Transmigrated as a Stepmother: Time to Bring the Family to Prosper!-Chapter 270 - 269: The Hope of the Whole Village

According to Qin Yao’s idea, the best model for the convoy is half fixed and half flexible.

Liu Fei raised his hand, "What is flexible?"

Qin Yao explained, "It means not fixed."

Everyone nodded, understanding.

Liu Zhong asked, "Does ’fixed’ refer to our factory’s long-term lease?"

"Not lease," Qin Yao shook her head, "but purchase."

And they would all buy horse-drawn carts; horses have good endurance, are fast, and are more convenient than ox carts for long-distance transportation.

Qin Yao’s family has an ox cart, which can be rented to the stationery factory for short-distance daily purchases. One ox cart is enough.

"Then how many horse carts should we buy?" Liu Bai asked a bit excitedly, as he was in charge of the transportation and heard from his sister-in-law that in the future, they would deliver goods right to the customers’ doors.

Places outside Kaiyang County are unimaginable to the villagers, filled with excitement and some fear.

However, Qin Yao told them she would personally lead the transportation for this order. With her leading, Liu Bai and Liu Fei were immediately reassured, settling back into their seats.

Qin Yao said, "The Divine Power Book Box takes up a lot of space, so it can’t be transported using regular vans or flatbeds. We need to switch to trucks with trailers to carry more."

"According to the capacity of a trailer truck, the convoy needs to maintain the capacity of ten to fifteen horse carts year-round. But buying fifteen carts at once is a bit costly for us just starting out."

"Therefore, our factory will buy seven horse carts and sign long-term leases with surrounding carters for the remaining ones."

"There are many cooperation methods to choose from, like annual contracts, monthly contracts, or pay-per-trip, offering freedom and flexibility."

Liu Bai and Liu Fei nodded repeatedly, thinking Qin Yao’s idea was excellent.

The village chief curiously asked Qin Yao, "Can my family’s horse cart also help transport goods for our factory?"

Qin Yao nodded with a smile, "Of course. These leasing contracts can be signed by people from our village too."

The village chief was delighted and hurriedly asked, "How much are the annual and monthly rents?"

Qin Yao said, "According to market prices. I’ve already sent Liu Ji out to inquire today. I’ll write up a price list later, so it’s clear at a glance."

The village chief happily said, "Great, great, I trust you. Can you reserve a spot for Liu Qi’s father from my family?"

Qin Yao nodded and immediately signaled Liu Bai to note down the village chief’s horse cart, giving it a spot first.

However, Qin Yao spoke frankly first: if you join her convoy, you must follow her rules and execute according to her standards.

For example, once the convoy is formed, she will have to give outdoor transportation training to the drivers in advance.

The village chief was even more pleasantly surprised to hear this, knowing Qin Yao was knowledgeable and open to teaching; they would certainly learn well!

"If his father doesn’t learn well, just tell me, and I’ll take care of him!" The village chief thumped his chest, instructing Qin Yao with gusto.

Liu Qi scratched his head, secretly wiping cold sweat for his father.

The convoy’s matters were also unanimously approved. Qin Yao asked if anyone had other questions.

Everyone shook their heads. At the moment, these were already enough for them to handle, so they dared not raise more questions.

"Since there are no more questions, let’s end today’s short meeting here," Qin Yao said, standing up and gesturing for everyone to rise. "Meeting adjourned!"

The straight-standing people immediately relaxed upon hearing "meeting adjourned," all becoming slack and slouching.

Just then, it was called for lunch, and everyone dispersed.

Qin Yao instructed Liu Zhong to come to her for the carriage purchase funds after lunch. Liu Zhong happily agreed and quickly grabbed Liu Qi, who was rushing to lunch, to help calculate how much buying so many carriages would cost.

After all, his family had bought carriages before and had experience.

Qin Yao invited the village chief and clan leader to have a casual meal at the open space in front, but the two elders declined, saying they had just eaten mid-morning and were still full.

Qin Yao then walked back to the village with the two elders, asking about the registration and reporting matters with the government.

This was a top priority; if not handled properly, the government could have countless reasons to shut down her stationery factory or impose exorbitant miscellaneous taxes.

Although Qin Yao felt that the County Magistrate of Kaiyang County should not do such things now, it was often the unnoticeable clerks in the government office who did them.

The village elders always said, "King Yan is easy to meet, but little demons are difficult to deal with."

For common people, the little power the petty officials hold, such as tax collection and arresting, presses ordinary farmers down hard.

The village chief advised Qin Yao not to worry and just focus on running the stationery factory. He had already given a heads-up to the village chief.

As for the government registration, it was not urgent now since they couldn’t enter the city anyway.

"Wait until the refugees disperse, then go to the government to register," the village chief smiled and said, "I’ll go with you then."

Qin Yao hadn’t expected that the village chief had already helped by giving a heads-up to the village chief, feeling surprised yet touched.

At that moment, she realized that the beautiful vision they once shared was not taken as a joke by the village chief but was something he was truly working towards.

At the crossroads, the village chief and clan leader indicated to Qin Yao not to send them further and focus on her tasks. Before parting, the two elders kindly advised Qin Yao, "Do your best."

If the two elders were in modern times, they would surely add—You are the hope of the whole village!

Qin Yao nodded heavily, watching the two elders walk away before turning back towards her home.

Liu Ji wasn’t home, and all four kids were out playing somewhere, leaving the yard empty.

Qin Yao unlocked the storeroom, took two boxes of tea, and some dried goods brought back from the Prefecture to the village chief’s and clan leader’s houses.

By the time she finished, the two elders had gone back to the fields. Qin Yao gave the items to their families, and when passing by the field, she informed the two elders, making them so happy that their smiles never left their faces.

They knew Qin Yao was thanking them for giving a heads-up to the village chief and didn’t stand on ceremony with her either.

The clan leader even joked, "Getting old, my teeth are bad now. Next time, remember to bring some soft snacks!"

"You cheeky old man, Yao Niang shows you courtesy, and you take advantage of it!" The village chief scoffed.

The clan leader laughed heartily, showing his mostly missing teeth, not the least bit angry. Seeing Qin Yao standing by the roadside smiling at them, they hurriedly stopped laughing and waved her off.

Qin Yao nodded, amused, and saw the two elders acting like children when away from the villagers, entirely losing their usual dignified demeanor.

When Qin Yao returned to the factory, everyone had finished lunch and was sitting in small groups resting on the open ground.

He had left her half a pot of food, and Qin Yao sat to one side to eat, while Yun Niang quickly approached her to discuss the matter missed in the meeting—no decision had been made about the book box shoulder straps!