Chapter 318: Making Friends with Local Bosses
"Sui Liang, two of the soil baskets are broken, two of the shoulder poles are broken, and one of the shovel handles is broken. While it's still early, take the shovel to the city to get a new handle, and buy a few more baskets and shoulder poles so that you don't run out of space." Brother Zhao shouted.
Sui Liang said, "Oh," and asked, "Where's the shovel?"
"Here." A helper threw up a broken shovel.
Sui Liang picked up the broken shovel and rode into the city.
The site of the house was elevated, five inches above the road. On their first day in Zhangye, the three Zhaos agreed to level the ground before laying the foundation. The dirt they shoveled down, mixed with the soil from the foundation, would be the perfect mixture for the walls. Sui Liang, completely clueless about housebuilding, refused to take on the responsibility, leaving it to Old Man Zhao. He handled the finances and errands, buying rafters, tools, lumber for piles, baskets, shoulder poles, and wooden implements. He never said no to anything the Zhaos asked.
But he wasn't without ideas. Regarding hiring laborers, Sui Liang followed Old Man Zhao around the nearby villages for two days. Then, he went into town and asked vendors about the local ruffians. He then bought a large ram and took Gan Da to pay his respects to the local ruffians. After two meals, he hired fifty-five helpers through introductions. These helpers were more or less related to the ruffians' minions, but Sui Liang didn't care. As long as they knew how to build a house and had some strength, he would hire them from the city. The wages were higher than hiring villagers in the village, but it was worth it. From leveling the ground to digging the foundation, no one bothered him.
"Hey, are you going to the city? My mother has saved half a basket of eggs. Do you want them? I'll send them to you." The man who was watering the field with a load on his shoulder asked loudly.
"How long have you saved them? It's so hot and the eggs can't be kept. I don't want them to go bad." Sui Liang stopped his horse.
"I've been saving it for five or six days. It won't break."
"Then you take it over." Sui Liang loosened the reins and prepared to leave.
"Do you want broad beans? My family planted broad beans late this year, so they are still edible now."
"Okay, send ten kilograms over first."
The sound of horse hooves faded away, and the man carrying the load finished pouring the water in the bucket. He immediately packed up his things and walked back. After finishing the farm work in the field, he thought about finding a job and doing odd jobs for a month so that he could find a good midwife when his wife gave birth.
Sui Liang bought enough things in the city and rode out on horseback. As soon as he left the city, he heard the sound of camel bells. He looked into the distance and saw smoke and dust rolling in the west. A large caravan was coming.
"We're in Zhangye now, Manager Yu. Where is your guesthouse built?" asked the merchant.
Sui Yu shook his head. "To be honest, I don't know either. It should be outside the city, near the river. We should be able to see it if we walk a little further."
"Is it modeled after the guesthouses in Dunhuang?" the merchant was curious. "If it's the same as the guesthouses in Dunhuang, we'll stay at your guesthouse next time we pass by."
"It's the same. It has a kitchen and a livestock pen, but the guesthouse is smaller, with only four entrances. It will definitely not be enough to accommodate many caravans. When the time comes, you should arrange for someone to go out of the city and ask, so as to avoid having to go back into the city when the guesthouse is full and paying an extra entrance fee." Sui Yu said.
"Why not build it inside the city? Building it outside the city would make it inconvenient for caravans to come into the city to trade."
"We dare not go into the city to compete with the local people for profit. Dunhuang is quite far away from Zhangye. If something happens, we won't have time to respond." Sui Yu said frankly.
"That's true." The merchant nodded.
Nothing more was said after that. As the sun set below the horizon, the city gate of Zhangye County appeared before their eyes. The camel caravan slowed down, and when the dust settled, Sui Yu saw wooden rafters and earth piled up on the flat ground not far away. The man standing by the river and talking to a strange man looked like Sui Liang.
Sui Liang glanced at the road and saw a familiar caravan. He was about to go over to say hello when he saw his sister riding a camel out of the caravan.
"See you later, Shopkeeper Yu." said the merchant.
"See you later, and have a safe journey everyone."
"Come over tomorrow. Tell us two days in advance when you want to quit." Sui Liang sent the man who came to find a job away and walked quickly downstream along the river.
"Brother Liang." Sui Yu called out.
"Sister, I recognized you. Is it really you? I thought I was seeing things. Did you come here alone? Without any servants? You should bring Ding Quan or Erhei with you, or at least two maids." Sui Liang kept muttering.
Sui Yule stopped the camel, turned over and jumped off. As her feet touched the ground, her legs were sore. She had rested at home for a year and was tired. After walking for seven days, she was still not used to the busy life.
"I set out with the caravan, not met them halfway. If I follow the caravan, I don't need to bring servants." Sui Yu threw the bag to him and asked, "How's the progress here?"
"The foundation has been dug, and we're hammering rough timber into it today. The roof will be completed before winter, and after it's finished and aired over the winter, we'll be able to open next spring," Sui Liang explained.
"Is anyone causing trouble?" Sui Yu had been worried about this.
"No." Sui Liang smiled secretly. He took his sister's arm and said proudly, "The helpers I hired are all connected with the ruffians in the city. I've dealt with leeches before, and I think spending a little more money to build good relationships with local tyrants can sometimes be more useful than having someone in the government. Sure enough, I hired uncles and aunts from various villages and alleys in and outside the city. Since then, no one has come to cause trouble, and no thieves have come to steal things."
Sui Yu exclaimed, "I underestimated you, Liang Ge'er. You're quite smart. I never even thought of this idea. What I worry about most at home is the little hooligans coming to cause trouble and greedily extorting protection money..."
"Didn't expect that I could handle it with just one move, did you?" Sui Liang made a sweeping gesture, patting his chest and saying, "Are you particularly impressed by me now?"
"Yes, I admire you very much." Sui Yu nodded heavily, "You are really capable."
If it weren't for the burden weighing him down, Sui Liang would have been so proud that he wanted to fly. When he accomplished this task, he had been waiting for this day with great anticipation.
"I'm going to have a good talk with your brother-in-law when I get back..."
"Yes, talk to him properly."
"You should also tell the kid and make him admire you to death. Once he knows, he will definitely brag to Aning that he has the best and smartest uncle."
Sui Liang couldn't suppress the corners of his mouth any longer, and he wanted to laugh out loud.
"Master?" Liu Yaer called out, and she said happily, "Really? I heard the voice sounded like it, so I hurried over to take a look."
"It's me. I came over here to take a look. Before I came, I was worried that there might be something you couldn't handle. Now it seems that my worry was for nothing." Sui Yu walked towards her and said, "You did a great job. I'm very satisfied."
"It's the second manager and the master's father and brother who worry about everything. I am responsible for cooking, and Gan Da does some heavy work, which are all brainless work." Liu Yaer felt ashamed.
"Everything you see leads to something you understand. You've been working with Liang Ge'er, so you must have your own ideas and insights. Don't be too humble. Observe and think more. Once the guesthouse is completed, all the trivial matters here will fall on you and Gan Da." Sui Yu encouraged him and said, "Go ahead. I'll go talk to the little guy's grandfather and uncle."
Sui Liang took her over. The eldest and second brothers Zhao were both working hard to hammer wooden stakes. They were so hot that they took off their shirts and were bare-chested. Sui Yu did not go over to avoid making them uncomfortable.
"Dad." Sui Yu shouted.
Old man Zhao was walking around with a straw hat on, staring with his old eyes, trying to prevent anyone from slacking off. Suddenly, he heard a familiar voice. He turned around and looked at her again and again, and it was indeed his daughter-in-law.
"When did you come?" he asked in confusion. "Did you come alone? Didn't the third brother come?"
"I just arrived with the caravan. Xiping isn't here yet because he has to be on duty," Sui Yu replied. "I came to see you. I'm sorry you've been so tired for us. Can you handle it?"
"I can handle it. Your brother doesn't let me work, so I'm not tired." Zhao's father said, "Everything here is fine. You don't have to worry about it. Why did you come all the way here?"
"I feel uneasy if I don't come. I feel at ease now that I'm here. By the way, since there is no problem here, I will take Liang Ge'er back in a few days and let Dad take care of the things here." Sui Yu said.
Father Zhao choked. Sui Liang was a young boy, but he was quite cunning. He was quite useful here. To be honest, he was a little worried if Sui Liang left.
"Who will take care of the money after you leave? We don't know how to keep accounts." Zhao's father said to Sui Liang.
"Liu Yaer knows how to keep accounts. She'll be in charge of distributing wages, buying food, grain, baskets, and so on. She's already familiar with the job." Sui Liang said, "I'll bring people over for inspection in a month, around October. Gan Da and Liu Yaer will stay with five strong servants to guard the guesthouse. On my way back, I'll stop by Jiuquan to visit my family. My uncle and my eldest and second brothers will take their families to Dunhuang with me to celebrate the New Year."
"When the autumn harvest season comes, Dad, you and your older brothers should go home and help with the harvest," said Sui Yu.
"Let your elder and second brothers go back. I'll keep an eye on things here for you." Old man Zhao didn't trust his servants to do the work.
Sui Yu let him do as he pleased, since she had already said it.
At night, Sui Yu went into the city to stay overnight. The next day when he left the city, he bought five chickens and asked Liu Yaer to stew them for everyone's snack. In front of everyone, he told Liu Yaer to buy a few chickens or cut a few pounds of meat for a meat meal every ten days.
With meat hanging, everyone works harder.
Yang Dayan ate a feast on his first day at work. When he learned that he could have three big meals of meat in the next month, he thought that the masters were all generous and kind people, and he couldn't help but have some ideas while working.
When it was dark and work was over, Yang Dayan found Sui Yu and Sui Liang and asked them if they would hire any helpers after the guesthouse was completed.
"My home is not far from here. As long as it's not the busy farming season, I can come here to work. My wife gave birth in the winter, so she can also come here to work."
Sui Liang was about to speak when he thought of the tasks of cleaning the livestock pen and washing bedding, but Sui Yu stopped him. Pointing at the young couple huddled together counting bamboo baskets and stone hammers, she said, "There will definitely be work to do after the guesthouse is completed, such as tailoring bedding, helping in the kitchen, cleaning the livestock pen, and so on. Helpers will definitely need to be hired, and these tasks will be the responsibility of the couple. You've got the wrong person."
Yang Dayan said "Oh" twice, and immediately went to find Gan Da and Liu Yaer. Liu Yaer glanced at the direction where the two masters left and asked, "Did the master ask you to come find us?"
"Yes, they said you were in charge of hiring the workers."
"Then you should pay more attention to the news. I will hire people after the guesthouse is completed, and I will release the news then." Liu Yaer understood her master's intention. Hiring workers could help her integrate into the lives of the locals. If she had a good eye, she could also win over a few helpers, such as Sister Lamei and Dongzi's parents in the Dunhuang military settlement. They could provide the guesthouse with clean rice, vegetables and eggs in a stable manner.
The next morning, Sui Yu and Sui Liang came out of the city. They said hello to the Zhao family's father and son. One of them rode a camel and the other rode a horse, and the siblings left Zhangye together.
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