"The ancestor is finally here, everyone is waiting for you to make a decision!"
"What's your idea? Just do whatever the Qiao family tells you to do. I just have one request. On average, each family should send one person to do the easier jobs that pay more. Everyone should give way to those families that are really in trouble and don't have a pillar of support.
If you are not willing to be trapped in this poor nest for the rest of your life, then go and sign an agreement with the Qiao family.
Don't feel wronged. Don't look at our status and their status. If it weren't for the kindness of the Qiao family, do you think such a thing would happen to people in our village?"
The clan leader asked, "Uncle Jiu, is anyone from your family going?"
"The third kid from the second oldest family and the third oldest want to go and try it together. They are honest and simple-minded, and even a beating of the sticks won't produce a single fart. They meet the requirements, and if the other kids are willing to do so, I won't stop them."
Old Mrs. Zhou was a little dissatisfied: "Why doesn't the workshop want us women? We have plenty of strength."
The village head explained, "It's not that we don't want women. I heard that making paper is all about hard work. Steaming, drying, cutting, and boiling, even young men may not be able to handle it, let alone you old women.
People have said that felling trees, peeling bark, these easier jobs are left to you old ladies and young wives."
The Ninth Master was the first to express his opinion:
"Alright, those who want to do it, hurry up and put your fingerprints on it. If anyone dares to talk nonsense, the Qiao family won't have to intervene. We will take her property and remove her from the family.
I'm not trying to scare you. Didn't the person who went to Laohu Town to inquire about the news a few days ago come back? I heard that the Qiao family not only has a top scholar, but also two sons who are generals. They are too busy to handle it, and they just happened to like the location of our village.
If anyone dares to let it out, it's not a matter of making money, it's a matter of losing your head."
Everyone then understood why the clan leader and the village head had given such serious instructions again and again.
Several maids below were discussing: "So we just want to earn some money to supplement our family income. Isn't it our duty to keep our mouth shut for our master? It would be a shame to take someone's job and smash their pot. If we do something so shameful, it would be a shame."
"That's right. Although we like to gossip in the village, isn't that insignificant? This time is different. At least everyone knows the importance of the matter.
Besides, only if we get things done for others, the next time the Qiao family has something good to offer, they will think of our village first. There are still a bunch of people with different surnames in Laohu Town, and they can work together, so why can't we do it?"
The Ninth Master concluded, "It is said that it is good to lean on a big tree for shade. With the Qiao Mansion as our support, we will be able to make a profit no matter what happens in the future. Those who are short-sighted should think clearly about the benefits of this."
The patriarch almost burned his mouth with the pipe he was smoking.
It seems that his family needs a few more people! Try to get a place in every place.
Lei Lizheng, the Ninth Master, and the clan leader looked at each other and announced that from now on, every family would dig a pond two people high, three feet deep, and six feet wide.
Each family must send at least one person to go out and peel the bark of the elm tree and cut the branches.
The head of the village even joked that those of us who are older cannot open up wasteland or move goods, and are always bothered by people who complain about us and like to nag us. Now it’s time to let our children and grandchildren see that we can still make money when we are old.
Even if they are young, they can run a few more times every day to pick up mulberry branches and help peel the bark. Every pound of bark they can collect is a salary. Then they can ask their parents to buy some meat to supplement their diet and eat more delicious food.
The people sitting here, especially those who were left with only old people or widows and a few children at home, suddenly didn't know what to say when they heard this.
He just thought fiercely in his heart that there was no need for the head of the village to warn them in advance. If anyone dared to do anything to let down the Qiao family, they would be the first to kill him.
How else can they think of the villagers? They are the ones who have always been regarded as a burden by the villagers and the clan, and they can think of giving them food. Why do the Qiao family, who are not related to them, treat them like this?
The Ninth Master suddenly burst into tears.
The clan leader and the head of the village were so frightened that they were at a loss what to do.
"What's wrong with you? Don't scare us."
It's nothing, I just feel that there are too many things that are not satisfactory in this world. When I get old, I can still see the people in Leiwo Village working together as a team, sitting together and working together to make money. This life is worth it.
The Ninth Master was too embarrassed to open his heart to the younger generation and just said with a sob: "If a soldier is a bad soldier, the whole army will be bad. You should stand up well in the future and set an example for everyone!"
"I?"
Lei Li was thinking, haven't I been holding back all the time? Wasn't he the one who always pretended to be a grandson for the villagers in front of the yamen runners in order to collect less taxes?
Even this time, he only registered his son, but he didn't think of taking any of his almost-adult grandsons and three sons-in-law.
When my daughter returns to her parents' home in the future, she will definitely complain that her father is a traitor.
What can we do? He can't abuse his power right from the start.
Believe it or not, if he really went too far, not to mention Madam Qiao stepping in, even if Steward Cao casually let out a word in front of the county magistrate, his position as the head of the village would be over.
"I see. Let's make whatever arrangement is best for us. I'll go talk to Manager Cao once we've discussed it."
The clan leader turned his head and looked at him and said, "We should discuss how to help more people in the village. Starting tomorrow, everyone who has pressed their fingerprints here must gather with me at 5 a.m. You take a group of people to the dock, and I will lead the team to open up new land. Master Jiu, please stay in the village and lead everyone to peel the bark.
Have a good meal at home in the morning, don't go to work on an empty stomach. If you delay other people's work, you will feel guilty about taking the money."
This was all the clan leader could think of. After all, he hadn't found out what was going to be moved at the dock or what the steps were for the workshop, so he couldn't make more detailed arrangements. He would just bring the people to the site and hand them over to the Qiao family's housekeeper, and the rest would not be their responsibility.
The second meeting of Leiwo Village has come to an end.
Small meetings decide big things, and big meetings decide small things. For details, we still need to hold a big meeting to see what the villagers really think.
Several heads of households also knew that each villager had work to do, so once they had discussed it, they did not delay any further and they also wanted to prepare as quickly as possible.
This was a test for the villagers, and it was also a test for them. The quiet Leiwo Village couldn't remember how many years it had been since there was such a joyful event.
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