When Lester Liew returned home after doing the laundry and heard someone had come by to place an order for waterwheels and millstones, he was even more excited than Clara.

  “That small waterwheel set goes for three taels, right? You and Carpenter Liew are splitting it down the middle?”

  “Half of three taels is one tael and five silver coin—split that again and each of you gets seven silver coins and fifty copper coins. Times three… that’s over two taels already!”

  Lester flung out a freshly washed garment and draped it neatly over the bamboo drying pole, eyes shining. “Clara, we’re going to be rich!”

  “How about this—I’ll just stay home and help you run things. We’re family, what’s yours is mine and what’s mine is yours. Just give me two or three taels a month, I won’t ask for much!”

  Thwack! A sharp pain struck the back of his head and he let out a yelp, turning around to see Clara holding a laundry bat in hand.

  “Hang your laundry. This is not something a househusband needs to worry about.”

  Lester rubbed his head—it was probably swelling up. “Clara, what’s a househusband?”

  She always threw out strange terms like that. Were northerners all like this?

  “You are one. You fit the description yourself,” Clara quipped.

  She tossed down the bat and strode off with purpose—straight to Carpenter Liew’s place.

  After explaining Manager Wu’s visit, Carpenter Liew was excited, though he also raised a good point. “If more people come later, we should have fixed pricing. We can’t be adjusting every time.”

  That was exactly what Clara had in mind. She grabbed Carpenter Liew’s brush, dipped it in ink, and began writing directly on a scrap plank:

  Waterwheel Small Set: 3 taels

  Medium Set: 5.8 taels

  Large Set: starting from 15 taels (subject to actual site conditions)

  Customer-supplied millstones: deduct 8 silver coins per stone

  Note: Delivery and installation included within Willowridge County

  “What do you think of this pricing?” Clara asked, handing over the board.

  Carpenter Liew counted with his fingers a few times before nodding. “Works for me!”

  But how would they split profits long-term?

  Clara had already thought it through on her way over. A partnership couldn’t last if the money wasn’t handled properly.

  She said, “Let’s treat this as the two of us co-founding a water mill manufacturing plant. We’ll have three departments for now:”

  “One for waterwheels, one for millstones, and one for customer service, installation, and after-sales support.”

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  “You’ll handle the first, I’ll handle the other two. We’ll each put in three taels of silver as initial capital into the shared account. Materials and costs come out of that. When we receive payment, it goes back in. At the end of every month—on the 30th—we tally the accounts. After deducting expenses, we split the profits fifty-fifty.”

  Carpenter Liew clapped his hands. “Brilliant!”

  “But I’m no good with accounts,” he admitted sheepishly. “Better if you, Madam Clara, handle the bookkeeping.”

  Small sums he could manage, but Clara’s system was already too complex for him.

  Clara nodded. “As long as you trust me, I’ve got no issue.”

  “Of course I trust you! If it weren’t for you, we wouldn’t even be starting this factory. I’m just a humble carpenter—I never would’ve imagined turning waterwheels into a real business!”

  Clara replied seriously, “And without your skilled hands, I couldn’t build anything. This is mutual success.”

  “Then I’ll draft a contract. Let’s have the village chief, clan head, and Frank Liew witness it. That way everything’s official and on record.”

  “Deal!” Carpenter Liew agreed, then sighed in admiration. “Clara, if you were a man, you’d be unstoppable.”

  “What, I’m not impressive now just because I’m a woman?” she teased.

  “No, no, I mean—you’re already incredible as is!” he waved his hands defensively.

  Clara smiled, clearly enjoying the praise. She requested pen and paper, drafted a basic shareholder and rights agreement, and read it aloud for Carpenter Liew to review. After he agreed, she made two copies and sent his son to fetch the witnesses. They ended up staying for dinner at Carpenter Liew’s home.

  The village chief was surprised. “You two are just making some waterwheels and millstones, and you’re being this formal? Looks like you’re starting some big business!”

  Clara replied earnestly, “Waterwheels and millstones may seem small, but if done well, this could become a big deal for Liew Clan Village.”

  “Oh?” The chief was intrigued. “How so?”

  Clara explained, “We’ve got stone hills and forest timber—exactly what we need to build mills. If outsiders place orders, won’t Carpenter Liew and I need to source raw materials?”

  “Then villagers who can’t sell their timber or get unfair prices might actually earn something.”

  “As for the stone hills, while they’re free to use, if we sell millstones, we’ll pay the village a 20-copper resource fee per stone. One millstone, 20 coins. Ten stones, 200. A hundred? That’s two taels.”

  “With that money, couldn’t we fix up the village roads?”

  “And with better roads, travel becomes easier. Kids wanting to study outside the village won’t have to struggle so much.”

  “And when more orders come in, the two of us won’t be able to keep up. We’ll need extra labor—that’s more income opportunities right at everyone’s doorstep.”

  The more they listened, the more stunned the village chief and clan head grew. They’d never thought of these possibilities before.

  If everything Clara said came true… they exchanged a glance, their beards practically trembling with excitement.

  Frank Liew, who often traveled out of the village, could already envision it all.

  “I’m part of this village too,” he said. “If you need ox carts in the future, just say the word.”

  Clara gave him a grateful nod and continued, “If a region wants to develop economically, it needs a sustainable, pillar industry. Only then can we firmly grasp our economic lifeline, grow stronger, shed poverty, and achieve—”

  Okay, stop!

  Clara caught herself. This wasn’t some government exam interview panel. If she went any further, she wouldn’t be able to explain herself.

  But even that half-finished speech was enough to keep the village chief, clan head, and Frank Liew mulling it over for days.

  The more they thought about it, the more amazed they were. Who could come up with such insight and foresight?

  By the time Clara got home, it was late into the night. Lester and the four kids were already asleep.

  She sat by the window, took out the partnership contract from her chest, and read it through three times before folding it carefully and locking it away in her drawer.

  She had started a manufacturing business… in ancient times. What a surreal feeling.

  Now, it needed a name. How about—Liew Clan Village Water Mill Works?

  Simple, sure, but it had regional branding. It might even help promote the village.

  She’d tell Carpenter Liew tomorrow to carve that name into every waterwheel.

  And she’d carve it into every millstone too—make it the official mark of Liew Clan Village!

  (End of Chapter)

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