Volume 1, Chapter 19: Arranging the Ranks

With a clear goal in mind, one finds the strength to work.

Just as Lu Yang finished drawing the design, and before Lu Yongguo could finish his flattery, the foreman, Lu Yongming, approached. He was not tall, but he was sturdy, with a clean-shaven head and a scar on his face that made him look quite fierce. However, in front of Lu Yang, he appeared somewhat reserved, his hand habitually reaching up to touch the scar on his face.

Lu Yang looked up and smiled. "Brother Yongming, is that scar on your face itching again? Do you need me to ask He Quande to prescribe you some medicine?"

He Quande was the village’s only doctor, living in the Fourth Team.

Lu Yongming smiled sheepishly. "No, no! Little Village Chief, I was just... I was just afraid."

Lu Yongguo explained, "Little Village Chief, the scar on Brother Yongming’s face is from a fight with people from Zhang Village three years ago. We all know he did it for the sake of the villagers, and no one thinks of him as a bad person. But he’s always had it on his mind, and it’s only gotten a bit better over the last two years. Since you rarely see him, he must feel awkward, which is why he habitually touches it."

Lu Yang was not a man to judge others by their appearance; besides, Lu Yongming’s eyes were quite clear. He stood up. "Brother Yongming, you’re from the First Team, right?"

Lu Yongming was pleasantly surprised; he hadn't expected Lu Yang to know even that. "Yes, yes! Little Village Chief, don't worry, I just have a scar on my face, I'm not a thug. I will certainly follow your instructions and get the house repaired quickly."

"Hahaha!" Lu Yang patted him on the shoulder. "Alright then, I’ll leave it to you! But remember, it must be done not only quickly but also safely, understood?"

"Little Village Chief, I understand, I understand."

Only then did Lu Yang hand him the blueprints. "Take a look at the drawings first. If there’s anything you don’t understand, just ask me."

Lu Yongming took the blueprints, froze for a moment, and then let out an exclamation. "My goodness! Little Village Chief, this... did you draw this?"

Lu Yang was also a bit surprised. "Yes, is there a problem?"

Lu Yongming hurriedly waved his hands. "No, no! I meant, this drawing... this drawing is truly excellent. Look at these lines, the dimensions of the walls, these purlins, rafters, and windows—it looks just like the real thing."

Lu Yongguo chimed in from the side, "Little Village Chief, what did I say just now? I wasn't just flattering you; you really do draw well."

Lu Yongming added, "That’s right, Little Village Chief. This drawing is exactly like the ones in the portfolio at my house. You could publish a book with this."

Lu Yang had majored in Electrical Engineering and Automation in college and had originally hoped to stay in the capital, but he hadn't succeeded. Later, in a fit of pique, he had gone to a village to serve as its chief. He knew how to draw various machinery and design automated production lines. Designing a single-story house was just a small task for him.

"Alright, you two, stop buttering me up, or I really might go off and publish a book!"

Lu Yongguo laughed. "Little Village Chief, we really aren't buttering you up; your drawings are genuinely good."

"Enough, enough. Go get to work, and send Zhao Junming over here on your way."

"Understood, Little Village Chief."

Before long, Zhao Junming arrived. The two major surnames in Dayang Village were Lu and Zhao. The Zhaos were mainly in the Sixth to Ninth Teams, while the Lus were in the First to Fourth. The Fifth Team was split between the two. However, everyone lived close by and interacted often.

Zhao Junming had assumed that after the old village chief’s outburst today, he, being a Zhao, would be ostracized. Seeing Lu Yang, he didn't say a word and just stood there with his head lowered.

Lu Yang smiled. "Brother Zhao, what’s wrong? Is there money on the ground?"

Zhao Junming finally looked up and offered a forced smile. "Little Village Chief, I really don't want to leave our Third Team."

Lu Yang was stunned. "Wait, who said you had to leave the Third Team?"

Zhao Junming looked as if he had received some sort of pardon, a joyous smile appearing on his face. "Little Village Chief, you called me over separately—wasn't it to drive me, a Zhao, away?"

Lu Yang laughed, feeling that the way these rural folks thought was sometimes truly beyond words. "Brother Zhao, the Third Team has more people named Lu, but it’s not private property for the Lu family. You are a son-in-law who married into the family and inherited my second uncle’s household, so you are one of us in the Third Team. Besides, this is the new China, not the old society; where would all these feudal prejudices come from?"

Zhao Junming didn't understand what "feudal prejudices" meant, but he knew that the Little Village Chief considered him one of his own. That was enough. "Little Village Chief, if you have any orders, even if it costs me my head, I will get it done for you."

These rural brothers were truly so straightforward. Lu Yang laughed. "Brother Zhao, this is rural entrepreneurship. The way you put it, it sounds like we're bandits planning a heist!"

Zhao Junming scratched his head and laughed. "Little Village Chief, I just meant that whatever you tell me to do, I’ll do it, and I’ll work myself to the bone for it."

If everyone had this mindset, why would Dayang Village ever worry about not being prosperous?

Lu Yang laughed heartily. "Haha! Actually, I called you over because I wanted to ask if you had experience with yellow bamboo weaving."

Yellow bamboo refers to bamboo with the outer green skin removed. Common woven items include backpacks, dustpans, and winnowing baskets. However, once the bamboo has its outer layers removed, it becomes much more brittle and requires processing to improve its toughness and strength. If left untreated, it can only be used for simple yellow mats, wasting the material. This was a necessary path for Dayang Village to move toward industrialization and a key to utilizing human labor while reducing transportation costs.

Zhao Junming nodded. "I did learn from my father-in-law for seven or eight years, but later, the old village chief said that farming was more important, so I stopped doing it."

"Have you forgotten the craft of processing yellow bamboo?"

"Little Village Chief, once you learn this trade, you don't forget it."

"Good! Then tell me, how did you process these yellow bamboos?"

Lu Yang actually knew the process, but that was from decades later, where most of it required machine assistance. Now, without machines, he didn't know if there were any differences in the procedure.

The result was surprising. Manual processing was clearly much more troublesome, involving five main steps: soaking, boiling, drying, roasting, and pressing. Modern methods mostly involved direct high-temperature pressing.

Zhao Junming expressed his determination. "Little Village Chief, if you need me to process bamboo, I’ll bring my family’s large iron pot to the team. There’s a river nearby; I can dig a pit, and if you assign me five or six people, I guarantee I can finish processing the leftover yellow bamboo in a day."

"Alas, it’s a pity my father-in-law passed away. His skills were much better than mine; I’ll need to work my tail off for another two years to catch up to him."

For mats made of yellow bamboo, the most troublesome part is the processing of the bamboo strips. Whether it’s long strip mats or square mahjong-style mats, it’s the same. Mahjong mats require specialized punching machines and usually use bamboo with the green skin left on, which Lu Yang wasn't planning to do yet. The best option was bamboo strip mats. Therefore, the toughness and smoothness of the strips were even more critical.

Lu Yang also felt a sense of regret. "My second uncle did pass away too early! Oh, right, my second sister should know it too, shouldn't she? Why hasn't she come to the meeting these past few days?"