Chapter 48: Fighting Peasants

  Wang Fu first led the clan's young men into the chair production workshop. Now there are more than thirty craftsmen here, with laborers constantly carrying in rough logs from outside. A dozen strong men, two at a time, were sawing wood with a humming sound, then handing it over to the carpenters to process into wooden bars of different shapes. The wooden bars were stacked in piles according to their shape, and the lower-level carpenters assembled them, finally nailing them into shape.

  Through manual reasonable distribution, everyone has a job in hand. The young masters of the aristocratic families only saw the wood being transmitted at each workstation, and a rough log became a beautiful chair one by one, they were all amazed, they never thought that things could be done like this.

  Apart from chairs, the Sanzi Workshop also produces tables of various shapes, round tables, square tables, tea tables, folding tables, and some young masters who have never seen them before can't help but walk up to take a closer look and ask the craftsmen what they are used for.

  Wang Fu immediately told these young masters not to disturb the craftsmen, as each workstation was linked together, and if one station was delayed, the efficiency of the entire production line would be affected. These young masters were even more amazed at this.

  Wang Fu explained to these curious young people the use of each product. If you want to sit on a chair and eat, then several cases are not feasible, so round tables and square tables come in handy. Folding tables do not take up space and can be used as spare tables at home...

  Then the young masters visited other workshops, where they saw rows of embroidery girls in the Tianzi fabric workshop, which made them extremely excited. The painting workers in the Dizi porcelain workshop also painted exquisite patterns. In the soap workshop, they saw a year's worth of soap that wouldn't be used up. However, at the Cross Workshop, the young masters were left speechless.

  Yin Bo curiously picked up a smooth, inch-long and thick wooden block with some not-so-good-looking but regular patterns on it, and asked Wang Fu: "What is this?"

  "Oh, this..." Wang Fu's words didn't flow as smoothly as before, and he said somewhat awkwardly: "This ten-character workshop just opened yesterday, the name is New Style Gambling House, what's in front of you is called Mahjong, what's in your hand is called Red Center, so-called Mahjong..."

  Wang Fu recounted to Liu Zhang what he had said, and as a scholar and an official, it was indeed difficult for Wang Fu to promote gambling equipment. However, in order to enlighten the minds of these aristocratic merchants, he had no choice but to do so. The young masters of these aristocratic families listened with great excitement, having already played with everything from falconry to cockfighting as members of the wealthy elite. They were even more thrilled by this new novelty than they would have been by seeing courtesans.

  A few clever ones barely understood Wang Fu's meaning and excitedly gathered a table on the cargo platform. The Ten Character Workshop had not only mahjong but also wooden poker, long cards, chess, checkers, five-in-a-row... with many varieties. These young masters from aristocratic families all rolled up their sleeves to join in, and after Wang Fu explained the rules, they all started playing with great enthusiasm. Since it was just opened, many of them had only formed one set, and some people didn't have anything to play with, so they could only watch from the side, feeling anxious and hoping that the workers would produce more quickly.

  "Mr. Wang, why is this game called 'fighting the landlord'?" a young man asked while shuffling cards.

  "Oh, this..." Wang Fu was embarrassed: "If you don't like it, just call Dou Nongmin."

  "Alright, let's play Landlord."

  Liu Zhang shook his head and thought that if he said something now, it would undoubtedly add fuel to the fire, so it's better to wait until these people have had enough before speaking up.

  The sun sets in the west, with a red glow on the horizon.

  Liu Zhang walked out of the workshop and let out a sigh. The people on Yu Shu Street were busy, and when those carrying wood and pushing carts passed by, they all greeted him. These simple people had not seen the governor for the first time, but they still stuttered. Liu Zhang did not want to disturb them, so he turned around to the empty field behind the street, where a brocade-like landscape unfolded before his eyes.

  Liu Zhang waved away the personal guards behind him, stood alone on the ridge, feeling a bit tired and sat down. He was thinking about his own affairs when Huang Yue appeared beside him, looked at Liu Zhang and smiled: "Sir, what are you thinking? Are you worried that those aristocratic young masters have no intention of doing business?"

  Liu Zhang shook his head and said calmly, "What am I worried about? I invited them here just for a publicity stunt. They won't be operating it, but other common people will. People are profit-driven, after all. Besides, I think the problem isn't that big of a deal anymore."

  Huang Yue smiled and said: "Yes, looking at their appearance, I know they are very curious about these new things. But what I don't understand is how the governor can think of so many new and fresh things."

  If it were someone else asking this question, Liu Zhang would directly use some grandiose reasons to brush it off. However, looking at Huang Yue's sincere face, Liu Zhang didn't want to deceive her and after a moment of silence said: "Can I not answer?"

  Huang Yue didn't expect Liu Zhang to say this, and he smiled awkwardly: "Of course."

  The two of them stopped talking, Liu Zhang calmly gazed at the sunset, while Huang Yue felt a bit uneasy and brought up a topic: "You should head back earlier, Xiao Niang won't really get angry, but if you keep ignoring her, she will get truly angry."

  Liu Zhang didn't respond, but instead gazed into the distance and asked Huang Yue: "Miss Huang, don't you think the scenery here is beautiful?"

  Huang Yue looked up and saw the sunset, like a fire, the afterglow sprinkled on the green fields, as if paved with a layer of gold, really beautiful. It wasn't until then that Huang Yue discovered she had been staring at Liu Zhang all along, neglecting such a beautiful scene.

  Liu Zhang stood up and said with a sigh: "Good mountains and rivers, good rivers and mountains! In this brocade Jiangshan, how many heroes and heroes, how many ambitious kings, how many dissolute young masters, how many beautiful women, and how many weak and poor people... countless heroes have bowed their heads, who can be exempt?

  Huang Yue gazed at Liu Zhang with a daze, in her eyes, Liu Zhang had already merged with the magnificent golden scenery in front of her. At this moment, she understood that her eyes were on the man in front of her, while the man's eyes in front of her were on the rivers and mountains.

  A man who has his eyes on the grandeur of the world, how can he be bothered with a woman?

  But as a woman, a woman's eyes only have the man she likes. Since the man she loves has his sights on the world, she should help him and stand faithfully behind him and his ambitions.

  "Sir, Huang Yue is willing to accompany you forever. I may not be able to stabilize the rear like a civil official or fight battles on the battlefield like a military general. Sir, when you conquer the world and blood stains the mountains and rivers, there will also be times of exhaustion. All I ask is that when you are tired, Huang Yue can cook a bowl of soup for you, pour a cup of tea for you. If so, Huang Yue will have no regrets in this life."

  Huang Yue finished speaking with a surge of courage, her pale face flushing red, and her hands clasped together in a knot. Liu Zhang gazed into the distance for a long time before slowly saying, "Thank you."

  The sun sets below the horizon, the evening glow is gone, and the night falls. The young masters in the workshop are still playing with great enthusiasm. At this time, Yin Bai walks out and shouts to Liu Zhang: "Governor, I heard that those rules were taught by you to Wang, now another set of mahjong has been produced, everyone hopes that you can give us some guidance, come and play a few rounds with us, what do you think?"

  "Oh, okay." Liu Zhang hesitated for a moment before agreeing. Yin Bai was overjoyed and followed Liu Zhang into the workshop, leaving only Huang Yue alone on the ridge, blowing in the night wind.

  The rivers and mountains are like this, so many taboos, I'm speechless... Vote for me!