Chapter 39 Paying wages

All those strange fish were killed by Xiao Heng within three days.

In fact, it was not him who destroyed them. Strictly speaking, those fish were eaten by their own kind. Xiao Heng was only responsible for killing them.

Xiao Heng hooked the last strange fish and dragged it directly onto the land, letting it leave the sea and dehydrated to death.

After drying it into dried fish, it is chopped up and thrown into the sea for other fish and shrimp in the sea to eat.

At the same time, he asked Wei Lin, Tian Hefei and others to keep an eye out to see if there were any other strange fish around. After watching for several days, Wei Lin said that he and Tian Hefei had been wandering around the beach for several days but had not found any such fish.

It seems that this strange fish no longer exists in the nearby sea area. As for whether it exists in other places, that is unknown. At least, when Zhao Yancheng, Wang Hu and others were transporting salt these days, they did not see any trace of this strange fish.

What surprised Gu Xiyue even more was that after the strange fish disappeared and the tide receded, she could actually find seafood on the beach. This discovery delighted her greatly.

At the beginning, the women who got up early to go to the beach to collect sea salt were frightened by the crabs crawling on the ground and screamed, making a lot of jokes. After hearing about it, Gu Xiyue hurried to the beach to see and found crabs of all sizes, and also found some oysters. Although there were not many, it was enough for them to have a meal.

After reading it, Gu Xiyue went back to get the bucket and asked Madam Liu and the others to take the bucket to the beach as well. She taught them how to catch crabs and oysters.

Some women who collected sea salt also joined the team to catch seafood. They were chasing each other on the beach, laughing and scolding, it was very lively.

These things don't even need special cooking, just boil them in water and they will taste delicious.

These things didn't exist before, maybe it was caused by those strange fish. Now that they exist, there will definitely be more in the future. Gu Xiyue felt happy when he thought about achieving seafood freedom in the future.

At noon, I prepared the seafood with Madam Liu. I fried some of the crabs for the children as snacks, and pickled some for the men as a side dish.

At lunch time, the folks from Nanhuang were the first to eat seafood. At first, they were a little uncomfortable with it, thinking it was too troublesome and too tiring to eat a whole meal. But after trying a few and feeling the deliciousness of the seafood, they all started to eat.

Gu Xiyue knew at a glance that she didn’t need to call them to catch seafood in the future. They would naturally take the trouble to catch them after tasting the delicious food.

Three days later, on July 25th, Gu Xiyue asked everyone to take a half-day break in the afternoon after finishing their work and come to the factory to collect their wages.

She also specifically instructed that everyone must come, otherwise she would give money to their door.

Naturally, the villagers didn't want her to deliver the money in person, so they came spontaneously after lunch.

The salt transport team also paused and rested for half a day.

Gu Xiyue has been doing the accounting these days when he has time. There are a total of 213 able-bodied laborers in the village, including the three military officers and Tian Hefei and others who came later. They all have to be counted. There are so many people that he cannot be biased towards anyone, and the accounting has to be much more careful.

It wasn't until last night that everything was finalized.

It is cloudy today, there is no sun in the sky, and with the sea breeze blowing, it is not hot. A shed has been built on the edge of the field before, and many wooden benches are piled up on the edge of the field. When the villagers arrived, they spontaneously took the benches and sat down. There were a lot of people sitting there.

Gu Xiyue, Xiao Heng and Meixiang paid everyone their wages.

Gu Xiyue sat at the long table with a booklet in front of her. Meixiang was responsible for calling people, while Xiao Heng was helping count money on the inside.

Xiao Heng and Wei Lin had already gone out to exchange the previous silver for some copper coins.

The wooden box containing the money was placed sideways on the long table.

The women who collected sea salt were paid first. The first person to receive the wages was Miao, a woman in her thirties from the village. She was usually quiet and only knew how to work.

When Meixiang called her name, she looked shy and stood up awkwardly. She looked around and found that everyone was staring at her. She was so nervous that she couldn't even walk.

Gu Xiyue noticed her shyness and said with a smile: "Sister Miao, don't look at them, look at me, come here."

Madam Miao walked up to Gu Xiyue with a red face. Gu Xiyue quickly stood up, took her hand and asked her to sit opposite him.

Gu Xiyue glanced down at the booklet and said with a smile, "From the 23rd of last month to today, you haven't had a single day of rest. From now on, you need to take a few days off every month. You can't work so hard. Do you hear me?"

After Gu Xiyue finished speaking, Madam Miao nodded silently, feeling a little flattered.

Gu Xiyue took out a piece of paper from the bottom of the book, which recorded the number of pounds of salt that Miao Niang collected every day.

She is quite diligent, producing at least 15 kilograms of salt every day, and sometimes more than 20 kilograms.

She handed her the paper and asked her to read it.

Madam Miao took a quick look and nodded, saying that everything was correct.

"In thirty-two days, you collected a total of 721 kilograms of salt. This month's wages are 721 coins."

As soon as she finished speaking, Xiao Heng handed over 720 coins. Gu Xiyue took the copper coins and pushed them towards Madam Miao, saying with a smile, "Here, keep this money. Thank you for your hard work!"

Madam Miao reached out and touched the real copper coin, and her heart was deeply touched. Her husband was in the capital, and she and her two children were the only ones here. Because of Madam Gu, her two children went to school every day and had no worries about food. She could actually earn so much money in a month.

It's just over two hundred coins, which is one or two taels of silver.

Besides, she eats and drinks for free every month, which is more than one tael and five silver coins she can earn in the capital.

Her eyes were red and she wanted to step back a little, but before she could open her mouth, Gu Xiyue saw through her thoughts.

"Sister Miao, these are what you should take. Don't push it away. Besides, we have sold our salt for money, so it's not much for you to take."

After repeated persuasion, Mrs. Miao took the money into her arms and put it in her clothes pocket. After expressing her gratitude, she stood up and walked towards her seat.

The heavy feeling of getting the money was so real that she couldn't help but curl up the corners of her mouth as she walked back.

When the villagers saw that Madam Miao had received the money, they couldn't help but look forward to getting their own share. They all watched quietly, waiting for their turn to be called.

The women who mined salt received their wages one after another. The least they received was more than 500 coins, and the most they received was more than one or two taels. Everyone was very happy after receiving the money. They sat together and repeatedly touched the money in their arms with their hands. It felt a little unreal.

Before Gu Xiyue came, their family lived frugally every month, and at the end of the year, they couldn't even save enough money for a bag of salt. It was different from now, when the money they earned in a month could buy a lot of salt. What's more, they don't have to buy salt at all now. The salt they make themselves can't be eaten up in several lifetimes. They even save money on cooking. The canteen set up by Miss Gu allows them to have three meals a day.

You don’t have to spend too much of the money you earn, and most of it can be saved.

After the women who mined salt were paid, it was the turn of the men who dug the salt fields.

Just now the men just watched the women receive their money, and now that it was their turn, they felt a little embarrassed.

The first person to be called was Wang Hu.

He changed from his usual nonchalant attitude. When he stood up, he looked himself up and down, straightened his clothes, and then walked towards the shed.

When she sat opposite Gu Xiyue, she couldn't help but smile, but when she met Xiao Heng's scrutinizing gaze, she restrained herself a little.

"Brother Wang, as a member of the team, you were originally paid one tael and five qian of silver a month. But then we had to build the ship, and you worked day and night to catch up. And then we had to transport salt, so this month's wages are two taels of silver. Are you dissatisfied?"

Gu Xiyue's voice was loud, and the women who received the money and the men who didn't received the money all heard it. Everyone knew that some people had worked very hard this month, so it was reasonable for Gu Xiyue to give them a little more money. No one had any other opinions on this matter.

They all believed in Gu Xiyue and thought her decision was the best.

Gu Xiyue said it out loud to dispel everyone's suspicions.

After hearing this, Wang Hu shook his head frantically and said with a look of rejection: "Madam Gu, just give me one tael and a half, two taels is too much!"

Gu Xiyue interrupted him with a smile: "It's not much. You have worked hard during this period. The extra money is what you deserve. Don't be embarrassed, take it!"

Seeing that he was unwilling to accept it, Gu Xiyue blinked and said, "This month is a special case. If there is no special case next month, your salary will still be one tael and five cents, so you must take it."

When Wang Hu heard that Gu Xiyue would not give him such extra money every month, he felt relieved and took the money reluctantly.

"Madam Gu, it doesn't matter whether I get paid or not. As long as I work for you and have food to eat, that's all I need."

As soon as these words were spoken, many people nodded.

Gu Xiyue glanced at him and said unhappily, "That's different. Working together is another matter. You have money in your hands, so it's convenient for you to do what you want on weekdays. Besides, don't you want to save some money to marry a wife?"

When Wang Hu heard the last sentence, his face turned red. For a man who was almost thirty years old, he looked pretty good when his face turned red.

He said nothing more, quickly put the silver into his arms, and hurriedly left back to his seat.

The second male worker to collect his salary was Jiang Bing. He came over with a nervous expression on his face. "Madam Gu, I know I made a mistake before. I almost burned the ship's frame. I am guilty. You should deduct my salary."

Gu Xiyue was amused by his fearful look. After he finished speaking, she smiled and nodded.

"Brother Jiang is right. Rewards and punishments should be clearly defined. Mistakes should be punished, but..."

Jiang Bing thought that he really wouldn't get a penny, so he looked up at Gu Xiyue with a willing expression. But after hearing the word "but", his eyes moved slightly.

His expression did not escape Gu Xiyue's eyes.

Little guy, she has never met anyone who doesn't love money.

"However, because of the mistake you made back then, my husband has already punished you, and since you've behaved well since then, your merits and demerits offset each other, so I won't deduct your money. Take this tael and five cents!"

Gu Xiyue smiled and pushed the money in front of Jiang Bing. Jiang Bing's lips moved, and he was so excited that he didn't know what to say. Finally, he slowly kicked the money into his arms and said with a heroic expression: "Madam Gu, I am willing to go through fire and water for you in the future. Just say the word and I will be there immediately."

Xiao Heng next to him looked at Jiang Bing with a cold expression.

Jiang Bing suddenly felt a little cold. After being comforted by Gu Xiyue for two rounds, he hurriedly went downstairs with the silver in his pocket. He could still feel the cold air on his back even after walking a long distance away.

Next, the wages of the male workers were paid one by one. When it was Fang Laoer's turn, Gu Xiyue calculated his wages for him. He was compensated with the previous wages of Aunt Fang and Fang Laoda. Since they were no longer around, Gu Xiyue directly compensated him with one month's wages.

In addition to his own one tael and five qian of silver, there was also one tael and five qian of silver from Boss Fang and seven hundred wen from Aunt Fang.

She calculated Aunt Fang's money based on the amount of salt she collected the previous day, and calculated the total amount for one month.

A total of 3 taels and 7 qian of silver was given to Fang Laoer.

Fang Laoer refused to take it no matter what.

"Brother Fang, this money is not for anything else, but also to let your mother and your eldest brother feel at ease. Moreover, your sister-in-law is about to give birth, and this money is for her. After the child is born, it will inevitably cost money, so take it quickly."

Everyone was confused at first, but after hearing what Gu Xiyue said, everyone understood and helped Gu Xiyue persuade him to take it.

In the end, Fang Laoer took all the money with red eyes.

When he stood up, he bowed deeply to everyone.

After the male workers had been paid, Gu Xiyue began to pay Madam Liu and Jun Ye.

Madam Liu, Granny Liu and the other five people, as well as the five gentlemen and the four accountants of the salt flats, each received one or two taels of silver, and the money was distributed quickly.

The three generals had been guarding the east entrance, including Tian Hefei and others. Although they were not from the Southern Wilderness, they had been helping here from outside. In the end, Gu Xiyue gave each of them one or two taels of silver.

After everyone's wages were paid, a total of 385 taels of silver were paid out.

The villagers had beaming faces as they weighed the heavy silver against each other. Although they didn't say anything, they couldn't suppress the joy on their faces.

After paying the wages, Gu Xiyue stood up and looked at everyone with a smile on her face, in a very good mood.

This month's income was one thousand taels, and three hundred and eighty taels of silver were paid out, leaving six hundred and twenty taels. With this money, after buying rice, flour, grain, oil, vegetables, meat, and some necessary daily necessities for everyone every month, there is almost five hundred taels left.

She will save the remaining money and look for opportunities to make more money. Once she has more than 10,000 taels of silver in her hands, she can start rebuilding the Southern Wilderness according to the plan.

According to her plan, it will definitely be possible within three to five years.

"Fellow villagers, everyone has worked hard for a month. Go back and have a good rest. Tomorrow morning, I will send people out to buy rice, flour, grain, oil, vegetables and meat. Our lives will change greatly from now on, and our Nanhuang will get better and better."

"In a few days, Jun Ye will open the shop. Then we can buy goods from outside. The prices in the shop will be the same as outside. It will be very convenient for everyone to buy things on a daily basis. If there is anything you need but the shop doesn't have it, please tell me and I will ask someone or I to go find it outside. In short, we will have money in our hands in the future, so everything will be convenient, right?"

The villagers all agreed and looked at Gu Xiyue with smiles.

After chatting for a while, Gu Xiyue asked everyone to go downstairs to rest, and asked the three soldiers to stay first to discuss with them about opening a small shop.

Considering that there are men, women, young and old in the Southern Wilderness, she plans to let Master Wang open a clinic as well.

They had been working on these things before, so it would be convenient to do it now. Gu Xiyue asked them to go to Xifeng Town to find some traveling merchants to purchase goods in the next two days. If it was not convenient, they could go to Ganzhou to purchase goods.

The three generals agreed one after another and assured Gu Xiyue that they would definitely get it done in three to five days.

The house on the east side has also been repaired, and we just need to rearrange the interior.

In addition, Gu Xiyue asked the three of them to pick three courtyards in the village, and also helped Hu Mazi pick one. They should clean it up immediately and move in directly when their family came.

After everything was arranged and the three generals left, Wei Lin just happened to come back. When Gu Xiyue saw him come back, she smiled and asked Wei Lin and Meixiang to sit down.

She personally took out two amounts of money from the box, one was one tael and five cents, and the other was one tael of silver. She handed the one tael and five silver to Wei Lin and the one tael of silver to Meixiang.

"You two have worked hard, and this is your wages."

Meixiang and Wei Lin had never thought that they would also be paid. They were very surprised and quickly pushed it back.

Meixiang said with a sad face, "Miss, I am your servant. Why are you paying me wages? You have never treated me badly. I don't want this money."

Wei Lin also said: "Yes, we can't accept this money. You will satisfy us if we need anything on a daily basis."

Gu Xiyue shook her head. "That's different! You can keep this money for yourselves and save it for yourself. What we usually give you is what we should use. This money is what you deserve."

Meixiang and Wei Lin were stunned for a long time and refused to take it, but Gu Xiyue finally forced it on them.

Wei Lin looked at his prince, trying to see what he meant, but he saw that he had no interest and no expression on his face. In the end, he listened to Gu Xiyue and put the silver in his arms.

After Gu Xiyue finished ticking the booklet, she asked Meixiang to put it away. She began to pack the boxes. Seeing Xiao Heng standing aside without saying anything, she turned her head to glance at him.

"What's wrong, Your Highness?"

Xiao Heng said a little uncomfortably: "They all get paid, I..."

When Wei Lin saw that his master had not received any wages, he suddenly felt that the wages on him were a bit hot. However, after seeing the look in his master's eyes when he looked at Gu Xiyue, he immediately understood, lowered his head quickly, and held back his laughter.

He patted Meixiang very discreetly and said, "Meixiang, when I came here just now, I saw such a big crab on the beach. Come on, come and see it with me."

As he spoke, he gestured with his hands. Meixiang saw that it was bigger than the biggest bowl in the house, and her eyes widened in surprise.

She glanced at Gu Xiyue to see if she would let her go.

Gu Xiyue knew Wei Lin was lying to Meixiang the moment she heard it, but she nodded and said with a smile, "Go ahead. If you come across one, catch it and we'll cook it for dinner tonight."

Meixiang received the order and happily followed Wei Lin to the beach.

After they both left, Gu Xiyue closed the box and asked Xiao Heng from the side, "Your Highness, do you think it's unfair that I didn't pay you?"

Xiao Heng shook his head and said nothing.

"Your Highness, you and I are a community, we are partners. My money is your money, and your money is my money. When we part ways one day, I will split our own money in half."

The more Xiao Heng listened, the angrier he became.

"As for the money in this box, it's not all ours. Paying the villagers is only a small part of it. We still rely on them to develop the Southern Wilderness, so this money will be used as construction funds and will eventually be returned to them."

"That's not what I meant."

Gu Xiyue pursed her lips and smiled, then suddenly turned around, facing him and looking straight into his eyes, "Your Highness, are you in love with me and want to become a real couple with me?"

As soon as these words came out, Xiao Heng was stunned.

He didn't expect her to ask so bluntly.

Gu Xiyue didn't expect that he would ask so directly.

From the moment she asked him to help her calculate her wages that night, she knew that his words about wanting wages were just a joke.

But now, she could sense a little bit of his strange emotions from his hesitant words, including when she was paying the male workers just now, she noticed that his expression changed several times.

A woman's feelings are very sensitive, especially when she is with him every day and has been intimate with him, she will also pay attention to his emotions unconsciously.

Now, on impulse, these words came out of my mouth.

She regretted it after she came out.

That's a bit too blunt.

She quickly turned around and pretended to pack her suitcase to hide her embarrassment, but the suitcase was already packed, and her pretense of packing only exposed herself.

"Xiyue, if you don't stay with me, what kind of husband will you find in the future?"

Gu Xiyue's shoulders trembled slightly, and she felt a little lost.

This fool.

In this world, who else can be as tolerant of herself as he is? She is busy running around every day, just wanting to make money and dreaming of leading the people of the Southern Wilderness to prosperity. In the future, she will definitely have to deal with all kinds of men.

Is there any man in this world who can accept dealing with all kinds of men?

Even though society is so developed now, few people can accept it, let alone in the feudal ancient times.

"I don't know! Who can say for sure about this matter?"

Gu Xiyue didn't look back.

Seeing no sound behind her, she continued, "If you meet the right person, then be together. If not, then live alone. There's nothing wrong with living alone."

After he finished speaking, there was another silence behind him. Gu Xiyue's heart dropped to the freezing point. Just as he was about to leave with the box, he heard the person behind him sigh.

"Have you never thought about me?"

The sense of loss in his voice made Gu Xiyue feel a little bit uncomfortable.

"You can talk and laugh freely with Wang Hu and the others, but you're not like that with me. I..."

Gu Xiyue turned around abruptly and looked at his dejected expression, looking like a big vinegar jar.

I understood it instantly and was about to tease him, but at this moment, I saw a figure running towards me, with panic in his voice.

"Madam Gu, this is bad! My sister-in-law is about to give birth! Granny Liu said the baby came out feet first, so I'm afraid it's going to be a difficult birth!"