"Agreed, but Chen Xiaobei quickly waved at the man, 'Alright, that should be enough wood. You can tell everyone not to come anymore.'"
"Ah, it's done already?" The man sounded a bit disappointed.
"What? Didn't anyone tell you how long to burn it?" Chen Xiaobei asked, confused.
"No, they just told me to come and add wood when it was my turn."
Chen Xiaobei sighed and reiterated that he shouldn't come to add wood anymore.
Chen Xiaobei continued walking with the village guards, reflecting in his mind. Fortunately, he came today. If he hadn't, and they had continued burning for a few more days, it wouldn't have just been lime; it would have likely turned to ash.
He realized that this issue was purely his own fault. Sometimes, he would arrange for things to be done and then, due to other matters, forget about them.
Just like this lime burning.
It seemed he needed to change his rather unrefined way of managing work.
What should he do?
Of course, it required a two-pronged approach.
First, he needed a tracking process for the tasks he arranged to see how far they had progressed.
Second, he needed to change his work model. For instance, with this lime burning, if instead of village guards taking turns to add wood, a single person was specifically responsible, they would have a clearer idea of when to stop, thus preventing this kind of over-burning.
Unknowingly, they had entered Qingniu Mountain.
Walking about three li further into the woods, they came across a cave on a sunny slope.
The cave entrance was slightly higher than a person's height and wide enough for three or four people to walk abreast.
Chen Xiaobei had entered this cave many times as a child. It was about a dozen zhang deep, easily accommodating a few dozen people.
If an iron gate were installed at the entrance, it would be a perfect natural prison.
Seeing Ma Xiaoyi and his group working on the mountain, Chen Xiaobei decided not to trouble them further. He returned home, got his donkey cart, and headed straight for the county town.
Upon entering the town, Chen Xiaobei went directly to the blacksmith's shop.
After his detailed description, a massive iron gate was forged with the blacksmith's help.
Of course, there was no welding technology at this time.
However, the blacksmiths of that era were quite ingenious. They used iron rods about an inch thick, connected them with iron wire as thick as a little finger, and then poured molten iron at the connection points.
An iron gate made this way was a hundred times sturdier than a welded one.
Finally, they added over a dozen steel nails to fix the large iron gate to the rock.
Naturally, such a substantial item came with a hefty price tag of fifty taels of silver.
But for Chen Xiaobei at this moment, fifty taels of silver was no longer a significant issue.
As he pulled the large iron gate back, Chen Xiaobei began to ponder. Since Yang Zhi was also involved, he might as well entrust the installation to him, with Chen Xiaobei providing technical guidance.
After all, if he arranged for villagers to do it, he would have to pay them wages.
To his surprise, when he returned to the village, Yang Zhi was already waiting under the large locust tree, looking anxious.
"Ah, Brother Xiaobei, where have you been? I was about to discuss with you, so many people have arrived, where are we going to put them?"
Chen Xiaobei smiled calmly and pointed to the large iron gate on the donkey cart.
"I've already found the place and procured an iron gate. This will make keeping them contained more convenient."
Yang Zhi's eyes lit up when he saw the iron gate. "Excellent, excellent! This gate is sturdy; even ten Sun Jians couldn't pull it open."
"Brother Yang Zhi, I'll lend a hand with the installation of the iron gate."
Yang Zhi deliberately put on a stern face. "Hey, what are you saying? Our people are idle anyway. I'll gather them and have them help. Just tell me where to install it, and I'll handle the rest."
"Good. I'm glad you understand my intentions. Chen Xiaobei didn't stand on ceremony. "Alright, you go west along the main street, and I'll wait for you at the village entrance."
Chen Xiaobei drove the donkey cart past the entrance of Carpenter Zhang's house and towards the edge of the woods.
Hearing the movement, Carpenter Zhang came out of his yard. Seeing Chen Xiaobei, he greeted him with a smile, "Village Chief Xiaobei, what are you up to now?"
Chen Xiaobei waved his hand. "Nothing much, you just focus on your work."
Carpenter Zhang turned to go back into his yard but soon reappeared, holding two bright red fruits.
"Village Chief Xiaobei, have a fruit."
Fruits. This was the first time Chen Xiaobei had seen any fruits in the Great Cang Kingdom. Since transmigrating to this world, he hadn't seen any.
The fruit looked a bit like an apple and smelled faintly fragrant, but the scent was different from the apples he had eaten in his previous life.
Seeing Carpenter Zhang's harmless smile, Chen Xiaobei accepted the fruit but didn't eat it. He understood the principle of accepting a favor.
"Village Chief, I'd like to discuss something with you."
Indeed, Chen Xiaobei felt the fruit was getting a little too hot to hold.
"Uncle Zhang, just tell me directly if there's anything. If I can help, I'll do my best."
Carpenter Zhang, however, let out a long sigh. "Village Chief, look, I'm getting old, and I don't have a wife or children around. I have to rely on myself for everything."
Chen Xiaobei couldn't quite grasp Zhang's meaning and dared not respond rashly.
Fortunately, Carpenter Zhang continued, "My carpentry skills might not be top-notch, but they have some reputation in the surrounding villages. If one day I were to be carried to my coffin, the villagers wouldn't know who to turn to for making a table."
Come to think of it, that was indeed a problem. Chen Xiaobei suddenly understood what Carpenter Zhang meant. Zhang was already over fifty. According to many historical books he had read, even during the prosperous and peaceful periods of the Tang and Song dynasties, the average lifespan might not have reached this number.
"Uncle Zhang, you mean..."
Carpenter Zhang knew Chen Xiaobei understood his intentions and nodded quickly. "Yes, I want to take in two apprentices. I used to charge money for apprenticeships, so people didn't come to learn. But recently, I've come to understand something. Look at how you lead everyone, whether it's fishing or farming, you don't charge anything and even provide seeds and nets for free."
Chen Xiaobei chuckled. The nets were given for free, but not the seeds. But if he said that now, wouldn't it spoil the mood?
Carpenter Zhang continued his train of thought. "So now, I want to take in two apprentices without charging any fees. Can you help me look for suitable candidates?"
Regardless, Chen Xiaobei was pleased that Carpenter Zhang had such an idea.
After all, a hundred flowers blooming made for a spring. In Hetou Village, whether he led everyone in farming, fishing, building bridges, or working, although all were for making money, these were not long-term businesses at the moment. But learning carpentry was different; it was a skill that could sustain a lifetime.
"Okay, I'll ask around later and see who is willing to learn carpentry."
Upon receiving Chen Xiaobei's promise, Carpenter Zhang smiled even more happily.
"Village Chief Xiaobei, eat this fruit. It's very sweet."
*Crunch.* Chen Xiaobei took a big bite.