There is a hint of coolness in the autumn morning.
In the Xincun market outside the South City Gate, the door of Room 6, Building 141, Lane 15 opened and Wang Jiangen walked out of the house.
The autumn chill seeps into the body through the collar and cuffs.
I just got up from the warm bed and opened the door, and the heat in my body was instantly taken away by the slight coolness.
He shivered, walked to the door of room number five, and knocked gently on the window.
Room No. 5 was divided into two rooms, separated by wooden boards.
Wang Jiangen's two younger brothers slept in the outer room, while his mother Wang Lian and sister slept in the inner room.
The family finally moved into a sturdy and bright new house, and they were no longer worried about flooding or leaking in the summer, or cold wind blowing into the house in the winter.
Wang Jiangen and his family have moved into their new house for almost two months. Every time he stands at the door waiting for Ergen to get up and fetch water with him, he can't help but grin, feeling extremely proud.
With his own hands, he made sure his family lived and worked in peace and contentment and moved into a new house.
He is a capable man.
Not to mention that his wife was sleeping soundly in room number six.
Last month, Wang Jiangen got married.
His mother-in-law kept her word. After he bought a house, she agreed to the marriage.
There was a big red wedding character pasted on the door of Room No. 6.
Ergen got up and rubbed his eyes, but he was still sleepy.
"Come with me and fetch water. If you're late you'll have to queue again."
There is one well for ten houses, which is much more convenient than the past when hundreds or thousands of households had one well.
But you still have to queue.
Water consumption peaks in the morning, when every household has to fetch water for washing, cooking, and laundry. Even in the evening, after work, they still have to boil water for washing.
Fortunately, each house has two bathrooms for men and women, as well as toilets for men and women, which makes it convenient for everyone.
The door of room number one in the main house opened.
"Uncle Li, you're up so early!"
Old Li hummed, "I'm not as good as you young people. I sleep lightly. You brothers got up so early, are you going to fetch water?"
"Yes! You have to fill the water tank before you go to work."
"You guys should hurry up. If you go too late, you might have to queue again."
Old Li is a bricklayer, a craft passed down from his ancestors. He earns more than Wang Jiangen, and his work is easy, without having to do any hard labor.
That's why Mr. Li was able to buy three main houses at once, allowing his family of seven or eight to live and work in peace and contentment.
After a while, Lao Li's two sons also got up.
Seeing their father squatting under the eaves smoking a pipe, the two brothers didn't even wash their faces, but quickly picked up the buckets and hurried out.
When the Wang Jiangen brothers arrived at the courtyard to fetch water, they found that someone had arrived earlier than them. Fortunately, there were not many people there, so it was soon their turn.
The two brothers went back and forth twice and finally filled the water tank at the foot of the kitchen wall.
At this time, the entire Wang family got up.
Jiangen's wife was boiling water, preparing to boil hot water for everyone to wash their faces.
Wang Lian put the steamed buns she brought back last night into the steamer.
After thinking about it, he scooped another bowl of coarse noodles and prepared to add some green vegetable leaves to cook a pot of noodle soup.
"Mom, please scoop one more bowl." Jiangen's wife said.
Wang Lian frowned, wanting to say that Jiangen's wife was incapable of managing the household. However, she was a weak-willed person and could not act like a vicious mother-in-law.
She opened her mouth, wanting to say that they needed to save some food. The family had finally saved up some food, so they couldn't show off their poverty.
But before she could open her mouth, Jiangen's wife spoke first: "Jiangen has been doing physical work all morning. If he doesn't eat enough in the morning, he will have no energy and it will hurt his health."
When she heard that it was harmful to the body, Wang Lian no longer hesitated and scooped another bowl of coarse noodles.
Jiangen's wife laughed.
Now the four members of the Wang family go to work to earn money.
In addition to Jiangen's brothers, Jiangen's wife and Wang Lian all found work in the textile workshop and earned income every day.
The employer had promised that recruitment would give priority to members of families who had owned houses, and this promise was indeed fulfilled.
In a family of six, four of them work to earn money.
Things are getting better.
It is only right that the meals be better every day.
Ding ding dong dong.
The entire Xincun market was filled with the clatter of pots and pans.
The smell of fireworks is everywhere.
There are arguments, contradictions, comparisons and conflicts.
When several families live under one roof, conflicts are inevitable.
In addition to these, there are also fragrant steamed buns and hot noodle soup.
At this time last year, they were a group of refugees who could die under the city walls at any time.
Everyone thought they were a plague, and the government only provided them with thin porridge once a day to keep them alive.
This year, they have moved into a new house, have three meals a day, and have meat to eat.
Life did not abandon them.
The earth-shaking changes are like a dream, not real enough, but true enough.
The house we live in is not fake, and the hot soup and steamed buns we eat are not fake either.
The days are striding forward towards the sunshine.
It will get better and better in the future.
"I'm stuffed."
Ergen wiped his mouth and quickly followed his elder brother Wang Jiangen to go out to work.
Wang Lian and Jiangen's wife quickly put down their bowls and chopsticks and prepared to go out.
Although the textile workshop started later than Wang Jiangen, the place of work was far away, in the industrial zone. It was a long walk from the market town to get there.
The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law cleaned up and went out with the cloth bag.
Washing dishes, kitchen utensils, laundry and cooking were all left to the younger San Gen and S Niu.
The Wang family went out, and the Li family who lived in the main house also went out.
The other three followed suit.
In the blink of an eye, the huge house fell silent, leaving only the elderly, weak, and sick who could not go out to work.
After Wang Sangen and Wang Siniu finished their housework, they locked all the cupboards and doors, then went out with their baskets on their backs to collect firewood.
It was mid-morning and the Xincun market was very quiet.
The brother and sister walked out of the market from the west gate and headed towards the mountain.
From a distance, I saw several carriages coming towards me.
The two siblings stood consciously by the roadside.
"Wow, what a tall carriage."
"There must be a noble person inside."
“Maybe he’s here to buy a house.”
"Are we going to live in the same place with you, my Lord, from now on?"
"The nobles live in the city. They may be passing through."
Gu Jiu lifted the car window curtain and looked at the brother and sister standing on the side of the road.
The little girl had bright eyes and looked very smart. As for the brother next to her, he looked silly.
Gu Jiu smiled at the brother and sister.
"Goddess Guanyin."
"She smiled at us, hehehe."
"Goddess Guanyin is so beautiful."
Little Wang Siniu stared wide-eyed, afraid to miss a single shot. For the first time, the little girl had a direct sense of beauty and ugliness.
"Are these children going up the mountain to collect firewood?" Gu Jiu asked.
There were many children like the Wang brothers and sisters on the roadside, all carrying baskets and walking up the mountain.
Ma Xiaoliu was waiting beside Gu Jiu. He nodded and said, "They are all going to collect firewood. Children from poor families have to take on responsibilities early. Such young children can't work on the construction site or in the workshop, but they can't sit idle either."
Gu Jiu looked up at the mountain and said, "Next year, these hills will be developed. By then, there will be no firewood for them to collect. The coal plant should increase its efforts and strive to promote coal stoves and honeycomb coal as soon as possible. It doesn't matter if honeycomb coal is sold at a lower price. The key is to change everyone's living habits."
Ma Xiaoliu took a small notebook and wrote them down one by one. All of these would be handed over to Eunuch Deng, who would be in charge of the overall planning.
Gu Jiu added: "As for the production of coal stoves, there are many craftsmen among the refugees. We can take the initiative to open up the technology and encourage more refugees to take the initiative to join the business activities.
In fact, even if the technology is not open, a simple coal stove will soon be imitated once it is put on the market.
Rather than letting those businesses profit, it's better to help the skilled and hardworking migrant workers profit as well. Local Beijing residents, anyone with skills, can also participate. And while we're at it, we can also drum up some buzz for the second phase of housing sales, which will be launched at the end of the year."
Ma Xiaoliu wrote down everything Gu Jiu suggested.
After recording, he asked, "Madam, do you have any other requests?"
Gu Jiu smiled and said, "Let's go to the Xincun Market first. This place has been built, and this is my first time here."
The carriage circled the wall and finally entered the Xincun Market from the south gate.
There is a gatehouse at the entrance of the gate.
Men over 50 years old were recruited from the refugees to form a security team, serve as gatekeepers, and ensure the safety of the market town.
In the future, when the second phase of the project is completed, we will also recruit men over 50 years old from the owners of the second phase to form a security team.
The security team members' homes are in the Xincun Market, so they are naturally concerned about the safety of the market.
If Ma Xiaoliu hadn't used facial recognition, the doorman would have almost stopped the carriage from entering.
Just kidding, when we were recruiting and training, the manager repeatedly emphasized that for strangers, their identities must be confirmed before they can be allowed in.
Anyone who dares to neglect his duties may lose his job.
In order to keep their jobs, these former elderly refugees, now villagers of the new village, are extremely conscientious when doing their work.
Old Man Hu put the carriage in and muttered to the people around him, "Do you think the person sitting in the carriage is the boss?"
"Why would the boss come to us?"
"This is the Dong family's property. Is it strange that the Dong family came here?"
"Maybe it's not the boss, but a major client. I heard from my son that the project has a few more shares..."
"shareholder!"
"Yes, it's shareholders. It's a strange name."
"Tell me, what exactly are shareholders?"
"It's a business partnership where everyone contributes a share of the money. Those who contribute more become the boss and make decisions, while those who contribute less become shareholders and only receive dividends without any involvement."
"Now that you put it that way, I understand. Do we have many shareholders?"
"Of course! I heard from my eldest nephew that people in the palace are scrambling to become shareholders."
"Oh, the boss's connections are really tough. Even the queen in the palace can only be a shareholder."
"That's right! Otherwise, the boss could have accommodated tens of thousands of us at once and given us permanent residence."
"Now we are also people from the capital."
"Hey, we are from Beijing too."
Is it good to be a citizen of the capital? Perhaps in the past, these refugees could not tell whether it was good or bad.
But if you ask them now, they will all say in unison that it is good to be a Beijinger.
Being at the foot of the emperor's feet is different from being at home. The biggest advantage is that there is no exploitation.
Even though some people find it hard to leave their hometown, they have to give it up and take root in the capital where there are more opportunities for the sake of livelihood and to ensure that their families have enough food to eat.
Moreover, the children at home do not miss their disaster-stricken hometown.
In the children’s impression, their hometown is gray and they never have enough food to eat.
My remote hometown can never compare to the prosperous and attractive capital.
Children are always more adaptable than adults.
The adults have not yet changed their identities and cannot forget the local consciousness engraved in their flesh and blood.
However, the children have already consciously accepted my identity as a Beijinger and have long forgotten the gray hometown in their memories.
Gu Jiu got off the carriage.
She is dressed simply today.
However, given her status, even if she was dressed simply, she would still be the most eye-catching person walking in the new village market.
The elderly and children watched her from afar, not daring to get close.
Ma Xiaoliu and the others all knew each other, and the guards were also familiar faces. They had dealt with each other frequently.
Manager Ma, who usually acts high and mighty, now serves respectfully beside a beautiful young woman.
Could this be the boss? Or some other noble person?
Gu Jiu walked in the market town and even visited a house.
good!
The houses are built according to the blueprints.
The project quality is very good and the design is reasonable, but the density is too high.
There's nothing we can do about it.
The cost is high and the selling price is low, so the only option is to increase the density.
Gu Jiu asked Ma Xiaoliu, "How many people have moved into new houses? How many people are left in the shantytown?"
Ma Xiaoliu said hurriedly, "Half of the houses in the market town are still unsold. Those refugees are really poor, with large families, and they really don't have the money to buy houses. Some people are thinking about returning to their hometowns and are unwilling to buy property in the capital. Half of the shantytown area has been demolished."
Gu Jiu nodded.
The progress of slum area demolition is good.
But she was not satisfied with the house sales.
It’s a joke that you don’t buy such a good house.
Are these refugees out of their minds?
Believe it or not, if she opens these houses for sale now, they will be sold out in minutes.
At the beginning, Cheng Enbo Zhu Ci was very optimistic about the houses here and bought a lot of them, intending to become a landlord.
"Didn't Old Deng take any measures?"
"Eunuch Deng said winter is coming soon and the weather will be very cold. Any subsequent demolition opportunities will have to wait until spring."
Gu Jiu nodded. "Old Deng's concerns are justified. Now that we've finished our visit, let's go to the market. Arrange for someone to call Eunuch Deng over. I have something to tell him."
Gu Jiu got on the carriage, left Xincun Market, and headed towards the market along the half-repaired stone road.
The newly built market was like a landmark outside the South City Gate, so it was named South City Gate New Market.
After several months of hard work, a long market has been completed.
Various shops also opened one after another.
The market is bustling with people coming and going.
The most popular store has always been the Sihai Trading Company’s meat and vegetable shop, which offers low prices and high quality, and occupies the best location in the market.
More and more people come here to buy meat and vegetables every day.
Not only the housewives in the capital, but also the farmers from all over the country, and even the second, third and fourth-hand dealers of agricultural products who came from all over the place.
They seemed to be treating the Sihai Trading Company's Meat and Vegetable Shop as their upstream wholesaler, and were pulling goods from the shop in truckloads.
In a short period of time, these traffickers have become the most hated people by housewives, no doubt about it.
"Why are you pushing us? The price of vegetables in the capital is so high because of people like you."
"Get out, get out, all the traffickers!"
"A grown man huddled with a woman, do you have any shame? Be careful or I'll report you to the police."
These are the scenarios that happen every morning.
The scramble for meat and vegetables between vendors and housewives has become the first salvo of the market's opening day.
The traffickers also realized that this was not a solution.
Crowding together with hundreds of housewives to buy meat and vegetables is not only inefficient but also unwelcome.
So the merchants came up with a plan: they drove over the night before and paid a small fee to stay overnight at a newly opened inn in the market.
When the meat and vegetable shops opened in the early hours of the morning to collect goods from the villagers, these vendors all got up.
Before the housewives arrived at dawn, they bought the meat and vegetables they needed from the Sihai Trading Company's Meat and Vegetable Shop, and transported them to the capital, the county town, and other places in trucks.
Of course, during this period, there were always some smart traffickers who came up with crooked ideas and tried to make a quick buck.
These people wanted to wait in front of the Sihai Trading Company's meat and vegetable store and buy cheaper meat and vegetables directly from the farmers who delivered the goods.
As mentioned earlier, in order to gain the trust of these farmers, Er Zhuang and his men have been going around the countryside, village after village, for several months.
Er Zhuang and his friends went through a lot of hardships to build the popularity and reputation of Sihai Trading Company’s Meat and Vegetable Shop.
These vendors thought they could gain the trust and cooperation of the farmers by simply standing guard at the door of Sihai Trading Company's meat and vegetable store. This was undoubtedly a dream, and it was also a denial of the efforts of Erzhuang and his men.
The farmers are as vigilant and cautious as ever towards strangers.
However, there are also some smart farmers who contact these merchants to do business.
It was fine at first, but then problems arose.
Either the price was forced down, or the money received was of insufficient quality, or even privately minted coins were received.
What’s worse, if you’re not paying attention, your fresh meat and vegetables may be swapped with others and turned into rotten meat and vegetables.
So, one early morning, farmers besieged agricultural product vendors in front of the Sihai Trading Company’s meat and vegetable store.
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