Seeing Xu Wan run away, Xiao Yuan pondered for a moment and said, "Why don't we go to the dock and help out? Let Xu Mingyang see if he's that precious. If we can do it, why can't he? We have nothing to do anyway."
Xiao Bei and the others looked at each other and found that no one objected. Even Pan 'er and her brother kept nodding. They probably didn't know where they were going and what they were going to do. They probably didn't care what their brothers and sisters did. As long as they could bring them along, it would be fun.
Anyway, there was nothing they could help with. Their mission was to play, the more fun they had, the better.
Hence, the eleven of them set off toward the dock under the protection of the guards. The children who were still playing in the amusement park looked disappointed. They also wanted to follow, but the dock had a rule that children were not allowed to get close. It was too dangerous.
Xiao Bei and the others were naturally not allowed to go. They also wouldn't cause any trouble at the dock. They naturally had someone to protect them, so there was no need for extra manpower at the dock.
The dock wasn't very far from the amusement park. After traveling for less than half an hour by car, the group arrived.
From afar, they saw Xu Mingyang keeping count. Xiao Bei found someone from the Chamber of Commerce and asked. Xu Mingyang was in charge of keeping count for two groups of people. One group had six people, and two groups had twelve people. Xu Mingyang had to keep count of how much work each person carried.
Lu Zhou had never been idle at the docks. He was always busy. Moreover, he worked 24 hours a day, day or night.
The person in charge of keeping count didn't look at how much work each person did and then pay according to the amount. Instead, he watched the people working and didn't allow them to carry too much at a time. They also didn't allow them to carry too many things at a time.
They had to be within a suitable range. Every person usually had a hospital here to check their body and test their physique.
Those who weren't sick and had a good physique were marked next to the person in charge of keeping count. This group of people could work more than others, so they could earn more money.
As for those with a normal physique, they were not allowed to work too hard. Otherwise, they would be tired and have problems. The monthly salary was definitely enough for their family to live a good life.
However, if they were left alone, they wouldn't work more for the money. Because the dock was managed by the Chamber of Commerce, they would consciously work more to repay the Zhang Family and Wang Family.
Therefore, the Chamber of Commerce had no choice but to arrange for someone to record the news. It was a waste of manpower, but it had to be done.
"Zhang Liuzi, it's time. You're not allowed to do it anymore. Go down and rest." Although Xu Mingyang was not satisfied with his current job, he was still quite dedicated. He stared at a person named Zhang Liuzi and shouted.
"I'm still short of two trips." Zhang Liuzi swung his arms and shouted.
A supervisor came over and kicked him. "I said you're here, so you're here. Get lost. If you don't leave, I'll punish you. Rest for a while and drink some water. Come back in half an hour. Otherwise, I'll punish you."
Zhang Liuzi had no choice but to grumble resentfully. She walked over to the shed that was specially used for them to rest. She scooped up half a ladle of water mixed with salt, sweet and sour and gulped it down. Then, she took a wet towel and wiped the sweat on her upper body. She found a stool to lie down and closed her eyes to rest.
Xiao Bei and the others knew at a glance that this was a mountain person. The original mountain people, after coming down from the mountain, basically all changed their surname to Zhang or Wang, not to mention those who didn't have a surname.
In the various rest areas, from time to time, there would be people going back to drink water and rest. From time to time, there would be people getting up and continuing to work. No one was lazy, and no one was dawdling and not doing things properly.
When Xiao Bei and the others arrived, the people at the dock immediately looked over. However, no one approached Xiao Bei and the others to speak. One reason was because they were afraid of wasting time, and the other was because they were worried about the safety of Xiao Bei and the others.
If too many people came over, it would be easy for something to happen. Therefore, they did not allow others to come over.
Xu Mingyang turned his head and saw Xiao Bei and the others. His face suddenly became gloomy. He said in dissatisfaction, "You're here to laugh at me, right? Laugh, laugh as hard as you can."
"What's there to laugh about? We saw your son, a very cute child. He's still on his way here and will probably be here in a while. Those two are under your care, right? Look, they were carrying two bags just now, and now they're carrying three. I'm talking about you. You still dare to run? Do you want to vomit blood from exhaustion?
Put them down. If you get sick from exhaustion, our family still has to treat you. Do you think that medical equipment and medicine are free? "
Xiao Bei said a few words to Xu Mingyang, then pointed at the two people carrying the bags and shouted. The overseer immediately ran over and reprimanded them. The two people repeatedly said good things and finally carried the three bags over. They smiled in satisfaction, as if it was a kind of happiness to be able to do more work when no one was paying attention.
"Are they always like this?" Xiao Bei asked a steward from the Chamber of Commerce.
The steward quickly replied, "Yes, if we're not careful, they'll steal and do more work. If they carry the bags, it's not good to let them throw one down. The things inside are easy to break. It's like fighting all day long, so we have to watch them closely. As a result, the people recording the items and the overseer keep repeating the same thing with them. It's considered a fun thing to do at the docks.
In fact, it's fine to carry more occasionally, but if we don't do anything, they'll carry more in the future. It's really troublesome to worry about them. A few days ago, two people carried more than one bag, and as a result, they strained their muscles and are still lying down.
"This shows that there are still loopholes in your supervision. You have to think of something. We'll think about it and let you know when the time comes."
When Xiao Bei heard that someone was tired, he frowned and said to the steward.
"Yes, yes, please take care of it." The steward could only agree and did not dare to refute. This was how the rules of the Zhang Family and the Wang Family were. If there was a problem with the rules, it would not be a coincidence. There would only be things that were not done properly. There was no need to explain. If they had the time to explain, they should think about how to perfect the rules.
As expected, Xiao Bei and the others gathered together to discuss. When they saw people coming and going at the docks, they realized that those who wanted to do more work would usually unload the items from the ship and put them there. Originally, two people would carry four bags, one in front and one behind. However, the person in front would carry three bags and leave. Naturally, there would be more work.
The person who delivered the goods from the ship had no choice. He would give two bags, but the other two bags would have to be given to the person behind immediately. Otherwise, it would be a waste of time.
With this, a loophole appeared.
The nine children muttered to themselves for a while before they finally came up with a solution.
Xiao Bei sighed and said, "When other places look for people to do work, the overseer is afraid that someone will slack off, and the person who takes notes is paid for recording the items. Lu Zhou is the opposite. What's there to be embarrassed about working with someone like this?"
Xu Mingyang, who was taking notes, turned his head abruptly. Xiao Bei was clearly talking about him. He glanced at Xiao Bei before he continued to stare at the two groups of people he was in charge of. He was also cursing endlessly in his heart.
Xiao Bei ignored Xu Mingyang's gaze and said to the steward, "Do you see the bags of goods?"
"I see them. Some of them are cloth bags, some are gunny sacks, and they're divided according to the different items. There are also baskets. We have a standard here that varies according to the size and weight of the items. That's why it's easier to keep track of how much work each person can carry. Don't tell me you want to change the standard?"
The steward did not understand what was going on. He thought the little ancestors had randomly come up with an impractical idea.
Xiao Bei rolled his eyes at the steward. "What's the point of changing the standard? I don't think changing the standard will solve the current problem. Do you see the people moving in a certain order? That way, they'll be more efficient. Put a few beams above the place where you're going.
If a person carrying two bags wants to carry three, he'll have to go over the beam to carry the third bag. If he wants to go over, he'll have to squat. Put a few more beams on the beam. I don't believe he'll be able to keep squatting. Even if you put more beams on the beam, do you think he'll be able to walk while squatting? If he collapses from exhaustion after a few tries, he won't do that anymore. "
"Huh? Put up beams? But, their heights are different. "The steward's eyes lit up. Then, he thought of another problem.
"Can't you group them according to their approximate height?" Xiao Bei asked.
"Yes, that's a good idea." The steward felt that it was a good idea and agreed.
Xiao Bei continued to say, "Also, don't you think the pier looks uncomfortable? Don't you think you can make the pier slanted all the way to the carriages transporting the goods over there? Then, you can slide the things that aren't afraid of falling down.
You can use metal plates or cement. If it's cement, you can use a big pulley with wheels underneath. Now, you can just make a place to slow down the carriage. Are you stupid? The Ministry of Works has already designed big tools for you. Why can't you think of small tools for yourself? You're so rigid. Have you become stupid after staying in one place for so long? "
"Yes, yes, we've become stupid. Yes, we can design it. There are many things that don't need people to carry far away. If we want to put the carriage closer, the horses or mules won't be easy to handle. They're always messy and unhygienic. I'll go find someone else to think about it and make it."
The steward didn't dare to refute. He couldn't refute. The little ancestor was right. He really hadn't thought about it. It was easy to make a place to slow down the carriage. He just had to make a bend, or add some sand or slope underneath. If the design was good enough, he could even slide onto the carriage. It was just making the area below lower.
"Go, go, go. Find seven spots for us. Two of us will go out to play with Pan 'er and the others. The others can help record things together." Xiao Bei waved his hand and ordered.
The steward immediately went to make the arrangements.
Xu Mingyang, who had been listening at the side, was surprised. He found that the two methods were very simple, but the effect was very good. Why didn't he think of it?
"Xu Mingyang, do you think you're stupid? You've been in Lu Zhou for so long, and you're always trying to find loopholes in the original rules to show off your ability. However, the opportunity is right in front of you. You've been to the docks a lot, right? In the end, you've accomplished nothing. Tell me, what's the point of being the Provincial Governor?
We're just asking you to do some work, but you feel wronged and degraded, don't you? If you don't want to work hard, all right, learn from us. If you want to be a mind worker who governs the people, a mind worker who governs the people, a mind worker who governs the people, it's not impossible. But you have to work hard for once. You have to show your ability to work hard.
In the end, you can't work mentally, but you don't want to work physically. We let you be the Provincial Governor, do you know what you're doing? It's called a corpse eating a vegetable position. We hate people like you the most. You're clearly not capable, but you still want to put on airs.
It wasn't easy to find a suitable position for you, and you're still complaining. People can't be so shameless. Alright, your son is here, so I'll give you some face. I'll go do my work. Pan 'er, let's go. I'll take you to do the most noble thing. "
Xiao Bei reprimanded Xu Ming Yang, causing him to stare blankly. Then, he pulled Pan 'er and Pan' er away.
Xu Mingyang looked at the group of children and guards leaving. He suddenly came to his senses. He only came to his senses when his son, Xu Wan, came over and spoke. He happened to hear his son say that Xiao Bei said no, and that he wasn't allowed to punish her at night. He immediately glared at his son.
"How old are you, child? You can't do anything well. Look at Xiao Bei and the others. They're almost the same as you. Which one of them isn't better than you? I can't see what you're capable of. All you know is to play and eat. "
Xu Wan felt wronged. What did this have to do with him? Isn't Xiao Bei beside you now? If it was possible, didn't she agree to it? Then why are you throwing a tantrum at me? Neither of us succeeded.
"Why are you still in a daze? Think about it more. You're the same person, so how can you be worse than others?" Xu Mingyang continued lecturing his son.
Xu Wan didn't dare to resist. He only lowered his head and muttered, "Zhang Zhong isn't much worse than you. Why is it that the Ministry of Works wrote a letter?"
"Hey? You still dare to talk back? I'll teach you a lesson. " When Xu Mingyang heard this, he became even angrier. Although Zhang Zhong's rank wasn't much worse than his, and was slightly higher than his, he was a capital official, and he was a local official. Even if Zhang Zhong was a fifth rank capital official, he was still better than him, a third rank local official.
He was already full of anger. His son actually dared to lecture him. He raised his hand and was about to hit him.
Xu Wan jumped in fright. He turned around and ran. As he ran, he shouted, "Father, Xiao Bei said you're not allowed to hit me. I went to play. I didn't get to play just now."
"You, you're pissing me off. When you came home at night, Xiao Bei said I'm not allowed to hit you. You think I'll … I just don't have the time. You only know how to play." When Xu Mingyang shouted at his son, he was just about to say a few tough words, when he felt Xiao Bei's gaze on him. He immediately changed his words.
He was afraid of being remembered by Xiao Bei. When that time came, he didn't know what kind of fierce revenge he would have to endure.
Who knew that even so, Xiao Bei still had no intention of letting him go. He shouted in his direction, "You only know how to complain about children. You compare children to others. Children are not allowed to compare their own elders to other people's elders? Only incompetent people scold children. Pan 'er, be good. Let's not learn from him in the future, okay? "
Xiao Bei didn't forget to use Xu Mingyang as a negative example.
Pan 'er nodded obediently. She made a face at Xu Mingyang and waved her fist. She shouted at him very seriously, "Incompetent, incompetent."
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