When Commander Song spoke, the rumors circulating these days were confirmed.
The Commandery Princess he mentioned was none other than Miss Xie, and Miss Xie was about to become the Commander’s wife.
The village chiefs exchanged glances, realizing that this was good news for them.
Prince Guangyang still had descendants, though they were womenfolk, but during the war in Dai State, Miss Xie led people to treat wounded soldiers until Commander Song won the battle.
This showed that Miss Xie’s character was very similar to that of Prince Guangyang described by the older generation, truly worthy of the same bloodline.
Now, with Commander Song in the eight states and Prince Guangyang’s descendants returning, would they fear tough days ahead? They just had to follow the lead of the Commander and the Commandery Princess.
The village chiefs stopped delaying and hurriedly handed over the list of available people from their village to Qu Chengmei.
Qu Chengmei looked carefully. There were quite a few from Dai State who could make flower felts, and the womenfolk could learn to use the weaving machines. Once these machines were ready, they could teach others. By the time the market opened, they’d be well prepared.
Village Chief Qiao said, "Once the weaving machines are made, who will teach the village women to make thread tassels?"
Liu Erniang stepped out from a corner, saying, "I will teach them initially, and when the machines are made, the Commandery Princess will bring people to Dai State."
People from Dai State naturally trusted Liu Erniang since she was originally from Dai State.
With someone making the weaving machines and someone teaching the villagers, everything was planned out for them.
The village chiefs remembered to pay respects to Song Xian. Since the Commandery Princess wasn’t there, they expressed gratitude to Commander Song. However, upon turning their heads, they realized Commander Song had quietly left.
"Did Commander Song leave?"
The village chiefs looked at each other in surprise.
Qu Chengmei said, "We have the spinning wheel, people teaching everyone how to make thread tassels, but we also need wool. The Commander has petitioned the court to open a market in Lingqiu, and then Liao’s furs will be transported through the market."
Village Chief Wang said, "The Commander will marry on February 26th."
The other village chiefs suddenly realized that, indeed, the Commander and the Commandery Princess were busy coming and going from Dai State.
Qu Chengmei laughed and said, "Zhenzhou is almost ready, and Xinzhou is tidying up the house. Several rooms are done, and currently, they are repairing the courtyard walls."
Village Chief Wang looked at Qu Chengmei, wanting to say something but holding back.
Qu Chengmei said, "Do you want to ask how I know all this so clearly?"
Village Chief Wang replied, "I wouldn’t dare."
Qu Chengmei had heard from both the Commander and the Commandery Princess about Village Chief Wang and knew that the Wang Family Village had been of great help during the war, so he felt closer to Village Chief Wang and said with a smile, "If you were by the Commander’s side every day, you would know all this clearly too."
Every day, Song Xian would ask several times, sometimes even asking him, though "ask" was false, "brag" was true, and he had to listen obediently, right?
In the house next to the government office.
Chen Yongyi was leading people in making spinning wheels. Despite having a disability, he worked quickly, especially with several people like Chen Zhongdong helping him.
During mealtime, villagers would bring food over.
Except for eating and sleeping, they spent all their time working, with lights on even when it was dark.
"Fourth Uncle," Chen Zhongdong said, "Will we finish the first spinning wheel tomorrow?"
Chen Yongyi replied, "Let’s not set it up yet; we’ll keep making more. Once we get the news from the market and the village women come over, then we’ll assemble the spinning wheels together."
Liangchen advised him that the eight states were unfamiliar, so they might have spies watching them. Delaying the setup would prevent others from learning their secrets.
Chen Zhongdong thought about this, understood his uncle’s intention vaguely.
"Tomorrow, have everyone wash up," Chen Yongyi instructed, "We’ve been working for days; we’re all smelly now."
Though it’s still very cold, they couldn’t help but sweat from working hard every day. With so many men staying together, the room didn’t smell pleasant. When the women from the village came over... they’d be overwhelmed by the smell, no doubt.
"Got it." Chen Zhongdong and the others replied in unison.
But right after saying this, the room was filled with the sound of snoring.
Everyone was genuinely exhausted, but it was worth it. Whenever Chen Yongyi thought of the villagers eagerly awaiting progress, he didn’t feel tired at all.
Never mind washing, finishing the work was the priority. They couldn’t afford to delay their tasks or mess up Liangchen’s wedding date. The next day, when he woke up, Chen Yongyi continued working with everyone, putting all other thoughts aside.
When Chen Yongyi’s wife, Zheng, and several female members arrived at Dai State, they saw the bearded men bustling among the wood materials, covered head to toe with wood shavings, looking as if they were doing hard labor.
Chen Yongyi’s wife couldn’t help but complain, "Look at yourself, bringing people out to end up this way?"
Chen Yongyi laughed, "It’s nothing; we haven’t wasted any time. We’ve made several more spinning wheels."
His wife said, "Make sure the stuff you create is mistake-free. Liangchen entrusted you with this task, and if you mess it up, wouldn’t it bring disgrace to Liangchen?"
"I understand," Chen Yongyi replied, "Don’t worry. We’ll be the ones making and repairing them, so I won’t take this lightly."
As he was about to ask if Liangchen had come along, he heard a commotion outside as Xie Liangchen was ushered into the yard by Hu Zi and others.
Seeing Chen Yongyi and the others in such a state, Xie Liangchen stepped forward and said, "Fourth Uncle and everyone have been working hard recently."
To facilitate walking, Xie Liangchen had covered her face. Seeing her made Chen Yongyi feel at ease.
"Fourth Uncle," Xie Liangchen said, "We’ve received news from Liao, and they’ll soon send over some furs. We can start assembling the spinning wheels."
Though the market hadn’t been built yet, they agreed with Liao to ship some furs once the Third Prince was returned.
Chen Yongyi nodded and turned to instruct Chen Zhongdong, "Notify everyone to assemble the spinning wheels."
Before long, a spinning wheel was set up in the room amidst bustling efforts.
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A few village chiefs stood nearby watching.
Liu Erniang placed the prepared wool on the spinning wheel, and Chen Yongyi held the handle, slowly rotating it. The spinning wheel began to move before everyone’s eyes.
"There’s wool, there’s wool."
As the spinning wheel turned, everyone watched the spindle winding the ingot, with more and more thread tassels forming, growing larger and larger.
Chen Yongyi expected to hear cheers, but instead, silence filled the room. When he looked around, he noticed a woman wiping her eyes with her sleeve.
It reminded Chen Yongyi of when Chen Family Village first earned silver coin, and many were so happy that their eyes turned red.
Poverty is the same, and hope is the same too.
After a brief silence, someone eagerly asked, "Do we have spinning wheels in our village too?"