When it comes to money, Bo Na doesn't dare to be greedy yet.
Klavasen carried the heavy money box full of silver coins back to his blacksmith's shop. After a simple count to confirm that the weight was correct, fifty pounds of silver coins were returned to Rurik's money box.
For the time being, all coins are kept at home.
Sitting on so much money, Pona's eyes glowed with gold, and Rurik became more and more worried. Even though his father is the leader, the neighbors near his home are also his father's friends.
The total weight has almost reached 200 pounds of silver coins. Such a huge wealth may even make good people have evil intentions after seeing it.
Rurik is very much looking forward to his father's triumphant return. Until he is fully grown up, only his father's existence can perfectly deter all potential threats and protect his family's wealth.
Of course, there is another way to protect one's wealth, which is to use the power of wealth to build an interest group with hierarchical attributes that can be completely controlled by oneself. In short, it means spreading money and establishing contractual relationships with some people in the tribe.
At that time, the tribesmen will not try to rob their wealth for no reason even if it is for the common interests.
The time is already June 3 of the Julian calendar.
The rainy weather has completely ended, the southerly wind has returned to blow away the moisture, and the muddy roads in Roseburg are quickly drying out.
This is not surprising, because this so-called road has a lot of sand and gravel.
After the rain, the trees began to grow wildly again.
The greatest gift of rain is that it nourishes some vegetables that the Russians barely grow - onions.
Some tribesmen have begun to sell their extra onions, at this price, which is slightly higher than in previous years.
It's not at all because this year's weather is bad. On the contrary, the climate this year is obviously slightly milder.
Just because a large amount of silver flows into Roseburg, silver brings unprecedented impact! Inflation has already occurred in the small society of Roseburg!
The four hundred young warriors who returned generally took advantage of the situation themselves and more or less robbed the Gotlanders of their treasures during the war. Afterwards, at the "Spoils Sharing Conference", everyone got another sum of money.
They have a lot of money at a young age, and their desire to consume has also increased. They first want to satisfy their appetite, so all the fishermen selling their catch take the opportunity to raise prices.
Onions are regarded as a medicinal material by the tribe, and they are also an important source of vitamins. Even if people in this time and space don't know what vitamins are, they still know that eating this thing is indeed good for the body.
Another thing is its spicy taste. The spicy and strong taste stimulation brings happiness to everyone. For this happiness, I will pay more money this year. Is there any problem?
After the rain, the fish market reopens.
From now on, Rurik has to face a sharp increase in fish prices by 20%. He knew that the actions of the fishermen were understandable, and as usual, he still had to give fish and meat to the group of hundreds of young men. For this, he only paid two more silver coins.
A mere two silver coins are only one ten thousandth of his current wealth.
On June 3rd, it was a good thing to have an opinion about Rurik.
He recruited a group of idlers from the tribe a month ago, many of whom were older people whose physical fitness had declined significantly. In fact, the so-called old people are only over fifty years old.
Rurik had learned that it was completely absurd to think of his father as an old man. Father Otto is still strong, and it is amazing that he can still be so young at this age, but the situation for other men of the same age is not good.
Those old men were far less wealthy than the leaders. They originally counted on tribal wars and tribute dividends to continue living a life of poverty.
Now, because the powerful people in the tribe decided to adopt new distribution principles after discussion.
Today's old men either rely on their sons who have started a family or start a business to support themselves, or they use some of their own savings as pension funds. They have already relaxed their attitude towards the rest of their lives and believe that they only have a few years left in their lives.
Everyone believes that it is a miracle of life for a person to live to the age of sixty. As for the high priest Vilia's seventy-three-year-old age, it was indeed a gift from God.
Even if the physical fitness of the old men has become very poor, many of them are now suffering from bone diseases because they were too crazy about paddling when they were young.
After all, they have some skills, such as carpentry.
A group of middle-aged and elderly people have been building houses for Rurik. The two longhouses with wooden floors he ordered have now been completed.
In fact, the two longhouses were completed on June 2, as the last wooden plank on the roof to keep out the rain was fixed.
The two longhouses are located near Rurik's home, and their construction process was a great attempt for the Rus tribe itself.
Because, the two longhouses have a strong Slavic style.
More specifically, the married Peravina put forward her opinions on the style of the building, and Rurik referred to these opinions and relayed them to the carpenters.
Building a house is like building a boat, both are the art of putting together planks and blocks.
The carpenters were digging holes with shovels, and then lowering the hewn oak stakes into the holes. They set up a large number of wooden piles, and later houses began to be built around the wooden piles.
The new longhouse is a kind of stilt-style building. This type of building is very suitable for the Novgorod people living on the lakeside. Is it really suitable for Rossburg?
Eventually two longhouses were built. Its appearance is incompatible with other residential buildings. For example, there are a large number of wooden pillars under the wooden floor, allowing children to walk freely inside. Nowadays, many tribesmen are happy to hang out here, and even walk inside to feel the unique wooden floors and some even stranger wooden platforms.
After basically understanding its structural details, most tribesmen lost interest.
Only a dozen carpenters stayed in place, waiting for Rurik to pay them the wages they had worked for for a full month.
In the morning, Rurik led his own people as usual and conducted a hearty collision training on the dew-covered hillside.
After Rurik received the meat from the sweaty children under his command, he hurried to the construction site with his close followers Fisk and Kanuf as usual.
Today is the day to officially accept the house.
Rurik came, with a small linen bag hanging on his waist, and the jingling sound inside indicated that it was silver coins.
The dozen or so "middle-aged and elderly people" with half-bald hair and beards were sitting idle, but when they saw Rurik's arrival, they all stood up in awe.
They were indeed in awe, not just because they respected Rurik's noble status, but also because this man was here to hand out money today.
Although he had been paying attention to the construction of the longhouses, Rurik stood at the bottom of them and looked up again.
At this time, a so-called "construction captain", who was actually an old shipbuilder who was fifty-five years old, said very respectfully: "Son, come and take a look. We have completely completed the house you want." It’s completely built. It’s our wages…hehe.”
"Of course." With that said, Rurik opened his linen bag in front of a group of men (literally) who gathered around him. He was not busy pulling away the hemp rope and said deliberately: "I will give you the money. How much I will give you depends on my mood."
"So, are you in a good mood? My little master." The old ship repairman was very respectful.
"This requires me to check it myself. I have to go into the house to see the situation."
On the day the house is handed over, the owner inspects the house and reports any problems to the developer. If he disagrees, he will ask for his own losses.
Rurik is certainly not a mean person, and even because he now has money, he is willing to be generous to people he trusts.
There are two longhouses in total, and their specifications are exactly the same.
The area of Roseburg was already relatively cramped. Because of his noble status, Rurik forced himself to build a house near his home. With the support of the leader's father, others had to hold back even if they had objections.
The longhouses stand on wooden stilts, and each one has thirty stikas, which is about thirty meters long.
It can be said that it is a longhouse in the true sense of the word.
Theoretically, it can be built longer, but due to material constraints, the selected beams are made of pine and are thirty stikas long, so the house can only be built this long.
They all have gabled roofs and their internal width reaches eight stikas.
"Let's go, Fisk and Kanuf, come in with me and have a look. I know it's your first time here." Rurik greeted.
Yes, these two were indeed entering for the first time, and their eyes were full of curiosity.
For example, I actually stepped on the floor made of wood.
"My leader, they use wood to make the floor, is that okay?" Kanuf asked in surprise. At the same time, he jumped as hard as he could. "I won't break the floor by jumping like this."
Rurik smirked and shook his head: "You are too light. Do you underestimate the quality of these trees? Look, every piece of wood on the floor can be used as the keel of a fishing boat."
"What you said is very reasonable." The old ship repairman complimented: "For the house you want, I dare not lie in any way. All the wood is carefully selected by us."
Rurik nodded with satisfaction: "I know that you are very serious about your work. I am very happy."
"Ah, you're happy. With this salary, see if you can..." As he said this, the old guy smiled, and his inner anxiety was clearly revealed.
"I'll check it again."
Rurik really wanted to check it out, just because this would be the servants' quarters.
Since it is a dormitory, Rurik had a very clear purpose from the beginning, so the furnishings here are now based on Rurik's understanding of a large public dormitory.
Those wooden platforms inside the longhouse are none other than beds.
Today, the Rus are still Vikings, with basically no Slavic elements. And this longhouse contains some so-called Slavic elements.
The so-called Tsarist Russian subjects often slept on narrow wooden beds, even though such wooden windows made it easy for people to turn over and fall to the ground at night. It is actually a rule set by Peter the Great for soldiers’ dormitories. Firstly, one barracks can accommodate more people, and secondly, the cramped beds force soldiers to obey discipline.
The Tsarist Russian-style bed with a width of only 90 centimeters is really inhumane. The standard set by Rurik for the craftsmen is that the length is two stikas, and the width is one stika plus one hand.
In this way, the width of the bed must reach 110 cm, and an adult will not feel too cramped lying on it.
In order to avoid falling off while sleeping, all wooden platforms also have wooden stakes installed on the edge to act as railings.
He stretched out his hand and caressed it: "It's not bad."
The old ship repairman who followed closely asked hurriedly: "Of course our craftsmanship is good. But, do you really plan to let people sleep on it?"
"What? You think it's inappropriate?" Rurik turned around.
"It feels a little weird."
"No! As long as you try, you will get used to it. Uncle, don't sleep on the ground anymore."
The ship repairman still shook his head: "My child, with all due respect, I can't accept your fantastic idea. Sleeping on this log, I feel like a fish on the board."
Hearing this, Rurik almost laughed.
He finally resisted. Unexpectedly, this old guy was quite humorous and could compare a wooden bed with a chopping board.
Rurik shook his head: "I won't force you, but I will force my servants. I call these wooden platforms beds. I will have a large number of servants sleeping on them. This is a home shared by a large group of people. I hope you won’t be surprised in the future.”
Not surprisingly? That's ridiculous.
There are a total of forty beds in this longhouse, that is, twenty on the left and right rows. It is very normal for forty people to live there. Rurik didn't think this was strange. He felt that the servants' dormitory he built fully drew on the experience of military camp dormitories. It was a big shop, and with more people, the house became more popular. It only relied on the heat dissipation of the human body, which might be a problem during the long winter. The house is naturally warmer.
The specifications of the two longhouses are exactly the same, and there are no other furnishings except a bare wooden bed.
Of course, it is designed with windows. There are five wooden windows on the left and right wooden walls of the huge longhouse.
Since there were no glass windows yet, wooden window panels were propped up with wooden sticks for lighting. Therefore, the room is still relatively dark during the day and can only rely on the dim light of the oil lamp at night.
Anyway, the residents don't have too many requirements for accommodation conditions. As this old guy said, he actually thinks that sleeping alone on the ground is the right thing. Sleeping on a wooden bed can be described as deviant. There must be many tribesmen who have such thoughts.
They may have had suspicions, but after all, Rurik checked all the wooden beds to make sure they didn't cut corners on this key item. To prove its sturdiness and reliability, Rurik ordered Kanuf to climb up and jump on the wooden bed.
"That's right, you still can't crush it." Rurik muttered with satisfaction.
For a moment, Kanuf hurriedly tried his best. He stamped hard, but he still couldn't shake the strong oak board.
The old ship repairman laughed when he saw it: "Forget it, if he can break the planks, we can't have a strong ship."
"So, these wooden boards are also made of ship materials?" Rurik asked curiously.
"It's not just wooden boards!" The old ship repairman stretched out his right hand and pointed everywhere: "Here! And here! There! All the materials can be used to build ships. So, children, for your longhouse, we are here to repair ships. Do it with an attitude. We can all guarantee it is the most solid possible..."
"What's possible?" Rurik asked.
"Even if it snows heavily this winter, the snow will not collapse the roof! Collapse is absolutely impossible. Just like the ships of our tribe can carry an amazing load, the same goes for the houses built by us old guys."
"Okay! I am very willing to believe you, let's go out now."
After all, it's empty here, and there's still a damp feeling in the air. Rurik didn't want to stay long until the place became popular.
Outdoors, the workers who were waiting for the news were almost impatient. Seeing their sponsor appear again, they subconsciously hugged him.
"You all be quiet." Rurik shouted.
"Now, if I give you money, I will give you silver coins as we agreed before." After saying that, Rurik finally opened the linen bag and showed the heavy silver coins inside.
This time, Rurik did bring a lot of silver coins. In fact, before this acceptance, Rurik had been taking time to pay attention to the construction progress of the new house. Whether they were cutting corners or slacking off, if so, Rurik would have known about it a long time ago.
The truth is they're not slacking off.
"You have done a good job. I will give each of you more money. A total of twelve silver coins for each of you. That's it."
This is the case, and this is how Rurik distributes money. Not only did he bring more than one pound of silver coins with him on this trip, but after the distribution, there were actually two coins left. There was no need to hold on to these two coins. He threw them directly to the "foreman", the old ship repairman, as an extra bonus.
Twelve silver coins, even at the current price, would be enough for them to buy fish and eat them for half a year. If they are frugal and rely on this little silver coin to solve their food problem, they can definitely use it until the ice and snow melt the next year.
Some people were holding money in their hands and burst into tears in an instant.
A group of elderly people cried with joy, which also attracted the attention and discussion of some tribesmen.
Rurik had no intention of comforting them, so just cry if you should.
When their mood improved a little, Rurik said loudly: "You all gather here. Hurry!"
They came one after another, and at this time Rurik also made an important decision: "Uncles, don't think that you are satisfied with just a few silver coins. I will provide you with another opportunity to make money."
"What?!" the ship repairman asked urgently.
"Build me another house. The style remains the same, but the house is smaller. I will make it my new home. You don't know very well. In fact, I...I don't like sleeping on the ground. Please keep the house in good condition as soon as possible. If the quantity is good, money is not an issue. I think it is comfortable to live in. Maybe I feel comfortable. I will give you an extra twenty silver coins."
Rurik said this without thinking, he just promised "twenty silver coins".
These people believed it, and their eyes were full of fighting spirit.
There was work again, and these old bones cheered up.
The old ship repairman had no intention of taking a break, so he straightened his face and said with firm eyes: "We can start now, start planning a foundation now."
"Okay. If you have any other requests, tell me now. If you have any difficulties, I will help you solve them."
"There is a problem." said the old shipwright.
"What is it?"
"It's a matter of location. I hope your decision won't arouse opposition from other tribesmen. You know, the current situation in Fort Ross. Our home is really a little cramped."
What he said made sense, and Rurik didn't think this was a problem at all. He said: "I can solve all the objections with money. As for you, I want a relatively square wooden house that is ten stikas long and eight stikas wide. Remember, you use a scraper to process the wood well. If the floor is flat enough, I will pay you more."
They put the silver coins into their pockets one after another, and without any intention of taking a break, they immediately, under Rurik's order, selected a flat land covered with weeds and gravel as the foundation of the new house.
After all, they are all shipbuilding craftsmen, and naturally they are experienced carpenters, but they are no longer as good as they were when they were young.
However, the tools they used to build ships and repair ships were of vital use in building houses.
As the sun set on June 3, they were already on the wasteland mountain, using a rope ruler (just some hemp rope, with a knot for each stika length) to complete the foundation measurement.
As for cutting down oak or pine trees to make wooden piles, or even joining together wooden floors and wooden walls, these are all things that will happen in the future!
Rurik started building construction again, and Harozov, who was still the "war leader", had to figure out what the leader's son wanted to do. It seems that there is another major construction project.
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Chapter 167 The era of sleeping on the ground is over
