Li Kaishan breathed a sigh of relief after the village chiefs left and invited Yan Qingqing to sit inside.
Of course, Jiao was also by her side, warmly serving Yan Qingqing fruit and pouring her sweet soup.
Seeing that she was so busy, Yan Qingqing stopped her, saying, "Auntie, please stop working. I need to talk to Uncle Village Chief about something. I'll leave after I finish talking."
Jiao replied with a smile, "You've come all this way, so sit a while longer and let's chat about everyday things."
Li Kaishan, who was standing to the side, said, "Alright, since Qingqing doesn't want you to do anything, just sit there. She's usually very busy, she doesn't have time to chat with you."
Jiao was not angry after hearing Li Kaishan's words, because what Li Kaishan said was true.
Yan Qingqing didn't waste any time and said, "Uncle Village Chief, I'm thinking of buying some more land."
Li Kaishan was taken aback when he heard this, and then said, "Why are you buying land again? Didn't you just build your house?"
Upon hearing this, Yan Qingqing smiled and said, "Uncle Village Chief, I'm not using it to build houses, but to build workshops."
Upon hearing this, Li Kaishan became excited. Building a workshop meant hiring workers, and hiring workers would bring income to the villagers. Li Kaishan had thought Yan Qingqing was just trying to appease the village chiefs when she mentioned hiring workers, but he hadn't expected that Yan Qingqing actually had this plan.
Li Kaishan readily agreed, "Which piece of land do you fancy? I'll approve it for you right away."
Yan Qingqing smiled and said, "The one on the east side next to the embroidery workshop will do."
Li Kaishan thought about it and agreed that the land was not bad. It was flat, close to the Cang River, and convenient for getting water later.
Li Kaishan asked with a smile, "Would it be convenient for you to tell me what you plan to do with the workshop? I'd like to know the inside story."
Yan Qingqing smiled and said, "What's inconvenient about that? I plan to build two workshops, one for growing mushrooms and the other for food processing."
Li Kaishan was stunned again upon hearing this. This food workshop was one thing, but these mushrooms could be fatal if not handled properly.
So Li Kaishan kindly reminded him, "These mushrooms are poisonous, so you have to be extremely careful when planting and eating them."
Everyone knows that mushrooms taste good, but they are poisonous. So even if people know that there are many mushrooms on the mountain, few people will touch them unless they are desperate for a living.
Yan Qingqing knew his good intentions, so she smiled and said, "Uncle Village Chief, don't worry. Even when I grow mushrooms, I will only grow the ones I am sure are not poisonous. I will definitely not touch the ones that are uncertain or that I have never seen before."
Furthermore, I've hired specialized technicians to cultivate the bacteria, so there's definitely nothing to worry about.
Hearing this, Li Kaishan was relieved and said with a smile, "You always do things with a sense of propriety. I was just worrying unnecessarily."
Yan Qingqing chatted with the village chief and his wife for a while, left the money for the land purchase, and went home.
Starting these two projects together will require a significant amount of manpower and financial resources; Yan Qingqing needs to think about it carefully when she gets back.
She only had six thousand taels of silver, which should be enough for the construction of the factory, labor costs, and subsequent equipment. However, she was a little short of manpower.
Yan Qingqing carefully reviewed the situation. Li Xiangping needed to take care of the work on the manor and in the fields, and even if he could spare a day or two, it wouldn't make a difference. Li Xiang'an was already overwhelmed with work at the shop. Li Xiangjian was no longer a reliable option.
Needless to say, Li Xiangkang is not worth relying on for the next three to five years. Moreover, Yan Qingqing's hopes for him are not in this area. Yuan Hui needs to manage the household chores, and Li Xinniang and Li Yueniang need to manage the embroidery workshop. After all this, she is the only capable person left in the family.
Thinking of this, Yan Qingqing felt he needed to get Li Xiang'an out of the shop as soon as possible. He couldn't be confined to just one shop, but without Li Xiang'an, he was afraid Wang Dong and Li Xiangbao were too young to manage. This really worried Yan Qingqing.
Even at dinner time, Yan Qingqing still looked worried. Yuan Huiniang and the others could tell that she was preoccupied, but since Yan Qingqing didn't say anything, they didn't press her for details.
Of course, Yan Qingqing only worried about it for one night before letting it go. She figured she could just work harder herself. Besides, there were plenty of people willing to do chores for his family.
The next day, after breakfast, Yan Qingqing instructed Ada, "Go to Yan Family Village and bring my uncle over. Tell him I need his help." Ada immediately agreed, hitched up the cart, and went to fetch him.
Yan Qingqing then asked Ruyi to invite Li Sanniu. Since Yan Qingqing took a liking to him last year, Li Sanniu has never been idle. He had just finished working on the orchard and was preparing to rest for a few days.
But these past few days, people have been inviting him to drinks. Li San Niu knows very well that it's all because his second sister-in-law values him. These people want to use his connections to get a better deal when they recruit workers next time.
Li Sanniu knew full well that he was indebted to those who accepted his help, so he refused to give anyone face. He barely even left his house.
Li Sanniu was lying at home bored when he suddenly heard someone outside calling out, "Is Third Master home?"
Li Sanniu recognized the voice and quickly went out of the room. He saw it was Ruyi, the little maidservant who was by Yan Qingqing's side, and asked, "Why are you here? Does Second Sister-in-law have any instructions?"
Ruyi smiled and said, "Madam said she wants to invite you, Third Master, to come over, but I don't know the specifics."
Upon hearing this, Li Sanniu quickly replied, "Go tell Second Sister-in-law that I'm going to change my clothes and I'll be there soon."
After saying that, she went inside to change her clothes, and Ruyi also turned around and went home.
Yan Qingqing didn't have to wait long before Li Sanniu walked in.
Yan Qingqing glanced at him and said, "Third brother, have you been resting well these past few days?" After saying that, she asked Ruyi to serve tea to Li Sanniu.
Li Sanniu knew that Yan Qingqing must have heard about the many people asking him to drink, so he didn't hide anything and told Yan Qingqing everything.
After listening, Yan Qingqing laughed and said, "Actually, Third Brother, you don't need to be so cautious. Just go for drinks with them. If you want to go further in the future, you can't do without social interactions."
How to properly balance personal and professional matters is a complex skill, and you can only gain more useful information through interpersonal interactions.
"Since your second sister-in-law has entrusted you with certain tasks, it means she absolutely trusts you."
Yan Qingqing's words made Li Sanniu feel both comfortable and touched. So he said, "Okay, then I'll listen to you, Second Sister-in-law. May I ask what brings you here today?"
Yan Qingqing smiled and replied, "I plan to build two more workshops. I think my third brother is already very skilled at this, so I want to entrust this matter to him."
Upon hearing this, Li Sanniu's hand holding the teacup trembled, and he almost spilled it. How rich was his second sister-in-law? She owned shops on the left and workshops on the right. Did she have no way to make a living?
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