Gu Qingcheng slept soundly, completely unaware that in the heart of a certain maiden she had long forgotten, a tender blossom was beating wildly for her.
The next morning, around 7 AM, with the sky already bright, Gu Qingcheng and Mi Guo had finished breakfast. They boarded a vacant cargo ship and, along with Wang Dapeng, headed towards the iron mine.
On the ship, Wang Dapeng reported en route that all the goods brought from Phoenix Village had been successfully stored. He also mentioned that millet was selling quickly here due to its low price. After all, it was only half the cost of rice, yet equally nourishing.
The residents of Tea Brew Island comprised people from both the south and the north, gathered here due to the natural disaster. Although their living habits differed, everyone ate millet. It was no surprise that the cheaper millet sold better than expensive rice.
Familiar with the route, Wang Dapeng navigated the ship swiftly to the iron mine.
Gu Qingcheng stood on the deck, looking at the iron mine within easy reach. She mused, "It seems the rising water levels aren't entirely without benefit; I can reach the mine entrance without taking many steps."
Seeing the familiar cargo ship from Phoenix Village appear on the mountain, Wang Xiaopeng knew it was people from their village coming to assist. He quickly descended the mountain, surprised to find his elder brother and Young Master Gu personally arriving this time.
Wang Xiaopeng rushed forward to welcome them, a mix of surprise and joy on his face.
Upon disembarking, Gu Qingcheng asked Wang Xiaopeng with concern, "Can the manpower we brought from the village adapt? How are their living conditions here?"
"Young Master Gu, everyone has adapted quite well. There have been no cases of acclimatization sickness, and the previously prepared pills have been used," Wang Xiaopeng replied.
Secretly, Wang Xiaopeng pondered Gu Shao Ye's tone, which implied a worry that everyone was suffering. In reality, these people weren't suffering here; they were enjoying a good life, with three hearty meals a day of meat, eggs, milk, and rice.
Back in the village, when eating their own produce, they would be frugal with their rice, hesitant to have two rice meals. Now, to have enough energy for work, everyone had three rice meals a day.
They could eat rice to their heart's content, and there was plenty of meat, eggs, and vegetables.
If Young Master Gu were to ask if they were suffering, no one would say yes.
If Young Master Gu were to ask if they wanted to switch shifts and return to Phoenix Village for a rest, everyone would unanimously say no, expressing their desire to contribute more to mining iron ore for Phoenix Village.
Wang Xiaopeng reported that they had already extracted the first batch of iron ore and were in the process of smelting it.
Upon their return, they could arrange for merchant ships to come and transport a batch of pig iron back to the village.
After Wang Dapeng came ashore, his brotherly concern paramount, the first question he asked was: "Wang Shicong mentioned there was a mountain stream; did you find it? Do you have enough water?"
Wang Xiaopeng quickly responded, "Young Master Wang didn't lie. There is indeed a mountain stream about half a mile away. We get our water for all three meals from there. Also, the rice and meat you left are still sufficient."
Speaking of rice and meat, Wang Xiaopeng felt a bit embarrassed, as if they had eaten too much.
He chuckled, but after all, they were robust men, having worked and carried ore all day. Each could eat a great deal.
Gu Qingcheng then toured the site. The scene was indeed as Wang Xiaopeng described. Miners were diligently dragging iron ore out of the mine entrance, while others were adding iron ore to the smelting furnaces for refinement.
Craftsmen, skilled in blacksmithing, worked the bellows, sending gusts of wind into the furnaces, raising the temperature to over a thousand degrees Celsius. As the iron ore reached its peak temperature, red molten iron flowed out.
The craftsmen used long-handled iron ladles to scoop the molten iron into square molds below. Once cooled, the molds were removed, forming square ingots.
These were pig iron, which would be further refined in Phoenix Village to produce wrought iron.
Gu Qingcheng watched with great satisfaction. She asked Wang Xiaopeng, "How many tons of pig iron are produced here daily? What is the current inventory?"
Wang Xiaopeng replied, "As we are new to this, everyone is still getting the hang of it. We produce about 300 jin of pig iron per day. If we get more manpower later, the output can be increased."
Three hundred jin a day was negligible in modern society, but in an entirely manual agricultural society, this output was still quite good. In a month, it would be 9,000 jin, roughly nine tons.
Gu Qingcheng stated, "Focus on steady progress for now. I will send more manpower when I return."
Hearing this, Wang Xiaopeng understood that Gu Qingcheng placed great importance on this iron mine. He said, "Young Master Gu, please rest assured, we will increase our production capacity as quickly as possible."
"To protect Phoenix Village, our village's weaponry is severely insufficient. Approximately only 500 people can be equipped with swords, and 2,000 have ample arrows. If an enemy of tens of thousands were to attack our village, we would be in grave danger. However, if we have sufficient iron, I can have the blacksmiths forge weapons day and night. Then, our village will be strong, and what should we fear from foreign enemies?"
Gu Qingcheng's words ignited a fire in everyone's hearts.
Wang Xiaopeng declared with conviction, "So, our mining efforts here are this important! Listen up, brothers! From now on, we must give our utmost effort for the prosperity and peace of our village, to protect our home, and to ensure our wives and daughters live peaceful lives! We must spare no effort!"
The miners understood these words. Their hearts surged with emotion. They didn't know how else to express themselves, so they responded with a unified roar to convey their surging passion.
Gu Qingcheng completed her inspection but did not leave immediately.
As night fell, she stayed at the iron mine.
Wang Dapeng arranged for people to load the more than 2,000 jin of pig iron that had already been smelted onto the ship for transport. From now on, a ship would come every seven days to collect it. If the production increased, the cargo ships delivering to Tea Brew Island could also pick up pig iron here and take it back to Phoenix Village.
Knowing that pig iron was equivalent to weapons, everyone felt a great sense of pride.
Gu Qingcheng ate with everyone from the communal pot, sharing a communal meal of meat. She asked Wang Xiaopeng, "Before we arrived, did you usually eat like this?"
Wang Xiaopeng hesitated for a moment before telling the truth, "Yes, we eat like this. It's no different from usual." He knew that Young Master Gu was always generous to his subordinates, but he wasn't sure if Gu Shao Ye would be angry if he knew they had such good food every day. After all, no landlord would ever let their hired laborers eat so well. In times of strife, having thick porridge was already good, let alone three meals of rice.
"It's only right. You are all doing heavy physical labor. If you don't eat meat and rice, you won't have the strength to work. Are there any brothers from the north among you? You can steam more buns for them to eat. Eating rice every day, I fear they might not be able to handle it."
Gu Qingcheng was so thoughtful, even considering the differences in taste between the north and south.
Wang Xiaopeng chuckled and said, "Yes, there are. We have steamed meat buns in the morning. At 9:30 AM every day, a whole basket is brought to the mine for everyone as a snack."
"Very good. It is right to care for your subordinates this way," Gu Qingcheng approved. "If you need grain and provisions, just ask. The ships bringing iron will bring them for you."