Chapter 38: Starting to Earn Money for Real Today

A twenty-year-old young woman is a rare and beautiful sight in this village. Once they get any older, however, that is no longer the case.

Men, from childhood to adulthood, are generally like spare ribs, withered trees, dead wood, or eventually, old coffin boards. Women fare slightly better, but once they age and are worn down by the grind of life, their faces soon look old and weathered. Young girls are different; though they are thin, they are thin in a pleasing way—at the very least, they don't look like mere sticks. Their faces might be a bit rough and their hands unrefined, but those long, thick braids are truly a quintessential feature of the era.

"What is it that you wanted to say?" Qin Jun asked, snapping back to reality. If there was anything to say, it should have been to thank his older sisters for how they had looked after him. Of course, they still took care of him quite a bit now; after all, they were his sisters, and caring for a younger brother seemed like a matter of course. That was the old Qin Jun's understanding, but not anymore. In this world, no one is born with the obligation to take care of anyone else.

His eldest sister’s bright eyes blinked for a long moment before she said, "Never mind, forget it."

His second sister, Qin Fengchun, was more outspoken. She had been unable to watch any longer and blurted out, "Coal!"

"Coal? You meant coal?" Qin Jun quickly caught on. "Haha, I remember now. I’ll pay for it!" He had suddenly realized that the coal at home was not shared property.

Seeing Qin Jun laugh, Qin Yingchun felt a bit annoyed. She stomped her foot and turned to leave. Qin Jun realized his mistake immediately. He hurriedly grabbed his eldest sister and said, "I know. I'll settle the accounts with old man Qin tonight." In his haste, he realized his sister wasn't looking to settle scores with him, but with Qin Zhihe. The coal at home was being used to burn limestone, and that had to be paid for. But how much could that cost?

Qin Jun’s eyes rolled as an idea formed. He had truly overlooked his two sisters before, focusing only on his brothers' jobs while ignoring them. But it wasn't too late to think of it now; they weren't married yet and were still part of the family.

"Sister, I remember you graduated from middle school, right?" Qin Jun asked, feeling a bit surprised. Among the village girls, very few managed to reach middle school.

"Yes," Qin Yingchun replied. "I graduated, but I didn't really learn much while I was there."

Qin Jun was surprised again. So, did that mean they had learned something in elementary school? His generation spent their entire elementary and middle school years just drifting through, and it wasn't easy to actually learn anything.

"It’s fine, I’ll make it up to you," he promised.

Just then, his sister-in-law, Yang Yuanyuan, came out of the main room to call them for dinner. Qin Jun didn't want to continue the conversation and walked quickly into the room. He was the most enthusiastic about eating; having been tossed around all morning, he was starving. After gulping down a bowl of sweet potato porridge, Qin Jun felt the water sloshing in his stomach as he headed out of the house. He didn't want to live this kind of life for even one more day.

Within a few steps, he reached the village’s main thoroughfare. There were many people walking in twos and threes toward the edge of the village.

"How many stones did your family dig up yesterday?"
"Not many, that area has already been picked clean by others."
"Don't lie to us, we aren't going to go over there and snatch them!"
"That’s right! Look at that pile—it must be over a ton, right?"
"Definitely over a ton. Stones are so heavy!"
"Doesn't that mean their family made three yuan a day?"
"Alright, alright, don't be jealous. We make hard-earned money, but the village makes even more!"
"True, the village is firing three kilns today! One is ours, and the other two belong to the Eleventh Team."
"Two kilns of lime—that could sell for 120 yuan, right?"
"Not that much. The stones and coal are their own, so the team only collects thirty per kiln. Two kilns only make sixty."
"Only sixty? The way you say that, it’s like your family has sixty yuan of your own."
"My family does! The team just distributed the money, how could we not?"
"Fine, your family has it, but can your family earn sixty yuan a day?"
"Exactly! That lime kiln can make sixty yuan a day! My god! How much will that be in a year?"
"That’s our team’s lime kiln!"
"It’s a pity they aren't hiring many workers."
"Don't be greedy; it’s good enough that they let you earn a little by selling stones."
"That’s right! Work hard, maybe you'll make more than the team’s annual dividend."

...

Following the crowd, Qin Jun walked slowly. Hearing the villagers' discussion, he felt pretty good—at least there was no sign of envy or senseless talk. Such fellow villagers were quite lovable; contentment is a source of happiness. Qin Jun was willing to help people like this. After all, burning lime wasn't a core secret; many people knew how to do it, but most were too selfish to share the technique widely. If he could help the villagers while also benefiting his own family, that would be even better.

Quickening his pace, Qin Jun passed a few people. Seeing him, the villagers stopped their chatter and greeted him one after another. They were all brothers, uncles, and elders, and Qin Jun responded with a constant smile. By the time his face felt stiff, he reached the lime kiln.

After a few days of work, the kiln area had been shielded by fences made of branches. Inside, a few grass sheds—no, "earth dens"—had been built. Forget about real walls; the office was just a makeshift affair. But having these earth dens to keep out the wind was good enough.

He ducked into an earth den. Inside, there was a deep pit. Five logs were propped up to form a roof-like structure, covered in thick thatch. The thatch was dense enough to block the wind, but it wouldn't stop the rain.

"Is that you, Xiaojun?"

In the darkness of the den, before Qin Jun could see anyone, he heard Qin Shi’s voice. As his eyes adjusted, he realized that besides Qin Shi, Qin Zheng and Yu Aiguo were also there.

"Director Yu? Why are you here so early?" Qin Jun asked in surprise.

Yu Aiguo was sitting on a small stool, warming himself by a fire. He smiled as he saw Qin Jun. "The kiln is officially opening today, how could I not come to take a look?"

Qin Jun suppressed a smirk; he felt a sense of disdain. You always have to read between the lines with leaders.

"Don't be impatient; good things take time."
"Steady progress is the only way to grow big and strong."
"As long as everything goes well today, your kiln can expand, and then coal will be a minor issue!"

Talk about "not throwing the eagle until you see the rabbit"—he certainly put it in a unique way! You look at the words of a leader and take them at face value, but can you really trust them? Of course, the last sentence was worth believing a little.

Qin Jun thought for a moment and said, "Why don't we start the kiln now?"

"Let's do it. Everyone has been here for a while, just waiting for you," Qin Shi said with a smile.

"Let's go! From today on, we officially start making money!" Qin Zheng added, looking excited.

In fact, when Qin Jun arrived at the kiln, he saw many people he didn't recognize. Needless to say, they were from the Eleventh Team, there to haul lime. The Eleventh Team was just west of the kiln, less than 500 meters from the village. They were even closer to the kiln, less than 200 meters away. However, the terrain here was hilly, and two or three small ridges separated the two teams, making them feel like they were further apart than they actually were.

The population density in the Qilu region at this time was quite high. While it hadn't reached hundreds of millions yet, it was close. This was the era with the highest birth rate in the region, after which it would begin to decline. He shook his head to clear those thoughts—they had nothing to do with him anyway. Besides, negative population growth in the future would have its benefits, namely that the competition for the next generation wouldn't be so fierce. So, family planning was a good thing! No matter how you plan, you can't plan for the rich, but why have so many children if you're poor? To use them as mules and horses?

"Opening the kiln! Opening the kiln!"
"Have the carts been weighed?"
"Be careful loading the carts over here!"

Opening the kiln wasn't a new experience for the village, and now Qin Jun didn't need to personally direct it. For instance, Qin Han was already prepared. Seeing Qin Jun, Qin Han waved his hand—time to work!

Qin Jun stood at a distance, watching a dozen people wearing thick cotton masks gather around the lime kiln to pry away the clay covering. With so many people, they worked quickly, and soon the quicklime was exposed. Qin Han, experienced in his craft, took a small hammer and struck a piece of quicklime. It shattered easily, revealing a consistent color inside and out.

"No clumping, no granules, consistent through and through!"

As Qin Han shouted, everyone burst into laughter.