Chapter 563: Pumped Up
Bai Yuan rather enjoyed his new identity as a "divine envoy."
Who wouldn't enjoy being welcomed by everyone the moment they arrived? With a flick of his fan, he immediately threw himself into the work: "The Heavenly Lord has commanded! While widening the river channel benefits transportation and all the common folk, it will temporarily harm the livelihoods of the fishermen. Therefore, the Heavenly Lord has specifically bestowed a large quantity of grain to help the local fishermen overcome this hardship."
The fishermen by the dock instantly rejoiced at these words, cheering loudly.
The sailors on the ship immediately returned to the cabins and brought out several large baskets, each containing sacks of grain. Each sack weighed over a hundred pounds. The sailors didn't mess around, directly heaving an entire sack onto the dock and beckoning to a fisherman on a nearby boat: "You! Come here!"
The bewildered fisherman approached, still unsure what was happening, when a sack of grain weighing over a hundred pounds landed on his shoulder with a thud.
The sailor said, "Hold it steady! This sack of grain is to compensate you for the fish you won't be catching."
The fisherman: "!!!"
In truth, deep down, the fishermen harbored a slight grievance. They dared not blame King Ji, a god they had worshipped since childhood, but they felt a quiet dissatisfaction towards this Heavenly Lord who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere.
Of course, it was only a secret dissatisfaction; no one dared to voice it. Now, feeling the heavy sack of grain on his shoulder, a voice roared in his heart: *With this much grain to eat, what cause for complaint do I have? If anyone dares to be dissatisfied with the Heavenly Lord again, I'll be the first to throttle them.*
A large crowd immediately gathered by the dock, forming a queue.
However, the image of the Heavenly Lord on Bai Yuan's fan instantly grinned and chuckled, "If you're not a fisherman, don't try to claim it falsely. I, the Heavenly Lord, can tell with a quick divination who the real fishermen are and who are the imposters. Step back now, honestly, and you'll be pardoned. But if I have to personally drag you out... then... heh heh heh..."
At these words, the line instantly dwindled by a third. Those who slipped away looked utterly mortified, as if caught red-handed in a misdeed, wishing they could sink into the ground in shame.
Mo Xiaopin, witnessing this scene, couldn't help but smile wryly, shaking his head inwardly: *Trying to snatch a small profit, eh? With a deity watching, let's see if you still dare to try and take advantage.*
Before long, over a hundred sacks of grain had been distributed from the large cargo ship. The true fishermen all received their compensation, immensely pleased.
Bai Yuan told the fishermen, "The Heavenly Lord's divine power in widening the river won't simply end here. He will continue to expand upstream. Once the upstream section is excavated, the river water will remain turbid and turbulent, preventing you from fishing normally for a long time."
The fishermen: "Huh?"
Bai Yuan: "So, I'm offering you a new opportunity to earn money. Is anyone willing to become a crew member or sailor on my cargo ship? Your duties will involve navigating, cleaning the ship, assisting with miscellaneous tasks, and light cargo handling..."
The fishermen exchanged glances, and after a good while, a leading figure hesitantly asked, "As for wages..."
Bai Yuan: "Three taels of silver a month."
The fishermen: "!"
Over a hundred hands shot up, practically in unison: "I want to go!"
"Me too!"
"Choose me, choose me!"
Bai Yuan laughed heartily, "No need to choose, everyone gets a spot. Anyone who knows how to handle a boat is welcome. We are sorely lacking in such talent."
Gao Family Village's naval personnel reserves were extremely limited, consisting only of a small number of sailors from Horsehoof Lake and Qichuan Port, leaving them quite spread thin. The opportunity to recruit over a hundred new crew members was, of course, a tremendous advantage.
Bai Yuan waved his hand, and this group was accepted. They could be trained gradually later.
Next, his attention turned to Mo Xiaopin and a large group of local gentry: "Esteemed sirs! This place has historically been a vital agricultural region, has it not?"
The gentry nodded in agreement. Mo Xiaopin replied, "Indeed. Though this region is officially called Jiangzhou, we locals refer to it as Jishan County—a city established under the protection of King Ji. Since ancient times, agriculture has been its main livelihood."
At this point, an awkward expression crossed his face: "But these past few years... *cough*... our region has been... *cough*..."
Bai Yuan reached out from under his parasol, catching a few raindrops, and smiled, "No matter, Heaven has already granted us rain. Coupled with the widened Fen River, providing more water, irrigation should not be an issue moving forward."
Mo Xiaopin said, "My only fear is that this rain is fleeting; that after a few days, it will cease, and the great drought will return, alas."
Bai Yuan smiled. "That won't be an issue. Take a look at this."
As he spoke, he swiftly pulled a blueprint from his robes.
It was a design for a large wooden waterwheel. The river water would turn the wheel, which, in turn, would scoop water into the irrigation channels along the bank.
Bai Yuan explained, "This new type of waterwheel can continuously draw water from the river without external force. You only need to dig proper irrigation ditches, and even if Heaven doesn't grant rain, the waters of the Fen River can ensure a bountiful harvest for everyone."
Mo Xiaopin was overjoyed, as were the gentry.
Bai Yuan snapped his fan shut. "At least dozens of these waterwheels will need to be built along the river, irrigating dozens of channels, which will then distribute water to various villages, helping the common folk with their farming. We'll need a large number of carpenters. I ask for your help in bringing the city's carpenters here."
Mo Xiaopin replied, "After Magistrate Qin Changqing died a few days ago, the city's official workshops have been paralyzed. The artisans are worried about what to do. If Master Bai were to recruit carpenters now, it would be twice the result with half the effort."
Bai Yuan: "Oh? Such a good thing?"
Even the Heavenly Lord hadn't anticipated that after inciting the common folk to kill the magistrate and creating a state of anarchy, such a boon would appear. In that case, all those skilled craftsmen in the city would, quite literally, fall into his lap.
Sure enough, Bai Yuan sent men to the official workshops to shout a single phrase: "Work is available!" The artisans, without even needing to ask about wages, gathered as a team and came over.
Upon seeing the waterwheel blueprint Bai Yuan presented, the carpenters thumped their chests without a word and declared, "We can build this!"
Bai Yuan: "If you can build it, that's enough. Wages are three taels of silver a month."
"What? Three taels? Awoooooo!"
The carpenters were instantly pumped up...
Their joy, however, troubled the other artisans, who inwardly thought: *The carpenters have work, and big work at that—the kind that makes you rich. But what about us?*
Bai Yuan flashed them a grin. "Don't worry, everyone will have work. As long as you possess a specialized skill, simply follow me. Wages start at three taels of silver a month, and the better your skills, the more you'll earn."
Everyone rejoiced!
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