After the two finally calmed down, Nanxing came to report that everything in the kitchen was ready and they could eat at any time.
After the group had seen enough of the main courtyard, they went to the restaurant to eat and chat.
Xie Yushu couldn't inquire about Han Zhongyu's affairs, but she heard Han Zhongyu say a few words: the construction of the villa had boosted many nearby industries, including vendors selling vegetables and food, snacks, talismans for patients seeking medical treatment, Buddhist beads and bracelets, professional stretcher bearers, and fortune tellers.
All sorts of side hustles, both expected and unexpected, have emerged, significantly improving people's living standards—a world of difference compared to last year.
In addition, Xie Yushu was also concerned about the situation of Xie Tianqi and Liu Qiang.
I remember when she left, the group was preparing to open a steamed bun shop.
Xie Tianqi's eyes lit up when this was mentioned.
"Sister, our shop is really popular now. There aren't enough seats inside, so we built two more storefronts outside and added twenty-four more tables."
They also hired a cook and three waiters, and they could earn a net profit of four or five taels of silver every day.
The amount exceeded 120 taels in the last two months, and with the addition of the union, each of us received 50 taels of silver!
Thanks to you for lending us money so we could buy the land first, your estate has developed so much that there are so many people coming to Tai'an Prefecture to buy goods, seek medical treatment, and barter. The land in our area has tripled in value!
Several new snack shops have opened on the dock.
There are vendors selling wontons and dumplings, hand-pulled noodles, mutton soup with fried dough sticks, sesame flatbreads, roast chicken and duck, and braised meat. Go check it out again, it'll be bustling with activity.
Xie Yushu was genuinely happy to hear that they had made money, and instructed Xie Tianqi and the others to proceed cautiously and stabilize their existing business.
When it comes to labor unions, one has to ask Liu Qiang about them: how is this labor union? Is it easy to manage?
Liu Qiang has clearly grown into a powerful gang leader.
Although he was dressed in official robes, his every move exuded a more domineering aura, and his eyes were even more ruthless. However, since everyone present was either his own brothers or his superiors, he remained low-key, especially when speaking to Xie Yushu, his tone dropping by half.
"Following your instructions, we recruited sixty or seventy people in succession after the start of spring. Later, the Yan envoy came here to pick up glass, and from then on, the glass became famous. Then the Wen family came to pick up goods, and later, retailers from all over the country flocked over. We suddenly didn't have enough people, so we recruited another batch. Now we have more than two hundred people."
The standard price for loading and unloading a truckload of goods is eighteen copper coins. Our union takes three copper coins, leaving the workers with fifteen. If they are lucky, they can load and unload four or five truckloads a day. If they are unlucky, they are guaranteed to work on one truckload. Now, many people are scrambling to join!
However, it's enough for now, so we haven't been recruiting any more these days.
Your method really worked. Not only did it prevent fights, but it also guaranteed their income. On average, those brothers could earn one to two taels of silver per month.
Their monthly salary is higher than ours, and they're all completely devoted to the trade union.
Xie Yushu nodded in agreement.
"I knew you had the talent, you did a great job, congratulations!"
Come on, let's have a drink!
Xie Yushu raised her glass and downed it in one gulp. Liu Qiang's cold and stern face couldn't help but soften with a smile, and his eyes became much gentler.
Although he made it sound easy, managing such a large operation was no easy task. Without some thought and skill, how could he keep these people in check? But to receive a word of praise from Xie Yushu, all the hardships he had endured were worth it!
After finishing her drink, Xie Yushu asked Liu Nan and Liu Bei how they were doing lately.
In comparison, they had it much easier than Xie Tianqi and the others in the Ministry of Water Resources. When there were cases, they would run errands and investigate. When there were no cases, they would go to and from the office on time. In the evenings or on their days off, they would also go to Xie Tianqi's steamed bun shop to lend a hand.
The brothers worked together with a common goal, and the results were quite impressive.
Now, Liu Nan, Liu Bei, Xie Tianqi, and Xie Tianming have used their dividends from the past six months to buy a small courtyard house in the north of the city. Their courtyard houses are not far from each other, and they are just ordinary-sized courtyard houses. They spent thirty-five taels of silver to buy them and then renovated them themselves. Now they can be considered as people who own property in Tai'an Prefecture!
Xie Yushu really didn't expect these people to buy the house so quickly, but it's good that they bought it. They earned it themselves, so they can probably live there more peacefully!
So I simply raised a glass to them to celebrate their homeownership.
Liu Qiang and Liu Xiaodong, on the other hand, haven't made any moves yet. Liu Qiang is acting strangely, while Liu Xiaodong bluntly stated that he doesn't like the north of the city and doesn't want to get married so soon; he'll enjoy himself for a few years first.
When it came to getting married, Xie Yushu suddenly remembered that people here generally get married young. Why did Xie Tianqi and Xie Tianming buy a house in such a hurry? Was there something going on?
Seeing Xie Yushu scrutinizing them both, Xie Tianqi immediately said...
"I'm not in a hurry to get married. I just happened to find a suitable one, so I bought one with Liu Nan and the others!"
However, Liu Nan already has a girl he likes, and Xie Tianming has also set his sights on one.
Xie Tianqi had barely finished speaking when Xie Tianming kicked her.
"Use your debt? I haven't decided yet!"
Seeing Xie Tianming blush deeply, Xie Yushu couldn't help but laugh.
"What's there to be embarrassed about? Men should marry when they're of age and women should marry when they're of age. We'll bring Grandma, my parents, and my second uncle to stay with us for a while. If you take a fancy to someone, we'll have my second uncle and the others ask the girl. If both of them are willing, then we can settle down!"
Xie Tianqi nodded in agreement.
"Exactly, what's there to be embarrassed about! Why are you acting all coy?"
Xie Tianming blushed even more at these words.
The group ate and chatted, and time flew by. When they had finished talking, Xie Yushu asked Nanxing and Chunyu to give each of them a portion of the Kyoto specialties and fabrics that had been divided up.
So soon everyone present received a large bundle.
Apart from Han Zhongyu.
Xie Yushu subconsciously assumed that Han Zhongyu, a native of Kyoto, wouldn't care about these things, so she simply ignored them. Now that she saw them, she suddenly felt a little embarrassed.
Han Zhongyu finally broke down, as if he could hear his own heart breaking. Xie Yushu had shown concern for everyone but him, and hadn't even given him a gift. His sincere feelings had ultimately been misplaced!
Feeling increasingly aggrieved, Han Zhongyu looked at Xie Yushu and resentfully reached out his hand.
"What about mine?"
"Um... I thought these weren't anything special to you!"
"So, what about mine?"
Xie Yushu's imposing aura inexplicably diminished.
"I haven't found a suitable gift for you yet. How about I make it up to you later?"
"Then remember this. You owe me a gift."
"Okay, I'll definitely make it up to you later."
Lord Han then stopped giving Xie Yushu a reproachful look and let her go.
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