novelraw Chapter 164
Chapter 164
"Yes, I went to see Uncle Zhengui," Song Nianchu nodded.
"I see. Well, hurry up and wash your hands, then come in to eat." Mu Shian didn't ask any further questions.
He just figured Song Nianchu had gone to talk to Wu Zhengui about some village matters.
"Mhm," Song Nianchu nodded.
"..."
Over the next few days, following Song Nianchu's advice, Wu Zhengui strengthened the patrols around the village.
Mu Jingmei and Yang Dafu didn't show up again, and the village remained as busy as ever.
Song Nianchu had a lot on her plate as well. Making the gift boxes for the fish maw soup required a bit of skill, something she had learned from a craftsman in her past life.
Fortunately, many of the elderly folks in the village knew how to weave fishing gear and had experience with bamboo crafts.
Song Nianchu simply gathered some of the elderly whose limited mobility confined them to resting at home.
She handed the job of weaving the gift boxes over to them. This way, they wouldn't just sit numbly at home all day, and they could also earn some work points.
Upon hearing there was such an easy job, the elderly eagerly agreed.
Song Nianchu found that these seniors were actually quite clever; after being taught a few times, they could weave proficiently.
The quality of the final products was no different from those she made herself, which left Song Nianchu very satisfied.
She also sought out Mu Shian and asked him to carve a label for the gift box packaging. This label was a bit tricky, and it took Mu Shian two days of his rest time to finish carving it.
The quality of the gift boxes had to be strictly controlled, so Song Nianchu assigned Mu Yongnian and Mu Haoxuan, her two experienced little helpers, specifically to ink and stamp the labels on the boxes.
The rest of the labeling work was given to the other children in the village.
Many children in the village didn't go to school. The slightly older ones would help the adults at home weave fishing nets, while the younger ones would run wild playing around the village.
Now that there was proper work for them to do, both the children and the adults were very happy.
Song Nianchu entrusted all these children to Mu Yongnian, making him responsible for training them and checking the labels they stamped.
Initially, Mu Yongnian wanted to refuse, but when Song Nianchu said it was to help her out, he finally agreed.
Actually, Song Nianchu had a selfish motive. Although the villagers treated her very well and had even slowly begun to accept Mu Shian and Mu Deyi...
...their acceptance of the two children, Mu Haoxuan and Mu Yongnian, was still quite low. Aside from staying home and stamping labels every day, the two boys had almost no other friends in the village.
Children need playmates, especially in a rural place like this. Therefore, Song Nianchu wanted to use this method to help the two of them integrate into the group of village children.
By appointing Mu Yongnian as their team leader, the village kids wouldn't bully them either.
As for the rest, it would depend on the boys themselves.
"..."
One day, while Song Nianchu was busy in the workshop, Wu Gang stood at the door, covered in sweat, and shouted inside.
"Chu, I need to talk to you about something."
Hearing the voice, Song Nianchu looked up. Seeing it was Wu Gang, she went to the side to wash her hands clean before stepping out.
"What is it, Brother Gangzi?" Song Nianchu asked.
"I went to the fishing gear factory to deliver goods today. The factory manager was a bit curious about how we managed to make so many fishing nets in such a short time. He beat around the bush a few times and even mentioned some big business. I really couldn't make the call, so I just found a random excuse to brush him off. How about you find some time tomorrow to go see him?" Wu Gang asked.
"Sure," Song Nianchu nodded.
"Alright, that's all I wanted to say. I'll be going then." Wu Gang scratched his head sheepishly.
"Okay," Song Nianchu replied.
After finishing work, Song Nianchu returned home.
Mu Shian was still busy in the corner. The village had ordered three more wheelbarrows from him, and he had been busy with this after work for the past two days.
"Not done yet?" Song Nianchu walked over.
"Almost." Mu Shian looked back at her. "Step aside a bit, it's all dusty over here."
"I'm a native country girl, how could I be afraid of a little dust?" Song Nianchu didn't mind much. Instead, she sat down on a wooden block nearby, casually picked up a part to play with, and asked, "Shian, how many net-weaving machines have you made in total during this period?"
"All of them?" Mu Shian looked up.
"Yes."
"I've handed over twenty-three machines in total, and currently there are two unfinished ones in the yard," Mu Shian said.
"Then your efficiency is quite fast," Song Nianchu nodded.
"The five helpers the village chief brought over before are all very skilled now, so the efficiency has increased a lot," Mu Shian answered truthfully.
"Can they complete them independently now?" Song Nianchu asked again.
"Basically, there are no major issues anymore," Mu Shian nodded.
"That's good," Song Nianchu replied.
"Why are you suddenly asking this?" Mu Shian could tell that Song Nianchu wasn't just asking on a whim.
"If nothing unexpected happens, you might be very busy for the next period of time," Song Nianchu said with a mysterious look.
"Hmm?" Mu Shian was confused.
"Alright, take your time with your work. I'll go cook for you." Since things weren't settled yet, Song Nianchu didn't say much more and got up to head to the kitchen.
Mu Shian watched her back, not quite understanding, but he didn't ask anything else.
In any case, Song Nianchu wouldn't harm him.
"..."
Early the next morning.
Song Nianchu went to the fishing gear factory.
He Zhiyuan was already waiting at the gate. As soon as he saw her, he immediately went up to greet her.
"Comrade Song, you're finally here."
"Why did you come out? If I arrived, I would definitely go find you," Song Nianchu walked forward.
"I was just anxious. Come, come, the factory manager is still waiting for you in his office. I'll take you there right now." He Zhiyuan hurriedly led the way.
"What does the factory manager want to see me about? Wu Gang didn't explain it clearly when he came back yesterday. Could it be that there's a problem with the goods we delivered?" Song Nianchu probed indirectly.
"The goods are fine. It's a good thing," He Zhiyuan beamed with joy.
Song Nianchu nodded slightly and didn't press further, following him to the factory manager's office.
The office door was wide open, and He Zhiyuan knocked on it.
"Manager, Comrade Song is here," He Zhiyuan said to the inside.
"Quick, come in." The factory manager immediately waved at her as soon as he saw Song Nianchu.
"Manager," Song Nianchu gave him a slight nod after walking in.
"No need to be so polite. You must be tired from the journey, please have a seat." After the manager finished speaking, he looked at He Zhiyuan beside him, "Xiao Yuan, pour Comrade Song a glass of water."
"Right away." He Zhiyuan immediately went to pour water.
Song Nianchu didn't refuse and sat down on a chair nearby. The factory manager also sat down beside her.
He Zhiyuan poured a cup of tea for each of them, and Song Nianchu picked hers up and drank it all in one gulp.
She was indeed thirsty from the walk. She felt it was necessary to buy a bicycle; otherwise, walking like this every day would be a waste of time and exhausting.
"Comrade Song, the fishing nets your village has been turning in over the past month or two aren't purely handmade, are they?" Just as Song Nianchu's thoughts drifted away, the factory manager slowly spoke up.