Chapter 16: Busy, busy, busy making waterwheels, busy making...
It would be fine if she couldn't find it, but now that she has found it, there is no way she can just stand by and watch.
Fuli's face turned cold at once, but she didn't rush into a fight. When Xi and Chi saw her return, they immediately changed their expressions and diligently joined the slaves in the farming.
When the day's work was over, Fu Li gathered these dozens of slaves together and directly announced the dismissal of the two of them. He then asked the slaves to publicly nominate a woman with gray hair and wrinkles on her face.
Fu Li politely addressed her as "old lady," but the woman waved her hands repeatedly and said with a smile, "I am only twenty-seven years old this year, I really don't deserve that. Young lady, just call me 'Ye Nu'."
"Twenty-seven?" Fu Li was shocked and looked at the group of slaves in disbelief.
She was not mistaken before. Judging from the appearance of Ms. Ye, she was the oldest among this group of slaves.
In other words, most of these slaves, who were very old, were probably less than 30 years old.
When she returned to the Grand Tutor's Mansion in the evening, she asked the family elder and learned a shocking fact from him: none of the slaves was over thirty years old, and all the slaves under the Grand Tutor's name were also under thirty years old.
What's more, in the entire area controlled by the Shang Dynasty, all slaves belonging to the countrymen would be disposed of when they reached the age of thirty, unless they were valued and promoted by their masters.
The so-called disposal means killing it directly, making the skull into a container, grinding the limbs and torso into weapons, and feeding the skin and flesh to wild beasts... or humans.
Fu Li felt like vomiting again, but she forced herself to ask, "The meat I've been eating these days doesn't include their meat, right?"
There has never been a moment like this that made her realize deeply that this was an ancient and barbaric era.
I guess it's just like what her sister said, she had all the bad luck in her previous life and is possessed by a koi fish in this life.
If she had been abandoned a little later and picked up by Hua Jing, she would probably have become a little slave now.
It is also possible that it has already become a pot of meat.
Fortunately, the old man said, "No. Our Grand Master doesn't like the taste of human flesh. He says it's too sour."
"It's okay if you don't like it. It's okay if you don't like it." Fu Li breathed a sigh of relief.
The patriarch laughed and said, "It seems that the young lady doesn't like human flesh either. Her taste is similar to that of the patriarch."
Fu Li could only laugh dryly.
No, in order to avoid accidentally eating human flesh in the future, she has to change this situation.
It seems that the porcelain making work needs to be brought forward.
Thinking of this, she smiled and said to the head of the family, "All the crops that need to be planted have been planted. I have nothing to do next. Mr. Mu, can you lend me the craftsmen in the mansion to play with me?"
Mu Laodao said, "Before the Grand Master left, he instructed that everything in the mansion be under the Young Lady's control. If the Young Lady needs craftsmen, I will call them tomorrow."
Fu Li said sweetly, "I knew that Mr. Mu was the best to me."
There are very few people who don't like sweet-talkers, especially older people like the old man, who like sweet-talkers more and immediately smiled from ear to ear.
The next morning, the three hundred craftsmen belonging to the Grand Tutor's Mansion were brought here by the family elders.
Fu Li asked first: "Those who can do carpentry, please stand up."
Twenty craftsmen stood out from the crowd.
Fu Li added, "Those who can forge bronze artifacts, please stand up."
This time there were more, about fifty or sixty. After all, Wen Zhong often led troops to battle, and the weapons at that time were made of either bone or bronze.
What these craftsmen are best at is forging weapons out of bronze.
Fu Li took a look and said, "Those who can make pottery should stand up."
Pottery is a complex craft, and most of the skilled craftsmen were taken away by the royal palace and various princes. Only five people from the Grand Tutor's side stood up hesitantly.
"Do you know how to do it or not?" Fu Li thought it would be better to ask clearly in advance.
Among the five people, only two said firmly that they could, and the other three said that they specialized in lacquerware and had only observed the pottery-making process but had never actually practiced it.
Seeing the disappointment on her face, the elder said, "If you need it, I can borrow a few skilled potters from the palace."
What Fu Li wanted to do originally required the support of the Shang King's power. Now that she could borrow craftsmen as a stepping stone, she certainly had no objection.
"In that case, I'll trouble you, Mr. Mu."
"What are you talking about, young lady?" The family elder waved his hand with a smile, and once again instructed the craftsmen in public to follow Fu Li's arrangements, then asked someone to drive an ox cart to take him to the palace.
After seeing the elder off, Fuli asked the carpenter to take her to the carpentry area. She found a piece of wood that she could use and drew the shape of a waterwheel on the ground. She asked, "Can you make this?"
Several craftsmen gathered around the simple sketch and studied it carefully. After asking about some details, they nodded and said it would be ready tomorrow.
"Well, you guys do it first, and send a few people with some wood to follow me to the place where the bronze objects are cast."
Initially, the craftsmen, hesitant to object to Fu Li's instructions due to the instructions of the patriarch, realized her true talent after she drew the blueprint for the waterwheel and patiently explained the details.
Although they didn't know what the waterwheel was used for, they were able to design such an ingenious device and could be honored as a "master craftsman."
Five carpenters pulled the wood on a cart and took her to the bronze casting workshop. The craftsmen who specialized in casting bronze had already returned.
Not knowing when she would arrive, the craftsmen continued with their previous work.
A group of people came over pulling two carts of wood, which had already alarmed the guards.
Fu Li took out the token Wen Zhong had given her, and the soldiers immediately let them through after inspecting it. After they entered, they closed the tall fence again and scanned the surroundings with lightning-fast eyes, not letting any suspicious people get close.
"Young lady." The leading bronzesmith came with two free men to greet her.
"No need to be so polite. I'll have to trouble you all next." Fu Li waved his hand, called the bronzesmith and the carpenter who came with him together, and drew the guillotine used to cut grass.
Knowing that bronze is more brittle and easily damaged than iron, she planned to use tough wood except for the blades.
In order to make it easier to change blades, she started drawing detachable styles.
"This stand is made of wood. Choose a tough, durable wood that's also insect-resistant. The blades are made of bronze. There's a mechanism here that allows you to remove the blades. You can make multiple sets and replace them if they get damaged."
The blade is easy to make, and the knife holder isn't much more complicated than a waterwheel. The difficulty lies in making the wooden knife holder and the bronze mirror fit together perfectly for easy assembly.
Several craftsmen gathered together to discuss the matter, and then the bronze craftsman went to make a mold with clay, preparing to cast the blade.
As for the carpenters, they found an open area, lit a fire, and calcined the wood they were going to use in the fire. They said this would prevent corrosion and insect damage.
Fu Li didn't understand any of these, but she did understand one thing, that is, professional matters should be left to professionals, and laymen should not pretend to be competent and give blind orders.
By the time the patriarch returned with twenty potters, the bronzesmith and carpenter had already crafted a pair of guillotines. Fu Li had them try them out on some straw and soft grass for kindling. The new blades proved surprisingly effective, chopping quickly and effectively.
Fuli was in charge and awarded a gold cake to all participating craftsmen. If anyone could improve the materials or craftsmanship, there would be a reward in the future.
This act of genuinely rewarding greatly encouraged all the craftsmen. Even the palace potters who had just returned with the family elder couldn't help but envy him.
Then, thinking that the Grand Tutor's Mansion had specially invited them back, they must have been using their expertise. As long as they put in their best efforts and completed the task, why would they be afraid of not getting a reward?
A group of people didn't even know what to do, but they were already eager to try.
But things were not what they expected at all. Fu Li did not mention pottery making at all. Instead, he took them to the mountains to look for soil, a kind of white clay.
In fact, it is kaolin used to make white porcelain.
It took more than half a month just to find this kind of soil. The bronzesmith had cast more than a hundred pairs of gate knives, and the carpenter had built several water wheels.
During this period, Fu Li also took the time to take them to the edge of the field and taught them how to set up a waterwheel.
There was no need for her to teach the bronzesmith how to use the guillotine. The bronzesmith knew how to use the guillotine, and the slave who had previously followed her to make manure also knew how to use the chopped grass.
Everyone else successfully completed their tasks and received generous rewards, but those from the palace were the only ones wasting their time looking for soil.
These craftsmen inevitably felt a little uncomfortable. While they thought that the young lady from the Grand Tutor's Mansion was making a fool of herself, they were also holding their breath in their hearts. They had to make the best pottery so that people would see that it was not that they lacked skills, but that someone did not know the value of the pottery.
Fuli Lady, alias: Youren.
After finally finding the white clay, the twenty craftsmen breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that they could finally start making pottery now, right?
But this was just the beginning. Fu Li took them to look for coal, limestone, and quartz...
Once all the materials are gathered, it is time to harvest the millet that has been planted.
While Fu Li led the potters to find materials, he calculated the time to go back and instruct the slaves on watering, drainage and fertilizing.
In the meantime, I also took the time to deal with the follow-up matters of Xi and Chi.
After being promoted, these two people were arrogant and did not regard other slaves as human beings. Once they were exposed, they would naturally seek revenge for their grudges and redress their grievances.
However, the newly elected little leader Ye Nu saw some of Fu Li's temperament, and she suppressed the slaves under her and did not allow them to go too far. She just let them be bullied but not get hurt, let alone lose their lives.
When Fu Li felt that they had learned their lesson enough, he gathered all the slaves while watering the plants, and used the two of them as examples to warn them that opportunities are unpredictable. If they want to avoid being bullied when they fall to the bottom, they must know how to cherish their blessings when they reach a high position again.
As she spoke these words, her gaze passed over the fifteen primitive leaders with a half-smile. Although she didn't mention any names, it made the fifteen people feel cold all over and lower their heads involuntarily.
Fu Li sneered secretly, and after beating him with the stick, he offered sweet dates: "We will forgive the past. From now on, if anyone bullies others by taking advantage of the master's favor, we will deal with them severely once we are found."
She looked at everyone and said word by word, "I will periodically ask someone secretly. As for who I'll ask, I don't know until I find them."
Therefore, every slave has the potential to become a whistleblower. You small leaders should carefully consider how to act in the future.
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