Old Wang nodded in agreement with Da Wa's words, praising, "You're right, kid. This land is definitely unsuitable for farming, but it's perfect for building houses. The ground is flat, and the terrain is quite good. There are a few loose stones, but we can easily tidy it up!"
“Uncle Wang, I plan to build workshops on this plot of land, dividing it into several courtyards, but they should be relatively independent.”
As Qin San Niang spoke, she unfolded the completed drawing, which she had worked on by burning the midnight oil for the past few days.
The distillery is located in the very center to ensure maximum secrecy.
The other workshops are scattered around. Currently, there are only workshops for jam and dried fruit, but a canning workshop will be added later. As for the future, there may be other workshops to be built. So, we'll just build four workshops, plus a courtyard for rest.
This yard can be used as a rest area for workers or a place for guards.
If the distillery grows too big, it will inevitably need someone to guard it. It can't be one person guarding it all night long; a shift system is necessary.
After carefully examining the drawing in his hand, Old Man Wang said he understood it. He wondered what kind of pen the Qin family's niece had used to draw the drawing, as it was so neat and delicate. He had never seen such a fine brush before.
"My dear niece, you're planning to make adobe bricks in this workshop, aren't you?" Old Wang asked.
"Yes, it's made of adobe. But the roof shouldn't be thatched; it should still be tiled. And the interior floors should all be made of stone slabs."
"To be honest, Uncle, I plan to start a food business. Stone slabs make it cleaner and tidier. Also, we need to dig a well in each courtyard to save on water shortages. In addition, we need to reserve a side room for people to rest," said Qin San Niang as she thought.
As for why they built the adobe house, it was the result of discussions among the family.
According to He Xiucai, although people could use blue bricks to build houses these days, it didn't mean they could use them to build workshops at will. To be on the safe side, it was better to use adobe bricks.
Liu also believed that adobe houses, once built, would be just as sturdy and solid.
Upon hearing this, Qin San Niang realized that it made sense, so she decided to build the house in adobe bricks, but requested that it be built sturdily.
Old Wang had many years of experience building houses, so he naturally knew this, hence the question above.
"Adobe houses are good. Although they can't be passed down from generation to generation like brick and tile houses, if you take good care of them, they can last for decades!"
"But you built your house in a hurry, so you probably didn't have any adobe bricks stored at home, right?"
Knowing that they had fled from the north and could not possibly have left behind any adobe bricks, Old Man Wang was somewhat troubled.
These days, many farmers make adobe bricks during their off-season. Adobe bricks are made by mixing rice straw and clay together, stirring and pounding them until they become thick mud blocks, and then drying them in the sun.
If there were wealthy families who were particular about their appearance, they might also use adobe bricks. They would take the finest river mud, repeatedly sun-dry it to extract the fine soil, mix it with straw and pound it repeatedly to make adobe bricks, and then put it into a kiln to be fired. Finally, adobe bricks were made.
However, what these farmers usually save are ordinary adobe bricks, which Qin San Niang's family definitely doesn't have.
"What adobe bricks?" Qin San Niang looked completely bewildered, indicating that she had never heard of them before.
Before she could react, Old Wang, knowing she wouldn't, continued, "There's another method called rammed earth. You put pillars at the four corners, fix boards to both ends, put the mixed wet soil inside, and pound it hard, building it up layer by layer. This also works. However, this kind of rammed earth is slower and is generally used for building courtyard walls."
My dear niece, if you want to build faster, it would be best to buy adobe bricks from the villagers. If that's not enough, you can use this rammed earth method for the outer walls.
Don't worry, they might not need the adobe bricks they've stored for long. Most of them are for future house repairs or expansions. These adobe bricks can be made in about six months. If they could be sold, I bet many people would be eager to sell them to you.
Upon hearing this, Qin San Niang knew it wasn't a difficult matter and was relieved.
She was also very proactive; she immediately went to the village to buy adobe bricks and said that she would trouble Uncle Wang to take care of the house construction.
Old Wang waved his hand, saying that this was his duty and there was no need to trouble him. Besides, he was paid, and he would be happy if people kept bothering him!
Old Wang acted quickly. Since he knew the villagers before, he asked his son and apprentice to call over the young men. If that wasn't enough, he went to his own village and selected a few familiar men who were willing to work hard, so that everyone was taken care of.
When the men received the news, they could hardly believe it. They had made their fortune all year thanks to Da Wa's family!
Everyone was eager to get started, wishing they could begin working today.
Qin San Niang was very grateful for Wang Laohan's kindness. He could have easily persuaded her to choose easier raw materials such as stone bricks, but he still took a practical approach and told her to buy adobe bricks in the village. She hadn't misjudged him.
Gu Qingshan naturally took on the task. Now he could meet with the workshop supervisor and earn six taels of silver a month! He couldn't wait to stay on the construction site every day and make sure he did a good job!
The villagers were incredulous when they heard that the Qin family wanted to buy adobe bricks!
I can't believe anyone would buy these adobe bricks, especially for just one cent a brick? It can't be a scam, can it?
"What? Big Brother's mother is collecting adobe bricks again? Who would want those? They're just made of yellow mud and straw, how can they be worth so much?"
"What do you know? Da Wa's mother is building a workshop, and I heard it's going to be huge, requiring a lot of adobe bricks! Chen Da, didn't your family make a lot of adobe bricks? You're going to make a fortune this time! Oh dear, if I had known, I would have made more and stored them away!"
"Who says otherwise? The Gui family next door has also stored quite a lot! They're going to make a fortune! My family doesn't have much, but my family has quite a lot stored up. I plan to go back and see if they're willing to sell it."
The woman thought it was a good idea. Anyway, she couldn't earn the money herself, but if her family did, they would be grateful! Wouldn't her younger siblings treat her like royalty?
"Oh my god, this works?"
"What's wrong with that? Da Wa's mother never said she wouldn't accept people from our family. As long as they're brought over by people from Shiligou, she'll accept them. Didn't she just say? She'll accept as many as there are!"
“Then I should go visit my parents’ home. It seems my older brother has stored up quite a few adobe bricks.” Upon hearing this, someone immediately had an idea.
Everyone was talking at once, all thinking about how to get more adobe bricks.
Some of the more resourceful ones have already started thinking about buying from other villages. Da Wa's mother said one adobe brick was worth one copper coin, so if they bought them from outside, they could say two adobe bricks were worth one copper coin. They figured quite a few people would be willing to sell them, and the net profit would be quite substantial...
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