Chapter 054 Mobilization Speech
Zhao Bantou was too embarrassed to ask a little girl what a production line was and what a finished product was. He pretended to know and kept nodding his head, occasionally agreeing with her, but he was actually full of expectations for the soap business.
This is the recipe of the sixth daughter of the Xu family, a business that is personally backed by Old Master Fang!
Not to mention several thousand taels of silver, at least one or two hundred taels of silver should be possible, right?
The more Zhao Bantou thought about it, the happier he felt. Even the way he looked at Xu Qingying was filled with a kind smile. In the end, he only understood everything and patted his chest and promised, "Xu Liu, just tell me what you want to do. Go ahead and do this. If anyone dares to cause trouble for you, I'll take care of him for you!"
Xu Qingying wanted Zhao Bantou to completely delegate power to her, so she deliberately made up a bunch of professional rankings to deceive him. Seeing that Zhao Bantou had really been fooled, she laughed in her heart, but held back her laughter and said, "Thank you very much, Zhao Bantou. I will tell the others this news tomorrow."
Zhao Bantou, however, had his own concerns. "What's going on? If we really let everyone do this business, wouldn't our profits be greatly reduced? What if someone leaks the recipe..."
"Don't worry, Captain Zhao. The money I pay them is just wages, a small portion of our profits. The more they do, the more we earn. Besides, we're all on the same team. If you and I make money, there's no guarantee that others won't be jealous. Instead of worrying about them leaking our secrets, it's better to give them a few dozen coins a day. Firstly, it will shut them up, and secondly, it will keep them on the same page with us. As for the recipe leak, we really need to give it more consideration. At the moment, I can only think of the key steps being handled by me personally—"
"Yes, yes, that's as it should be. I'll send a few brothers to guard you and absolutely won't let any outsiders get close to you."
Xu Qingying raised her eyebrows. She didn't expect that Zhao Bantou was so sensible and could make her one of his own so quickly.
"These guys are so lucky to have met Miss Xu Liu. They can even earn so much money while in exile."
Xu Zhenying smiled and said, "That's what they call good for you, good for me, and good for everyone. We're all in the same boat, so we have a common heart. There's nothing to fear. But..."
Xu Zhenying hesitated to speak, but Zhao, the squad leader, eager to demonstrate his influence, immediately said, "Sixth Miss Xu, just speak frankly... I'll find a way to do anything I can for you..."
"Okay. Mr. Zhao, you're a man of honor, so I won't hesitate. I was just thinking that when the soap stall opens, we'll definitely need more manpower. These people will have to be shackled in the daytime to start working. But if we do that, the others who haven't shackled themselves will cause trouble. So, I think we might as well take off everyone's shackles—"
Zhao Bantou immediately frowned and said, "That won't do..."
Xu Qingying held him down. "Please listen to me first. I need to buy a lot of raw materials in the next town, and I need young men to help me carry the things. I also need some women to help me implement the sales plan. Our team has more than a hundred people, and I need to take at least a few dozen. And when the business becomes formal, we will inevitably have to work overtime during the day. If you remove the shackles, firstly, it will make the work more convenient and more efficient, and we can earn more. Secondly, without the shackles, they can walk faster, saving time and not delaying the trip."
Zhao Bantou was thoughtful and felt that what Xu Qingying said made some sense, but uncuffing everyone was an unprecedented thing. As cautious as he was, he naturally refused to agree.
Xu Qingying continued, "Actually, the prisoners eat and sleep every day, their shackles are removed, and they never run away. Besides, we're all in the deep mountains and forests, so where can they escape to? Do they want to hide their whole lives as illegals, or be eaten by wild beasts in the mountains and forests? Don't worry, even if you remove the shackles, they won't try to escape."
Zhao Bantou pursed his lips and said nothing, as if he was still hesitating.
"Besides, they'll have to make soap at night and travel quickly during the day. If they're still shackled during the day and tire themselves out, it won't be good." Xu Qingying paused for a moment before continuing, "Captain Zhao, if you want to accomplish something big, you need courage and determination—"
Zhao Bantou heard this, and the corners of his lips twitched. He glanced at Xu Qingying meaningfully, "Miss Xu Liu, please don't provoke me."
"If you want to do your job well, you must first sharpen your tools. What I want is for everyone to earn money happily and arrive in Qianzhou safely. Isn't that what Zhao Bantou also wants? Doesn't Bantou want to earn money without any hesitation and then return to Beijing with a large sum of money in glory?"
That's true, but why does it sound so weird?
Is this still the exile team?
Zhao Bantou began to doubt his life and was almost fooled by Xu Qingying to the point of being at a loss. After thinking about it, he felt that Xu Qingying was right. He had already established the soap business, so what was missing was this finishing touch?
Although it is unprecedented, why can't Zhao Qiaonian be the first?
As the saying goes, you can't catch a wolf without sacrificing a child. Even if he uncuffs everyone, I don't believe anyone would dare to escape?
Besides, those who escaped can be regarded as dead. You can just make up a reason. The road to Qianzhou is long and winding. Who will pursue the matter if you write that he fell off a cliff, was bitten to death by a poisonous snake, or was washed away by the water?
Having made up his mind, Zhao Bantou no longer hesitated, but pretended to be reluctant and said, "Since that's the case, I'll take care of Miss Xu Liu and remove their shackles so they can relax a bit."
Xu Qingying took the opportunity to flatter him, "Team Leader Zhao is very generous! When we get to the next town, we'll go into the city to buy raw materials. I hope you can give me a few of your brothers then."
"Of course." Zhao Bantou agreed hurriedly.
Xu Qingying walked slowly back, thinking about how to make soap. Soap is a relatively simple process in the chemical industry, and it's made from sodium stearate. She needed alkali, quicklime, lard, and so on.
Considering the craftsmanship level of the Great Zhou Dynasty, she could only use alternative products.
There's quicklime, though. With so many rocks and mines along the way, I can always get it locally. As for alkali, I don't know if there's any in town. If that doesn't work, I can only consider using plant ash to extract the precipitate. We also have to consider the experimental conditions and temperature.
This is the only condition she has now, so she has no choice but to give it a try first.
She was so focused on the staffing arrangements for tomorrow that she didn't notice she had returned to her bed. Everyone felt as if a stone was weighing on their hearts when they saw her daydreaming.
The aunt wanted to ask, but was caught by the grandmother. The grandmother poked Miao and signaled her with her eyes.
Miao walked up to Xu Qingying and called out something. Xu Qingying came to her senses and saw that all the women in the Xu family were looking at her. The other people in the big bunk bed were busy with their own things, but their ears were perked up in her direction, as if they were very curious about what Zhao Bantou had called her out to talk about.
"Ying'er, what happened? Why are you so sad?" Miao held her down and pulled her onto the bed. Everyone moved reluctantly and finally made some space.
Lian couldn't stand the environment of sleeping in a dormitory, but even if she had money, she didn't dare spend it openly. But she was reluctant and unwilling to spend money to let Huang live in a single room.
A lot of money had been spent on buying grain from Liu Jieshi a few days ago, and the money given by the Lian family was almost gone. Lian finally came to her senses and followed Huang Cui'e's example, starting to live on pennies.
So Lian was also forced to squeeze into the big bunk bed.
Now that she saw Zhao Bantou meeting Xu Qingying alone, Lian was only worried that the matter would be exposed. She stared absent-mindedly at the figure outside the window until Xu Qingying came back.
At this moment, Lian finally couldn't hold it in any longer and took the initiative to ask, "Sixth girl, what happened?"
Seeing Lian's worried look, Xu Qingying waved her hand and smiled slightly, saying, "Don't worry, it's a good thing."
After she said this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
The eldest aunt patted her chest and said, "It's a good thing, why didn't you tell me earlier? Your frown is so scary."
Xu Qingying smiled and said, "Sorry, I was just lost in thought."
Huang had already come closer and asked in a low voice, "Sixth girl, you said good news, what good news is it?"
Xu Qingying couldn't help but smile. For her, making money was secondary. The main thing was to remove the shackles from Xu Huiming.
Eldest brother Xu Huiming was born weak, and after wearing the shackles for so many days straight, his neck and shoulders had already been rubbed raw, with persistent redness and swelling. Every night he was so exhausted he couldn't even lift his arms, yet he still liked to show off. Knowing that she and Miao Shi loved cleanliness, he even planned to go to the river to fetch water for them to clean themselves at night.
Xu Zhenying naturally appreciated his kindness.
The women of the Xu family rarely saw Xu Qingying with such an expression, and they were startled and exchanged glances with each other.
It's really a happy event.
Xu Zhenying didn't want to explain it too clearly, so he just said vaguely, "Wait a little longer. It's not convenient now. I'll tell everyone in detail after Zhao Bantou spreads the word. This is indeed a great joyous event."
Everyone had no choice but to press the button without clicking. However, Xu Minglu and Xu Lezhi kept whispering to each other for a long time to try to be mysterious.
Early the next morning, everyone was called up to hurry on their way. Although the Xu family had heard some news last night, they still couldn't guess what the happy event was. Only the attentive Fourth Aunt and Miao noticed that the escorts had a strange attitude towards Xu Qingying.
Ming Xiaoshuang and Huang Yazi, who were indifferent in the past, now had not only a smile on their faces, but also a bit of attentiveness.
Even Ming Xiaoshuang waited until Xu Qingying had packed up before notifying Zhao Bantou to set off.
These slight changes could be hidden from my aunt's family, but not from a few observant people.
Even the younger ones felt that the atmosphere today was somewhat eerie. Xu Minglu found a quiet moment and pulled Xu Lezhi aside to ask, "Do you think the escort was a little strange to Sixth Sister today?"
Xu Lezhi glared at her and said, "Don't mention her name. I get annoyed just by seeing her."
Xu Huizheng also hated Xu Qingying very much. Born as the eldest son of the second branch, he was once the hope of the entire second branch. Naturally, he felt that he should be the future head of the second branch.
However, Xu Qingying repeatedly opposed the second house and challenged its authority, which was naturally unforgivable in Xu Huizheng's view.
"How can a girl be so out in the open all the time? And Uncle San doesn't care. What's going to happen if this continues? I think we should just let a woman run the Xu family from now on."
Xu Minglu pursed his lips and turned to talk about the matter with his aunt. His aunt couldn't explain it clearly, so the two of them had to keep it to themselves.
Smart people like Lian and Zhao naturally didn't need to say much. They kept their composure and just watched Xu Qingying walking in front of the Xu family. Her expression remained the same and no changes could be seen.
Lian sighed in her heart: This Xu Qingying is really a secretive person, she keeps things to herself, who knows what kind of person she will be in the future.
After walking about one or two kilometers out of the post station, Zhao Bantou found a secluded place and asked everyone to rest. Then he organized everyone to sit on the ground and form a circle.
Are you taking a break right after you get started?
Just as everyone was looking at each other in bewilderment, Zhao Bantou shouted "Silence!" three times in a row, and his voice echoed in the valley.
More than a hundred people fell silent, all looking at Zhao Bantou in confusion.
However, Zhao Bantou turned his head and motioned Xu Qingying to go up. Xu Qingying naturally refused. After they politely declined three times, Zhao Bantou went up to speak first.
"Listen! Let me say a few words." Zhao Bantou coughed softly and looked at the prisoners sitting in rows below. "Logically speaking, you are all a group of exiled prisoners. You have committed crimes that should be punished by death. But because His Majesty showed mercy and granted you a chance to live, you were able to save your lives and were only exiled to Qianzhou. You are really lucky. In the past, at least half of you would have been killed or injured on the way to Qianzhou. Forget about money, just being able to reach Qianzhou in one piece is a feat. Now you have met me, Zhao Qiaonian, and Miss Xu Liu. She is kind-hearted and can't bear to see you suffer, so she came up with a way to make money. She dragged you all along the way to exile to earn some pocket money--"
As soon as he said this, the people below immediately burst into discussion.
"Make money? How do you make money?"
"Miss Xu Liu, is she the little girl who taught us how to tie our legs?"
"How can a little girl like her know how to make money? Is she going to let a bunch of us play with her? I don't have the energy—"
The escorts gathered at the post station early in the morning. When they heard Zhao Bantou reheat the pancakes Xu Qingying had painted and feed them fresh, they were extremely enthusiastic about their work. They immediately cracked their whips and shouted, "Quiet! Quiet! Listen to what Zhao Bantou has to say!"
Zhao Bantou also shouted: "What are you arguing about? Are you itching for trouble again? I haven't finished talking yet, what are you arguing about——"
Everyone was afraid of the bailiff's authority, so they had to suppress their doubts, looking at Zhao Bantou and then at Xu Qingying.
Zhao Bantou clicked his tongue and continued, "In short, no matter what you do or how you do it, you must listen to Miss Xu Liu. You must do whatever she tells you to do. From now on, Miss Xu Liu's words are my words. If anyone disobeys, don't blame me for being rude!"
Xu Qingying knew that it was time for her to stand up. She took a step forward and walked to Zhao Bantou's side. She seemed inexplicably superior and the others had to look up to her.
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