After being jilted, the entire neighboring village was filled with deep regret.

Chapter 167 Selling Farm Tools

After Wei Laoqi's family left with their things, Shen Yi returned, having learned from Su Tai what had happened that morning.

He then said with certainty, "Second Aunt must have taken a fancy to Wei Laoqi's eldest granddaughter, otherwise she wouldn't have offered to lend money to the Wei family. Later, you can help Second Aunt inquire about her. If the eldest daughter of the Wei family is not bad, then help Second Aunt find a match and relieve her worries."

Su Tai nodded. "And to be honest, the Wei family's house is really uninhabitable. You still want Wei Laoqi to help cover up the lie, so we have to help them rebuild the house. Things will be much easier later."

Shen Yi nodded, and after eating, he went to Liu Family Village.

Niu Youfu, unable to continue farming the Wei family's land, had been cursing and swearing all morning. Knowing that the Wei family had nothing, he was ready to laugh at them and made fun of them to everyone he met, which was very annoying.

The Wei family had naturally heard the news, but they were preoccupied with what to do and didn't have time to argue with Niu Youfu.

When Shen Yi arrived, he saw the family sitting in the yard with worried expressions, discussing something. He went up to them and said, "It's too late to collect adobe bricks now, and we probably won't be able to borrow much from the villagers. We still need to get the house up and running as soon as possible."

I know a brick maker who has red clay bricks, much cheaper than blue bricks. If you'd like, I can have him deliver some. He also sells a special kind of clay that's exceptionally good; it makes houses incredibly sturdy, lasting for decades without needing frequent repairs.

Upon hearing this, Wei Laoqi's family was very tempted, but since they had no money in their pockets, they didn't dare to say a word.

Wei Laoqi pulled Shen Yi aside and whispered, "How much silver will it cost?"

Shen Yi didn't hide anything and said truthfully, "If it's just two or three rows of houses, it'll cost at most thirty taels, which is alright. Didn't we agree to cooperate? I'll help you pay for the house construction first, and I'll also help you buy the red bricks and mud. We'll also set up a blacksmith's workshop, and you can go back to your old trade. We'll cooperate. From now on, any products from my side that are sold under your name will give you some money for your hard work. How about that?"

Wei Laoqi was thrilled to hear this, knowing that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so he gritted his teeth and nodded in agreement.

Shen Yi also breathed a sigh of relief.

After Wei Laoqi and his family went back with him.

He then took Su Tai to Liujiazhuang under the cover of night.

Su Tai spent 20,000 virtual coins to buy red bricks, cement, and gravel in the Fire Time-Space. These items were temporarily stored in the dilapidated mud house of the Wei family. Their movements were discreet and would not arouse suspicion.

The next day, before dawn, Wei Laoqi and his family returned to the village.

Everyone was captivated by the sight of those bricks.

Immediately, Wei Laoqi followed his two sons forward and pushed down the dilapidated house.

Smoke and dust were everywhere.

Once the dust settled, the men carried hoes to the fields to work, while the women stayed home to tidy up the house and dig the foundation again.

Su Tai and Xu Shi also came to help.

She taught Wei Laoqi's two daughters-in-law and several of his older grandchildren how to make cement.

Wei Daya studied very diligently and seemed quite intelligent; she quickly got the hang of it.

After she learned how to lay bricks, this job fell to her.

Su Tai held the child and looked around for a long time. Seeing that everything was in order, she returned to Shen Family Village with Madam Xu. In the following days, Su Tai would occasionally take her daughter to visit the Wei family in Liu Family Village when she had free time. She watched with her own eyes as they built three rows of houses with a layout similar to the Shen family's, which showed that they had thought it through carefully.

Niu Youfu originally intended to watch the Wei family make a fool of themselves, but he didn't expect the Wei family to have helpers. Not only did they build the house, but they also didn't delay the work in the fields. Niu Youfu was so angry that he cursed at home a lot.

The village chief, however, watched coldly as the Wei family built their brick house. He then reminded Niu Cuihua, "I thought that Wei Laoqi's family, having lived in the mountains for many years, must not be as good as they used to be. I didn't expect that they still have helpers outside. I heard from the villagers that the Wei family has set up a blacksmith's workshop. I guess they are going to go back to their old trade. We will have to deal with them a lot in the future. Tell your older brother not to do anything reckless again."

"I understand!" Niu Cuihua sighed, somewhat annoyed, but didn't argue with her husband anymore.

Because she had also seen the Wei family's house, which couldn't have been built without considerable wealth. Now that they didn't even know the extent of the Wei family's power, how could they dare to cause trouble for them?
In this situation.

The Wei family finally finished building the house after more than a month.

Three rows of twelve red brick houses, next to which was a blacksmith shop of moderate size. The furnace for firing iron was also made of red bricks, and a special high-temperature resistant clay was mixed inside. With everything ready, Wei Laoqi's blacksmith shop officially started firing.

Meanwhile, Shen Yi also sold seventy-six hoes and eighty-two rakes, earning 149 taels of silver. The cost was 3,580 virtual coins, which was negligible to Su Tai.

These are just the quantities purchased by the villagers of Shenjiazhuang. By the time of the autumn harvest, the news should have spread further, and even more people will come to buy farm tools.

Currently, it is said that these farm tools were made by Wei Laoqi in the deep mountains.

Everyone knew that Wei Laoqi was a blacksmith, so there was no doubt about it.

Some people, unwilling to buy through Shen Yi, went to Wei Laoqi privately.

Wei Laoqi said, "The items were custom-made by Shen Yi. It was agreed at the time that I, this old man, could not make those kinds of farm tools for others in private. If you really want them, you have to go to Shen Yi."

Everyone suddenly realized what was going on, thinking that Shen Yi was incredibly cunning, but on the surface they could only obediently order from Shen Yi.

Shen Yi, having received the money, would not mistreat Wei Laoqi. After the spring planting season, he specially chose a relatively quiet day to visit him.

Looking at the Wei family's brand-new courtyard, he smiled with satisfaction and entered Wei Laoqi's blacksmith shop.

"Thanks to your help during this time, I've made quite a bit of money. We agreed that if you helped me cover up the lie, I would also give you something in return. The money I borrowed from your family to build a house will be used to settle the debt, how about that?"

Wei Laoqi was shocked. "Shen Yi, I know you want to help me, but there's no need for this. I can still manage to pay the thirty taels if I grit my teeth!"

He only talked the talk, he didn't do anything, so he wouldn't dare ask for so much money for his hard work.

Shen Yi shook his head, "Let's leave the previous accounts as they are. From now on, you have to report to the town official how much iron you forge, and he will have to collect taxes from you. I will pay for that. In addition, I will give you an extra ten coins for every piece I sell. It's settled then."

Wei Laoqi did the math and realized he actually got the better deal, because the raw materials needed for blacksmithing were also obtained from the government and included in the taxes. They collected the same amount as the blacksmithing, so it wasn't cheap at all.

He can intercept all that iron and secretly sell it for a profit.

Seeing that Shen Yi hadn't thought much about it, he took the initiative to bring it up, "In that case, you should also take away the iron here from me in the future, so that I won't feel uneasy."

Shen Yi hesitated for a moment before agreeing.

It wasn't that he wanted to recoup his losses, but rather that this way he could avoid many risks and wouldn't have to worry about Wei Laoqi betraying him in the future.