45: An appetite bigger than the sky

The air in the central room seemed to solidify.

Outside the window, the morning mist had not yet dispersed, and the light that filtered in was hazy, making everyone's face in the room appear dim and indistinct.

Only the rough yellow paper on the table lay quietly, like the center of a vortex capable of swallowing everything.

Village Head did not sit down.

With his hands clasped behind his back, he paced back and forth in the small open space. His cloth shoes made almost no sound on the packed earth, yet Su Shan's heart pounded heavily in his chest, following the rhythm of his footsteps.

Su Shan's hand had somehow gripped the pipe on the table again, his knuckles white from the force. He had never been this nervous in his life, not even when facing the runners from the county office demanding grain taxes.

Su Ming stood rigidly straight, his breathing extremely slow, focusing his gaze inward.

"Hold steady, apprentice." Lin Yu's voice sounded in his mind, carrying a hint of leisurely amusement. "Don't be intimidated by this old fox's aura. He's more conflicted than you are right now—half a mountain of gold, half a pit of fire. He's weighing whether he has the ability to manage this opportunity. Every step he takes is calculating gains and losses."

Su Ming understood. Master was right; whoever spoke first now would lose the advantage.

Village Head walked back and forth seven or eight times before finally stopping.

He did not look at the Su Family father and son, his gaze still fixed on the piece of paper on the table, as if trying to stare a hole through it.

"This method," he finally spoke, his voice hoarse, as if rubbed with sandpaper, "is it easy for others to learn?"

This was the first question, striking right at the core.

Su Shan's heart suddenly jumped into his throat.

Su Ming stepped forward and respectfully replied, "Uncle Zhao, it's not easy. The old book I found says this is called 'Tiangong Kaiwu.' It looks simple, but it's actually interconnected. When to cut the bamboo, what heat to use for boiling, how to filter the plant ash, what proportion of lye to mix, and finally, how to mold the paper pulp—every step is meticulous. If you miss even a fraction, what comes out won't be paper, but a puddle of mud. I was just a blind cat running into a dead mouse, trying dozens of times before barely managing to produce a sheet that is presentable."

His words were ninety percent truth and ten percent falsehood, packaging the chemical principles Lin Yu taught him into profound "ancient methods."

"Well said!" Lin Yu praised. "Vague key information and exaggerate the technical barrier! Let him know that this technique is our family's unique secret, something others can't steal or learn! You are the indispensable stabilizing force of this Workshop!"

Village Head turned around, his sharp eyes finally looking directly at Su Ming: "Boy, you've really thought this matter through."

He walked to the side of the table, tapping his fingers lightly on the surface, making a "thump, thump" sound.

"Second question. If we really go through with this, how many people, how much money, and how much land will we need?"

This was evaluating feasibility.

Su Ming felt relieved, knowing the other party was tempted. He immediately answered, his pace not fast, but his points clear, evidently having been carefully considered beforehand.

"Replying to Uncle Zhao, the initial monetary investment is not large. We mainly need to build a few sheds and construct some large stoves and lime pits. Our village has plenty of strong laborers and bricklayers, so it won't cost many copper coins. As for land, the desolate riverbank is the most suitable; it's convenient for drawing water and won't take up good farmland. For manpower, cutting bamboo, burning lime, and pounding pulp are all manual labor tasks that the idle uncles and brothers in the village can do, and we can pay them daily wages."

With every sentence he spoke, Village Head's eyes brightened a fraction more.

It didn't occupy good land, utilized the village's idle labor, and the startup cost was surprisingly low. This business was practically tailor-made for Su Family Village!

Village Head's breathing became noticeably heavier. He stared at Su Ming, his gaze no longer scrutinizing a half-grown child, but a treasure capable of turning stone into gold.

He was silent for a moment, finally asking the most crucial question.

"Then how do you two... plan to run this?"

As soon as he said this, the atmosphere in the room instantly tightened again.

Su Shan looked at his son.

Su Ming took a deep breath. He knew success or failure depended on this moment.

"Uncle Zhao," his voice became steady, devoid of any youthful timidity, "This formula belongs to my Su Family. But this immense wealth is something my Su Family dares not, and cannot, monopolize."

He paused, looking sincerely at Village Head, stating word by word: "So my idea is, this cannot be the business of just our Su Family; it must be the business of our 'Su Family Village'!"

The three words "Su Family Village" struck Village Head's heart like a heavy hammer.

He shuddered suddenly, his eyes bursting with incredible light.

Su Ming didn't give him much time to think, striking while the iron was hot, and presented the plan he had already memorized.

"You are the backbone of our village. This matter must be led by you! You will step forward, organize the manpower, handle official matters, and if any short-sighted person tries to cause trouble in the future, you must be the one to settle it. This is the stabilizing force. You will take a twenty percent share of the Workshop's net profits!"

Village Head's fingers stopped tapping.

Twenty percent! He didn't have to contribute anything, just based on his status and prestige, he would take twenty percent!

"The uncles and brothers who contribute labor in the village cannot work in vain. Cutting bamboo, carrying water, burning fire, and pounding pulp will be paid based on labor, with daily wages. Furthermore, fifty percent of the remaining net profits of the Workshop will be distributed to all villagers involved in the Workshop's tasks! Dividends will be paid based on work points at the end of the year!"

Village Head's Adam's apple bobbed up and down, and his expression became incredibly complex. He understood: Su Ming was tying the interests of the entire village to this endeavor!

"What about my Su Family?" Su Ming straightened his chest, his voice quiet but conveying unquestionable confidence. "My family provides the formula, and I am responsible for teaching the papermaking technique to everyone exactly as it is, ensuring the Workshop can start up and produce marketable paper. Our family takes a thirty percent profit share."

Thirty percent!

Do nothing but provide a formula and talk, and take thirty percent? This appetite was larger than heaven itself!

Village Head narrowed his eyes, and the temperature in the room seemed to drop instantly.

He stared at Su Ming, and after a long while, he slowly spoke, his tone carrying a hint of danger: "Thirty percent? Boy, do you know how much thirty percent is? I, the Village Head, bear immense responsibility and only take twenty percent. The entire village, over a hundred people, work themselves to death and only share fifty percent. Your Su Family, just by talking, wants to take thirty percent?"

The pressure descended like a mountain.

Sweat appeared on Su Shan's forehead, and he instinctively wanted to say, "That's too much, a little less is fine."

"Hold your ground! Apprentice! This is a negotiation! If you take one step back, he will take ten steps forward! This thirty percent is the value of the technology; not a single copper coin can be reduced!" Lin Yu's voice shouted sharply in his mind.

Su Ming clenched his fists, his nails digging deep into his palm. He met Village Head's gaze without flinching.

"Uncle Zhao, you can't calculate it that way."

"Without my family's formula, the bamboo on the back mountain will forever remain bamboo, worthless."

"It is our family that provided the pot capable of turning bamboo into gleaming silver! We provided the opportunity for everyone in the village to drink the meat soup! We take thirty percent, and the remaining seventy percent goes entirely to the village and to you! Is that not fair?"

He took a step forward, his voice suddenly rising: "Furthermore, only I understand this technology! Once the Workshop is running, how should the quality of the paper be improved? How should output be increased? How should defective products be salvaged in the future? All this must be handled by me! My thirty percent is payment for technology, and payment for peace of mind! Tell me, shouldn't I take this money?"

His speech was powerful and resonant, leaving Village Head speechless.

That's right, technology was the core! Without Su Ming, the "Technical Director," all of this would be an illusion!

Su Shan stared blankly at his youngest son, his mouth slightly open, his face full of shock. Was this still his son, who usually just buried his head in books and was somewhat shy around people? With these words, this kind of spirit, he would dare to speak even to the County Magistrate!

Village Head's chest rose and fell rapidly.

His shrewd, calculating mind was working at high speed.

Twenty percent for management shares, thirty percent for technology shares, fifty percent for labor shares.

This distribution plan seemingly gave the Su Family the largest share, but in reality, Village Head was the biggest winner! Not only did he gain twenty percent profit out of thin air, but more importantly, he turned the entire village into his "followers" and firmly controlled the Su Family, the treasure holder of the core technology!

This achievement, this prestige, this tangible benefit... this was immense wealth dropped from heaven!

He figured out all the crucial points, and the last shred of doubt in his heart vanished, replaced by an uncontrollable ecstasy and excitement!

"Clap!"

With a loud bang, Village Head slammed his palm heavily onto the Eight Immortals Table, making the tea bowls on it jump.

Su Shan shuddered all over, startled by the noise.

"Good!" Village Head's eyes widened, and he burst into booming laughter that penetrated the room, startling the old hens in the yard into cackling loudly. "Good! What a 'Su Family Village business'! What a brilliant idea of 'technology investment'!"

He grabbed Su Shan's shoulder and shook him forcefully, his face flushed with excitement: "Shanzi! You, Su Shan, quietly raised such a fine son! He has courage! He has strategy! I, Village Head, am impressed!"

As the laughter ceased, his face instantly regained the dignity of the Village Head.

He glanced around, his gaze sharp as a knife, sweeping over Su Shan's face before settling on Su Ming.

"This matter is settled!"

"However, let's get the unpleasantness out of the way first!" His voice suddenly turned cold. "From today until the first sheet of paper from the Workshop is sold for money, this matter is known only to Heaven, Earth, you, and me! Anyone who dares to leak even half a word, no matter who they are, will be my mortal enemy, Village Head's mortal enemy! They will be the public enemy of our entire Su Family Village!"

"Shanzi, Xiao Ming, do you understand?!"

Coming from him, the Village Head, these words carried more weight than Mount Tai.

It was no longer a secret belonging to the Su Family alone, but an iron rule established by the power core of the entire Su Family Village.

Su Shan nodded heavily, his voice hoarse: "Understood!"

Su Ming also bowed: "Your junior understands!"

Village Head looked at Su Ming, his eyes filled with admiration and a hint of subtle apprehension.

This thirteen-year-old boy could no longer be viewed through the eyes of someone seeing a child.

He waved his hand, his tone leaving no room for doubt.

"Go back now. Starting tomorrow, continue with your usual activities; don't let anyone notice anything unusual. I will handle the rest!"

The father and son walked out of Village Head's front door. The morning mist had mostly dispersed, and golden sunlight pierced the clouds, coating the entire Su Family Village in a warm glow.

Su Shan walked ahead, his back, which had been slightly hunched from years of life's burdens, was now held perfectly straight.