Transmigrated into a female county magistrate during a famine, leading her country to prosperity

Chapter 304: Disagreement over the Textile Machine

Shen Zheng and Man Niang stood together in front of the "teahouse".

In fact, this place can no longer be called a "teahouse", perhaps it would be more appropriate to call it an inn.

As there are more and more immigrants coming to Tongan recently, the renovation of Guanding Inn was decided in front of the county government office.

There were more than a dozen laborers inside, some hammering, some moving things, some setting up ladders, each doing his own job.

In just a few days, the inn had taken shape.

Man Niang held her waist with one hand, stood in the yard and said to Shen Zheng:

"The county government is willing to spend money, so everyone works harder."

The worker who was taking the plaque looked over and said with a smile:

"Oh, Miss Man, please don't wrongly accuse us in front of the adults. Are we doing this for money? In the words of the adults, we are doing this for the development of the county!"

Mannia chuckled.

"Okay, okay, let's build! Let's finish it soon and make money soon."

Shen Zheng also laughed.

"It's good for making money, but there's another reason for rushing to finish the work."

"Oh?"

Man Niang turned her head and said, "Please enlighten me, sir, what other reasons are there?"

Shen Zheng pointed at the people coming and going outside and asked Man Niang:

"If Sister was a foreign merchant who had traveled for a long time before arriving in Tong'an County, and wanted to buy rice seeds and take a good rest, but found that there were not even two decent inns and everywhere was full, would you be angry?"

"ah--"

Man Niang turned around and saw several unfamiliar faces.

"I've been so busy these past few days that I almost forgot about the rice seeds being sold in the county. I was only thinking about the inn."

"If you say so, I'm sure I'll be angry. I finally feel relieved, but it won't be long before I have to look for an inn again. Maybe I'll have to stay in Quanyang County next door."

Man Niang felt distressed when she said this, twisting her handkerchief and saying:

"Then didn't all this money go to the Quanyang County Inn?"

"Silver, silver."

Shen Zheng smiled and said, "You are obsessed with money. Silver is secondary. I am afraid that others will have a bad opinion of our county. We still have to do business in the future. But fortunately, the grain shop has just started selling. Those who come here have channels and have received the news before. The real big players are behind."

Man Niang pouted, "That's true."

She walked into the house fanning herself and urged:

"Everyone, you've heard it! This inn is related to the reputation of our Tong'an County. Everyone, please work harder and be quick! If you can get it done quickly, you'll get more money!"

"okay!"

The foreman wiped his sweat, turned around and asked:

"Sir, Miss Man, I have about ten people under my command. They were working in other places before and will be back tomorrow. How about I call them all over?"

Man Niang looked at Shen Zheng.

"Call him over." Shen Zheng said:

"You need to rest while working. Instead of working without sleep, it is better to add more people and finish the work sooner."

"okay!"

The foreman couldn't help but smile as he took on some work for his men.

"Don't worry, sir. The blueprint you gave me is very useful and will save us a lot of work. As long as we have enough manpower, it will be completed in a few days. You just need to arrange the tables, chairs and beds in advance. After we finish the work and clean up, we can move in!"

Shen Zheng nodded, turned around and said to Man Niang:

"Master Craftsman Qiao is in a critical situation right now and can't spare any time. I've sent someone to talk to Fang Wenxiu about the tables, chairs, and beds. He'll help us make them. Remember to check in with him on the progress."

Man Niang didn't expect that she had considered this matter for herself, and nodded quickly:

"Oh, don't worry, I'll be watching you all the time."

After Shen Zheng finished speaking, she returned to the county government office.

As soon as she arrived at the door, she met Liang Fu and Mr. Qiao.

"Master Shen!"

Liang Fu pulled Old Qiao over to greet them.

"Let go, let go! You two old men, what are you doing pulling and tugging at each other!"

Liang Fu said, "You're walking too slowly."

Shen Zheng watched the two of them bickering and said with a smile, "Master Liang, Master Qiao, let's go in and talk."

After the three of them sat down in the study, Liang Fu said directly:

"Sir Shen, the two of us came to see you today because of the textile machine."

"But is there any progress?" Shen Zheng asked.

Liang Fu glanced at Mr. Qiao and said with embarrassment, "I guess so, but we are stuck. We have different opinions, so I came to ask your opinion."

Shen Zheng smiled and said:

"Disagreements are a good thing. It means everyone is thinking and pooling their wisdom. Let me hear what you have to say, and I can also express my own opinion."

Old Qiao widened his eyes quietly.

Look, look.

It's the same words, but they sound better when spoken by different people!

Liang Fu felt relieved after hearing Shen Zheng's words. He said:

"Master Shen, you also know that the tables, chairs and beds in the county school were used for apprentices to practice."

Shen Zheng nodded, "Yes, it happened, but is there a problem?"

Liang Fu thought about the disagreement between him and Mr. Qiao, and after a moment of silence, he said:

"Mr. Qiao thinks that after those apprentices finish making tables, chairs and beds, they can become masters after a little more training. So I have been watching them at the county school for a few days, but I think they may need some more training before they can become masters."

After hearing this, Mr. Qiao could no longer sit still.

He spends day and night with the apprentices, how could he not know their level?

He said impatiently, "It needs to be honed, it needs to be honed! Even if you honed the iron pestle, it would be turned into a needle! This textile machine has been delayed for so long, I am too embarrassed to see Lord Shen. Lord Liang, you have seen the drawings of the textile machine, do you think they really can't make those parts?"

"I can do it."

Liang Fu spoke matter-of-factly without any emotion.

But he added: "But there are also cases where they can do something bad, and they are not 100% sure yet."

Old Qiao groaned, "Nothing is perfect, my Lord Liang. You are also a craftsman. Can you guarantee that you will not make mistakes when doing your work?"

"Yes." Liang Fu answered immediately.

"Uh......"

Now Mr. Qiao didn’t know what to say.

How could he forget that Liang Fu must have had many skills to succeed in the Ministry of Works?

He is different from ordinary people, so of course his views are different.

Shen Zheng now knew the reason for their disagreement.

She poured a cup of tea for each of them and advised:

"Both of you should have some tea to cool down. Lord Liang just said that the apprentices are not 100% sure. So how sure are they when they make the parts?"

Old Qiao quickly replied, "It's probably true!"

In fact, it is very impressive for a beginner in carpentry to achieve this result.

Their talent is secondary. The most important thing is that they are willing to work hard and work day and night.

He is everyone's master and he sees their efforts. When encountering such a thing, he must protect his disciples.

Shen Zheng pondered for a moment after hearing this.

Eighty percent surety, twenty percent loss.

This loss is actually within an acceptable range.

Of course, this 20% loss does not mean that two out of ten textile machines will break down.

Instead, the wear and risk of parts are actually shared.

Even if there are some bad ones, it is difficult to affect the overall progress.

As for how to inspect broken parts, a new position will have to be created.

This position is crucial.