☆, Chapter 94 Should we use the villagers?
The disappearance of Shiba served as a wake-up call for Zhou Mujiao. Now that she and Zhao Yunjing are both busy with school and running around, they definitely won't have time to spend with the children. Once spring arrives and the children go to school, the safety issues will likely become even more serious.
The Zhao family's fortunes changed, and they became wealthy. Everyone in the village envied them, but many also felt resentful. Poverty breeds wickedness, and if any temptation is triggered, even the most honest and kind people will do evil.
Moreover, the Zhao and Zhou families will certainly not be willing to accept not getting a share of the pie from them. It's fine if they just take the opportunity to curse a few times and gossip behind their backs, but what if they have the intention to hurt them?
Zhou Mujiao then planned to buy a few capable guards from the brokerage firm next time, so that she could escort the children to school in the future. In addition, the embroidery workshop was full of women, and there were many goods and raw materials, so guards would be needed to watch over it sooner or later. She couldn't stay at home all the time. If someone came to cause trouble while she was away, it would be very annoying whether they hurt people or property.
Besides guarding the house, Zhou Mujiao also planned to find two wolfhounds. In case of danger and the guards couldn't handle it, the two wolfhounds could give the four children a chance to survive.
When Zhou Mujiao went to the Zhao family to say she wanted to buy guards, the couple were dumbfounded: "Buy guards? Why would you suddenly want to buy guards?"
Uncle Zhao and Aunt Zhao thought she was still feeling guilty about Shiba's disappearance and felt very sorry for her. No one wanted Shiba to go missing. When they found out, they were trembling with fear, not to mention that she was the one who lost her. The torment Shiba suffered during her disappearance was unimaginable.
Now that Shiba is back, she's young and doesn't remember much. She's in good spirits and didn't have any nightmares. She eats, drinks, and plays just like before. So this matter is over. Zhou Mujiao is family with them. Now that the matter is over, we should move on.
Aunt Zhao carefully chose her words and gently comforted Zhou Mujiao. Zhou Mujiao appreciated her kindness and was moved, which made her even more determined to protect the Zhao family.
"Auntie, I feel guilty, but the main reason is to prevent the same thing from happening again..." Zhou Mujiao explained her thoughts and plans.
After listening, the Zhao couple breathed a sigh of relief. They went through Zhou Mujiao's train of thought and also felt it was necessary to invite her. Especially when they heard that Zhou Mujiao wanted to do other business, their first reaction was: "Buy, buy, buy! We'll buy it for you first!"
Although Ma Dalang and his men were there to handle deliveries and pickups, it was ultimately just a business partnership. If profits were to be lost in the future, the partnership could be terminated at any time, and the relationship could end just as easily. If even brothers could turn against each other for profit, how could outsiders be trusted?
As for the guards at the embroidery workshop...
Uncle Zhao suggested hiring people from the village, reasoning that villagers could find work without leaving the village and would definitely do their best.
“We’ve hired an embroiderer, the jinx has left the Zhao family, Yun Jing has gone to the academy, the children will be going to school next year, and you, needless to say, will probably be running around every day from now on. Now that we’ve started interacting with the outside world, the Zhao family can no longer keep its distance from the villagers as before.”
“A close neighbor is worse than a distant relative. If something happens to the Zhao family one day, these villagers will do their best to protect their own livelihoods.”
Aunt Zhao added, "But if you have other ideas, we agree. Ah Jiao, you have more experience than us and you think things through more thoroughly than us. Your decision will definitely be right."
Zhou Mujiao was even more moved by their trust in each other. After thinking for a while, a brilliant idea flashed in her mind.
He said to Uncle Zhao, "Uncle, could you help me count how many young and middle-aged men in the village are willing to work and have good character? It would be best to make a list, including their age, height, weight, education level, skills, previous work experience, and family members. Please be as detailed as possible. I don't dare to use those whose backgrounds are unclear."
"No problem, leave it to me!"
"I still need to buy the other people, at least four, but the Zhao family can't accommodate them right now, so I'll buy two for now..."
The three of them sat at the table and discussed for most of the day. The longer they discussed, the more manpower they realized they needed. So Zhou Mujiao simply made a recruitment plan and took it one step at a time.
No one knows who in the embroidery workshop let slip a word, but after dinner that evening, a lot of villagers came to the Zhao family's house. Most of them were young and strong, and they had all come to offer their services after hearing that the Zhao family was hiring guards.
“We do need to hire a bodyguard, but I want a professional one with good skills, and none of you fit the bill.”
Zhou Mujiao's words disappointed everyone, while some were unwilling to accept it and immediately started throwing punches to show Zhou Mujiao their skills. Others demonstrated their strength, breaking bricks with their bare hands or lifting a full bucket of water with one finger...
It's all in order to find a stable job.
The borders of the Great Liang Kingdom are now peaceful, and there has been no war for more than ten years. Other places are developing, and the living standards of the people are steadily improving. Compared with the chaotic times, these past ten years have been like living in paradise. However, Peach Blossom County is located in a remote area and is one of the poorest and most remote counties in Yuzhou Prefecture.
Unfortunately, Yuzhou Prefecture has had two corrupt officials in the past ten years. The successors were transferred from other prefectures by the imperial court, but they couldn't adapt to the local environment and died one after another. The latest prefect only arrived two years ago, and it is unknown whether he is familiar with the place or how well he is managing the prefecture. As for the people in the county towns, the new prefect has no way to manage them at this stage.
The people in the city are doing alright, but the villagers in the countryside are having a harder time. People in other places have already started to pursue a higher quality of life, while they are still struggling to make ends meet. If they are lucky enough to find a job in the city, they can earn some income and life will not be so difficult. However, there are always more people than jobs in the city. You may find one today, but it may not be yours tomorrow.
After everyone finished their presentations, Zhou Mujiao said, "Although you are not suitable to be the Zhao family's guards, you can do other things. I plan to establish a security team to patrol our Peach Blossom Village and be responsible for the personal and property safety of our villagers. However, I don't need many people, at most twenty, and I have requirements. Only those who meet my requirements can stay..."
She stated her three requirements, immediately eliminating half the applicants. After stating her remaining two requirements, the remaining half were eliminated as well.
As a result, only ten people initially met the requirements.
Someone spoke up: "Miss Zhou, you don't have enough people here, and I think your five conditions are too demanding. Even the constables in the yamen might not meet them!"
"Aren't security guards just required to be healthy and able to fight and run? Why are you requiring them to read and write documents? I think you don't really want us to work; you're just deliberately messing with us and humiliating us!"
Several people immediately echoed his statement and joined in the shouting. The scene was noisy, with all sorts of things being said. Two of them jumped the fastest, but Zhou Mujiao remembered them and wasn't in a hurry at all.
She remained calm and didn't respond, so those people quickly stopped making a fuss.
Chen Lizheng spoke up: "Liu Ya, why don't you give us some guidelines? I think everyone is quite concerned about it."
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