Chapter 35: The Blacksmith's Forge

he foreman from our side said that many of our long-term workers are demanding a raise.""It's all Yang Lin's fault, that idiot. He could have used these peasants for just two copper coins, but he had..."Success! I made it!"

Wang Guigang rushed forward, excitedly grabbing Yang Lin's arm and speaking in an excited tone.

"We refine..."

Wang Guigang just wanted to speak, but seeing that there were outsiders present, he immediately held back his words.

"Let's go take a look!"

Wang Gui led the way at the front, while Yang Lin, accompanied by the women, arrived at the courtyard where iron was smelted.

Along the way, Wang Gui couldn't wait any longer and told Yang Lin about their results in smelting iron.

"The kind of ironware you're trying to make was already successful during the experiment."

Yang Lin is overjoyed.

Pushing open the courtyard gate, I saw that Du Jing and Zhao Shunzi's faces were all filled with excitement.

"Lin Di, you said that kind of iron, we really made it!"

Seeing Yang Lin enter, Du Jing hurriedly picked up a piece of iron that was already formed and excitedly handed it to Yang Lin.

Yang Lin took it and, upon closer inspection, was also very excited.

"Yes, that's the one!"

Yang Lin let out a long sigh.

Wrought iron, honed to perfection!

Du Jing handed him this, which was wrought iron!

Actually, the difference between pig iron and wrought iron is the different carbon content.

The lower the carbon content, the purer the iron and the better its ductility. If a certain level is reached, steel can be produced.

Of course, with their current rudimentary blast furnaces, they wouldn't even dream of smelting steel. The temperature and technology are nowhere near sufficient.

However, for Yang Lin, having wrought iron was enough.

Wang Gui also brought out several iron parts, all of which were casting molds that Yang Lin had asked him to make a few days ago. Today, during the experiment, he just happened to make them all.

"Have a look at these lines, will you"

Wang Gui nervously watched Yang Lin.

Although he was a carpenter, he could sense that these metal parts were different from any iron he had ever seen before. Not only were they whiter in color, but they also appeared to be more refined.

Yang Lin took it and examined it carefully.

The more he looked, the brighter his eyes became.

It was exactly as he had imagined.

Great, that works!

“Just like this, make eleven of each kind!” Yang Lin said.

"No problem." Wang Gui nodded.

Although it is a casting iron, the production of molds cannot do without him.

"There is one more very important thing."

Yang Lin asked Du Jing to call everyone in the courtyard.

From today onwards, every single part forged here will require my cousin Du Jing, Uncle Wang Gui, and Uncle Shun Zi to be present at the furnace before it can be lit!

"This is very important, if anyone goes against the rules, don't blame me for not tolerating them here!"

Yang Lin scanned every person in the room.

Although they are neighbors and close friends, some matters must be dealt with strictly. To avoid future trouble, we can only first act as a villain and then as a gentleman.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

But they all felt that it was just cast iron, wasn't Yang Lin making a mountain out of a molehill

They don't understand because they never even considered what these parts they forged are!

All the women were also curious about what those parts Yang Lin had put away were for.

"Jing Ge, you're in charge here, the general manager. In the future, the workshop will continue to expand. To help you manage better, from now on, you can make all decisions about everything in the workshop."

For example, who gets a raise, who gets a pay cut, who gets a bonus for good performance, and who gets their pay docked for causing trouble.

If someone isn't doing well, you can always let them go!

Du Jing was surprised. For Yang Lin's trust, he nodded excitedly: "Well, I will take care of this place for you."

Yang Lin looked towards Wang Gui again.

"Wang Guishu, these days you've been doing a great job coordinating both internally and externally. It's too limiting to just be a carpenter. I'm thinking of having you take on the responsibility of internal and external communication, as well as procurement for all materials needed in the workshop. What do you think"

Wang Gui hurriedly nodded: "Okay! I, Old Wang's, family owes you our lives. You tell me what to do, and I'll do it!"

Yang Lin looked at Zhao Shunzi again.

"Uncle Shunzi, in the future, Brother Jing might explore other research areas. So, regarding iron refining, I'll leave it all to you. You will be in charge of the Ironworks."

Zhao Shunzi was a little confused.

"Can I do it"

He was the best blacksmith in the village. When it came to blacksmithing, he was full of confidence.

But as for being in charge, he had never given it a thought.

Yang Lin smiled and shook the parts in his hand: “I told you you could do it, and you did!”

"My decision will not change, that's final."

"Little Nine, remember this, from next month onwards, increase the salaries for Jing Ge, Uncle Wang Gui, and Uncle Shun Zi."

"Jing Ge earns eight hundred wen each month, while Wang Guish and Shun Zi each earn four hundred wen per month."

"This batch of iron smelting went well, everyone, an extra one hundred wen bonus!"

As soon as Yang Lin spoke, everyone in the courtyard was shocked.

Immediately, everyone shook their heads.

"No, no, the money you gave me was already too much. I can't take any more."

Du Jing was the first to refuse.

Wang Gui also hurriedly shook his head and said, "Yes, Yang Lin, 300 wen a month is already something I can't even dream of. You want to add it to 500 wen That would be killing me!"

The naive Zhao Shunzi didn't know what to say, her face flushed red. She quickly nodded as well.

The five villagers who had just arrived also waved their hands to refuse.

Ten coins a day, that was already a high salary they couldn't even imagine.

The results came, and in just a few days, they hadn't even felt like they had done anything extraordinary. They were about to receive a hundred yen reward

Although they all wanted it, they also felt that taking the money would be inappropriate.

However, facing everyone's refusal, Yang Lin said again, "Don't say anything more, my decision will not change."

"Jǐnggē, wǒ yào de nàxiē línzhì, zhēng qǔ zǎo diǎn zuò chūlái."

Let me know if you have any other translations!

"Wang Guishu, I still have two drawings here. You make the mold according to the size, and finish it today as well."

Wang Gui took the drawing and couldn't help but be taken aback.

"This... water mill"

"That's right!"

"Just replace these two parts, and the efficiency of the water mill can be improved by 50%."

Everyone was shocked.

The wonder of water mills, everyone has witnessed it.

And replacing two parts, it actually improved efficiency by 50%! It's simply amazing!

"Okay, I'll get right on it." Wang Gui excitedly agreed.

Yang Lin smiled and said, "Replacing these two parts is just a simple upgrade."

"In a few days, I'll draw some more blueprints for you. See if you can make them."

"If we could make it work, the efficiency of the water mill could be tripled at least!"

Yang Lin extended three fingers.

Everyone was utterly shocked.

Folding up the pre-made parts, Yang Lin led the women away from the courtyard.

As soon as he left, Si Mei eagerly asked, "Husband, these parts look strange and unusual. What are they used for"

All the women looked towards Yang Lin.

Just now, they were very curious and didn't understand what these parts were for. They just felt that these things were important.

Yang Lin chuckled and said, "This, my friends, is something extraordinary. You'll see when you get home."'t see anything different about this white crystalline stone.Yang Lin nodded. "Right, this is saltpeter!"Li Yucheng was stunned and asked doubtfully, "Medicinal herbs"Although she didn't know what gun...