Chapter 438 Can He Be Promoted Again
After the Qian family banquet ended, Cheng Wanwan began preparing for the lotus appreciation banquet three days later.
The group of wealthy women she invited were the core figures of the most elite circles in the area. If the relationship succeeded, Lotus Pond would be established; if it failed, it would lose its biggest customer base. Therefore, only success was allowed, and failure was not an option.
"Mother-in-law, I've personally delivered the cruise ship to you!"
The Cao family's carriage stopped at the gate of the courtyard. Cao Defu jumped off the carriage, followed by several mule carts, each carrying a boat.
There are three boats for boating on the lake and one boat for boating on the river.
The lake boat was bought with Cheng Wanwan's own money, while the boat for river tours was purchased with village public funds.
"This boat is so exquisite and beautiful." The village head touched the hull of the boat. "I, an old man, have never seen such a beautiful boat before."
"Of course, this was made by the Cao family, so it has to be exquisite." Cao Defu said proudly, "This boat was originally ordered by merchants from Nanyang, but since my mother-in-law needs it urgently, I brought it over first. We can put it on the river to test it out, and if there's anything wrong, I can have someone fix it in time."
Cheng Wanwan asked, "Will the merchants from Nanyang cause trouble since they didn't get the boat?"
"Of course not, we've been business partners for a long time." Cao Defu waved his hand. "If my mother-in-law needs anything else, just tell me."
"By the way, has Aunt Meng given birth yet?" Cheng Wanwan asked curiously. "They said she would give birth in a month, but a month has passed and we still haven't heard anything."
Speaking of this, Cao Defu had a headache: "The midwives have been staying in the mansion for seven or eight days, but labor still hasn't started. I'm really worried."
Just then, a horse came galloping by, and a servant jumped off, his voice urgent: "Master, Consort Meng is about to give birth! You must return to the manor immediately!"
Cao Defu's eyes widened suddenly: "Great! It's finally going to be born! Let's go, let's go back quickly!"
He quickly got into the carriage and urged the driver to hurry up. Before long, they disappeared on the road.
Cheng Wanwan called Wei Xiaohai over: "You come with me. Let me know as soon as you hear anything."
Wei Xiaohai nodded in agreement and followed in the carriage.
Cheng Wanwan and the village head called over some men from the village to carry the boat into the water, and then let a man who was familiar with the water act as the boatman and try rowing.
She sat in a small boat, which glided to the center of the lake. Lotus leaves surrounded her on both sides, and the air was filled with their fragrance. The water beneath the boat was so clear that she could see the fish swimming around.
On a whim, she released a few red koi into the pond.
In ancient times, people were superstitious and believed that seeing koi fish would bring good luck. When those noble ladies saw it, they would definitely have a deeper impression of the lotus pond.
The lake was very calm, and the boat moved very steadily. The boatman controlled the speed and angle when turning, and the people sitting on the boat did not feel uncomfortable at all.
The men rowed the boats, while the ladies took turns being rowed by female boatmen; the village women had plenty of strength.
This project was considered a perfect score by Cheng Wanwan.
Next, we will continue to develop other projects.
This time, it's the ladies and young women who are coming. Let's put the hunting aside for now and get the props for other games like pitch-pot, drumming, and musical chairs made as soon as possible. That task will be handed over to Old Man Zhao.
A year ago, he was a half-baked carpenter who could only make the simplest things like tables, chairs, and barrels.
Now, through continuous learning and under the influence of Afu, and with a set of the latest carpentry tools from Huzhou, it can be said that Old Zhao's carpentry skills are the best in Dahe Village. The last time someone in the village got married, they would ask the old man to make furniture for them.
The village headman then rallied the men to quickly build a latrine.
In the village, every household's outhouse was a thatched shed surrounded by straw. Inside, a pit was dug, and two wooden planks were placed on top, which served as a toilet.
But the high-ranking officials and nobles from the city certainly couldn't accept this way of using the toilet.
Their toilets were incense-filled, screened, and contained a chamber pot that was cleaned by servants at all times, keeping them clean and tidy.
The villagers didn't have time to go to the latrine to clean the latrine buckets all the time, so Cheng Wanwan redesigned it.
The exterior of the latrine is plastered with lime to make it look bright and clean. Inside, it is decorated with many wildflowers picked from the mountains. Mugwort is placed in the corners to repel insects and mosquitoes and to cover up the odor. After passing through a wall, you will find the toilet area, which also uses a latrine bucket. However, this bucket is bottomless, with a pit dug at the bottom that connects to the outside. Excrement flows out through this bucket. Every day after the excrement is discharged, the village sends someone to clean it.
Therefore, clean water should also be placed in the latrine for flushing and washing hands.
"This place where we poop is cleaner and prettier than my bedroom," Big Head Granny said, both amused and exasperated. "I'd like to live here forever."
The village head wiped the sweat from his brow: "From now on, you'll be in charge of cleaning this latrine, and all the fertilizer will belong to your family. It's settled then."
Big-Headed Granny happily agreed.
Cleaning once every night is such a simple task. With so much free fertilizer, her crops must grow better than others'.
Cheng Wanwan smiled too; working people are just that simple and honest.
Just as she was busy, Wei Hongying hurried over: "Auntie, Lord Wu is here and waiting in the yard."
She handed over her work to the village head and hurried back to her courtyard. Lord Wu rarely appeared, and when he did, it was always for something important. It seemed there must be news from the capital.
"Lady Sui, the Minister of Works couldn't put the blueprints down once he saw them. After discussing it with His Majesty, he finally decided to promote this method in the fourteen northern prefectures." Lord Wu said excitedly, "In other words, Lady Sui's idea has been adopted by the court. Once this matter is fully implemented, Lady Sui's official position will definitely be promoted."
Cheng Wanwan's face also showed a happy expression. First, by using this method, the number of mining accidents in the coal mine can be greatly reduced, and the mortality rate can be lowered. Second, she will be promoted... Who doesn't like to be promoted?
As her official position rose, her influence in Dahe Village increased, and the less people criticized her for her forward-thinking actions.
However, the next promotion would be to the sixth rank, and her family still lived in an adobe house. It was time to build a large brick and tile house. With a large family, they would probably need to build a large courtyard with at least two sections...
"Madam Sui, please look." Lord Wu pointed to something at his feet. "The manual automatic fan you mentioned last time, I've already had it made. Want to give it a try?"
Cheng Wanwan's eyes lit up. This fan looked similar to a modern electric fan, except that the fan blades were thicker, making it appear somewhat bulky.
She was going to try it herself, but when she looked down and saw that she was wearing a skirt, it was too indecent to step on the pedals in front of men, so she called over Sanmao, who was working in the yard.
Sanmao was seeing this thing for the first time. Following Cheng Wanwan's instructions, she sat down behind the fan, put her feet on the pedals, and began to pedal rhythmically. The fan blades slowly started to turn, turning faster and faster. A gust of wind blew by, and her skirt was all ruffled.
"It's so cool."
Cheng Wanwan sighed.
If she had figured this out last year, she wouldn't have had to endure such a grueling summer.
"Keep this for Lady Sui's use." Lord Wu stood up. "I have other matters to attend to on Coal Hill, so I'll take my leave now."
Cheng Wanwan nodded and watched Lord Wu leave. Then she continued to study the artificial fan and let the children in the family try it out. Everyone had a great time.
In the evening, Wei Xiaohai finally returned and brought good news—Aunt Meng had given birth to a healthy baby boy for the Cao family.
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