Chapter 103 Forget it, I'm at a loss for words
The four of them returned home barefoot with muddy legs, leaving Liu Ji dumbfounded.
"Did you go to take a bath in the mud?" he asked in shock.
The sky had cleared up, and the field mud that was hanging on the calves had dried up and gave off a fishy smell. The four mothers were unaware of the smell and were only excitedly placing the large wooden bathing tub on the ground. One of them scooped water while another lifted a basket and poured it into the tub.
One after another, the plump field fish fell into the basin. The edge of the basin was a little shallow, and some of them almost jumped out. Sanlang and Si Niang were anxious, so they dived in and caught them. Water splashed all over their faces, and they giggled.
Liu Ji was delighted when he saw the basin full of fish. "Where did you catch these fish?"
They thought it was too much trouble and did not buy fish fry and raise them in the fields.
Qin Yao scooped water to wash the mud off her feet, and also washed the four children's straw sandals that were covered with mud.
Dalang and Erlang excitedly told their father that so-and-so's fish were washed down by the water, and they only regretted that they didn't bring enough baskets, otherwise they could have picked up more.
Even a tank of water at home could not wash the five people, mother and children, clean. Qin Yao waved her hand and said, "Let's go to the well to get some water!"
The four children yelled and immediately threw the basket away. Like wild boars out of a cage, they rushed down the hillside barefoot.
There were small ditches on the road washed out by rain, which made crackling sounds when stepped on. It was really fun.
Liu Ji looked at Qin Yao helplessly, "You don't care about it, just let them make such a fuss, what if they catch a cold?"
Qin Yao picked up her two specially made oversized buckets, looked up at the sun that was just above her head, and said with a smile,
"The sun is so strong, if we don't hurry up and play, the water will evaporate in a little while."
If it is steamed dry, there will be no fun, so you should grab it while it is still there.
As he said that, he asked Liu Ji if he wanted to join him for fun. Liu Ji waved his hands vigorously, saying that he had copied too many books and started to talk, "How disrespectful!"
Qin Yao snorted at him, happily stepped on the water barefoot, and shouted to the four kids in front of her:
"The monster is coming to catch the child!"
The four children were so frightened that they looked back hastily, and seeing her rushing towards them, they screamed "Ahhh" and ran towards the village.
The ground was already muddy, and after running like that, I couldn't wear my clothes at all.
In the middle of the day, Liu Ji quietly came to a secluded river bank carrying a large basin of clothes covered with mud. He was so angry that he wanted to bite Qin Yao, the culprit, to death.
What I said before sounded better than singing, something like "wash your own clothes", but what was the result?
After fetching water, Qin Yao packed up the clothes of her mother and four other children and threw them into his arms.
Can he refuse?
Does he dare?
"Alas, only women and villains are difficult to raise."
He was mumbling something, but his hands were moving very skillfully.
The river water after the heavy rain was rushing and clear. Looking up, one could see the mountains in the distance rising up, verdant and majestic, the sky clear and beautiful as a painting.
Forget it, Liu Ji was at a loss for words. He did not embarrass himself at all and lowered his head to continue washing clothes.
Back home, a stranger knocked on the gate.
Qin Yao came out and saw that he looked familiar. "Who are you?"
The man was leading a donkey. He was about thirty years old, had a goatee and was wearing a blue shirt. He could be distinguished from the farmers working in the fields at a glance.
He smiled at Qin Yao and introduced himself, "Madam Qin, I'm the manager Wu from the water mill in Xiahe Village who I asked you about the other day. I'm the manager from the rice shop in town. Do you remember me?"
Qin Yao suddenly realized, "So it's you, have you decided to build a water mill?"
"Please come in quickly. You must have had a hard time coming all the way here. The rain just stopped this morning. The road must be difficult to walk on, right?"
Qin Yao invited him in, but when Manager Wu saw that there was no man in the yard, he did not follow Qin Yao into the main hall and just sat in the yard.
He took the boiled water from Qin Yao, took a big sip, and immediately asked, "I said before that I wanted to build a water mill. I don't need a big waterwheel, just a small waterwheel like the one by the river near your house. I can build three. They are small and don't take up so much space."
"At that time I asked you how much you charged, and you said that a small water truck would cost about two taels. Is that still acceptable?"
Qin Yao nodded. "The waterwheel costs two taels. You can prepare the millstone yourself. I'll charge you one hundred coins for the installation. Isn't that too much?"
"It doesn't include a stone mill?"
Shopkeeper Wu was a little surprised, he thought it was the same price.
Qin Yao pulled a small stool and sat down opposite him, saying helplessly:
"You should know the price of wood. The wood alone will cost more than one tael. And the transportation cost is also a sum of money. We are doing business, so we have to make some money. If I also take over the millstone, then I have worked for nothing."
Shopkeeper Wu sighed, "Any kind of mill will do? I have to find a stone mill myself, that's too much trouble. Give me a total price. I can't come here for nothing. This matter must be settled today!"
Qin Yao signaled him not to be anxious and calculated in her mind what the appropriate charge would be for one millstone.
Since one person comes to the door, there will definitely be a second and a third one later.
If you want convenience, you can get the waterwheel and millstone all included in one price. If you want to save money, you can pay for the waterwheel separately and bring your own millstone.
But Qin Yao thought, why not give the money for the stone mill directly to the villagers instead of giving it to outsiders? They would
follow the market conditions outside, and they would pay for the freight within Kaiyang County, and they would pay for the freight outside Kaiyang County.
"How about this, a small waterwheel set, including installation and delivery within the county, one set costs three taels of silver."
Qin Yao looked embarrassed, as if she was not making any money at all. "A large mill out there costs five or six coins of silver. I really don't make much. If you can accept this, I will come to your place to survey the terrain tomorrow morning."
"If the conditions for building a water mill cannot be reached, forget it."
Shopkeeper Wu quickly did the math in his mind. The three water wheels together cost nine taels of silver, which was comparable to the water mill built in Xiahe Village at fifteen taels of silver. It was still much cheaper.
Of course, there is a reason for the high price. The materials used for the waterwheels in Xiahe Village are better, and the power of the horizontal waterwheel is stronger than that of the vertical waterwheel. It is not affected by the size of the water flow and can be used almost 365 days a year.
Its use will only be affected if the river dries up due to a severe drought that occurs only once in decades.
"Okay, then I'll wait for you at home tomorrow." Manager Wu agreed. He didn't want to use the water mill for himself, but wanted to turn the water mill into a business.
Therefore, we must act early and have a certain scale to seize the opportunity.
Qin Yao raised her eyebrows and suggested, "If you want to open a mill to make money, I think three small water wheels are not enough. If you add another water mill, the audience will be wider."
Shopkeeper Wu laughed unhappily, "Madam Qin, it's still uncertain whether it will succeed or not, but you are so anxious to push the water mill for me. Don't worry, if the water mill can be built, not only one water mill, but also four or five!"
Qin Yao waved her hand and said, come on, no one should make empty promises for anyone else.
Shopkeeper Wu left his home address and went to Qin Yao's water mill to take a look, saying, "This is good, this is good."
Only then did he leave with great anticipation.
(End of this chapter)