Chapter 588 - 587: Farm Woman 16
"Alright, we’ll go household by household then." The clan elders didn’t object. After setting the wage standards for the clansmen and discussing the construction of clan housing, the small meeting finally came to an end.
Therefore, after Tan You announced everyone’s wages, Chen Tianshui took the stage. His main topic was about building houses for the clan members. The moment they heard the clan would build houses for them for free, all the clansmen grew excited.
They were especially moved when they heard that the clan would start with the families in the most difficult situations. The children all gathered around Tan You, each one looking at her with adoring eyes.
Looking at the children before her, Tan You suddenly made a suggestion. "I recently met a Scholar who lives with his widowed mother. I think he is quite learned and has a good character. Why don’t we invite him to the village to teach the children how to read and write?"
"That way, they won’t be easily deceived when they go out into the world. And if the girls can recognize a few words, it will be easier for them to find a good marriage match in the future."
It wasn’t that Tan You wanted to constantly talk about marriage, but that was just how things were in this era. If you didn’t present the benefits upfront, people wouldn’t be willing to invest in women.
Chen Tianshui was the first to respond. "That’s wonderful! You’re as far-sighted as ever, Madam."
Tan You just smiled. "It’s a small matter. But let me say this first: when the teacher arrives, you must all study hard. If anyone isn’t serious, I will punish them."
The children all nodded in unison. "Madam, we will definitely study hard."
It was strange, but ever since the workshop opened, everyone started calling Tan You "Madam" whenever they saw her. All the previous forms of address, like "sister-in-law" or "auntie," had disappeared.
Even the children were very proper around her. Tan You herself quite liked this feeling. She preferred that they stick to the formalities.
"I’m going to town in a bit to pick up the teacher. Clan Leader, have someone clean up a house. The teacher will be moving into the village with his mother. Also, I need to buy some more pottery. Have Granny Cuihong come with me."
Chen Tianshui’s ears perked up. "Are we out of molds for the cold-process soap?"
Tan You nodded. "Yes, and the more goods we ship, the more tools we’ll need. Today is payday for everyone, so let’s give the workshop the day off. Everyone can take a trip to town."
"No, no, no! We’ll go to town after we finish our work in the workshop," the aunties all said, shaking their heads. Who would be willing to give up a day’s wage of several dozen copper coins? Besides, the town wasn’t going anywhere.
Tan You sighed in resignation. "Alright, then. Everyone, get back to work. Chen Xi, An Wen, come with me."
Chen Xi and An Wen immediately ran out from among the workers. The two of them were essentially management trainees in the workshop. It wasn’t about how much money they earned, but about them training and learning under her guidance.
Only after Tan You left with Chen Xi and An Wen did the clansmen get back to their own tasks. Looking at Chen Xi and An Wen, however, everyone couldn’t help but feel a little envious. With Tan You’s personal instruction and guidance, those two boys were clearly different from the other children in the village.
Just the small abacuses hanging from Chen Xi’s and An Wen’s waists were the envy of countless other children. Many adults couldn’t even handle addition and subtraction within a few dozen, yet these two youngsters carried their abacuses around all day, calculating shipping costs and the like.
When An Wen, Chen Xi, and Tan You arrived home, Chen Yue had already led Dazao out. After a month at their home with everyone’s careful attention, Dazao looked like a completely different donkey compared to a month ago.
Even Little Jujube had shed its initial sickly appearance. After all, what kind of family feeds their donkeys ginseng rootlets? But Tan You was willing to spend the money. ’It’s all an investment. Once these two are healthy, how many ginseng rootlets could they help me earn?’
Dazao’s coat was now glossy and bright, so shiny it almost looked oily at the tips. Tan You patted its head. "We’re going to town today. It’s the first time you’ll be carrying a load. Think you can handle it?"
Dazao snorted and nuzzled Tan You’s hand. Who says animals don’t understand affection? Dazao knew who in this family treated it best, and it also knew who was the real boss.
They hitched the cart to Dazao. Tan You gave its back a light pat, and Dazao set off toward town with a TROT, TROT, TROT.
After a round of shopping in town, they made a trip to Sihai. Looking at the bars of laundry soap and scented soap on Sihai’s shelves, Tan You couldn’t help but narrow her eyes slightly. From the looks of it, most of the soap had probably been sent to the prefectural city.
Speaking of the prefectural city, Tan You frowned slightly. ’I should find time to visit the prefectural city. I should take the children out for a trip before things get chaotic. When the turbulent times come, we’ll have no choice but to hide away in our mountain village.’
’Oh, right. Before the chaos begins, I have to recruit as much talent as possible. For example, all kinds of artisans, doctors, guards, and so on. It would be even better if I could hire a professional escort. He could also teach everyone some basic fighting skills.’
’But whether it’s escorts or doctors, finding such talented people is difficult. Convincing them to stay is even harder.’
Tan You took a deep breath. ’No matter how hard it is, these things must be done!’
Time flew by, and soon it was late autumn. The mosquito coil workshop had already stopped production for the season, leaving the soap workshop as the clan’s only active business. The entire clan was truly pouring all its effort into production, and of course, silver was flowing into the clan’s coffers like water.
However, when Tan You came over early one morning, she noticed a few of the aunties coughing from time to time.
"Madam, we just caught a chill last night."
"Yes, we’re fine. We can keep working."
Tan You nodded slightly. "Alright. If you really can’t handle it, go home and rest. I have something to discuss with the Clan Leader."
’I’d completely forgotten about this. In the winter, the elderly and children have weaker immune systems and struggle to endure the freezing temperatures. In this ancient era where a simple cold could be fatal, catching one is no laughing matter.’
"A kang? Are they really that good?" Chen Tianshui asked with some surprise after Tan You briefly mentioned it.
Tan You said, "We’ll know once we try. I suggest the entire clan builds them. In the future, if people are interested, they can even form teams to go out and build kangs for others to earn some extra silver."
Chen Tianshui was skeptical, but his trust in Tan You ultimately won out. "Alright. We’ll try it out within the clan first."
They might have been hesitant before trying, but once they did, the whole clan was completely won over. Who wouldn’t want a kang? And so, the able-bodied young men who were idle from the mosquito coil workshop began the work of building kangs for their fellow clan members.
After the entire clan started using their heated kangs, the young men formed teams and went to the surrounding villages and towns, turning the business of building kangs into a roaring success.
Everyone had become skilled craftsmen. They usually worked in teams of five or six, maximizing their efficiency. If a client was short on silver coin, the clansmen would also accept grain or other goods as payment.
They weren’t picky. No matter what they brought back to the clan, Madam could always find a use for it.
If the women of the clan felt a sense of closeness to Tan You, the men of the clan felt something more akin to admiration. Only after venturing out did they truly understand what Tan You had accomplished.
People are naturally drawn to the strong, and this is especially true for men. In their eyes, Tan You had transcended her gender. To criticize her based on her sex after seeing all that she had done would be nothing but a slight against themselves.