Huang’s arrival

 

When Gao Kun saw that everyone else had work assignments except for him, he decided he didn’t want to be idle anymore.

 

Jing Yi: “I can’t employ child labor.”

 

“Master, I’m not too young; I’m eleven years old. Please give me work; I can do it. I won’t let you feed me and Ah Qi for nothing.” Gao Kun seemed genuinely anxious and scared; his voice even trembled.

 

“Master, I can work too. When I was at home, I could weed and pick cotton.” Skinny little Ah Qi also bravely spoke about the work he could do.

 

“Enough, you see, I didn’t assign work to the two brothers from the Tong family, and that’s fair.” Jing Yi was somewhat patient with the children.

 

“It’s not the same. The Tong family’s two little brothers are still very young, one is six and the other is three! Besides, Uncle Tong and Aunt Tong can handle their work.” Gao Kun looked at Jing Yi with bright eyes, showing exceptional determination, and his voice no longer trembled. “I can do the same! Ah Qi is still young, and I appreciate that you won’t make him work, but I can do his job! I’m very strong, and I’m eleven years old!”

 

At this moment, to be honest, Jing Yi was deeply moved by this child. He felt that there was something about him that resembled himself, the willingness to go to great lengths for loved ones, to strive for a sense of security for them, and to be good to one’s spouse no matter how difficult it might be.

 

Even more surprisingly, he was only eleven years old, an age where he himself still needed to be taken care of.

 

Perhaps he didn’t understand it as love yet, or perhaps he simply saw it as a responsibility. But Jing Yi could tell that this sweet burden was one he was very willing to bear.

 

“Alright! You’re quite a guy. You’ll work with me. You have to work hard, don’t embarrass me.” Jing Yi seriously agreed.

 

After thinking for a moment, he added, “I won’t force you two to be separated. Ah Qi can stay with you, but you have to take care of each other.”

 

Jing Yi made an unconventional promotion. He didn’t care if he would be laughed at for bringing an eleven-year-old servant; he could only hope that Gao Kun would grow taller as the family name suggested.

 

“Thank you, Master!” Gao Kun was so excited that his face turned red. He knelt down with Ah Qi and kowtowed to Jing Yi.

 

“That’s settled. Now, each of you can go about your business.” Jing Yi waved his hand and went into the main house to have tea and chat with the Jing family.

 

The room was also buzzing with chatter, with the topic being these servants.

 

Jing’s father and Xiao An were telling Jing’s mother about the dire situation they saw among the disaster victims at the government office. Originally, they didn’t plan to buy so many people, but Jing Yi felt that the opportunity was rare, and the scene was too grim.

 

By following the Jing family, they would at least ensure they had food and drink and wouldn’t be subjected to random beatings and punishments.

 

“Alas, these people are so unlucky. I can see that there are many here who have suffered more than just the snow disaster.” Jing’s mother had a cheerful personality, but a strong sense of empathy, and she had tears in her eyes now.

 

“In extreme conditions, the most challenging thing to gauge is human nature. Evil people are scarier than disasters. But let’s not dwell on it; it’s good to be alive, so cherish the present,” Jing’s father had plenty of wisdom and was always open-minded.

 

“Right, Father is right. Cherish the present, and strive to make ourselves stronger,” Jing Yi agreed, giving a reassuring squeeze to the hand of Chuxia, who sat obediently beside him.

 

The news that the Jing family had bought over a dozen servants quickly spread throughout Xiwan Village, causing quite a sensation. However, there was no resentment or jealousy anymore. When the gap becomes too significant, people tend to admire and idolize rather than envy.

 

However, the Jing family found it hard to adapt to having so many people serving them. The life where everything was provided was unnerving at times, especially if they weren’t used to it. Jing Yi told Tong, the overseer, that there were many things they could handle by themselves, and they were used to doing it. After everything, both the Jing family and the servants, had relaxed a bit, they began to feel more at ease.

 

Once this matter was arranged, Jing Yi immediately sought out the village head, Jing Sheng, bringing gifts with him. He asked the village head to keep an eye out for available farmland in Xiwan Village or nearby villages and buy an additional piece of unused land for the purpose of building a home.

 

“Why do you need to buy another one? Didn’t you have so much leftover from your previous purchase?” Jing Sheng was somewhat surprised. An additional piece of residential land wasn’t farmland, and it seemed extravagant to spend money on it.

 

“Uncle Sheng, my family’s previous piece of land is reserved for building our home in the future. This new piece of land is for something different. Please find a somewhat desolate place in the northern part of the village, a bit farther from the village. I want to build a factory there,” Jing Yi said. When he mentioned the factory, he lowered his voice and briefly explained the soap factory business, though he kept it vague and said it was an idea suggested by wealthy individuals from the capital.

 

Just hearing this rough idea made the village head quite pleased. This young man, who always put the village’s interests first, was blushing with joy. He praised Jing Yi repeatedly, saying he was thoughtful and that he would surely be blessed.

 

“Uncle Sheng, this is not yet confirmed with the nobles from the capital. You mustn’t reveal it to others. We don’t want to get in trouble with the nobles,” Jing Yi cautiously reminded the village head to keep it a secret.

 

“Ha! I know that. You can rest assured, young man. I won’t even tell your aunt until everything is finalized,” Jing Sheng assured him.

 

As the village head, he had some knowledge of when to make things public. It would be best to wait until everything was settled before announcing this good news.

 

“Haha, alright! When it’s time to hire people, I’ll come and trouble you again.” After that, Jing Yi took his leave of the village head.

 

He had to rush to the town and find Zhang San, the local intermediary, to help him keep an eye on farmland around Fuyang Town. Jing Yi had thought they had more time since it was almost the New Year, but, surprisingly, within two days, there was good news from the village head.

 

Dealing with the residential land for the factory was straightforward. Although it was not within Xiwan Village, because it was unused land, the authorities were willing to sell it. Jing’s father and the village head went to the town’s household registration office and completed the formalities for the deed.

 

In total, there were ten acres of uncultivated land. Jing Yi meticulously planned his purchases: four acres were bought at the rate of 20 taels of silver per acre for residential land, and the remaining six acres were bought at the price of barren land. If he decided to use the latter for a different purpose in the future, he would simply need to pay the appropriate amount. This approach provided flexibility.

 

It’s worth noting that the Da Yuan Dynasty encouraged land reclamation, and the price for uncultivated land in Xiwan Village was typically around five taels of silver per acre.

 

Jing Yi considered the 110 taels of silver spent on the ten acres of land to be a worthwhile investment. Having been hurt by modern society, he now felt happy as long as he was acquiring land. Moreover, even if the soap factory plan didn’t materialize, he would find other uses for the land.

 

This time, the local official responsible for household registration at the yamen did not take any bribes. He was a regular customer at Jing’s family inn and occasionally enjoyed hotpot at the restaurant, so he was acquainted with Jing’s father. He staunchly refused any “processing fees” given by Jing’s father.

 

However, when Jing’s father suggested treating him and his family to a meal at the hotpot restaurant, with no expenses spared and him playing the host, they both happily agreed.

 

Once he acquired this piece of land, Jing Yi promptly invited Master Liao to design and build the soap factory. The factory’s grounds were a bit larger than Jing’s family’s inner courtyard, forming a rectangular area running from east to west. This four-acre piece of residential land wasn’t entirely used.

 

Jing Yi divided the soap factory into four sections: the production area, living quarters, office area, and warehouse.

 

The production area was the central and largest area, positioned in the northern part. It featured four factory buildings, arranged in a cross shape. The last two buildings were dedicated to producing lye and animal or vegetable oil. The first two buildings were for soap production and premium soap production. Each building was substantial, and even though they might not be needed initially, Jing Yi had confidence in the future of soap production and thus boldly set up these large buildings.

 

The living quarters were situated in the southwest of the courtyard. There were three large houses and a small kitchen, all facing east. Each house had a row of spacious beds against the western wall, allowing ten people to sleep comfortably side by side.

 

The office area was located in the southeast of the courtyard and featured four rooms. One room was for Jing Yi’s office, another for meetings, while the use of the other two rooms was kept open for future arrangements.

 

This area had a more solemn and refined atmosphere. A wooden fence, slightly over one meter high, encircled the front, creating a small, serene, and private courtyard. This design aimed to block out noise and create a peaceful and confidential area.

 

The warehouse was situated between the office area and the production area. It featured double doors, allowing easy entry for carriages. For added security, the doors were reinforced.

 

Apart from these areas, Jing Yi also instructed Master Liao to build three outhouses in the northwest corner of the large factory, differentiating them for use by men, gers, and women, ensuring that no one felt embarrassed to use them.

 

Separate bathrooms are more convenient. Currently, only a few buildings need to be constructed, but the space is large, so it’s easy to add more when necessary. The areas have been well delineated, making construction convenient.

 

After giving all the instructions, Jing Yi decided to leave everything to Master Liao and instructed his father to find the village chief if they needed to hire people from the village. He no longer needed to be present in the village all the time.

 

Jing Yi had more important matters to attend to. Shopkeeper Huang had arrived.

 

“Huang Big Brother, Huang Second Brother, let me wish you an early New Year!” Jing Yi respectfully greeted them, then added, “I didn’t expect Big Brother Huang to come just before the New Year. You’ve worked hard.”

 

Indeed, today was already the 22nd day of the twelfth lunar month, and tomorrow was the “Little New Year” in northern China. People who cared about traditions had already slowed down and started preparing for the New Year.

 

“Haha, Xiao Yi, we’re businessmen. When do we ever take a break? It’s the New Year, and the common folk need to eat and use things!” Big Brother Huang, spoke with conviction, and the corners of his mouth betrayed his true feelings.

 

“Indeed, indeed, Huang Big Brother is very insightful,” Jing Yi playfully responded.

 

“All right, Big Brother, let’s get to the point,” Huang’s second brother interjected, noticing Jing Yi and his Big Brother’s camaraderie. He couldn’t help but be curious, after all, he was the one who introduced Jing Yi to their business.

 

“Let’s talk business then. Haha. Big Brother, won’t beat around the bush. We already agreed to the terms you discussed last time. If you’ve made up your mind, we’ll go with the method you suggested. We’re offering you five thousand taels of silver.”

 

Big Brother Huang, extended a hand, forming the number five with his fingers.

 

Jing Yi remained composed upon hearing this, quietly pondering. Five thousand taels were within Jing Yi’s budget, neither too low nor excessively high. However, Big Brother Huang, had more to say. He continued, “Furthermore, you’re a person of kindness and gratitude. Our Huang family won’t resort to wicked tactics like envy or ill will. So, in addition to the five thousand taels for the buyout, we’re willing to offer you one percent of the first year’s profit.”

 

Hearing this, Jing Yi couldn’t hide his astonishment. One percent of the first year’s profit meant that it wasn’t tied to a specific location. Although the business would expand gradually, it was certain that Qingzhou and the capital city would be covered next year, and the profits from these locations alone would be immeasurable.

 

“Big Brother Huang, is offering me the buyout money and an additional one percent of the first year’s profit too generous?” Jing Yi commented, his modesty being a result of his understanding of the societal hierarchies in ancient times, where accepting certain amounts of money could be burdensome.