Chương 44: Let Us Beat the Drums

Entering the workshop, Fang Cheng and the others stepped down from the carriage and followed a small path to the sewing workshop. It was a spacious, bright room filled with young workers wearing blue checkered uniforms. Most were women, with only a few men scattered among them. They were busy at their stations, focused on their tasks. Even when the magistrate entered with his party, they did not stop working. Some did not even look up. The secretary produced a brass gong and struck it twice.

"Children! Stop your work! Our magistrate and the City God of White Flower City have come to visit you today. Let us give them a round of applause!" With that, the secretary began clapping. The workers joined in, smiling happily. The applause lasted for over ten seconds, until the secretary struck the gong again. They stopped and returned to their work. Fang Cheng walked closer and saw a black iron contraption on each table, with a large iron wheel underneath.

The secretary explained that these were treadle sewing machines. The machine head was on the table, and the pedal and wheel were below. Stepping on the pedal turned the wheel, which drove the belt and made the machine head clatter, stitching fabric together. Using his divine sense, Fang Cheng looked inside the machine and saw a complex arrangement of gears, iron rods, and dense parts, like a spiderweb.

"This thing is not simple," Fang Cheng said.

"Of course not, City God," the secretary agreed. He motioned for a female worker to demonstrate. The worker, named Xiao Cui, stood up, bowed to the magistrate and the visiting City God, then sat down and stepped on the pedal. The wheel spun, and the machine began to work. Clack, clack, clack. The crisp, pleasant sound of the needle hitting the fabric, stitching pieces together quickly. Soon, several pieces of cloth were joined into the rough shape of a garment. The secretary pointed at the machine.

"See, City God? This is the power of technology. In the mortal realm, technology is the second greatest productive force, second only to Divine Energy." Fang Cheng nodded approvingly. Qin Hao also praised her, "Excellent craftsmanship! At this speed, you could make at least a dozen garments a day, right?"

"A dozen is too few," the secretary said with a laugh, patting Xiao Cui's shoulder.

"Xiao Cui, tell this gentleman what your personal record is." Xiao Cui stood up, bowed to Qin Hao, and smiled.

"For ordinary garments, my record is one hundred and twenty-three pieces in a day. For fine silk dresses, fifty-eight." Qin Hao was amazed.

"Wow, that is even faster than my sweet potato digging!" Fang Cheng felt something was off. He asked Xiao Cui, "Surely you don't spend all twenty-four hours a day sewing clothes, do you?" Xiao Cui did not answer. She looked at the secretary instead. The secretary smiled and explained, "City God, Xiao Cui did indeed work a full twenty-four hours on the day she set that record. But that was during a workshop competition. Normally, we do not do that. We are very humane here.

We believe in harmony between humans and nature. We follow the rhythm of sunrise and sunset. If it rains or the weather is bad, we rest until it clears up before resuming work." Magistrate Liu Defu gave a thumbs up.

"This system of harmony with nature is unique. Other cities do not have it. Our secretary developed it himself. Since its implementation, work efficiency has greatly improved. Truly the brilliance of our incredibly smart secretary!"

"My lord, you flatter me," Secretary Zhou Zhixin said, clasping his hands.

"Nature is the mother of all living things. We are all children of nature. It is only right to follow her teachings."

"Enough. Stop kissing each other's asses. It makes me sick." Fang Cheng cut them off. He turned to the secretary and warned, "From now on, when I ask Xiao Cui a question, she will answer herself. You keep your mouth shut." The secretary smiled, clasped his hands, and obediently fell silent. Fang Cheng turned to Xiao Cui.

"You look young. How old are you?" Again, Xiao Cui did not answer. She looked at the secretary. The secretary smiled and said, "When the City God asks you something, answer him honestly." Xiao Cui nodded. She looked at Fang Cheng and mustered up the courage to say, "I am sixteen. That is old enough. Back in the village, I would already have several children by now." Fang Cheng frowned.

"You are not from Xiangshi City. You are from a village outside?" Xiao Cui quickly shook her head.

"No, no, no. I was born in Xiangshi City, and I will die in Xiangshi City. Magistrate Liu and Secretary Zhou are my new parents. I love Xiangshi City, and I love my new parents even more. Without them, there would be no new-era me." Fang Cheng found her words strange. Had she been brainwashed? He used his divine sense to probe Xiao Cui's body but found nothing unusual. He withdrew his divine sense and continued, "You love Xiangshi City very much.

But if I asked you to leave Xiangshi City and go to a new city, would you be willing?"

"NO!" Xiao Cui screamed from her throat. She fell to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably.

"No matter where, I only want to stay in Xiangshi City. My father is the magistrate. My mother is the secretary. I cannot leave. You are a bad person. How could you make me leave my parents again!" Fang Cheng frowned deeper. Qin Hao said, "Magistrate, Secretary, if all the workers are like Xiao Cui, I am afraid our business..."

"An accident. Just an accident." The secretary quickly waved his hand. He crouched down and comforted Xiao Cui.

"This is not goodbye forever, child. You are grown up now. You need to take on greater responsibilities. Going to White Flower City is a chance to grow. If you miss home, you can always take a leave and come back to visit. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. Is that not right, City God?" The secretary looked at Fang Cheng with a friendly smile. Fang Cheng nodded.

"Of course. That would be no problem." Magistrate Liu Defu also spoke up. He said to Xiao Cui, "Xiangshi City's rise or fall is everyone's responsibility. Since you love Xiangshi City so much, you should do something for it. Go. Show the people of White Flower City how capable we Xiangshi people are!" With the encouragement of the magistrate and secretary, Xiao Cui nodded firmly, stood up, and wiped away her tears. Her smile was as bright as the brass gong in the secretary's hand. Clang! Clang! Clang!

She patted her glowing cheeks, as if striking a gong. Though the sound was soft, it echoed through the entire sewing workshop. It was time for a song. She sang:"Hey~~! The sun rises over the mountain, with rosy little cheeks. It scorches the mulberry flowers on the hilltops, making them bow their heads. I strike the morning gong and sing. People of Xiangshi, come and sing with me. You ask what I want to sing. First, I sing of my own father. He is truly no good. He shouldn't even have that thing in his pants.

I sing of my stepfather. May that thing of his be bigger than the immortals in heaven! Second, I sing of the wise and brilliant secretary Xiangshi, my stepmother. Her chest stands taller than my real mother's. My real mother has a big pair on her chest, but she is truly no good. My stepmother, his chest is so great that even the heavenly maidens would fly down from heaven! Third, I sing of the great age of silk. This great new age fills my belly and keeps me from hunger. I sing of the great workshops of technology.

Technology is power. It keeps me warm and covers my backside. I sing of the great City of Xiangshi. The houses here are more comfortable than the imperial palace. I will never want for food or clothing for the rest of my life!"

"Beautifully sung!" The secretary clapped first, followed by the magistrate. The other workers joined in, leaving only a bewildered Qin Hao and a frowning Fang Cheng.

"Magistrate Liu, let us go see the other workshops," Fang Cheng said.

"Certainly. Follow me, City God." Liu Defu led the way, with Fang Cheng and Qin Hao following. The secretary whispered a few instructions to the workshop supervisor, then quickly caught up. They passed through several empty halls and soon arrived at the dyeing workshop. Fang Cheng looked inside. It looked like any ordinary dyeing workshop, with rows of cauldrons and vats. Many bare-chested men were boiling cloth, while others used iron hooks to pull dyed silk from the vats and hang it on racks to dry.

Qin Hao scanned the room.

"There does not seem to be much high-tech here." The secretary smiled.

"The capital has something called a mountain printer, but it is too expensive. We cannot afford it." Fang Cheng asked, "Are these dyers staying here, or are they going with the female workers...?" Magistrate Liu Defu laughed heartily.

"If the City God wants them, we can give them all. As long as the price is right." The secretary chimed in, "Exactly. Men and women working together keep things fun. They can marry and have children in their spare time, creating a new population for White Flower City." Fang Cheng still felt something was off. Instead of continuing the conversation with the magistrate and secretary, he walked into the workshop and approached a burly young man.

The young man was too busy to pay attention at first, but when the magistrate and secretary introduced him as the City God of White Flower City, he reluctantly obeyed.

"Alright. Ask away, sir."

"What is your name?"

"My name is Li Zhuangniu." The young man patted his belly.

"Li?" Fang Cheng frowned.

"Are you from a village to the south?"

"Eh, how did you know?" Zhuangniu was surprised.

"But my village was burned down. Thanks to the Li brothers and their friends, they set the whole village on fire. I wandered here and found my new parents, Magistrate Liu and Secretary Zhou." Fang Cheng frowned.

"How good have the magistrate and secretary been to you, that you call them your parents?"

"Full belly, warm clothes, a roof over my head."

"And? That is all?"

"Yes. That is all."

"They do not pay you?"

"Do you ask for money when you work for your parents?" That question caught Fang Cheng off guard. He remembered helping his family farm as a child and never asking for payment.

"Uh..." Fang Cheng did not know what to say, so he asked the same question.

"If you were asked to leave Xiangshi City and go to White Flower City, would you be willing?"

"Of course not. A golden nest is not as good as your own doghouse. Xiangshi City is my home. Even if White Flower City were a celestial city or a Buddha's holy land, I would not go!" Zhuangniu said firmly. Magistrate Liu Defu stepped forward and slapped Zhuangniu on the head.

"Listen. You go when we tell you to go. How dare you talk back to the City God?" Zhuangniu was stunned. He rubbed his head and said pitifully, "But I really do not want to leave. I finally have a home." The secretary stepped in to comfort him.

"Going to White Flower City is also a contribution to us. Your home in Xiangshi City will always be here for you. If you miss it, you can come back and visit." Hearing this, Zhuangniu cheered up. He puffed out his belly and began pounding on it vigorously. His belly was round and big, like the drum at the Yamen gate. Whenever people came to report a crime, they would pick up the drumstick and strike the drum, shouting, "Justice, Magistrate!" Zhuangniu had no grievance to report.

He was just happy and full of praise for his new parents. He wanted to beat his belly drum and announce to the world: I am happy in Xiangshi City! Boom! Boom! Boom! The drumbeat resounded, spreading in all directions, crossing time and space, traveling through countless worlds, arriving at a world where sound was forbidden and people could only beat their bellies to express their love for the land that raised them.

"Come, come, come. Follow my rhythm. Beat your bellies. Boom, boom, boom. We, people of Xiangshi City, are full of joy today. You ask why we are happy? Boom, boom, boom. Beat your bellies. Boom, boom, boom. Hear how loud it is. Our bellies are full of good things. Fatty pork hocks, white steamed buns, rice, meatball soup, and a big bowl of White Knife wine!" Boom! Boom! Boom! The drumbeat thundered like rolling thunder. The young man beat with boundless joy, like a gorilla seeking a mate.

But what he sought was his parents' love. The entire dyeing workshop was infected by his enthusiasm. All the workers came over and joined him in beating their bellies. They beat and danced around the magistrate and secretary, like zebras on the savannah, stomping their big feet and chanting tribal songs for a chieftain's coronation. Boom! Boom! Boom!

"Xiangshi City is my head, because I do not need a brain. The magistrate and secretary are my belly. They are full, so I am happy. Just watching them fills me up. Boom, boom, boom." Even the magistrate was infected. He showed his belly and began beating it. His belly was round and big, like a pregnant woman in her sixth month.

"Come, come, come. My dear secretary, join us. Boom, boom, boom. Follow the beat. We are Xiangshi City's leaders. The drumbeat must also follow our lead. Let the whole world hear our drums!"

"Alright! Boom, boom, boom!" The secretary followed his magistrate's example, showing his belly. It looked rather shrunken, but the sound he made was thunderous. Fang Cheng watched these people silently. He found nothing unusual about them. The demon sword inside him was still, proving they were not possessed. But something still felt wrong. Qin Hao noticed it too and asked quietly, "Brother Fang, why are they acting so possessed?" Fang Cheng shook his head and did not answer.

Gradually, more and more people joined the drumming. The sound spread through the entire workshop, even attracting children coming home from school outside.

"Hahaha." A child laughed. He was about ten years old, handsome and cute, wearing a blue robe, a jade pendant for blessing around his neck, a jade bracelet on his wrist, and a silk school bag slung over his shoulder.

"Boom, boom, boom!" He also showed his belly and beat it, but no matter how hard he tried, the sound was faint.

"Father, why can't I make it sound?" The magistrate heard a familiar voice and turned around. It was his youngest son. He stopped beating his belly and scolded, "You brat! Why are you not home? What are you doing here?"

"I want to learn the drum, Father," the child pouted. The magistrate roared, "Learn to play drums? Play your ass! You should be reading the classics, passing the imperial exams, and bringing honor to your ancestors. Not coming to some godforsaken place to learn drumming!"