Chapter Thirteen: Going Through the Motions

  But what's surprising is that the shouting and killing shocked Peng Jian, the chief of the Baiyadong Longguan clan. When he heard the report, he was shocked and worried about the survival prospects of his people. Peng Jian had taken over as the chief of the Baiyadong Longguan clan more than 40 years ago, and it had been over a decade since then. Recently, however, things had not been going well for them. Two years ago, they had clashed with the Sainan Longguan clan over a medicinal herb harvesting area, resulting in attacks on both sides. The Baiyadong Longguan clan had suffered greatly due to their inferior numbers - they only had around 1,000 able-bodied men, while the Sainan Longguan clan had over 3,000. A year ago, fearing that the Sainan Longguan clan would wipe them out, they had relocated from their original valley to a place far away from the Sainan Longguan clan. Unfortunately, now another group of Han people had arrived, and although there were only around 100 of them, Peng Jian knew that it wouldn't be difficult for the Han people to gather an army of tens of thousands in an instant. Moreover, they had advanced weapons, while the Baiyadong Longguan clan was severely lacking in iron, with even their arrowheads still made of bone. Peng Jian couldn't think of a solution and decided to convene a meeting with the elders of the tribe to discuss what to do.

  The elders of the tribe also looked worried after hearing Peng Jian's words. The Han people hadn't come to this place for hundreds of years, what were they doing here this time? After discussing back and forth, they couldn't figure out a reason. In the end, they formed a unanimous view: wait and see how things develop.

  Observing the changes, to put it nicely, is to remain unchanged in response to all changes, and to put it harshly, is to sit and wait for death. But they also didn't have a good solution, so they could only order a few people to keep an eye on these Koreans, in case they suddenly came to attack.

  Lin Dehai, Lin Deshao and Guo Mingyan were worried these days: with the wood being transported to Qingjiangkou continuously, Lin Chunhong also paid out the performance wages for the first time according to the original rules. Although the three of them had learned arithmetic for several months, they still couldn't handle this complex calculation and ended up staring blankly at a large amount of money, not knowing what to do. The workers below were noisy and urged to pay their wages. Having no choice, Lin Chunhong asked Lin Dehai and the others to provide information about each person's work efficiency and attitude, and asked Zheng Tiancheng to help them calculate the wages. He also ordered the three of them to learn how to calculate wages from Zheng Tiancheng before next month, otherwise they would be fired as team leaders. The three of them were determined to study hard, but unfortunately, their foundation was too weak, which made Zheng Tiancheng extremely frustrated. Lin Chunhong secretly smiled to himself.

  Linde Hai's three people were tortured, of course, they were not happy in their hearts, and also ordered the nine group leaders below to learn how to calculate wages. As a result, the number of suffering people increased to twelve, and every day they silently recited multiplication tables such as 9 x 9 = 81, making everyone laugh. Of course, among the workers, there were also some kind-hearted people who secretly studied arithmetic, striving for better development opportunities, which was exactly what Lin Chunhong was happy to see.

  These people have truly experienced a different life in just a few months. Before, they would work from dawn till dusk with very little interaction with others and rarely saw anyone else. Now, everyone is part of a collective, coming from different places, and often chat with each other during their free time, broadening their horizons. Previously, they never thought arithmetic was particularly useful, but now that they deal with it every day, they feel their thinking has become much clearer. After all, everyone needs to calculate how much money they can get this month in order to plan their lives. Before, no one practiced killing techniques, but now following Zhou Wang's daily training, they feel their courage has increased significantly, and some even think about seeking revenge against those who bullied them when they return. Unbeknownst to them, over 80 people are undergoing a transformation, and in the process, everyone is identifying with this group, but the basis of this identification is that this group allows them to live with more dignity and have a better life.

  For Lin Chunhong, the creator of their fortune, they also have a deep respect. This respect not only comes from the fact that they provided a way for everyone to make money, but also from Lin's own martial arts skills and fair handling of affairs, never favoring anyone, and also from the fair distribution of wages, where those who work more get paid more. Unconsciously, some people even began to idolize Lin Chunhong. After all, Lin was both literary and martial, stable and young, making him a natural idol for young people.

  There were also contradictions within this group, but these contradictions were not fundamental conflicts of interest and were easy to mediate. After a quarrel, even a fight broke out, under the mediation of Lin Chunhong and Zhou Wang, they sat together again the next day to boast and eat. What they didn't know was that as their horizons broadened, everyone's minds also unconsciously broadened.

  In mid-February, the spring rain arrived on schedule, making it unbearable for the people working in the dense forest. It was not only slippery but also very cold, and getting caught in the rain made it easy to catch a cold if one wasn't careful. Lin Chunhong decided to transport the felled trees out of the mountain and sell them outside, rather than continuing to fell more trees. However, Lin Chunhong underestimated the enthusiasm of the workers for two months, as they had already felled nearly three thousand trees, which was not easy to transport out completely. But the workers' enthusiasm was even higher, after all, transporting one tree meant earning wages for one tree. The spring rain did not extinguish everyone's enthusiasm but instead made them see the hope of harvest. Everyone used ropes to pull, pulleys to lift, and for trees that could not be moved with pulleys, they used winches. In short, tree by tree was pulled to Qingjiangkou, where Zheng Tiancheng registered them, then tied into rafts, waiting to be transported back to Yiling or Jingzhou. Some merchants with keen senses of smell even personally rushed to Qingjiangkou, negotiated prices, and fixed the number of purchases. All this was handled by Zheng Tiancheng, while Lin Chunhong became a shopkeeper who occasionally worked with workers, chatted with them, helped Zhou Wang train workers, helped Zheng Tiancheng keep accounts, and negotiated with merchants, and days passed like this.

  Xiao Dai Zi, being clever, was arranged by Lin Chun Hong to help Zheng Tian Cheng and also learn from him about accounting and doing business. One day, Xiao Dai Zi saw Lin Chun Hong mention that he would arrange some people to transport the wooden rafts back to the city for sale in a few days, so he said: "Lin San Ge, if you specifically arrange some people to escort the wooden rafts for sale, it will save more time."

  Lin Chunhong pointed with his finger at Xiao Dazi and smiled: "This method is not bad, this time back to directly hire some people to come over specifically to transport wood, set up a transportation team!"

  Zheng Tiancheng said, "This guy has a lot of tricks up his sleeve. That day, the wood that was delivered was particularly numerous, and Xiao Dai and I were jumping around measuring with a tape measure, getting quite tired. As a result, this guy made two wooden rulers, marked with one foot, two feet, three feet, and when measuring, he just stretched it out to compare, and we didn't have to jump around anymore."

  Lin Chunhong said: "This kid is not bad, Tian Cheng you'd better take care of him."

  Xiao Dai was so embarrassed that he just smiled foolishly and couldn't say a word.

  Lin Chunhong said: "In a few days, I and Tian Cheng will transport the wooden rafts to Jingzhou. The things here will be left to you alone. Can you do it well?"

  Xiao Dai Zi was a bit nervous and stammered: "I don't know, only when Cheng Ge is around can I feel at ease."

  "It's okay, I trust you, just do it well and don't be afraid of making mistakes, I'm here. But if something happens because you're not careful, you'll be in trouble when you get back." Lin Chunhong said seriously.

  Xiao Dai nodded desperately.

  Lin Chunhong designated Zhou Wang to be in charge here, and then he took the selected ten people to escort the five giant rafts downstream, rushing towards Jingzhou.

  Within two days, they arrived in Jingzhou and delivered the wood to the merchants who had already placed orders. They sold it for over 1,000 taels of silver. Selling wood was not a problem since they had already received orders, but what really troubled Lin Chunhong and Zheng Tiancheng was how to buy iron and weapons. Lin Chunhong regretted that he had boasted too much earlier, thinking that the promise could not be fulfilled, and his heart was filled with anxiety.