Jiang Zhi had already explained what piecework was to the "group of eight," so now there was naturally someone to relay the message.
Without anyone needing to ask any more questions, Xu Gensheng, who could no longer contain his excitement, stepped forward and said, "This piecework means that you get paid for whatever work you do."
Making thirty plates earns one coin; if you're quick and efficient, even a child can earn ten or twenty coins.
And there's no limit to the number of people you can work in the workshop; anyone can participate. If you want to join, just come over and give me your name.
As soon as he finished speaking, the villagers erupted in an uproar.
The pharmacy in Qingquan Bay only hires three people. Tian Tao is an apprentice and doesn't get paid. Li Ersaozi is a kitchen helper who cooks and tends the fire. Only Wu Yang and Xu Genqing work there, earning nine hundred coins a month.
This income is quite substantial for farmers.
With her son earning money and her daughter-in-law pregnant, Qin walked with her left foot on her right, her tail twitching around her head, looking like she was about to fly to the sky, which made everyone around her extremely envious.
Now there are mosquito coil workshops, and there's no limit to the number of people you can bring. If your whole family comes, you can easily earn a hundred coins a day.
One hundred coins a day, that's three taels of silver a month, and thirty-six taels a year...
"Slurp!"
Thinking about it made me so happy that I laughed so hard that I drooled, and the crowd gasped.
"I! I want to be! Brother Gensheng."
"Me, there are five of us in my family!"
"I..." Everyone was shouting, afraid of being overheard.
Xu Gensheng stood with his hands behind his back, smiling dignifiedly. After everyone had finished speaking, he imitated the style of Song Tingzhang from Lihua Town, pressing his hands down to signal everyone to be quiet: "Fellow villagers, the way to make mosquito coils was learned by Village Chief Jiang from outside. She is not keeping it a secret and wants to teach it to everyone."
This is a blessing and a fortune for our village. We must never forget those who dug the well when we drink the water; we must remember that!
After discussion, the "group of eight" decided that Xu Gensheng, Xia Xiucai, and Er Rui, who were originally in charge of purchasing medicinal materials for the pharmacy, would be in charge of managing the mosquito coil workshop.
They need to hire people now, and Errui, the team leader, should be here, but he's not here; he's gone to the pharmacy.
Xia Xiucai only manages the accounts and won't recruit anyone; these attention-seeking tasks are naturally done by him.
People around them chimed in, "We know, we know!"
Village Chief Jiang was already selling mosquito coils last year, and he even had villagers help him grind the leaves into powder. Everyone knows that, so what Xu Gensheng said is nonsense.
Seeing that everyone understood, Xu Gensheng continued, "Since this wealth belongs to our village, there is one condition: if you want to work in the workshop, you cannot leak our village's wealth."
Anyone who wants to work in the workshop must first chant a spell!
Upon hearing this, the person who was just excited stopped laughing: What does this mean, do I have to make a vow?
An oath is for others to hear; as long as they believe it, that's enough. A curse is for yourself to hear; as long as you believe it, that's enough.
There are gods watching over you; you must be responsible for your words.
Xu Gensheng continued, "You must promise the whole village that you will not tell anyone about the mosquito coil workshop."
If anyone from another village tells this, he'll be cursed with a violent death, his intestines ruptured, his body buried in water and sand, and he'll suffer a terrible fate!
Jiang Zhi had considered the confidentiality agreement for a long time. The pharmacy required a high level of technical expertise, not only to identify the herbs but also to diagnose the illnesses.
More importantly, it needs industry recognition, which means a business license.
Don't be fooled by the fact that it's just boiling medicine; the process of boiling, simmering, and straining makes it impossible for ordinary people to produce and sell.
Making mosquito coils is different; it's too simple. As long as you're willing to do it, you can make them at home by yourself and sell them just as easily.
If you want to keep the technology confidential, then the workforce can only be limited to a few people, or a dozen people.
Jiang Zhi now wants to involve the entire village, which will definitely pose a risk of leaks.
Jiang Zhi has never had a perfect solution to this problem.
In fact, for modern people, knowledge is vast and there are all kinds of learning channels. As long as you want to learn, you can find it.
For example, the most common handicrafts are making soap, gunpowder, perfume, and distilling liquor... Less common ones are heavy industry products such as steam engines, spinning machines, and looms.
When it comes to these technologies, anyone in modern society can say a few words about them, and it's easy to find a way to get rich that others can't possibly steal.
In less than three years, he has taught agricultural techniques, opened a medicine shop, earned work points, and is now producing mosquito coils.
These things all evolved from the existing foundation, and Jiang Zhi had no intention of keeping them a secret.
But for the people here, almost every piece of knowledge can be passed down as a family heirloom.
Jiang Zhi may not care, but the people of Xujia Village do!
So Xu Gensheng said that the workers should swear an oath that if they broke the contract, they would not only be punished by the gods, but also be beaten with a board by the village and driven out.
Jiang Zhi felt that beating someone with a board was the most credible method.
And so, listening to the villagers' excited vows and oaths... what a magnificent wishing well!
These oaths weren't just made lightly; Magistrate Zhang's handwritten letter was brought out.
Incense and candles were lit, offerings were placed, and everyone knelt before the handwritten letter.
In the hearts of farmers, the county magistrate is a reincarnation of the God of Literature, an ethereal deity they cannot see, but that "high-ranking official" is real, and his words are the truth.
So, amidst the swirling smoke of incense, each villager swore an oath before Magistrate Zhang.
Jiang Zhi thought that if Magistrate Zhang were listening to this oath-taking method, his ears would definitely burst and turn bright red.
After everyone had taken their oaths, Jiang Zhi said, "The workshop isn't built yet. Everyone should come and help with the setup tomorrow. The sooner it's finished, the sooner we can start construction!"
Everyone should do the work together. Repairing the workshop is volunteering, but no one wants to shirk their responsibilities because it affects whether they can get work later.
The villagers were bustling with activity, a stark contrast to their previous tension, but Jiang Zhi was not at ease, as several matters weighed heavily on her shoulders.
The moon was high in the sky, but Xu Changming and the others had not yet returned.
Is it easy to get money from Xu Xiaogu? Definitely not, these people will suffer.
And there's Qingquan Bay.
After Errui went up the mountain to pick up Qiaoyun and the child, and finished the meeting of the "eight-person group", he went to the pharmacy with Xu Genqing. The two of them were still worried.
The village was bustling, but Qingquanwan Pharmacy was quiet, its wooden gate already locked.
It is now the Dragon Boat Festival on the fifteenth of May. The moon in the sky is as bright as a jade plate, as bright as day, but under the shade of the trees it is still pitch black.
Two little dogs, Big Bear and Little Bear, were chasing each other's shadows by the stream, playing and frolicking silently.
At the same time, two people stealthily emerged from the mountain path.
Under the moonlight, their shadows also varied in length and direction, sometimes to the left and sometimes to the right.
The man walking in front was the guard of the Du family who had appeared in the village the day before, and the one behind him was the hoodlum from Lihua Town who had once helped Wang Xiaoju move grain.
The two stopped immediately upon seeing the sturdy wooden fence.
The guard from the Du family whispered, "Once you go in, just light a fire, and don't worry about anything else!"
He had already found out in town that Jiang was the village chief, which explained why his question had caused such a stir.
I can't go to the village, but luckily my target is the pharmacy; all I need to do is take the child with me...
If they really won't leave, then kill them to prevent future trouble.
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