Chapter 705 Is She a Liar?
The women were buzzing with excitement over the prosperity of Jishan County.
Suddenly, they saw a young woman leading a large group of people down the street.
The woman was unmarried, her hair flowing freely, styled clearly like a young lady from a distinguished family.
She wore a thick, long dress, adorned with fur, marking her as an undoubtedly wealthy young mistress.
She crossed the street, coincidentally encountering the logistics team. Waving to Zhuge Wangchan, she smiled, "Isn't this Little Zhuge? What brings you here?"
Zhuge Wangchan waved back, chuckling, "Hello, Miss San! I've joined the militia's logistics team and am now captain of the Eighth Squad. I'm just passing through on official business."
That young woman was indeed San Shier's daughter, Miss San.
In Jishan County, she had established a fertilizer plant with the local gentry member Mo Xiaopin, and often came here to oversee its operations and discuss technical improvements.
Upon seeing a classmate from Gao Family Village School, Miss San shed her usual shyness. She spoke with newfound confidence: "You just wouldn't apply yourself! You were in our same class, one of Gao Family Village's most promising first-generation students, yet you dropped out after elementary school. Honestly, if you'd just finished middle school, how well would you be doing now? Look at Chen Yuanbo; he's already the magistrate of Wenshui County! Even the Heavenly Lord praised him."
Miss San retorted, "Then how dare you nickname yourself Zhuge Wangchan?"
Zhuge Wangchan spread his hands. "Well... *cough*... among my classmates, I might be slow, but in the grand scheme of things, I'm quite clever."
Miss San looked utterly exasperated, a wry smile playing on her lips. "There you go again! That's precisely why you dropped out of middle school – you're far too easily satisfied with yourself."
Zhuge Wangchan laughed. "Come on, old friend, spare me! Let's not talk about that anymore. What are you up to, leading such a large group through the streets?"
Miss San explained, "Our new fertilizer plant is growing, and the cafeteria can barely keep up with feeding everyone. We need to hire a new batch of women cooks..."
As she finished, her gaze fell upon the women and children accompanying the logistics team. "Oh, Little Zhuge, where did you *abduct* these people from?"
Zhuge Wangchan scoffed. "What a dreadful thing to say! How could I have *abducted* them? These are refugees the Heavenly Lord personally rescued from Houjia Village. He instructed me to escort them to Gao Family Village for resettlement."
Miss San chuckled mischievously. "Hehehe... hehehe... Resettlement? Anywhere can be resettlement, can't it? Our Jihua One Factory can resettle people too!"
Zhuge Wangchan replied, "The Heavenly Lord said they can stay wherever they wish, entirely at their own discretion."
Miss San grinned, immediately turning to the women. "Hey, sisters! Are you looking for a place to settle down? Well, you've come to the right spot! Our Jihua One Factory is hiring women cooks. Your job would be to prepare three meals a day—morning, noon, and night—for the factory workers."
The women exchanged glances. "Huh? Such a job exists?"
Miss San elaborated enthusiastically, "It's an excellent job! You'll be paid three catties of flour every day, and your meals, just like the workers', are absolutely free. We also have beautiful and clean dormitories available for residence. Your children can attend the factory's children's school for free. We even give out year-end bonuses for festivals, refreshing drink allowances in the summer, heating allowances in the winter, *zongzi* for the Dragon Boat Festival, mooncakes for the Mid-Autumn Festival... Oh, and there are employee spring and autumn outings, and sometimes we invite opera troupes to perform right here at the factory!"
The women were speechless.
They were utterly stunned, completely dumbfounded in an instant!
This couldn't be called good benefits; it sounded entirely like a scam.
In that moment, the women mentally plastered a "Liar" label onto Miss San's forehead.
Such wonderful things simply didn't exist in the world. Impossible. Absolutely impossible!
With a sudden rustle, the women all scrambled behind Zhuge Wangchan, whispering, "Big brother, this young woman is a liar, isn't she? Is she trying to trick us into being sold to a brothel?"
Miss San was aghast.
Zhuge Wangchan burst out laughing. "Hahaha, don't worry, she's a good person. You're just not used to how things are around here yet."
But the women dared not believe him. Compared to Miss San, whom they'd just met, they trusted Zhuge Wangchan more. They remained huddled behind him, stubbornly refusing to agree to enter the fertilizer plant.
Miss San had no choice but to give up. "Alright, alright, I'll just go put up the recruitment notices. We'll always find people. These sisters, having just arrived from afar, probably need some time to adjust."
That evening...
The logistics team rested for a night in Jishan County, then set off again early the next morning.
They traveled through Hejin County, then crossed the Dragon Gate Bridge.
The women were utterly mesmerized by the magnificent bridge.
However, what astonished them most was the strange building erected at the western end of the Dragon Gate Bridge: the Dragon Gate Train West Station.
Zhuge Wangchan led the women and children to the station's waiting room, where they stopped.
The women couldn't help but ask, "Big brother, it's still very early. Shouldn't we walk another ten or twenty *li* before resting? Why are we stopping now?"
Zhuge Wangchan smiled. "From here on, no more walking. We'll be taking transport."
The women looked bewildered.
Just as they stood there in confusion, a "woo-woo" of a steam whistle pierced the air, and a "choo-choo-choo" sound steadily grew louder, drawing closer.
The women jumped in alarm. Following the sound, they saw an enormous iron vehicle roaring towards them.
"Wow, what in the world is that?"
From the colossal contraption, a man disembarked. Waving, he smiled at Zhuge Wangchan, "Little Zhuge, you're back?"
Zhuge Wangchan chuckled. "I am! Old Li, what are you doing on the train?"
Old Li laughed. "This train will officially start charging fares tomorrow, and I've been hired as a ticket inspector. See that little window at the station? They'll start selling tickets there tomorrow."
Zhuge Wangchan mused, "So that's how it is. This section of the railway will be charging fares too? Heh! Well, it makes sense. After spending so much money to build the railway and trains, charging a fare is only fair. We can't just keep giving out benefits and let everyone ride for free."
Old Li added, "Oh, and a new route is opening up. The super-long railway line connecting Xi'an, passing through Dali County, Chengcheng County, Gao Family Village, Heyang County, Qichuan Ferry, Linyi Yellow River Bridge, Sunji Town, Puzhou, and Hedong Circuit... it's all completed and about to open for service. You'll be able to see the inauguration ceremony for the new route when you return to the village this time."
Zhuge Wangchan exclaimed, "That's truly wonderful! I'll have to take a ride when I get the chance."
After they finished catching up, Zhuge Wangchan turned back to the astonished women, waved his hand, and chuckled, "Everyone, let's get on board."
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