Sun Jian was clearly more overbearing than Chen Xiaobei had imagined.
"Alright, alright, don't you tally it up for me. I'll add another hundred taels of silver. What do you say?"
"Yes, of course, that's fine."
Chen Xiaobei reluctantly agreed, "Okay then, I can build it for you, but there's one thing: you can't rush me, can't be impatient. I need to take my time and build it solidly for you."
Hearing this, Sun Jian's face lit up with joy. "No problem, no problem. I'm not in a hurry. Take your time and be careful, make sure nothing goes wrong."
Just as they were talking animatedly, Yang Bo rushed into the four-mu plot of land and said loudly to Yang Zhi, "Brother, brother, I saw Sun Jian."
As soon as they heard that Sun Jian had been spotted, Yang Zhi and the others who were busy in the field stopped what they were doing and turned to look at him.
"Where is Sun Jian?" Yang Zhi waved the hoe in his hand, his expression filled with anger. "Brother Zhi, he, he, he's at the village entrance talking to Chen Xiaobei."
"What did you say? Sun Jian is talking to Chen Xiaobei."
"Yes, yes, they looked like they were having a good chat."
Yang Zhi was a little confused now.
"How did they get together?"
"Second Master, do you think it could be?" Old Man Hu asked tentatively.
Yang Zhi understood what Old Man Hu meant. "Absolutely impossible. There's no way Brother Xiaobei would betray us."
Saying this, Yang Zhi threw down his hoe. "You all wait here, I'm going to take a look."
Lardo was injured and not present, so Yang Zhi was in charge. Old Man Hu and the others were obedient and waited obediently.
By the time Yang Zhi arrived, Sun Jian had already left, leaving behind a large pile of wooden crates.
Seeing Yang Zhi arrive, Chen Xiaobei secretly breathed a sigh of relief. That was close. If he had met Sun Jian, it would have been troublesome.
Yang Zhi pretended that nothing had happened and greeted Chen Xiaobei enthusiastically, "Yo, what treasures have you got here? So many boxes."
Chen Xiaobei knew that building a suspension bridge was a huge undertaking and couldn't be hidden from Yang Zhi and the others. It was better to explain it upfront to avoid future complications. Su Dan Novel Network
"Oh, I just took on a big job. I'm building a suspension bridge in the mountains for someone."
Seeing his honesty, Yang Zhi didn't ask any more questions, only saying with a smile, "That's great. If you need any labor, just let me know. I can't do much else, but I can lend a hand."
After saying that, Yang Zhi turned and left.
His reaction made Chen Xiaobei a little suspicious. He suspected that Yang Zhi had seen Sun Jian long ago but hadn't come over.
But none of that was important. The top priority now was how to allocate manpower and prepare to start work.
He looked at Li Dong, who had a troubled expression. "Brother Xiaobei, I've really never done this kind of work before. Don't make it difficult for me."
Chen Xiaobei smiled. It didn't matter if he hadn't done it before; he had. As the saying goes, "You haven't eaten pork, but you've seen a pig run."
As soon as he thought of a suspension bridge, he pictured it in his mind.
Secure a few steel cables, lay wooden planks for the bridge deck, and add ropes on both sides for railings.
Even though the gorge was over a dozen zhang wide, in his previous life, building such a suspension bridge was not a big deal.
So, the first priority now was to transport all the chains Sun Jian had sent up.
"Brother Li Dong, go and notify each household now. Each chain weighs over a hundred catties. It costs fifty copper coins to transport it to the gorge. You can carry one chain per person, or two people can carry one. Feel free to form teams as you wish."
A hundred catties might seem like a lot now, but for the villagers of Hetou Village, who were used to hard labor, carrying such a weight was not a big deal.
The only challenge for them was the distance to the gorge, which was a bit far and might take a whole day's journey.
But with effort comes reward. If a person carried a chain, they would earn fifty copper coins, which was equivalent to ten days of labor in the city.
For such a good opportunity to earn money, the villagers were naturally very enthusiastic.
Li Dong selected fifty strong and robust villagers from those who had signed up. These were the ones who strongly insisted on carrying a chain by themselves.
He then selected another fifty, who would carry one chain with two people. These were mostly older villagers or women.
Of course, women should also have the opportunity to earn a living.
Chen Xiaobei also gave them some important points to note, and then announced that they would set off at dawn the next day, aiming to reach the destination on the same day and return overnight. Therefore, they needed to prepare some food and water.
In this hot season, food was not the main concern, but water was.
Carrying a hundred catties and walking in the mountains for a day, one could die without water.
Cui Hongyu clearly knew this. As soon as Chen Xiaobei entered the house, she began to remind him.
"Husband, you must bring plenty of water when you go into the mountains tomorrow."
"Alas, no matter how much more I bring, it's still limited." Chen Xiaobei replied, "Other than drinking sparingly, there's no other way."
Just then, Chen Qiaoer, who was beside him, blinked her big eyes and suddenly said, "Brother, brother, I have an idea."
Chen Xiaobei looked at Chen Qiaoer and playfully teased her, "What idea do you have? You're not going to help me carry water, are you!"
Chen Qiaoer pointed to the two large water skins hanging on the wall. "Those are big and can hold a lot."
A word to the wise is sufficient. Chen Xiaobei suddenly grinned.
He was really foolish. Qiaoer was right. The large water skins were used to sell fish before. Now that they sold fish directly using water vats, the water skins were retired and could be used to hold water.
Yes, each water skin could hold dozens of catties of water. Tomorrow, he and Li Dong would each carry a water skin and provide good service to everyone.
Thinking of this, he stepped forward, hugged Chen Qiaoer, and lifted her high. "Qiaoer is right, I forgot about this water skin. It's really suitable for holding water."
The next morning, before dawn, Hetou Village was as lively as a New Year's celebration. People were doing their best. Some carried back baskets, preparing to put the chains in them, while others prepared to tie the chains to themselves with ropes.
Some even came empty-handed, preparing to carry the chains on their shoulders.
Those who carried one chain with two people basically used a stick.
Li Dong and Chen Xiaowen held account books and registered them one by one.
Register one, issue one. Register one, issue one.
Seeing this scene, Chen Xiaobei smiled with relief. Li Dong was quite suited to be a leader. He had thought of all these things without needing to be reminded.
After Li Dong finished registering, Chen Xiaobei pulled him aside.
"You don't have to carry chains today. My family has two large water skins. Let's each carry one to provide water for everyone. I won't shortchange your wages."
Li Dong smiled and waved his hand. "That won't do. We agreed to fifty copper coins for carrying chains. If I carry water skins, you can just give me twenty copper coins for a day's work."
Alright, anyway, brothers don't need to be so detailed. After all, Li Dong was not lacking in a few coppers now.