"After this is done," Jason announced, his voice carrying over the group, "you will all become the official crew of the Starfire fleet, and your salaries will be increased even further!"
He laid out the favorable conditions, and the sailors' faces flushed with excitement. Compared to the uncertain income of fishing or working on a merchant vessel, the offer of a stable, high monthly salary was a dream come true. Every single man chose to join him without a moment's hesitation.
They had already heard the stories from the merchants in White Harbor. Everyone in the city knew that the young Earl of Starfire was a truly generous and merciful lord who treated his people exceptionally well. They knew he paid his workers a high salary of twelve silver stags a month and, incredibly, provided three meals a day for the worker's entire family.
The food itself was the stuff of legend: white bread, hearty vegetable soup, and even meat broth on occasion. For men who had spent their lives struggling, it was an unimaginable luxury. To eat well every day was a life reserved for lords, not common folk. In a land where ninety percent of the people never knew a full belly, this was paradise.
It was no wonder that in the past months, many residents of White Harbor had packed up their families and followed the caravans to Sailor's Lake, begging to work for Lord Jason. He had accepted them all. He needed the manpower, and as long as someone was willing to work, he would hire them. Of course, anyone caught trying to cheat him would quickly learn the severity of offending a noble. But aside from a few lazy men who were flogged and driven away, the common folk were honest and hardworking. Their centuries-old awe of the nobility made them as docile as sheep, which, Jason admitted to himself, made managing them much easier.
Jason instructed Kent to select two hundred strong workers to accompany the newly recruited sailors back to White Harbor. The old sailor, Seth, described their plan for clearing the river. They would lash several small boats together with rope to create a floating platform, then anchor it to the shore. Sailors with good lungs would have to hold their breath, dive down with hammers and chisels, and chip away at the underwater reefs bit by bit.
Jason winced just listening to it. "Holding your breath to chisel away at rock? The ghost knows when this river would ever be cleared."
A wry, embarrassed smile crossed Seth's weathered face. He knew as well as anyone that if the job were easy, House Manderly of White Harbor would have dredged the White Knife River long ago.
Feeling that their method was far too slow, Jason told them to wait a day. He then returned to the modern world, where he purchased a batch of diving equipment, including several sets of scuba gear with oxygen tanks. For the shallower sections, he bought diving goggles and respirators with extended hoses that could reach the surface, allowing a man to work underwater for long periods. For deeper water, the full scuba gear would be used.
The next day, he had his soldiers bring the equipment to the lake and personally taught the astonished sailors how to use it. They put on the diving suits and breathing apparatus and, with a series of splashes, jumped into the water. As natural swimmers, they mastered the modern equipment within a single morning.
"Amazing!"
"My lord, with this equipment, the work will be much easier!"
"You can rest assured, my lord," Seth said, his face beaming as he took off his diving mask. "After I return home, I'll summon every fisherman with good lungs in my village. We will clear the White Knife River for you as quickly as possible!"
Jason offered them a few more words of encouragement before sending them on their way. Kent would oversee the project, along with the two hundred workers he had selected. Jason himself was far too busy on the main construction site to supervise the dredging personally.
As New Year's Day of 2021 approached, Jason handed over the management of the camp at Sailor's Lake to Jon, McCann, Rubin, and Chris. He had to return to the modern world.
His mother and Lin Xiaohan's mother had agreed to meet before the new year to formally discuss Jason and Lin Xiaohan's future. His sister, her husband Lucas, and their two children, Lila and Noah, drove with his parents to City.
Jason waited for them at the gate of the Forest Peninsula villa community, greeting the security guard before leading his family's car to his villa. Knowing his family was coming, he and Lin Xiaohan had called a cleaning company to tidy the place from top to bottom and had even bought a new set of pots and pans. Before this, the villa didn't even have a full set of chopsticks; Jason rarely stayed there, let alone cooked. Lin Xiaohan was also busy with the company and usually stayed at her own home.
Jason always used his frequent "business trips" as an excuse, which was how he explained his long absences while he was in Westeros. Fortunately, he made it a point to spend every evening he could with Lin Xiaohan, taking her shopping or to the movies before returning to the villa for the night. Their relationship was still new and passionate, and Lin Xiaohan, knowing her boyfriend was working hard to build their company, wasn't resentful of his absences. The time they spent together in the evenings was enough to make her feel that their love was beautiful.
Besides, as the head of the company's finance department, she was well aware of their incredible success. In just the past three months, Fusion Trading had earned over a billion yuan from log sales alone. Seeing that much money in the company's account gave her an immense sense of accomplishment. Her boyfriend was a true genius.
Jason's parents, having heard from their daughter about the booming business, were also overjoyed. Though they didn't know the exact figures, they could see from their daughter's happy smile that Jason was incredibly successful. They were thrilled she had found such a good man.
At Villa 7 of Forest Peninsula, Jason helped Lucas carry the luggage from the trunk into the house, a sense of warmth and normalcy settling over him.
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