What to do?
Countless thoughts flashed through Jin Feng’s mind in an instant.
In his past life, he had heard of merchants being extorted by certain wastrel nobles, but it was only hearsay. He had never been a boss himself and had never been worth extorting.
Well then, he had only just arrived in Great Kang a few days ago and already a marquis had his eye on him.
In the modern world, even if a noble tried to extort someone, at most it would cause some trouble or suppression. But Great Kang was different.
For a marquis, killing a commoner was no different from killing a chicken.
If he handled this wrong, he might lose his life.
These thoughts flickered by in Jin Feng’s mind, but outwardly he smiled and said, “These spinning wheels are just little toys I made for my wife. If the marquis does not mind, you can take them when you leave.”
Although the wheels were things he had made casually and not worth much in his eyes, being extorted like this made him uncomfortable. So he decided to test this marquis.
If the man had some bottom line, he would hear Jin Feng’s unwillingness to sell the technique.
If he was determined to seize it, Jin Feng would have no choice but to give in.
A gentleman’s revenge need not be immediate. If he found a greater backer in the future, he could always reveal an even more advanced spinning wheel to squeeze this fellow out.
Before Qing Huai could respond, Xiao’e spoke up in protest.
“Big brother, this was made by brother in law for elder sister. All the grannies, aunties and sisters in the village need it to spin thread to earn their food. If you take the wheel away, they will have nothing to eat, and I will go hungry too.”
Jin Feng silently gave Xiao’e a thumbs up in his heart.
Unless Qing Huai was utterly shameless, he could hardly rob a child.
“So it is madam’s treasured thing. I was being thoughtless.”
As a marquis, Qing Huai had no shortage of wealth. He had only asked on impulse, hoping for a bargain.
Hearing Jin Feng’s refusal and taking Xiao’e’s words as a step down, he laughed. “Do not worry, little girl. I will not let you go hungry. I will not take the wheel.”
“Thank you, big brother!”
Xiao’e beamed with joy.
Qing Huai patted her head, then pointed to the smoke rising in the distance. “Why is there so much smoke over there? Is there a fire?”
“No, that is the brick kiln brother in law built. It is firing bricks.”
Xiao’e answered proudly.
“Your village even has a kiln?”
Qing Huai smiled.
“Brother in law said the children in the village often do not have enough to eat, so he built a kiln to give the men work when they are not farming.”
“Truly noble of you, sir.”
Hearing this, Qing Huai could not help but feel admiration.
Jin Feng waved modestly. “When poor, one should keep oneself upright. When prosperous, one should help the world. I am not capable of helping the world, only of giving my fellow villagers a way to survive.”
Qing Huai was about to speak again when a man entered carrying a broken hoe, looking pained.
“Brother Feng, my hoe snapped at the kiln. Can you fix it when you have time?”
Iron tools were precious in Great Kang. Many families treasured their kitchen knives as heirlooms.
This hoe had been passed down from his grandfather to his father, and now to him.
“The forge was dismantled by Man Cang and is not yet repaired. Give it a few days.”
Jin Feng examined the break. “Take it to Man Cang. Once the new forge is ready, I will mend it and make you some iron shovels, which are more useful than hoes.”
“Shovels are good for digging, but they break too easily. Better not waste the iron.”
In fact, shovels had existed long ago, but poor smelting meant they snapped easily, so few farmers chose them.
People preferred sturdy hoes that could dig, chop, and weed.
Where shovels were needed, wooden ones were used.
“Do not worry. The shovels I make will not break.”
Jin Feng said confidently.
“I believe in your skill, Brother Feng.”
The man smiled. “Man Cang told me you have a new method of forging iron, and that your tools will be stronger and more durable.”
“That fool, always running his mouth.”
Jin Feng sighed inwardly.
Sure enough, Qing Huai’s interest in ironwork was far stronger than in spinning wheels or kilns. As soon as the man left, he asked, “Sir, do you mean to improve iron smelting?”
“Not an improvement, just a small observation I have not tested yet.”
The nail that sticks out gets hammered first. This was their first meeting, and until he knew Qing Huai better, Jin Feng did not want to reveal too much.
But Qing Huai heard the evasion and did not let go. He pressed, “What discovery is this, sir? Would you enlighten me?”
He even clasped his fists respectfully.
For a noble to salute a commoner in this way was already a high honour.
If he bent lower, the Ministry of Rites would criticise him harshly.
Since ironwork was tied to the military, Jin Feng knew Qing Huai would not give up without an answer. So he said,
“It is nothing great. I noticed when my father was forging that the smoother the airflow in the furnace and the stronger the fire burned, the fewer impurities in the steel and the tougher it became.
So I intend to modify the furnace to ventilate better, which should improve the quality of the iron.”
“Truly?”
Qing Huai’s eyes lit up.
Great Kang’s weapons were still made mostly of pig iron, crude and brittle. Hard enough, but fragile. Suitable for farm tools, which peasants treated as treasures, but useless as weapons.
On the battlefield, one had to strike with full force, or die.
So breakage was common. After a battle, many soldiers’ blades were reduced to stumps.
This cost countless lives that might otherwise have been saved.
As a marquis from a military family, Qing Huai cared deeply about such matters.
“This is only my guess. We will not know until the furnace is rebuilt.”
Jin Feng did not dare promise too much.
“How long will that take?”
“About five or six days.”
Jin Feng thought for a moment.
“Zhong Wu, go ask around the village and see who has an empty house to rent for a month.”
Qing Huai ordered at once. “Remember, speak kindly and do not bully them.”
“Yes!”
Zhong Wu answered, turned, and left.
Just as he stepped out, he ran into Zhang Liang coming back from outside.
“Old Zhang, why are you here?”
Zhong Wu froze in surprise, then his eyes reddened. “What happened to your arm?”
“Old Zhong?!”
Zhang Liang was just as stunned. Overcome with emotion, he said, “I live here. But you, what are you doing here?”
“I came with the marquis to visit the tiger slayer.”
Zhong Wu replied, then asked again, “What happened to your arm?”
“The marquis is here too?”
Zhang Liang brightened, ignoring the question, and ran straight into the courtyard.
