Chapter 988 Voluntary Joining
In the original plan, no women were to join, so Lin Yuesha asked the older women and wives in the fishing village to help with cooking, washing, and mending.
Lin Yuesha hadn't prepared beforehand, and she hadn't expected Zhao to be willing to come to the fishing village. She was afraid she would have to add some new plans.
The next day, when the new employees started work, Tian Dali joined in. He was not rejected because of his leg disability, but instead received very good care.
Zhao got up early to knead dough and steam buns and twisted rolls. She was clean, quick and efficient, and could also fry dough sticks and make tofu pudding. The craftsmen were delighted with the food and had more energy to work.
However, Zhang Daya's house is some distance from the dock. It doesn't seem far at first glance, but it takes about 15 minutes to walk there.
Therefore, Lin Yuesha plans to build a small courtyard on the other side of the dock specifically for the women who come to work.
Unlike rough men, women cannot go shirtless in the heat, so they need a place to change their clothes. Enclosing the courtyard would provide more privacy.
Due to limited resources and to save time, Lin Yuesha planned to hire someone to build a wooden house, apply tung oil to the wood for preservation, build a water storage tank in the yard, and occasionally send an oxcart to bring mountain spring water for supply.
Lin Yuesha was drawing blueprints when Zhao Jingya came to visit.
"I came to wait for you early yesterday morning, but you weren't there."
Seeing Lin Yuesha writing and drawing, Zhao Jingya stood behind Lin Yuesha and remained silent.
After waiting a moment, Lin Yuesha finally raised her head. She had just had a bit of inspiration, but she was afraid that if she spoke up, she would forget it, so she kept silent, which was a bit impolite.
"I came uninvited."
Zhao Jingya lifted her skirt and sat down, asking Lin Yuesha, "Last time I helped you buy sea worms, some villagers left some dried ones, and you also asked the children to help, and you've collected quite a few these past two days."
After the sea worms are caught, they must first be boiled, their internal organs removed, and then dried in the sun; otherwise, they will be difficult to transport to the Northwest.
"Sister Jingya, you've really worked hard."
Lin Yuesha poured water for Zhao Jingya attentively, while she busied herself asking the wounded soldiers to come and do work, unable to attend to other matters for the time being.
After arriving in Yingcheng, Lin Yuesha was short-handed and desperately needed clever subordinates.
With so many trivial matters to handle, Lin Yuesha was overwhelmed and struggling to keep up.
We're short-staffed, we're still short-staffed.
Sea worms are a good thing, but they're not recognized right now. But that doesn't matter. People in Daqi like to follow trends, so as long as there's some hype, there's no worry about finding a market.
Many medicinal herbs in pharmacies are not panaceas; they are fabricated and exaggerated, with prices inflated more than tenfold, and their effects are not even as good as sea cucumber.
"Sister Yue Sha, I've always wanted to do business with you. I wonder if I have the honor?"
Zhao Jingya bluntly stated that Lin Yuesha had a good business sense, and doing business with Lin Yuesha would never result in a loss.
"How about I put up half the silver and take only one-tenth of the profits?"
By boarding Lin Yuesha's big ship and riding the waves, Zhao Jingya may seem to be at a disadvantage, but in reality, she is gaining an advantage.
Now that the situation in the Northwest is clear, according to her father-in-law, Commander Wu, with Qi Heng's talent, he will take that position sooner or later.
A wise person should express their stance as soon as possible, especially since Qi Heng had saved the Wu family's life, and the Wu family was willing to pledge their loyalty.
"OK."
After a moment's thought, Lin Yuesha understood Zhao Jingya's subtext: both the Zhao family and the Wu family were cautiously testing the waters.
The implications of this cooperation are self-evident; everyone involved is a smart person.
After some time, Lin Yuesha will return to the capital with Qi Heng. Her workshop in Yingcheng needs a manager to take charge.
Zhao Jingya volunteered to join, and she will have to take on this tough job in the future.
The seaside fishing village covers a vast area, is quiet by the sea, and is undisturbed.
Building houses here is inexpensive, but getting water is a problem.
The villagers have wells, but the water in them is salty.
Without tools, they could only dig by hand, unable to reach very deep or detect the water veins.
The villagers in the fishing village collect rainwater in the summer and melt snow to make tea in the winter. Fortunately, there is less pollution at this time of year, which helps them solve their drinking water problem.
"Bai Lu set up a girls' school and started recruiting students again. She said that it would be difficult for women to find jobs outside if they learned to read and write, so she asked us if we needed anyone."
Even before the workshop was completed, Wu Bailu had already started making plans.
"I almost forgot about her!"
Lin Yuesha patted her head. She was just worried about not having anyone to help her, and Wu Bailu was a ready-made laborer right in front of her.
This time, by infiltrating the Zhenbei Prince's villa, Lin Yuesha realized even more clearly the low status of women. If it weren't for the Zhenbei Prince's strict requirements on appearance and age, many more young girls would have been deceived under the pretense of working.
As long as it's not heavy physical labor, Lin Yuesha prefers to provide opportunities for women. She also wants to follow the example of the Wei family and recruit people from the surrounding villages.
“Sister Yue Sha, leave the small things to me, you take charge.”
Zhao Jingya kept in mind her father-in-law Wu Shoubei's teachings: now that the two were sisters, there were no taboos in their interactions. From now on, whenever she saw Lin Yuesha, she would have to kowtow.
Unable to keep her thoughts to herself, Zhao Jingya inadvertently revealed what was on her mind.
"Since we are sisters, this relationship will not change."
Lin Yuesha waved her hand, saying it was too early to talk about these things now. After all, Qi Heng hadn't taken that position yet, and she had to act according to the situation. If Qi Heng showed any signs of turning into a scumbag, she had to make a decisive move and dump him. She would never be a discarded woman.
Besides, if she were to sit in that position, it would be Lin Yuesha herself who would be troubled. According to etiquette, her parents would have to kneel before her, which would shorten her lifespan.
Zhao Jingya was so amused by Lin Yuesha that she couldn't stop smiling, and the slight estrangement she had felt instantly disappeared.
The dock was under construction in an orderly manner. During this time, Lin Yuesha and Luo Wang picked up people from the surrounding area according to the list, and she became more and more determined in her idea.
I don’t know if it’s human nature that’s so despicable, but most of the wounded soldiers didn’t receive proper care and were struggling to get a full meal.
Lin Yuesha wrote down what she had seen and heard during this period in a letter, intending to have someone send a message to Qi Heng.
The situation in Yingcheng was tense. The Wei family and Wu Shoubei's men clashed several times, resulting in casualties on both sides. Neither side would back down.
The two sides each occupied half of the territory, and the people lived in constant fear.
This situation cannot be changed in the short term.
Fortunately, compared to the city, the fishing village is a haven of peace.
The sea cucumbers had already been dried and packed into boxes, along with dried shrimp, salted fish, and other items, which were transported by the caravan to the Northwest to supplement the soldiers' meals.
Lin Yuesha always carried a small notebook with her; after she finished a task, she would erase it.
"Lin girl, we're having braised pork and pickled cabbage rice today, wanna come?"
The Prince of Luo usually appeared otherworldly and detached from worldly affairs. For some reason, the cuisine of the North was particularly to his liking, especially the large pot meals made by the Zhao family. At mealtimes, you could always find the Prince of Luo there.
After several days of preparation, Luo Wang contributed both money and effort to purchase the finest pork belly, all in anticipation of this authentic, traditional-style pickled cabbage and pork rice dish.
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