"When are you leaving?" Jiang Tangtang asked. "Just you? Or are you choosing people to take with you?"
Lu Shiyan looked up at her. "Aren't you surprised?"
Jiang Tangtang wasn't surprised. He's the male lead; it would be strange if he didn't focus on his career!
However, seeing him looking at her inquisitively, Jiang Tangtang said reluctantly and affectionately, "Of course I'm surprised, I'm reluctant to part with my husband! But I can't stop my husband from doing important things, can I?"
Lu Shiyan coughed lightly and looked away. "Tomorrow I will select a few people to take with me, and the rest will remain in the valley to ensure everyone's safety."
Jiang Tangtang had been thinking about improving the tools for clearing land recently. Knowing that Lu Shiyan was going to seek refuge with the prefect of Puzhou tomorrow, she asked, "Husband, can I go with you tomorrow?"
Lu Shiyan said, "The situation outside is tense right now, and I'm afraid I won't be able to take care of you then. If you want anything, I'll get it for you."
"Could my husband ask a blacksmith to help me get these farm tools?" Jiang Tangtang took out the drawings she had made during the day from a book and showed them to Lu Shiyan.
Lu Shiyan carefully examined the patterns on the drawing and pointed out a few unclear parts to Jiang Tangtang.
After Jiang Tangtang answered all the questions and he understood the entire drawing, he carefully put it away, saying, "I will have someone procure it and send it back as soon as possible."
"Thank you, my husband." Jiang Tangtang was genuinely reluctant to part at this moment.
When he was in the valley, she could easily earn impression points, interaction points, and other scores by flirting with handsome men every day and getting them to run errands for her.
After he left the valley, she could no longer easily earn those points.
However, Jiang Tangtang quickly recovered. She still had career points to earn; starting tomorrow, she would focus on building her career.
Early the next morning, Lu Shiyan led Liu Chengfeng, Li Shi, Lin Erzhu, and a few others out of the valley.
The Cui family, mother and daughters, stood at the crossroads, watching Lu Shiyan and his group leave with bated breath.
When Lu Shiyan talked about the situation outside yesterday, he didn't hide it from the mother and daughters, as they all knew about the current situation outside.
If Puzhou falls to the Western Rong, how can Jiangzhou remain safe?
They initially pinned their hopes on their fathers and brothers in Jiangzhou, wanting to escape to Jiangzhou and find temporary peace.
But if the situation outside was that tense, my father and brothers would have already made plans and not stayed in Jiangzhou.
At this point, Cui no longer begged Lu Shiyan to send her back to Jiangzhou.
Even if Lu Shiyan had no intention of escorting them, they might not be able to find their family members even if they returned to Jiangzhou.
Guo Xuantong said with a sob in her voice, "Mother, what do we do now? Are we going to stay in the valley forever? What if what happened that night happens again?"
Cui didn't know how to answer either; she was completely at a loss.
They didn't know how to do farm work, nor did they recognize wild vegetables; they were completely out of place with the people in this valley. But they simply didn't have the courage to leave the valley.
Because they all knew in their hearts that without anyone to protect them, they would face even more dangers once they left the valley.
The group looked sadly and helplessly at the road leading outside.
Jiang Tangtang quickly composed herself, called the Lu family members and several of her older brothers, and went with them to the brick kiln to fire bricks.
Because it hadn't rained and the air was dry, the brick blanks dried very quickly.
After Jiang Tangtang checked and confirmed that it was ready to be put into the kiln, she immediately decided to fire one batch first to see the effect.
When the villagers heard that bricks were going to be fired today, they all put down their work and went to the entrance of the brick kiln to see what was going on.
Jiang Tangtang selected some strong and healthy villagers from among the onlookers and helped them stack bricks in the brick kiln.
Soon, the air-dried bricks were neatly stacked in the brick kiln. Jiang Dahai nervously took firewood and began to light the fire to fire the bricks.
"Is that all?" The villagers looked at the kiln, both nervous and expectant. "How long will it need to be fired inside?"
Jiang Tangtang said, "It needs to be baked continuously for twelve hours."
Hearing that it would take so long, the villagers watched curiously for a while, and then dispersed.
In that much time, a large piece of wasteland could be cleared; wasting time here is not worthwhile.
After the villagers left, the Jiang and Lu families stayed by their side.
The brick kiln burns continuously for twelve hours, requiring a considerable amount of firewood. Although they had prepared some in advance, they were still worried that they wouldn't have enough.
Fortunately, the kiln was built on the edge of the mountain, making it easy to gather firewood. So some people went up the mountain to gather firewood, while others added firewood to the brick kiln.
In addition, some people continued to make brick blanks using molds.
And so, amidst the hustle and bustle, the twelve hours of burning were quickly completed. After receiving Jiang Tangtang's approval, Jiang Dahai extinguished the fire in the brick kiln.
At this moment, the villagers gathered around again, excitedly asking, "Sanlang's wife, can we open the kiln now?"
"Quickly open it and see if the bricks are fired!"
"What if it's not cooked properly?"
...
The villagers were both excited and expectant, yet also somewhat worried.
Bricks are a rare commodity for them; could they really make them themselves?
Jiang Tangtang was actually a little worried. However, she remained calm on the surface and arranged for people to go to the kiln to retrieve bricks.
Retrieving bricks is hard work because the fire in the brick kiln has only recently gone out, and the bricks inside are still scalding hot.
But that's how old-fashioned brick kilns are; you have to quickly take the bricks out before firing the second batch.
While everyone was working, Jiang Tangtang observed their reactions from the sidelines.
Jiang Tangtang made a mental note of the villagers who quickly ran away when they felt the bricks were hot.
Jiang Tangtang plans to stop using these people for brick kilns and similar businesses in the future. She intends to hire those who are not afraid of the heat and persist in working long-term.
While Jiang Tangtang silently observed people, the bricks in the brick kiln were moved out one by one.
"It really burned out!"
"These bricks are just like the ones I used to see in wealthy households! They're really sturdy!"
"The people in our village actually managed to make bricks."
"Sanlang's wife is really amazing. We're all thanks to her. If it weren't for her, we wouldn't be able to make any bricks."
...
Although there were a few defective bricks, the first batch was a success. The village was filled with joy, and everyone was dreaming about living in brick houses in the future.
Just then, a villager suddenly asked, "Village Chief Song, now that the bricks are fired, who will build their house first?"
Without a second thought, Village Chief Song looked at the villagers and said, "Of course it's the Lu family!"
"This brick kiln was built by the Lu family. You all came to work here, and the Lu family paid you with grain. What, do you want to take these bricks and build your houses first?"
“Village chief, we have no such intention.” A villager quickly said, “We are not such ungrateful people. The brick-making technology belongs to the Lu family. We are able to settle down in the valley thanks to the Lu family. Why would we compete with the Lu family for the brick kiln?”
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