Chapter 562: Focusing on One's Strength

In this way, Shen Yueyao was in charge of the interview and could intuitively understand everyone's basic information and basic situation.

Most people had no problems, so Shen Yueyao let them pass the interview directly.

Of course, Shen Yueyao would also ask the manager to explain in detail some of the rules and regulations in the workshop and some matters that needed attention when everyone came to work the next day.

If everyone follows the rules and regulations, they can do things step by step.

But Yan Liu and Zhou Cuicui will arrange these.

All employees who were recruited to work in the workshop and whose homes were far away and could not go back could stay in the dormitory that night.

However, most people want to go home and say goodbye to their families no matter how far away they are.

They wanted to hurry home to share this happy news with their families.

After being busy until very late, Su Xueyi came to pick up Shen Yueyao to go home in person.

Su Xueyi felt sorry for Shen Yueyao, but she also knew that she couldn't persuade her, so she was worried that she would be tired.

However, Shen Yueyao didn't feel tired. She happily told Su Xueyi about the interview.

"Xueyi, when I told them they were hired by the workshop, they were really excited. Some of them even cried, as if having this job could make them survive."

"I felt a little uncomfortable watching this."

Shen Yueyao doesn't think she is a good person either.

But after coming to this world, she slowly did some things, saw some good changes, and felt everyone's gratitude, which made her feel warm and touched.

"And when they were queuing, I also heard their discussions..."

Shen Yueyao also recounted what she had heard.

Su Xueyi stroked her hair and said, "Don't worry, Hezhou will get better. When spring comes, everyone will plant high-yield crops. Even families with only one acre of land will be able to have enough to eat. And as long as they work hard and reclaim more land, they can add several more acres."

"And I've also arranged to recruit people to repair roads in various places, paying them twenty cents a day. This is like providing everyone with a job, allowing more people to earn money and do something useful."

In fact, it doesn’t matter whether the road is repaired or not, but if it is repaired, it can provide work-for-relief, provide jobs for more people, and allow everyone to rely on their husbands to earn money to have enough food to eat and support their families.

Shen Yueyao nodded. Actually, this is pretty good.

In fact, the most important thing is agricultural development.

When agriculture develops in the spring, Hezhou will be different.

Fortunately, there is a lot of land in Hezhou. As long as everyone works hard to open up wasteland, they can have more land.

However, Shen Yueyao also knew that some wastelands were full of rocks and vegetation, making them difficult to reclaim.

Su Xueyi seemed to have thought of something and said, "Regarding the terraced fields you mentioned earlier, I plan to hire people to transform those hillsides close to the river for irrigation into terraced fields. This will also increase the amount of arable land."

"These terraces can also be cultivated by hiring people, and the crops grown can be used to support some people."

Shen Yueyao's expression changed, "I just said that before, and you actually figured it out."

In fact, Shen Yueyao found that Su Xueyi was really smart. Once she said something, he would remember it, understand the reason, and then study and implement it.

"Because you described it in detail."

If it weren't for the details, he wouldn't understand.

Both of them were trying to figure out how to govern Hezhou well.

"If the greenhouse vegetables grow well, I will expand the scale and make Hezhou the hometown of greenhouse vegetables."

Su Xueyi said, "Well, you don't have to worry about not being able to sell vegetables. In winter, people don't like to eat fish and meat. They like to eat fresh vegetables. But vegetables are seasonal. In winter, there are only cabbage and radishes. But if you cook them in different ways, people will get tired of them and start thinking about eating those vegetables in spring..."

Su Xueyi knew the preferences of the noble families in the capital, and also understood the sensation it would cause when fresh vegetables were grown in greenhouses in winter.

Moreover, vegetables are easy to store in winter, and merchants from some nearby state capitals will probably come to buy vegetables.

"There are also workshops. The papermaking workshop will probably need to be expanded. I plan to build workshops in some remote villages with large populations. This will boost local economic development."

It can also help the villagers nearby.

Su Xueyi lowered his head and looked at Shen Yueyao with a gentle smile. He supported everything she wanted to do, let alone something that benefited the people.

The two of them walked home while talking and discussing.

…

The other side

Many of those who came to apply for the job hurried home after hearing the news so that they could tell their families.

Some people took ox carts home, while others had to walk home.

They were reluctant to spend even a few cents on a ox cart ride.

Just like Yang Juhua, she walked for two hours before dawn to reach the workshop. After being hired in the afternoon, she walked home excitedly.

Even though she didn't eat lunch, she didn't feel hungry, she just felt excited.

When walking back, my steps were light and brisk, and I walked faster and faster.

Some even walked and ran.

So the journey that usually took her two hours to get home actually took her only one and a half hours.

It was dark when she arrived at the village.

There were two people standing at the gate of her courtyard.

They are her second son and youngest son.

"Why are you standing here?"

"We are anxious and worried about Mom, waiting for her to come back."

"We miss Mom."

Little boys are very dependent on their mothers.

The main reason is that Yang Juhua either stays at home or works in the fields on weekdays, and stays with her family every day.

She was not at home the whole day and went to a very far place, so her family was naturally worried.

Listening to their words and seeing the oil lamps lit at home, Yang Juhua felt warm in her heart.

Walking on the road, no matter how hard it was, she was looking forward to going home.

I feel at ease when I get home.

This is what it feels like to be home.

"Where's your eldest brother?"

"Big brother is cooking. If you want to wait for mom at the door, you should go to the village entrance, but big brother is worried, so he asked us to wait at the door."

Yang Juhua said, "Your eldest brother is right. From now on, you are not allowed to go outside after dark."

"Uh-huh, Mom, are you tired?"

"Mom, have you had lunch?"

The two young boys were very worried about their mother and asked with concern.

Yang Juhua said, "Mom isn't hungry. Let's go inside and talk."

In fact, it’s not that I’m not hungry, but I’m so excited that I forget the feeling of hunger.

Yang Juhua was excited to tell the good news to her family.

The two young boys were stunned when they saw their mother's happy expression, then followed her into the house.

It was dark, Yang Juhua closed the door, bolted it, and the group entered the house.

Her eldest son had just started the pot and heated up the rice.

"Mom, you're back!"

"Where's your dad?"

"Dad is peeling peanuts in bed."

Yang Juhua’s man is Lin Changshan. Even though Lin Changshan broke his waist and the doctor told him not to do heavy physical work and to recuperate first, he couldn’t sit idle and always wanted to do something.

So I sat leaning against the head of the bed and peeled peanuts.

Yang Juhua walked into the room and said, "I'm not asking you to rest and stop working. I can do all this."

Lin Changshan also felt sorry for his wife and said, "You are doing all this, it's so hard for you. I can't sit idle anyway, so I might as well do some work."

Lin Changshan did not ask her if she could work in the workshop because he was afraid of putting pressure on his wife.

In fact, if possible, he didn't want his wife to work so far away.

This person always feels uneasy when working outside, and cannot even sleep well. He feels more at ease when he is at home.

Yang Juhua said happily, "I can go to the workshop to work tomorrow. Look, this is my work badge. It was given to me by Mr. Shen himself. He said I'll get a monthly salary of one tael of silver, plus bonuses. And after working for five days, I can come back and rest for two days. This way, I won't be delayed with my work at home..."

Yang Juhua excitedly told this to her family.

"Also, there are carriages to pick us up, dormitories, meals, and even holidays during the spring plowing season... The boss is really nice."

"I heard that she's the wife of the prefect, and she's of noble status, but she's not at all arrogant. She even told me not to be nervous..."

When Yang Juhua talked about Shen Yueyao, she felt moved and grateful.

When she was so nervous, she told her not to be nervous and spoke to her gently.

He also personally asked her to work in the workshop.

Yang Juhua repeated what Shen Yueyao had said.

It also makes the family happy.

Lin Changshan couldn't believe it, "It really is one tael of silver a month."

Poor families like them dare not even think about a tael of silver.

Even if you sell some of the grain you worked so hard to grow, you may not get even a tael of silver.

One tael of silver a month means twelve taels of silver a year, and there is still plenty of time for rest.

You don't have to work for your master every day like a farmhand, without any rest time.

"Don't worry, the workshop won't bully or hit anyone. The owner has set the rules."

Yang Juhua's three sons were all shocked.

Their mother can earn one or two taels of silver a month.

Then their family’s life will get better, and they will be able to have enough food to eat.

Can I eat meat now?

Lin Changshan grabbed Yang Juhua's hand and said, "Will it be very hard?"

"It's not hard, don't worry, it's only three and a half hours of work a day."

"If this is close to home, I can go home and rest at noon and at night."

"When we were queuing, the older woman in front of us said she lived nearby and her husband also worked in Madam Su's workshop. He walked from home to work in the morning and could go home for lunch if he wanted. He could eat in the cafeteria if he wanted. He could go home after work in the afternoon and do some housework at home. He wouldn't be delayed..."

"It's just that we're far apart. If we were to get through, I could still go home after work in the afternoon."

In fact, Yang Juhua didn't want to leave home, but in order to make money to make life better for her family, she still had to work in the workshop.

Fortunately, there is plenty of rest time in the workshop.

After working for five days, you can go home and rest for two days.

"Oh, by the way, there's also annual leave. It starts in the middle of the twelfth lunar month and we don't go back to work until after the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. It's a month-long holiday. Even though it's a holiday, there's also a year-end bonus. I heard it's quite a bit..."

Yang Juhua said a lot excitedly.

There was a light in her eyes, a light that was full of hope for life.

Not only her, but also her three sons were excited, their eyes were bright and shining.

Lin Changshan looked even more incredulous.

"Do you hire men to work in your workshop?"

"Yes, they are recruiting. They are just in different workshops. Women are in one workshop, men are in another workshop, and the dormitories are also in one building for women and one for men."

Lin Changshan said: "If my waist is better, I can go to the workshop to work."

Yang Juhua said, "There must be someone at home. My three sons are still at home."

I feel really uneasy when there is no adult looking after me at home.

Yang Juhua's eldest son asked, "Mom, can I go and do some work?"

"You're too young, only thirteen. You need to be at least fourteen to work in a workshop, and you need to be strong enough."

Because their family often didn't have enough to eat, her eldest son looked thin and didn't look strong.

She thought that once she made some money, her family would have enough to eat.

The most important thing is to buy medicine for Lin Changshan and find a doctor to give him acupuncture to treat his waist.

The doctor said it wasn’t serious, but I had to take good care of my waist.

If treatment is required, the medicine will cost one or two taels of silver.

Before, they didn’t dare to think about a few taels of silver, but now that they have this job, their hearts are full of hope.

"I went there and passed by the dock. I heard there were a lot of workers there, and the government was also building a road. The wages were also 20 cents a day."

"Your back isn't in good condition right now, so take care of it first. Once you're better, it'll be easier to find a job."

"Besides, one ounce of silver a month is enough for our family to eat, and we can save a lot. You don't have to worry about so much, and you don't have to think about going out to work."

"This time when I went out, I learned a lot of things and heard a lot of news."

"I heard that Madam Su has some high-yield crop seeds, which she says can yield over a thousand kilograms per mu of land. We have two mu of land, so if we work hard and plant more seeds, we can harvest a lot of food."

"We can't eat all the food, so we can either stockpile some or sell some."

They know best what a yield of more than 1,000 kilograms per acre of land means as they do farm work all year round.

Yang Juhua said this, looking forward to life, her heart full of hope.

But are there really such high-yield crops?

Lin Changshan didn't quite dare to believe it, but if that person was the prefect's wife, she wouldn't lie.

Besides, he had heard some news that the prefect and his wife were both doing well.

I also heard that some people who fled the famine have returned.

Lin Changshan suddenly felt more energetic and energized. "This way, not only can our family have enough food to eat, but we can also save money."

"I really need to take good care of my waist and keep it in good condition."

This won’t delay the spring plowing work.

Their eldest son also hurriedly said: "Dad and Mom, I can also work and help."

Their second and youngest sons also quickly expressed their willingness to contribute.

They believe that if the family works together, life will definitely be good.

"Our Lord Su is a really good person, and Madam Su is also a good person. Thanks to their coming to our Hezhou, Hezhou has undergone great changes."

"Especially the pier, there's a lot of food there and it's beautiful. We can go there later."

Yang Juhua thought about it and thought that if they earned some money, they would have a good New Year and could buy a lot of New Year goods.

"And Madam Su never delays paying wages. She says even if you work for half a month, you'll get paid at the end of the month, calculated based on the time you work."

Lin Changshan said, "It's hard for you to travel so far."

"It's okay. We're still relatively close. You don't know if there are people living further away who would rather pay to ride on ox carts to queue up. But I think many people can get jobs in the workshops."

"There was an older woman who I noticed spoke harshly to people and her clothes were not clean, so no one wanted to use her."

Yang Juhua is a person who likes cleanliness.

Even though the conditions were simple, she kept them clean every day.

Under her leadership, the whole family loves cleanliness.

The house is very tidy and clean, and is filled with a warm atmosphere.

Lin Changshan came back to his senses and asked, "Have you had lunch?"

They didn't expect him to come back so late. They had thought Yang Juhua should be able to get home by noon.

Yang Juhua said, "I'm not hungry."

Lin Changshan said, "How can that be possible?"

"Come on, Dalang, get the food out. Let's eat and talk while we eat."

"Um."

In fact, the meal is also very simple, just steamed corn bread and wild vegetable porridge. Although it is called porridge, it actually contains very little rice, and it is corn.

But when eating the hot meal at home, Yang Juhua felt warm in her heart.

She believes things will get better soon.

After receiving her wages, she would make dumplings for her family.

On weekdays they are reluctant to use white bread dumplings.

Dumplings are only made during the Chinese New Year.

But they all liked eating dumplings. Thinking about the taste of dumplings, Yang Juhua felt even hungrier.

Even the steamed corn bread, Lin Changshan was reluctant to eat it and let Yang Juhua eat it.

"It was more than I could eat."

"You will be working in the workshop in the future. It will be hard work. You should eat more so that you can have strength. It will be good for your health."

Yang Juhua said, "The workshop will provide meals from now on, which will save food at home. Just eat more."

In fact, she didn't know what the workshop's canteen looked like.

But the boss said the food is simple, maybe just steamed cornbread or something like that.