abcnovels
Chapter 26
Chapter 26
Chapter 26: One Man Workshop
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
When Zhou Shu heard Sun Gongping’s voice, his first reaction was to put the banknotes in his bosom.
Then he pulled his old quilt over the pile of presents.
Just as he completed this series of actions, Sun Gongping pushed open the door and entered.
Dang, dang, dang, dang!
Sun Gongping had a smile on his face as he raised his right hand high. “Look! This is the Drunken Immortal Inn’s hundred-year-old wine, a good wine that even money can’t buy!
“To congratulate you on your promotion, I, your brother, went all out.”
Sun Gongping swaggered into Zhou Shu’s work shed. He didn’t mind the filth as he sat down at the table without hesitation and placed the palm-sized green wine pot on the table.
Zhou Shu glanced at the wine pot. He had heard of the Drunken Immortal Inn before, but he didn’t know if the hundred-year-old wine was real or fake.
Even if it was real, this palm-sized wine pot could at most hold half a catty of wine.
Of all the people who had come here today, Sun Gongping was the one who had gifted him the most shabbily.
“Thank you.” After all, he didn’t come empty-handed. Even if Zhou Shu didn’t like him, he still cupped his hands. “So, what do you want?”
“Heh.” Sun Gongping chuckled. “Brother Zhou, are you not going to acknowledge a poor friend like me after being promoted?”
Zhou Shu rolled his eyes.?You call yourself poor?
He had asked around and found out that ranked martial artists like Sun Gongping had a salary of at least 1000 taels a year. This was the treatment of a prodigy in Zhou Shu’s previous life.
If he was considered poor, then what were Forging Apprentices?
Even though he was now the superintendent of a Forging Division workshop, Sun Gongping’s status was higher than his.
Moreover, Sun Gongping could easily invite Yin Wuyou. This wasn’t something an ordinary ninth-rank martial artist could do.
Zhou Shu would never believe that Sun Gongping had no background!
“Don’t say those useless things. If you have something to say, say it.”
Zhou Shu knew what kind of person Sun Gongping was. If he talked nonsense with him, he would be able to continue the conversation until the next day.
“Didn’t we agree yesterday? I’m going to ask a Forging Master to help me forge a ranked weapon. I’m lacking cash. Brother Zhou, lend me some. It’s not much. A thousand taels will do,” Sun Gongping said with a smile.
If people didn’t know that he was a ninth-rank martial artist, they would have thought that he was some kind of street gangster.
Zhou Shu sized him up. This fellow was dressed in luxurious clothes and was also a ninth-rank martial artist. He didn’t seem like someone who lacked money.
Moreover, he could ask for a thousand taels so easily. Did he know what a thousand taels meant?
When Zhou Shu was still a Forging Apprentice, he couldn’t even earn ten taels a year! He couldn’t even earn a thousand taels in a hundred years!
“Don’t try to fool me with the excuse that you don’t have money. I saw everything. There are at least twenty families who visited you today.
“I know what those people are capable of. Their gifts definitely won’t be too shabby!”
Zhou Shu was speechless. This fellow came prepared. The people who had come today had indeed given him around a thousand taels.
It was only because Sun Gongping had calculated it that he could ask for the money.
“What if I say no?” Zhou Shu looked at Sun Gongping.
Sun Gongping’s strength wasn’t what concerned Zhou Shu. Rather, it was because he was unsure of Sun Gongping’s background.
If he really couldn’t afford to offend Sun Gongping, he would have to consider lending the money.
“Don’t!” Sun Gongping shouted with a bitter expression. “Brother Zhou, our friendship is worth tens of thousands of gold! It’s normal for us to help each other.
“What kind of person am I? Everyone knows me, Sun Gongping, well. There’s no way I won’t return the money!”
Sun Gongping didn’t threaten Zhou Shu. Instead, he grabbed Zhou Shu’s arm with a pleading expression.
“Divine Constable Sun, no matter what, you are a ranked martial artist. The clothes you’re wearing now are worth enough for an ordinary person to eat and drink for a year. A thousand taels is nothing to you, right?” Zhou Shu asked curiously.
“Look at me. I live in a place like this, and I don’t even own a decent piece of clothing. Aren’t you putting the cart before the horse by asking me for money?”
“All that glitters is not gold.” Sun Gongping didn’t care about the self-abasement. “How can I compare to you, Brother Zhou?
“I won’t hide it from you. Jobs at the Divine Constable Bureau can’t compare to being a superintendent of a Forging Division workshop. It’s strenuous and unrewarding. A year’s salary is only so much, and we have to sustain relations and give gifts. We run around to catch thieves, yet the higher-ups won’t even reimburse us. The various costs are immense.
“How can it be as comfortable as your job? Even if you randomly forge a few weapons, people will fight to buy them…”
“Since that’s the case, why don’t you come to the Forging Division?” Zhou Shu said.
The Forging Division was not a private business. It forged weapons to supply the three military forces of Great Xia. Profit was not the primary goal.
Even if the weapons were sold for money, the money belonged to the country and not to them.
The normal salary of a workshop superintendent was nothing compared to that of a divine constable like Sun Gongping.
“Forget it. I don’t know how to forge. Besides, I prefer to be free.” Sun Gongping shook his head vigorously.
“I don’t have any money. But even if I do, I can’t lend it to you.” Zhou Shu shook his head. “My workshop is currently under construction. No matter how much money I have, it won’t be enough. Even I want to borrow money.”
Zhou Shu hesitated and continued, “But your problem is solvable.”
Even without considering Sun Gongping’s background, he was already a ninth-rank martial artist at such a young age. It was better for Zhou Shu not to offend him.
“What solution do you have? Do you know a Forging Master that can give me a discount?” Sun Gongping said dejectedly.
“I don’t know any Forging Masters, but if you aren’t in a hurry, you can wait until I become a Forging Master. When that time comes, I can help you forge a suitable ranked weapon for free,” Zhou Shu said. “Of course, you have to provide the materials yourself.”
“You?” Sun Gongping froze for a moment, his eyes widening as he sized up Zhou Shu. “You really have wishful thinking.
“By the time you become a Forging Master, it will be too late.”
“Then there’s nothing I can do.” Zhou Shu shrugged.
It was impossible to lend Sun Gongping money. He was a proletarian. Lending money to someone who might be from a wealthy background?
“I’m thinking. Since you said you will help me forge a ranked weapon for free after you become a Forging Master, can you give me the money of the weapon’s present value now?”
“Get lost!”
…
Although Sun Gongping didn’t manage to borrow a single cent from Zhou Shu, he wasn’t angry.
It seemed that he wasn’t in a hurry for money.
After being rejected by Zhou Shu, he excitedly followed Zhou Shu to inspect the territory of the 0th Workshop.
“Yo, thirty acres. It’s almost as big as my backyard,” Sun Gongping said. “Little Brother Zhou, the Forging Division is quite stingy. They only gave you a thousand taels for the construction. Why don’t you lend me the thousand taels first, and I’ll return you two thousand later?”
Humans were so realistic.
Zhou Shu used to be Brother Zhou, but now he became Little Brother Zhou…
“Don’t even think about it. This is public funds. Do you understand what that means? If we divert and misuse the funds, you and I will both have to bear the consequences!” Zhou Shu said unhappily.
He had no idea what to do facing such a shameless fellow.
He had already told Sun Gongping clearly that he had no money, but Sun Gongping still refused to leave.
Unless he revealed his true strength, he wouldn’t be able to defeat and chase Sun Gongping away.
He’s like a piece of gum!
“If you and I both don’t mention it, who will know?” Sun Gongping said nonchalantly.
Zhou Shu rolled his eyes.?A divine constable of the Divine Constable Bureau is knowingly wanting to break the law!
“I’m telling you. It’s useless for you to follow me. I have a use for every cent I have, and I need to use the money immediately. I don’t have any to lend you,” Zhou Shu said.
“You can either wait until I become a Forging Master to help you forge weapons, or you can go borrow money from others.”
“Heh, Brother Zhou, you seem pretty confident in becoming a Forging Master.” Sun Gongping chuckled. “It’s a pity that I’m already a ninth-rank martial artist. If I don’t have a ranked weapon with me for too long, I will lose face, and I can’t afford this.”
Zhou Shu couldn’t be bothered with him. Promising him to help him forge weapons in the future was already giving him face. Zhou Shu couldn’t possibly promise anything more.
Zhou Shu didn’t know when he would become a Forging Master.
Previously, he was just an unknown little apprentice. Even if he forged a ranked weapon, it was very likely that he would be killed by those with hidden agendas before he could obtain the recognition of others.
Now, he wasn’t worried about this. He had Yin Wuyou as his backing, and as long as he could forge a ranked weapon, he would immediately obtain the Imperial Court’s recognition.
It wouldn’t be so easy for others to scheme for his weapon’s secret forging formula then.
Yin Wuyou wasn’t someone like Xiao Zongshui. To her, having another Forging Master in Great Xia was a good thing.
Therefore, there were no longer any obstacles on his path to becoming a Forging Master. The only problem was that he didn’t know when the Legendary Armament Canon would give him the forging formula of a ranked weapon.
“What are you drawing? Is there a need to go through so much trouble to build a workshop?” Sun Gongping leaned over and looked at the blueprint in Zhou Shu’s hands.
Zhou Shu was currently comparing the blueprint to the territory of the 0th Workshop to adjust his plans.
“Just build it according to the workshops nearby.” Sun Gongping pointed at the other workshops in the distance.
All the Forging Division’s workshops combined were like a large-scale weapon factory located on the outskirts of the imperial capital. They occupied an extremely large area, and the 37th Workshop to the 108th Workshop were all situated there. More than ten thousand people lived inside.
Other than being able to block the wind and rain, the buildings of the workshops were completely useless. Zhou Shu naturally wouldn’t build his workshop like this.
He had heard that the first 36 workshops of the Forging Division were all built in picturesque places. Furthermore, they had the qualifications to have their own names and were no longer known as workshops to outsiders.
Zhou Shu’s goal was for the 0th Workshop to have its own name in the future. His workshop naturally couldn’t be a slum.
Even if it couldn’t be picturesque, it had to be beautiful.
“Sun Gongping, let me ask you something. Where should I hire a construction team?” Zhou Shu asked Sun Gongping.
“Construction team?” Sun Gongping paused for a moment before understanding. “There are craftsmen in the Ministry of Works. They are the ones who built the imperial palace. Building a workshop is a piece of cake. They are also considered your colleagues from the Forging Division. You can just look for them directly. There might even be a discount.”
“Understood, thanks!” Zhou Shu hurriedly left.. He wanted nothing more than to build the 0th Workshop immediately. He didn’t want to wait even a moment longer!