Zhu Biao stood aside and watched the bargaining between the two parties, finding it very interesting.
In his impression, when businessmen are looking for people to work, they usually give them as much money as they want, and there are many people rushing to do it.
In order to prevent themselves from suffering a loss, people who work will form a gang to raise the price together, or even increase the price in the middle of the work.
As time went by, businessmen avoided them and they continued to cause trouble.
Everything is gone now, the Convenience Department is in charge of management, and no one dares to cause trouble here.
Seeing that someone else agreed to a wage of forty cents a day, he turned to talk to the head of the village: "The wages have increased a lot now?"
"The more stable people's lives are, the better the economic development will be. Since Taiping Prefecture started to diversify crops last year, fewer people came out to work.
It belongs to the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. Many goods were loaded and unloaded there. The imperial court started mining again, and a large number of workers entered the mining area.
Nanjing is the political, economic and cultural center. The palace in the imperial city is under construction, and the factory outside Xiaqiu Village also needs manpower.
Coupled with the construction of the canal, the number of ships coming and going has increased, and the number of manpower has decreased. It will naturally be expensive to find people to work here. "
The head of the village explained the current situation to the prince, and Zhu Ping followed and listened. He understood that this is called the relationship between supply and demand.
Zhu Biao thought for a moment: "Did the road guide restrict people from further away from working here?"
“There are no restrictions on the roads, and many people open roads in the name of visiting relatives and go to Nanjing to work.
There are hard-working people in the north who leave home for Nanjing after harvesting rice. Some people don't go back during the New Year. They take the money back home to work when the rice is about to be planted.
This is called the migrant population, which competes with the local resident population for jobs and at the same time makes up for the shortage of local migrant workers.
Otherwise, that businessman, even with sixty cents, wouldn't be able to recruit anyone to go out with him to carry goods. Look at that group of people. "
The chief said, pointing to a place where there were fifty or sixty people, but they were not very old.
Zhu Biao and Zhu Ping looked over at the long fingers. The younger ones were fourteen or fifteen years old and the older ones were in their twenties, but they looked puzzled.
The head of the village said: "They came from a county outside and got in touch with each other. They all belong to families with a small land and a large number of people, and they are not married yet."
"Zhu Lichang, how can you tell?" Zhu Feng didn't notice any difference between those people and others.
“Everyone who works is shirtless. Wearing clothes when carrying things is afraid of wearing them out, and carrying clothes is in the way.
Everyone wears shorts with trouser legs above the ankles, a cloth or hemp rope tied around the waist, and nothing on the upper body.
There were marks on the backs of that group of people, marks left by sleeping on straw mats. Sometimes when it rained, they couldn't sleep directly on the ground.
And if you sleep directly on the ground, you will catch a cold. They usually sleep in temples and temples without going in. They put their luggage inside and go out to work. "
The director also said that in detail, it is difficult to identify in winter, when people cover themselves with quilts.
"In this way, it can be regarded as being able to subsidize the family, which is good." Zhu Biao nodded, thinking that people from other places are diligent.
Li Changque shook his head: "If they are not guided correctly, they will slowly learn bad things. Nanjing is too prosperous, especially along the Qinhuai River.
There is no one to care about them outside, they also want to eat meat, and they are equally tempted when they see beautiful women.
Even if someone plans to save the money and take it home, people from the same place will trick him into taking it away. "
Zhu Biao and Zhu Xi looked surprised at the same time. The group of people...
"What should we do?" Zhu Biao didn't want the people in front of him to take the path that Li Chang said. They were all people of the Ming Dynasty.
“When the workshops outside Xiaqiu Village are built, they will be able to accommodate 3,000 to 4,000 people, centrally manage and dispatch them, and find people to teach them.
The wages are stuck and not given to them, but free food and accommodation are provided. For those who want to go home, arrange for someone to send them back with their wages. It is best to have someone from the Yamen go with them.
Their people and money are safe, they can learn some words and arithmetic, and they want to work again next year. "
The head of the village told Xiaqiu Village's arrangements to solve the problem of three to four thousand migrant workers.
But Zhu Biao shook his head: "No, Chief Zhu Li, that's not the case. Think again? Or ask someone to ask. We need a way to deal with all outsiders."
Zhu Biao didn't care about the problem of the three or four thousand people at all. He wanted to get a more comprehensive solution from Xiaqiu Village.
The head of the village nodded: "Yes, yes, you shouldn't only consider part of it, but... it is very troublesome to check the road guides, unless... well... the court allows various places to open road guides for work.
For example, if you only go to Nanjing now, you can use the road guide to go to Nanjing, but you are not allowed to go to other places.
In this way, after they come here, it will be easier for the Yingtian Mansion government to manage them, because they have agreed to come to work.
A house was built further away from the Qinhuai River for them to live in. The government paid the rent in advance and returned it to the Yamen after they made money. "
The head of the village did it on purpose, otherwise he would have said this directly. He had to downplay how many people were admitted to Xiaqiu Village.
Zhu Biao nodded and thought this was normal. How could an expert kill three or four thousand people?
Zhu Ming said from the side: "That's not right, Chief Zhu Li. It's still wrong. Set aside an area. Who will build the house? Who will collect the rent? Who will take care of it? What will they do after that? They eat, drink, and defecate. It's too chaotic."
As promised, if you raise a problem, it will be solved. You haven't solved it all. Think again. Mr. Zhu Lichang, I believe you. "
"Uh... I'll submit a question book later?" The director put his hand into his arms, then took it out after hesitation.
"Okay!" Zhu Xi said yes.
Zhu Biao: "..."
He bet that Zhu Lichang had a book of questions in his arms, which he had written long ago, but he just wouldn't take it out to read now.
"Let's look at the convenience department first." The director reminded that we are not here to read the question book, although I copied it from Hanhan yesterday and learned a lot of knowledge temporarily.
Zhu Biao understood, yes, let's look at the convenience store. He walked into the hall where merchants were buying, and there were all buying messages inside.
The businessmen were sitting there drinking tea and eating snacks. Some stood up and looked at the papers posted on the display boards on the wall. Some asked the service staff, and some were registering information.
Zhu Wentian always stays by Zhu Biao's side, so there can be no problem.
Zhu Biao put his hands behind his back and looked at a display board on the wall. There were few people here.
After watching it, he realized why there were so few people. You have to buy soap as much as you are told.
There are twelve pieces of paper pasted on a display board, all for buying soap.
Zhu Biao knew that they could not buy it. Most of the soap in the palace was exported, and then the workshop had to make soap for the soldiers to take with them.
Two hundred thousand troops, if they go out once, they should buy at least one million pieces of soap to avoid getting sick from minor wounds and eating.
The palace also had to stockpile soap to bring to the soldiers during the next war.
Thousands of bars of soap are occasionally put on the market, but no one person is allowed to buy more than five.
Another village, Xiaqiu, which has technology and production capabilities, only provides a small part of the brothel-cum-restaurant establishments of Fuhua House and Qinhuai River.
Zhu Biao left the display board and went to look at it where there were fewer people.
"Purchasing honey? Are they all honey collectors? Is there any honey now?" Zhu Biao turned to ask Hanhan.
Zhu Wentian: "..."
(End of chapter)
