Chapter 699 Common People Hall
"Since Third Sister wants to help the common people, then we can open a charity center. However, it will be different from other charity centers in that this one requires labor in exchange for food or money."
There were dozens of charity houses in Tianling Kingdom. During festivals, the people in the charity houses would give out food and copper coins to the people who lined up.
Not much, just two cents per person plus a small bowl of brown rice porridge.
A few times a year at most.
Rather than saying that these charity houses are doing good deeds, it is more accurate to say that the people who opened them did so for the sake of their own reputation. Their original intention was never to help the people.
Whenever there is a natural disaster or refugees, these charity organizations will close immediately, even their shops will be empty.
"I still don't understand, sister. How about you explain it to me? You are the smartest person in our family." Jiang Huanyu moved the bench under her buttocks and sat down next to Jiang Fubao.
Because I was lazy, my butt didn't even leave the stool, so my movements looked a little funny.
"First, you buy a piece of land. When you plant crops next year, let those refugees or homeless people help you farm. You can give them money or food. When the crops are ripe, use the same method to find people to harvest them. Then store half of the food for future use. In case of a natural disaster, sell it at a low price to those who cannot afford food. The other half is exchanged for silver, which you use to recruit people and buy houses.
The house can be rented daily or monthly, and the price is lower than all the rents in the town. For example, if I work for you, I can earn ten cents a day, but renting a bed in your house only costs one cent. If I save money slowly, the harder I work, the more I can do, and I can buy a house and land here, and settle down there? If I don't want to work hard to exchange for food and money, then you don't have to save me, because I am destined to live a hard life. Lazy people are helpless. "
Jiang Fubao explained.
The two sisters' eyes met in the air.
Seeing Jiang Huanyu's confused look, Jiang Fubao sighed and started to explain again.
"Saving people is not just about yourself. If someone doesn't want to live a good life, what's the use of saving him? He will still be the same. So you have to save those who should be saved. Also, if you open this people's hall, you need to make a name for it.
It would be better if more people knew about it. The poor who want to survive would naturally come here to seek refuge with you. What if you don’t have enough money? Hire a few salesmen, the kind who are good at talking and can make the dead come alive, and send them to various wealthy families to ask for money…”
Jiang Fubao was interrupted by Jiang Ruyi before he could finish his words.
"Sister, if you want money, they will give it to you. They are not stupid. If they have money, they will give porridge to the poor and try to gain fame. Why should they give it to you? Even a stupid person will not agree to it."
Jiang Ruyi has been in the clinic for so long and is smarter than Jiang Huanyu.
"Second sister is right. We are trying to gain reputation. That's what I said just now. We need to make the reputation of Baixingtang known to everyone in the world. This is a charity that helps the people. Through the deception of the salespersons, as long as they donate money, they will naturally gain a good reputation. Every year or every month, Baixingtang posts the names of the wealthy donors outside the shop.
Help them to become famous, who wouldn't want to participate in such a good thing? Then write down the silver they donated. People like to compare. For example, Xu the shopkeeper donated 5 taels, and his mortal enemy Bai the shopkeeper donated 10 taels. Then Xu the shopkeeper would be embarrassed. Next time, he would naturally donate 15 taels, trying to surpass Bai the shopkeeper. This is the fund of the Common People Hall. The stored food plus silver, are you afraid that you can't help people?"
Jiang Fubao raised the corner of his mouth and praised his second sister before continuing to explain.
"Also, you can help the poor but not the sick. If someone in your family is sick and has no money to treat the disease, or if there is a natural disaster and people are starving to death, then you don't have to exchange your labor for money and food. You should first check the former to make sure it is true and that the family has a good reputation among the neighbors and has not done any evil.
Then pay for her treatment. Our clinic can cooperate with you. After the treatment, let her family pay back the money with their labor. You can pay half of the money and let them pay back the other half. If you can't help her in full, you can donate for three days first. After three days, her strength should come back and she will have the strength to work, such as farming, helping to build roads and riverbanks. From then on, you can use your labor to exchange for food. This is emergency relief."
"Fubao, why do we need to build roads and river embankments?" Jiang Huanyu still didn't understand.
The more I talk, the less she understands.
She just wanted to help the poor people who couldn't afford food. Why did she have to build roads and riverbanks? Isn't that the government's job?
"If your Common People's Hall wins the support of the people, will it arouse jealousy? Not to mention the one in the imperial city, even the local officials will suppress you. But if you help the government, it will only build good relations with every official. If you do well, he can also make achievements and get promoted. Mutual benefit can last long.
Besides, building roads and riverbanks is also to help people. If the riverbank collapses, who will die? It’s the villagers living by the river! If the road is built, it will be convenient for the villages in the mountains to come to the town. How can they be poor? They can sell mountain products, carry sandbags, and do some odd jobs to supplement their family income. Life will only get better and better.”
Jiang Fubao was so dry-mouthed when he spoke.
When she looked up, she found that everyone in the family was looking at her.
Grandma doesn't play cards anymore.
"But I only have five taels of silver. How can I open it?" Jiang Huanyu's face was wrinkled like a meat bun left over from the previous night.
She was very distressed. Although she understood, she had no money.
If she had known this earlier, she would have saved more money.
She used the pocket money her family gave her to buy food, clothes or miscellaneous small items.
The main point is that you can't sleep unless you spend all your money.
These five taels are the New Year's money given by my family.
If all the shops outside had not been closed, she would not have been able to stay.
Jiang Huanyu and Jiang Tongtu are like real siblings, they are alike in every way.
"Third sister, you're joking. Do you know what our family has the most of?" Jiang Fubao chuckled and looked at Jiang Huanyu with interest.
"What's missing? A beauty?" Jiang Huanyu looked confused.
There are the most beauties in the family, including her, her younger sister Fubao, her sisters Ruyi and Wangyou, and even the two sisters-in-law who have married into the family and the one who has not yet married are all very beautiful.
“Hahahahaha——” Jiang Fubao burst into laughter.
Sometimes she really admired her third sister's way of thinking.
"It's money! I'm making money, the grocery store is also making money, and there's also the rent from other stores, the harvest from the land, and the grain from the tenant farmers. We have so much money that we can't spend it all. Go ask grandma to invest in you, and when you make a profit in the future, give her 10% of it."