After the standardization, new villagers at the isolation point no longer need to undergo deworming and bathing upon entering the village as before; these procedures can now be completed at the isolation point.
After going through this round of solemn village entry rituals, everyone developed a longing for the village.
The isolation point has also expanded significantly and is now divided into 20 zones, each capable of accommodating 600 people, meaning it can house over 10,000 people simultaneously, a truly astonishing scale.
The isolation point is not entirely for idleness. A small vegetable plot has been opened up at each isolation point for growing vegetables. At the isolation point, as long as there are no medical issues, everyone must engage in appropriate labor.
This is Gu Qingcheng's intention, to prevent people from developing a sense of entitlement from the beginning, to avoid thinking that free food and shelter here means they can relax. Everything obtained requires effort.
With the efforts of all parties, the village population quickly expanded to 25,000 people, and the establishment of new settlements became imperative.
Gu Qingcheng plans to maintain the core village at a scale of 40,000 people, while all other new villagers will move out of Phoenix Village to find suitable settlement locations three to five li away from Phoenix Village, forming satellite villages and towns to complement the core village. Each satellite village and town is tentatively planned to have a population of over 30,000.
Gu Qingcheng plans to number the satellite villages using Arabic numerals in the future, starting from Village One.
Gu Qingcheng also formulated a satellite village coordination strategy: if any village encounters an anomaly, they should launch three Kongming lanterns into the sky, and other villages must rush to respond and defend.
In times of chaos, precautions are necessary.
Gu Qingcheng organized these village strategic arrangements and presented them to the seven departments for discussion. Everyone agreed wholeheartedly.
With the successful firing of the brick and tile factory's green bricks and tiles, large quantities of them were continuously transported to the construction site of the pharmaceutical factory.
Three months later, the first phase of the pharmaceutical factory project was completed. Looking down from the mountaintop, rows of neatly arranged brick and tile houses stood majestically.
The weather has been overcast recently, with no sun, but a misty humidity that feels slightly uncomfortable on the skin.
Gu Qingcheng went to Ge Hong's residence and found her father and Ge Hong.
"Dad, Daoist Ge, are you still busy? However, no matter how busy you are today, you must put down your work."
"What is it?"
Gu Zhaobei heard the tone of his daughter's voice and felt that something big was about to happen, so he quickly asked.
There were several streaks of black ash on his face, left from a minor explosion during the failed extraction of medicinal liquid.
Refining medicine is dangerous, but he would not mention any of this to his family. If Hu Lanfang knew about such dangers, she would surely stop him from doing it.
He had no choice. The conditions for pharmaceutical manufacturing were limited. After contemplating many methods, he found that only Ge Hong's method of alchemy was effective.
In fact, alchemy is the precursor to modern pharmaceutical manufacturing, only the instruments were not as precise and the purified drugs were not as pure. However, it was sufficient for the time being.
Of course, due to the lack of precise instruments, explosions and furnace bursts were common occurrences.
Seeing his daughter's serious expression, Gu Zhaobei's mind was still immersed in the failed extraction formula from earlier, and he was not immediately able to detach himself, so his reaction was a little slow.
"Put down your work, and you'll know when you come with me."
As soon as Gu Qingcheng said this, the two could only follow her.
Stepping out of the residence, Ge Hong and Gu Zhaobei realized that Gu Qingcheng had come to pick them up in a horse-drawn carriage.
"Oh, young master Gu, when did the village get one of these?"
Looking at the brand-new carriage, pulled by two horses, Ge Hong couldn't help but laugh.
This thing is good; he also wanted one, so he wouldn't have to walk when he went out.
Gu Zhaobei was also a little surprised. His daughter was quite resourceful; no wonder she was so busy she couldn't stop.
As refugees gathered from all directions, Phoenix Village became increasingly populated, and skilled craftsmen emerged in large numbers. Unknowingly, even horse-drawn carriages were built.
Gu Qingcheng also trained a professional coachman, a young man named Da Xiong. He was as sturdy as a bear and weighed 180 jin. He looked mature, but upon inquiry, he was only 18 years old.
Da Xiong was brought up the mountain by Wang Dapeng with his blind mother. Because of his sturdy build, he luckily survived this flood.
Da Xiong's father had died when he was young. Previously, he and his mother were looked down upon by everyone in the village because they had no money, no house, and no land.
Unexpectedly, after arriving at Phoenix Village, he was noticed by Yan Xin because of his outstanding and robust physique. He practiced martial arts for three months.
Da Xiong possessed brute strength and learned martial arts with ease, quickly standing out.
Later, when Gu Qingcheng needed a personal bodyguard and coachman, Yan Xin recommended him to Gu Qingcheng's side.
Da Xiong thus suddenly became one of young master Gu's attendants, and his status in the village soared, becoming incomparable to his past.
Despite his outwardly simple appearance, Da Xiong was skilled at driving, and the carriage moved smoothly without much bumping.
Gu Zhaobei and the other two enjoyed the first-class carriage service of Phoenix Village and soon arrived at the pharmaceutical factory.
Along the way, Ge Hong casually mentioned his desire for a carriage.
Gu Qingcheng readily agreed.
It's just a carriage, what's so difficult about that?
Although Ge Hong and Gu Zhaobei were major shareholders in the pharmaceutical factory, they were not interested in the construction of the site, which Gu Qingcheng had always managed.
Only when they arrived at the construction site did they suddenly realize that the place had already transformed. The houses had been built, and everything seemed ready, completely different from the overgrown weeds of the beginning.
"Dad, Daoist Ge, I've called you here this time to tour the newly completed pharmaceutical factory and also to determine your offices, laboratories, and preferably the refining and purification workshops, as these are things I don't understand, so you can decide."
Gu Qingcheng gave her father and Daoist Ge a big surprise.
The two looked at the grand and bright green brick and tile houses before them and, pointing to the courtyard on the east side, said in unison:
"I choose this one!"
"Oh, you two want to choose the same place to work?"
Gu Qingcheng said with a chuckle.
The two then retracted their fingers.
However, from the expressions on their faces, it was evident that both liked this courtyard very much.
Gu Qingcheng smiled and said with a confident look:
"I knew you would like this place. In fact, this courtyard is divided into two side courtyards, only connected in the middle. This way, it will be convenient for you two to communicate."
"Come, let's go in and take a look."
With that, Gu Qingcheng opened the courtyard gate, and they saw a screen wall inside.
The screen wall precisely divided the courtyard into two halves. Indeed, each person had half, with their own private space, but the central main hall was connected, and everyone could reach the common hall from either side courtyard.
Gu Qingcheng walked in and introduced: "The hall in the middle can be used for you to have afternoon tea, discuss the latest research progress together, and perhaps even spark inspiration."