“Haven’t they thought about giving these workers a bigger share of the profit, at least to protect their base?” Entering the shop, Su Mo also lowered his voice.

“Easier said than done,” Sun Quan shook his head and sighed. “The upper limit of Xinghuo No. 3 is about two thousand mu of yield, and with the way things are going this year, an average of one thousand eight hundred and fifty would already be good. And to crush the other grain stores, these shops have pushed the buy-back price to the territory up to a full eighteen hundred jin. Their profit per mu is only about fifty jin.”

“Fifty jin. By Zizai Liang Lane’s accounting, they’ve already given the workers about forty-eight jin of that. How can they give any more!”

A profit of two jin. In past years that would have been absurd.

Sun Quan sighed, and it was hard to tell whether he was lamenting the harm of involution or worrying about the future of the territory’s commerce.

They entered the inner hall and followed the signs all the way to the canteen.

“Those four really are up to something. I even suspect they were sent by Qiankun Grain Store!”

Entering the canteen, they saw that the four from yesterday were still huddled together, looking at him with a trace of hostility.

Sun Quan spat lightly, thoroughly contemptuous.

But seeing that Su Mo showed no reaction, Sun Quan could only follow him to get breakfast and begin eating in a hurry.

After eight o’clock passed, Zhang Min finally arrived, fashionably late.

She first sent all the idlers outside, then commandeered the canteen to hold a meeting.

“Very good, everyone is here.”

“The first batch of equipment has also arrived, and everyone’s workrooms have been built. After you choose your rooms in a moment, you can start work.”

“Mm... there’s still a little time now. If you have any questions or suggestions, we can brainstorm first.”

She ate while she talked.

About this life-and-death battle between the grain stores, Zhang Min seemed somewhat nonchalant, as if the grain store had nothing to do with her.

However, the four who had huddled together were quite lively.

Once she finished speaking, they began discussing, one saying one thing, another saying another.

“I suggest we also use meal times for development. Just have the cooks send the food straight to the workrooms.”

“Good, that’s a fine suggestion!”

“I suggest finding a few experienced workers to come and give us some reference on what kind of tools are more handy.”

“No problem. Later I will arrange for Bowen to connect with you. If you need people, just ask.”

“I suggest adding a toilet to the workrooms, so we don’t have to run back and forth...”

“All right, I will arrange the construction after you get off work this evening.”

“I suggest...”

One suggestion after another with no substance at all flowed constantly from the mouths of the four.

After listening for just a while, Su Mo lowered his head in speechlessness and went on dealing with the breakfast on his plate.

Yesterday, when Sun Quan said Zhang Min might have a hidden move, he had still been a little skeptical.

But looking at it now, this performance almost settled it a hundred percent. Zhang Min really had no intention of relying on the seven people in the room to develop a tool capable of confronting Qiankun Grain Store.

Hiring seven people really might have been only to cover people’s eyes and serve as a front.

“Su Youzong, do you have any good suggestions?”

Having agreed to every one of the four’s suggestions, and seeing Su Mo with his head lowered, Zhang Min turned her gaze toward him and asked with a smile.

“Me?” Rubbing his nose, Su Mo raised his head. “I suggest putting a sandbag in each workroom, so that when we can’t develop anything, we can let out the frustration in our hearts and look for inspiration?”

“Oh? That’s a good suggestion. I’ll have Bowen go out and buy sandbags later!”

She slapped the table. Hearing this suggestion, Zhang Min was exceptionally pleased, and did not ask anyone else for their opinions.

And so, the ridiculous “brainstorm” finally came to an end.

Outside the door, Su Mo found his own workroom, number six.

And Sun Quan, by what means no one knew, after some negotiation, switched his workroom to number seven.

“Brother Su, this Zizai Liang Lane shopkeeper... is there something wrong with her head?”

Standing in front of the door, looking at Zhang Min in the distance, who was still smiling as she watched everyone,

Sun Quan scratched the back of his head, his whole face blank.

“Don’t know. Let’s get to work first. If we can’t make the tools and the grain store goes under, we’ll be out of work too!”

Su Mo also glanced at Zhang Min in the distance, and upon discovering that she was actually nodding at him, he could only turn away slightly awkwardly and push open the door of the workroom.

“Whoa, this is quite big!”

The rooms assigned to each person were about thirty square meters, looking rather spacious at a glance.

He noticed the large, still unopened crate in the middle of the room, and the six big characters written on it: “Miniature Development Platform.”

Su Mo forcibly suppressed the joy in his heart and comforted Sun Quan with a few words.

No matter what Zhang Min was actually thinking, or what means Zizai Liang Lane would use to get through its difficulty,

none of it had anything to do with him, a hired hand.

And Su Mo was very confident that as long as he had this miniature development platform, which the Academy of Sciences had only released in Year Seven of the Doomsday Calendar,

he would have a chance to turn the tide at any moment.

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