Chapter 498: Women Hold Up Half the Sky
Chapter 493 of "The Great Ming in the Box" unveils a new twist: Dejectedly defeated in his verbal spar with Gao Yiye, Shi Kefa entered the Gaojia Business... See what happens!
Dejectedly defeated in his verbal spar with Gao Yiye, Shi Kefa entered the Gaojia Business Circle.Hmm?
Ahead stood a building resembling a brothel!
Shi Kefa thought: Only a song from an untarnished courtesan could soothe my wounded heart now.
He staggered toward the entrance but realized it wasnât a brothelâit was a shop selling river food. Wait, not only river food: the place also offered noodles, rice noodles, stir-fries, and all sorts of snacks, quite a diverse menu.
Most astonishingly, the shop had two chefsâone man and one woman!
The man handled river food while the woman juggled far more, preparing the chaotic equipment of snacks. Unafraid of public attention, she wore an apron and headscarf, bustling about the shop, occasionally greeting customers.
Perplexed, Shi Kefa asked the man, âHow come your head chef is a woman?â
The man chuckled, âExactly! My wifeâs remarkable, isnât she? Hahaha!â
Shi Kefa asked, âWhatâs the story here?â
The man grinned, âWe came from Heyang County. Initially, I only sold river food. But after my wife learned cooking skills at a vocational school, we discussed expanding. This shopâs space was too big to waste solely on river food, so we utilized her talents. Now we serve all kinds of dishes upstairs and downstairs. Heh, weâre Gaojia Villageâs largest restaurant!â
Shi Kefa frowned, âBut⌠wonât her appearing in public invite criticism?â
The man laughed again, âCriticism? What nonsense protests! In Gaojia Village, women hold up half the sky. Except for heavy labor, women work in all tradesâespecially textiles. That fieldâs entirely dominated by women now; men canât even squeeze in.â
Shi Kefaâs mind flashed back to his earlier debate about productivity with the Saint Lady. If Gaojia Village mobilizes women into all sectors, productivity would soar, wouldnât it?
He suddenly remembered the thirty thousand elderly, weak, women, and children heâd sent there and hurried to discover their fate.
Rushing back to Gao Yiye, he asked, âSaint Lady, I wish to see those thirty thousand bandit families I delivered.â
She smiled, âPerfect timing, Lord Shi! I was just about to inspect them.â
The initial thousand Shi Kefa brought by train had been sent to Bai Family Fortress. Now the entire thirty thousand were gathered there, awaiting final labor-offender arrangements.
Mass labor-offender processing required Gao Yiyeâs presence for âideological education.â Reform wasnât just physical; mental transformation mattered most.
âJoin me, Lord Shi,â she offered.
âCertainly!â
At Xiâan Prefecture Railway Station, they boarded a small train to Bai Family Fortress.
Upon arrival, they found the thirty thousand bandits ready to enter Huanglong Mountain under the Gaojia Village Militiaâs supervision.
âEnter Huanglong Mountain?â Shi Kefa gasped. âThat bandit-infested wilderness? Is it even habitable?â
Gao Yiye reassured, âRelax, Lord Shi. Bandits there were expelled long ago. Itâs safe now. We built large prisons insideâholding ten thousand labor offenders already. Inspector Wu Shen and Yansui Governor Hong Chengchou both know this.â
Hearing two high officials endorsed it, Shi Kefa agreed to observe.
His one thousand soldiers and the Gaojia Village Militia escorted the thirty thousand elderly and weak, women and children into the mountain. Fearful of perilous paths, the group dreaded the journey.
Yet inside, they discovered smooth cement roads winding gently uphillâeffortlessly walkable even for the frail.
Having trekked the long way from Hequ County through mud and rubble, they stood stunned: Bandit-ridden Huanglong Mountain has better roads than civilized lands?
Equally bewildered, Shi Kefa wondered, Why build such fine roads in this wasteland? Do they plan to develop Huanglong Mountain too?
He guessed exactly right.
Just before a valley, the crowd froze at the sight ahead: factories sprawled across the basin. Though interiors were hidden, outside lay seas of clothâfreshly dyed fabrics drying on racks, transported endlesslyâŚ
An ocean of textiles flooded the valley!
Many had never witnessed such quantities of cloth drying at once.
An oxcart piled with premium cotton cloth creaked pastâeach stitch and thread perfectly even.
A skilled weaver couldnât resist touching it. âImpossible!â she gasped. âHow is every strand so uniform?â
The carter scolded jokingly, âEh! Donât smudge itâwashed your hands? Youâll handle plenty once in the labor camp. Daily work!â
The woman fell silent.
He added, âMachines wove this. Youâll see inside. Make wayâI canât pay if this ox tramples you!â
Pedestrians hastily cleared the path as the cart trundled toward Bai Family Fortress Station.
Cleverer women speculated aloud, âWill they force us to weave cloth in that valley?â
âNah, itâs full,â a Militia Soldier answered. âThe Deityâs preparing you a new valley.â
Hearing âDeity,â the thirty thousand recalled the bridge Heâd granted at Longmen Ferry. Both fear and reverence welled up simultaneously.