For several days in a row, Zhou Yanqing came to Xiahe Village every day. The time he went to Xiahe Village was almost the same, as if he was working at a fixed time. He came more frequently than the manager that week.
Qiao Mingjin felt strange.
But the guy said that the workshop had just opened, and as the owner, he had to do his best.
Qiao Mingjin saw that after he came every day, apart from eating and taking a break at home, he spent most of his time wandering in the woods or workshops, either asking for advice from Father He and others, or watching He Xiaochun, Yue Dalei and others making tea tables.
I didn't see anything strange, so I just let him go.
As one of the owners, I should care about the progress of the workshop and the business. There is nothing strange about it.
A few days later, when Zhou Yanqing came back, he brought twenty taels of silver.
He said it was the money he got from selling those bamboo products.
Although the bamboo carvings and other items looked very fancy, they were not big and the materials were cheap. Only the small bamboo screen was sold for a little more money.
It's really a lot to get all these twenty taels of silver.
Qiao Mingjin was also very happy. She didn't want it either and gave it all to Father He and others.
Father He hurriedly declined.
This work is done at the owner's house. The materials and tools belong to the owner's family, and the finished product naturally belongs to the owner's family. Besides, the owner's family has already paid the labor, so how can we receive the extra money?
But Qiao Mingjin insisted not to.
It's not like she doesn't look down on these twenty taels of silver now.
When she first moved away from her in-law's house, she only had fifteen copper coins in her hand. After collecting firewood for a day, she drove into the city through thick fog on a starry night, and sold a cart of firewood for only fifty cents.
Twenty taels of silver left in the banker's house is already a huge sum of money.
She gave the money to Father He and others because she felt it was necessary to let the money inspire their fighting spirit.
But this money made He's father and others uneasy.
He used to go to other people's homes to make furniture, and it only cost one tael of silver a month, or two or three taels if it was more. Although he had already allocated a hundred taels of silver to help with the abacus, this bamboo carving was given guidance by Qiao Mingjin.
It was made, and they were paid monthly wages.
Qiao Mingjin saw that he didn't like it, so she said: "Uncle He, just take it with peace of mind. This is all the hard work of you guys. Although it is a work of practice, you have also seen that your craftsmanship is no worse than others.
If such a small thing sells for so much money, how can the carving be bad after it's done? So you have to have confidence, work slowly and carefully, and don't be anxious. If this carving is too impatient, I'm afraid it won't be done well."
After hearing this, Father He had no choice but to say: "Yes. My niece said yes. It's Uncle He who got married. I have lived with my niece for so long and it has never brought you any income. You still give us such a high salary every month."
Uncle He is really uneasy about the wages. This is the first time we have made this carving. Unlike before, someone else decided the job and it is what someone else needs. If no one buys this thing, I'm afraid we will have to ask you to do it.
wages..."
Qiao Mingjin felt comforted after hearing what Father He said.
This is also the reason why Qiao Mingjin likes these people.
This father-in-law is his cousin's father-in-law. In addition to his brother-in-law, the other two are his father-in-law's apprentices, and the other is Sister Xiu's man Yue Dalei. They all know the ins and outs.
These people are not like others who procrastinate and hope that the construction period will be longer and they can get more wages. Instead, they are worried that they will not be able to sell the work and not be able to pay the wages paid by the employer.
Qiao Mingjin feels at ease working with such a person.
Qiao Mingjin then said to him again: "Uncle He, you don't have to worry. Although we haven't seen much of the world in the countryside, Master Liu has traveled to many places and crossed more bridges than we have. Since Master Six also
Being optimistic about this root carving market means that what we are doing is profitable. Just go ahead and do it. You have to do it well and skillfully, but you can't rush for time like the autumn harvest. Just do it in detail.
Isn’t there a saying in that antique shop: ‘If you don’t open it for three years, it will last three years if you open it?’ We’re not in a hurry.”
Zhou Yanqing has been quietly listening to Qiao Mingjin talking to everyone.
He admired this country woman more and more.
This woman is not only literate, but also knowledgeable. She can bring him some surprises every time. This is not the first time he has cooperated with a woman, but it is the first time that she looks so comfortable and makes him feel so relieved.
Zhou Yanqing glanced at everyone and said: "You just go ahead and do it with precision. After I make it, I don't just sell it to Qingchuan. Most of it goes to the big cities in the north, including Kyoto."
Lucky. Not only are there many rich people there, but there are also many celebrities and elegant people. Even if you can't sell it, it doesn't matter. How much capital will be wasted if you chop it up and burn it for firewood?"
Father He and others felt reassured after hearing Mr. Saturday's heroic words.
Before, they were tied up and didn't dare to do it. It cost one or two taels of silver to collect this wooden stake. If it was broken after a knife, this thing could really only be used as firewood. In addition to the root system, it would be useless.
Duo, I was really cautious for a while and didn't know how to start.
After listening to Zhou Yanqing's words, Father He said: "Since Master Six trusts us so much, then we will go ahead and do it. We must do it well and live up to Master Six's trust in us."
Zhou Yanqing nodded and said: "I will send eight craftsmen from the city over in a while. They will also be exposed to this thing for the first time. When you have experience, you can guide them. We will do it in the future
Well, it will be your own benefit."
After hearing this, Father He and others showed some excitement on their faces.
Fortunately for He's father, He Xiaochun, He Xia and others are all young people with enthusiasm. Nothing is more important than hearing that they will have a bright future.
With these words from Lord Saturday, will their future prospects be worse?
As long as they make something good, and through the Zhou family's publicity, they may be able to take off their craftsman hats and become master craftsmen. In the future, the things they make will also be engraved with their names.
Several people were very excited, and their hands and feet were trembling a little.
After patting her chest to express her gratitude to Zhou Yanqing and Qiao Mingjin, she hurriedly turned around and went back to the workroom to work...
After only a few days, Father He and his two apprentices had made rough prototypes of the wooden stakes in their hands.
Although it is still very rough. It is still in the roughing stage, but we can already see its appearance.
Just like a bride covering her head, she is looming, which makes people feel itchy. They look forward to seeing the beautiful face of the bride when she lifts the headscarf.
He Xiaochun, Yun Jin, and He Dalei were also able to make a very good tea table. Yun Jin and He Dalei were responsible for chopping wood and doing odd jobs, while He Xiaochun was responsible for the fine carving.
The seemingly crude wood turned into a beautiful and elegant tea table in the hands of three people. It was well-proportioned. Based on the natural shape of the wood, it was carved with beautiful patterns, misty clouds, blooming lotus flowers, and rolling lotus flowers.
Leaves, hanging buns, children playing in the water, immortals playing chess...
The carving is lifelike, with a tea table made of lotus leaves and rolling balls. It had just been made and had not yet been painted. Zhou Yanqing ordered it and said that he would put it in his study and drink a few cups in front of it every day.
The three of them received Zhou Yanqing and Qiao Mingjin's approval, and it was as if they had been given blood.
He had to carry meals to the workroom, and even walking a few steps to the canteen to eat felt like a waste. After dark, he also lit oil lamps to carve. Worried about wasting oil money, a few of them gathered together in a room.
Engraved in the room.
Qiao Mingjin couldn't laugh or cry when she found out.
In order to save some firewood, an ordinary family would only burn the kang in one room in winter, while the whole family would gather in one place to keep warm. These people have learned the lesson.
She didn't feel bad about the few taels of lamp oil, but He's father and others were used to saving money. Qiao Mingjin told them several times that they didn't listen, so she had no choice but to let them go.
But she also told Mr. He to put more oil lamps in the house to prevent them from burning their eyes.
A few days later, Zhou Yanqing and Manager Zhou personally brought eight carpenters over.
They are not very old. The oldest is in his forties. The youngest is only fifteen years old and is a direct disciple of one of the masters.
The two sides introduced each other. Qiao Mingjin felt a little relieved when she saw that these craftsmen from the big shops in the city did not look down on Father He and others, and their attitude was very respectful.
What she was most afraid of was that the two sides would get into trouble, and the masters in the city would look down on Father He and his family from the village. These guys were in a bad mood, and the carvings wouldn't be much better.
Qiao Mingjin asked her cousin-in-law He to take the people to separate rooms and get them daily necessities.
He asked Father He to lead them around the workshop again.
At noon, Qiao Mingjin took He and made a sumptuous welcome banquet for them in the workshop.
It did make these eight people feel a little unfamiliar and lost. After being sent from the city to the countryside, they felt somewhat lost.
During the dinner, cups were exchanged, and the eight new craftsmen quickly became friendly with Father He and others.
Both parties saw their own shortcomings in each other, and their attitudes became more and more respectful. Qiao Mingjin felt truly relieved after seeing this.
Since the arrival of the eight craftsmen, He has been a little overwhelmed.
These craftsmen were immersed in the root carving creation in the workshop, often forgetting to sleep and eat, and rarely left the workshop except to go to the latrine, and the clothes they changed were piled high.
He had to cook, buy vegetables in the village, wash clothes for more than a dozen people, and clean up the yard, which made her a little busy.
Qiao Mingjin discussed it with her and decided to find a helper for her. She asked Sister Xiu first.
It's just that although Sister Xiu's family is simple, with no parents-in-law to take care of, and a man who works in the workshop, she still has two children to take care of, and there is also some work in the fields.
So he still recommended Ma to Qiao Mingjin.
When Ma heard that Qiao Mingjin asked her to help, she was given one or two silver a month, and the work was not heavy. She just helped buy some vegetables in the village in the morning, then helped He wash the craftsmen's clothes, and then helped with the cooking.
, it was just cleaning the yard, so I responded immediately.
The work is too simple.
She also has to do these things at home. Now that she helps in the workshop, she doesn't have to do any work at home, and she can still receive a fixed monthly salary. One tael of silver! Isn't that twelve taels a year?
Twelve taels of silver is enough to build three wing rooms. There are many people in the family. When she earns money and builds a wing room, can her parents-in-law not separate them into one room? Then the living place will be spacious.
Ma agreed without any hesitation. Her mother-in-law, Lu, even took her to Qiao Mingjin's house to express her gratitude.
When the villagers learned about this good thing, they also came to Qiao Mingjin one after another, which made Qiao Mingjin very troubled for a while. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for recommendations and monthly votes. Your support is
My biggest motivation.)
ps: Thanks to liuyanzqm5 for the two votes of pink, thanks to jansam for the peace charm, and thanks to "Sugar Bibimbap" for the sachet. I'm very grateful, okay?
