Three days later, Song Jinzhao stepped onto the pale gray concrete ground. Seeing her go up, Song Qiming decisively followed.
It was flat, hard, and didn't crack even after a couple of jumps.
Song Qiming looked at Song Jinzhao with surprise in his eyes.
"If the main streets of Suining City are all paved with concrete, we'll never have to worry about rainy days again."
A dozen officials from the prefectural office cautiously walked back and forth on the concrete road, like Granny Liu visiting the Grand View Garden.
Song Jinzhao didn't dare to exert too much force. She scraped the ground with the sole of her shoe to make sure it wouldn't flake.
"Concrete isn't just for paving roads; it can also be used to build houses, dams, and more. It's an excellent construction material."
Song Qiming nodded rapidly, his mind already imagining what the city would look like with all the concrete roads finished.
"Ah Jie is really clever, but how much silver does one bag of concrete cost?"
Sand could be found in the river, and pebbles were everywhere in the mountains—those were free. He was only worried that the concrete itself might be too expensive.
Shi Simian and the others all turned their eyes to Song Jinzhao. It was a good product, but if it cost too much, they simply couldn't afford it.
Song Jinzhao said, "The concrete for the eight main streets we planned earlier—I'll provide it for free. You just supply the labor from the prefectural office. We can start work tomorrow."
As soon as she said this, everyone erupted in excitement.
It was free? That was incredible.
Song Qiming's heart sank. He was afraid Song Jinzhao would lose too much.
"The prefectural treasury still has sufficient funds, so Ah Jie doesn't need to do this. I can pay for it."
Song Jinzhao smiled gently. "The cost of making concrete is very low. I'll explain more when we get back."
The product was meant to make money eventually, but the profits would have to come from other avenues. These eight main streets were her way of winning people over.
Song Qiming followed Song Jinzhao to the back courtyard. A route map that had already been drawn lay before them.
"The main costs of making concrete are labor and fuel. All told, one bag of concrete costs about fifty wen to produce."
"Paving these eight main streets will cost no more than five thousand taels of silver, but it will leave a lasting impression on everyone. That's quite a bargain."
Song Qiming suddenly understood—Ah Jie was after the people's hearts.
The next morning, after a half-month rest, the laborers were back to heavy work.
Cartload after cartload of sand and stone were transported to the inner city. Wooden boards for fixing the forms also had to be cut from the mountain. By the end of the day, the work was even harder than the farm labor before.
The busiest street in the inner city, Tongbao Street, was the first to be renovated. Not only was the concrete road laid, but drainage ditches were also dug on both sides.
At first, the shop owners on both sides were reluctant, worried that the road closure would hurt their business. But once the first section of concrete hardened, all the rumors and complaints vanished.
Anyone with eyes could see how good the road was. What did it matter if the street was closed for ten or fifteen days? It would be so much more convenient to travel afterward.
Tongbao Street ran all the way from the south gate of the inner city to the north gate, with only a detour around the prefectural office.
By the time the second half was finished, the first half had already been in use for half a month, with astonishingly good results.
People were all asking: Which street would be renovated next? Would it reach their doorways?
Meanwhile, Song Jinzhao handed over the newly built concrete factory to Lanxi and went to buy two brick kilns.
She hadn't bought the coal mine just to fuel the concrete kilns—she planned to use it for another purpose.
Charcoal was expensive, and ordinary people couldn't afford it. Every bitter winter, some froze to death.
If a snowstorm hit and their stored firewood ran out, the death toll in the Eastern Zhao Kingdom would climb by the thousands each year. Every winter, reports of disasters filled the emperor's desk—which showed just how huge the market was.
Low-quality coal produced heavy smoke, and breathing it in could cause poisoning, so many people dared not use it.
But if Song Jinzhao could turn that coal into smokeless briquettes, the profit would reach millions.
