Chương 43: The Textile Workshop

The group proceeded to the back hall. After Fang Cheng was seated, the magistrate personally brewed tea and served it, then began making small talk.

"City God, I heard White Flower City was invaded by demons recently. How is it doing now?" Fang Cheng shook his head with a sigh.

"The city suffered heavy losses. Countless civilians died. It will be hard to recover the population in a short time. I came to Xiangshi City hoping to recruit some people from you."

"Haha, that suits me perfectly." Magistrate Liu Defu laughed heartily and slapped the table. Fang Cheng frowned slightly at this. He wondered why the magistrate of Xiangshi City was so happy. Was he really that greedy? Did he want to earn referral fees from the population transfer? Secretary Zhou Zhixin noticed Fang Cheng's suspicion and quickly explained, "City God, ever since Xiangshi City started its textile and silk industry, villagers from surrounding areas have come to work in the city's textile mills.

The population has grown significantly. Our Yamen runners are limited in number. We cannot manage such a large crowd, and banditry has been on the rise in the city. We have no choice but to export some of the population to ease the pressure on the government." Fang Cheng nodded and stopped dwelling on their suspicious behavior. He got straight to the point.

"Magistrate Liu, let us talk about the price. How much do you charge per person as a referral fee?" Liu Defu hesitated for a moment and glanced at his secretary, signaling him to handle the negotiation. The secretary nodded slightly and began, "City God, you should know that our textile workers are all native to Xiangshi City. They have embraced the ideas of the new era, but they love this land that raised them deeply. They are loyal to the Great Sheng court and to Xiangshi City.

They were once humble woodcutters, struggling through hard times, until the day Xiangshi City welcomed the new era's textile machines. Everyone's fate changed from that moment on. Every citizen of this city has become a skilled textile worker. Now Xiangshi City can produce three to four thousand pieces of exquisite silk goods every day. All of this is thanks to our great Magistrate Liu and his incredibly brilliant secretary, me! The two have led the people of this city at the forefront of the new era.

Through our tireless efforts day and night, we have brought a better life to countless citizens. We have invested our hearts and souls, giving so much to train these outstanding textile workers. They are our children, our precious treasures, the future prosperity of the Great Sheng court! As parents, watching our children leave Xiangshi City to seek their fortunes elsewhere, we are both proud and reluctant to let them go!" As he spoke, Secretary Zhou Zhixin's eyes reddened, and tears nearly fell.

Magistrate Liu Defu played along, wiping his face and sighing with emotion. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. Fang Cheng watched their performance and snorted in contempt. He could see they were just trying to drive up the price.

"Enough, great Magistrate Liu and incredibly brilliant Secretary Zhou. Stop the nonsense. Just tell me directly: how much per person?" Seeing this, Zhou Zhixin stopped the rhetoric and said, "City God, since you are a cultivator, we will measure the price in Immortal Crystals." He raised one finger.

"One low-grade Immortal Crystal for one skilled textile worker." Fang Cheng frowned at the price. Qin Hao, however, was furious. He stood up and pointed at Zhou Zhixin's nose.

"Damn it! You are robbing us!" Zhou Zhixin shook his head.

"Please do not be angry, honored cultivators. That is the market price. If you do not believe me, you can ask around in Shuili City or Dongyang City next door. If you still do not believe me, you can go to Lianshan Prefecture City, or even the Great Sheng capital. The price is fixed everywhere. We do not cheat anyone." Qin Hao's anger subsided slightly at the secretary's sincere tone, but he still thought the price was outrageous.

He had been a Land God for years, and his entire salary over that time had not added up to a single low-grade Immortal Crystal. Fang Cheng had remained silent since the secretary quoted the price. He sensed something fishy, but could not pinpoint exactly what was wrong. At that moment, Magistrate Liu Defu spoke up. He first scolded his secretary, "How are you talking? The market price is correct, but you need to be considerate of our City God from White Flower City.

White Flower City suffered a demon disaster and has been devastated. Forcing him to pay so many Immortal Crystals is really too much." He paused, then turned to Fang Cheng with a persuasive tone.

"City God, I will give you a discount. One low-grade Immortal Crystal for ten workers. What do you think?" Qin Hao's mouth fell open in surprise. That was only ten percent of the original price. Completely unexpected. Fang Cheng did not agree right away. Instead, he said, "Magistrate Liu, you keep saying how excellent your workers are, but I have not seen it for myself. How about we go to the factory and inspect the goods first?" Liu Defu hesitated and looked at his secretary.

Seeing the secretary nod in agreement, he smiled and said, "Alright. Let us go. We will visit the city's largest textile factory." Fang Cheng and Qin Hao followed the magistrate and his party into a carriage, which headed toward the northwestern corner of Xiangshi City. After half an incense stick's time, they saw a sprawling workshop in the distance. Its walls were four meters high, with all doors and windows sealed, making it impossible to see inside.

As they drew closer, they saw a wooden sign at the entrance reading "Xiangqing Textile Company" in neat, imposing calligraphy. Magistrate Liu pointed at the sign and explained, "Xiang stands for Xiangshi City, and Qing stands for Greenwood City to the south. We have a division of labor. Greenwood City raises silkworms and spins silk, while we weave the thread into fabric and tailor it into garments.

City God, if you ever want to buy raw silk from Greenwood City in the future, I can contact the magistrate there and get you the most favorable price."

"Thank you, Magistrate Liu." Fang Cheng clasped his hands in polite acknowledgment. Importing from Greenwood City would be the best option. It was the closest city to White Flower City, which would keep transport costs low. But he would still need to visit Greenwood City to see for himself. As they spoke, the carriage arrived at the workshop gate. Black iron bars sealed the entrance tightly, guarded by a squad of well-equipped sentries.

Secretary Zhou Zhixin jumped down from the carriage and knocked on the iron bars. The guards recognized him and opened the gate, letting the carriage through. Fang Cheng lifted the carriage curtain and looked out. He noticed that dark clouds hung over the workshop like a giant spiderweb enveloping the factory. Behind the dense black web, the setting sun looked like a red mother spider perched on the black net, baring crimson fangs that pierced down into the workshop, drinking greedily.

Magistrate Liu, sitting beside him, also glanced at the sky.

"It looks like rain. City God, we should hurry and finish our tour."