Chapter 439: Recruiting workers

The system's words woke up the anxious Gu Jiayue, and she suddenly realized. Yes, in this era of cold weapons with only swords, spears, and halberds, bombs are extremely lethal weapons!

If bombs could be mass-produced and thrown into the enemy camp on the battlefield, the power would be enough to intimidate the enemy, and perhaps scare them out of their wits after a few attempts.

In this way, maybe it will be just like what my elder brother said, the war will be over before they reach the Yanshan front.

Thinking of this, Gu Jiayue could no longer sit still and shouted to everyone in the room, "Mom, I'm going out for a while and will be back soon."

He turned around and ran quickly towards Ye Yuntang's house.

We must quickly discuss the mass production of bombs with Ye Yuntang. This may be the key to saving everyone.

The gate of Ye Yuntang's house was not closed. When Gu Jiayue pushed the door open, she saw Ye Yuntang with his back to her, holding a wide piece of cloth in his hand, wrapping it tightly around his chest. His movements were quick and clumsy, and the cloth was wrinkled into a ball.

"What are you doing?" Gu Jiayue's voice suddenly rang out. Ye Yuntang was so scared that his hands trembled and the cloth almost fell to the ground.

She turned around abruptly, and only after seeing that it was Gu Jiayue did she breathe a sigh of relief and patted her chest: "Sister Gu, it's you. You scared me."

"Isn't it obvious? I'm dressing up as a woman!" Ye Yuntang said, and then lowered his head to pull the cloth on his chest, trying to make it smoother.

"What?" Gu Jiayue was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized something, and her voice became a little louder. "You want to dress up as a woman and go to the battlefield?"

"Bingo! You got it right!" Ye Yuntang's eyes lit up, his tone filled with excitement. "I read in a storybook that Hua Mulan joined the army to replace her father, and I thought it was legendary. I never thought that such a day would come to me!"

"That won't do!" Gu Jiayue quickly stepped forward and grabbed Ye Yuntang's hand. "What can a girl like you do on the battlefield? If your identity is discovered, the consequences will be disastrous!"

"Don't worry, Sister Gu. The people going with us in the village are all acquaintances. Even if they find out, they will help me keep it secret." Ye Yuntang waved his hand, his tone firm. "Besides, I'm the only one who fully understands the formula and production method of this bomb. If I don't go with them, they won't be able to make a usable bomb. When I get to the front line, I'll be a 'technical talent', and no one will easily embarrass me."

"You..." Gu Jiayue was about to persuade him, but was interrupted by Ye Yuntang. "Sister Gu, I know you're worried about me, but I know my limits." Ye Yuntang's tone darkened, and his eyes became serious. "I've been here for many years, even longer than you. I've long considered the people of Taohua Village my family. Now that my family is in trouble, and Dagan is in trouble, I naturally have to do my part as a member of the family."

She paused, then added, "Besides, based on my contribution of providing the bomb-making method, the commander wouldn't chop off my head just because I'm dressed as a woman, right? Besides, the commander this time is Jiang Luli. He's been in Taohua Village for so long, so he'll probably give me some face and maybe even help cover for me."

"But..." Gu Jiayue wanted to say something else, but Ye Yuntang pushed her into the house.

"Okay, Sister Gu, stop nagging me. I've made up my mind, and I've already discussed it with my parents, and they agree!" Ye Yuntang took Gu Jiayue's hand, pointed at the cloth on his chest, and said with a bitter face, "Help me see, how can I wrap my breasts so that they are not obvious? If I had known earlier, I would have eaten less. My breasts have grown so big that I can't even wrap them up!"

Gu Jiayue looked at her serious expression, and the words of comfort that were on the tip of her tongue got stuck in her throat and she couldn't say them.

Ye Yuntang has already made up her mind, so it's useless to persuade her any further. It would be better to help her make more thorough preparations, which can at least reduce some risks.

"You can't wrap it like this. The fabric won't stretch, so it'll only make you uncomfortable, and it'll still show through." Gu Jiayue squatted down and helped Ye Yuntang rearrange the fabric, saying as she pulled, "Actually, when you wear the loose military uniform, it won't be too noticeable. It's just that you're missing an Adam's apple, so you'll have to find a way to cover it up."

"Yes, yes, and the Adam's apple!" Ye Yuntang slapped his head, suddenly realizing, "How could I forget this!"

"And your hair needs to be tied up tighter." Gu Jiayue pointed at Ye Yuntang's hair again. "Otherwise, when you're exercising on the battlefield and your hair is down, people will know you're a girl right away. Isn't that how it's portrayed in TV dramas? Once your hair is down, your identity is exposed."

"Yes! It has to be tied firmly!" Ye Yuntang nodded vigorously, his tone full of annoyance. "If only I had hairspray, I could just 'weld' my hair to the top of my head so it won't fall apart no matter how I move!"

It’s just hairspray, but Gu Jiayue actually has it.

Without thinking, she mentally said to the system, "Exchange for a bottle of hairspray."

Soon, a bottle of simply packaged hairspray appeared in her hand, and she handed it to Ye Yuntang. "Here, spray this on your hair to keep it in shape and prevent it from falling apart."

Ye Yuntang took the hairspray without any expression of surprise on his face.

In fact, he had suspected a long time ago that Gu Jiayue either had a system or a space.

After all, Gu Jiayue knew so much, and there were so many books. She couldn't possibly have memorized them all, could she? That would require a terrifying memory. And she always came up with something new and surprising. She was so busy teaching every day that she had no time for inventions.

But they came from the same world, and Gu Jiayue had helped her many times. She remembered this favor in her heart, so she never asked too many questions and would even take the initiative to help Gu Jiayue keep the secret.

"Host, I still have a disguise set and a makeup tool here. Do you want to exchange them together?" The system suddenly took the initiative to speak, with a hint of "sales promotion" in its tone.

Gu Jiayue was stunned for a moment, then asked, "Aren't you afraid that I'll owe more education points?"

"Hey, if you have too many lice, you're not afraid of bites!" The system's voice was somewhat open-minded. "A debt of one hundred is a debt, a debt of one thousand is a debt. I believe the host will be able to pay it back soon! Look, now that the plague is over, everyone has resumed production, the school's education value is increasing every day, and the county's literacy campaign is still expanding. The education value will only increase in the future. I'm not worried at all."

In fact, the system has something else to say.

The disguise sets and makeup tools it recommends are very cheap and can be exchanged for only ten education points. After all, these props are not of much help to Gu Jiayue's "educational mission", so the points are set very low.

Gu Jiayue thought about it and felt that it was always good to be more prepared, so she said to the system: "Then exchange these two as well."

She handed the disguise suit and makeup artifact to Ye Yuntang, and said with a hint of admonition: "Swords have no eyes on the battlefield. You must be careful. If you can avoid getting close to the front line, don't get close."

"Don't worry, Sister Gu!" Ye Yuntang took the things and smiled. "I may not go to the battlefield. I'm a technical talent. They will definitely protect me well, so I can make bombs with peace of mind. Besides, my life was saved. If I can do more meaningful things, it's worth the risk. I want to live a more exciting life!"

The next day, just as the sky was getting light, Taohua Village was shrouded in a thin layer of mist, and wisps of smoke were rising from the chimneys of every household.

The women stood in front of the stove, wiping their tears while making pancakes on the griddle. The pancakes were twice as big as usual, and they were filled with meat and vegetables.

People going to the front line should take some food with them to eat on the way so that they can fill their stomachs.

"Dad, take this cake with you and eat it when you are hungry on the road. Don't save it. If you don't have enough money, write to home and I will find a way to send it to you!" A woman stuffed the cake wrapped in oil paper into the man's hand, and tears fell again.

"You must come back safely. The child and I will be waiting for you at home and will tell the child stories when you come back." Another woman held the child, pulled her husband's clothes, her voice choked with sobs.

"Xiao Lang, Daddy doesn't expect you to achieve great things, but you must remember that on the battlefield you can't be a coward, and you certainly can't collaborate with the enemy and sell out your country!" An old man, leaning on a cane, patted his son's shoulder and said in a serious tone, "You are a man of great ambition in life, and you will be a man of great ambition in death. If you can die with honor on the battlefield, Daddy will be proud of you!"

Someone else took out a small bag of soil from their pocket and put it in their relative's hand. "This is soil from our vegetable garden. Take it with you. If you feel homesick, take it out and smell it. It will make you feel like you're home."

At the village entrance, many people preparing to join the army had gathered in the open space. Each of them carried a heavy bag, filled with their families' concerns and instructions. Gu Jiayue spotted Xie Qingyun in the crowd. He was also carrying a cloth bag, standing next to Ye Yuntang, helping her adjust her hat.

"Are you sure you want to follow me to the battlefield?" Gu Jiayue walked up to Xie Qingyun.

She really couldn't understand why Xie Qingyun, a man who was wholeheartedly seeking the "Tao", suddenly wanted to go to the battlefield.

Xie Qingyun nodded, his eyes fixed on Ye Yuntang, his tone serious. "Miss Ye possesses key bomb technology and is very important to the front lines. I feel I need to ensure her safe arrival on the battlefield so she can be of value."

With Xie Qingyun protecting Ye Yuntang, Gu Jiayue felt a lot more at ease.

She had seen Xie Qingyun's skills before, and they were much better than those of ordinary soldiers. He was also very thoughtful, and with him around, Ye Yuntang would be less in danger.

Besides, Xie Qingyun is a free man and it is his freedom to go wherever he wants. I have no right to interfere.

"Okay, then I'll ask you to take good care of her." Gu Jiayue bowed to Xie Qingyun with a sincere tone.

"Don't worry." Xie Qingyun smiled, his eyes showing some relief. "There are still many books in your school's library that I haven't finished reading. In order to come back and continue reading, I will also bring Miss Ye back safely."

"No problem, as long as you can come back safely, the school's library will always be open to you. You can read as long as you want." Gu Jiayue agreed quickly.

Xie Qingyun looks smart, but he is actually a bit naive and easy to coax.

As the conscription team gradually moved away, Taohua Village suddenly became much quieter.

More than a hundred people went, and almost every family was missing a able-bodied man.

Most of the people working in the fields became women.

The children are still attending classes in school as usual, but there is less noise than before.

Papermaking and cement workshops were particularly affected. The once bustling workshops now only have half the staff left, and many processes have no one to take over.

These two workshops used to be the "cash cows" of Taohua Village, making a lot of money every day, but now there is a shortage of manpower, orders are piling up, and the goods cannot be delivered on time.

The village chief was so anxious that he went to Gu Jiayue for advice. "Jiayue, how about we recruit some people from the next village? If this continues, the workshop will have to shut down."

Gu Jiayue thought about it and agreed that this was the only solution. "This is the only way. But Village Chief, you have to be more careful when recruiting people. Make sure you choose people with good character and hard work. Don't hire those who are dishonest and cunning, otherwise they will break the rules of the workshop."

"Don't worry!" the village chief promised. "During these chaotic times, it's good to have a stable job. No one dares to cause trouble. I will definitely screen them carefully and will definitely not let any unreliable people in."

Having said that, the village chief still did not dare to be careless.

After the recruitment information was released, many people came to sign up, and some villagers also recommended their relatives and friends.

Some distant relatives of the Gu family also came to ask for a job.

Gu Jiayue did not refuse coldly, but recommended them all to the village chief, asking him to interview them all equally. Even when the brother-in-law came to plead for mercy, he did not make any special arrangements.

However, after her brother-in-law passed the interview, she still greeted the village chief and arranged him in a relatively easy position.

With so many new people arriving, Gu Jiayue expected some to cause trouble, but after watching for several days, she found that everyone was working diligently. Even during breaks, no one deliberately made any small moves, and both new and old employees got along well.

After Gu Jiayue went back and told the story, her second uncle smiled.

It was a bad year, and everyone knew that this job was hard to come by. Not to mention making trouble, everyone had to put in their utmost effort when working, for fear of being kicked out by the boss.

The common people at the bottom of society also have their own wisdom.