Chapter 498: Women Hold Up Half the Sky
Having lost the verbal sparring match with Gao Yiye, Shi Kefa, his spirit brimming with frustration, walked into Gao Family Village's commercial district.
Hmm?
Ahead, he saw a building that looked remarkably like a brothel!
Shi Kefa thought to himself, "Perhaps only a courtesan's song could soothe his wounded pride now."
He swayed towards the establishment's entrance, only to discover upon closer inspection that it was no brothel at all. Instead, it was a shop serving fresh *heluo* noodles. No, more than just *heluo* noodles, the place seemed to offer a dizzying array of noodles, rice vermicelli, stir-fries, and all sorts of small bites. Quite the selection.
What truly surprised him was that the shop employed two chefs: a man and a woman!
The man was busy making the *heluo* noodles, but the woman, it seemed, was capable of far more. She prepared all sorts of miscellaneous snacks. She showed no fear of being seen, her apron tied, a headscarf wrapped around her hair, bustling about the shop, occasionally greeting customers.
Shi Kefa was utterly bewildered. He turned to the man and inquired, "A woman is the head chef here?"
The man chuckled. "Indeed! My wife is quite capable, wouldn't you say? Hahaha!"
The man grinned. "We're from Heyang County. Originally, it was just me making *heluo* noodles, but my wife went to the Women's Vocational School and learned a whole range of cooking skills. When she came back, she discussed it with me. Our shop is quite large, and just selling *heluo* noodles felt like a waste. So, we decided to put her newly acquired skills to good use, utilizing all the rooms upstairs and down. Now we offer a wide variety of dishes, and wouldn't you know, our place has become the largest restaurant in Gao Family Village!"
Shi Kefa frowned. "But... wouldn't allowing a woman to work openly like this invite criticism?"
The man chuckled again. "Criticism? What on earth would they criticize? Here in Gao Family Village, women hold up half the sky! Aside from heavy manual labor, women are starting to participate in all sorts of industries. The textile industry, in particular, has been entirely taken over by women—men can barely get a foothold in it!"
Shi Kefa was stunned.
He suddenly recalled the productivity debate he'd just had with the Saintess. If Gao Family Village mobilized all its women to work, integrating vast numbers of them into various industries, wouldn't their productivity soar to another level?
He abruptly remembered the thirty thousand elderly, weak, women, and children he had sent to Gao Family Village. He was suddenly desperate to know how these people would be settled.
He quickly picked up his pace and hurried back towards Gao Family Village's main keep.
In no time, he was once again standing before Gao Yiye. "Saintess, I wish to see the thirty thousand rebel dependents I sent."
Gao Yiye smiled. "Officer Shi, your timing is impeccable. I was just about to go see them myself."
It turned out that the thousand people Shi Kefa had previously sent to Gao Family Village by train had been transported directly by smaller trains to Bai Family Fortress and were waiting there. The remaining twenty-nine thousand had since arrived and were being continuously transferred to Bai Family Fortress as well.
Shi Kefa had been wandering around Gao Family Village in a daze for two or three days now. The entire thirty thousand people had now been delivered to the vicinity of Bai Family Fortress, awaiting their final labor reform assignment.
For such a large-scale deployment of labor reform prisoners, Gao Yiye needed to be present to organize the "ideological education work." The prisoners were not just meant to labor, but to be reformed, and ideological education was paramount.
Gao Yiye said, "Officer Shi, let us go together."
Shi Kefa agreed, "Very well!"
The two arrived at Gao Family Village's North Railway Station. There, they boarded a small train bound for Bai Family Fortress.
Upon reaching their destination, they discovered that the thirty thousand displaced people were already, under the arrangements of the Gao Family Village Militia, preparing to enter Huanglong Mountain.
"Into Huanglong Mountain?" Shi Kefa was greatly startled. "Is this mountain fit for human habitation? Huanglong Mountain has always been a haunt of bandits and rebels."
Gao Yiye reassured him, "Officer Shi, rest assured. The bandits that once infested Huanglong Mountain have long been driven out. The mountain is quite safe now. We've built a large prison there, already housing ten thousand former rebels. Imperial Censor Wu Shen and Yansui Governor Hong Chengchou are both aware of this."
Hearing that two high-ranking officials were aware, Shi Kefa's anxieties eased. "Good," he said. "Then I shall accompany you inside and observe."
Shi Kefa's thousand subordinates, alongside the Gao Family Village Militia, escorted the thirty thousand elderly, weak, women, and children into Huanglong Mountain. At first, seeing they were to enter the mountains, these vulnerable people feared the journey would be arduous, perhaps even deadly.
But as they ventured deeper, they discovered that surprisingly smooth cement roads had been constructed throughout the mountains. The roads weren't steep at all; they wound gently up the mountainside, making the journey entirely manageable even for the elderly, weak, women, and children.
They had traveled a thousand *li* from Hequ County, Shanxi—they'd seen every kind of broken and dilapidated road imaginable. Yet, entering Huanglong Mountain, a notorious den of villains throughout history, they found themselves on such remarkably well-built roads. They were utterly bewildered.
Shi Kefa was equally bewildered. Why build such fine roads in a place known for its treacherous mountains and harsh waters? Did they truly intend to develop even a desolate place like Huanglong Mountain?
He had, indeed, guessed correctly!
They truly did!
As the large contingent of elderly, weak, women, and children reached a valley, they were astounded by the sight within. Within that relatively small valley, vast factory buildings had been erected. Though they couldn't see inside the buildings, they could observe the open ground outside, where immense quantities of fabric were being moved about, and freshly dyed cloths hung on racks to dry...
The entire valley was a sea of cloth!
Many had never in their lives seen so much fabric drying at once.
A bullock cart slowly emerged from the valley. It was laden with top-grade cotton cloth, exquisitely woven, with every stitch perfectly even.
A woman skilled in weaving couldn't resist reaching out to touch the fabric on the cart. She gasped in astonishment, "It's impossible to weave cloth like this! Every stitch, every thread is so uniform. How is it done?"
The carter chuckled, half-scolding, "Hey, hey, no touching without permission! Did you wash your hands? If it gets dirty, it won't sell. Once you're in the labor reform camp, you'll get all the touching you can handle; you'll be handling it every day."
The woman fell silent.
The carter chuckled again. "This fabric isn't woven by human hands, it's machine-made, which is why it's so perfectly even. You'll understand once you're inside. Hey, hey, make way up front! I won't be responsible if the ox runs into anyone!"
In these times, pedestrians dared not defy a cart. The elderly, weak, women, and children in the middle of the road quickly scattered. The bullock cart, laden with fabric, continued its journey towards Bai Family Fortress Railway Station outside the mountain.
A few of the smarter women began to suspect something. They noisily asked the militia escorting them, "Will we be taken into this valley to weave cloth?"
"No, this valley is already full," the militia soldier replied with a smile. "The Heavenly Lord is preparing a new valley for you all."
Upon hearing the name 'Heavenly Lord,' the thirty thousand elderly, weak, women, and children immediately recalled the Heavenly Lord's miraculous gift of a great bridge at Dragon Gate Ferry. At once, feelings of both awe and reverence swelled within them.
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