It's no wonder these people can't believe it; these days, farmers have never found such good day laborers.
Generally speaking, doing manual labor, with one meal provided but no lodging, and earning fifteen or twenty coins a day is considered normal.
It's not that these wealthy families are really that stingy; with several intermediaries involved, very little money actually reaches the rightful recipients.
So, with room and board included and a 50-cent bonus, it was like a windfall, almost unbelievable.
The house used to house the road construction workers was quite large, originally containing nearly a hundred rooms of various sizes. To accommodate these people, the rooms were partitioned off, resulting in even more rooms.
Ten people share a large dormitory room. Although the conditions aren't particularly good, everyone was fairly satisfied after touring the room. It was just a temporary place to sleep, and since these people weren't too picky, they were all quite content.
As for food, they were even more content since they never had white flour buns or meat and vegetables at every meal.
After checking out the accommodations, almost everyone went home. After all, it was a good job, but it seemed like they would be doing it for a long time, so they should tell their families first.
This matter wasn't a big deal, but it wasn't insignificant either. It circulated among ordinary people in the capital for a while, but the word only reached ordinary people, so it didn't initially cause much of a stir in the capital.
The repairs will begin soon. The roads will be repaired one by one. After all, they're all being repaired, and we can't let the people of the capital stop walking.
The recruitment didn't cause much of a stir, but as the road was gradually built up, it attracted the attention of many families.
What's going on up ahead?
"Madam Hui, there is road construction ahead, you will have to take a detour."
A puzzled voice came from inside the carriage: "Road repairs? I remember this road was perfectly fine, why are they suddenly repairing it?"
"This servant doesn't know either. Perhaps this servant should go and inquire."
"You might as well go and ask."
The lady in the carriage wasn't looking for trouble. Her husband worked in the Ministry of Works, and road repairs should have been the Ministry's job, but she hadn't heard anything about it. That's why she sent someone to inquire about the details.
"Yes, madam."
The driver of the carriage went down to inquire and returned after a while to report: "Madam, I have found out that Her Majesty the Empress paid for the road herself and did not use the Ministry of Revenue's account, so she did not have the Ministry of Works come to repair it."
The lady was taken aback: "The Empress herself paid for the road repairs?"
This sounds like something out of a lie.
"I remember this road was fine, why waste money to repair it again?"
She had half a sentence left unsaid: "Isn't this just wasting money for no reason?"
Everyone in the capital knows that the Empress's shops after the New Year are money-devouring beasts, and she's envious of them too!
"I heard that this is a cement road, but I can't find out the specifics."
"Alright, let's take a detour!"
The more the road is repaired, the more people know about it. By the time the road was under construction before the New Year, almost everyone in the capital knew that the Empress herself had paid for the cement road to be repaired and that it was still under construction!
"Lord Chen, have you heard about Her Majesty the Empress's road construction project?"
"Everyone knows this, why are you asking?"
"It's not out of curiosity. The Empress is quite generous. I've heard all about it. She's been planning to repair several major thoroughfares in the capital. Ordinary people can't do something so big. I've only ever heard that the Empress's shops are profitable, especially the glass shop. Now it seems they really are!"
If it weren't profitable, I wouldn't dare to build roads myself!
You have to understand that road construction is no small project, and Beijing is no small city either. The money spent on this project is enough to make many people envious.
"What you're saying, Lord Cheng, is interesting. No matter how rich you are, it belongs to the Empress and is protected by His Majesty. Don't say things that would upset the Empress. If someone hears this and tells the Empress, you'll be in for a rough time."
"Lord Chen, you're scaring me again, aren't you? I was just wondering and said a few words casually. I wasn't trying to make fun of Her Majesty the Empress. If Her Majesty wanted to repair the road, she could have just asked our Ministry of Works. Why did she find people to start repairing it herself? I heard that she only hired farmers. These people don't have any experience. Instead of using the people in our Ministry of Works, it's like the Ministry of Works is full of people who just sit around doing nothing."
After Lord Cheng finished speaking, Lord Chen was somewhat unwilling to pay him any more attention.
What does that mean?
The Empress herself paid for the road repairs, but this guy still wanted to eat the Empress's money. How come he never dies from overeating!
"Lord Chen, Her Majesty the Empress has her reasons for doing this. Besides, the Ministry of Works is busy right now, and no one is saying that the Ministry of Works is just sitting around doing nothing. Lord Chen, please don't worry about it. By the way, I have some other things to attend to, so I won't talk to you any longer. We can talk again when we have time."
After saying that, Lord Cheng left, leaving Lord Chen standing there, looking unhappy.
Lord Chen watched Lord Cheng's retreating figure disappear, spat, and then said, "What hypocrites! What kind of people are they! They're a disgrace."
It is said that there are all kinds of birds in a big forest. Even officials who have passed the imperial examinations are of mixed quality. This Lord Chen is obviously one of those good-for-nothings.
Even ordinary wealthy families have their own set of tricks when it comes to hiring workers. Road construction is a major project, and there are many intricacies involved.
Lord Chen failed to strike up a conversation with Lord Cheng, but soon he struck up a conversation with Lord Fang. The two found common ground and shared some similar views on the matter.
However, the two were just two junior officials in the Ministry of Works, and they were only complaining. They didn't have the ability to actually make money off the Empress.
Before we knew it, the New Year had arrived.
This year's New Year was not significantly different from previous years; the customs and traditions were just as complicated. After the New Year, it's a new year, like a fresh start.
During the first month of the lunar calendar, there weren't many people on the streets. The roads were still under repair. Before the fifteenth day of the first month, those who were willing to come and repair the roads would be paid three times their normal wage. Those who wanted to stay home for the festival could stay home as well. There were no restrictions on this, but most people were willing to stay and repair the roads. After all, the pay was too high, and it would be too painful to refuse them.
So most people came back after the New Year.
Part of the road has been repaired, and only now do the people of the capital realize why the road needed to be rebuilt.
As the imperial capital, Beijing has some of the best roads in the country. However, you can't tell the difference on a sunny day, but on a rainy day, the mud and water on the roads make them not much different from dirt roads.
Now that the cement road has been built, after a rain, people walk on the clean and tidy road surface and finally realize the benefits of cement.
Sure enough, before the road was even fully repaired, the major teahouses in the capital began praising Empress Youqing, and her reputation soared overnight.
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