Chapter 416: Chapter 403: Bad Premonition

Chu Jinnian glanced side-on at Chu Jinzhou sitting next to him.

Chu Jinzhou ducked behind him, made a grimace, flashed the countless little turtles on the back of his hand, then droopily lowered his head in a dispirited manner.

He was indeed afraid of losing.

But, that didn’t matter, he still had his older brother.

Chu Jinnian set his wine cup down on the table, and looked lazily at Fan Wenxuan. “How could we?” he replied.

Damn, it seemed some people were going to enter the game.

The smirk, full of provocation from just now, froze upon Fan Wenxuan’s face.

Even though he was a highly educated scholar, Chu Jinnian was an individual who never forgets things once seen and there was truly no way of knowing what else he was capable of.

If they really started playing ‘Feihua Order’, Fan Wenxuan wasn’t confident he could win.

Eying the pot of vintage Royal wine on the table, Fan Wenxuan swallowed, chuckled, and said, “The osmanthus wine of Your Highness seems quite amazing. Perhaps this old man might get a taste of it too?”

Osmanthus wine was faintly sweet and light, unlike the fiery hard liquors, it didn’t make one drunk easily. If he lost and got drunk that would be too humiliating, wouldn’t it?

“If Mr. Fan fancies it, he can help himself.” Chu Jinnian squinted and smiled in reply.

Damn!

Why was there a sense of foreboding?

Fan Wenxuan’s heart sinked.

Half an hour later…

“Support me, I can still… burp… drink!”

“Eldest Young Master, don’t go. Another round, I can’t believe I… can’t beat you…”

“Burp!”

Halfway through, as he was holding the wobbling, unsteady, hiccupping Fan Wenxuan who was unable to stand still, Banqing looked up helplessly at the sky.

No wonder Eldest Young Master had agreed so readily when Mr. Fan asked for the wine. So he knew that even this Osmanthus wine could knock Mr. Fan off his feet…

—-

Once the 15th was over and the festive atmosphere faded, people returned to their busy lives.

Zhuang Qingning was the most representative of such people.

Keeping an eye on the village workshop, checking out the town shops, making a trip to country town to look at the current situation of Cheng’s, and fitting in a visit to Miao Village to see the condition of the sweet potato glass noodles workshop.

This workshop was one that Zhuang Qingning’s involvement had been relatively less in. From the beginning, she almost handed the task of managing the workshop to Miao Hongjin. As for whether Miao Hongjin could manage this workshop well, Zhuang Qingning was genuinely unsure.

Especially during this time, she didn’t have a chance to look at the sweet potato glass noodle workshop, so by the time she finally went there this time, it had already been over a dozen days since her last visit.

But once she was back in the sweet potato glass noodle workshop, Zhuang Qingning’s previously weak heart was immediately at peace.

The workshop was exactly how it was when she first set it up, where everyone had their own responsibilities and worked orderly.

In fact, compared to when it was just established, the operation process had been even more seamlessly integrated and everyone was even more adept at working together.

“Miss Zhuang, have a look at these new noodles?” Miao Hongjin offered her some of the just-made sweet potato glass noodles, meant for bundling and storage, to observe.

“The texture and appearance are all excellent.” After scrutinizing and even tasting half a strand of the noodle, Zhuang Qingning smiled and said, “Village Chief Miao manages this workshop very well.”

“Oh, not at all.” Miao Hongjin quickly dismissed, “All credit goes to Miss Zhuang’s good idea.”

“People bought silver stocks, so when they work, they feel like they are working for themselves. The more and better they do, the more money they earn. That is why everyone is very dedicated and hardworking. Plus, with so many eyes watching, nobody dares to be idle.”

“Yesterday, someone from Cheng’s store came and said that they plan to sell goods in the provincial city and asked us to work harder to produce more. If the sales are good in the city, there will be a huge increase in the amount they need.”

“Doesn’t that mean there won’t be enough sweet potatoes later?” Zhuang Qingning laughed lightly, “We’ll have to ask everyone to plant more sweet potatoes.”

The soil here was most suitable for planting sweet potatoes but could only grow sweet potatoes.

However, because sweet potatoes, despite their high yield, were very cheap, a lot of people were trying their best to plant other crops. Even some people just let the earth sit idle. But now that the workshop was opened and the demand for sweet potatoes had increased dramatically, enough sweet potatoes has to be supplied to ensure the production volume of the workshop.

“I don’t even need to say anything. A lot of people have already started making plans.” Miao Hongjin chuckled, “Sweet potatoes can be sold and the price is reasonable. One doesn’t need to go far. Instead, one can make money in front of one’s own house, which is much better than going out to work and not coming home.”

“In the last few days, I have seen many people cleaning up their fields. Weeds are removed and fields are cultivated in preparation for spring sweet potato planting.”

The sweet potatoes produced will supply the workshop. The abundant raw materials in the workshop make processing the glass noodles more efficient. If the workshop does well, it will need more sweet potatoes, which will encourage villagers to work harder and plant even more sweet potatoes.

This is a very good cycle, which has made Miao Village, which used to be poor due to its farming, become more prosperous.

All the villagers understood this principle, and everyone felt that they could live a better life in the future.

Just now, when the first batch of wages had just been distributed and the dividends had not been issued yet, everyone had already been grinning from ear to ear.

Zhuang Qingning saw the changes in Miao Village and was very relieved.

The whole village was getting better because of this, and she suddenly felt a strong sense of achievement as one of the founders of the workshop.

Seeing Zhuang Qingning’s eyes squinting happily, Miao Hongjin had a big smile on his face, and looked at Zhuang Qingning with more respect and gratitude.

After all, to Miao Village, Zhuang Qingning was their benefactor.

“The workshop is doing well, and people in the village are happy. But no matter how well things are going, we should always be careful and conscientious,” reminded Zhuang Qingning.

Making money is good, but after making money, people tend to relax a bit, and they may not be as careful and meticulous in their work as before.

If they become complacent and careless, the quality of the sweet potato noodles may drop, which will affect the reputation of the entire workshop.

In addition, this workshop belongs to Miao Village, but there are not only Miao Village around.

Before, everyone was equally poor, everyone felt about the same. I don’t laugh at your patched clothes, you don’t laugh at me eating coarse cornbread. But if suddenly one of them started eating white steamed buns in a group of people who had only been eating black noodle steamed buns.

This is just like when someone suddenly handed in their paper early during an exam. The remaining people would immediately become nervous.