"Ten coins a day?" Qin San Niang frowned and looked over. Several craftsmen on the roof were working hard without any safety measures. This job was not easy!
First, they have to sort out the broken tiles and then replace the old ones with new ones, which is more troublesome than rebuilding the roof!
"Boss, if you feel it's not appropriate, we can give you less, or we can stop including meals?" Guo Er hurriedly said when he saw Qin San Niang frowning.
Nowadays, Da Gen and Er Gen are paid quite a bit, so they can't let this little thing ruin their job. At this moment, he felt that he hadn't thought things through enough, and was afraid that his good intentions might have backfired!
“You’re overthinking it. I just think this job is hard to do, and I’m getting a good deal at ten coins a day! How about this, the wage will be increased to fifteen coins a day, with lunch included!” Qin San Niang made the final decision.
Anyway, this money isn't ours to begin with. Saving a little is necessary, but we can't skimp on their hard-earned wages. Back home, the workers building houses get twelve coins a day! They even get meals, including meat! These guys, Guo Er and his group, probably can't cook anything fancy; they'll be lucky to have enough to eat!
Guo Er was taken aback, then understood what Qin San Niang meant, and was so happy he almost jumped for joy! However, now that he was in charge, he needed to be composed, composed…
"Alright, boss, we'll do it your way! If everyone knew how much the pay was, they'd better finish the job properly!" Repairing these roofs will take at least half a month, and the income from that half month will be enough for Da Gen's mother to pay for her medical treatment!
Of course, as the person in charge, Guo Er also had to supervise the construction carefully. If the quality of the project was not good, he would not be able to explain it to Qin San Niang.
The reason he chose Da Gen's father was not only because of the bond they shared growing up together, but also because he knew Da Gen's father was a very principled craftsman! Although his work might not be perfect, he would always do his best within his capabilities, making it incredibly sturdy! His mother said that his family's mud-brick house was built by Da Gen's father. Look! More than twenty years have passed, and it's still just as sturdy!
"Where are your brothers?" Having been here for so long, she hadn't seen any of his followers, so Qin San Niang couldn't help but ask.
"Oh, Da Gen and Da Zhuang have gone to the street to recruit people! There are only twenty-five of us here. The kids can't do much work, and actually less than half of them can actually do any work. This yard is so big, just weeding it will keep them busy for more than ten days." Guo Er thought to himself, every little bit helps, these people who are homeless already have no food to eat!
After a brief discussion, the group offered a deal: the workers would be provided with meals. For the refugees, this was an incredible opportunity! How could they refuse? This way, they wouldn't have to pay anyone!
"Okay, I trust you to handle things, but managing a large group of people might require some effort. What do we usually eat for lunch?"
"For lunch, I asked my mother and Gou Dan'er's mother to steam sorghum cakes, two for each person and one for the children, which should be enough for them!" Guo Er said.
These sorghum cakes are quite expensive. With so many people, a single meal would require a lot of sorghum flour! He felt a pang of regret just thinking about it. Luckily, it was Qin San Niang's money; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to afford it.
That's why you need capital to do charity!
Now, he truly admires Qin San Niang from the bottom of his heart. He knows that she used to run a small business, and although she made money, now that the weather is warmer, she can't sell gloves and earmuffs anymore. She can't just squander all the money she earned before, can she?
If he had such a spendthrift wife, he would probably beat her up. It's only because the owner is a widow and has no man to restrain her that she can be so unscrupulous. But can't you leave the money to your children and grandchildren?
After thinking it over, Guo Er realized that his perspective was far too narrow! Therefore, he could only describe his feelings as one of admiration!
The sorghum pancakes were a bit lacking, but they were still decent. Qin San Niang didn't think she should let everyone eat white rice and steamed buns. People are greedy! She wasn't a fool, nor did she want to raise ungrateful children. As for whether they could eat steamed buns or drink porridge in the future, it all depended on their behavior!
"Hmm, that's good. Then I'll have to trouble your mother and the others. Two sorghum cakes are a bit too few! Especially for those men who do hard labor, it might not be enough. How about this, the craftsman you hired will be given four cakes per meal."
Those who can work are assigned areas to do; those who complete their tasks receive three pancakes, and those who don't receive two. The children each receive one. Since we can't skip dinner, we'll cook some porridge for everyone!
We also need to buy some bedding and such, as it gets a bit chilly at night. If they catch a cold, we'll have to call a doctor for them, which isn't worth it!
These homeless people may seem pitiful, but human nature is complex. There are also cunning and deceitful individuals among them. With clear division of labor and distribution based on merit, it is more conducive to protecting the interests of honest and law-abiding people!
As Qin San Niang gave these instructions, Guo Er quickly wrote them down. These were methods for managing people and affairs, far superior to anything he had known before.
"Also, your mother and the other women who cook also put in a lot of hard work. We should treat them as helpers and give them priority if they want to cook at the charity in the future."
If you're going to help out, it'll be ten coins a day, lunch included. Go back and tell them. Make sure the food is clean, and try to distribute the food evenly. It's better to be unequal than to worry about a small amount, to avoid any problems later.
Guo Er was both surprised and touched that his own mother and the others were also paid!
"The owner is so generous! I thank you on behalf of my mother and the others!"
"Alright, stop arguing. How much silver do you have left? Is it enough? You'll have to take care of the bookkeeping yourself, but make sure the accounts are clear. Once you have more cash flow records, I'll teach you some new bookkeeping methods." These days, the accounts are really hard to read; the calculation methods from her time would have been much better.
"Don't worry, boss. Although I, Guo Er, used to be a hoodlum, I always keep my word! There will never be any false accounts here! Otherwise, you can do whatever you want with me!" Guo Er quickly pledged his loyalty. He wanted to follow Qin San Niang to expand the business and learn new bookkeeping methods—those secret accounting techniques were never passed on to outsiders. The pay was good, and he could learn something; only a fool would leave!
"Master, here is the remaining six taels of silver. Two taels were spent on the transfer of ownership, and I treated the clerk's assistant to a meal, which cost one tael. With the remaining tael, I bought some sorghum flour." Guo Er handed the remaining silver to Qin San Niang and explained how the silver had been used.
Qin San Niang did not accept the money, saying, "Take this money first. Besides sorghum cakes, you can also buy some seasonal vegetables to supplement everyone's meals. Just eating cakes is tasteless. Also, you still need to pay everyone's wages for the past few days!"
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