"This is entirely voluntary, but I feel these old women won't refuse! As far as I know, a day's hard labor in Changning Town only earns twenty copper coins. Lu Bo's round-trip travel expenses will cost two copper coins. If we eat in town, even the cheapest three steamed buns costing two copper coins, our village farmers would eat six or seven in one meal. So, at least six copper coins will be deducted from our daily expenses."
"In reality, you only get fourteen copper coins. And as far as I know, these laborers don't come every day. Sometimes they go to Changning Town and come back empty-handed. So, not only do they not make any money, but they also lose two copper coins. But it's different here. Taking care of the elderly, for example, preparing three meals a day, can be done in at most an hour a day. And taking care of the elderly requires two people to take turns during the day and at night."
“This job is at least more stable than their job in Changning Town, and it won’t take up too much of their time each day. They can take care of their own fields in their spare time. Cooking will be paid 150 copper coins a month, and taking care of the elderly will be paid 200 copper coins a month. As for the accommodation fee, I think it’s enough to charge a symbolic amount per month. What do you think, village chief?” Jiang Ling patiently explained.
"Hmm...that's a good idea, but where should we build the house?" The village chief thought of another very tricky problem.
“That’s easy. His Majesty just rewarded us with a lot of land. We just need to choose a plot. There are only four elderly people in the early stages, so we don’t need to build too many houses. If we encounter similar problems later, we can just build more!” Jiang Ling said, pointing to the boundless land.
The village chief nodded repeatedly and turned to walk towards Granny Cao's bedroom.
Granny Cao's emotions had gradually calmed down by now. She was talking to Xiao Dao's mother when she saw the village chief and Jiang Ling appear. She hurriedly tried to get up, but the village chief waved his hand and said, "Sister-in-law, you can just lie here in bed. I have something to discuss with you."
Upon hearing that something was amiss, Granny Cao laboriously sat up in bed, blinking her somewhat cloudy eyes as she asked, "Village Chief, what do you need me for?"
"Yes...that's how it is..." The village chief scratched his head, somewhat at a loss. He didn't know how to explain this to Granny Cao, and could only cast a pleading look at Jiang Ling.
Jiang Ling nodded in understanding and walked to Granny Cao's side, saying, "Grandma, don't you get bored being here all alone all the time?"
Granny Cao didn't quite understand what Jiang Ling meant. She nodded somewhat blankly and sighed, "Ah, it's true. Sometimes this old woman of mine gets really bored by herself, and... and if it weren't for Little Knife's mother today, I... I'm afraid... I wouldn't be alive!"
This incident likely touched Granny Cao's heart, and her emotions, which had just calmed down, began to fluctuate again, with two lines of clear tears streaming down her cloudy eyes.
Jiang Ling didn't want things to turn out this way, but seeing Granny Cao crying, she quickly comforted her, "Granny, don't be sad. I have a suggestion, would you like to hear it?"
Granny Cao wiped away her tears, nodded, and choked out, "Go ahead and tell me."
"Grandma, I asked the village chief, and there are currently four elderly people like you in our village. My suggestion is that the four of you live together. Of course, each person will have their own room. If you feel bored, you can choose a double room, which means living with another grandma!"
“Three meals a day will be prepared, and someone will be responsible for checking your physical condition during the day and night. What do you think of my suggestion, Mother-in-law?”
Jiang Ling's words stunned everyone present. Little Knife Girl's expression was particularly interesting; her eyebrows furrowed, and her expression turned serious. After a long while, she tentatively asked, "Sister, I don't quite understand what you mean. Are you suggesting they move to another place? They'll have to pay for their meals, right? It can't be free, can it?"
Little Knife's words also reminded Granny Cao, who was listening in a daze, and she immediately put on a serious expression and said to Jiang Ling, "Jiang, this old woman doesn't have much money. This money is all my savings for my funeral. I'm all alone and rely on midwifery and those few acres of meager land to make a living!"
Jiang Ling knew Cao Pozi's concerns perfectly well, so she explained gently, "Grandma, how is your harvest each time?"
"No... not good. How can an old woman like me have the energy to take care of those few acres of land? After deducting all the exorbitant taxes and levies each year, it's barely enough to eat!" Thinking of this, Granny Cao shook her head sadly.
After hearing this, Jiang Ling asked Granny Cao, "Granny, if, I mean if, someone were to help you take care of your fields, and then you would share the silver according to a certain ratio every autumn harvest, would you mind?"
"This... Jiang, could you explain in more detail? This old woman is getting old and her mind isn't working well!" Granny Cao clearly hadn't heard what Jiang Ling meant, and she looked at Jiang Ling blankly as she asked.
"Let me explain!" the village chief said, patting Jiang Ling on the shoulder.
Jiang Ling nodded and stepped behind the village chief. The village chief then recounted in detail the ideas Jiang Ling had discussed with him to Granny Cao. Granny Cao was clearly tempted by the end, and she nodded and asked, "Then...when can I move in?"
The village chief smiled and said repeatedly, "Sister-in-law, please wait a bit. We'll let you know after we've spoken with the other three elders, okay? If they all agree, then the move-in date will be soon!"
Granny Cao nodded repeatedly, seemingly much more relaxed.
Seeing that Granny Cao had agreed, Jiang Ling and the village chief hurried off to the homes of the other elderly people living alone.
Like Granny Cao, the three old people didn't understand what Jiang Ling meant at first. After Jiang Ling patiently explained, they all nodded in agreement.
The "nursing home" project proceeded smoothly according to Jiang Ling and the village chief's plan.
After talking with the last old man, the village chief notified his grandson, Lu Gousheng, to ring the bell at the village entrance and gather at the Lu family ancestral hall for a meeting.
Upon hearing the bell, everyone walked to the entrance of the Lu Family Ancestral Hall with faces full of curiosity.
At this moment, the Lu Family Ancestral Hall was packed with people.
After the village chief saw that almost everyone had arrived, he coughed lightly and said to everyone, "I have gathered you all here today because I have something to say. I'm sure you all know about Granny Cao's matter."
Hearing this, Old Mrs. Lu's heart skipped a beat. She rolled her eyes and muttered under her breath, "Is such a trivial matter worth holding a meeting about? All I did was not pay her for the consultation!"
The village chief, with his keen ears, glared at Old Lady Lu and continued, "Currently, there are four elderly people living alone in our village. As the saying goes, 'Respect the elderly as you would your own parents; care for the young as you would your own children…'"
"Village chief, what do you mean by 'old' and 'young'?" Wang Laizi interrupted abruptly, yawning.
"This..." The village chief froze, completely forgetting what Jiang Ling had just told him.
He stood there somewhat awkwardly, beads of sweat the size of soybeans gradually appearing on his forehead.
“This means…” Jiang Zhishan stepped out from the crowd.
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