The news of the saltpeter mine's recruitment drive spread to several nearby villages. Young people who hadn't gotten a chance to work at the paper mill before were now eager to try, even though no one liked mining jobs like this before.
These are jobs that are usually done by corvée laborers, but the employers offer good pay. You work five hours a day, with food and lodging provided. If you don't want to stay, you can go home to sleep. You are paid according to how much you do, and the more you do, the more you earn. This means that if you are tired, you can find a place to rest.
The employer wasn't stupid. You can't just come here to freeload. He Yi and Cen Ang set a bottom line for how much work the workers had to do and how much ore they had to mine each day. If they didn't meet the standard for three consecutive days, they shouldn't come back.
"I think everyone has heard the news. Our villages are lucky to have landed a mine. The owner is hiring, so all the strong and capable men should come and sign up. Those who want to cheat or shirk their responsibilities, don't bother! You'll only bring shame to me, the village head!"
Under the big tree in the village ancestral hall, the village leaders of these villages were banging gongs and talking to the villagers about recruitment matters.
"We still need to hire a few more cooks," Huo Xiaolong said, pulling Cen Ang's hand.
"If it's cooking, let the Hu family's wives do it," Cen Ang replied.
He Yi nodded in agreement from the side.
"That works too. Anyway, it's reassuring to entrust the lucrative places to our own people."
People in charge of logistics have to be careful; otherwise, if someone skimps on the food or cuts corners, these people won't have the energy to work and won't even have enough to eat!
Huo Xiaolong felt that summers by the sea were better than in Pingyang County. Every night, Xiao Tuanzi slept soundly in the cool sea breeze and never woke up from the heat again.
Today is the day the mine starts work. The little dumpling is dressed up in a festive red summer outfit, which is good for good luck.
After completing the ancestral worship ceremony, Huo Xiaolong began mining under the arrangement of the supervisor. Listening to the clanging sounds of iron tools hitting stones, he felt particularly at ease.
Just like when the Mo family came, it was saltpeter, and for the next few months she could live in ice.
"I've heard the food here is good, is it true?" The miners chatted, but their hands never stopped moving. If they had to repeat the same action all day, anyone would break down.
"It's true! My sister-in-law is working at the brothel and the paper mill run by the Hou family. She gets to eat meat every day, and her meals are very greasy!"
"So, what do you think we should eat for lunch today?"
"We need to get some steamed buns, after all. We're doing hard labor."
The simple villagers thought the paper mill was a place where you had to use your brain. In their eyes, people who used their brains were born to eat better than them. Otherwise, why would so many people want to take the imperial examinations and pursue fame and fortune by studying?
Isn't it all just to eat something good?
Cen Ang and He Yi discussed that they would eat half a pig a day, enough for nearly 500 people. Would each person get a bite of meat? Some might not even get any. If all else failed, they would get some seafood. If they cooked that properly, it would fill them up.
The aroma of food wafted from the serving area. Hu Si's wife was stirring the pot with a large ladle, while Huo Xiaolong and his girlfriends squatted nearby. She wasn't trying to insult anyone, but the posture really did resemble mixing pig feed, and that's what she thought in her past life too.
Whenever she watched the cooks preparing food, she didn't have much of an appetite that day, but the food always smelled so good.
This is a seafood stew unique to the seaside, with rice porridge added, and braised pork and steamed buns on the side. It looks delicious.
He Yi originally wanted to buy a flock of chickens for the villagers to raise, and then they could take them back to cook. However, Hu's wife persuaded her against it.
"Why would we buy that? We live by the sea, aren't there enough things in the ocean to eat?"
"That's right, half a pig a day, including the lard and the cooking, there's definitely enough oil and fat!"
"Girl, the food you guys are eating is so good I'm tempted to go and swing a sledgehammer. Don't worry, we sisters-in-law will definitely take care of everything for you."
Hou Xiangxiang felt her saliva about to drip down her face. The young lady had lost all her former reserve, abandoning her friends to grab the rice bowl and hand it to Hu Si's wife.
"Aunt Hu, could I have a bowl of porridge first?"
The woman never quite understood the children's tastes. They wouldn't even glance at the pork they craved, and insisted on eating seafood every day. What was so delicious about this rice porridge with a little crab, shrimp, and fish slices?
She felt it was a waste of rice, but there was nothing she could do; the employer had specifically instructed her to do so, so she had to obey.
"Would you like two more pieces of braised pork? This meat is so fragrant, and there's also pig's trotters. You can divide them into three portions."
Seeing the little girl go begging for food, Huo Xiaolong and Wang Dani immediately followed, shaking their heads frantically behind her.
“No, no, Aunt Hu, you can eat whatever you want, we’ll just have this porridge.”
Forget about pig feed, as long as it tastes good, that's all that matters.
Three little girls sat on small stools by the stove, their faces flushed as they drank the porridge. It was so delicious! Uncle Hu brought it back from the sea this morning.
"Hu Si'er's family, is dinner ready yet?"
The woman wiped her sweat with the towel hanging around her neck and said...
"Yes, yes, everyone line up now."
They've been craving braised pork for ages. It's not that there aren't any pig farmers in the village, there are just too few. Every household has to go out fishing.
Someone asked, "Where are the women in your family? Aren't they at home cleaning and taking care of things?"
I don't know which places are off-limits to women on fishing boats, but here, there's no place women can't go; they grow up on fishing boats from a young age.
"Oh my god, is this braised pork for us?"
"Hey, hurry up, bring the bowl, there are so many people behind us!"
Two pieces of meat, two coarse steamed buns, a bowl of porridge, and some seaweed and pickled vegetables for each person.
The moment the braised pork entered their mouths, everyone felt like it was Chinese New Year. It was so delicious!
"This meat is so delicious!"
"You bet, why would you put all that stuff in this rice? It's such a waste of rice."
"If I could eat like this every day, I could work here for the rest of my life."
Some sharp-eyed children had already spotted the cat at the stove and the three children drinking porridge, and couldn't help but go over and ask...
"Fourth brother's family, are these three the master's children?"
"Yes," the woman nodded in reply.
The man leaned closer and whispered.
"Why don't you give the employer's child something nice to eat? It would be bad if the employer saw this."
"???"
Hearing this, the three little potatoes stared intently at Hu Si's wife. "Aunt Hu hid some goodies and didn't give them to the three of us?"
This porridge even has abalone in it! Is there anything more delicious than this?
"Give them some braised pork; we can eat a little less and it won't hurt."
"..."
Hu Si's wife nodded with a smile.
"Okay, okay."
Hearing that they were going to serve braised pork to the three of them while they were by the stove, they quickly filled the pot with porridge, grabbed the bowls, and ran off.
Who understands? They insist on making me eat meat.
Under the scorching sun, the three little girls walked to the big tree, sat on the green grass, finished their seafood porridge, and then smiled at each other.
hey-hey!
Happy~
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