As her husband went back to the room to wash up, she led the dazed Ran Zhe and Song Fei to the study. Regarding the conditions on the mountain and Zhao Jiaqi's requirements for building a workshop and dormitories for the workers, she left the drawing up of a design to Ran Zhe, the old hand at building houses. Once she was satisfied, they would then decide on the prices for building the houses and the workshop.
The houses were easy; it was merely a matter of adding a fire wall. The workshop was also simple. The difficult part was clearing a path on the mountain.
Secondly, there was the matter of building a wall within the mountain. This wall could be large or small, high or low. If they were to build a complete ring wall, the work could take a year or half a year!
Ran Zhe could tell that this family was no ordinary household. Living in the former governor’s mansion indicated they were not common folk.
They couldn't afford to offend them and should act within their means.
"Madam, to be frank, the houses and workshop are not a problem, nor is opening up mountain paths. The only issue is the time it will take. Secondly, how high, how long, and how far should this wall be? If we were to enclose the entire Phoenix Mountain, my hundred or so men, even working day and night, would take a year. Therefore, Madam, you need to give me a number for the wall. Only then can I calculate whether I can take on this job!"
Zhao Jiaqi nodded. The issue Ran Zhe raised was reasonable, and she hadn't explained it clearly enough!
"I plan to raise two thousand chickens, ducks, and geese each, letting them roam freely on the mountain. How far do you think the enclosure should be?"
With that, Ran Zhe understood. Raising free-range chickens, ducks, and geese didn't require a vast area. An enclosure of about three mu would suffice.
"I believe three mu is suitable, at most five mu of grassland will be needed. If it's any larger, the area would be too vast!"
As he said, three mu was already a large area.
After discussing these feathered animals, the remaining tasks were the construction of sheep pens and pigsties.
Ran Zhe was an expert in this regard. He smiled and said, "This is my specialty. My family raises pigs, and my father-in-law's family raises sheep and dairy cows. I am very familiar with this. Just tell me how many heads you plan to raise, and I guarantee I'll build enough space!"
This was truly a case of "when the wind is right, the sail fills."
Zhao Jiaqi didn't stand on ceremony. Five thousand pigs and two thousand sheep. Ran Zhe was stunned, "My goodness, this is a major undertaking!"
Five thousand pigs and two thousand sheep. Forget building the workshop, just buying these young animals would cost a considerable amount of silver!
"Once the construction is complete, we will purchase piglets and lambs from your family. If possible, please help us find people who know how to raise these livestock. The annual salary will be one thousand taels of silver, provided they are truly capable of the job!"
One thousand taels of salary!
Ran Zhe's heart trembled upon hearing this. "No problem, no problem. If not, you can have my father-in-law and my father come. They've been raising them for many years and have extensive experience. If these feathered animals get sick, you won't need a veterinarian; both our fathers can handle it!"
This was excellent news. Zhao Jiaqi was delighted to find such skilled personnel, and she wouldn't haggle over the salary!
"If that's the case, as long as the breeding is good, besides the salary at the end of the year, I will also give extra silver as a bonus. As long as they work diligently, I will not mistreat them. However, if anyone deliberately tries to cause trouble, I will not be merciful!"
Ran Zhe nodded, understanding the madam's intention. He quickly said, "Understood, understood, Madam, rest assured. A salary of one thousand taels is more profitable than raising pigs ourselves and selling them. How could we be jealous or envious of the madam? It's not like we're against making money!"
"You can be completely assured of this, Madam!"
Zhao Jiaqi smiled, "I'm just stating the terms upfront to avoid disputes later if something happens. We are all sensible people, and communication should be straightforward. Since these matters are settled, the next step is for me to see your design blueprints. Once they fully meet my requirements, we can discuss pricing!"
She was straightforward, and Ran Zhe was even more so.
"No problem, I'll bring you the blueprints as soon as possible. I hope we can cooperate quickly. Now that the plum rain season is over and the land is soft, the work will go faster."
After Ran Zhe left, Shi He escorted him out of the manor. Song Fei and Zhao Jiaqi remained in the study.
They discussed the workshop matters further and concluded that it was better to hire people to do the work. Since they would be their own people, it would be convenient to manage them, and there would be no worry about them betraying them or selling the recipes for sausages and cured meats.
They acted on their decision immediately; decisive people always felt time was insufficient.
Conversely, Zhao Jiaqi and Fan Zehao became hands-off managers, delegating all matters to two capable officials. This left them with ample time for leisure.
The season for spring outings had passed, but it didn't hinder their pace of enjoyment.
The annual Lingnan City Temple Fair was to be held the next day.
In the evening, after exercising, Zhao Jiaqi snuggled in his arms, her small hand tracing the two small buds on his chest. She looked up and said, "I heard the temple fair outside the city is tomorrow. Shall we go out and play on the mountain tomorrow?"
He held his wife's restless hand and said lazily, "You can go whenever you want, I'll accompany you. But there's one thing, we cannot go to crowded places!"
If he wasn't careful, she might get lost. Losing her wasn't the scary part; it was the fear of not finding her way home.
He worried that she might have a poor sense of direction and get hungry and thirsty halfway, and what would they do then!
Suddenly, he realized he hadn't worried this much about his own sons and daughters. His wife was indeed a precious treasure he had brought home, to be pampered and cared for. He had to accept it; after all, he liked her this way.
The first day of the ninth lunar month was the Baiwu Temple Fair outside Lingnan City. According to the locals, the temple primarily enshrined the Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother, with various halls and smaller side chambers dedicated to different deities.
That morning, Lingnan City was extremely lively. Countless people walked the streets, and carriages rushed out of the city.
Zhao Jiaqi, sitting in the carriage, saw that the carriages were moving slower than people on foot. She was anxious but helpless.
Finally, they managed to leave the manor, and the carriage horses could pick up speed. By the time they reached Baiwu Temple, it was already packed with people offering incense.
The front hall was filled with people queuing to offer incense. Seeing this, Zhao Jiaqi decided to explore outside first and offer an incense stick later when the crowd subsided. Although she didn't believe in deities, it didn't diminish the reverence in her heart.
The temple was situated halfway up the mountain. The sky was a clear blue, a gentle breeze blew, and the mountain slopes were covered with lush green trees. Autumn chrysanthemums were visible everywhere, creating a pleasant scene.
Standing high and looking into the distance, Fan Zehao pointed to a patch of red in the forest. "I imagine there are maple leaves over there. Let's go take a look. The maple leaves at this time of year are beautiful and are not found in the capital or our inner city!"
Following his gaze, Zhao Jiaqi saw the spot. "Alright, let's go take a look then!"
Since arriving in ancient times, she hadn't seen a single maple leaf. There were many trees and mountains in this region, but maple trees, along with pines and hazel trees, were rarely seen, or rather, she hadn't encountered them yet!