Village has many varieties of bamboo, especially the small, thin bamboo, which is most suitable for making brush handles.

After three years of development, the scale of livestock such as pigs, sheep, and rabbits has become quite large. The raw materials are guaranteed, and the rest can be purchased from the prefectural city, just like the toothbrush workshop model.

The craftsmanship of handling wool was passed down from the toothbrush workshop people in the past.

With the workshop, raw materials, craftsmanship, and workers all in place, the brush workshop quickly began operations after everything was ready!

"Mother, the war isn't over yet. Can we make brushes now?" Xinghui asked with slight concern.

It's not that we don't trust Mother's decision, it's just that they're in the village and don't know how the war is going. If they rush into making brushes, the brushes will age and become difficult to sell.