novelraw Chapter 145
Chapter 145
"If you can't carry it, drag it. If you can't drag it, roll it. Do I need to remind you again how you got injured in the first place?" Song Nianchu gave Zhou Ziqiang a look that chilled him to the bone.
Zhou Ziqiang immediately fell silent, lowering his head and muttering under his breath, but he didn't raise any further objections.
He truly couldn't beat this woman.
After assigning all the personnel, Song Nianchu went to find the team leader specifically in charge of cutting bamboo, instructing him to keep a close eye on Zhou Ziqiang and his four men and to report any situations to her immediately.
That team leader also knew Zhou Ziqiang was not someone to be trifled with and nodded repeatedly.
With the addition of these refugees, the labor force in Qinghe Fishing Village increased significantly. Everyone no longer had to work overtime from dawn till dusk, but the burden on the village also grew much heavier.
Fortunately, Song Nianchu had made a further breakthrough with her new product. After over a dozen attempts, she finally succeeded and couldn't help but let out a cheer.
"What is this?" Just then, a deep voice suddenly sounded by her ear. Song Nianchu turned around to see Mu Shi'an, who had somehow entered the kitchen without her noticing.
"This is called fish maw soup." Song Nianchu explained, looking at the crystal-clear, gelatinous soup in the bowl.
"Fish maw? That's considered a nutritional supplement, right?" Mu Shi'an had heard of fish maw before.
"Yes, it mainly promotes beauty and skincare. It's an excellent nutritional product for women." Song Nianchu nodded.
"Then you should buy more. I've made several more net-weaving machines these past few days. Next month's rent should double again." Mu Shi'an said.
Hearing this, Song Nianchu laughed.
"What's so funny?" Mu Shi'an was puzzled.
"This isn't bought; I made it myself." Song Nianchu explained.
"You can make fish maw yourself?" Mu Shi'an was surprised.
"Of course you can. This fish maw is actually made from fresh fish swim bladders through a series of steps like cleaning, degreasing, and stewing. Adding some snow fungus and red dates turns it into the bowl of fish maw soup in front of you." Song Nianchu gave Mu Shi'an a simple explanation.
However, the actual process was much more complicated than she described. She had even used some new patented techniques developed by her company in her previous life.
It's just that she didn't have all the required raw materials yet. The fish maw soup before her could only be considered the first-generation product, but for the current era, this first-generation product was already quite sufficient.
Later, after the product is launched and more funds are available, it can be upgraded and improved.
"Is this also for sale?" Mu Shi'an carefully examined the fish maw soup in front of him. It was crystal clear, with slices of red dates dotting the surface, looking particularly appetizing.
"Yes, this is part of my newly developed beauty and skincare series." Song Nianchu nodded.
"But could there be no market for it? After all, right now, people are struggling to even get enough to eat." Mu Shi'an raised his objection.
Canned fish can be served at the table; when you don't feel like cooking, you can open a can, heat it up a bit, and have a meal.
But this fish maw soup, while beautiful and highly nutritious, would likely not be cheap. Probably no one would spend that much money on a product that doesn't fill you up and only serves for beauty and skincare.
"The positioning of this product is different from our canned fish. This is specially customized for wealthy women." Song Nianchu had naturally considered this point.
"Is that so?" Mu Shi'an still seemed somewhat doubtful.
"Of course. You don't know that beauty is a lifelong pursuit for women." Song Nianchu's tone was extremely firm.
In her previous life, she had also invested in some beauty-related industries and made a fortune.
When women control more wealth, they increasingly learn to love themselves.
They realize it's better to spend money on themselves rather than on men.
Her single sisters would spend nearly hundreds of thousands each month on their faces and figures.
Soon, the economy will open up. At that time, a large number of wealthy individuals will rapidly emerge, and the national economy will greatly improve. By then, the beauty industry will be a massive blue ocean market.
So she needs to start planning now. By the time others realize it, they'll be a step behind.
"I don't know much about these things, but I support all your decisions. If it doesn't sell, I'll just make a few more net-weaving machines." Mu Shi'an was a standard straight guy. Even in winter, when his face and hands were chapped from the wind, he never used moisturizer.
He understood even less about beauty and skincare products.
Hearing this, the smile on Song Nianchu's face deepened.
"Alright, then I'll... properly compensate you tonight." Song Nianchu lowered her voice towards the end.
Ahem...
A hint of discomfort flashed across Mu Shi'an's face. He covered his mouth and coughed lightly but still replied in a voice only the two of them could hear.
"You keep your word."
"When have I ever gone back on my word?" Song Nianchu found it amusing.
"You often do. You say we'll fight until dawn, but halfway through you say you're tired, crying for me to stop..." Mu Shi'an spoke without thinking. Halfway through, Song Nianchu couldn't bear to listen anymore and scooped a spoonful of fish maw soup into his mouth.
"Don't say any more." A faint blush appeared on Song Nianchu's face.
"Weren't you the one who started it?" Mu Shi'an's speech was somewhat muffled with the fish maw soup in his mouth.
"I was wrong! I won't dare do it again!" Song Nianchu begged for mercy.
She originally intended to tease him a bit, but in the end, she was the one who couldn't handle the consequences.
"I didn't say you were wrong." Mu Shi'an finally swallowed that mouthful of fish maw soup. He wasn't fond of such overly sweet things.
But he couldn't spit out what Song Nianchu fed him.
"Alright, you should get back to work. I'll be going into the city later with Brother Gangzi and the others." Song Nianchu wanted to quickly end this topic.
"Oh, right, I came in to tell you we're running out of wood." Mu Shi'an finally remembered his original purpose for finding Song Nianchu.
"I didn't notice. I'll go tell Uncle Zhengui later and ask him to send some wood over." Song Nianchu nodded.
"Okay."
"..."
Song Nianchu packed the finished fish maw soup, placed it in her backpack, and then went to find Wu Zhengui.
First, she mentioned that Mu Shi'an was running out of wood.
"Alright, I'll ask around later to see if anyone has any leftover wood at home. If not, I'll send someone to cut some from the mountain." Wu Zhengui nodded.
"Also, I'm going into the city later. If the new refugees have any problems, you can tell them to wait until I get back." Song Nianchu added another instruction.
"Okay, don't worry and go. With so many of us in the village, they won't be able to stir up much trouble." Wu Zhengui knew Song Nianchu was worried about the village and agreed with a smile.
"Good, then I'll be off." Song Nianchu nodded.
"Go ahead." Wu Zhengui waved his hand.