Chapter 469: Gao Piao
While standardization and increasing the number of schools could resolve the personnel issue, those were long-term solutions, not immediate fixes. Currently, the fastest way to alleviate the manpower shortage was to aggressively recruit outsiders and vagrants.
Li Daoxuan knew his immediate focus should be on population growth.
The labor reform camps were a crucial component. The speed at which these camps could transform prisoners into productive citizens would directly impact Gao Family Village's population growth.
But ultimately, the camps required time for this transformation. The quickest way to bolster the workforce immediately was still to assimilate "law-abiding citizens" from outside.
Law-abiding citizens could be put to work immediately; they didn't need rehabilitation.
However, recruiting good citizens proved incredibly difficult.
As he pondered this problem, he suddenly noticed a man in simple cotton clothes enter the main keep of Gao Family Village. The man approached San Shier, and with both hands, presented a thick stack of manuscripts, saying, “Third Steward, I've drawn a story, and I'd like you to take a look, to see if it can be published and printed.”
San Shier exclaimed, “Oh? You're... Old Stone Four! I remember you!”
Li Daoxuan also had a faint impression of the name Old Stone Four. Where had he heard it? He thought hard, racking his brain, until suddenly it clicked. It was the day Padi Tu first arrived in the village. Old Stone Four, carrying some New Year's goods, had intended to go to the Craftsman Well to apprentice himself to a master. On the way, he'd been knocked unconscious by five men who stole his belongings. Padi Tu had then led men to apprehend the thieves.
San Shier was clearly surprised too. “Old Stone Four, what exactly have you been doing all these years? One moment I'd see you learning blacksmithing, then carpentry, then cooking... And now you're drawing? This, my friend, is what we call 'half-hearted and indecisive'!”
Old Stone Four's face showed an awkward expression. “I don't know what's wrong with me. I can't seem to master any skill, and I never stick with any job for long... A few days ago, I heard that Gao Sanwa drew a picture book that sold incredibly well and made him a fortune. So, I... started thinking about drawing again. Anyway... it seems like even an illiterate person can draw.”
San Shier was caught between laughter and tears. “While drawing might be something an illiterate person can do, crafting a story is far from simple. The narrative's progression, pacing, building tension, and climactic release—all of it requires profound skill and understanding. For an illiterate person to manage all that well? That would be 'as hard as reaching the heavens'!”
Old Stone Four looked a bit embarrassed. “I... I just drew some everyday family happenings.”
San Shier sighed, “Fine, let me take a look then.”
He focused his gaze, and the title of the book in his hands was quite peculiar: "Gao Piao".
Up in the heavens, Li Daoxuan nearly burst out laughing. Gao Piao? That name had an interesting ring to it. Could it be a pun on 'Bei Piao'?
San Shier asked, “What does ‘Gao Piao’ mean?”
Old Stone Four replied, “It means ‘drifting’ or ‘floating’ in Gao Family Village.”
San Shier felt a great weight of dread. “Just from the title, I have a terrible feeling this book is going to be... well, garbage.”
Old Stone Four protested, “No, no, please don’t call it garbage before you’ve even read it! I’ll cry, I really will!”
Reluctantly, San Shier opened the book. Reading carefully, he saw it told the story of a poor man named Stone Four. Unable to make a living, Stone Four wandered everywhere begging for food. Then, by chance, he heard about a place called Gao Family Village that took in refugees. So, he left his old home and traveled a long distance to Gao Family Village.
To his surprise, they offered gruel to the starving. But more importantly, there was work to be done. Stone Four began to toil diligently, but he was naturally inept; nothing he tried seemed to work out, and he couldn't earn much money. His friends, one by one, became blacksmiths, carpenters, or even gunpowder makers, each starting to earn significant wealth and become prosperous.
Only Stone Four remained unsuccessful.
Finally, one day, he found a job that suited him: he became a whitewasher. “I’m a whitewasher, a master of my trade...”
Stone Four found a sense of fulfillment in his chosen work. He finally earned enough money, moved into a large house, married a beautiful wife, and even had a daughter.
The End!
San Shier chuckled, “Pfft! What an utterly mundane story! It's a complete step-by-step account, a mere chronicle. No, no, I can't print this. It has no discernible merits.”
Stone Four blinked, “Huh?”
Li Daoxuan, however, found himself amused by this part. “Quite interesting!” he thought.
While the book was indeed a bit dull and lacked a dramatic climax, it had one significant advantage: it depicted the lives of ordinary people in Gao Family Village through numerous small details.
For instance, when Stone Four arrived in Gao Family Village, he ate relief gruel. He slept in a small, colorful refugee shack, eight people crammed into one.
Then he worked odd jobs, building roads. He lived in employee dormitories. He learned skills from blacksmiths, tried various occupations. He rode the train to work. When tired, he ate rice noodles and watched plays in the Gao Family commercial district. After getting paid, he might buy a piece of candy or some meat...
It told the story of an ordinary person from a very grounded, relatable perspective, close to the common folk.
It painted an incredibly thorough picture of the overall environment in Gao Family Village, detailed to an almost astonishing degree.
Li Daoxuan wasn't sure if the book would be a bestseller. If the village treasury funded its printing and sale, it might even lose money. However... if the book succeeded, it could potentially serve as a promotional brochure for Gao Family Village.
This was far better suited than Gao Sanwa’s "Breaking the Heavenly Aperture" for depicting Gao Family Village's current state to outsiders.
Smiling, Li Daoxuan shifted his gaze to the watchtower. “Yiye, Yiye, time to get to work!”
Gao Yiye was feeling utterly bored. Hearing Li Daoxuan’s summons, she was overjoyed. She leaped onto the balcony. “Ah, Heavenly Lord, you need me? I thought that after your incarnation descended, you wouldn’t need me anymore.”
As she spoke the last sentence, the young woman’s spirits seemed to dim a little.
Li Daoxuan smiled. “How could I just descend to play without reason? I’m very busy, actually, incredibly busy right now.”
“Busy eating hand-shredded ribs?” The young woman could see him; even when he was outside the box, her vision could pierce through it to perceive him.
Li Daoxuan: “...”
This was quite embarrassing. But it didn’t matter; with enough thick skin, one could be fearless.
“Yiye, focus on the important part!”
“Yes, Heavenly Lord!”
“Go over to San Shier. There’s a man named Old Stone Four who just finished a picture book called 'Gao Piao'. The plot is rather plain, and San Shier doesn’t want to publish it. However, I feel this book isn’t entirely without potential. We should support the blossoming of a hundred flowers in culture and art. We shouldn't just seek what's immediately gratifying; we also need some grounded, relatable works. So... go tell San Shier that the village treasury won't be funding the printing of this book. Instead, you, as the Saintess, will fund its printing and bear all profits and losses.”
Gao Yiye nodded, “Oh, oh, I understand! I can do that.”
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