All the bricks had been brought back, and the construction work began in full swing early the next morning.
Qingshui Village has a total of eighty households.
On average, each household has at least two able-bodied men who meet the standards.
Although everyone wanted to come, ultimately, the land is the foundation of a farmer's livelihood, and their main job is still tending the land.
In addition, the county's economy has improved considerably after the autumn harvest, and there has been a fair number of job openings, with some villagers already finding employment in the county.
So there were only about 30 villagers who came to help build the house.
With 40 coins a day and about 30 workers, the daily cost is one tael and two qian.
This amount of money may seem like a lot, but it's actually quite a good deal.
Because the more people there are, the faster houses can be built; the number of people is directly proportional to the time.
Moreover, unlike in modern times, the employers of the Great Sheng Dynasty never provided meals for their helpers, saving a lot of money on food expenses and eliminating the need to cook large meals. This was far more cost-effective than in modern times.
The eldest and second eldest brothers of the Wan family, as well as Wan Feng, also came to help.
Wanfu Wanquan was responsible for overseeing the workers' progress and dividing the work areas.
Wan Feng, who has difficulty walking, helps out from the side and keeps an eye on whether anyone is slacking off.
This is a house! If you're lazy and cut corners, it will cause endless trouble in the future!
Wan Shu gathered the workers around her, took out the blueprints she had drawn, and explained to them the type of house she needed.
Most of the able-bodied men in the village have helped build houses for their families, and occasionally they also do odd jobs building houses for wealthy families. They are all experienced and can learn quickly.
Before long, some people took hoes and others took carrying poles, and they started laying the foundation according to the blueprints given by Wan Shu.
Seeing that they were working in an orderly manner, and with Wan Feng supervising them, Wan Shu went home and got busy.
Nowadays, we raise quite a few chickens, ducks, and geese at home, plus two pigs. Just taking care of these animals takes up a lot of time.
In addition, they now have to deliver goods every day, and making the braised food also takes a lot of time.
Finally, there's lunch.
The Wan family came to help voluntarily without asking for wages, but Wan Shu couldn't very well refuse to pay them in the end. Besides, since it was their own family who came to help, she couldn't just leave them without providing a meal.
Although there aren't many people, and we don't need to cook ten or so pounds of meat every day like we did during the autumn harvest, we still can't be too stingy.
Wan Shu, as usual, stewed a whole pot of braised pork trotters and bones that the butcher had delivered that day.
In addition, after Dazhu finished delivering the goods, he disposed of the chicken, duck and goose offal he brought back.
The owner of Jinzunlou restaurant gave her feedback yesterday, saying that although the sweet and spicy flavor was delicious, it wasn't as spicy as the previous crayfish.
The Great Sheng Dynasty did not have chili peppers, but it did have another spicy plant—the dogwood, and another plant that could bring stimulation—mustard.
Therefore, there were quite a few people in the Great Sheng Dynasty who loved spicy food, and many even thought that the spicier the better.
Wan Shu then asked Da Zhu to buy about fifty catties of chicken, duck, and goose offal to adjust the flavor.
She threw the limbs, neck, and head, along with the bones, into the sweet and spicy brine.
Offal, such as plant organs, is cut into small pieces and made into pickled chicken giblets.
These pickled peppers were made by Wan Shu halfway through.
The flavor is just right now. Mixed with chicken giblets, it's sour and spicy, with a crisp and chewy texture, making it an absolute must-have with rice!
As for food.
Considering there are so many workers here today, and so many eyes and ears, we won't be so extravagant as to make plain white rice.
Instead, they cooked a pot of millet porridge and a pot of mixed grain steamed buns.
"Wuping, it's almost time. Go and call your uncles back for dinner. Also, take these braised duck parts over so everyone can try them and see if there's anything that needs improvement in the taste."
After Wan Shu finished speaking, thinking about Wu Ping's personality and worried that he was too young to handle things alone, she decided to go with him.
After a morning, it was clear that no one had been peeking; everyone was working hard and sweating profusely.
The foundation is already taking shape.
Wan Shu was very satisfied and smiled brightly: "It's lunchtime, everyone stop working. I've braised some offal from chicken, duck and goose, and I plan to sell it in the county town next month. It's a completely new flavor, and I'm a little unsure about it, so I wanted everyone to taste it and see if there's anything that needs improvement."
Everyone knows that Wan Shu was just being polite.
With Wan Shu's culinary skills, why would they need to taste it?
Besides, even if they wanted to try it, they could have let the Wan family members try it; there was no need for so many of them.
Wan Shu was clearly giving them a welcome meal on their first day of work!
Some well-off families, while not providing meals every day, would provide a meal on the first day to encourage their workers to perform better.
Although Wan Shu did not directly invite them to dinner, the villagers, who were not well-off, felt that it was a gesture of great sincerity.
Many villagers were still embarrassed to accept the money: "How can we accept this? We're taking so much of your wages, how can we possibly eat your meat?"
"Exactly! Such a good product should be sold!"
Wan Shu smiled and said, "We didn't make much today, and it's not enough to sell. We're just letting everyone have a taste. It's only for today, so please don't feel bad."
Hearing Wan Shu say this, the villagers stepped forward and each took some braised food.
The villagers rarely get to eat meat, so when they got their share, they didn't want to keep it all to themselves. They all rushed home to cut it up and share it with their families.
Although there wasn't much meat, the workers didn't slack off at all in the following days.
Seeing that the brick and tile house was about to take shape, Wan Shu guessed that Liang Yaozu must be green with envy. She looked at the sky outside; it was just getting dark, the perfect time.
He found Dazhu, who had just returned from fetching water: "Dazhu, we've run out of firewood at home. Go to the foot of the mountain and collect some more so we don't run out of firewood for breakfast tomorrow morning."
The chores at home were all done, and the other four children were playing and resting in the yard. Dazhu looked at his younger siblings playing and didn't feel dissatisfied. Instead, he smiled happily and then carried his basket on his back, took his machete, and went out the door.
Almost as soon as Dazhu stepped out the door, the four little ones, who had been playing happily, immediately looked dejected.
They watched their eldest brother's departing figure with worry.
Er Ya was very worried and asked Wan Shu with a pained look in her eyes, "Mother, do we really have to do this?"
Wan Shu was actually a little reluctant, but in the end she sighed and said, "Your eldest brother is too naive. Only by letting him experience things for himself can he understand how terrible people can be and grow from it."
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