Guan Li and Guan Xiaoshan followed Shen Qing to her house.

The already small house was now even more crowded, filled to the brim with various items.

However, upon closer inspection, they realized that although the items were numerous, they were not chaotic.

Everything had its purpose and was placed in the most suitable position, without obstructing the workflow.

Jiang Xiangdong saw Guan Xiaoshan arrive and quickly ran over excitedly to report, “Xiaoshan, the skills you taught me—I finally got more proficient yesterday! Now I can successfully bake over forty pen shafts a day!”

Reaching fifty shouldn’t be a problem, but if he wanted to go beyond that, he would have to sacrifice sleep.

However, his mother had firmly said no.

No matter how busy they were, meals and sleep could not be compromised.

She said they were making money for a better life for the whole family.

Besides, making brushes was a long-term job, not something that could be finished in a day, two days, or even ten.

If he relied on overworking himself, he would eventually wear out his body, and by then, no amount of money would be useful.

Although he thought his mother was exaggerating—he was young and strong, and losing a little sleep wouldn’t hurt—since she disapproved, he naturally had to listen.

Guan Xiaoshan followed Jiang Xiangdong to check the baked pen shafts.

Guan Li’s gaze fell on Jiang Xiangnan and Jiang Xiangxi, who were grinding the cut ends of bamboo segments with stones.

Each brother held a bamboo segment in one hand and a stone in the other, rubbing swiftly.

One shaft after another was completed in no time, their heads buried in work.

Jiang Shui had been sorting wool, but when she saw Guan Li arrive, she stopped and came inside to explain. “Mother said that the grinding step only requires strength and speed, which makes it more suitable for the boys. With Third Brother and Fourth Brother doing this step, the division of labor is clearer.

We girls will handle the later stages of polishing with linen and cotton cloth. Those steps require finesse, and if Third Brother and Fourth Brother did it, they’d waste fabric.”

Guan Li, having often watched her father do woodworking, knew that the initial processing steps were the most labor-intensive.

Auntie was obviously assigning them the lighter tasks—did Jiang Xiangnan and Jiang Xiangxi not feel unfairly treated?

She whispered, “Are your third and fourth brothers really okay with this? They have no complaints?”

Jiang Shui stifled a laugh, covering her mouth as she whispered back, “Of course, they’re happy with it! Not a single complaint!”

Guan Li raised an eyebrow.

Having grown up in the same village, she had a general understanding of the brothers’ personalities—they weren’t particularly diligent or hardworking.

Jiang Shui leaned in and whispered, “Each pen shaft earns one wen. They can each grind about thirty in half a day. Do you think they’d complain?”

Far from complaining, they were thrilled.

One wen per shaft—thirty shafts in half a day meant thirty wen each.

Guan Li was truly shocked!

In the city, carrying heavy loads for a whole day only earned thirty-seven or thirty-eight wen, and even then, men had to compete for those jobs.

She murmured, “Sixty wen a day… that’s quite a lot.”

“It’s not like that,” Jiang Shui corrected her. “Mother said that if they grind all day, their speed will slow down, and they’d be wasting time. So, they only grind for half a day. The rest of the time, they go fishing and catching eels.”

Moreover, Jiang Shui had a sneaking suspicion that if her brothers could grind sixty shafts a day, their mother wouldn’t have priced each shaft at one wen but rather at two per wen.

Their mother wanted her sons to earn money, but she also didn’t want them to have too much too quickly or too easily.

Somehow, this made Guan Li feel relieved.

Jiang Xiangnan and Jiang Xiangxi, as her aunt’s sons, took on the hardest and most tiring task.

Earning thirty wen a day was fair—it was all within the family, after all.

No matter how high their earnings were, it made sense.

As for her and Xiaoshan’s wages, she could already guess.

But even half of what Jiang Xiangnan and Jiang Xiangxi earned was quite good.

Corn cost three wen per jin.

If she could make five or six jin of corn money in a day, it was already an excellent job for a girl like her and a twelve-year-old boy like Xiaoshan.

Shen Qing, seeing that Guan Li and Guan Xiaoshan had understood the process, stepped forward to confirm their tasks. “Xiaoli, you’ll be responsible for the two later polishing steps. Xiaoshan will handle binding the thread and trimming the brush tip.

As for wages, we’ll follow a ‘more work, more pay’ system—the more you make, the more you earn.

Since the initial grinding step is already handled by Xiangnan and Xiangxi, your rate…”

Guan Li listened calmly.

Based on what Jiang Shui had said earlier, she estimated that if she did all three polishing steps herself, she could finish about eleven shafts per day.

She was faster than Jiang Shui, so fifteen shafts should be no problem.

Without the most exhausting step, she could easily double that amount.

If she pushed herself, maybe she could reach forty shafts.

If Auntie priced them at two shafts per wen or three per wen, then she could earn…

“So, Xiaoli, your rate is one wen per shaft.”

She had originally expected two wen per shaft, but since Jiang Xiangnan and Jiang Xiangxi handled the first grinding step, that portion of the income went to them.

If each person did all three polishing steps, they could indeed earn two wen per shaft, but that would lower efficiency.

The goal was to maximize productivity with the same pay.

Guan Li thought she had misheard.

She blinked. “One wen per shaft?”

Just polishing, and she could earn one wen per shaft?

Thirty shafts meant thirty wen?

Was Auntie serious?

Shen Qing, thinking she hadn’t heard clearly, nodded firmly.

Then she turned to Guan Xiaoshan and said warmly, “Xiaoshan, binding the thread is a skillful job. Among all of us, your hands are the steadiest. We’re counting on you!

You also have to trim the brush tip—it’s a meticulous process. I’ll set your rate at two wen per shaft. Does that sound fair?”

Hands skilled in carving wood and making combs were more than qualified for binding brush threads.

Guan Xiaoshan first glanced at his sister.

He had just watched Jiang Shui demonstrate the process—was it really that complicated?

It didn’t seem harder than making combs, and it was worth two wen per shaft?

Guan Li, still processing her own unexpectedly high wage, was even more surprised by her brother’s.

However, she didn’t know much about his task.

Since Shen Qing described it as tedious, she figured he might not be able to do many in a day.

She nodded at him. “Do your best, and make sure your work is good!”

Guan Xiaoshan obediently nodded.

Seeing their straightforward agreement, Shen Qing was delighted.

Then she brought up the issue of meals. “For lunch—”

This time, before she could finish, Guan Li hurriedly cut in. “Auntie, Xiaoshan and I will eat at home. We won’t trouble you.”

She wasn’t sure how much Xiaoshan would make, but she knew her own earnings!

With this kind of pay, they definitely couldn’t keep eating at Auntie’s house for free.

Since Guan Mujiang was still at home, Shen Qing didn’t insist.

March 22nd—A Simple Family Workshop for Brush Making Was Officially Up and Running!

Jiang Xiangdong was responsible for cutting, transporting, sawing, and baking, producing over forty shafts daily.

Once skilled, he expected to reach fifty.

Jiang Xiangnan and Jiang Xiangxi ground bamboo cut ends for half a day, producing fifty to sixty shafts, with extra time for fishing.

Guan Li handled the two final polishing steps and finished thirty-two shafts on the first day!

Jiang Shui cleaned and sorted wool.

Guan Xiaoshan bound the thread, installed the tips, and trimmed them—completing each brush!

So, what was Shen Qing responsible for?