In the afternoon, one hundred and forty students returned to the library in a daze. Many people sat down in their own places and giggled.
The students who didn't go out yesterday looked puzzled and went over to ask.
"Brother Zhang, are you... tired?" one person asked the classmate named Zhang.
The two people next to him also looked concerned. They had heard that millions of sacks were used to reinforce and raise the river embankment yesterday.
The people who worked were simply too tired to come back at night. I didn’t see any classmates who went out this morning or noon. They...
"Tired?" Zhang, who had been looking at a cat lying outside in the sun, slowly turned his head and looked at the person who asked the question: "Hey! Hey hey hey!"
"Brother Zhang, just wait, I'll call the doctor for you right away." The person next to him was anxious.
"What are you calling a doctor? We're fine! Hey hey hey! Do you know where we had lunch today and who we had it with?"
Classmate Zhang's smile now was similar to that of Zhu Wentian when he saw people.
"Where to eat? Where else can you eat? His Highness can't be the one to invite you to dinner!" The person who asked the question first looked disdainful.
"Brother Song, please tell me that 10,000 taels of silver will fall from the sky. Tell me quickly." Classmate Zhang looked at him in surprise.
"Come on! You only care about ten thousand taels of silver, and you asked me to tell you before."
The student who said he wanted to go to Xiaqiu Village and meet the prince spoke out.
He said to the classmates who gathered around him: "Let's go to Xiaqiu Village first, take a shower, change the clothes we are wearing now, and then spray perfume.
Afterwards, we entered through Chaoyang Gate and arrived outside Donghua Gate. His Royal Highness was waiting there. He said that we had worked hard and gave us a banquet.
We had barbecue, including fresh scallops, clams, oysters, and prawns, and each person drank a bowl of ice-cold rice wine.
That's the prince! Finally we met, who are we working for? oops! "
The people who gathered around looked surprised and yearning for a moment, wishing that they were the ones who got tired from going out last night.
Just run out to do some work, how can you still see the prince and have dinner with him?
"How far is His Royal Highness from you? Can you see clearly?" someone asked.
"You can see it after more than ten steps! His Royal Highness is very good looking!" replied the person who was going.
"I don't believe it. His Royal Highness is so noble. He is more than ten steps away, and there are guards in the middle. What do you think?"
"Where are the guards? There are only children from Xiaqiu Village. Please be polite when meeting people from Xiaqiu Village in the future! They can see the prince every day."
"I've always been polite. They provided us with food, accommodation and food."
"I have to go back, the kids are waking up soon."
"I want to read a book."
"When I go to bed, my whole body aches. I was exhausted yesterday."
"That's right, go to bed, we have to take care of the kids again tomorrow."
The inspired students immediately ran back to do their own things, fearing that they would fall behind and be eliminated.
…
The students have returned to their original rhythm of life, but the embankment reinforcement of the Qinhuai River has not ended.
The construction of the Rouge River made it easier to travel, but it also caused the Qinhuai River to bear more water.
More people went to the Qinhuai River to load sand and gravel, ready to deal with possible dangers at any time.
The large number of people placed there caused a shortage of manpower in Yingtianfu's labor market, and labor prices rose.
On the morning of May 18th, Zhu Yuanzhang held a court meeting, and a group of ministers entered the palace under the leadership of You Cheng.
After the simple courtesy, Zhu Yuanzhang began to ask: "Today, the water in the Qinhuai River surges due to rain. Yingtianfu is busy with business and there is not enough labor. What should we do?"
The ministers looked at each other, and Yang Xunwen, the Minister of Household Affairs, came out and said: "Your Majesty, those who have not served this year will be recruited to build the river embankment. This is easy."
The others nodded slightly, yes, they called laborers. They didn't seem to be used much this year.
Zhu Yuanzhang glanced at Yang Xunwen: "Now the price of labor is expensive, but the labor deduction is cheap. Whenever labor is called for, he must pay for it."
When everyone hears it, it makes sense, it is indeed the case!
In the past, people could not afford money. Calculated based on the acres of land owned by a person, if one acre of land did not work in vain for thirty days, they would only need two liters and five tons of grain.
Ten acres of land costs two bushels and five liters. How much does two bushels and five liters of grain cost? How much does it cost to go out and work for thirty days?
The result is that everyone pays for food and then works to make money. Food prices cannot rise so fast, otherwise the court will not agree.
For example, Taiping Prefecture and Ningguo Prefecture are currently farming twice a year, so people don’t come out to make trouble!
Isn’t it just food? Give! No problem if you double it.
In thirty days, I raised chickens at home, grew vegetables, and looked for herbs to sell, and I had already earned back the money I had earned from serving.
Then it can only be a tenant. If the tenant's lease is not over, he must work for the owner's family, and the landowner will get one stone of food.
However, this year many tenant farmers have stopped working and are looking for work.
Landowners have no choice but to pay extra money to hire people to farm the land. Like Xiaqiu Village, they cannot farm it themselves.
An Ran, the Minister of Industry, stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, the only way we can do this is to hire people with money from the imperial court, and then..."
He couldn't talk anymore, and then it became what it is now. The merchants couldn't find the manpower and had to pay more.
As for people employed by the court, they find that others have more money, so they don't want to do it themselves.
Others are outside, earning fifty cents a day, and they listen to the court and earn thirty cents a day. Why?
"Wang Qing?" Zhu Yuanzhang called his name.
Wang Guangyang looked helpless: "Your Majesty, didn't Xiaqiu Village have an idea to send out labor guides outside and build a migrant settlement on the south bank of the Qinhuai River?
I see that the repairs there are almost done, so why not ask local governments to organize people to come here to make money.
As long as the number of people increases, the price of migrant workers will naturally decrease. Shandong soybeans have been planted, and it is expected that many people will be recruited in the future. "
He was helpless because Xiaqiu Village had already provided solutions, but he had been waiting for the houses where migrant workers lived to be repaired.
This was something that the civil servants of the Manchu Dynasty were unwilling to mention, as it seemed that they were incompetent.
The masters in Xiaqiu Village always arrange things one step, or even several steps ahead.
When that time comes, you will find that your calculations were too accurate.
"In this case, you gentlemen should make arrangements quickly, from near to far, and those who can come first, don't make any confusion."
Zhu Yuanzhang was waiting for this! He always focused on the construction of the house there and spent a lot of money in the palace.
He has to find a way to recoup the cost, first let others owe the rent, and then pay it back after they find a job.
Then increase the number of government officials to maintain law and order there.
Then rent shops to merchants and let them provide daily necessities for others. There will also be department stores inside, so everyone can compete together.
People coming from other places have an extra way to survive, and they won't run to other places because of road problems. The key is that Tianfu's wages are high.
For a poor place, even ten cents a day is considered a lot, and others envy you.
Thirty cash a day in Nanjing is a normal income for those who are reluctant to eat meat.
The world is so unfair, but it is difficult to change it. I wonder if an expert can come up with a solution.
Thank you brothers and sisters for your monthly votes, rewards, and recommendation votes. The farmer bows!
(End of chapter)
