Chapter 180 Toad Trading (asking for monthly ticket)
"Good, very good! Uncle Liu is truly the best carpenter in Yixing Town, and his work is top-notch and beautiful!"
Liang Qu was delighted. He had never expected that Liu Quanfu could exceed the task. He felt like he had found a treasure.
One hundred taels, worth it!
Scholars, farmers, merchants and artisans seem to be a class ranking, but in fact it is not. The first half of the sentence is missing. It is the four classes of people divided into different occupations: scholars, farmers, merchants and artisans.
Political status does not represent actual status, and actual status still depends on money.
Especially the increasing number of tools, saws, planes, chisels, files, adzes...
The things a carpenter can make are varied and increasingly sophisticated.
In a densely populated and prosperous area like Pingyang County, a skilled carpenter like Liu Quanfu could earn much more than a farmer.
The craftsmanship of Liang Qu's family can be seen from the carvings in their home, and it is no problem to make a few taels of silver a month.
This is also why he did not go to Pingyang County to look for someone, but instead chose to look for Liu Quanfu.
First, we are closer and know each other well, and second, Liu Quanfu’s craftsmanship is really good.
He worked day and night with seven or eight disciples for nearly three months, and the one hundred taels from Liang Qu was equivalent to double his wages.
It is normal to ask others to do something they are not good at and pay them more.
Hearing that Liang Qu was satisfied, everyone present breathed a sigh of relief.
Liang Qu's status is getting higher and higher, and it would be a lie to say that there is no pressure in communicating with him.
In addition, it was my first time building a boat, so I had no confidence and was even more worried, fearing that all the efforts of more than two months would be wasted.
After some discussion, the cost of materials plus the agreed wages totaled one hundred and sixty-seven taels.
The materials are not cheap. In addition to teak, there are also beech and pine. The keel is the most expensive. Several planes were broken just for planing the planks.
Liang Qu rounded up the amount and gave Liu Quanfu one hundred and seventy taels.
"It's better not to make this matter too public. You know, I'm going to give a gift. It's not good for everyone to know."
"I understand, Lord Liang, don't worry, we will never go out and say anything more."
Several apprentices responded.
After working so hard for so long, I finally put the money in my pocket. It feels so wonderful, all thanks to Liang Qu.
"Uncle Liu, I'll leave the boat with you for now. I'll come and get it in the evening."
"Okay, Lord Liang, please make yourself at your own convenience. I didn't sleep last night, and I was applying tung oil this morning. I'm very sleepy."
"Thank you, Uncle Liu."
"It's Lord Liang who gave me this favor."
Liu Quanfu bowed and went into the inner room yawning, leaving Liang Qu alone in the yard watching the boats.
Liang Qu climbed up and down the ladder and confirmed all the details. There were no problems.
After checking it all out, he came under the cabin, pressed his palm on the keel, and slowly applied force.
The entire eight-meter-long small building boat detached from the frame, floated in the air, and was weighed slightly.
The structural strength is well maintained and it won't fall apart at the slightest touch.
Everything is ready, just waiting to go find the Toad Demon to exchange things at night.
Liang Qu was rarely nervous.
In order to trade with Toad, he invested a full 170 taels of silver.
The small boat that was built was wanted by no one except Toad, and it couldn't even be launched into the water because the seams were not caulked and it sank as soon as it was launched.
If you fail, all will be lost.
"I hope Brother Toad can give me some help."
night.
The entire Yixing Town was silent. While no one was paying attention, Liang Qu carried the boat to the shore and entered the water from a reed marsh.
The entire ship slowly sank from the water.
……
The fat catfish looked left and right, circled in front of the undercurrent several times, and finally made up its mind and rushed forward.
After a dizzy moment, the fat catfish was thrown out of the undercurrent, turned over several times and fell to the ground, feeling dizzy.
Inside the toad cave, there was a deafening snoring sound.
The white round belly rose and fell like a hill, and the moment the fat catfish landed on the ground, the round belly rose and fell for a while.
The earth rumbled, and half of the hill collapsed. The huge claws reached behind and scratched its butt, and the hill that was pressed down rose again.
The snoring continued.
The fat catfish banged its head against the ground several times in a daze. After it came to its senses, it aimed in the right direction, pumped the water, and turned into an arrow.
A small circle collapsed under the white hill, and a black shadow popped out from the ups and downs. The black shadow climbed up from the ground and launched attacks one after another. It hit more than ten times without stopping.
The huge snot bubble burst with a loud bang, the water flow surged and shook, and the firebird's feathers were like weeds in the wind, all lying flat on the ground.
The toad opened its eyes blankly, and after a moment of trance, it sat up and saw a dark shadow rushing towards it from afar.
"My dear brother! It's been a long time since we last met. The last time we met was..."
The toad patted its belly and leaned back in a more comfortable position. It raised its head, counted for a while, and then lowered it again.
"Yesterday."
The fat catfish waved its long whiskers to convey information, but after its second evolution, it was still tiny in front of the toad.
"Ten days? My little brother is not good at math. Since the last time we met, I only slept for one day."
The toad stretched out its claws and rummaged through the pile of debris next to it, pulling out a few sticks.
"This is called a counting stick. One stick is enough for one sleep, so it's one day. My dear little brother, you remembered it wrong."
The fat catfish stared at the long stick in front of him and fell into deep thought. After a while, he remembered why he was here.
Toad listened and then sat up.
"Did you bring your boat, little brother?"
The fat catfish shook its head.
The toad laid out his counting chips.
"It's only been ten days. It's gone quickly."
The fat catfish was confused, but also felt that it made some sense, so it brought the big toad to the entrance of the undercurrent.
Opposite the undercurrent.
Liang Qu stood on the deck.
The ship beneath him was completely submerged in water and was very stable.
Being small has its advantages. If it were a real building ship, it might not be able to pass through the undercurrent intact.
Liang Qu received the message from the fat catfish in his mind. A huge amount of water surged, carrying the miniature ship and slowly approaching the secret passage.
One third of the ship's hull was inserted, and a suction force came, and the entire ship disappeared without a trace.
No matter how many times he watched it, Liang Qu felt that this undercurrent channel was ingenious, and then he quickly sent in the remaining masts that had not been installed.
The mast was too long, and it would easily break during transportation when loaded on the ship, so Toad had to put it together himself.
And finally…
Liang Qu glanced to the side and threw an object like a hexagonal column into the undercurrent.
Hexagonal lock, made by Liang Qu himself.
It's a very simple thing, just six pieces of wood with a few riveted joints cut on them.
It’s just that the hexagonal lock just now is a super-enlarged version, and one pillar requires an entire tree.
I don’t know if Toad likes this gift.
At the other end, the undercurrent suddenly surged, casting a black shadow.
The toad had quick eyes and claws, and it caught the boat in its claws, which was exactly the size of its webbed paw.
Then several masts jumped out, poked its belly, and bounced and rolled down.
"Tower ship!"
Toad has studied ship models for many years and can recognize the type of ship at a glance.
"What a small ship."
Fearing that the toad would be dissatisfied, the fat catfish hurried to explain.
"The essence is concentrated? It seems to be more refined than ordinary ships?"
Toad flipped the boat and skillfully inserted the mast into the reserved hole.
Seeing that the toad had been playing with the boat and had completely forgotten about the exchange, the fat catfish had to remind it of the original transaction.
"Go ahead, go ahead. You can take everything except the boat. However, you can only exchange one thing for one boat."
The fat catfish nodded vigorously and rushed into the toad's nest to pick it up.
The toad couldn't let go of the boat.
The ships it collected in the past were all more or less damaged, but this one was the only one that was intact.
Especially assembling the mast by myself was the first time I had such a novel experience.
Snapped!
Another object hit its belly.
Toad picked up the uniquely shaped six-column object.
Things on the boat?
(End of this chapter)
