The slap in the face came too fast—Carpenter Liew's expression stiffened. "But… she's a woman…"
Clara didn't even look up. "Are we doing anything shady here? It's broad daylight, under the open sky. What's wrong with a woman? What's so great about being a man? We're hiring workers—whoever can work, gets hired."
She circled a name with her brush. "Maggie is in. You keep picking. Seven spots left."
Carpenter Liew no longer objected and went on to select seven more, aiming for fairness—one person per household.
Meanwhile, Clara picked Uncle Joss for the stone quarry team. Not only could he build houses, but he had prior quarrying experience. With so many young workers, someone older was needed to keep them in check.
Quarrying was risky work—a single misstep could kill a man. It was no laughing matter.
For the grinding team, Sonny had been earmarked from the start. The remaining two came from distant cousins' families—again, one per household.
With the final list done, Carpenter Liew returned to his woodworking. Clara, meanwhile, went from house to house to notify the workers and tell them to gather at the site the next morning—bowls and utensils in hand.
That evening, Doreen came by as agreed to Clara's house to tally meal counts and confirm the menu.
As for the large pots, Doreen offered to help to borrow one first for Clara, to be returned once the workshop purchased its own.
"We'll need two, actually—one for rice, one for dishes. Also, a few big clay basins to hold the food."
"For breakfast: white rice porridge, millet porridge, vegetable porridge, and some coarse corn buns will do."
"For lunch, we'll need something with some oil. Let's throw in a shredded egg soup. Every ten days we'll add minced meat and stew something—that should keep folks happy."
As she spoke, even Doreen started salivating. It was a solid meal plan.
Clara, who could still go home and eat rice and meat at night, knew her sister-in-law was experienced and nodded. "We'll go with your plan."
"Alright, then about the grocery money—should I collect funds daily or just do a lump sum every ten days or so to save trouble?"
Clara headed inside and fetched a tael of silver. "Use this first, just based on what we just discussed. See how long it lasts, then we can figure out a daily average and adjust from there."
Doreen readily agreed, carefully tucking away the money. She asked if there were any other instructions and, after confirming there weren't, headed home gleefully.
Between her and her husband, they'd still earn 660 coins a month. In three months, that would nearly be two taels of silver!
And she'd still have time in the afternoons to weave and tend the household—just the thought made her feel light with joy.
Earning money really was different. Doreen felt like she was walking on air, her spine straighter than ever.
Kate was, of course, envious. But with her belly heavy with child, she could only wait for the next opportunity.
At dawn, even before the sky fully brightened, the once wild field by the village entrance was already bustling with noise.
Carpenter Liew was leading the carpentry crew to build the factory, while Clara took the quarry team into the hills.
The grinding team, meanwhile, went door to door collecting timber. Once done, they'd head up the mountain to fell trees.
The logs had already been purchased—cutting them down themselves saved twenty coins apiece. And with so many hands, why not? They could save a good bit on costs.
Thanks to the factory's construction, Liew Clan Village was more alive than ever. The elders, watching the energetic young folks work with such zeal, sat under the old tree by the well, smiling until their eyes grew wet.
After so many years of turmoil… they had finally made it through.
A sudden crack of thunder split the clear sky.
The villagers drying their grain by the well all jumped.
Chad and Deb, who had been playing with the village children, were startled too. They dashed off to grab their kickball, only to turn and see the adults suddenly scrambling.
"It's going to rain! Chad, go tell your mother to come home and bring in the grain!"
It was Auntie Zhou shouting from behind. Her family had mats—they could just push the grain to the center with wooden paddles, fold up the mat, and cover it. No problem.
But Clara's family didn't have mats. Their grain was spread directly on the ground. It was the very last batch, just needing one more day of sun. If it got rained on now, it would be a disaster.
Chad was still stunned, but Deb's eyes spun—she handed the ball to her brother and said, "Go home and tell Big Bro and Second Bro," then bolted out of the village.
She might be small, but she ran like the wind. Her body was now well-nourished, her stride steady, and with all the practice she got chasing her brothers around, she flew down the road like a gust of wind.
She ran straight to the factory site, eyes scanning around. When she didn't spot Clara, she shouted anxiously:
"Mom! It's going to rain! Come home and bring in the grain!"
Logan looked up at the sound and saw the little girl's panicked face. He rushed over.
"Come! Your mom went up the mountain with the quarry team—she's not here."
"Are Big Bro and Second Bro home?"
Deb nodded. If she couldn't find her mom, getting her uncles would do. She led Logan back toward the house.
The sky changed fast—dark clouds rolled in quickly and the first drops started falling. The pair quickened their pace.
Logan couldn't even bother with his little niece—he told her to take it slow and sprinted ahead.
Adam, Ben, and Chad were already frantically trying to gather the drying grain. But the kids were too small—their strength couldn't keep up with the rain, and their panic turned to sobbing cries for Clara.
Mostly it was Chad crying. Adam and Ben were on the verge of snapping from the noise, but they were also desperate.
Their stepmother had entrusted them with such an important task. If they failed, who knew how angry she'd be?
When Logan burst into the courtyard, Adam and Ben felt like they had just seen the sun rise.
But the rain was coming too fast. There was no way they could save it all. They could only salvage what they could.
They just finished gathering the grain in the back yard when the downpour hit. Deb reached the front gate just as the front yard grain was getting soaked. Her mouth twisted—she looked like she was about to cry.
This cursed rain—it had come so suddenly and fiercely. And just as quickly, it was gone, having likely ruined countless harvests.
All around the village were sighs of resignation and despair.
Up in the hillside courtyard, Chad's crying had weakened—because Ben was covering his mouth.
"Stop crying! You're giving me a headache! How were we supposed to know it'd rain?!"
Ben gestured angrily at the now blazing sun overhead. "Does that look like it just rained to you?"
Logan stared at the four little drowned rats in front of him and tried to imagine Clara losing her temper… surely it couldn't be scarier than when she'd taken down a bandit chief?
Leaving them with a look that screamed "good luck," he wrung the water from his clothes and walked away.
A gust of wind blew past—and Chad couldn't hold it in. He yanked Ben's hand away from his mouth.
"Achoo!" A massive sneeze burst out.
Hoofbeats thundered from down the mountain. The four children looked up in unison, eyes wide with panic.
Clara dismounted and stormed into the courtyard. There she found her four children, drenched to the bone, sitting atop a soggy pile of grain, their terrified eyes fixed on her like they'd been caught red-handed.
(End of Chapter)
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