As orders for the paper mill increased day by day, most of the villagers in Tianxin Village worked as laborers in the paper mill.
These past few Wednesdays, he's been working the abacus so hard it's practically smoking.
He would rush to the paper mill before dawn every day, and he couldn't bear to go home even after dark.
Lu Qiqi had noticed this phenomenon in him countless times.
On this Wednesday, he once again entered a state of working tirelessly without eating or sleeping.
Li Changlong finished cooking the food, but it was already dark outside, and Wednesday still hadn't returned.
"They're not back yet?" Li Changlong put down the last dish of food, chuckled, and shook his head.
Zhou Yi knew that her third brother was stubborn and would work tirelessly late into the night if he didn't finish his work.
He said, "You guys eat first, I'll go call him back for dinner."
Lu Qiqi immediately rejected Monday's suggestion.
She said, "Let's eat first, and I'll personally bring it to him later."
Lu Qiqi's expression remained unchanged, but Li Changlong always felt that she had an air of authority that commanded respect without anger.
Upon hearing this, Monday did not insist and sat down to eat.
Since he was going to deliver food to Wednesday, Li Changlong took a bowl and put a few bites of various dishes on it.
Then put the bowl into the pot in the kitchen, using the residual heat of the pot to keep the food from getting cold.
After the three finished dinner, Li Changlong packed the food in a food box and asked Zhou Yi to carry the food box and accompany Lu Qiqi to deliver the food to Zhou San.
On Monday, carrying a food box in one hand and a lantern in the other, Lu Qiqi and I walked together through the night to the paper mill.
As the weather gets warmer, the roadside grass is filled with the rustling sounds of insects.
The bright moonlight hung in the sky, and the stars twinkled.
If it weren't for Lu Qiqi walking forward with a sullen face, it would have been a beautiful night scene.
The two walked to the paper mill.
The gate to the paper mill was half-closed. Lu Qiqi gently pushed the gate open and stepped into the paper mill.
The main gate of the paper mill was closed, so Lu Qiqi entered through the side door of the reception room.
All the workers had left, and it was pitch black inside.
Only the small door to the accounting office still allowed a sliver of light to pass through.
The closer Lu Qiqi got to the accounting room, the louder the sound of the abacus grew.
The sounds crackled and popped in an orderly fashion, like plucking the strings of a musical instrument.
"Who's outside!"
Suddenly, a question came from the accounting office.
A moment later, Lu Qiqi saw a person carrying a candle walk out of the accounting room.
"Sister Lu? Big Brother?" Zhou San was a little surprised when he saw who it was. "Why are you here?"
Lu Qiqi had a stern face, and Zhou San felt a sudden tightness in his chest, as if he had done something wrong.
Suddenly, he saw the candlelight in his palm and his face turned pale.
He thought to himself, 'It's over, it's over, it's over.'
Since the paper mill opened, Lu Qiqi has issued an order that no open flames are allowed in the paper mill.
Paper mills produce paper, which is highly susceptible to catching fire, and the consequences of a fire would be unimaginable.
Following the candlelight in the accounting room, Lu Qiqi looked around and saw an account book, an abacus, and writing brushes and ink on the desk.
She sighed inwardly and said coldly, "Pack your things and we'll talk outside."
Wednesday was the first time he had ever seen Lu Qiqi speak to him with a cold face.
Afraid that he might be too slow and displease Lu Qiqi, he hurriedly returned to the accounting room and carefully locked the account books on the desk into the cabinet.
The three left the paper mill and went to the reception room.
On Monday, he took the candle out of the lantern and placed it on his desk for lighting.
When he saw the food box on Wednesday, he realized that Lu Qiqi had brought him food.
He had been burying his head in the ledger and had no idea he was hungry.
Now that he saw the food box, his stomach finally started to rebel.
"Gurgle."
All three of them immediately looked at Zhou San's stomach.
Lu Qiqi said calmly, "Eat."
On Wednesday, I felt hungry and didn't care about Lu Qiqi's expression. Anyway, I could listen to the scolding after I was full, right?
On Wednesday, having figured things out, I devoured the food in a flash.
After putting down his chopsticks, he didn't forget to let out a satisfied burp.
Seeing that everyone had finished eating, Lu Qiqi said, "Writing accounts by lamplight, is it going to be before dawn tomorrow?"
On Wednesday, Lu Qiqi's words made his cheeks burn with embarrassment. He didn't need to look in the mirror to know how red his face was.
Knowing he had violated the rules, he lowered his head, not daring to look at Lu Qiqi.
But just thinking about the braised pork he had just eaten made his mouth water; it was so delicious!
After a while, Lu Qiqi saw that Zhou San was keeping his head down and not saying anything, thinking that he probably knew he was wrong, so she said, "This is not to be repeated. You will be fined three days' wages for what happened today, so that you will remember this lesson."
When Wednesday heard that Lu Qiqi wasn't blaming him anymore, he grinned from ear to ear, looking incredibly happy.
He immediately raised his head and nodded emphatically to Lu Qiqi.
However, the next day, Lu Qiqi instructed Zhao Xiaodong to send an additional villager to keep watch at night.
To prevent anyone from violating the paper mill's regulations again and causing an irreparable situation.
...
As the bamboo paper business flourished, even though the six bookstore owners in Heshun Prefecture kept the paper mill a closely guarded secret.
Some people, however, followed the workers who came to Tianxin Village to pick up the goods, and thus learned the location of the paper mill.
As a result, the reputation of the paper mill in Tianxin Village has become increasingly well-known.
Recently, many bookstore owners have been flocking to the paper mill, wanting to buy bamboo-scented paper from Tianxin Village.
Lu Qiqi was sitting in the reception room, listening to Wednesday's report on the recent accounts.
"Chief, another group of people has arrived."
Zhao Zhide stood outside the reception room, frantically calling out to Lu Qiqi.
Lu Qiqi had heard this news countless times, but she still couldn't help but cover her forehead with a headache.
After thinking for a moment, she said, "Take them to Zhao Xiaodong's room."
Zhao Zhide looked bitter and kicked the ground anxiously, saying, "Xiao Dong's side is already too crowded!"
Lu Qiqi then pondered for a moment and said, "Tell them to go to those six bookstores to buy the paper, close the paper mill, and refuse to welcome any customers."
"Xiao Dong has been talking himself hoarse, but these people don't believe him at all. They're staying at the paper mill and won't leave. I can tell from Xiao Dong's appearance that he's about to give up."
Zhao Zhide's words made Zhou San also a little anxious. He said, "Sister Lu, what should we do?"
Lu Qiqi suddenly stood up. "If that's the case, there's no need for nice words of advice. I'd like to see if there's any reason for forced buying and selling in this world."
After saying that, Lu Qiqi walked like a gust of wind to the small house on the left side of the paper mill's gate.
The area outside the small house was packed with people, not to mention the house itself, which was crammed full of people.
Lu Qiqi saw that it was completely dark inside, and she couldn't even see a single face. Everyone was standing with their backs to her.
The voices rose and fell, each one louder than the last.
Lu Qiqi was afraid that Zhao Xiaodong's eardrums would suffer irreparable damage.
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