Dad, don't be greedy! My brother climbed into the emperor's bed, and I became famous overn

Wen Yanzhi is a meticulous person.

He divided the recruits into groups.

Those with skills went to the business group, those with strength went to the engineering group, and those who could read and write stayed by his side to help with the accounts.

The rest all joined the entertainment industry.

What is an entertainment group?

It means wearing the new clothes issued by Pujitang and "living" on the streets of Peach Blossom Spring.

Some were playing chess, some were chatting, and some were shelling beans.

The only requirement: enthusiasm.

You should have a genuine, heartfelt smile on your face.

Twenty coins a day.

This job is highly sought after.

In less than half a month, nearly 800 households returned to Qingshui and Liuqiao counties.

Smoke has returned to the once empty alleyways.

A new shed has been erected next to the collapsed earthen wall.

Children chased and played on the riverbank, their laughter carrying far and wide.

Two areas that were once severely affected by the disaster have surprisingly regained their vitality.

And the source of all this points to one name.

Pujitang, Gu Dongjia.

The people spread a rumor among themselves.

"Master Gu is a sprinkling maiden by the side of the Bodhisattva, who descends to earth specifically to relieve suffering."

When these words reached Gu Mingyue's ears, she was looking at the system panel.

Current task balance: 6200 taels.

[Remaining time: 4 days.]

The money had to be spent in the last minute, and then his brother could start preparing birthday gifts for the emperor.

……

Good news also came from the textile workshop.

Ten days ago, the land was barren and overgrown with weeds up to waist height; now, three large sheds have sprung up.

The ground is paved with whole bricks, and a drainage ditch runs through the bottom of the shed. There are two exhaust windows on the north and south sides.

The materials were of high quality, and the workmanship was neat and orderly, exactly as Su Wan had initially requested.

All the custom-made looms have been delivered.

Su Wan led four hundred female workers to clean the workshop inside and out three times, and then began practical training.

When Gu Mingyue visited the workshop, Su Wan was pacing back and forth in front of the loom, her voice clear and stern.

"Raise your hand. The yarn should be inserted into the spindle at an angle, not straight in."

"If you go straight in, the tension will be uneven, and the fabric will develop rough edges. I'll deduct one cent from your wages for each rework. I mean what I say."

The girl who was chosen frantically adjusted her angle.

The companion next to her chuckled, but was immediately glared at by Su Wan.

"What are you laughing at? Your gestures are even worse than hers."

All the girls fell silent and lowered their heads to practice diligently.

Gu Mingyue stood at the entrance of the shed for a while, but did not go in to disturb them.

Su Wan's approach to leading people is very effective.

Strict but not harsh.

Every time I correct a mistake, I explain the reason clearly.

People trained using this method learn quickly, have a low defect rate, and most importantly, can replicate the results.

Su Wan caught a glimpse of her employer out of the corner of her eye, instructed the shop assistant next to her to keep an eye on things, and then quickly walked out.

"Master."

She wiped the lint off her hands and gave a crisp report.

"The first batch of 200 people have mastered the basic skills. They can officially start working on the machines tomorrow."

"The 200 candidates will be divided into four batches of 50 people each, with a rotation every seven days."

"Once the first batch of people have mastered the skills, they can become mentors starting from the eighth day, with one person training two beginners."

"The pace of mentoring apprentices will accelerate, like a snowball rolling downhill."

Gu Mingyue nodded.

"Let's start production first. Don't worry if production can't keep up; let's get the hang of it first."

"clear."

Su Wan responded with a crisp and decisive sound.

Gu Mingyue pulled a folded sheet of paper from her sleeve and handed it over.

"Take a look at this, see if you can make it."

Su Wan took the blueprints and unfolded them, her brows gradually furrowing.

The drawing depicts something with a strange shape.

Two trapezoidal pieces of fabric are overlapped and sewn together, with a filter element of unknown material sandwiched in the middle, and a thin rope tied to each side.

"Master, what is this?"

"Face mask."

Gu Mingyue pointed to the cross-section in the center of the drawing with her pen.

"Three-layer structure."

"The outer layer is dense to block droplets. The middle layer is made of loosely rolled cotton into an extremely thin felt sheet for filtering. The inner layer, which is in contact with the face, should be made of the softest and most breathable fine yarn."

Su Wan's expression froze.

A piece of cloth the size of a palm, with three layers of filling, and a thin sheet of cotton pressed in the middle.

Just by listening to the craftsmanship, you can tell that the time it takes to make one of these is enough to weave half a foot of cloth.

The issue is……

"Boss, who are these masks... for?"

Su Wan's mind was racing.

When the ladies of Jiangzhou City went out, they covered their faces with round fans and veils.

This thing covers the face, leaving only the two eyes exposed.

Wearing it in broad daylight, the patrolling constables would probably mistake it for a masked bandit and slash at it.

"Is the employer using this mask for some special purpose?"

Su Wan tentatively asked a question.

Gu Mingyue did not answer.

Of course, she couldn't reveal the real reason.

Two months later, an unprecedented and terrifying epidemic will break out in Dayong.

Corpses littered the fields, and nine out of ten houses were empty.

No one would believe such words; they would only be considered heretics and beheaded.

"There's been a lot of sand and dust lately."

Gu Mingyue spoke without changing her expression.

"Give a few to each of the staff at Pujitang to wear first, and store the rest in the warehouse for future use."

Su Wan quietly looked at her employer for a few seconds.

She is an extremely intelligent person.

The owner spent 36,000 taels to build a textile workshop, but the first thing he wanted to mass-produce was not silk, which could be sold at a high price.

It's not the cotton fabric that's in short supply on the market.

Instead, it's a palm-sized, three-layered "mask" that no one has ever seen before.

They also required all items to be sealed and stored in the warehouse, and none were allowed to be sold to outsiders.

Although Su Wan didn't understand the reason, she understood one thing.

The boss is no ordinary person.

Ordinary people don't repair roofs on sunny days.

"OK."

Su Wan put away the blueprints and didn't ask any more questions.

"I'll bring people to make a sample tonight."

into the night.

In the backyard of the textile workshop, oil lamps were brightly lit in the temporary workshop.

Su Wan sat around the long table with three of her most skillful female workers.

Cutting, twisting thread, pressing cotton, and sewing.

The work done entirely by hand is not difficult for them.

The real challenge lies in the breathability standard proposed by Gu Mingyue.

The first mask made of three layers of fine cotton and raw cotton was worn by a female worker named Aru. After a dozen or so breaths, her face turned a deep purplish-red.

"Shopkeeper, no, that won't do."

Aru ripped open the strap and took several deep breaths, almost fainting.

"This cotton is too dense; it's impossible for it to breathe!"

Gu Mingyue took the failed product, examined it from all angles, and then yanked it hard.

"The problem lies in the middle layer. The cotton is too tightly packed, and the warp and weft threads of the fabric are woven too densely."

"This conventional approach won't work."

The contradiction was laid bare before everyone.

To prevent droplets from spreading, the fabric must be tightly sealed.

When the fabric is too dense, it's hard for a person to breathe.

Both ends are blocked.

The workshop fell silent.

Without saying a word, Su Wan picked up the scissors.

Cut the failed mask in half and carefully remove the cotton from the inner layers.

Knead it repeatedly in your palm.

He got up again and rummaged through the discarded yarn tubes in the basket in the corner, pulling out a few strands of mulberry bark thread and wrapping them around his fingers a few times.

"I have a solution."

Su Wan got up and walked quickly to the small hand-cranked spinning wheel in the corner.

"Aru, go get the finest mulberry bark thread!"

"Ah Yue, bring the raw cotton over!"

"quick!"

The three female workers sprang into action in a flurry.