Chapter 697: All Good Things

Dahong was very certain: "Let's just exchange it all for oil. As long as Huaxia is willing to trade grain for oil, then we can use our grain to exchange for it, but I have only one requirement, and that is that the oil must not be adulterated with water."

As it turned out, this remark of Dahong's about not adulterating the oil with water made the people from the Ministry of Revenue unable to hold back their laughter, and the others were also trying hard to restrain themselves. Dahong was a bit puzzled; had he said something wrong?

Baifeng spoke with a smile: "This requirement of yours is very correct. Contracts should be written exactly like that to ensure that no unexpected situations arise. However, you don't need to worry about the oil at all. Oil cannot be adulterated with water; water and oil cannot mix. As long as water is added, you can tell at a glance. You can take a little oil to test it and see if the oil drops into the water, whether it blends in or floats on top."

"Oh, so that's how it is." Dahong did not feel embarrassed for making a fool of himself. Mainly, this concerned the interests of the entire Xuanyuan Tribe, so he had to take it seriously. Plus, the price of this oil from Huaxia was so low that he almost couldn't believe it. He had even thought that the oil he was getting back this time might be adulterated with water, but since Huaxia said it couldn't be, then there shouldn't be any problem. He also didn't know what else was like water.

Oil is an excellent thing; they had already experienced this. When Xuanyuan went to visit Guangchengzi, he had exchanged for some, and its benefits were praised even by Zhishou. Since Zhishou, this Sage, approved of it, then the others in the Xuanyuan Tribe naturally would not have any objections.

In Xuanyuan's view, rather than giving those elites more grain, it was better to give them some Soybean Oil to eat. Only by eating oil could they grow as strong as the Soldiers of Huaxia. Soybean Oil was easier to obtain than the fatty meat in meat dishes.

There was no need to write a special contract for this kind of transaction; a verbal agreement between everyone was fine. After all, Huaxia and the Xuanyuan Tribe had been doing things this simply for a long time. Since Baifeng took the initiative to propose exchanging grain for Soybean Oil, it showed that this transaction was also very cost-effective for Huaxia. Both sides were willing, so it was a good business deal.

Changing the grain settlement list in Dahong's hand to Soybean Oil, Dahong only needed to carry a smaller quantity of Soybean Oil when he left. Bringing back so much Soybean Oil would also be able to improve the flavor of the food in the Xuanyuan Tribe to a certain extent.

The food of the Xuanyuan Tribe was unpalatable; one reason was the cooking tools, and the second was that in the absence of oil, they could only boil and roast. With those ingredients, no matter how they were prepared, they wouldn't taste good.

Now with Soybean Oil, and the cook that Zhishou had brought back, it was not impossible to spark a culinary revolution in the Xuanyuan Tribe, making the flavors of the Xuanyuan Tribe's food more diverse and better tasting.

Just when Dahong thought the discussion was over, the people from the Ministry of Works immediately handed a report to Baifeng. Because it was a temporary decision, it was only now that it reached Baifeng's hands after the management of the Ministry of Works had approved it.

This report mentioned the hope of being able to hire some women from the Xuanyuan Tribe to come over and cook for the Laborers. It also mentioned one point, which was to stabilize the mood of the Laborers.

Regarding the specific number, it only said that five hundred or more would be best, and the specifics would still have to be decided by Baifeng. As for the pay, because these hired women would not need to do any other heavy physical labor—perhaps just fetching some water and gathering wild vegetables every day, and then cooking for everyone—it was very easy work, so the pay was set at half that of the male Laborers.

As soon as Baifeng saw this "stabilizing the mood of the Laborers," he knew what it meant, so he didn't think much about it and directly agreed to the proposal. He also said to Dahong on the spot: "We have another transaction we want to make with your Xuanyuan Tribe. You listen first and see if it's possible."

Dahong straightened his posture: "Oh, please go ahead."

Baifeng pointed his finger in the direction the Laborers had left: "When we hired people this time, we only hired men and didn't consider a series of other problems. For example, how these people should cook and eat; right now they can only cook for themselves."

"Furthermore, if the entire team is all men, it will inevitably lead to some conflicts. Plus, as humans, there is also the need to reproduce offspring. Letting them go for a year like this might lead to some restless thoughts."

"So, we are thinking of hiring some more women from the Xuanyuan Tribe to live and reside with those Laborers. The main work would be to cook for all the Laborers and do other related chores. The workload will definitely not be heavy. At the same time, it can also allow the women to conceive children of your Xuanyuan Tribe. See what you think about this."

Dahong's smile grew wider: "So that's what it is. But I still have to ask first, how many people do you need to hire, and how is the pay calculated?"

Baifeng looked up and thought for a moment. These women certainly couldn't just serve the people of the Xuanyuan Tribe; they could also serve the Workers and Soldiers who had gone over from Huaxia. Of course, this did not include physiological needs; that was a major taboo that would cause conflict.

The women could wash clothes, boil water, and cook. Although they wouldn't know how to cook Huaxia-style food, they could assist the Huaxia cooks; they would definitely have no problem processing ingredients. The Huaxia people could also eat the wild fruits and vegetables they gathered normally.

So, all things considered, a slightly larger number was fine; if it were too small, there would be no need to hire them at all. Thus, Baifeng said to Dahong: "One thousand people. I think this number is quite appropriate. As soon as they are pregnant and reach the stage where they are too far along to work, we will send them back to your Xuanyuan Tribe. As for the pay, because their work is far easier than the men's, I can only give half of what the men get, and this is also for the sake of your Xuanyuan Tribe's clansmen."

Dahong felt that the good things today were a bit outrageous. Huaxia taking the initiative to propose hiring women could be called an unexpected joy. They had more women, and most did not have enough work to do. The relatively safe gathering areas nearby couldn't use that many women at all, and the farmland couldn't accommodate them either.

Huaxia was actually willing to hire women. Not only could it solve the problem of these women's food, but it could also allow these women to conceive children of their tribe. This was already good enough. They could even get paid; although it was little, it would definitely be equal to the grain these women would earn in the same amount of time in the Xuanyuan Tribe. After all, they had to consume food themselves every day, so how much surplus grain could they really have? They couldn't achieve true profit.

Therefore, regarding this proposal from Huaxia and the price offered, Dahong agreed without a second word, and in his words, he even implied that it would be fine if Huaxia hired even more.

However, Baifeng felt that this many people was enough. To put Dahong at ease, he added: "As for your women, you can rest assured. Our people will not touch them. If they dare to touch them, we will punish them and provide you with compensation, alright?"

"Hahahaha," this time it was Dahong's turn to laugh.

"King of Huaxia, they sleep with our women, so what of it? As long as the women are still of our Xuanyuan Tribe, the children born are also of our Xuanyuan Tribe. As for who the father of the child is, does it matter?"