The Princess and Her Rough-Rider Khan
Chapter 156 Expansion of the Drying Room and Workshop (First Update)

Chapter 156: 156 Expansion of the Drying Room and Workshop (First Update)

Li Xianyun looked at the crowd and said, "I can understand this matter, but I cannot agree with it."

"To do something well, one must act uprightly and sit squarely. If you’re only trying to gain benefits for yourself or your relatives, you cannot do the job well."

"I know you all want to help each other out, being from the same town. But this kind of behavior can hurt many people."

"Have you ever thought about who benefits from our grape procurement? If the grape drying doesn’t take off, how many people will suffer losses because of it? Due to a few of you, so many people’s interests are harmed—do you still think this is a trivial matter?"

Upon hearing this, several people had an epiphany; they had not realized that their mistakes could cause such great harm and were deeply ashamed.

Habu looked at Li Xianyun with admiration. Despite her youth, she had broader vision and longer-term perspective that they couldn’t match.

Li Xianyun paused, then said, "I can give you an insider’s view. After the grapes in the Drying Room turn into raisins, I plan to sell them first in Khitan, then to neighboring countries. In the meantime, I aim to establish workshops for making raisins, which will require a lot of people to help with labor, transportation, and sales. If done well, everyone can make a fortune."

"On the contrary, if this business doesn’t take off, I won’t invest any more money, as my money doesn’t grow on trees."

Upon hearing this, everyone was filled with anxiety.

Seeing this, Li Xianyun said, "Regarding today’s events, the way you have admitted your error is acceptable, and he has agreed to make up the shortfall, so I shall let it pass. Should there be a next time, things will be dealt with officially, and you’ll be sent back where you came from."

Upon hearing this, everyone said,

"Thank you, Young Master, for giving us a chance."

"Rest assured, Young Master, we will never make such foolish mistakes again."

Habu also said, "Don’t worry, Young Master, it was my lack of supervision this time. Next time, I will keep a closer watch."

Li Xianyun nodded and said, "All of you work hard. If you perform well, I will put each of you in charge of a section to manage others."

The crowd had not expected Li Xianyun to hold them in such high esteem and were extremely grateful.

Li Xianyun said, "Go to the Drying Room and take down the half-dried grapes. That would be a way to redeem yourselves."

The sturdy men said, "Yes, thank you, Young Master."

Li Xianyun kept Habu behind and let the others go back to continue working.

She looked at Habu and said, "Old Sir, I know you are highly respected and they all are willing to listen to you. After work today, gather everyone and convey my intentions to the group."

"We must be united to expand this business successfully. During this process, if anyone cheats or disobeys management, feel free to dismiss them."

The words were harsh, but that was the reality. She was there to make money, not to lavish favors.

Habu said with a sense of reverence, "Yes."

Li Xianyun looked at him and said, "Come with me to see how the new Drying Room construction is progressing."

When Li Xianyun had arrived earlier, she had seen many people laying the foundation for the new Drying Room from afar.

"Alright," said Habu.

Li Xianyun, accompanied by Habu and Bater, went to the construction site of the new Drying Room.

The positions for twenty Drying Rooms and five workshops had already been marked out with white lime, and the strong men were laying the foundations.

Upon seeing Li Xianyun, a middle-aged man who was directing the work hurried over and said, "Young Master."

Li Xianyun felt this person looked somewhat familiar.

Habu said, "Young Master, let me introduce him to you; his name is Tuotuo, a well-known tile worker from around here. He was the one who directed the construction of the Drying Room according to the blueprints you drew last time."

Li Xianyun remembered, indeed, he had been the one directing the construction of the Drying Room alongside Habu.

Tuotuo said, "I’ve seen the Young Master before."

"Hmm," Li Xianyun said, "did you encounter any problems when you directed the construction of the Drying Room?"

"No, because I had the experience from building the Drying Room the first time, the construction this time went quite smoothly."

Li Xianyun smiled and said, "Do good work."

As she spoke, she came to the construction site of the five workshops. Each workshop was over twenty meters wide and more than fifty meters long, built according to standard workshop specifications.

Li Xianyun looked at Tuotuo and said, "Divide each workshop into ten compartments, five on each side, with a corridor in the middle to allow easy passage. Each compartment must have large windows to facilitate ventilation and let in sunlight."

"Understood."

After Li Xianyun gave some additional small details, she prepared to leave and then saw a familiar figure. He was moving bricks along with a group of strong men.

While others were carrying ten bricks at a time, he only carried two, clearly skimping on his duties.

Habu was about to go over and give him a lecture but was stopped by Li Xianyun.

Li Xianyun asked, "Has he been like this from the beginning?"

Most people’s degeneration and indulgence have reasons.

For most, it’s because they’ve encountered a significant change that they find difficult to accept, which leads them to give up on themselves and let things take their course.

They are, after all, some pitiable people.

Li Xianyun had previously said that his excuse of not long for this world could deceive people temporarily but couldn’t deceive them forever; sooner or later, he would come to his senses, and by then, he would likely cause trouble and stir up disputes, so they needed to solve the problem from its root.

Habu said, "Actually, Shart wasn’t like this at the start. He was born into a fairly affluent family whose parents earned a living by selling flatbreads. As an only child, his parents doted on him and even hired a teacher to educate him. He was also a motivated and studious child, did very well in his studies, and the villagers all said he would grow up to be an official who would be carried in a sedan chair."

"Later, his father went to the West Market to sell goods and was beaten to death. His mother filed a lawsuit with the Official Government, but the other side had a lot of influence and bribed the officials. Not only did they escape sentencing, but they didn’t even pay for the funeral expenses."

"Feeling humiliated, Shart’s mother became depressed and passed away within a year. At that time, Shart was only about eleven or twelve. With both parents dead, he was left to struggle in the world alone, and over time, he began to degenerate, eventually ending up in this situation."

What people fear most is experiencing such extreme adversity.

The great disparity easily wastes away a person’s will.

Li Xianyun asked, "Why was his father beaten to death?"

Habu said, "It is said that when his father was in West Market, he accidentally bumped into a gambler. He had already apologized, but the gambler had just lost money and was in a bad mood, looking to vent his anger on someone; that’s how he ended up beating Shart’s father to death."

He paused for a moment and continued, "Shart’s father was beaten until he bled from seven orifices and died on the spot; it was a horribly gruesome sight. When Shart and his mother rushed over, they witnessed the terrible state of his father, and mother and son were left weeping bitterly—it was truly pitiful."

Li Xianyun asked, "What happened to the gambler?"

"After committing the deed, he fled Shangjing overnight to lay low. A year later, he returned and had somehow become an official. Now, he can be said to be thriving."

Habu continued, "Some people in the village who like to watch the excitement and don’t shun from making things worse said that Shart was pathetic, unable to avenge his parents. Those who were once jealous of Shart’s scholarly abilities also took pleasure in his misfortune, calling him a ’foot-operated bookcase,’ a bookworm who only knew how to study."