Soon it was the sixth day of the first lunar month, and Song Anxin's leisurely holiday came to an end. In two more days it would be the eighth day of the first lunar month, and Lin's workshop would also be starting work. The duck egg workshop would need to hire a few more people. Meizi was already managing things very well here, so she didn't need to worry about it much.
Lu Jue Wei is also about to start braising. This business will still be held in their old house. The braising business has been handed over to Shi Tou and Xiao He. The two are already very familiar with the process from braising to delivery. They just need to start work on time. She doesn't even need to show her face.
The distillery also needs to start operating, and she needs to recruit enough people in the next couple of days. She also needs to draw up the blueprints for the tavern she agreed to open with Master Liu, and she needs to come up with some mixed drinks to experiment with one by one.
That day, she rarely entered the study. Song Anbang and Lin Fenghe were quite surprised to see her. Song Anxin was a little embarrassed. She always said that she learned some things from books, but she rarely went into the study herself. It seems that she should go into the study more often in the future to solidify her reputation as someone who reads books.
Song Anbang and Lin Fenghe assumed that their older sister and mother only liked to read strange and miscellaneous books, and that this place contained books they read. Naturally, their older sister and mother wouldn't come here, so they were surprised to see their older sister and mother here.
Song Anxin chuckled awkwardly, "You all read your own books. I'm just here to use my pen, ink, paper, and inkstone to write something."
Song Anbang and Lin Fenghe didn't pay any attention and turned to read their own books. Their mother and elder sister had their own things to do.
Just as Song Anxin was writing and drawing in her study, Anfu came to report:
“Madam, the village head has arrived, and he brought several old men with him. Those old men don’t look like they’re from the village.”
Song Anxin stopped writing, somewhat puzzled. They weren't villagers? What was the village head doing bringing these people to her house? Nevertheless, she instructed Anfu to take the people to the reception room first, and that she would arrive shortly.
In the hall was Lin Lizheng, while the old men Anfu mentioned, who were not from this village, were the village heads from several villages near Linjia Village.
The village heads stood in the hall, looking quite uneasy, let alone sitting down. So this was Madam Hui's home; it was truly grand and imposing. They wondered if Madam Hui would grant their request later.
They hadn't been unaware of the changes in Linjia Village. When Linjia Village Chief went to the county government to report on his work before the New Year, the county government praised him in public, and Linjia Village Chief was extremely proud of himself. Intermarriage between villages was also common, and during the New Year's visits to relatives and friends, Linjia Village was the most prestigious. Every household put up couplets, and there was even chicken and duck to eat. The villagers all went back home extremely envious.
They used to be so poor that they were practically destitute. But now that Linjia Village has prospered, they are anxious because Lin, as the village head, hasn't been able to help his villagers live a better life. That's why they shamelessly came to Brother Lin, hoping he could help them out.
Although Lin Lizheng had visited Song Anxin's home many times, he was still somewhat unsure this time. In the past, when several villages were poor together, they would help each other out when things went wrong. Now that several of his old friends had come to him for help, he couldn't very well refuse.
However, he had no real skills and was only relying on Fengnian Niang's help. He had no choice but to bring them to Fengnian Niang, not knowing whether she would blame him.
After tidying up, Song Anxin quickly led Granny Wei to the reception hall. The people standing in the middle of the hall immediately knelt down upon seeing Song Anxin and kowtowed heavily, saying:
"This humble servant greets Madam Hui. May Madam Hui be blessed."
Song Anxin, who had just entered the hall, exclaimed: ".......!!??"
Good heavens! These people must be hundreds of years old combined, and they're kowtowing to her so loudly. She has to calculate how many years she'll lose. And the village head is kneeling down to her too. He's a proper elder of the Lin family. Well, that means she'll lose a few more years of her life.
She quickly said, "Uncle, why are you kneeling down too? And all you uncles and elders, please get up."
Lin Lizheng didn't get up, and said, "Fengnian's mother, I have to apologize to you for this."
Then he explained in detail the reasons and purpose of his visit.
The village heads of the other villages, seeing that Village Head Lin hadn't gotten up, dared not get up either.
Song Anxin was both amused and exasperated upon hearing this, and said, "Uncle, it's such a small matter. Do you really need to apologize so severely? You've helped our family so much, how could I possibly blame you? Please get up."
She personally helped the village head up. The village head felt somewhat ashamed; helping Fengnian's family was one thing, and he couldn't presume to do so. Besides, Fengnian's mother had helped him even more. He said:
“Fengnian’s mother, I can’t refuse the kindness of my brothers over the decades, but I can’t involve you. Please don’t feel guilty. If you can’t, then forget it.”
The village heads from the other villages also stood up, trembling. Upon hearing this, they couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. However, they couldn't blame Brother Lin. The fact that he was willing to introduce them to Lady Hui was already a great help to them.
They knew that the good life Linjia Village had today was all thanks to the wise woman in front of them. Legend has it that the wise woman was intelligent, knowledgeable, and had a heart to punish evil and punish good. She helped the people personally bring down corrupt officials, created earthen beds to keep warm in the cold winter for the lower classes, and also created various magical water-powered farming tools that benefited the farmers. She also had business acumen. They really admired her.
They couldn't waste this opportunity presented by Brother Lin's introduction; they had to fight for their villagers' interests. They took a deep breath, mustered their courage, looked up at Song Anxin, and bowed, saying:
“Mrs. Hui, the villagers in our village are also extremely hardworking and honest. We have come here seeking an opportunity. If you can employ the people from our village, they will definitely work honestly and diligently for your family. If they shirk their duties in the slightest, we will immediately come to Linjia Village and drag them back.”
Seeing their sincere faces, and knowing that even at their age they were still thinking about the good of their village, Song Anxin thought that it wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
Her family's distillery is a large factory, and brewing wine is hard work. It would require at least two hundred men. If all these men were recruited from Linjia Village, most of the men in the village would be working at her distillery. Who would take care of the fields? It wouldn't be enough to rely on just some women and children. Would she still be able to be a wife?
Moreover, bringing in people from other villages can not only help the surrounding areas get rich, but also inject new vitality into the distillery and create an upward competitive atmosphere. It can't all be people from the same village.
After thinking it over, she said, "Village leaders, I do have a business to start and need to hire workers. How about this, each of you go to the village and select some honest and strong men. We'll have them come to work tomorrow. I'll naturally keep the good ones."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com