The sun shone through the clouds, and the mountains in the distance were enchanting. The smoke from the chimney accompanied the crowing of the rooster, and the sky cleared up early after the rain.
Early in the morning, Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan begged their family to bring along ten guards from the Prince's Mansion, as well as the former bailiffs who were chased away because of disobedience.
These bailiffs were obviously better than the ones who stayed behind, and they were more serious in their work. Because of this, they were chased away.
Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan adopted the principle of using capable people. Those who were not of good quality could be helped to improve, and those who were too rigid would be used where rigidity was needed.
A group of people rode on horses and jogged to Yaowang Mountain, which was officially named.
Some of the local people who didn't need to harvest wheat and those who came from other places were continuing to build roads on the mountain. The old people who couldn't do heavy work were also busy weaving baskets. These baskets were originally made by the old people of their own accord. After all, they were eating together.
Zhang Zhong still spent money to buy them. He was fast at weaving baskets a day, but he only made two or three baskets. He bought one for one copper coin each. There was a person who specifically counted baskets on the side. He didn't even check if the baskets were solid or not. There was no need to check. The old people didn't weave baskets for money, and the ones doing the work were their relatives. If something happened because the baskets were not good, the unlucky ones would be their relatives.
They ate well here, but there were some old people who felt bad and always falsely reported the number. They made up three baskets and insisted that it was two. One of the baskets had already been counted, and the person who counted them watched them like they were thieves. It was absolutely impossible to underreport. Therefore, there were often disputes over whether a basket was counted or not. It was very strange.
When Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan came, there was a time when the person who was the fastest at weaving baskets was usually able to weave four baskets a day. After weaving a few more baskets every day, these days, he actually sent seven baskets and asked the person to count four.
The person who counted them was not a fool and insisted on counting seven baskets. The old man was unwilling, saying that he used to weave four baskets a day. How could he possibly weave seven baskets? They began to argue with each other.
After Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan understood the situation, they were dumbfounded. The world was so big, nothing was too strange.
"Xiao Bao, why does it look a bit like the Gentleman's Country?" Wang Juan looked at the two people arguing and said to Zhang Xiaobao with a smile.
Zhang Xiaobao looked at Wang Juan blankly. "What's Mirror Flower Fate?"
"It's a novel. It says that a person goes to a certain place and sees different things. The Country of Gentlemen eats one of them. The people there buy and sell. The seller will give the best goods for the least amount of money. The buyer will take the worst goods for the highest price.
At first, I only thought that this was a novel full of loopholes and did not match reality. Today, I saw that this kind of thing really exists. The people want to give in, but the officials are not willing. If the people and officials of the Great Tang can be like this, if they are more united and diligent in martial arts, then the entire world will belong to the Great Tang. "
Wang Juan looked at the two people pulling at each other as if they were fighting. They were fighting for three more baskets and three less baskets.
Zhang Xiaobao also smiled. "If that's the case, society will never improve. Only competition can lead to development. It's just human nature. People who can do this show that they know what the eight ends are."
"Filial piety, friendship, loyalty, trust, propriety, righteousness, integrity, and shame. The things that the people can do, the officials who are knowledgeable may not be able to do. There should be a difference between internal and external. Look at the dishes for lunch today."
Wang Juan sighed and pulled Zhang Xiaobao to the kitchen. The two of them did not want to care about the dispute. They just treated it as a kind of entertainment. Otherwise, their days would be too dull.
Before the two of them got close, a strong smell of cucumber entered their nose. When they smelled it again, it was still the smell of cucumber. When they got closer, there were also chives, bamboo shoots, and a small amount of eggs.
Looking at the staple food, it was some millet. From the color, it could be seen that it was old rice. Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan immediately frowned. The vegetables looked good, but at this time, the cucumbers had already been harvested. It was the time when they were the least valuable.
It was not a big deal to eat these usually, but now, it was time to do heavy work. Eating only vegetables and some eggs could not make up for the consumption of the body. Every day, the food was arranged. There was meat and vegetables. Where did the meat go?
Zhang Xiaobao's face darkened. He gave Erniu a look. Erniu understood and immediately shouted, "Where is the person in charge? Come here. "
"Here, here. Are you looking for me?" The person in charge was chatting with the basket weaver. When he heard the call, he ran over and asked.
"I'm looking for you. Where is the meat?" Erniu pointed to the place where the dishes were being cooked.
The person in charge knew Erniu's identity and thought that something big had happened. Seeing that it was this person who asked, he was relieved and replied, "The meat was fried when it was delivered in the morning. It was placed in the jar next to it. It was waiting to be eaten in the evening and at midnight. Now, we eat four meals a day, morning, noon, and night, plus a midnight snack."
Erniu went over and opened the jar. There was indeed fried meat inside. He did not know what to say. It seemed that there was no food for the working people.
Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan did not see it that way. What did it mean to eat a meal in the middle of the night? Zhang Xiaobao pretended to be curious and asked, "Is it because you can't sleep at night, so you get up and eat a meal?"
"That's right. What's there to eat at night?" Erniu also found the problem.
The person in charge sighed, "It's hot now. After they eat dinner, they rest for a while. They will work until 1 am, then eat another meal and sleep. They will wake up before 7 am and continue to work. They said that they can't take so much money for nothing."
Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan finally understood. It was high-intensity work, so they ate four meals a day. However, this meal did not look good. This time, Wang Juan spoke, "This meal is delicious, right? I'll try it later. "
"That's right. Why is this rice stale?" Only a clever person like Erniu, who usually interacted with Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan more often, knew what it meant. If it was someone else, they would not be able to ask such a simple question.
The person in charge knew that more work was better for the people, so he had to continue to explain, "This rice was sent by Registrar Zhan, oh, it was sent by Zhan Wendi. When it was sent, it was good rice. The people here used good rice and exchanged it for stale rice. It's about the same. You can eat until you're full. If you exchange it for three batches, you can eat until you're full."
Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan sighed at the same time. They really did not know how to describe the thoughts in their hearts. It was so simple. He worked more and took less advantage. If you treated him better, he would always remember.
"What should we do?" Wang Juan's lips moved.
"Let's wait and see." Zhang Xiaobao could not ask for more dishes at this time. He thought that the people who came to work would not agree. He could only make up for it elsewhere. If they ate four meals a day, there would be meat for two meals and eggs for lunch. It was still okay. It was just that the rest time was shorter. After eating the last meal, they would only sleep for about seven hours.
Doing physical work and resting for such a short period of time was a behavior that overdrew vitality in advance.
"It's okay. You can do your work." Seeing that the young master and young lady did not continue to ask anything, Erniu held hands and walked forward. He said something to the person in charge and asked the guards to follow.
The person in charge thought for a while and also followed behind. He knew the identity of the two little ancestors. If they were to ask something out of curiosity, he would have to run over.
Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan walked all the way to the place where the work was done. There was no need for others to urge them. Even the newcomers worked hard without the slightest intention of being lazy.
The weather was hot, and many people had taken off their shirts, swinging shovels and pickaxes. Beside them was a river. The flow was similar to that of the pier, but it was even slightly larger. A small river branched out, leading to this place. It was so clear that one could see the bottom.
"It seems that the formation of the lake in the future is due to this river. Originally, this place was a little sunken. As long as there is a little natural disaster, such as an earthquake, the river will change its course and become a lake."
Zhang Xiaobao observed the surrounding terrain and whispered to Wang Juan. Wang Juan also agreed. She walked to the side of the river, squatted down, and touched it with her hand. It was cool and had a soft feeling.
"Why don't we let them make a lake here after the mountain road is built? Our family also needs to earn some benefits. We can't give away all the benefits."
"I also plan to do so. Moreover, rowing the boat back and forth on the lake and setting up some herbal medicine stalls by the lake is also a long-term income. Let the local people do it."
Zhang Xiaobao also thought that it should be so. In the future, if they raised some fish in the lake, they could fish when they had nothing to do. Tourists would like it more. When they cooked the fish, they could let people add some herbs and make a medicinal diet, which could promote Yaowang Mountain.
While the two of them were talking, one of the workers accidentally stepped on air and fell from a steep place. While everyone was shocked, he hung in the air again.
The person in charge patted his chest. Without waiting for the little ancestor to ask curiously, he took the initiative and said, "Those who work in dangerous places will have a rope tied to their bodies. Even if they accidentally fall, they are not afraid."
Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan knew this. They were the ones who suggested it. Human life was more important than heaven.
The man was pulled up and went down. He squatted by the river and washed the mud off his body and the wounds he had just made. Finally, he wiped his face with water and looked at the people around him with a smile. He said, "It's okay. I feel much better after washing up."
After he finished speaking, he stood up and went back to work. The others laughed and made fun of him. Some of the people who were sweating also came over to wash up. They scooped up the water in their hands and splashed it directly on their bodies. With a little rub, the mud balls were knocked off and bounced into the water.
With someone taking the lead, the others also came to wash. The water, which was originally clear, became muddy after they washed. In addition to the mud and sand when they washed, they were too dirty.
This kind of behavior was naturally not lazy. In the cool weather, they worked faster.
Zhang Xiaobao looked and suddenly said to Wang Juan, "I know what to do. Even if I sleep less, it can relieve fatigue."
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
