Chapter 43
They rushed out to set up the stall on this day. Since it was arranged in advance, it would not catch people off guard like last time. Jiang Wanning bought vegetables and eggs a day in advance and prepared two calligraphy copybooks for homework.
At the agreed time, she and Lu Shang set off together.
When I arrived at the door of the bookstore, I saw two people already waiting there.
Boss Huang helped bring out the tables and chairs, and when he saw Lu Shang following him, he came over to exchange a few words, but then, seeing that more customers were writing letters, he stopped talking on his own.
Although Lu Shang was illiterate, he could still do simple tasks like cutting paper. He could even grind ink by following someone else's instructions. With the two of them working together, their efficiency was greatly improved.
Later, he saw that there were so many people waiting and it was so chaotic, so he directed them to form a long queue. Those who were just there for fun were all asked to stand on the side of the street so as not to block others' way.
Of course, he didn't forget the most important thing -
"Our letter-writing stall is moving to a new location. We're moving it to an unnamed alley behind the government office, just two blocks away. If you need anything, you can go there."
"Thank you, Madam. Please tell someone you know so you can get a discount next time you come!"
There weren't many people who had relatives or friends far away, and even fewer would send letters. Lu Shang didn't do anything to attract customers, as long as people knew about it.
There are just as many people coming to write letters today as before, mainly because there were too many people watching the fun the day before. Word of mouth spread, and the reputation of the letter stall that can draw little figures has spread.
Jiang Wanning didn't stop writing the whole afternoon, and this time with Lu Shang helping her cut the paper and collect the money, she had fewer worries. By three quarters after 3 p.m., all the people who urgently needed ghostwriting had been received.
Some of the others saw that it was too late and agreed to come back next time, while others wanted to wait a while, but were persuaded to go back by Lu Shang.
By the time Jiang Wanning put pen to paper, there was no one at her desk.
At this moment, Lu Shang came over with a cup of tea: "Aning, drink some water quickly. You must be exhausted after half a day... Drink it first, I'll bring it to you later."
Jiang Wanning didn't feel thirsty yet, but after hearing what he said, she drank two cups before stopping.
Shopkeeper Huang came out of the bookstore. He had also heard the news that the letter-writing stall was moving. He lamented, "Isn't the bookstore entrance a good location? There are still a lot of people passing by here, and more people mean more people tending to the business. If you move to a residential area, there might not be so many people."
Besides, during the two days that Jiang Wanning set up her stall, the number of people coming to the bookstore to read books and buy paper and pens doubled.
Lu Shang didn't expose his little thought and said with a smile: "Don't worry about it. The bookstore is still a bit far from home. I think it would be better to move it closer to home."
He never mentioned Jiang Wanning from beginning to end. Whether it was worry or dominance, it was all his thoughts. Although Manager Huang felt regretful, he didn't say anything more.
When Jiang Wanning left the bookstore that day, she took with her another twenty sheets of yellow paper and two plates of ink, and picked up two rabbit-hair brushes. Manager Huang did not take her money, but asked her to hand in another copy of calligraphy later in the month.
The value of these papers and pens was more than one or two taels. Jiang Wanning agreed after thinking for a moment.
On the way home, they happened to run into Grandpa Pang at the street corner. The two children were sitting in the car, looking around. When they saw Jiang Wanning, the first thing they said was, "Auntie, we have finished our homework!"
"Sister, please check it quickly. I wrote it very carefully——"
"I'm serious too, okay? What I write is better than what you write!"
“No, it’s not…”
The two good friends who were holding hands just now started arguing. Finally, they snorted angrily, hugged their shoulders and turned their heads away, ignoring each other.
The adults laughed so hard that Jiang Wanning said, "Okay, okay, I'll watch it when I get home. I believe Dabao and Liangliang, you must have worked hard."
In this way, the two of them were finally made happy again.
Uncle Pang vaguely felt that the two people were twisting their bodies, but he couldn't tell what was strange. He said goodbye to Lu Shang and Jiang Wanning, and drove away.
After he walked away, Jiang Wanning's brows flickered with worry. "It's my fault for not telling them clearly. It's better for them not to talk to me outside. Just now, they only asked me to check the homework. I don't know what Uncle Pang will think. What if he finds out..."
After hearing her concerns, Lu Shang was dismissive: "Let them find out. It's only a matter of time. Besides, does it matter who you hire as your teacher? The children from both families have been studying here for nearly a month. Tell me if they've learned anything."
"If they're unwilling to send their child here just because you're a woman, then I think it's better not to teach this student." Lu Shang said, stroking Jiang Wanning's back twice. "A Ning, don't worry. Since you haven't done anything wrong, there's nothing to be afraid of."
Jiang Wanning wanted to refute, but when the words came to her lips, she felt that it was meaningless.
She shook her head, and when she looked up again, she put on a smile: "My husband is right."
When they entered the house, they found that Grandma Lu had already prepared the meal. She had steamed a pot of buns stuffed with fish meat, but she didn't control the heat well and a lot of the fish meat was steamed away.
"I saw that the fish in the kitchen were wilted. I was afraid that they would die and no longer fresh if left overnight, so I killed them and steamed them into buns. It was Sister Tian who told me this. Who knew it wouldn't turn out well?" Grandma Lu held the fish buns that had failed miserably, her voice full of regret.
Unexpectedly, after Jiang Wanning took a bite, she exclaimed in surprise, "It's delicious!"
Grandma Lu's annoyance subsided, and she was a little bit incredulous: "Wan Ning, are you talking about these buns?"
Jiang Wanning took another big bite of the bun, expressing her thoughts with her actions. After she had eaten most of the bun in her hand, she confirmed, "Yes! Grandma's steamed buns are really delicious. This fish filling is only delicious when it is loose. The freshness of the fish is fully absorbed into the dough. I have to eat three tonight."
"Okay, okay, eat three. The more the better!" Grandma Lu smiled so hard that she couldn't open her eyes. She hurriedly brought over the remaining half tray of buns and pushed them all in front of Jiang Wanning.
She happily sat next to Jiang Wanning, and seeing her eating so happily, she felt even happier.
Seeing that she coaxed the old lady with just a few words, Lu Shang couldn't help but smile.
As for whether the buns are delicious or not, the old man worked hard for half a day to prepare the meal, and they who eat it for free have no right to be picky.
After dinner, Lu Shang went to wash the dishes. Jiang Wanning told Grandma Lu about her plan to set up a letter stall. Grandma Lu didn't understand what it meant to help or not, but in her heart, anyone who could write was very powerful, and writing for others must be even more powerful.
Her only concern was: "Did Shang'er agree?"
Jiang Wanning said, "My husband also supports it. The previous two times we set up the stall elsewhere, and it was only after discussing it with my husband that I decided to move to the entrance of the alley."
"If you have any problems, you can find me at the entrance of the alley. I will be back in time at noon or in the evening, so you don't have to worry about cooking."
"Well, it's okay to cook a few meals. I can't just stay here and do nothing. You and Shang'er are both very capable, so go and take care of yourselves. As for the house, while I'm still here, I'll help you out."
Grandma Lu waved her hand. She had wanted to move back to Lujia Village since the housewarming party, but now she heard that the young couple had to go out to work, and they might not even have a hot meal when they come back after a busy day. She felt distressed just thinking about it, and she couldn't bring herself to leave.
After Lu Shang came back, the three of them sat for a while. As it got darker, they returned to their rooms one after another.
Just as Lu Shang and Jiang Wanning had said, opening a letter-writing stall at the doorstep would be much more convenient. Apart from other things, the time spent on the road would be reduced by half.
Jiang Wanning planned to set up her stall every two days, and she had a new idea for the day she didn't go.
She found an old table at home, moved it to a place at the entrance of the alley where it would not be in the way, and put up the previous sign on it. She also hung another piece of paper on the sign.
In case of emergency, please go inside to search.
There was a sweating little man drawn on the paper. The little man walked through a long alley and arrived outside a house. When the door opened, the person who wrote the letter appeared.
Except for the sweating man who has no face, the rest of the houses and alleys are painted vividly. As long as you look carefully, you will definitely find her home.
Jiang Wanning also drew paper and pen in the hands of the little figure representing herself, the meaning of which was obvious.
Lu Shang appreciated her action very much, but considering that there might be hidden dangers when strangers came to his house, he thought about raising a big guard dog at home.
After some thought, Jiang Wanning said, "We should be more cautious. I'll tear the paper down first. If someone is really in a hurry, they'll definitely be waiting at the table. I'll be out sooner or later, so I'll definitely see it."
"Okay."
After tidying up the table and chairs for writing letters, Lu Shang was ready to go out.
This time he was going to Pingshan Village to see if he could recruit some long-term workers for the logistics team.
Just thinking about the jackals that often happened in their place, Lu Shang found an axe from home. The axe had just been sharpened a few days ago and had not been used yet.
He was afraid that saying more would cause Jiang Wanning to worry, so he snuck out of the door with his axe in hand without even saying goodbye. When Jiang Wanning looked again, he was no longer in the house. Only a piece of paper was left on the round table in the yard, with some crooked and unskilled words written on it.
Return tomorrow.
As for Lu Shang, he arrived at the city gate and asked around, only to find out that among the seven or eight ox carts at the city gate, not a single one would pass through Pingshan Village.
A short, fat old man advised him, "Young man, if you're not from Pingshan Village, don't go there and take the risk. They've been attacked by wolves, and many people have died in the past few days!"
These words made Lu Shang's expression even more solemn, but after hesitating for a long time, he finally shook his head and refused.
It would take a whole day to walk from Tang Town to Pingshan Village. Lu Shang was going there to recruit people, not to risk his life on the way.
He had no choice but to go back to the town and find a familiar manager at the carriage and horse shop to rent a donkey cart. He chose the smallest one in the shop, which only cost twenty cents for two days.
Just when he mentioned where he wanted to go, no one in the entire carriage company was willing to drive.
Even the steward felt sympathetic: "Boss Lu, are you really going to Pingshan Village? They've been making a lot of noise there lately. I'm not worried about the donkey cart, but I'm worried something might happen to you."
Everyone in and outside Tang Town, from the town's carriage shops to the people driving carts in the surrounding villages, knew of Pingshan's predicament. But even so, there was still no news of any support from the officers and soldiers.
Lu Shang curled his lips and said, "Don't worry, Manager. If I really can't come back, you can go to my house to ask for the money for the donkey cart. Didn't you go to my house last time?"
The manager couldn't help but feel embarrassed. He touched the back of his head and turned around to find a long machete.
"Forget it, Boss Lu, go ahead. I'll lend you this knife and wait for you to return it to me."
Lu Shang did not refuse and threw the axe into the cart. Even though there was no driver to drive, he had been delivering goods for so many days and had learned some driving skills.
The manager was kind enough to ask the best driver in the business to teach him two tricks. When Lu Shang had almost mastered them, he drove away alone.
Pingshan County was too remote, so Lu Shang set out in the morning, asking for directions while driving along the way. He didn't arrive at the village until the evening, and was stopped by villagers on guard at the village entrance.
I saw a fence erected at the entrance of the village. The half-person-high fence was covered with barbed vines. There were sharp spears and blades on the top of the fence. There were more than twenty people standing guard behind it.
"Who is coming?"
"Is this Pingshan Village?"
Two voices rang out simultaneously. Lu Shang jumped off the donkey cart, took a half step back to show that he meant no harm, and then shouted loudly: "I am a businessman from Tang Town. I heard from my wife that the people in Pingshan County are looking for other livelihoods, so I came to see if there are any jobs available. I would like to recruit workers here."
The villagers on guard were skeptical. Just then, two men came out from behind the crowd. The taller one leaned against the fence and looked at them for a while. Suddenly, he asked, "Are you the husband of the lady who wrote letters in town?"
The other villagers didn't expect that they knew each other, and couldn't help but look at Lu Shang.
Lu Shang was also startled, then quickly came to his senses: "Are you the Cai brothers who wrote to my wife?"
The two sides introduced themselves to each other, and the sentry opened the fence to let Lu Shang's donkey cart in.
Cai Qin led him home and asked on the way, "What did Master Lu mean by recruiting workers?"
Lu Shang said, "To be honest, I run a logistics business in town. It's similar to escorting, but unlike escort agencies, I don't travel all over the country. Right now, I'm only operating in Tangzhen. Now that my business is expanding, I need to hire some permanent workers."
"It just so happened that the other day I heard my wife talking about Pingshan County. I heard that most of you here are hunters, strong and powerful, so I came to ask if there are any of you willing to work with me."
As they walked, they arrived at the village chief's house. The village chief and his wife heard the noise and came out.
After Cai Qin introduced the two parties, he also explained the purpose of Lu Shang's visit. Some villagers who had followed him were also quite interested and asked, "Boss, can you tell us more about it?"
Lu Shang had no choice but to introduce it to them again, and finally talked about the salary that everyone was most concerned about. He said: "The salary is the same as that of a temporary worker, but you get an extra month's bonus. For example, if there are 30 days in a month and you work all 30 days and work hard every day, you will get an extra 10% as a reward at the end of the month. If you do this for a whole year, you will get another bonus at the end of the year."
"Of course, this is only the salary for this period. If the workload increases later, I will increase the salary appropriately."
It has to be said that the combination of salary, bonus and year-end bonus is very attractive to many people.
Over the years, the old village chief has seen many examples of people who went out to seek a living but never heard from them again. The work here by Lu Shang is not only long-term, but also close to the village. He can always go home and stay for a few days throughout the year, so their Pingshan Village will not become a completely deserted village.
As his thoughts turned, the old village chief made the final decision: "Cai Qin and Cai Mian, you two go and call all the villagers over and tell them that a boss is here to recruit workers!"
It is better for the village chief to give the order than for Lu Shang to ask every family one by one.
The village chief's wife came out of the house and called everyone in to eat. She had originally only fried two vegetarian dishes, but later, seeing that there were distinguished guests from the town coming, she quickly fried a plate of eggs and also fried the last half piece of bacon in the house, barely making four dishes and a soup.
At the dinner table, Lu Shang didn't really eat the eggs and bacon. He just ate them casually and spent more time asking about the situation in Pingshan Village.
Pingshan Village had been attacked by wolves for a month. In the beginning, due to lack of experience, homes were often robbed by wolves in the middle of the night, resulting in the deaths of three or four people. Only later did they add fences and organize villagers to keep watch and patrol.
In the past half month, there have been no more casualties in the village caused by wolves, but the villagers are also exhausted from patrolling day and night.
The wrinkles on the village chief's face were completely squeezed together. "I have no other choice. I just hope that we can survive until winter and the wolves will calm down."
Lu Shang couldn't help but remain silent.
After a moment, he asked again, "As for the government office...what if we go to the nearest city guard for help?"
The village chief shook his head. "It's no use. We've gone to the county government and the city guards, and they just said they'd come, but we've waited until now and haven't seen anyone come... Never mind. I just hope the villagers who went far away get the letter and come back."
The letter was sent to the northern border. They also heard that the villager who had gone to the army was a centurion, in charge of about a hundred people. They just didn't know whether he was willing to come back to help after hearing about the plight of Pingshan Village.
Before long, all the villagers were called over.
When Lu Shang went out to take a look, he found that there were not many young and middle-aged people in the village. There were more than 200 households in Pingshan Village, but at a glance, there were only more than 100 men in their prime, averaging only one person per household.
Later I heard from the village chief that not only young and middle-aged men, but also some women, followed their husbands to work outside.
This situation lasted for several years, and the number of children in the village decreased. If it continued, it would only be a matter of time before Pingshan Village disappeared.
Lu Shang didn't think about the future of Pingshan Village. He just repeated his recruitment plan in front of all the villagers.
The village chief helped persuade him, "This is the situation. I think it would be nice to work for Boss Lu. If anyone is willing to go, they can talk to Boss Lu and see when they can leave to help."
It must be said that there are still many people who want to be long-term workers.
Just half an hour after Lu Shang finished speaking, forty or fifty people gathered around him, asking him questions one after another.
Lu Shang patiently answered all the questions, then suddenly remembered, "Oh, right, in addition to the farmhands, I'm also going to hire three or five women to take care of the laundry and cooking. They're the ones who cook for the farmhands and live with them, so someone a little older would be best."
It’s not that he doesn’t want a young woman with good energy, but in this era, he always has to care about a woman’s reputation. After all, it’s just simple things like washing clothes and cooking, so age doesn’t matter.
This time, there were not only men surrounding him, but also a few old ladies, who were loudly asking about the wages they could get.
Lu Shang said, "One cent a month, with food and accommodation provided, and there's also a monthly bonus and year-end bonus..."
"Hey, take your time. I want to recruit a lot of people. As long as everyone is willing to come, I can accept a lot of people... Oh, and there are monthly vacations. Everyone has two days off a month. Even if you don't work during these two days, you will still get paid."
In the end, half of the village gathered around, except for the elderly and children who really couldn't walk out.
The village chief was squeezed at the back, and he felt both relieved and uncomfortable seeing this. After a while, he slowly left with his hands behind his back, and couldn't help thinking, if these people left, how would the remaining elderly, weak, women and children resist the invasion of the wolves?
But if he was asked to stop the people... he couldn't let the villagers be trapped in this small ravine forever.
The recruitment lasted until midnight. If Cai Qin hadn't called out from behind that it was time to go on patrol and keep watch, the villagers would have been reluctant to leave.
Fortunately, Lu Shang took half a charcoal pencil from the carriage and horse shop, and found a piece of wood in the open space. He wrote down the names of those who signed up. After a rough count, he found that there were more than 80 people who could escort goods and work as long-term workers, and there were also 7 people who could do laundry and cooking.
As he counted the number of people, Cai Mian, who had been following him, suddenly said, "If everyone leaves, who will protect the village?"
"There are still so many elderly people and children in the village. How can we protect them..."
He was not questioning Lu Shang, but just muttering in a low voice. However, when Lu Shang heard these words, he was shocked.
Lu Shang was not a philanthropist with a strong sense of morality, but he knew that if he really took away most of the young and middle-aged people in the village, those who were left behind would be in real danger.
He frowned unconsciously, looking at the flickering torches in the distance, and suddenly asked, "Have you ever thought about driving the wolves away completely, or killing them all once and for all?"
Cai Mian smiled bitterly. "Why haven't I thought about it? But boss, do you know how many wolves there are in the mountains? Go to the village entrance in the middle of the night and you'll see it's packed with the wolves' green eyes. You can't even count them!"
"Our village's most formidable hunter, Zhan, who can subdue wild boars with his bare hands, is helpless in the face of so many hungry wolves. He can't even find the leader, let alone subdue them!"
Lu Shang glanced at the wooden board and saw a small word "Zhan" at the end.
He remembered that at the last minute of registration, a muscular man hesitated for a long time and gave his name hesitantly.
Lu Shang rubbed his fingers, lowered his head, and didn't know what he was thinking.
Just as Cai Mian was about to say goodbye and go to the village entrance to check the situation, he heard a cold voice from behind him: "I do have a plan. Why not give it a try? Maybe we can kill most of the wolves."
Cai Mian turned around suddenly: "Boss Lu, what did you say?"
Lu Shang said, "Take me to the village entrance."
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