As the sun dipped low, casting shadows across the mountain, today's work was done. Everyone gathered at the camp weary but anticipatory. They lined up returning the tools to the utility store supervised by Lu Tui and moved towards the long wooden table where Mu Wei was sat. Beside him rested a heavy chest open to reveal neatly stacked copper wen.
Mu Wei looked each worker in the eye, gave a nod of approval and placed five crisp, copper coins into their dirt- stained palms after they kept their token. It wasn't until the money touched their hands, that the felt a sense of realness. They smiled happily, bowed and left. When Old Han reached the front, his calloused fingers closed closed around the money as if it were pure gold. He bowed gratefully and whispered blessings before stepping outside for the next person.
Clink, clank, the sound of copper coins filled the air. By the time the last worker left, it was almost twilight. They tidied up for the next day and went back home. The work was to continue tomorrow as usual. Everyone took turns wiping down before gathering together to eat. Mu Wei ate in large bites as he hadn't eaten since work started. The spring water Su Xiao added was effective, wiping out the exhaustion of the day. After setting the brazier and checking on the kids, they slept off.
The next day, the sun hasn't even peeked over yet before they arrived at the camp house. The paused at the sight of the camp. The workers were lined up voluntarily and the line was twice as long yesterday. The workers who had seen the truth of the work themselves had invited their sons, nephews, cousins and even neighbors. The men immediately set the office while the women took over the kitchen. Everyone consciously followed the same pattern as yesterday without making a fuss.
As work began, they already recruits assembled themselves to their designated crew after taking their token and tools to begin work. Today was mainly levelling and excavation, digging into the trenches and clearing out displaced mud to reach solid bedrock. The new recruits were assigned for a different task. Leaving the supervision to Shi Dong, he took them into the mountains to scour for nearby large, heavy boulders and flat river stone. Su Xiao had drawn the blueprint for him yesterday on how she wanted the foundation to be. Since she handed the leveling work to him, she was going to let him finish it without interfering. With the use of ropes and wooden sleds, they hauled these massive stones to the site.
The rumble attracted a lot of attention as everyone looked over curiously. The stones were then stacked in neat piles right along the edge of the trenches. The second recruit team swung in. Instead of the normal use of wood to make a clearing, they made use of wooden mallet and plain rocks to crush the smaller stone fragment into coarse gravel. Although they couldn't understand the reason for it, they went on with the process. Just then, the first batch were led to the kitchen line to dine. The new recruits were amazed at the seamless rotation while keeping order.
When they finally experienced the meal, they only had one thought in mind.
'I must hold on to this job'
It was the same meal as yesterday. The portions were generous and filling making it a pleasant experience. After meal, they dived back into work. They already crushed gravel and sand was meticulously lined to the very bottom of the dug, empty trenches creating a perfect levelled, well drained foundation that doesn't crack when it freezes. Next step is the layering. Under their astonished gaze, they're instructed to pick the heaviest, largest, flattest stones for the very bottom. They're then carefully lowered on to the gravel bed. Because the stones are raw and unshaped, the workers are taught to use small or jagged rocks to wedge in between the gaps to lock the massive boulders into place so they don't rock or shift.
Meanwhile, Su Xiao in the kitchen was boiling the low-grade, starchy sticky rice she had taken out from her space. She left the cooking of the workers meal to Bai Ling while she focused on the stone-and-mortar layer mixture. This was a technique she had learned from the military in her previous life when they had to camp on a site for a long amount of time to scout enemies and prepare a place to treat the injured. After the the stones were tightly wedged, they needed to be sealed into solid waterproof monolithic mass to avoid the winter frost expanding and shattering it. She has already discussed this procedure with Mu Wei, the workers would come carry the stone-and-mortar mixture after they finished wedging.
She waited until it completely breaks down into thick, gooey, sweet-smelling paste then pours it into a large wooden trough. The hot rice paste is then thoroughly blended with slaked lime which was gotten from burning limestone, adding fine river sand and water. She carried the mixture outside and left it there for the convenience of the workers to carry it. Back at the construction site, Mu Wei makes sure they're are not randomly stacking the stones. They were meticulously layered in an overlapping pattern like modern brickwork. If one seam is vertical, the next layer must bridge across it to distribute weight of the future walls evenly and prevent collapsing or cracking.
Su Xiao had made sure to inform him about this which is while he made sure it was strictly followed. Mu Wei then selected a few able bodied men who followed him to the kitchen area. They were given wooden buckets to carry the steaming stone-and-mortar mixture to the trenches. As it is poured, workers welding wooden poles aggressively stab and ram the mortar down under Mu Wei's guidance into the every tiny crevice till it coats every single stone chip. Once a stone-and-mortar later is levelled off, they immediately begin laying the next layer of interlocking stones on it while it's still tacky so they fuse together.