Chapter 538: Needing Their Clerks
Get a glimpse of "The Great Ming in the Box" Chapter 533: After touring around the steel factory, Qiu Qianfan felt his brain wasnât working well enough.âYou... Continue the adventure now!
After touring around the steel factory, Qiu Qianfan felt his brain wasnât working well enough.âYou really treat the workers far too well.â
He couldnât help exclaiming:
âFeeding workers so lavishly, how could there be enough grain?â
Gao Yiye smiled:
âWe have fertilizer that increases food yield. Thatâs something Mr. Qiu already knows.â
Qiu Qianfan nodded:
âBut earlier, the meat⌠that meatâŚâ
Gao Yiye smiled:
âMeat is still slightly scarce, so the woman was scoop-shaking just now. Thatâs due to the meat shortage.â
Qiu Qianfan questioned:
âEven with scoop-shaking, your meat quantity is absurdly high. How is this possible?â
Gao Yiye proposed:
âThen Iâll have to invite Mr. Qiu to visit the chicken farms and pig farm. Those places are filthy and smelly thoughâI worry Mr. Qiu may be uncomfortable.â
Qiu Qianfan declared:
âIf someone as lofty as Madam Li can endure it, this official wonât shy away.â
Gao Yiye confirmed:
âThose are your own words. Then this afternoon, we shall visit the chicken and pig farming areas.â
She led Qiu Qianfan westward toward the ancient ferry dock.
Still two li from the dock town, a new settlement emerged. Before entering it, a breeze carried an unfamiliar stenchâlikely chicken manureâcausing some nausea.
Qiu Qianfan, a scholar, couldnât bear this. He hastily covered his nose.
He nearly recoiled, but his earlier bold claims made retreat disgraceful. He steeled himself and followed.
Soon, they arrived before the Yongji chicken farms building. Pinching his nose and entering, he froze in surprise.
Chickens were caged hereâpens made of wood and bamboo sticks stacked layer upon layer. Each held multiple birds in small compartments.
Qiu Qianfan marveled:
âThey stay caged? Never roam?â
âExactly!â Gao Yiye confirmed.
âThis method simplifies large-scale rearing. Plus, many eggs are harvested.â
Qiu Qianfan wondered:
âAnd pigs? Same approach?â
Gao Yiye clarified:
âPigs are trickier. Pens canât be too small or stacked. Thatâs why meat remains scarce.
But once the farm runs smoother, shortages will ease.â
Pinching his nose, Qiu Qianfan toured the pig farm. Rows upon rows of pens held countless plump hogs.
He sighed inwardly:
Just a few factories overwhelmed himâand the Li Family held cement factories, glazed glass factories, textile factories, paper mills tooâŚ
Chaotic equipment formed settlements encircling Puzhou City, like the Full Sky Star embracing the moon.
Qiu Qianfan knew: visiting all factories would reveal still greater marvels and confusion.
Such extravagance!
âHmph. This official is under immense pressure,â he turned to his Clerkâa top-calibre talent from Shaoxing.
âManaging Puzhou seems beyond me alone.â
Yet upon meeting Qiu Qianfanâs glance, the Clerk looked uneasy:
âDong Weng, Puzhouâs scale now⌠my abilitiesâŚ
Dong Weng truly needs two or three more Clerks to manage this.â
Qiu Qianfan:
Soâa Clerk squad was necessary?
The Clerk murmured:
âSir, recruit Clerks from their ranks.
New technologies baffle conventional Clerksâeven hired, theyâd fail Dong Weng.â
Qiu Qianfan blinked:
âFrom them?â
At that moment, a young man appeared at the pig farm entrance.
He recognized Gao Yiye and waved warmly:
âAh, DeitâahemâMadam Li! Why are you here?â
Gao Yiye turned and smiled:
âChen Yuanbo! What brings you to Shanxi?â
Indeed, Gaojia Villageâs first middle school graduate was here seeking opportunitiesâand had been touring local farms.
Former classmates, they knew each other well.
Chen Yuanbo summarized recent events and shrugged:
âI havenât found suitable work yet. Ah! I shouldâve attempted the Provincial Governorâs Clerk role.â
Gao Yiye shook her head, smiling:
âI advise against it. Xiâan is too tangled. Ancient environments stifle talents like yours.â
The speaker was casual; the listener intent.
Qiu Qianfan rushed forward eagerly:
âThis⌠Mr. Chen! Wu Shen and Shi Kefa recommended you as Clerk for the Provincial Governor of Shaanxi?â
âExactly!â Chen Yuanbo admitted.
âBut it seemed archaicânothing for me there. So I refused.â
Qiu Qianfan glowed with hope:
âWould my humble office deserve your service?â
Gao Yiye brightened instantly:
âOh!â
Chen Yuanbo also murmured, âOh?â and pondered.
Unlike Xiâan, Gaojia Village ran Puzhouâs factoriesâa nascent climate embracing progress.
Here, his learning could shine.
Though Governor of Puzhou ranked below Provincial Governor, that mattered not.
Suddenly, the Deity embroidered on Chen Yuanboâs chest seemed to grinâits cotton-thread smile broad and joyful.
Chen Yuanbo decided at once. He saluted Qiu Qianfan:
âI accept this appointment.â
Qiu Qianfan joyed:
âThen I entrust it to you, sir.â
So began Gaojia Village maiden middle school graduateâs glorious âinfiltrationâ behind enemy lines.
One Clerk and one graduate couldnât manage Gaojia Villageâs monumental spread anyway.
Qiu Qianfan needed more handsâand Chen Yuanbo would dispatch younger generations to aid Puzhouâs governance.
Thus Puzhou City became Gaojia Villageâs first large-scale military-controlled territory, trialing systems and developments step by step.
The tour delighted all that day.
As Qiu Qianfanâs group returned to Puzhou City, twilight draped the sky.
Foolishly avoiding the canteen earlier, his stomach now grumbledâthe sole hungry man among satiated companions.
After pondering, he announced:
âLetâs dine at the brothel. We eat while hearing the hot new songstressâs âKoi CopyââI rather enjoy it.â