Chapter 117 Even More Ruthless Than the Landlord
The auction that Xiang Qi and Xiang Ming mentioned was for some of the works they created that year.
Last year, during the Lu Ban worship ceremony, they had a major test that had never been completed: each person had to create a complete work, and the time allotted for the test had been extended from six months to a year.
Lu Xiaoqi knew that many craftsmen, after finishing their work on the ancient town's restoration, were still working diligently on this project. Starting two months ago, some craftsmen had gradually completed their work. She had seen it all; it was indeed very good, truly a masterpiece.
Are these works to be auctioned?
She sent a WeChat message to Su Jun.
Su Jun replied almost instantly: "[It was my idea. An auction can indeed maximize profits, and with some effort, it can also build reputation. However, I actually wanted to postpone it a bit. It might be better to hold it together once the weaving workshop and the gold and silver workshop have produced some items.]"
Lu Xiaoqi thought for a moment and replied, "You want to integrate all the workshops in Zone 5?"
Su Jun is now in charge of Zone 5.
Su Jun: [Not all of them, but those that can be considered luxury goods: weaving workshops, woodworking workshops, gold and silver workshops...]
Lu Xiaoqi understood immediately.
He must have remembered her mention of wanting to create a luxury brand for Qinghe Ancient Town after what happened at the weaving workshop.
Lu Xiaoqi smiled and replied: 【I trust Young Master Su's judgment.】
Su Jun replied with a string of: [...]
Then she replied: "I just have this idea, but I don't think now is the best time. The product isn't quite complete yet, and the timing isn't right. Therefore, the specific plan will probably need to be developed by the marketing and sales departments."
Lu Xiaoqi: [No problem.]
After hanging up the phone, Lu Xiaoqi arrived at the dock with Xiang Qi and Xiang Ming. She was going to eat at the cafeteria in Zone 7, while Xiang Qi and Xiang Ming were going to Zone 6. The renovation work in Zone 6 had been in full swing recently.
"The progress is much faster than in the first phase," Xiang Qi said with a smile.
Xiang Ming nodded: "Lord Yuwen's abilities are truly invaluable."
"That's good." Lu Xiaoqi smiled and then asked how their advanced carpentry class in Zone 5 was going.
Speaking of this, Xiang Qi also had something to say: "Miss Lu, when does our school open?"
Lu Xiaoqi paused for a moment: "They're already applying for all sorts of licenses, so they'll most likely start recruiting around this time next year."
Although the school buildings are already in place, there are construction sites all around, and we can't have the students attending classes on construction sites. Besides, finding suitable teachers will take time.
Xiang Qi nodded: "After the second phase is completed, I want to go to the school to teach them."
Xiang Ming laughed heartily: "You've found a hobby! You're addicted to being a teacher?"
Xiang Qi sighed, but a smile played at the corners of his eyes, and he didn't deny it. He spread out his hands to look at his palms, which were covered in marks, and said leisurely, "If my skills can be properly passed down here, then this life won't have been in vain. Otherwise, am I supposed to leave them in my grave?"
He used to be hesitant to take on apprentices, or rather, he was cautious about doing so because he feared that teaching an apprentice would lead to the master's downfall. But now that the market is bigger, that concern is gone. Besides, he sees all those intangible cultural heritage artisans in District Five, and they're all racking their brains to pass on their skills.
One reason is, of course, the financial aspect, but another is that everyone wants to preserve their craft and ensure that what they know still exists in the world a hundred or even several hundred years from now.
Hearing this, Xiang Ming felt a pang of sympathy: "Indeed. These past few days, I've observed many carpenters who have come to learn. While their skills are all quite good, their training is clearly disorganized and fragmented. This might not seem significant now, but it would greatly hinder their advancement..."
After he finished speaking, he turned to look at Xiang Qi and said, "I understand you now."
Who wouldn't want to be the founder of a new school of thought in this era?
Xiang Ming was quite tempted: "I'll go with you!"
Lu Xiaoqi smiled with her eyes crinkling: "That's great! With two masters like you at the helm, the school will definitely be packed with students."
The group parted ways at the dock.
Lu Xiaoqi went to the cafeteria and ordered a bowl of light chicken soup rice noodles, which was made by the cafeteria chef using an old hen, not some high-tech dish. She also ordered a basket of small soup dumplings before sitting down to enjoy her breakfast.
"Good morning." Su Jun sat down opposite her.
Not long after, Li Guinian and Wang Wei arrived. The two were about to sit down when Li Guinian bumped into Wang Wei and pulled him to a table not far away.
Wang Wei looked puzzled.
Li Guinian laughed and said, "I don't want to be a third wheel."
Wang Wei was even more puzzled and looked up at the sky.
Li Guinian was overjoyed: "Moji, you should also learn some modern vocabulary and spend more time online."
Wang Moji was either busy with the construction of the second phase of the garden or reading. The vast sea of books he had read had greatly surprised him, keeping him engrossed in his books to the point that he sometimes forgot to eat.
Wang Wei looked puzzled and politely declined, saying, "Then forget it. I see the internet these days is full of all sorts of weird and wonderful things, it's really not suitable for me."
He tried it for a few days, but found it extremely difficult to adapt, especially the lack of appreciation for the beauty of language. Now he watches various historical and natural documentaries online, but rarely watches anything else.
Li Guinian shrugged: "That's true."
He then explained the meaning of the light bulb to Wang Wei, who suddenly understood and smiled.
However, Lu Xiaoqi and Su Jun were talking about serious business.
"I just had an idea..." Lu Xiaoqi said slowly after taking a bite of rice noodles.
Su Jun: "Finish eating first, don't burn yourself."
Lu Xiaoqi glared at him: "I'm not a child. I was just chatting with the two Master Xiangs, and it suddenly occurred to me that it might be better to hold the auction before the school's admissions process next year?"
She wanted to start a technical school, but technical schools have always been discriminated against.
Which good student would go to a vocational school?
Although Lu Xiaoqi doesn't agree with this view, it reflects the prevailing perception in society today. Furthermore, some vocational schools with outstanding programs are largely unknown to the general public.
But if there were a successful auction beforehand, letting people know that learning these skills is not a dead end, wouldn't the enrollment process be much smoother?
Su Jun nodded: "That makes a lot of sense. By this time next year... the masters will have more time."
Lu Xiaoqi: "The magazine cover in September, and He Yan's wedding at the end of October, should also be able to give us some publicity. We have time to establish the Qinghe Workshop brand first. If it really succeeds, maybe those students won't have to find their own way at all."
It was completely digested internally.
Of course, this is an extremely ideal situation.
Su Jun said gently, "Believe in yourself, you can do it."
She probably didn't know that when she was dreaming about all of this, she seemed to be glowing.
......
By July, the entire Jiangnan region had entered the height of summer.
Such temperatures are definitely not a comfortable way to spend time outdoors, but unfortunately, summer vacation has arrived, and poor parents have no choice but to take their children on trips. Qinghe Ancient Town has become one of the most popular travel destinations for students thanks to VR technology.
Even in the heat, it was still packed with people.
The ancient town has also set up some measures to escape the heat in various places, and long queues have formed in front of Guanmaitang Pharmacy. This time, they are selling herbal tea bags prepared by Zhang Zhongjing, which are refreshing, cooling and thirst-quenching.
"Everyone line up, each person is limited to five purchases." Zhang Ying already has a lot of experience with this.
Guanmaitang's various medicine packets have become the most popular "souvenirs" in Qinghe Ancient Town, and have even gained fame in other places. Because Zhang Zhongjing was extremely picky about the quality of medicinal materials, even with contract manufacturers, the production capacity was limited, so there were still occasional stockouts.
As a result, anyone who comes to Qinghe Ancient Town will try to buy some sachets, herbal medicine packets, and tea bags from Guanmaitang. This has also given rise to a new profession—queue-waiting.
Zhang Ying glanced into the group and, sure enough, saw several familiar figures. They were clearly experienced; they were sitting on small stools, carrying water bottles, wearing sun hats and arm sleeves—fully equipped. She could even remember their names, like Aunt Liu Guixiang…
Liu Guixiang originally resold medicine packets and did personal shopping for cultural and creative products, but later, because Qinghe Ancient Town began cracking down on scalpers, and this kind of personal shopping was actually in a gray area, it was also swept up. So she stopped doing that.
Now she has a new job—buying snacks from Zone 2 and sometimes some medicine packets, which she then sells at a stall outside town. She doesn't buy much each day, and she keeps everything very clean, so she sells out every day. In her spare time, she takes on queuing assistance and guided tour services.
This is also the most popular business emerging in the county nowadays.
They queue for tourists at VR experience centers, Guanmai Hall, and even popular photo spots... It costs 20 or 30 yuan per visit. The VR experience center costs 50 yuan because the waiting time is too long, but even so, it's still cheaper than the Fastpass.
When it's almost our turn, we urgently call the tourists who placed the orders to come over, strictly adhering to the rule of one guest bringing one person, with a maximum of three people at a time. This way, the other tourists don't complain.
Guided tours plan routes for first-time visitors, telling them where to go first and where to go, and even helping them book must-see shows in advance, allowing new visitors to experience everything they need in one day. It's perfect for lazy people who don't want to plan ahead.
Liu Guixiang's days are now packed with activities. On good days, she can earn four or five hundred yuan, and on bad days, she can still maintain an income of around two hundred yuan.
She used to be a housewife, earning no income other than the allowance her husband and son gave her. Now, Liu Guixiang completely ignores housework. Once, her husband came home and was a little angry to find no food prepared, but she retorted, "What, are you the only one working now? I work every day too, okay? If you want to eat, can't you cook for yourself?"
Then she showed him the four hundred yuan she earned in a day, and her husband shut up.
After having money, Liu Guixiang felt that she could stand up straighter.
These middle-aged and elderly women, who originally lived in Anping County and had no special skills, finally experienced the taste of earning a little money through their hard work and opportunities.
After buying their medicine kits at Guanmai Hall, the tourists dispersed. Some went to queue for VR, some went to take a boat ride, some went to climb Qinghe Tower, some stayed in the workshops in Zone 5, and some stayed in Zone 2 to eat, drink, and watch the performances.
Since the start of summer, indoor activities have become very popular due to the air conditioning. With summer vacation now in full swing, Zone 5 has suddenly become quite lively.
Boating is another activity that's in high demand. Sitting on a boat, with the damp breeze blowing, it feels like the temperature has dropped a bit. And the boatmen try to go deeper into the shade of willows to avoid the scorching sun.
"It's strange, even though there are a lot of people in the ancient town, it always feels a little cooler than outside," a tourist told his friend.
My friend nodded: "It's probably because there's so much water here. This water..." She touched it with her hand, feeling its coolness and crystal-clear clarity, its color so beautiful that it made her really want to jump in and swim with the koi.
"Don't be like that!" his companion laughed. "Last time a tourist jumped in and ended up being fined five hundred."
"Someone actually jumped in?" she said dismissively. "I was just thinking about it. If I actually jumped in, wouldn't I just make the water dirty?"
Such clear water, we wouldn't dare to pollute even a little bit.
By mid-July, tourists opened the ticketing app for Qinghe Ancient Town and suddenly discovered a new event – "Harvest Season".
Clicking on it reveals a golden rice paddy.
[Our hand-planted rice is ripe! We invite you to escape the hustle and bustle of the city, step into the countryside, and relive the simple joy of harvesting from your childhood. Bend down, pick up a sickle, and feel the heavy weight of the rice ears on your fingertips. Complete a certain harvest quota and you can even enjoy a free ride to the VR experience center! Spaces are limited, so please register quickly if you're interested.]
Tourists who originally just wanted to buy tickets were left with a row of question marks above their heads: ???
Harvesting rice?
......
As dusk falls and the temperature drops, the golden waves of rice, bathed in the glow of the setting sun, shimmer with a bountiful light that fills one with joy.
"Are you sure someone will really come?" Standing on the edge of the field, Chen Yingying asked her boss, Lu Xiaoqi, in a low voice.
Actually, this matter is not her responsibility; she's just here to slack off.
Zhao Guo looked at Lu Xiaoqi with suspicion. Harvesting rice was no easy task; would someone really help for free?
Lu Xiaoqi, on the other hand, was full of confidence: "Don't worry, people will definitely sign up. Half of them are bringing their children to play, and the other half are coming because there are no lines at the VR experience center."
Chen Yingying couldn't help but roll her eyes: "In the past, landlords had to pay farmhands to harvest rice, and they had to provide food and lodging. Now, it's like, people are paying you to harvest rice for them. It's really..." She choked out, "It's a complete reversal of the natural order!"
Lu Xiaoqi laughed so hard she almost choked: "This is called reminiscing about our youth. This is the kind of thing that parent-child activities love to do these days. You wouldn't understand. Don't worry, once the farm is up and running, we'll have to start charging for it."
Chen Yingying shook her head wearily: "I really don't understand what they're thinking."
“However, Uncle Zhao,” Lu Xiaoqi turned to Zhao Guo. Strangely enough, she addressed everyone else as “teacher” but called Zhao Guo “Uncle Zhao”. Perhaps it was because his simple and honest demeanor made people feel close to him. “Don’t expect them to actually harvest all 100 acres. Just leave 30 or 40 acres for them to get a feel for it. Let the machinery handle the rest.”
Zhao Guo was a very proactive person; he really did plant a hundred acres of land, and the harvest season was approaching in late July. Lu Xiaoqi then came up with a plan and gave him this idea.
Of course, she didn't really organize this little activity to save labor and money; she just wanted to add a bit of fun.
However, perhaps because there are so many abstract people nowadays, her abstract activity was a great success.
"It's just harvesting some rice? I can do that! It's not like I've never done farm work before!"
[Did you do your farm work in the King of Glory arena?]
I'd rather spend those three hours doing farm work than wait in line! Don't ask me why I don't buy a Fastpass; it's because I'm poor.
As a result, by the week before the event started, all the registrations were already full.
On the day of the event, the rice paddies outside Qinghe Ancient Town seemed to have been transformed. Before the morning sun had completely dispelled the thin mist, figures were already gathered on the ridges, and laughter and cheerful chatter filled the air.
In July, farm work can only be done before 11 a.m. and after 4 p.m., otherwise you'll get heatstroke.
Just as Lu Xiaoqi had predicted, most of the attendees were families with children.
The young parents rolled up their trousers, holding a sickle in one hand and their eager child in the other.
"Be careful, watch your step—" A father patiently demonstrated, and the child followed his example, bending down to cut rice. Although his movements were clumsy, his face was full of novelty and excitement. Many younger children, too young to hold a sickle, carried small bamboo baskets and focused intently on picking up the fallen ears of rice in the harvested field. Every time they found an ear, they would happily raise their heads and shout, "Mom, look!"
Zhou Yuhang and his entourage stood on the edge of the paddy field, looking at the rice paddy in front of them with expressionless faces.
Wow! I didn't expect such a large rice paddy!
Thankfully, it wasn't a complete amputation, otherwise he would have turned around and left.
Zhou Yuhang and his sister tried the VR experience at Qinghe Ancient Town when it first opened. At the time, he thought, "What's so fun about a run-down little town?" But he was proven wrong and immediately knelt down to thank his sister for bringing it to him. From then on, Zhou Yuhang became a loyal VR fan of Qinghe Ancient Town and pestered his family to buy him an annual pass.
He comes over to visit almost every month, twice a month.
However! After the VR experience center launched its live streaming and video functions, Zhou Yuhang found himself in the agony of queuing. Since he hadn't started work yet, and the fast pass was too expensive, he had no choice but to patiently wait in line himself.
Therefore, when he heard about this event, he resolutely signed up and brought along a few of his followers, who were actually his gaming partners.
"Brother Yuhang, do you know how to harvest rice?" one of the followers asked hesitantly.
They were all city dwellers, and only teenagers at that. Where would they have ever harvested rice?
Zhou Yuhang: "...What's so difficult about that?"
Isn't it something you can learn just by looking at it once?
The follower looked on with admiration: "Brother Yuhang, you can even do that? That's amazing!"
Zhou Yuhang appeared calm on the surface, but his heart was pounding: "It's nothing, just watch."
He stared at the endless rice paddies and the unfamiliar sickle in his hand, a cold sweat breaking out on his back—at home, he was the type who wouldn't even pick up a fallen oil bottle. He'd never even stepped into a rice paddy in his entire life.
When it came time to get the tools, he steeled himself and went up, deliberately taking two. He then shoved one of them, which looked rather heavy, into the hands of his friends, saying, "Take this and learn from me."
As soon as he stepped onto the ground, Zhou Yuhang's true colors were revealed. His posture as he bent over was awkward, his hands hesitated when grasping the rice, and his sickle fell limply.
I bent down, grabbed a handful of rice, and started cutting it with a sickle—damn! Why are the edges of these rice leaves so rough? Why does my back ache after bending over for just a little while? And why is the sun so strong?
He felt like a complete idiot, his movements as stiff as a robot's, his efficiency extremely low. Even a little kid next to him seemed busier picking up rice stalks than him. Sweat dripped down his forehead, and he irritably wanted to lift his shirt to wipe it away, but then he found the straw clippings itchy on his skin.
"Dude, your technique... is pretty unique, isn't it?" A young man next to him, who was also there for a spot, looked at him with a smile.
Zhou Yuhang retorted irritably, "Mind your own business! I'm just experiencing life!"
His friends weren't much better off: "Damn... why is this so difficult?"
Zhou Yuhang felt like his back was about to break, sweat splattered all over his face, and the rice leaves were scraping his hands painfully. He really wanted to throw the sickle down and curse. But when he glanced at the occasional trusting look in his underling's eyes, he swallowed back the complaints that were on the tip of his tongue.
No, as the eldest brother, he has to keep things under control!
"Cough, well, you don't understand, do you?" He straightened up, wiped his sweat as if trying to remain calm, and began to make up a story: "Harvesting rice is all about skill! You can't just do it blindly! You have to feel... feel the rhythm of the rice's breath!" As he spoke, he struck an even more exaggerated starting pose, which looked even more comical.
An older woman nearby, who had brought her granddaughter to play, chuckled and kindly advised, "That's not how it works! That posture will only make your back more and more tired..."
She corrected Zhou Yuhang and the others' posture.
Zhou Yuhang wasn't a complete idiot, so he didn't care about saving face and quickly followed the expert's instructions. Sure enough, after listening to the aunt's advice, his movements finally became smoother. Not only did he swing the sickle more easily, but his back and waist also felt less tired.
A group of young men exclaimed with delight, "It really is!"
"Ugh, I never imagined harvesting rice would be so troublesome! My back is killing me..."
The aunt laughed and said, "Hey, you've only just begun. Before we had machines to help us, we really relied entirely on people to farm. From planting to harvesting, we had to do everything ourselves. Harvesting rice took several days, and by the end of the day, our backs were aching."
As she brandished her sickle, she reminisced about the past: "Look at those farmers back then, many of them had hunched backs, that's from working so hard in the fields!"
Unlike these young people nowadays, they really haven't experienced much hardship!
The young men seemed to understand only vaguely. These words might not make them truly realize how hard-won their current lives are, but they would at least stir a ripple in their hearts.
Finally, after he had painstakingly cut down a small area, he stood up and looked at the bundles of rice next to him, feeling as if his backache had been relieved by half.
His followers exclaimed in genuine amazement, "Wow! Yu Hang! You're amazing, you cut so fast!"
At that moment, Zhou Yuhang forced himself not to grimace and nodded with feigned seriousness: "Yeah. See? Just do it this way."
Teenagers in their late teens are always very competitive and have an inexhaustible amount of energy. The group chased each other and quickly finished their allotted portions. Zhou Yuhang even felt he was getting addicted to cutting and wanted to cut another small piece of land, but was stopped by everyone's groans.
"Brother Yuhang, I know you're amazing, but let's not go!"
Zhou Yuhang curled his lip and clicked his tongue: "You bunch of useless people!"
He glanced at the nearby irrigation ditch beside the rice paddies, which had become another small playground. Many children had taken off their shoes and jumped into the shallow water. They splashed in the water, bent over and searched, and every now and then they could be heard shouting with surprise: "I caught one! I caught a loach!" The splashing water droplets sparkled in the sunlight, mixed with their crisp laughter.
Zhou Yuhang, a teenager who was addicted to all kinds of games, suddenly realized that there are actually many interesting things in real life.
"It looks pretty interesting to watch them slack off over there. How about... I take you guys over to check it out?"
"Walk!"
"Hehe, I've wanted to go for a long time."
So, these young people who originally came just for the VR skip-the-line spot also joined in playing in the water, catching loaches and fish. They were unconsciously infected by the joy of the countryside and took out their phones to take pictures of each other's funny appearances as they worked in the fields and played by the irrigation ditches.
Zhao Guo was originally coordinating machinery for another fifty acres of land, but he was also drawn to this place.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
