Chapter 49: Unable to Lead a Team, Only Able to Work Until Death

Actually, helping people grind things is indeed not profitable.

But it does earn some reputation.

People carrying food come from afar, and when they pass by, they often trade food for other things nearby.

The first mill is given to others to use, while the second and third are entirely Du Shanü's own mills.

A steady stream of mountain folk deliver goods—not only acorns, but also kudzu root, Chinese yam, coix seed, tea seeds, tung seeds, and so on, even clay and lime powder, all being ground with full horsepower.

In the far-southern lands, where miasma and humidity abound, kudzu root is washed and water-ground into powder; mixing it with hot water yields crystal-clear kudzu starch soup.

After grinding Chinese yam into powder, it can be mixed into rice porridge to nourish the elderly and children, and it's also an excellent ingredient for farmhouse rice cakes—soft, sticky, and sweet.

Not only that, water milling can grind hard tea seeds into a fine slurry, a key step in extracting tea oil, which villagers need for cooking and lighting, and is also a tonic for postpartum recovery.

After grinding tung seeds into powder and pressing out tung oil, it becomes the best coating for rural folk to paint wooden barrels, repair boat seams, and treat farm tools—resistant to moisture and corrosion, with a huge market.

Clay mixed with water and ground into a fine slurry, when fired produces pots that resist cracking; as for lime, it hardly needs saying—it's almost a magic cure, capable of removing bitterness from brine, enriching soil, and treating skin ailments like scabies, ulcers, warts, burns, etc., when applied externally.

These goods, if sold at the market with labor added, would surely be expensive, but buying them directly at the mill is quite economical.

Du Shanü's establishment of three mills actually reveals her ambition——

She knows full well that, though now in the far south untouched by war, it's no longer the case that, as at the dynasty's founding, commoners could simply fill their bellies and live in peace.

Today's commoners are both willing and able to create novelties that improve their quality of life.

But she can't help conjuring up all sorts of novelties; the most popular remains the spicy-sour noodles she hastily invented as a substitute for cooling jelly.

That's why the second mill never stops making noodles.

When more buyers come, the grain obtained through trade naturally increases, right?

Now the mill and warehouse are full of grain; seeing that they can hardly hold any more, Ouyang Yan naturally rushes to ask, but Du Shanü replies lightly, muttering:

"Truly worthy of Guangxi—people here are born with a love for spice; it seems we must figure out how to make snail rice noodles."

Guangxi, snail rice noodles.

That was a perfect match in my past life!

Du Shanü's head is full of strange new ideas; Ouyang Yan sees that his words aren't being heard, so he asks again:

"...... Wife Master, did you hear me? What should we do about our storehouse being full?"

That repeated cry of "Wife Master" sent a fine layer of gooseflesh up Du Shanü's back.

Du Shanü was forced to snap out of it, and replied calmly:

"Then we just need to think of another place to store grain; these grains are very useful to me, so I definitely need to keep them."

Du Shanü only answered up to that point, whereupon Ouyang Yan was startled:

"Then, what about that place? You're not expecting me to think of it, are you?"

Earlier you said he was in charge of the accounts, but you never said he also had to handle these things!!

Isn't it supposed that, at Du Shanü's command, he'd just find a way to get the work done?

Ouyang Yan's face was full of shock, while Du Shanü remained calm:

"Of course it's you who should think; otherwise, what would I have you do?"

"Not only should you think, but you must also calculate the costs—whether digging a cellar or rebuilding a house for storage is more economical, the pros and cons of each, whether the grain will dampen or spoil over time, and if so, how much loss—all of this needs to be worked out meticulously."

"Some things you need to have a plan for, rather than coming to me empty-handed asking the stupid question 'What should we do when the storehouse is full?'"

Ouyang Yan was utterly stunned; Du Shanü paused a few breaths, then continued:

"There are many accountants in the world, and many who are good at the abacus, but famous ones are few...... because most people can only calculate present profit and loss, they cannot plan for the long term."

Du Shanü has no interest in the accountants one sees everywhere.

What she wants to cultivate is someone who can help at crucial moments—a 【Chief Financial Officer】.

Money is important—this everyone knows.

But few realize that, compared with spears and cavalry, it is silver money that truly forms the foundation of a nation's vital lifeline.

A person skilled in monetary arts can even, by monopolizing industry and commerce, raise sufficient funds, suppress annexation, and even go so far as to control a region, shaking the dynasty......

If such a person is also sufficiently sharp, they can even be useful in deploying troops and arranging battle formations.

For example, one person's daily food ration is one to one and a half catties; knowing how many days one's own grain stores will last, and how to calculate accordingly to succeed.

For example, based on the number of stoves left behind after the enemy withdraws, one can judge whether their claim of a hundred thousand troops is true or how many they actually have.

Being good with the abacus is merely the threshold of this path, not its peak.

Du Shanü's personal energy is limited; she cannot oversee every trifling matter.

When others settle things and place them before her, she makes the decision—that is what she ought to do.

Not to spend today nagging others for a few missing coins, tomorrow worrying whether her husband has changed his heart, and the day after that squabbling with wicked in-laws......

Vast lands do not produce narrow-minded offspring.

Du Shanü always feels she has more important things to do.

Ouyang Yan opened his mouth, seemingly finally realizing that such trifles cannot attract Du Shanü's attention.

He hesitated a moment, then finally replied:

"I understand, Wife Master—go ahead and do what you want; I'll take charge of the money-making ventures."

"We will strive harder to proclaim your status as Wife Master, but since we've openly denied it several times, lately few people in the mill talk about it......"

Du Shanü gave him a glance; Ouyang Yan understood it as her displeasure at his hesitation, and quickly said:

"How about we think of another way and add some fire?"

"I'll go find a drunkard and cause a scene in the county town's restaurants and tea houses......"

That is the most straightforward and effective method.

However, it always seems to fall just short of the right flavor.

Du Shanü pondered a few breaths, then finally lowered her voice to give Ouyang Yan a few instructions.

The shock on Ouyang Yan's face had just faded a little when he immediately fell into even greater shock:

"Is this, this not okay?"

"What if the Deposed Crown Prince comes looking for trouble? Although he is the elder brother of Emperor Taizong, Taizong died in his prime, so he isn't that old now; he's surely still in hiding..."

Doing this for no reason is truly improper!

Du Shanü remained silent, merely gazing silently at the other.

After just two breaths, Ouyang Yan yielded:

"Do it! Do it!"

"I truly provoked a calamity in my past life, running into you and a fool like Chinu..."

"What's wrong with me?"

A cold, yin-tinged voice pierced straight through Du Shanü and Ouyang Yan.

At that instant, both clearly saw the panic on each other's faces: (? `Д′)!!

I told you earlier not to say 'Chinu is here!'

Look, look, look, look——Chinu really has come!!!

Ouyang Yan turned and ran without looking back; Du Shanü was a step late, her path blocked, and she had no choice but to force a smile and say:

"Good slave, how's your mood today...... no no no, why didn't you go guard Yu Baobao?"

Chinu strode over with long legs, his steps swift, but his long sleeves brushed the autumn wind without making a sound, like a ghost that does not exist in this world.

He stood before Du Shanü, his dark eyes deep:

"Chen Weifang has sent me to tell you...... if you still intend to seek him as an official, he can bring his family's estate to join you."

?? has arrived! This model worker indeed still caught up with the update......