A group of people in the dilapidated temple ran out of the city. When they got there, many people had already gathered there, and all of them were attracted by several pots in the straw shed.
The aroma of rice porridge attracted everyone's attention, and many people stared at the pots eagerly.
“It smells so good!”
“Gurgle”…
The hungry people covered their stomachs with their hands. Some were even so hungry that their eyes were green, staring at the pots in front of them.
The Su family looked at the crowds of people gathered in the open space. Most of them were skinny refugees, and of course there were also some poor people from Tangquan City. These people came here specifically to look for work after knowing the contents of the notice.
Many people also came from several nearby villages. These people were idle in the winter and wanted to find some odd jobs to earn some money to supplement their family income.
Su Yin saw that everyone was almost there, so she said to Su Xiaozhong, "Dad, let's start."
As soon as Su Xiaozhong stepped onto the stage, everyone below looked towards the stage. He was standing high, so only those behind him could see him.
Su Xiaozhong awkwardly held a piece of metal rolled up into a loudspeaker and shouted to the people below, "Everyone, be quiet."
“The people who came here today must have heard the news and wanted to work.”
"Let me tell you what kind of people we are going to recruit this time."
Su Xiaozhong told everyone in the simplest and most straightforward words that there is no need to quibble with words for the poor people at the bottom of society.
"We don't want lazy people who like to eat."
"We don't want those who are sneaky and cunning."
"We don't want those who like to bully the weak."
"We don't want people with incurable diseases like tuberculosis."
Hearing that no one was accepted, the people looking for temporary jobs were all nervous, fearing that they would meet one of the requirements.
"If you meet any of the above requirements, you can go back now. Before you go back, you can go to the straw shed nearby and get a bowl of porridge."
However, no one moved at the scene. Everyone stayed where they were. Even when they heard that they could drink porridge, no one moved.
They still know the priority between having a full meal and having food to eat every day.
"Let me first tell you, there are several main things we are going to do this time. The first is to build a village, and the second is to build a workshop. Your main job is to cut wood and carry stones."
The local people were surprised to hear that they were building houses.
Here, it is not advisable to start construction in winter.
The ground is now frozen hard, and it is difficult to drive piles and lay foundations. It is time-consuming and laborious.
Others are thinking of getting twice the result with half the effort, but building a house in winter is just the opposite. Therefore, locals seldom start construction in winter, and basically they start construction in the early spring of the following year.
"Anyone who is qualified for this job can stay, and three meals a day will be provided."
When the people in the audience heard the word "three meals in a package", their eyes widened with disbelief.
During the busy farming season, they only ate two meals a day. In the winter, they had no work and hibernated all day long, so they could only eat one meal a day, and they were only half full, or even less. Now, I am not surprised to hear that they can eat three meals a day.
Landlords are no better than this.
Someone in the audience couldn't help but ask, "Are there really three kinds of food?"
"Yes." Su Xiaozhong nodded affirmatively.
There was an immediate commotion in the audience.
"Three meals?! I thought two meals were good enough, but I didn't expect there were three meals."
"My family never had three meals a day during the busy farming season."
"This owner is good."
"Don't talk so early. I need to hear how much the daily wages are."
"You are wrong. Even if the salary is low, I will go for the sake of food. It will save food for the family."
This statement was recognized by many nearby villagers and poor people in the city.
Although there was no disaster in the northwest this year, the imperial court's tax collection became increasingly heavy, and every household lived a tight life.
After they discussed it quietly for a while, Su Xiaozhong spoke again, "As for wages, each person will receive eight cents per day."
This price is not an extortionate one. In winter, there are many laborers and little work, so the wages are naturally not high, especially for hard laborers. Eight cents is the common wage in the surrounding area. If you are a skilled craftsman, the daily wages are different, about 10 or 20 cents.
The price offered by the Su family is neither high nor low, it is considered normal.
When the people in the audience heard that they could only earn eight cents a day, they were all very happy. If they did odd jobs in other places, the same salary would not necessarily include food.
"If you perform well at work, you will get a reward at the end of the month. How much you can get depends on you." Su Xiaozhong said slowly.
The poor people and refugees in the audience were not interested in this reward at all, because in their eyes it was just empty talk and no employer would do so.
Since no one held out any hope and it was generally believed to be impossible, this statement did not arouse much interest or response.
A woman timidly asked, "Manager, the notice says that men and women are welcome to work, so can women like us also work?"
Su Xiaozhong nodded, "The next thing I want to talk about is the work of women. Women have only one job, and that is to cook for everyone. The daily wage is the same as that of men, eight cents a day."
The women in the audience were all delighted.
Not only do they have work to do, but they also get paid the same as men. Isn't that happy?
You have to know that outside, there are few places where employers want women to work, and even if they do, the wages are generally two or three cents less than men. But even so, everyone is scrambling to get that job.
There are few ways for women to make money, and most of them require a lot of skills. There are very few ways like this that do not require special skills.
"I wonder how many women will be recruited this time?"
"It certainly won't be that many."
“I hope I’ll be chosen.”
"Even if I don't want money, I have to go." Someone muttered. In order to compete for a job, everyone was holding back their energy.
"We should have a better chance than those refugees."
"Of course!"
In fact, from a distance, the poor people and refugees at the scene looked no different. The only difference was probably that their mental outlook was better than that of the refugees, and their clothes were all patched up.
The only advantage of the local people is that we know their origins and background well, but it is different for the refugees, who face greater insecurity.
“I wonder how many people will be recruited this time?”
The group of people who ran out of the dilapidated temple looked at the crowd filled with local people, and they were all worried.
"Well, if the boss wants more people, we still have some hope. If they want fewer people, I'm afraid..."
"Brother, how about we talk to the boss and ask him to give us only five cents instead of eight cents."
"That's a good idea!"
"What if the boss still doesn't want it?"
"Then I don't want any wages, just provide me with three meals a day." Someone said gritting his teeth.
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