The shopkeeper wiped his sweat and rushed over, apologizing profusely, "I am so sorry, I am so sorry. We were busy downstairs and accidentally let this guy come up."

"It doesn't matter," the young lady said softly, "I'm afraid the shopkeeper didn't want to cause trouble."

The shopkeeper's intentions were exposed, and he chuckled, "Miss is exceptionally intelligent. This fellow's family has some influence in Yicheng. The whole family is shameless, and their skill in climbing relationships is superb. One must consider the owner when hitting a dog. I don't have the courage to drive this guy away for you, Miss. Please forgive me."

"It's not easy for shopkeepers to do business, I understand. Don't take it to heart," Steward Liu said with a smile, very understanding.

The shopkeeper was relieved to see that the young lady and Steward Liu did not blame him at all.

"Shopkeeper, why are so many people gathered around that large crane?" the young lady asked.

The shopkeeper leaned out to take a look and said, "Oh, that's the crane that the Ye family workshop made for the Qi family. A month or so ago, the Qi family had a ship arrive from the West, carrying a very large Western clock. Originally, the clock was in a box, but it seems that the Qi family's young master wanted to see it on the ship, so they assembled it there. When they arrived at the port, they realized they couldn't disassemble it, so they had to open the top deck and try to lift the whole thing out. The original small derricks and porters were useless, so the Qi family, in a hurry, asked the Ye family's young master for a solution. Unexpectedly, the Ye family's young master immediately drew up a design and had the workshop build this horse-drawn crane. The day they lifted the entire clock from the ship to the shore, the whole street was packed with people watching. This clock weighs 4,000 jin, but it seemed effortless to load and unload it with this crane, so the crane was called the Thousand Jin Crane. However, because the supports were originally carved from wood, they didn't seem very strong, especially with the humidity at the port. These days, the Qi family and the Ye family workshop are trying to rebuild the crane with stone and refined steel. You see those people next to the crane, wearing blue coarse cloth clothes with yellow characters embroidered on them, those are apprentices from the Ye family workshop."

"A few apprentices from the Ye family can do such a big project? That's amazing," Steward Liu said, picking up the conversation, noticing that the young lady was very interested in these things.

The shopkeeper chuckled and said, "Those apprentices are just stationed at the port. They should be maintaining the crane so that it can still be used. In fact, all maritime merchants inevitably have some very large items to load and unload. In the past, they would disassemble a few ship planks, add heavy ballast, and set up a few springboards to load and unload. This Thousand Jin Crane saves everyone a lot of trouble. No one wants to disassemble and reassemble the ship planks, right? The apprentices have to take care of any wooden parts that need repair or replacement in the port. It's not just a matter of earning money; there are many strange and wonderful things on the ships, and they will see more in a year than they would in a workshop. Those who can be apprentices at the port are in their second or third year, and many of them can enter the Ye family's fine workshop as skilled workers after a year."

Steward Liu asked, "Apprentices, skilled workers? Are there any rules about that?"

The shopkeeper was happy to answer, explaining, "Not just anyone can enter the Ye family workshop. If you want to learn a craft from the Ye family, you must first undergo a year of apprenticeship, learning basic skills such as sawing, planing, and drilling. Then, in the second year, you officially become an apprentice under several master craftsmen. In the first year, the apprentices learn their trade in the Ye family's repair workshop. Those with better skills are sent out. Various restaurants, inns, and taverns inevitably have some martial heroes or people who get drunk and cause trouble, and some things are always broken. These apprentices who are sent out carry toolboxes to repair things. Our shop is the same; if something breaks, we send a waiter to the Ye family's repair workshop to call someone. The price of repairs is extremely low. If the furniture is damaged or badly broken, it is moved back to the repair workshop, but most minor problems can be fixed with a few taps. Sometimes, the effort to repair a broken table or chair is greater than the effort to make a new one, but as long as the customer doesn't ask for a replacement, the repair workshop will guarantee to fix it." The shopkeeper pointed to a table next to him and said, "Look at this table. Although the surface is freshly lacquered, it was originally broken into several pieces. It was the master craftsmen and a few apprentices from the repair workshop who managed to repair it so that I can't see where it was broken. Although it's a bit of trouble, the apprentices' skills are excellent after a year of studying."

After hearing what the shopkeeper said, Steward Liu laughed loudly and said, "Isn't that teasing people? But thinking about training apprentices like that, it really makes sense."

"It is," the shopkeeper said with some amusement. "Many apprentices can't make it through the year. But they learn something, and it's always good to have more skills. Besides, woodworking requires some strength. After a year of this, developing some strength is not a waste of time. After the second year, some of the Ye family's apprentices go to the rough workshop, and others are sent to the port or to several military camps in the suburbs of Yicheng to handle various errands."

"Rough workshop? Are those apprentices not skilled?" Steward Liu asked.

"Not necessarily. People have different personalities. Some people are lively and like to think things through and adapt to situations. Others may be rigid and stick to principles. In fact, the most skilled apprentices often go to the rough workshop. They are very serious about their craft. The people who are sent out need to have decent skills, but more importantly, they need to be quick-witted. There are hundreds of different types of ships in the port, and there are many miscellaneous things that need to be done. Someone with a rigid mind would probably be tortured to death here. It is said that it is the same in the military camps. Sometimes the officers have whimsical ideas and want to build something, and you can't really predict what it will be. Isn't this also making the best use of people's talents? Those who like the craft go to study it, and those who are quick-witted come out to gain experience."

Steward Liu nodded and said, "That's true. What then?"

The shopkeeper continued, "Whether they are gaining experience outside or refining their skills in the rough workshop, those who can survive the three-year apprenticeship can enter the Ye family workshop as skilled workers. In fact, out of ten people who can survive the basic first year and the three-year apprenticeship, not even one will make it. The Ye family gives these apprentices quite generous wages, but if they don't pass the apprenticeship, they have to find another way. But if the apprentices pass, the Ye family will give them a whole set of woodworking tools, saws, planes, hand drills, ink markers, and steel rulers, all of which are extremely exquisite tools. The Ye family workshop's set of tools is something that independent carpenters can't even get if they ask for it. The tools are all inserted in a coarse cloth tool bag and placed in a wooden toolbox with an iron frame. Many of the apprentices who finally get this set of tools are moved to tears... And entering the Ye family workshop is different again. In addition to some people who will continue to refine their woodworking skills, many people also have to re-learn lacquer work, coopering, carving, and so on. It is said that some people also have to learn some forging skills or some pottery techniques. The secrets there are deep, and I can't explain them clearly. But everyone should have heard of the furniture and lacquerware made by the Ye family workshop."

"Yes. A low table from the Ye family workshop can sell for five taels of gold in the capital. But that low table is as bright as a mirror, and the surface is as smooth as a mirror, reflecting people perfectly. Even some old craftsmen in the capital who have been making furniture for the royal family say they don't know how it was made," Steward Liu sighed.

"Five taels of gold is too much," the shopkeeper said strangely. "Although the Ye family workshop's things are not cheap, they are affordable for ordinary people in Yicheng. The Ye family's furniture is quite affordable in Yicheng. It is much more durable than the things made by inexperienced carpenters, and the designs are unique, and the height and width are very suitable. Many families would rather buy the Ye family workshop's things for twice the price than casually find a carpenter to make furniture. It is unreasonably expensive in the capital."