The one who came in and spoke was the eldest son of the clan leader, whose name was Youtian, but their surname was Wu. Master Wu's full name was Wu Zhixian, and he had a bad life in the first half of his life. He suspected that it was related to his name.
Wu Youtian was so absorbed in his own business that he did not notice that there were guests at home.
When he looked up, he saw a young man with a sage-like appearance standing next to his old father, looking at him with a smile.
He thought the face looked familiar, and after thinking for a while, he was surprised and delighted. He asked uncertainly, "Brother Zhixian?"
Master Wu nodded at him and waved him over!
Wu Youtian immediately put his worries behind him and ran over obediently. Seeing his eldest son's spineless look, the Wu clan leader turned his head away in disdain.
Speaking of which, his eldest son is seven or eight years older than Master Wu. When this nephew sent his brother and his wife back to their hometown for burial, he was only a teenager of seventeen or eighteen years old. Now he hasn't seen them for almost ten years! His eldest son is in his thirties, but he is still as obedient as a little follower when he sees him.
Where did all the arrogance that he usually used to talk back to his old father go?
Wu Youtian was probably eager to meet his brother, so when he got to him, he didn't know what to say. He raised his big, black hand and wanted to pat his brother's shoulder like he did when they were kids, but when he saw his brother's fine and clean clothes, he stopped abruptly, touched the back of his head awkwardly, and chuckled twice.
"Brother Arita, long time no see!"
Wu Youtian suddenly raised his head, his eyes full of surprise: "Brother Zhixian, do you still remember me?"
"Look at what you said. You took care of me like a brother and a father in those years. I can forget anyone but you!"
"Hey, of course, of course!"
The clan leader couldn't stand it any longer and asked, "What were you yelling about just now? Why didn't you say anything after all this time?"
Wu Youtian then remembered what he had forgotten. Thinking that Master Wu was not an outsider, there was nothing he could not tell him about this matter, so he said, "Dad, two of our kilns are broken. The only one left needs to be repaired, otherwise we won't be able to continue firing pottery!"
Chief Wu frowned and asked subconsciously: "It was fine, why did it collapse?"
"It was filled with water from rain in the summer. Although it didn't collapse, there are already cracks inside. Now we fire the kiln once a month. After the water that seeped in dries up, the cave is full of cracks. It has been able to hold up to now, which is the limit. If my family wants to continue firing pottery, we have to raise money to build a kiln again."
When Wu Youtian said this, he felt like a huge rock was pressing on his heart.
Originally, their family relied on the three kilns left by their ancestors to barely support their family, and they lived a life without worries about food and clothing. But in recent years, no one knows why God has gone crazy, and every other day, it has been either drought or flood. It has tortured people to death.
If it were just that, it would be fine, but the taxes were heavy every year, and people were already suffocating. In order to earn more money for the family, her mother, who was over 50 years old, took her daughter-in-law and sister to the mountains to dig herbs. Unfortunately, it was raining that day and the road was slippery, and they fell into the ditch. If there was no one following her, she would have reported to the King of Hell long ago.
Although this man was rescued, it would take a hundred days for his broken bones to heal. Also, due to his old age, his recovery was slow. Until now, he still needs his daughters-in-law and sisters to take care of him carefully. Not only did his health deteriorate, but the family savings were also spent during his treatment.
In order to raise money for mother, my second and third brothers took the initiative to work as long-term laborers in the home of a county landlord. They did whatever job offered high pay. When they came back a few days ago, they were so dark and thin that they were almost unrecognizable.
He and his father took care of the few people in the family. Every month, they fired a kiln of pottery for others and supplied it to the merchants in the southwest to sell. At least they could make a few dollars. Now that this profitable skill is gone, how can he not be anxious?
Master Wu had never expected that the clan leader's family was in such a difficult situation. He felt very upset when he saw the man in front of him, his face was dirty, his clothes were patched, and the straw sandals on his feet were half-broken.
The clan leader's family is the envy of everyone in the village, but what about the other clan members?
Wu Shiye was no longer as high-spirited as when he came back. He wiped his face with his hand and said to the clan leader, "Uncle, are there many men who have left our village?"
"There are many. There is little land in the village, and we can't get enough food by digging in the soil. We are close to Changjiang River, where there are docks and merchants coming and going. There are many people who go out to work as boatmen, porters, and move goods. In addition to those who are doing corvée labor, the only people left in the village are the elderly, women, and children. There are not many men at home.
There is no other way. If we don’t go out to find work, we may not be able to pay the taxes just by relying on the little output from the fields and mountains!”
"I remember that starting this year, the Lord exempted everyone from taxes."
"The imperial taxes have been waived, but not everyone has their own land, and those who rent land still have to pay rent as usual. Our county magistrate is a kind man who seriously implements the policies from above, but the states across from us don't have such a good thing. They still pay everything, and the people above don't care about our lives!"
Master Wu pursed his lips and said nothing. What happened next door was not their business, so they naturally could not cross the line. Even if they wanted to help, they were powerless.
The most important thing right now is to find all the clan members back. It is much more reliable to work for the master at home than to go out and work for those unscrupulous businessmen!
"Uncle, can I ask Brother Arita to help run some errands for the time being? I haven't been back to the village for a long time, and I don't know a lot of things. Can you find out where everyone is working and call them back? We need a lot of people to start the work here."
"Ah, now?"
"Yes, the sooner we start, the better."
Chief Wu was afraid that Master Wu would do something against the master's family in order to help his clan members, so he could not help but advise: "We just bought the mountain and started the construction right away. Aren't you a little impatient? Should we write to the master to discuss it?"
"Don't worry, I'm just a scout. I'll arrange the manpower first. The old lady's people will naturally take over later. We can't be away from the master for a long time. After I leave, there must be someone to take care of the manpower. I think Brother Arita is quite suitable."
"That won't do. I've never managed anyone before, and I'm afraid I won't be able to manage them well and embarrass you!"
Master Wu looked at him with a smile, and his words shocked everyone!
"The Qiao family's local manager gets a salary of at least five taels of silver per month, two sets of clothes for each season, twenty kilograms of rice, and two kilograms of salt. Brother Youtian, are you sure you don't want to fight for it?
Not to mention taking care of lunch for general employees during the day, the monthly salary is at least a few hundred coins, and there are clear rewards and punishments. If you do a good job, you will also receive year-end bonuses, holiday bonuses, and other benefits. You will understand when you start working in the future.
I can’t guarantee anything else, but at least the Qiao family doesn’t allow employees to be beaten or killed at will. ”
ah!!!!
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