Chapter 17, the Monument of Honor, will surely bear your name.
The sun hid behind the clouds in the afternoon, and the sky darkened.
After seeing Xie Mo off, the two divided up their tasks.
One record, one move – not bad at all.
She went out to find the rubble merchant.
The rubble dealer was named Gu Guang, and he lived in the city.
When she arrived, she saw that Gu Guang was at home. The courtyard was dilapidated, the threshold at the door was sunken, and the yard was very clean. Although he did not seem very wealthy, the roof tiles were neatly and densely covered with intact rubble.
It definitely won't leak if it rains.
The man was chopping wood when he heard a noise behind him, but he didn't turn around.
"Hello, is this Gu Guang?"
The man was dressed in plain clothes, with his trousers rolled up and his sleeves rolled up as well, revealing his wheat-colored skin and strong, powerful arms.
Several cloth bags hung from his waist, and he wore a pair of black cloth shoes. The shoes were somewhat worn, but still clean and tidy.
His face was stern, dark from years of sun exposure, and unkempt, yet it possessed a resilient quality.
Who are you?
“My name is Su Jingge, and I am the assistant manager of Yuxiang County. I would like to talk to you about the rubble manufacturing matter.”
The man, without much expression, continued chopping wood: "You want to repair the roof for the county."
I didn't expect the news to spread so quickly in just one hour.
But it's good in a way; it's increased her visibility, saving her the trouble of explaining herself.
"Since that's the case, Brother Gu Guang knows why I've come, so let's get straight to the point."
"How much is a piece of rubble? If the amount is large, Brother Gu Guang can offer a discount."
The man stopped what he was doing, dusted off his hands, and said with a cold expression, "Five coins a piece, twenty pieces a set, minimum order of twenty. I can't lower the price, but I'll give you five pieces free if you order five sets or more. I see you're thinking of the people, this is the maximum I can do."
Su Jingge pondered that the government was a merchant, and he really didn't make any money selling a piece for five copper coins, because at least 10% of the profit went to the government.
"Okay, then it's settled."
Su Jingge then asked, "Do you have any craftsmen under your command?"
The man did not answer immediately, but hesitated for a moment: "Yes, if Assistant Manager Su wants to use my craftsmen to participate in the city's construction, then you will have to give me extra money. It will be based on the number of people, 20 coins per person per day. Manager Su can go and ask those private merchants. I don't want much money."
She didn't distrust Gu Guang; 20 coins a day was within the market price range.
Repairing the roof of a house with three different types of roofs requires at least three craftsmen, and it probably won't be finished in one day; it will take at least two days.
If there are three people in the second category, then it will take two to two and a half days.
If three people are not enough for the three categories, then five people are needed, for at least three days or more.
This is not a small amount of money, so we should save where we can.
Since the task is to repair Yuxiang County, the county magistrate must provide personnel.
He wanted to sit at home for no reason, waiting for the city to be repaired so he could gain a good reputation and live out his grand dreams.
But we can't let Zhao Zhou handle everything; we'll definitely have to make things difficult for her.
Su Jingge calculated in her mind that if five sets of tiles were given away for every five tiles, then one tile would be given away for every set of twenty tiles, and each tile would cost five coins.
Five sets, or 25 coins, can only repair one household.
It would be better to forgo this complimentary piece and instead have Gu Guang contribute one person for each household he repairs.
A person is worth more than rubble.
Moreover, it's efficient.
"Brother Gu Guang, how about this? I don't want the free tiles, but could you provide the men?"
Gu Guang smiled: "President Su is really good at calculation, quite like your father, Mr. Su."
Su Jingge smiled and then spoke frankly: "To be honest, I know a little about repairs, but I have no one to rely on. Magistrate Zhao is providing the money, but if he were to provide manpower... you should know what kind of people that would be. If Brother Gu Guang could provide manpower, then the roofs of the people's houses would definitely be watertight."
The young girl was clear-headed and cared about the people, so it was indeed difficult for him to refuse.
"I promise you."
Su Jingge clasped her hands in thanks: "Thank you for your understanding, Brother Gu Guang. This is such a good thing that benefits the people. When Yuxiang County returns to prosperity in the future, your name will definitely be engraved on the monument of honor."
Gu Guang clasped his hands in thanks: "Thank you for your high regard, Assistant Minister."
The man paused, then seemed somewhat worried: "But repairing Yuxiang County is no easy task. You and I both know what kind of person Magistrate Zhao is. Even your father couldn't influence the government back then. If you do this, I'm afraid it will cut off some people's source of income. This path... will be difficult for you! Alas!"
She knew, but still smiled slightly: "Don't worry."
After leaving Gu Guang's place, she walked back to the restaurant as the sun set.
The people in the city are now demoralized, and those who once wanted to repair the city have gradually lost their will.
Gu Guang was once an official, but ultimately, there was an insurmountable mountain separating him from the common people.
But she was determined to correct this trend!
It's a fight to the death!
Five days have passed... Now she has to go somewhere...
Meanwhile, at the Xiao residence.
The Xiao family of three sat around a table for a meal.
Jiang heard the servants who were shopping that afternoon talking about Su Jingge.
So I brought it up.
"You mean Su Jingge is really seriously ill now? She's been reported for having an affair, and I heard it was with someone from another county. She even said she's broken off her engagement with the Xiao family. Is she serious?"
“Su Jingge hasn’t come to see you for five days. She used to come to see you five times a day. Why don’t you go see her after you finish eating? Isn’t your older brother a handyman at her restaurant? And that Feijian is just joining in the fun too.”
At this point, Xiao Ziyu's expression turned sour. Indeed, she hadn't come for five days. Could it be that she really wanted to break off the engagement with the Xiao family?
Because Xiao Ziyu was short of money, the princess was angry and didn't come to see him for several days. What use is his current fifth-rank official position?
He has no real power.
He must marry the princess, but he also needs Su Jingge.
He was very troubled by the choice between the two options.
Neither of the two women is easy to deal with.
"Okay." So he agreed to Jiang's words.
He didn't believe that Su Jingge really didn't love him anymore.
Jiang said again, "I heard that Su Jingge wants to be some kind of assistant manager and insists on participating in the county's renovation plan. She even claimed that she would restore this place to its former prosperity. She even mortgaged the restaurant for this purpose. Do you think it's appropriate for a young lady to show her face in public like this?"
To everyone's surprise, Xiao Yinhe said, "It's good that it's a good deal, so people won't have any designs on it."
"Master, you..." Madam Jiang's face turned pale and her expression turned cold. "Ha, you have ambition, but you're still just a fourth-rank official. Now that Ziyu is about to marry the princess, I don't see what you're going to do if you can't raise the money."
"You don't work hard yourself, you always want to get promoted by relying on others, why don't you let Ziyu ascend to immortality?"
"snort!"
Xiao Yinhe's face darkened, and with a 'smack,' he slammed his chopsticks on the table and stormed off.
Xiao Ziyu was somewhat shocked: "Mother, what did you say? Su Jingge mortgaged the restaurant??"
Jiang was furious: "Yes, it's all over. Some people can't care anymore. Your father always thinks he's superior, but what happened? He can't help you at all, and he even made you ascend to heaven. In his heart, the son born to his legal wife is always the most successful."
"What good is being successful? You're still a mute."
"It's all your fault, you're so useless, you can't even handle a woman!"
"snort!"
Jiang was furious, and 'smack'
He threw down his chopsticks and left.
Just then, a servant announced, "Su Jingge has arrived."
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