The clan leader and his son felt that their throats were blocked, and an acidic substance rushed upward from the blocked area, rushing to their cheeks, nostrils and the bottom of their eyes.
"My dear nephew, is this true?"
Master Wu nodded and said, "The Qiao family also has a kiln on their farm. What I just said is the treatment of the workers in the kiln. As for us, we have to wait for the old lady to see it in person before making a decision. There is one thing you can rest assured, as long as we work hard, the old lady will not treat us unfairly. Especially for someone as capable as you."
Patriarch Wu felt extremely relieved after hearing this!
Wu Youtian was stunned by Master Wu's words that he could compete for the position of manager: "I...can I really give it a try?"
Master Wu looked him in the eye and said with certainty: "Given your literacy and superb pottery-making skills, you may be able to get double the wages!"
"Nephew, what do you mean?"
"Uncle, if you don't mind, you can also go to the Qiao family workshop and work as a master craftsman. Ten taels of silver a month is the minimum income. If you can make something new, the reward will be even more!"
"Will this old lady not allow us to make our own pottery in the future?"
"Of course not, but their factory is probably quite large, and we may not be able to compete with them."
This kind of thing that destroys people's jobs is usually hated, but Qiao Xin clearly stipulated that half of the low-level craftsmen must be recruited locally. Although there is a risk of marginalizing the locals, in this era, how can businessmen compete with officials?
As long as he has three strong sons who can stand firm against the wind, it would be a piece of cake to deal with those greedy people!
.......
Within three days, Wu Youtian had gathered all the clansmen who were scattered outside, and there were only two places that went to the county to perform labor service and work!
One reason is that the family cannot afford the money, so whoever's turn it is will actually send someone to do the work.
The work here is relatively easy. After all, it is free work. If they get too close and someone dies, the supervisors will have a hard time reporting to their superiors. Especially this year, a prefect who enforces the law strictly came.
As there was a shortage of people everywhere in Yuncheng, they arbitrarily beat and killed people. Once they were found out, they would be dismissed from their posts, compensated and imprisoned, or even exiled thousands of miles away.
Another difference is that the work assigned here is dirty and tiring, and the people who do these jobs are those who have assets but are unwilling to perform labor service themselves, so they hire people from the countryside who are short of money to do it.
As long as the wages are high, many people will rush to do the job, even if it means mining in the mountains, building city walls for the government, or repairing tombs for rich people, and being away for a year or two. As long as the money is paid to the family in advance, people will flock to do it, even if it means being away for a year or two.
The Wu brothers had originally planned to sign up, but were sternly rejected by the Wu clan leader, who only allowed them to find work near the county town and not to work far away.
Wu Youdi was squatting in the shed thinking with his younger brother Wu Youcai. They had just finished the work at hand. The two brothers helped to clear the ditch and earned more than three taels of silver.
Should I be a boatman for a while? I heard that there are many large boats in the lower reaches of Changhe River recently. I am preparing to go southwest. Passing by their section, it needs human towing to get through.
As the river bank was steep and the road was difficult to travel, each person was willing to give five taels and two cents of silver for the journey of more than a hundred miles.
Wu Youcai was a small but courageous man. He urged his brother, "Brother, I'm interested. Let's sign up. If we miss this opportunity, we'll miss it. There are more and more people looking for work now. Let's work for another month and then go back. This way, we can save enough money for mother's medicine for half a year. We can also buy materials to repair the kiln at home. Maybe we can even buy two acres of land."
Wu Youdi was very tempted, but when he thought of his father's words, he shook his head.
"My father will beat me to death if he finds out. This job is not easy, so I'd better not do it."
Wu Youcai was reluctant to give up. These days he was not afraid of hardship, but he was afraid of suffering without getting any money.
When the two brothers turned their heads away, a supervisor came in and shouted, "Who is Wu Youcai, Wu Youdi? Someone is looking for you!"
As soon as the two brothers came out, they saw their eldest brother walking back and forth not far away!
But the brothers' hearts skipped a beat, and they hurried forward and asked, "Brother, why are you here? Did something happen at home?"
"I have something to talk to you about. Where are the others? Let's look for them together. Don't worry, it's not a bad thing!"
"What's going on? Why do we have to call everyone together?" Wu Youcai was an impatient person and he wanted to get to the bottom of it.
"Good news! Brother Zhixian is back. He is going to build a factory and kiln for his boss in Hutian, west of our town, which will be used to make porcelain and pottery. Doesn't this require help? It is better to use the familiar than the new. He plans to recruit people from our clan first, and then find others if there are not enough. He wants to pay wages and provide lunch. That's why my father asked me to come here without stopping to tell everyone to go back!"
Wu Youcai said what he really thought: "Brother Zhixian, are you talking about the brother Zhixian who lived in our house for three years and then left without saying goodbye?"
"Third brother, don't talk nonsense. He paid us money at that time. He didn't eat and drink for free. He also said goodbye to my father before leaving. It's just that you are young and don't know! Now he is a popular person around the prefect, so you have to be rude to him."
"Zhizhou? Is it the Zhizhou in Yuncheng?"
"Well, I don't know the details, don't ask, go and call someone!"
........
Master Wu brought his clansmen to his hometown to look after Qiao Xin, but Qiao Xin was comforting her hurt granddaughter at home!
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