Chapter 101 Bank
“What kind of jobs can women do?”
Xu Bing, Qin Fengtu, Zhang Qikai, Liu Lin, Li Jie and others were stunned by Song Yuzhu's question.
Song Yuzhu said: "I allow women all over the world to study, but I have never thought about what they can do after studying. I would like to hear your opinions."
Zhang Qikai said, "I am an incompetent official. I have two maids and a kitchen lady at home. The rest of the work is mostly done by men. Women are weak and there is very little work for them to do."
Xu Bing added: "Most of the embroiderers in the embroidery workshop are women, and there are also weaving girls."
"Anything else?"
Several people shook their heads. Their feudal ideas had imprisoned their thoughts. Most people thought that after getting married, a woman should stay at home to take care of her husband and children, and it was not right for her to show up in public.
There was a moment of silence in the study. Seeing that no one was talking, Li Jie quietly raised his hand and said, "I have something to say, but I don't know whether I should say it or not."
"But it's okay."
The others turned their attention to the young man at the back. Everyone knew that this man was favored by the emperor, so no one underestimated him.
"Although women are not as strong as men, they are more delicate and are more suitable for delicate jobs, such as accountants, teachers, doctors, etc."
"Aren't all these done by men?" Zhang Qikai asked puzzledly.
Song Yuzhu asked back: "Can't women do that?"
"It's... it's possible, but it's against the world's opinion for a woman to show her face in public."
Li Jie bowed and said, "Master Zhang, you don't know that ordinary people don't care much about this. Farm women go out to farm, chop wood, and go to the market to sell household items just like men."
Li Jie was born in a low-income family. His adoptive father and mother were both ordinary people. Ordinary people didn't care about that much. After all, it was hard to survive, so why would they care about being in the spotlight? In order to supplement the family income, his adoptive mother often took him to the town to sell the family's eggs.
Qin Fengtu cupped his hands and said, "What Lord Li said is feasible. This will not only increase the income of the people, but also gradually improve the status of women."
Song Yuzhu gave him an appreciative look, knowing that he understood what she meant.
"I will consider this matter again and discuss it again in the morning court tomorrow."
After leaving the palace, Zhang Qikai hurried to Qin Fengtu's side and said, "Sir Qin, do you feel that His Majesty seems to pay special attention to women?"
"Your Majesty treats all people equally."
"No, look, His Majesty wanted women to take the imperial examinations before, and he finally persuaded them to do so. Now he wants to give women more job opportunities. This is too much..."
Qin Fengtu stopped and said, "What's wrong with that? Rural women can farm the same as men, so why can't they do other things? Sir Zhang, you are so short-sighted."
"That's not what I meant, Lao Qin, look at you!" Officials have a very sensitive sense of smell. He didn't understand why the emperor did this, he was just a little curious.
After everyone else left, Song Yuzhu picked up a pen and wrote the words "bank" and "hospital" on a piece of paper. These were the two major sectors where women would be employed in later generations, but neither of them exists today.
Money shops and flying cabinets are the prototypes of banks. Nowadays, they are all in the hands of wealthy families and businessmen. If ordinary people want to deposit money in them, they need to pay a custody fee, which is very different from the banks of later generations.
Moreover, money shops and flying cabinets are not safe. Take the Lin family for example. After Lin Yi was arrested, the entire Lin family was raided and the thirteen money shops under it also went bankrupt. The money that other merchants deposited in the Lin family's bank was also wasted.
Song Yuzhu plans to open Daqi Bank in 18 states across the country, and then slowly build branches and sub-branches. The bank's business is not only about deposits and withdrawals, but also about loans and investments in the future, which can not only fill the treasury, but also make people's lives more convenient.
The bank needed to recruit employees, and Song Yuzhu naturally set her sights on educated women. Women are meticulous, so it is best to let them do this kind of statistical work.
Song Yuzhu was a man of action. Once he had a plan, he would take action. He brought up the bank issue at the court the next morning.
The ministers did not object. There were cases of money houses and flying cabinets failing to exchange money in various places. Besides, private industries were difficult to manage, so it was better for the state to invest in building a new bank.
The Ministry of Revenue should have been responsible for building the bank, but Liu Lin was too busy, so Song Yuzhu handed the matter over to Hu Jingzhong, the newly promoted Censor of the Ministry of Revenue.
He was ordered to prepare the bank by the end of the year, and the governors of the eighteen states would cooperate with the Ministry of Revenue in its construction.
At first, ordinary people didn't know what banks were for, and no one dared to deposit money in them. However, merchants had sharp eyes. They heard that banks were used all over the country, and if they deposited money in one place, they could withdraw it in another place. Isn't this almost the same as a money house?
A bank opened by the state is definitely more secure than a money house opened by aristocratic families, and there is no need for custody fees. If the money is kept for a long time, the bank will even pay interest!
Merchants took out their money and deposited it in banks.
The treatment for working in a bank is also very good. According to the notice issued by the imperial court, there are two days of rest every ten days, which is equivalent to six days of rest per month.
I started working at 7:00 in the morning and rested at 5:00 in the afternoon. My main job was to do bank transactions, receive customers, and coordinate. I was paid one tael of silver a month.
Song Yuzhu had her own concerns about not setting the salary too high. It is difficult for women to find jobs, and if the salary is too high, it might cause jealousy.
In order to meet the working needs of women, not only are there statutory holidays for rest, but women also receive 30 days of marriage leave when they get married, and 180 days of maternity leave when they are pregnant. The bank will also subsidize half of the salary during the holidays.
After working for 20 years, you can retire and receive a monthly pension of 300 wen. Entering the bank is like having a stable job.
The bank recruits employees through examinations and interviews, and women are preferred. Of course, the interview is also very strict, not only must you be literate, but you must also know numeracy.
After the imperial court released the news, people from all over the country were shocked and sent their daughters to school one after another, hoping that if they learned the skills and could pass interviews and exams in the future, they would never have to worry about food for the rest of their lives!
You have to know that women didn’t have any proper jobs in the past. Now that they have such an opportunity, who wouldn’t want to stand up straight and be a decent person?
*
In Changhai County of Binzhou Prefecture, Old Man Chen took his son to the county town in a ox cart to buy things.
My son's wedding is in October, and the family should prepare in advance. Farmers' marriages are simple. The two families agree on a date, the man buys eight gifts, takes the bride home for a banquet, and the marriage is considered a success.
Among the eight gifts, there are four moving ones and four non-moving ones. The moving ones refer to living things, such as pigs, sheep, chickens and fish. The four non-moving ones are random. Rich families can give cloth, furniture and other things, while ordinary families can also give some food at home.
Old man Chen planned to buy two pieces of cloth and two stools to make a four-person house. After the father and son finished shopping at the market, Old man Chen suddenly remembered that his daughter had given him a few books before leaving and asked him to take them to the pawnshop.
When I was driving towards the pawn shop, I saw a lot of people gathered on the street, talking about something.
The two stopped the carriage and walked forward to ask the man next to them: "Little brother, what are you doing?"
"Hey, didn't the government just post a notice saying that the bank will be hiring next spring, and literate women will be given priority. I heard the salary is quite high."
Old man Chen thought of his daughter at home and couldn't help asking, "What does a bank do?"
"How would I know? Most likely it's similar to the accountant in a bank, but the notice says they are paid by the government, and they don't have to work anymore after working for 20 years. The court also gives them 300 coins a month for maintenance."
The son pulled on Old Man Chen's sleeve and said, "Dad, let's not be the boss of this book anymore. Let my sister try it next year?"
Old man Chen nodded, and the father and son drove the ox cart back home.
In the village, Xiaoyue was sitting by the well, hugging her knees and in a daze. She had not been to school for more than a month and stayed at home doing chores every day. Occasionally, she would feel extremely sad when she heard the singing of children on the roadside.
She understood what her mother said. It was all for her own good. There would be no result if she continued reading, so it would be better not to waste her time.
This morning, her father went to the county town to buy things, so she gave her book to her father and asked him to pawn it to stop her from having the idea of selling it.
It was almost noon when Old Man Chen came back driving the ox cart. Usually, Xiaoyue would run out to greet him and see what her father had bought for her, but this time she was sitting listlessly on the kang, sewing clothes.
"Xiaoyue, Xiaoyue!" Old man Chen shouted twice.
"Dad, what do you want me to do?" Xiaoyue asked as she walked out of the house.
Old man Chen handed the cloth bag to his daughter and said, "Take these books back quickly."
"Books?" Xiaoyue's eyes lit up when she heard that. She ran over to take the cloth bag. She saw that it contained not only her books, but also new pencils and notebooks. She was so excited that tears came to her eyes.
"Dad, why didn't you become a father?"
"No, just go back to school tomorrow!"
Chen Lao's wife came out upon hearing the noise and asked in confusion, "Didn't you want your daughter to study? Why did you agree now?"
The son said, "Mom, today my father and I saw a government notice at the market. The government will recruit women to work next spring!"
The father and son told Xiaoyue and the woman about the bank matter, and they were stunned.
"Too good to be offered such a job!"
Old man Chen smiled and said, "That's right. Our Xiaoyue studies so well, she will definitely be able to get into that bank!"
The haze of so many days finally dissipated, Xiaoyue raised her head and said: "Dad, don't worry, I will definitely pass the exam!"
The family entered the house happily. Song Yuzhu smiled, closed the map and exited the system, feeling full of a sense of accomplishment.
Unfortunately, Zhao Xiao was not here and there was no one to share the things with. He changed his clothes and said, "Li Dehai, prepare the car to go back to the Song Mansion."
*
After returning to the Song Mansion, Song Yuzhu noticed something strange. In the past, the servants in the mansion were very lively, occasionally gathering in groups of three or four to play together. But today, they lowered their heads and looked a little uneasy.
Song Yuzhu went to her mother's yard first, but she didn't see Jiang Rong there. Only Xiaomei and Hexiang were taking care of Yutong's meal. Today was a day off, so Song Yutong didn't have to go to the palace to study, so she got up a little late.
"Your Majesty, may you be well." When the two men saw Song Yuzhu, they immediately knelt down to greet her.
"Wake up, where is my mother?"
"Brother, mother went to grandmother's yard." Song Yutong said as he put down the spoon.
Song Yuzhu rubbed her head and said, "You play here, I'll go to my grandmother's yard to take a look."
"Um."
Song Yuzhu walked towards the old lady's yard and saw a lot of people gathered in the yard. In addition to the relatives of the Song family, there were also the medical officers of the Imperial Medical Academy.
"Greetings, Your Majesty."
"No need to be polite, what happened to Yumin?"
Song Yumin stepped forward and said, "Grandma... I'm afraid it won't work."
(End of this chapter)
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