Just then, a commotion was heard from the doorway, and several village women appeared.
Chen Xiaobei was a little stunned to see them. These were not the women who had been clamoring to learn embroidery from Cui Hongyu.
The one leading was Chen Xintian's wife, Sun Shi.
As soon as Sun Shi entered, she forced a warm smile onto her face.
"Nephew, are you busy?"
Hearing this perfunctory greeting, Chen Xiaobei knew she had come with a purpose.
Chen Xiaobei stepped forward. "Aunt, if you have something to say, please say it directly."
Sun Shi turned and took a piece of fatty meat from someone behind her, holding it out to Chen Xiaobei.
"This is a small token of our appreciation from a few families. Village Chief, please accept it."
From "nephew" to "Village Chief," and then offering fatty meat, this definitely meant they were asking for a favor.
"Aunt, we are all family, so there's no need for formalities. Just tell me what you need."
Chen Xiaobei pushed the fatty meat back.
He understood that accepting gifts created obligations, so he would not accept it until he knew the reason.
Sun Shi's smile grew wider, her wrinkles deep enough to catch flies.
"It's like this. A couple of days ago, my old man went crazy about something and said that fishing was too tiring. He secretly brought the fishing nets back."
As she said this, Sun Shi once again tried to press the piece of fatty meat into Chen Xiaobei's hand.
"I only found out today that he did such a foolish thing. I scolded him severely, and he was too embarrassed to see you, so I've come to you sheepishly to ask if we can have the fishing nets back."
So, that's why they were here.
Chen Xiaobei instantly understood. Saying fishing was too tiring was just an excuse. Was there any job easier than fishing? They just hadn't caught any fish a few days ago. It was likely they saw that there were fish in the river these past couple of days and wanted to get the nets back.
Since it was about this matter, it was easy to handle. Chen Xiaobei no longer refused but readily accepted the fatty meat.
"Hey, it's no big deal. You can take them back. And by the way, you should put more effort into fishing from now on." Chen Xiaobei handed the fatty meat to Hongyu and then went to the adjacent kitchen to get a few sets of gill nets.
"These are the gill nets you returned. Let me be clear upfront, if you return them again, I won't give them back to you."
Sun Shi and the others thanked him profusely and left with the fishing nets.
After they walked away, Cui Hongyu asked with confusion, "Husband, why did you accept that piece of meat? Our family doesn't lack food."
Chen Xiaobei smiled slightly. "We don't lack food, but if I hadn't accepted it, they wouldn't feel at ease taking the fishing nets. Only by accepting this piece of fatty meat will they feel at peace."
"But if you accept the meat, it will be harder to say no to some things in the future," Cui Hongyu said with some worry.
Chen Xiaobei nodded. "This meat was definitely bought with money they pooled together. So, you divide the meat into four portions and return it to each family, explaining clearly that I won't accept anything, and they should just focus on their labor."
Hearing Chen Xiaobei's arrangement, Cui Hongyu's face broke into a smile.
Cui Hongyu was smiling, but Chen Xiaobei had discovered a problem.
It was that people didn't cherish free things. Just like these fishing nets, which he had provided for free, they had returned them immediately when they saw no fish, and wanted them back when they saw fish.
Fortunately, fishing nets were reusable. If he made other things in the future and they treated them the same way, the loss would be considerable.
Yes, he had to find a way to make free things seem more expensive so that they would cherish and value them more.
The most direct method was to charge a deposit. Of course, money was a sensitive topic.
However, precisely because it was sensitive, it would make the common people take it seriously. Besides this, there really wasn't a better way.
At this moment, on Qingniu Mountain, with the last iron nail hammered in, seven iron chains were successfully completed.
Lidong put on a safety rope and walked along the chain from one end to the other, and then back from the other end.
A sense of pride welled up within him.
For him, this was a major project, a colossal undertaking. Its completion was inseparable from the strong support of Ma Xiaoyi and the others.
He walked up and gave Ma Xiaoyi a big hug. "Brother Ma, you've all worked hard."
Ma Xiaoyi smiled and shook his head. "It's nothing, it's our job."
"Let's go, pack up the tools, and we'll head down the mountain," Lidong commanded. The villagers of Beishan Village cheered, and even Da Chun was jumping for joy.
Da Yong, standing nearby, chuckled and teased him. "Da Chun, you'll get paid when we go down the mountain, and you can go to the county to gamble again."
Hearing this, Chen Dachun's face flushed red. "Brother Da Yong, you're teasing me again."
Ma Xiaoyi heard this and stepped forward, gently patting Chen Dachun on the shoulder. "Brother, gambling is nine out of ten a scam, and nine out of ten a loss. Even if you have a fortune, you can't withstand this kind of dissipation."
Chen Dachun nodded repeatedly. "Yes, yes, Brother Ma is right. I will quit gambling when I go down the mountain this time, I will definitely quit gambling."
A wave of good-natured laughter erupted, and the atmosphere became relaxed.
"Alright, alright, everyone, hurry up and pack your things," Ma Xiaoyi also greeted the craftsmen behind him. "We need to be back before dawn."
...
Before it got dark, Chen Xiaobei went into the mountains again. Yang Chun and the others had already installed the iron gate, and he had specifically left Hu Laoqi with two men to watch over it.
Seeing Chen Xiaobei arrive, Hu Laoqi quickly greeted him with a smile.
"Village Chief Xiaobei, come and see. Are you satisfied with how the gate has been installed?"
He spoke with considerable pride and self-satisfaction.
Chen Xiaobei walked forward and pulled hard a few times. It didn't budge at all.
Good, it was indeed sturdy.
"Where is Brother Yang Zhi? Has he gone back?" Chen Xiaobei asked as if he didn't know.
"He's gone back. Second Master said he was going to get some torches and inspect the cave again. It would be a huge loss if there were other exits and these scoundrels escaped."
Hearing this, Chen Xiaobei was still very touched. Yang Zhi was truly meticulous in his work. Come to think of it, it had been almost five years since he had last entered this mountain cave. Might there have been some new changes inside?
Thinking of this, Chen Xiaobei broke out in a cold sweat. What if a new opening had suddenly appeared that he didn't know about? Wouldn't all his efforts be in vain?
"Yes, it's good to check."
Chen Xiaobei chatted with Hu Laoqi casually.
He was waiting for Yang Zhi. He wanted to accompany Yang Zhi into the cave together for his own peace of mind.
Not long after, Yang Zhi came rushing back with several torches. Seeing Chen Xiaobei, he smiled happily. "Brother Xiaobei, the installation, are you satisfied!"
"Satisfied, satisfied. Brother Yang, I heard you were going to inspect the mountain cave. I've been in there before, so I'll accompany you."