Wild animals are several times more sensitive to danger than humans.
“That does make sense.” After hearing Lu Qing’s explanation, many villagers felt it was quite reasonable.
“Kid, you’re really lucky with food,” someone said enviously.
“It’s not just me who’s lucky—everyone is,” Lu Qing replied.
“What do you mean by that?” someone caught the deeper meaning in his words.
“I plan to build a brick factory. I’ll need workers—thirty people. One copper coin a day and two meals provided. And this is the food!” Lu Qing patted the game he had hunted.
To people who lived off wild greens, wild game was a luxury like a mountain delicacy. Lu Qing was sure no one would refuse such a deal.
“Huh?”
“Lu Qing, are you serious?”
His words dropped like a bomb among the villagers. The crowd surrounding him in Manglong Village immediately came to life, their eyes glowing as they looked at him.
“Of course I’m serious,” Lu Qing said with a calm smile.
“Lu Qing, you have to pick me! We grew up together. I may not have other talents, but I can work hard!” someone rushed up eagerly.
In no time, Lu Qing was completely surrounded by villagers.
He didn’t know what to do for a moment.
“Everyone, calm down! I’m only choosing thirty people for now, but I’ll be hiring more later,” Lu Qing tried to soothe them.
Two meals and one copper coin a day—for the people of Manglong Village, it was like dreaming of meat pies falling from the sky. No one was willing to back down.
Lu Qing led a huge crowd back to his home, making Han Qiuniang and the other three wives jump in surprise.
“Lu Qing, we’re friends, right? You’ve got to choose me!”
“Lu Qing, I may not have much else, but I, Zhao Tiezhu, can work!”
“Pick me!”
“Pick me too!”
Everyone started enthusiastically promoting themselves. Lu Qing was quickly overwhelmed.
“Quiet down, everyone!” Lu Qing raised his hand to settle the crowd.
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“Aunt Zhang!”
Lu Qing saw Aunt Zhang stepping forward.
“I heard you’re hiring workers for one copper coin a day plus two meals. You must not forget your brothers Wu He and Wu Hai!” Aunt Zhang looked at him expectantly.
If Wu He and Wu Hai both got hired, it meant two copper coins and two meals a day for their household.
“Of course,” Lu Qing agreed immediately. Wu He and Wu Hai were diligent workers—definitely among his top choices.
“Wu He!”
“Here!” Wu He stepped forward.
“Brother Qing!”
“Starting now, Wu He will be the team leader for our brick factory construction crew,” Lu Qing said to him. “Pick thirty people for me.”
Lu Qing passed the task to Wu He. As soon as he finished speaking, the crowd swarmed toward Wu He.
Lu Qing breathed a sigh of relief—finally, he could relax a bit.
“Brother Qing, what about me?” Wu Hai looked disappointed. He felt left out for not being chosen.
“You? I’ve got something else planned for you,” Lu Qing said with a smile.
Soon, Wu He selected thirty strong and capable young laborers. Although some people were dissatisfied, there was nothing they could do and had to leave reluctantly.
Lu Qing led Wu He and the thirty selected men to the location he had already chosen.
“Right here. I’ve already drawn up the blueprint. Just follow what I say!” Lu Qing pulled out the plans he had drafted the night before.
“No problem!” Wu He looked at the design with confidence. A brick factory wasn’t some complicated structure. Besides, most rural folks knew a bit about bricklaying.
“I’ll be counting on all of you!” Lu Qing smiled.
Time passed steadily. Wu He led the team in building the brick factory. Lu Qing often went into the mountain forest with Wu Hai to hunt and occasionally went to Luliang County to buy grain.
Wu Hai became like Lu Qing’s shadow. With Wu Hai’s help, Lu Qing felt much more at ease. He also brought Wu Hai along to guard against that scoundrel Sun Magan—just in case Sun tried to ambush him again. With Wu Hai there, they didn’t need to worry about Sun Magan sneaking up.
Ten days passed.
Wu He came to report that the factory construction was finished. Lu Qing personally went to inspect it.
“Not bad!” Lu Qing was genuinely impressed. In a place without machinery, to complete the factory within ten days—he was truly satisfied.
Everyone looked at Lu Qing anxiously, worried he might disband them. Over the past few days, they had all gotten a taste of the good life.
One copper coin a day, two full meals, and even meat with every meal. That was beyond anything they had ever dreamed of. No one wanted to go back home now. Life with Lu Qing felt like living in paradise. When they returned home, they were treated like noblemen.
“Next, we start firing bricks. We’ll need to increase our workforce. We’ll need people to shape bricks, feed the firewood, gather firewood, and carry bricks,” Lu Qing explained the full brick-making process.
“How many people will that take?” Wu He asked.
“Forty,” Lu Qing replied.
“Brother Qing, can I bring my wife?” Zhao Tiezhu asked excitedly. “She can work, and she’s strong too!”
“Sure, but women will mainly be responsible for feeding and collecting firewood. The heavier tasks like shaping bricks and carrying them will be left to the men,” Lu Qing said, assigning roles.
Even the most capable women still had a physical difference compared to men, so that had to be considered.
Soon, the news of Lu Qing hiring again spread. Manglong Village was buzzing with excitement.
Those who hadn’t been chosen the first time and had been envious rushed to Lu Qing’s doorstep.
“Those of you who built the factory, make room and give others a chance,” Lu Qing said to Zhao Tiezhu and the others.
“Huh?” Zhao Tiezhu and the rest were dumbfounded.
“Brother Qing, we don’t just build houses. We can fire bricks too!”
“That’s right!”
“We can do the work just the same!” the construction team members all voiced their willingness to stay on.
Lu Qing smiled. “I know you can handle it, but you still have other tasks ahead. Trust me. Go home and rest for a few days. In a few days, you’ll have new jobs.”
Lu Qing assured the construction team.
“If Brother Qing says so, there must be a reason. We’ll listen to him,” Tian Erwang stepped forward in support.
“I trust Brother Qing too,” Tieniu added.
“Alright then,” Zhao Tiezhu said, reluctantly stepping back from the competition.
Soon, Lu Qing had Wu Hai select a new batch of forty workers.
Those selected beamed with joy. They had envied the factory workers for days, and now it was finally their turn.
Lu Qing divided the forty into four groups of ten. Each group was assigned specific duties, and the tasks rotated every three days.
The next day, Manglong Village’s green brick factory officially began operations.
They started firing bricks.