"Why are there so many people here?" Trump asked.
The man with the Shaanxi accent chimed in, "How would I know? A while ago I heard that Fuxian was recruiting stonemasons nationwide at high prices. I thought I could make some money, so I had my wife pack up her tools and come over."
"You're not from Fuxian County? No wonder your accent sounds a bit strange." This was the arrogant remark from a local stonemason.
A burly man from out of town with a Fujian accent, feeling uncomfortable, deliberately belittled the situation, saying, "In a poor little place like Fuxian, where can you find any good stonemasons? All the ones who came this time have been rated at the county, prefecture, or national level. At the very least, they must be master craftsmen or something."
Zheng Quchi, who was listening to their conversation from behind: "..."
Oh, I'm sorry, the worst isn't a master carpenter, but rather this local, ordinary, and poor carpenter.
I've now dared to sneak into the stonemason team to make some money, but I haven't been promoted to any rank yet. Please give me your guidance.
Just as Zheng Quchi was amusing himself, a man appeared out of nowhere and deliberately bumped into him.
She sensed something was wrong and turned to look.
She saw a sleazy-looking man with a full beard staring intently at her.
...I don't know him.
However, Zheng Quchi felt that the way this person was looking at her was strange, like a pervert, so she quickly moved to the side.
But then he relentlessly moved closer, calling her name softly in a low voice.
"Hey, ruler."
She was startled and turned her head sharply: "Who?"
There are only a handful of people who know her real name is Zheng Quchi and still call her by her nickname "Chizi," but this sleazy bearded man is not among them.
"Me? You don't even recognize me? It's only been a little over a month since we last met." He pointed to his nose and muttered in dissatisfaction.
The tone was infuriating and irritating, and the fact that the other person called her by her real name immediately made Zheng Quchi suspicious. She tentatively asked, "Shan Bian?"
“Of course it’s me.” He winked at her and nodded vigorously.
Zheng Quchi raised his head and looked at the thick head of hair, and was very surprised.
No, where's his bald head? How come his hair has all grown back in just over a month?
"ruler……"
Stop!
She silenced his pleas with a look, glanced around to make sure everyone else was talking and hadn't noticed them, then gritted her teeth and said, "How did you manage to sneak in again?"
Dan Bian, who was now sporting a large, thick beard, covered his mouth with his hand and relayed a message to her: "There's a mission. You'll come with me, but we'll talk about it later. Let's first hear what Fuxian is planning to do with this large-scale recruitment of craftsmen."
Upon hearing the word "mission," Zheng Quchi stiffened as if he had post-traumatic stress disorder, and his face turned green.
As soon as he arrived, she knew trouble was on its way.
She genuinely just came here to do some hard work to earn money for her family; she wasn't here to cause trouble.
But they just wouldn't let her go; wherever she went, this damn "mission" followed her!
This time, all the stonemasons were gathered in the spacious square that Luzhai had set up, while the other people were dispersed or blocked outside. They waited for a while and then saw the county magistrate leading a large group of people.
When stonemasons met with officials, they naturally had to pay their respects to the county magistrate. However, in formal occasions and when dealing with criminals, they did not need to kneel; they only bowed with their hands clasped.
At the very back of the procession were Mu Ke, the official in charge of construction whom Zheng Quchi knew, and Zhang Er, the recruiter.
Judging from his appearance, this county magistrate did not look like an honest official. He had a fat head and big ears, small eyes, and big lips, typical of a corrupt official.
He said in a hoarse voice, "Bring out the official documents and put their fingerprints on them."
The left and right registrars and the county magistrate received the order.
The registrar rolled up an official document with some writing on it in bold strokes. He then took out a clay mold and had the craftsmen put their handprints on the face.
These ceremonies weren't held when we built the camp before. Is this recruitment going to be this formal?
The stonemasons clearly knew the ropes; once they signed their fingerprints, it meant they unconditionally accepted all the agreements in the official document. So they were all somewhat hesitant about the contents of the document and hesitated to proceed.
"What is the content of the official document?"
"Yeah, is it okay to just leave your handprint like that...?"
The thin county magistrate replied, "These are just some customary rules. Don't worry, all the provisions are legal and in accordance with the law."
Upon seeing this, the magistrate's small eyes widened slightly, a shrewd glint flashing across them, and he said loudly, "As long as you affix your handprints, you can receive one string of cash immediately."
The government soldiers were seen carrying trays lined up, with piles of copper coins stacked like small mountains. The visual impact of seeing so much money was enough to make the eyes of the artisans, who had been poor all their lives, light up and become dizzy.
As the saying goes, birds die for food, and people die for wealth.
Their minds were completely corrupted by money; they had no reason or extra doubt left. They hastily pressed their fingerprints on the documents without even reading the contents to get the money.
Of course, if the magistrate intended to deceive and fool them, the stonemasons present would hardly escape the money trap, since they were mostly illiterate. Even if some of them could barely recognize a few characters, they would not be able to understand the entire contract.
And so, one after another they pressed their fingerprints on the paper, and soon it was Zheng Quchi's turn in the line.
She wasn't so reckless. Before pressing her fingerprint, she quickly read through the document, which dispelled her earlier doubts.
Oh, so they were sent to Guixu Ridge in Fuxian County to build city walls.
Ancient city walls were tall, sturdy walls built around a city for defense.
At first, she suspected that their secretive and secretive behavior was because they planned to have her secretly build some kind of mausoleum, and that's why they needed to sign some kind of confidentiality agreement, which is why they were making such a serious and formal process.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
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