When Meng Zhao returned after setting up his stall, he took out all the copper coins he had earned from the stall recently, took some silver from the starch workshop's accounts, exchanged it for an equivalent amount of copper coins, strung them together with hemp rope, and prepared to pay wages.

While Meng Zhao was settling accounts in the side room of the ancestral hall, the village head also returned from paying taxes in the county. The two of them checked the accounts together again, and after verifying that there were no problems, the village head went out and called Zheng Niangzi in.

When Madam Zheng went out, several workers came up to her and asked, "What does the village head want with you?"

Madam Zheng was still a little dazed. After regaining her senses, she said to the person next to her with a complicated expression, "The village head asked me to call you in."

"What's wrong? Tell me about it first."

Madam Zheng suppressed a laugh and said to her, "Never mind that, you should go quickly."

The man wiped his hands and went into the side room with a puzzled look on his face. Once inside, he found Meng Zhao and the village head sitting behind a table with a box on it.

The village head took out a piece of paper and read it aloud solemnly: "Song Yuniang, you have worked for 25 days, with a daily wage of 55 wen, totaling 1375 wen. This month's extra allowance is 100 wen. In addition, you brought two water tanks, with a rental fee of 20 wen. This is a total of one tael of silver plus 495 wen. Count it."

Song Yuniang was stunned. She had lived for almost thirty years and had never done a job with such high pay.

Not to mention her, her husband works in the county, working from dawn till dusk, and only earns a little over one tael of silver a month.

But now, she stays in the village every day. She feeds the chickens and ducks in the morning, eats breakfast, and then goes out. She is given a rest time at noon. If someone at home has prepared a meal, she can take a nap at home after eating.

They would finish work around 5 PM, and unless it was the busy farming season, they would not neglect their household chores at all.

Where else in the world could you find such a good job?

The village head handed her the silver, which Song Yuniang immediately tucked into her bosom. Meng Zhao chuckled and said:

"Aren't you going to count them?"

Song Yuniang hurriedly said, "No need, no need, I trust you, you will definitely not give less than the agreed amount."

"Okay, then when you go out, tell Li Xing'er to come over."

Song Yuniang now understood Zheng Niangzi's feelings. It was that feeling of wanting to laugh but being too embarrassed to laugh, and thinking about what to do with the money and what to buy. She was a little dizzy.

Suddenly realizing he needed to call someone, he quickly went to call Li Xing'er.

After Meng Zhao and the village head finished distributing the wages to everyone, the people in the courtyard exchanged glances, all understanding each other perfectly.

"How much will you send?"

"Tell me how many you sent first."

"Hey, you're something else." He then gestured with his fingers to indicate a number.

The man exclaimed in surprise, "How come you have 50 more coins than me?"

The other person glared at her. "The stone mill we're using was brought from my house, and the cart was also brought by me. It's not my duty."

The woman wasn't angry, after all, she was happy to accept such a high wage.

Everyone was very happy to receive their wages, and a few acquaintances gathered together, chatting quietly.

"Autumn is coming soon, and the quilt from two years ago was too thin. I need to add another layer of cotton."

“My daughter is getting engaged soon, so I need to make her two new outfits to make her look good.”

"I just want to buy back the two acres of land that I sold before as soon as possible."

When Meng Zhao came out, he saw that no one was in the mood to work anymore; they were only thinking about arranging wages.

He then gathered everyone together and admonished them:

"Although everyone is happy to receive their wages, they should not let it interfere with their work."

"This is only the first month's wages. Whether you can receive your wages next month, and whether you can receive your wages every month thereafter, depends on yourselves."

Such a good and lucrative job, who wouldn't want to keep doing it? Everyone was full of fighting spirit and said they would definitely do their best.

Seeing their high level of enthusiasm, Meng Zhao didn't discourage them and happily said:

"Okay, as long as everyone works hard, the wages will definitely be paid in full."

As the sun began to set, Meng Zhao finished his meal and pulled Gu Shi aside to share his thoughts.

“Mom, autumn is just around the corner. If the canal freezes over this year, we won’t be able to do our boxed lunch business. So I’m thinking of renting a shop with a yard in the county and selling some braised meat. What do you think?”

"That's naturally a good thing. With such excellent skills, it would be a waste not to open a shop." When it comes to business matters, Gu's mother always listens to Meng Zhao and supports whatever she wants to do.

“Okay, then I’ll ask my dad to keep an eye on the shops in the county for me. We’ll open a braised food shop then.”

Madam Gu nodded, told Meng Zhao to wait a moment, went back to her room, brought out a small box, and placed it in Meng Zhao's hands.

“Zhaozhao, this is the wages you gave your mother. Apart from some daily expenses, your mother has saved the rest. You must need a lot of money to rent a shop in town. Keep this money.”

Seeing Gu Shi like this, Meng Zhao was deeply moved.

But she pushed the money back, saying, "Mother, don't worry about it. I've saved up quite a bit of money these days, enough to pay for the shop rent. You can keep this money for yourself and the children to buy some things."

Although she didn't need the money, Meng Zhao appreciated Gu's kindness.

“Mom doesn’t need money now. Qinghe said I don’t need to worry about it. Qingze, Qingyu, and I eat and live at home, so there’s no need for money at all.”

Zhao Zhao has been working so hard these days, probably to prepare for renting a shop in the county. There's nothing I can do to help, so I can only use all my savings to make up the difference.

“Who said that? When it gets cold, I’ll need to make myself some clothes and a quilt. When we go to the county, I can go out shopping whenever I have free time. There are always places where I need money. Don’t worry, if I don’t have enough money, I won’t be polite to you.”

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