The charcoal cakes that were all the rage in Luzhou Prefecture soon became popular, and soon after, various incense shops saw that cosmetic shops were making a fortune, so they began to imitate them.
However, the charcoal cakes they made were ultimately not as good as those made by Lu Qiqi and the others, but that didn't stop the incense shop from making a small profit.
The villagers of Laobing Village make charcoal cakes every day. If it weren't for the recent drizzling rain, they would love to go up the mountain to cut more firewood to make charcoal.
Lu Qiqi walked around the factory and found that there was nothing for her to do.
These villagers have worked together for a long time, and they have become well-coordinated in every step of the process, carrying out their work in an orderly manner.
Therefore, Lu Qiqi left the factory and prepared to go to the blacksmith shop to see if the item she ordered there was ready.
So Lu Qiqi drove the carriage to the blacksmith's shop.
Arriving at the blacksmith's shop, Lu Qiqi went straight over and called out to the old blacksmith, "Master, can you make what I ordered?"
The old blacksmith handed his work to the apprentice beside him, glanced at Lu Qiqi, and smiled, making the wrinkles on his face appear even deeper.
The old blacksmith chuckled, "It's well made, but I don't know if it will suit your taste. Come inside and inspect it."
Lu Qiqi followed the old blacksmith into the house. The house was warm and cozy from the hot furnace outside. A wave of heat hit Lu Qiqi, making her feel as if she were in an air-conditioned room, which she missed.
The old blacksmith pointed to the iron lump by the wall and said, "I've been working on it for quite some time now, but I haven't seen you come. I don't know where to look for you."
"I've been held up by something lately," Lu Qiqi said with a smile as she walked toward the iron lump.
She crouched down and carefully examined the fitting parts; they fit perfectly and were meticulously crafted.
Lu Qiqi stood up and smiled slightly, "It looks good. Master, I'll take it home and try it out first. If it doesn't work, I'll bring it back and modify it. Don't worry, you'll still get paid."
The old blacksmith waved his hand and returned the blueprint to Lu Qiqi, saying, "This blueprint is back to its rightful owner. Your drawing is clear and easy to understand. I understood it at a glance. It didn't take much effort."
"The wages you paid me before far exceeded the wages I earned for the work. If you are not satisfied later, just bring it to the store and I will change it for you."
"This is the first time I've ever seen such a massive iron object; it looks really impressive."
The old blacksmith laughed heartily, as if he was very satisfied with his work.
He also learned a lot from this painting, and after integrating it, he could certainly create some new things on his own.
This is all thanks to the blueprints Lu Qiqi gave him; how could he possibly accept any more money for improvements?
Lu Qiqi then asked, "I also ordered twenty razor blades before."
The experienced craftsman said frankly, "The blades you ordered are sharp. I've had someone register them with the government. The booklet hasn't arrived yet. Once it does, I'll have my assistant deliver it to you."
Knowing that the government always strictly controlled knives, Lu Qiqi didn't ask any more questions and simply told the old blacksmith the location of Fatty's Spicy Noodle Shop.
The old blacksmith directed his apprentices to load the iron lump onto the carriage, and Lu Qiqi tightened the reins and drove the carriage to the noodle shop.
Lu Qiqi got out of the carriage and called out in front of the noodle shop. Zhu Zi came out of the noodle shop and led the carriage to the backyard to park it.
Shortly after, the blacksmith's shop sent someone to deliver the razor blades. Lu Qiqi put the blades away and went into the noodle shop.
After a busy afternoon, when Lu Qiqi entered the noodle shop, everyone was eating.
Liu Tong was the first to see Lu Qiqi. He put down his chopsticks and waved, "Qiqi, have you eaten? We just finished eating too, why don't you have a bowl?"
“Okay, I’m hungry too,” Lu Qiqi smiled and walked to the table.
Dunzi gave his seat to Lu Qiqi, and then gave Lu Qiqi a set of chopsticks and a bowl before moving a chair to sit down himself.
The work meals weren't particularly lavish; they consisted of two dishes and a soup, one meat dish and one vegetable dish, along with a meat soup, served with white rice.
But it was so much better than two steamed buns and a bowl of thin porridge at the dock.
Every day around noon, Aunt Niu would eat until she was completely full, so she didn't need to eat dinner when she got home.
After finishing their meal, Aunt Niu and Aunt Zhao cleared away the dishes and went to the kitchen to wash them.
Liu Tong leaned back in his chair and said, "Seventh girl, the butcher Zhu from the pork shop came to deliver pork a few days ago and asked me to tell him when you're free, because he needs to talk to you."
"I heard from Jin Fei that you were at the Feng residence the other day, so I didn't ask Zhu Zi to tell you. Boss Zhu also said it's nothing urgent and to see when you're free."
Lu Qiqi nodded and said, "I'll go find him later."
Actually, she couldn't figure out what Boss Zhu wanted to talk to her about. The matter of the diseased pork had already been dealt with properly, and those who should be punished had been punished accordingly. What else did he want to say to her?
Instead of making wild guesses, it's better to ask someone for clarification.
After resting for a while, Lu Qiqi went to the backyard to bring out the carriage and headed to Zhu's Butcher Shop in Nanshi.
As soon as Lu Qiqi stepped off the carriage, she heard Boss Zhu's cheerful voice, "Miss Lu, we've been waiting for you!"
"What does Boss Zhu want with me?" Lu Qiqi handed the horse reins to the shop assistant at Zhu's shop and walked straight towards Boss Zhu's shop.
Boss Zhu said, "Hurry up and come with me!"
So, Lu Qiqi followed Boss Zhu to the backyard. As they walked deeper into the yard, Lu Qiqi smelled a strong stench.
Lu Qiqi took out a mask from her spatial storage. The mask had a faint fragrance, but it couldn't mask the stench that hit her nose directly.
"Where is Boss Zhu taking me? The smell is so strange!" Lu Qiqi even suspected that Boss Zhu was trying to lead her to the outhouse, otherwise why would it smell so bad!
"Lulu lulu".
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