Transmigrated as a Stepmother: Time to Bring the Family to Prosper!-Chapter 157 - 156: First Delivery

Chapter 157: Chapter 156: First Delivery
"Achoo!"
Qin Yao got up early in the morning, opened the window to let some fresh air into the room, and unexpectedly sneezed loudly.
As soon as October arrived, the temperature dropped sharply, and it drizzled for the past two days. The skies were gloomy, and the room appeared dim, making it look even colder.
Qin Yao thought it was the cold morning wind that made her sneeze and didn’t remember the saying that when you sneeze, someone is thinking of you.
She narrowed the gap in the window a bit and turned around to open the wardrobe to put on the jacket newly made with the help of her sisters-in-law. A thin layer of fluffy, soft cotton covered her body, instantly dispelling the chill.
Qin Yao walked out the door to the backyard for her morning exercise, and soon Da Lang came over.
Second Lang was indeed still quite young and found it hard to keep his will on uninteresting things, so Qin Yao didn’t push him and let him sleep in during the winter.
Rejuvenating energy for good reading is also fine.
Da Lang was different; he had found pleasure in practicing martial arts. Without Qin Yao urging, he would do morning exercises every day, except for rainy or windy days, never skipping.
The mother and son exchanged a glance and then continued their own exercises. Qin Yao mainly focused on strength training to maintain her body’s agility.
Da Lang emphasized the basics, starting with a set of military exercises, then moving on to a squatting horse stance.
He could squat for almost half an hour.
If he had a leisurely mind, he could recite books, or just space out and think of nothing. A nine-year-old, already appearing mature due to his understanding, now seemed even more steady.
Qin Yao finished exercising first, cleaned up, started a fire, and cooked a stomach-friendly millet porridge for breakfast. She then brought out some new charcoal bought from the town to heat the living room, closed the door tightly to warm up the cold and chilly room.
This was the first batch of charcoal for early winter; if not for the morning sneeze, Qin Yao would have waited a few more days before burning it.
But she couldn’t bear the chill this morning, even less so for the kids. Anyway, the family wasn’t short of money for charcoal, so an early fire meant early enjoyment.
Sure enough, the three who got up afterward, clutched their rosy faces frozen from the cold as they emerged from the blankets, noticed the heat in the living room, immediately pushed open the door and rushed in, exclaiming in delight, then sitting around the stove to warm their hands and feet, feeling quite content.
After the family of five finished breakfast, Qin Yao made sure to remind them before they went out: "Remember not to close the window tightly. Let the air flow from time to time to avoid poisoning."
The four siblings were already knowledgeable about carbon monoxide poisoning thanks to Qin Yao’s explanations, responding in unison: "Got it!"
Thus, Qin Yao picked up the ledger and bag of broken silver and headed towards the village entrance.
Today, the fifteenth of October, was the day agreed with Bai Shan to deliver the first batch of goods.
It was also payday.
Last night, Qin Yao and Liu the carpenter had checked the goods to be delivered today, ensuring everything was foolproof before separating to their homes.
The next batch was already eighty percent complete, with the remaining half month more than adequate, surely allowing for timely delivery.
Hence, Qin Yao was calm and unhurried this morning, nothing different from usual.
However, the factory workers were rather nervous because it was the first time they completed a production task and delivered goods.
Customer satisfaction was very important to them; after all, who wouldn’t want their efforts to be rewarded?
By mid-morning, Bai Shan arrived with his convoy, consisting of five wagons.
In the small mountain village, apart from the annual grain tax time, it was rare to see so many carriages at once, even rarer to have such bustling occasions.
Especially after the conscription order arrived, half the villagers, young and old, left, and the dismal atmosphere finally improved today.
The idle village ladies, young wives, and children gathered around curiously, looking at this, touching that.
They weren’t afraid of damaging the stones and wood; they were left to it.
The cold winter day seemed to warm up gradually amidst this hustle and bustle.
Qin Yao personally loaded thirty sets of ultra-small water mills onto the wagons. Bai Shan checked each one and nodded in satisfaction, leaving two alert young men to learn installation and maintenance, then headed south with the goods.
Before leaving, Bai Shan paid the second installment of sixty taels, with twenty taels remaining to be settled upon the next pickup.
Watching the shiny silver received by Qin Yao, the factory workers couldn’t help but smile brightly.
Qin Yao turned around to meet eager eyes, smiled, and said, "I will do the accounting now. I’ll settle your wages this afternoon!"
Everyone responded with a laughing chorus: "Alright!"
Qin Yao watched the workers return to their respective positions while she and Liu the carpenter personally guided the two young men left by Bai Shan, teaching them how to install, how to prevent issues, and how to repair if problems occurred.
She had prepped for this long ago, and with Liu the carpenter, in their free time, they made an after-sales drawing booklet.
For major clients like Bai Shan, a set could be gifted.
The service booklet contained pictures and texts, detailing installation steps and covering both common and uncommon issues.
Qin Yao first took the two young men to observe her water mill for half a day before giving them the after-sales drawing booklet for them to study.
If they had questions, they could ask her or Liu the carpenter.
Incidentally, both were from another town in Kaiyang County, far from Liu Family Village, making commuting inconvenient. They would stay in Liu Family Village for this half-month.
With Liu the carpenter’s house fully occupied, Qin Yao had no choice but to bring them back to her own home.
Opening the small room next to the living room that had been locked for a month, a smell of dust from long neglect greeted her.
Qin Yao stepped back, waved her hand, waited for a while before entering.
The window was opened, bringing light into the dim little bedroom. Inside was a bed, a set of tables and chairs, and a wardrobe made from two stacked wooden boxes, simple and neat.
"Come in," Qin Yao beckoned to the two lads outside to take a look at their new dormitory.
The two lads appeared to be eighteen or nineteen, tall and slender. They could squeeze into the one-meter-wide bed without a problem.
They took a look around, quite satisfied, and gratefully offered to help with any chores at home such as fetching water or chopping wood.
Qin Yao didn’t stand on ceremony, immediately calling Da Lang and Second Lang over to lead the two older brothers to chop wood.
The days were growing colder, and winter consumed a lot of firewood, more was always better.
The yard’s wood shed was already two-thirds full. With a few more days of chopping, it would be completely filled, enough to last until next spring.
With the addition of the two older brothers, Da Lang and Second Lang were secretly pleased, finally finding time to collect chestnuts.
If they were any later, the chestnuts on the mountain would be almost picked clean by the village children.
On the eastern side of the village, a low hillside held a chestnut grove, originally planted by someone unknown, later left unattended, growing wild, becoming the children’s favorite place to explore in early winter.