Chapter 21 Wages

The villagers were afraid of the military officer, not because they were afraid that he would punish them. Over the years, the military officer had never made things difficult for them. At most, he just followed the rules. In order to make their lives a little harder, the military officer never lowered the prices of oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, rice, flour, and other grains.

These were the regulations from above, and they were strict. Although they were angry at the time, they also knew that they couldn't blame the military commander.

Now seeing them coming with Xiao Heng, he felt a little scared. He was afraid that the military officers would block their way to survival once again. He was afraid that the military officers would tell their superiors about their attempt to make money. Who knows how miserable their death would be then.

Among these people, most of those who were exiled were punished by the court because they or their families supported the idea of ​​giving equal importance to scholars, farmers, merchants and artisans. Most of those who were exiled were merchants or craftsmen.

If the imperial court knew about digging salt flats, storing salt and selling it privately, the consequences would be disastrous.

Gu Xiyue could see the villagers' worries at a glance. After greeting the three military masters, he whispered a few words to everyone, "Don't worry, fellow villagers. Military Master's family is just like you. They have their own difficulties. They won't tell the higher-ups about our affairs. Instead, they will protect us."

When everyone heard that the families of the three generals were also under control, they immediately felt a sense of sympathy and relaxed their vigilance.

But there are also people who don't believe it and can't relax with a look of doubt on their faces.

Zhao Yancheng said at this time: "Fellow villagers, Miss Gu's husband promised us a few days ago that he would protect us all. Why don't we listen to what he has to say?"

Everyone was surprised and turned their eyes to Xiao Heng.

Xiao Heng took two steps forward, put his hands behind his back, his face solemn, and stood in a dominating posture, with a firm light in his eyes.

"Fellow villagers, Brother Zhao is right. From now on, I will protect you all together with the three military masters and Hu Mazi. Just follow my wife and do what she wants to do. We will take care of the rest!"

His tone was gentle and firm, which made people convinced.

Not only is he very handsome, but he also supports his wife and the villagers so much that people are convinced of him.

When Mr. Xu Jun saw Xiao Heng speaking, he also gave everyone a sincere assurance, asking everyone to rest assured that they would not report anything to the higher-ups.

Seeing that Xiao Heng and Jun Ye both said this, everyone was completely relieved. No matter what, Xiao Heng was Miss Gu's husband, and these things were organized by Miss Gu. If something really happened, Miss Gu would not be able to escape just like them.

No doubts were in everyone's mind anymore.

Seeing that everyone had relaxed, Gu Xiyue turned around, took the notebook from Meixiang, and said with a smile, "Let me emphasize the issue of wages now."

No one cared about the wages. Miss Gu provided them with food to eat, so it was their duty to do some work. It didn't matter whether they were paid or not. The fact that Miss Gu could keep them alive was the greatest help to them.

Some people looked at Wang Hu with a resentful look, thinking that he had been too mean just now.

"Fellow villagers, don't be embarrassed. Only when you can make money can you be motivated, right?"

This sentence made everyone laugh, and some people scratched their heads embarrassedly.

Gu Xiyue calculated wages in two ways. Those who were responsible for collecting salt on the thatch were paid according to their work, one cent for one pound of sea salt. When she and Meixiang collected salt before, each of them could collect more than ten pounds a day. If they were quick, they could collect more in a day. Collecting salt on the thatch by the sea was a freelance job that could be arranged according to one's own schedule. It was more suitable for women, and children could also help adults.

Digging salt from the salt flats and drying it in the sun is hard work, and it is usually done by the men in the family.

People who dig salt from the salt flats and dry it in the sun are paid a fixed wage of one tael and five cents a month. Each person has four days off a month. In order to be fair, only one person from each family can participate in digging salt from the salt flats and drying it in the sun, and the attendance is recorded by the accountant.

At the end of the year, the four groups will distribute bonuses based on their total salt-drying scores. This measure is intended to motivate everyone's enthusiasm.

The rest of the people who cook, teach, keep accounts and run errands are temporarily paid one or two taels of silver per month.

"We're just starting out now, so the wages are set like this for now. When we have more money, we'll increase them based on the actual situation."

After hearing what Gu Xiyue said, the villagers were all stunned.

The money they save here throughout the year is sometimes not enough to buy a bag of salt, and that is the money they earn from the food they save from their own food.

Now Gu Xiyue pays them one tael and five cents as wages, which is equivalent to the salary of a guard in the city. It is slightly higher than the wages of the errand boy in the store, and there is also a bonus at the end of the year!

And Gu Xiyue also took care of their meals.

It’s like supporting you and giving you money!

As for the women who collected salt, they were even more grateful. Miss Gu said that she earned one cent for every pound of salt she collected, and that she could collect more than ten to twenty pounds a day. Miss Gu was beautiful and had delicate hands, and it was obvious that she was not a hard worker. If she could collect so much, it would be even easier for them. Calculating it this way, they could earn at least ten cents a day!

A dozen coins a day, hundreds of coins a month! Adding it up with the money of the men at home, it amounted to two taels of silver.

That’s two taels!

Now, they not only have food to eat, someone to help their children study, but they can also work and earn money. All these good things are brought by Miss Gu.

By the way, Miss Gu’s husband also said he would protect them.

Everyone's heart was in turmoil, and they looked at Miss Gu as if they were looking at a savior.

Regardless of the money, they are willing to listen to Miss Gu's orders wholeheartedly.

"Today is June 23rd. Wages will be paid on the 25th of next month. From now on, wages will be paid on this fixed date."

After Gu Xiyue finished speaking, she turned and looked at Xiao Heng. She believed that he could solve the problem of Jun Ye within a month. As long as he could get out, he would find a way to sell the salt.

Xiao Heng smiled slightly and nodded at her, looking confident.

As long as the salt can be sold and the production can be increased later, not only will she be able to make a lot of money, but she will also be able to increase the wages of her fellow villagers, and everyone will make money together.

The current salary is her bottom line. She doesn't dare to raise everyone's expectations too high, so she'd better take things slowly.

The three military lords admired Gu Xiyue very much when they saw how she was at ease in front of everyone. They felt that if she were a man, she would definitely achieve great things.

Xu Junye whispered to Xiao Heng, "Brother Xiao, your wife is amazing! She has so many people obeyed by her. I admire her!"

Xiao Heng nodded, his face warm and proud.

Hu Mazi stood behind Xiao Heng without saying a word.

Wei Lin could tell at a glance that Hu Mazi had definitely been conquered by His Highness. Just looking at the way he stared at His Highness respectfully, he knew that with the two of them by His Highness' side, there would be one more person to protect Him.

After the work was assigned, Gu Xiyue saw the sun getting higher and higher, so he said, "Okay, everyone, get busy. Today, you all finish eating at home and clean up. Starting tomorrow, you will have two meals a day, at noon and at dusk, in the village canteen. In the evening, each family will go to the canteen to get vegetable pancakes to eat in the morning."

It was equivalent to three meals a day, and everyone was excited again, and became even more devoted to Gu Xiyue.

After Gu Xiyue finished speaking, she gave Zhao Yancheng the pictures of the kitchen layout and the desks and chairs, and asked the four team leaders to select some people, some to set up the stove, and the other to make the desks and chairs.

The kitchen and school were both located in the middle of the Southern Wilderness. Two empty houses next to each other were chosen, one for the kitchen and the other for the school.

Among these people, there were many skilled craftsmen. The bricklayers immediately dismantled the walls, mixed the mud, and moved the stones. The carpenters found tools, moved the wood and started working.

Knowing that the tools were definitely not enough, Gu Xiyue had someone pull a cart to move the things to his room.

Because there were so many people, everyone worked together and the work was done very quickly.

Zhao Yancheng and others found a few more men and followed Gu Xiyue to the beach to mark out an area.

According to the corresponding positions of each group, four areas have been divided, and construction will start tomorrow, one group at a time.

When the children heard that they could still go to school, they gathered in the yard and chattered non-stop after the adults left.

Although they were all in adobe houses with thatched roofs, they were used in the same way, and the children became happier the more they talked about it.

Gu Xiyue led everyone to mark the area. Madam Liu and others took the women from each group to the beach to see the sea salt on the thatch. After walking along the beach, they found that the thatch on the roadside near the beach was covered with dense white frost. Some of the thatch was even bent by the frost. The women tried it with their hands, and with a slight force, a large piece of it was in their hands.

It turns out it’s that simple!

The women discussed what kind of bag to use so that they could free up their hands to pick sea salt and also make it convenient to put it in the pockets. At the end of the discussion, everyone agreed that it would be most convenient to sew a bag from the cloth bag used to store flour at home, pass it over the head and wear it diagonally on the shoulder, with the opening of the bag on the chest.

This way, when you are busy, you can free up your hands and your pockets will not get dirty.

After the discussion, the women pulled a lot of mosquito repellent grass and took it home to dry. They also took out the only food in the house and prepared to eat it all. Starting tomorrow, all the villagers would eat and work together.

This is a new beginning, and everyone feels warm in their hearts.

When Gu Xiyue returned home, it was already past noon. She was a little tired after being busy all morning.

After entering the house, she found that the pots, pans, various tools and other daily necessities had been moved out, and the house was not as crowded as before. She washed her face and went to the bed to rest for a while while Meixiang went out to get some water.

Meixiang was about to go in after pouring the water when Wei Lin called her. He had brought back a large bundle of mosquito repellent grass, but there was a mosquito caterpillar on the back of his neck. Hu Mazi refused to help him get it off, so he asked Meixiang for help with a pale face.

The sting of this kind of worm is very painful. Wei Lin has experienced this before. Now he dare not move, for fear of irritating the worm.

Hu Mazi stood aside and looked at Wei Lin with ill intentions, "If you hadn't stuffed such a smelly cloth in my mouth yesterday, I would definitely help you now!"

Meixiang slowly approached and helped him catch insects with a smile. Xiao Heng came out of the middle room, saw the three of them, smiled and shook his head, then turned to go to the west room to call Gu Xiyue to eat.

After entering, the room was quiet. Gu Xiyue was lying on the bed and had fallen asleep. Xiao Heng looked at her lying on her side with her graceful curves outlined by her clothes. He subconsciously looked back. Fortunately, even if there were people outside, they couldn't see her like this.

He immediately breathed a sigh of relief, walked over quietly, picked up the thin quilt next to him and gently put it on her, covering even her delicate white neck.

She was probably exposed to the sun, her face was flushed, her lips were rosy, and her eyes were slightly open. She looked cute and innocent when she was asleep.

Xiao Heng pursed his lips and moved closer to see if she was sleeping soundly. Feeling her long and sweet breathing, he quickly raised his body, and his ears felt slightly hot.

Take another look.

If he wasn't afraid of covering her face, he would have even wanted to cover her face.