Chapter 101 Propaganda
Two days later, Carpenter Liu's waterwheel was ready.
All the parts were tied together and Qin Yao could carry it by herself.
There were two remaining pillars used as bearings. Carpenter Liu and his nephew each took one, and the three of them came to Xiahe Village at the agreed time to assemble the water mill.
The roof of the mill has been built. The Xiahe Village people are numerous and strong, so they put it up quickly. The walls on all four sides are made of bamboo, and the roof is covered with thick thatch. A wooden board is nailed to the thatch, so it is not afraid of strong winds.
Qin Yao and Carpenter Liu spent a whole day to complete the assembly, and another day on debugging and testing, and the completion time was two days ahead of the scheduled half month.
The effect is very good. The river channel flowing into the pond has been treated and wooden boards can be inserted to block the water flow, thus completely stopping the water mill.
When needed, the water baffle is lifted up to let water flow in. The rushing river water rushes into the ditch and hits the fan blades of the horizontal waterwheel with great force, causing the entire waterwheel to rotate rapidly.
In the mill room, two water mills can rotate at the same time. When not needed, the rotating shaft under one of the water mills can be removed and only one can be used.
The stone mill was placed separately in the corner of the mill, using a small waterwheel next to the large waterwheel.
This is a combination of large and small water wheels, which will make the speed of the stone roller half as slow as that of the stone mill, making it more convenient to use and preventing people from being accidentally crushed and injured.
But no matter how slow it is, it is still faster than human power.
On the day when the water mill officially started operation, many villagers from several nearby villages came to watch.
The villagers of Xiahe Village brought old wheat from their homes, and after using it a few times, they simply couldn't put it down.
Because it was a water mill shared by the whole village, the villagers whose turn it was first did not think to give way to others when their time was almost up. Some of them got so impatient that they almost had an argument.
However, Qin Yao was not responsible for these matters. She was only responsible for the final payment. The rest of the matters would be arranged by the village chief of Xiahe Village.
Wang Yu took her and Carpenter Liu home. Because the water mill was so comfortable to use, he readily paid the remaining ten taels of silver.
Qin Yao asked him to bring paper and pen, and left a simple manual for daily repairs.
Because she couldn't write calligraphy, she dictated and Wang Yu wrote it for her.
Wang Yu didn't expect that this water mill also provided after-sales service. He smiled at Qin Yao with gratitude and carefully wrote down the formula she said.
Qin Yao instructed: "Although I have taught the two carpenters in your village how to perform daily maintenance and repairs, please write it down so that the villagers can see it for themselves. It is a shared item and requires everyone to take care of it together in order to use it for a long time."
Wang Yu nodded repeatedly, "That's right, Madam Qin, don't worry, I will tell the villagers to be careful when using it."
"Well, if there are any problems that cannot be solved, you can always come to Liujia Village to find Carpenter Liu or me. The first three months will be free of charge for after-sales service." Qin Yao said with a smile.
Wang Yu agreed, feeling that the fifteen taels of silver were well worth it.
After settling the money, Qin Yao and Carpenter Liu were not in a hurry to go back. Wang Yu also happened to be going to the water mill to see what was new, so the three of them went together.
When we arrived outside the water mill, the villagers of Xiahe Village had already admired it from house to house and were now enjoying the envy and compliments of villagers from other villages.
Wang Yu nodded to the two of them and went forward to get busy. He had to teach the villagers some precautions to avoid damaging the equipment.
Carpenter Liu and Qin Yao looked at each other, then separated and went into the crowd to promote the water mill to people from other villages.
"There are large and small water mills. The big ones are not expensive, and the small ones are also very affordable. They can be used by individuals, or the whole village can pool funds to build one. It frees up hands and improves efficiency."
"Let's not just envy Xiahe Village. If we feel like it, we should take action. The autumn harvest is coming soon. We should hurry up and build one. Then we will have a much easier time."
Qin Yao's voice was not loud, but it had an inexplicable attraction that made people want to listen.
Seeing that everyone's eyes were on her, she continued:
"Small water wheels are very cheap. One water wheel can be used for several years. If you take good care of it, it can be used for more than ten years. It costs less than one cent a day, which is almost free if you round it up!"
"If there's a grain store, instead of spending money to hire workers to grind grain, why don't we build a water mill ourselves? It will pay for itself in a year. Whether you grind it yourself or help others grind it, it's pure profit!"
Of course, after talking about the advantages, we have to mention the disadvantages as well.
"But no matter how good this water mill is, it won't work without water. Everyone should consider the situation. Don't buy a water wheel and a stone mill impulsively, and then find that they can't be used. We won't return them if you do that."
Ordinary people like to hear such honest words. Besides, Qin Yao and Carpenter Liu are both from nearby villages, not those unscrupulous businessmen from outside, so their favorability towards them increases rapidly.
After a while, seven or eight people came over to ask for details and inquire about the price.
"The small ones are one or two taels, and the big ones are ten or twenty taels. It depends on the needs of the big ones. We don't blindly pursue big ones. As long as they are suitable, it's fine."
This price instantly discouraged many people.
But Qin Yao was not in a hurry, only because they had never used it before. Once they had used it, they would definitely be inseparable from it.
Human nature is to tend towards enjoyment, and the human-powered stone mill is against human nature. Once it is possible to satisfy the laziness of human nature by paying a little money, even the stingy farmers will be corrupted.
The villagers from various villages stayed in Xiahe Village until the evening. Qin Yao and Carpenter Liu spoke until they were hoarse in promoting the water mill. They did not leave until the villagers dispersed.
"Have you got the order?" Qin Yao asked Carpenter Liu.
Carpenter Liu shook his head, but he found several potential customers.
Qin Yao was the same. One of them was running a small grain business. When he went back and did the math, he would find out how profitable the water mill was, so the two were not in a hurry.
Qin Yao took out the silver and divided the money with Carpenter Liu on the way.
The two of them each paid half. Previously, Carpenter Liu had taken three taels of silver in advance to buy the wood, so this time Qin Yao only gave him four taels and five cents of silver.
As for how much wages he would pay his nephew and how much he would have left in the end, Qin Yao didn't care.
She counted her own money. Excluding the 840 coins she gave to Liu Bo and his three brothers, the remaining 6 taels, 6 coins and 60 coins were all hers.
Including her savings and the thirty cents in compensation that Liu Ji got from Liu Facai, she now had fifteen taels and two cents of silver in her hand!
Qin Yao's lips curled up. She had enough money to pay for Liu Ji's tuition this year, the family's living expenses, and the tuition for the four children to attend the clan school next year.
But this is still a long way from her ideal of a well-off life.
After all, you won't be in a hurry unless you have your own land.
Renting land is not a long-term solution. Qin Yao planned to buy a few acres of good land once she had more money.
Here, land has a high liquidity and is hard currency. If you earn one acre at a time, you can save up your family fortune.
Thinking of the bright future, Qin Yao walked home with more and more light steps.
(End of this chapter)