Erfu and Sifu were engrossed in their food, unable to reply. Only Wufu put down his chopsticks and answered, "This matter was proposed by Xingxing and the Emperor. It was agreed upon when the corvée labor was conscripted. Besides, we're keeping an eye on things. No one dares to mistreat those able-bodied men. Not to mention the common people, even the three of us brothers received a sum of money."
"Really? How much did the three of you receive?" Zhao Guizhi asked, getting more interested in the details.
“Five hundred taels each, a total of fifteen hundred taels,” Wu Fu smiled and did not hide anything. “The others also received fifty taels, and the families of those who lost their lives in the mines received a subsidy of one hundred taels.”
“That’s quite a lot. It would take an average farmer at least five or six years to save up that much silver. Sigh, the mines are dangerous; people always lose their lives,” Zhao Guizhi said in a low voice.
"It wasn't easy for anyone. With us and the two masters keeping an eye on things this time, the losses were relatively minor. No one dared to mistreat the people, and they weren't starved. The silver mine on Potato Island is huge, so the national treasury should be full this time. His Majesty is benevolent and will certainly not mistreat the miners. It's a win-win situation."
Since everyone heard that there was a wage and that they could eat three meals a day, they were very motivated to work. The mine, which was originally expected to take a year to complete, was finished in just over six months, which was an unexpected bonus.
Otherwise, with Japanese and Koreans always watching them like hawks, no one dared to relax for a single day. They even had to be on guard while sleeping at night. Haven't you noticed that the three brothers have all lost a lot of weight?
The following day, Zhao Guizhi's family and Li Quan's family, along with the three Fu brothers, left the prefectural city by waterway back to the town, and then took a horse-drawn carriage back to Yegou Village. The restaurant in the prefectural city was left to the manager to manage.
It's quite a pity that Xingxing couldn't come back for Dafu and Sanfu's wedding.
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