Chapter 801: Engraving and Typography
Su Binglan told the newcomers everything they would need to do. If a tenant wanted to rent a shop, her employees would show the tenants to the food stores and daily necessities shops.
The newcomers wondered what the mall was and the price of the shops inside. Su Binglan would give the tenants a year free of rent and only start collecting payments in the second year.
The newcomers were also curious about the prices of the houses in the residential area. Nonetheless, Su Binglan explained everything to them in detail.
“If you have any questions, don’t be afraid to ask Su Chun. He will be providing you with training. Don’t worry about the salary and bonus. You’ll receive monthly salaries.
“Also, the more houses you sell, the more commissions you get. The same goes for the shops you rent. If you feel you aren’t earning enough, work harder to sell more houses or rent more shops.
“Of course, you mustn’t scam or mislead those who buy or rent these houses. Please explain everything to your potential tenants clearly. Su Chun will tell you the specific benefits.”
If the employees were capable enough, they would earn plenty of commissions in a month. Everyone gasped when they heard Su Binglan’s words.
They were surprised that they could earn more than ten silver a month. They were excited to start working. They never imagined they could earn so much money. With so many shops and houses around, they wanted to work hard.
After handing over the employees to Su Chun, Su Binglan visited the toy factory. Gonsun MO and Lei Tongtong shared an office where they assembled and carved words into the toys.
The couple was delighted to see Su Binglan. Lei Tongtong stood up and greeted her, “Hello, Sister Su.”
“Hey, I came to check things out. Did you carve these, too, Tongtong?”
“Yes, I did,” Lei Tongtong nodded and said, “I didn’t want MO to do all the work, so help him by carving the words into the toys.”
She was once the eldest daughter of the Thundercloud Castle. She had learned to read and write since childhood. Since she knew those things, she was excellent at carving words beautifully.
“l can actually handle everything myself,” Gongsun MO said dotingly, “Tongtongs just worried all the time.”
He felt a warmth in her heart whenever his wife showed concern for him. Su Binglan could feel that they had a perfect relationship.
After some thought, Su Binglan said, “Gongsun MO, you know I’ve opened a printing shop, right? I’d like you to engrave the alphabet for me to use in the
printing shop.”
“You need me to engrave the letters for you?” Gongsun MO knew Su Binglan had also opened a paper mill. Although he did not know what those two places did, he heard that paper would be cheaper soon.
He was delighted. That way, many poor students could afford to buy paper for their studies. He knew that whatever Su Binglan did was beneficial to everyone.
Still, Gongsun MO did not know what the printing factory was for. “l got someone to make a blank slate with the same specifications using clay. I need you to engrave the letters in reverse, just like a seal. It’s to ensure the words are correct.”
Gongsun MO knew what Su Binglan meant when she mentioned the seal. It was the most essential thing the Gongsuns needed to learn for their mechanisms, so he knew it well.
“Don’t worry, Miss Su. I’ll do you proud.”
Su Binglan knew he was skillful and felt assured. After all, he was from the Gongsun family.
She then took out a piece of paper with commonly used words on it, saying, “I’ll have to trouble you to help me carve these most commonly used words first. Afterward, you can set them up at the printing shop.”
Although Gongsun MO and Lei Tongtong did not quite understand what Su Binglan meant, they knew it was necessary. So, they planned to make time to engrave the words for Su Binglan.
“Here, these are dozens of longer words. I’ll need you to carve a few more for each one. There are quite a few of them. I thank you in advance but don’t worry. I’ll arrange for several more people to help you.”
Su Binglan then told Su Yi to gather a few subordinates who were good at carving wood. Since the printing technique was confidential, she only wanted her trusted subordinates to handle it.
There was no problem with the engraving process. After engraving the words, it would be convenient to print them.
As Su Binglan discussed business with the couple, Madam Zhou came looking for her excitedly. “Binglan.”
“Hey, Aunt Zhou. Are you here about the waterwheel?” Su Binglan knowingly asked when she saw how happy Madam Zhou was.
Madam Zhou said smilingly, “Yes, your cousin and his two siblings have finished building it. They’re waiting by the river to install it, so I rushed to your house to tell you about it.
“You weren’t there when I visited, but your mother told me you were here, so I came looking for you.”
Su Binglan was ecstatic to hear that. “l knew Cousin Wenxing could do it in time. It’s only been a few days, yet he and his team have already completed the waterwheel.’
Madam Zhou nodded. “Well, he had plenty of help. They knew the waterwheel was beneficial to the village, so they stopped making furniture to focus on the waterwheel.
“If they install it now, the villagers won’t have to carry water from so far away. They can just depend on the waterwheel.”
Madam Zhou and her three sons were excited because they knew many people would benefit from it.
Su Binglan was just as excited, saying, “Let’s hurry over and check it out.”
The two walked briskly toward Madam Zhou’s house. Madam Zhou had opened a furniture factory and expanded her family’s house to accommodate all the furniture.
There were waterwheel spokes, floorboards, wooden shafts, and other things in the courtyard. At that moment, Madam Zhou’s sons were excited to see Su
Binglan.
Su Binglan greeted her three cousins, “Hello there, cousins.”
Su Wenxing was still inspecting his newly forged tools when he saw Su Binglan. He excitedly said, “Hello, Binglan. Could you check if there are any problems with the waterwheel before we install it?”
The three brothers had checked the waterwheel several times and confirmed there were no issues before telling their mother to call Su Binglan over. Since her blueprint was highly detailed, it was effortless for Su Wenxing and his two siblings to follow. Still, they wanted to be cautious.
“It looks perfect, Cousin Wenxing. We can assemble and install it now.”
It was in the middle of the afternoon, and the sun shined warmly, covering the entire village in a moving light. The weather was not too hot, thanks to the spring breeze.
Su Wenxing could not wait to get started. He asked, “Should we assemble the waterwheel at the river?”
Su Binglan nodded. “Yes, let’s transport everything over first and then assemble and install it.”
The waterwheel would only work with help from the river. Fortunately, it had snowed heavily in Su Teng Village during winter. The snow on the mountain had melted into the river..
