Seeing that everyone was getting hotter and hotter under the scorching sun, Song Ning finally said what everyone wanted to hear.
"Everyone has worked hard, and I'm not one to make empty promises. So, everyone here today will receive two catties of pork."
Everyone was taken aback.
Two jin per person doesn't sound like much, but with over seventy people, that's almost two hundred jin of pork. Er Ya is really generous!
"Of course, as long as you work hard, there will be plenty of rewards in the future. The cracklings left over from rendering lard are more than your family can eat, so we'll give you two pounds for free every two weeks as a welfare benefit."
Some poor families can't afford meat, but pork cracklings are a good alternative, and they're available in the market for much less than pork, but many people still can't bring themselves to buy them.
Now that she's giving it away for free, everyone is naturally happy, and even feels that standing under the scorching sun for so long is worth it.
Song Ning put away her smile: "However, there is something I still need to tell everyone. A few days ago, while I was away, some things were missing from our workshop."
“The amount of pork produced in the workshop each day is kept count. The pork is weighed before rendering lard. The amount used each day and the amount left are all clearly remembered.”
But since the day I left, I've lost over ten kilograms of pork.
“These dozen or so kilograms of pork may not be much for our workshop, but if each person gets two kilograms, then five people will have no pork left to share. I understand that it’s not easy for everyone to eat meat all year round, and it’s inevitable that some people will be tempted. But, once it’s stolen, it’s stolen.”
The crowd, who had just felt unbearably hot, were successfully cooled down by Song Ning's words.
"I'm still giving you face for now, so I hope the thief will come forward. Otherwise, don't blame me for not showing any consideration for our neighborly relationship."
Song Ning left room for maneuver, asking everyone to close their eyes and only allowing those who had taken the items to step forward, or those with clues to come forward and provide evidence.
The atmosphere instantly froze. Song Ning silently counted to sixty, but no one stepped forward.
Song Ning sighed. It seemed he was truly incorrigible.
But it doesn't matter. Even if they don't admit it, they should be exposed after standing in the sun for so long.
Song Ning said calmly, "Since no one acknowledges it, then..."
"I know!" Granny Wang suddenly stood up and pointed to a woman not far away: "It's her! She's in charge of rendering lard. She's always sneaking around the workshop alone. She must have stolen it when no one was looking!"
Cui was furious when she was accused. She stared at Aunt Wang with wide eyes, too angry to speak.
Song Ning, with a cold face, raised her voice and said, "I'm sure everyone already knows who stole the pork."
Because of the hot weather, everyone was sweating, and some things that were hidden in their clothes could no longer be concealed.
Aunt Wang was originally plump, a bit fatter than others. With her head wrapped in a headscarf, no one would suspect anything about her figure, so no one would care if she wanted to hide something under her clothes.
It was hot, and lard slowly dripped down his cheeks and clothes, and soon someone noticed something was wrong.
"Jiang Erge, Xiao Cui, go search."
Aunt Wang's eyes darted around, and she hurriedly backed away. Jiang Yongde stepped forward and pinned her down, while Xiao Cui reached into her clothes.
Then, he found several pieces of pork hidden in his clothes and headscarf, all cut into small pieces so that they couldn't be seen from the outside.
Xiao Cui and Jiang Yongde exchanged a glance: "It really is you!"
They had been paying attention to the group of people rendering lard, and never imagined it would be Aunt Wang.
Aunt Wang was caught red-handed and quickly apologized to Song Ning: "Er Ya, Er Ya, I was wrong. I will never dare to do it again. You know, I have a little grandson at home who craves meat. That's why I did something foolish."
Before Song Ning could speak, someone behind her said, "Isn't your grandson not even a year old yet? How can he eat meat?"
It was just a made-up excuse that was discovered.
“Stealing is stealing. Ten pounds of pork are missing, and that will be deducted from your wages. You don’t need to come back anymore. Xiao Cui, go and settle her wages.”
After Xiao Cui left with Aunt Wang, Song Ning looked at everyone and said, "If any of you have any difficulties at home in the future, you can tell me in advance. I don't want this to happen again."
No matter what it is, as long as you tell her clearly, she will help you find a solution and help you if she can. But she will never tolerate this kind of underhanded behavior.
The remaining people were still shaken, and couldn't help but be surprised at how bold Aunt Wang was.
They were just craving the taste of pork cracklings, but they never expected that Aunt Wang would actually steal the meat.
Now look what happened. Just because of my cravings, I lost a job that paid several hundred coins a month. It's not worth it.
The news quickly spread throughout Tianxiang County. Such a grown man, caught red-handed stealing meat because of his cravings, was incredibly embarrassing.
With Aunt Wang gone, a seat became available in the workshop. Cui introduced her sister-in-law, the second daughter-in-law of craftsman Li, whom Song Ning had met before. She then asked Jiang Yongde to make the arrangements.
Having learned from Aunt Wang's experience, no one dared to have any other thoughts. They understood that as long as they worked hard, they would reap the rewards, so why bother doing those shameful things?
Although today's events made everyone swelter in the blazing sun, everyone was happy to receive two pounds of pork.
After resolving the workshop matters, Song Ning took a midday break and went to check on her land.
The cotton in the field was growing very well, so she had people dig ditches around the cotton field to prevent flooding.
Her cotton will be ready for harvest in October.
Recently, things have been slowly changing here. To prevent anyone from causing damage, Song Ning fenced off the area and turned it into a farm. The farm is divided into two parts: one side is for growing crops and cotton, and the other side is for orchards.
This place was originally a wasteland, but Song Ning bought it and planted fruit trees on it. He also built several pavilions, so that people can come to pick fruit and relax with tea in the summer and autumn.
Further south is the sports field that Song Ning had planned to build.
By October, the place will have a completely new look, and her money-making plan will be able to move forward further.
After returning from the west side of the city, I went to North Street. The street is now completely different from before. Looking from this end, it finally looks like a county town.
There's nobody here now. At night, after people finish work, it's like a ghost town.
Beidajie should be completed before July.
Before the completion of North Street, the county government office was completed first.
Tianxiang County finally has a proper county government office. The county magistrate didn't know where he recruited the people, but in any case, it now has everything a normal county government office should have.
The magistrate was delighted and ordered a banquet to be held for the entire county government and all those who had helped. He also sent a special message to Song Ning, asking her to bring her whole family along.
This is a banquet hosted by the county magistrate, a top priority in the county. Being invited is considered an unparalleled honor.
Three days later, Song Ning, along with her parents and Li Xingwang, went to a banquet. Li Xingwang walked beside Song Ning, looking very proud and confident.
Everyone was amazed. Song Dahai and Liu Yuelan were truly blessed to have such a capable daughter. No one else in the entire Tianxiang County could be found with such good fortune.
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