Li Zhen had developed some courage over the past few days and stepped forward seriously, saying, "Please choose your own workstations and keep them clean. Do not litter with scraps of cloth or thread. Everyone entering and leaving the building must be registered daily. Work hours are five hours a day in spring, summer, and autumn, and four hours in winter. You will have three days off per month. Your salary for the previous month will be paid at the beginning of each month. The rest of the rules will be written on paper and placed at the second-floor stairwell. I hope everyone will follow them. Violators will be punished."
Su San Niang was perceptive and had long known Li Zhen's position in Qin Xiaozhou's heart, so she flattered her, "Okay, Sister Zhen, we'll need your help in the future. We'll definitely read the rules carefully and follow them when we start work tomorrow."
Once someone starts, others join in.
The group then entered the courtyard. The building on the left was where the embroiderers worked, and the building on the right was where clothes were sewn. They turned around from the side of the main building, and behind the main building was a pond. The pond was shaded by green trees, separating the backyard buildings from the main building. The foreman pointed to the building on the left, "This is where the embroiderers live and eat. The right side is where the old women who work in the building live. The warehouse is to the north. That side is close to the river. The dock will be built in a few days, and then it will be convenient to load and unload goods."
The embroidered pavilion and the flowing pond each occupy half of the space. The foreman explained, "Most of this embroidered pavilion is made of wood, and there is also a lot of fabric and silk. I thought that water tanks alone would not be enough. We need flowing water to separate each building, which is the best way to prevent water from flowing away." He pondered for a moment and then added, "Besides, water symbolizes wealth, so this is how it was designed."
Qin Xiaozhou nodded, extremely satisfied with the design. Granny Qian followed behind her, knowingly handing her a purse containing twenty taels of silver. The foreman beamed with joy, and after saying a few more auspicious words, he left.
It wasn't until the afternoon that things gradually quieted down. Li Zhen led the village embroiderers to choose a place to stay in the backyard. The two of them shared a room. The villagers had never lived in such a nice house before, and they were overjoyed.
Qin Xiaozhou went up to the third floor, facing east, and had a panoramic view of the entire county. Lu Yunfeng walked over and smiled, "The way you look, it's like you're going to dominate Fenggu County."
"Hey, this is called the aura of conquering the Dao." Qin Xiaozhou was very happy today. Although she was just a firefly, she would do whatever she could. "Do you know why I wanted to bring Zhu Xian closer to me? Because she also has this kind of aura. She is resilient and can withstand pressure. This is a quality that many women do not have. It is a quality that can only be obtained through thousands of trials and tribulations."
Lu Yunfeng supported everything Qin Xiaozhou did. "We need to find a few strong old women to guard this embroidered building, otherwise it might be burglarized." This place is separated from the county town by a river, which is thirty or forty meters wide. If a thief enters this embroidered building, no one on the other side of the river can hear it.
Qin Xiaozhou came downstairs. "This needs to be done as soon as possible. Go and take care of it."
There are only women here, but strong old women are needed to guard the place.
On the sixth day of the eighth lunar month, the Lu family moved to a new house.
At the western end of Wangjia Village, the most eye-catching feature is the bluestone courtyard half-hidden at the foot of the orchard. It covers an area of three acres and has twelve rooms. In addition to the kitchen, woodshed, and main house, there is also a washroom that rural people have never seen before, with separate wet and dry areas.
Li Fengxian and Lu's relatives toured the house one section at a time. "This cabinet is really beautiful, with patterns on it. It must have cost a lot of money."
This is Zhao Fang's room; a four-door wardrobe occupies one wall.
The village chief's wife couldn't help but touch it, "This big cabinet, how many clothes must be stored inside."
Unable to contain herself, Li Fengxian opened the wardrobe. Half of it was empty, while the other half held seven or eight sets of clothes, made of soft fabric that looked expensive. Below them were two new, unused quilts.
The village chief's wife exclaimed in surprise, "I've never seen a clothes rack like this before!"
A set of clothes hanging neatly, without folds or creases, looks like it takes up too much space.
The village women laughed, “These are only for the finest clothes and fabrics, the most precious ones. Ours are full of patches, we can just throw them in the box. They won’t even get snagged on branches, let alone get creased.”
"That's right, that's right. Now that Zhao Meizi has gone to the city, she looks younger. Look at her hands, so white and tender, she looks like a rich lady. She looks good in these clothes, but we would look like mud figures wearing flowered quilts, making us a laughing stock."
It wasn't appropriate to touch the owner's things while visiting a new house. The village chief's wife closed the cabinet door, and the group moved elsewhere. "What's this room used for?"
There were shelves in the outer room, layer upon layer, holding more than twenty pairs of shoes, as well as a basin stand with five wooden basins on top and bottom, along with some cups, toothbrushes, and even towels, one for each person, which made the villagers extremely envious.
Wang Ershui's wife touched the bamboo joints extending from the wall. "Is this bamboo for drawing water? This isn't the kitchen, so why is water being drawn here?"
Lu Yan excitedly explained, "This is where the water is brought in; it can be used for bathing and using the toilet in this room."
"Oh my, who installs an outhouse in the house? Your family is really..." Li Fengxian originally wanted to say that they were not particular, but the food, clothing and daily necessities in this yard were not just not particular, they were extremely particular. "How far is this house from the kitchen? Do you go to the toilet here after eating? You can smell the food even while eating."
Lu Yan's face flushed red. "Hmph, this is the backyard, far from the kitchen in the front."
Wang Lan was entertaining guests in the front yard, while Zhao Fang was chatting and drinking tea with her family. The main house and side rooms were full of guests, and Jing He, Jing Yue, Zheng Qian, and Ma Dage and his wife were busy in the kitchen.
Qin Xiaozhou was cutting fruit in the kitchen, and Lu Yu was bringing out plates of fruit. Wang Ershui laughed and said, "Oh dear, this is how city people behave. We country folk just pick fruit from the tree, wipe it with the corner of our clothes, and eat it. Don't bother with all this."
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