Poor family mother and son

Chapter 48 Is today a good day?
Today was the first day of work, and in order to encourage enthusiasm for work, Chu Qing paid her wages once.Although the few days at the end of last month were added, it was only half a month's wages.But everyone is happy.

This year's busy season, in order to come to Chuqing to work here, every family has worked hard to harvest the wheat, so they finished harvesting a few days earlier.On the second day after harvesting, it rained, which made the rice fields full of water.

Then I came to Chuqing to work here. Even the person who earned the least earned more than 100 Wen in the past half a month.Everyone is more motivated, and I think this year is really a good year!

Piece wage, the more you do, the more you earn.Make more adobes and earn more money.This is much more income than going to the county to do part-time jobs in previous years.

You don't need to look at the owner's face, and you don't have to worry about being deducted from wages. The quality standards for adobes are set, and as long as they meet the standards, you can get rich.In my own village, I don't worry about Chu Qing's default or deduction.

Meals can still see meat, which is higher than the standard of their own food.This is really the most worry-free money ever made.The villagers of the three villages come to work every day with enthusiasm.

When it was almost lunch time, the village heads of the three villages all came, accompanied by two yamen servants.When a few people came to the brick kiln, the Yamen beat the gong bang, attracting all the workers.

"Officer, you'd better keep talking. We're not educated, so I'm afraid we won't understand." Village head Wu said to the Yacha, with respect on his face, but in his heart he thought: I won't open my mouth about being scolded!
"Listen up, everyone!" Yacha shouted arrogantly, and knocked on the gong twice, and another Yacha opened an official document and read aloud: "...a border town where the people's hearts gather together, and the sky is iron-clad." Mining, helping the people to live in peace...the nearest corvée, the whole county rotates...down to [-], up to [-], one Ding per household, for a period of one month...if there is any violation of the order..."

One stone stirred up thousands of waves, and hundreds of people talked about it, and the sound became stronger from weak.

"Why is there another corvee? Is there anyone who can afford it?"

"Isn't it! Every family has military service, and there are not enough people working in the fields!"

"What can I do! My father is the only man left in my family, who happens to be fifty!"

"You said that this year, just when I felt hopeful, then..."

Everyone was talking, and the noise became louder and louder. From the initial outcry, it turned into complaints and resentment, and the tone became more and more intense.

Yachai winked at the three village chiefs, signaling them to control the situation.The three village chiefs were all indifferent, with an expression of "what am I doing? See if I'm useful?".

The yamen scolded angrily: "I can't afford anyone! I think there are a lot of people here! If you just say that there is no one, then what are you?!"

The three village chiefs glared at him sideways, and they all said in their hearts, aren't you looking for death!

This remark made everyone angry!Everyone started cursing at the two servants.

The common people are usually afraid of these yamen, but the yamen are just working for the government, and it doesn't matter whether they have a formal establishment or not.It is not uncommon for people to be beaten if they angered the common people.

The two yamen are also depressed.Do you blame me for this?It's not the corvee I enlisted, so why don't you get angry!

But there were so many people, the two yamen officials didn't dare to make too much noise, they just said: "All right, all right! It's useless to talk about anything else! This is the imperial court's intention, and the county government is only carrying out the orders from above."

This is true.Everyone fighting here and shouting can't solve the problem.There is also one who should serve in each family.

All the good mood of the morning was gone!Everyone is upset.Although it only takes one month to be conscripted, and other corvees are also exempted, didn't the yamen tell me just now that the whole county will come back again after the round is over, and they have to serve.Besides, how can the iron mine be completed in a month?So you can't mine for a long time?
What's more, corvée is the use of labor force for free. These people not only have to work, but also have to provide their own food.In the past, when serving in the military, the government sometimes distributed one meal a day, which was only two corn buns, and the main thing was to bring dry food by yourself.But in the past few years since the new emperor ascended the throne, there have been constant wars, and the government has stopped giving dry food, so he has to prepare himself.

This kind of corvee labor such as building bridges and paving roads, mining and digging coal is hard and tiring, and they are only given a day off every half a month.After each service, a person has to shed his skin.

Although they were all listless, everyone's work did not stop at all, and they continued to work faster and faster.A little more work is a little bit, and a penny earned is a penny.

Chu Qing was also troubled. On the first day of work for this big order, will there be no one to work?If it doesn't work, I'll go to the county seat tomorrow and hire some part-time workers to come back.There is no hope for those refugees who ask for cheap prices.Didn't Bai Jiaxing say that whenever there is corvée, refugees must do it?

In the evening, the villagers all went back to pack their luggage for those who went to serve.In the afternoon, basically every family has confirmed their candidates.

Chu Qing found Bai Jiaxing and asked his opinion.Bai Jiaxing gave Chu Qing a reassurance: there will be many people working.

"Why?" Chu Qing was puzzled.

"In the afternoon, I listened to the discussions of various families. They consider men to serve in the military, and there are old people, women and children at home." Bai Jiaxing explained.

"You can earn money to support your family at the doorstep. It's hard to find such a job. They cherish it very much. Besides, apart from digging and picking soil, there is not much physical work. People with less strength can do it. I heard them say, Anyway, if I take care of two meals a day, it’s a big deal to finish work late at night, so I can guarantee my current income no matter what.”

"Very good, very good." Chu Qing finally stopped pulling her hair.

Xiao Bao handed Bai Jiaxing a dim sum bag with thumbs printed on it.And don't forget to take back the empty paper bags.

"Our people have to go too. This time I will take the lead in serving. Next time you see how to rotate. The ten long-term workers must go." Bai Jiaxing said again.

"Didn't you say that you can 'reserve the bank'?" Chu Qing asked.Or is it called "hiring people as agents"?Anyway, it means paying money instead of serving.

"Boss, five liang! Five liang is enough to marry a daughter-in-law! When a soldier dies in battle, the imperial court only gives five liang of silver as compensation. Let's not spend that unjustly money! It will pass in less than a month. "Hundreds of schools objected.

"No! Five taels is five taels. My people, I have the final say!" Chu Qing was domineering.

"Boss..." Bai Jiaxing was a little moved.As soon as I signed the deed of selling myself, the master's family is protecting me, can you not be moved?800 yuan a month for a servant is not a lot.It takes more than half a year to earn five taels of silver.

The changes are still noticeable.It has only been three days since he was conscripted into corvee, and the speed of his work has dropped significantly.Those who come to make bricks are old, weak, women and children.In order to ensure income, he worked casually even later every day.

Because it is paid by the piece, there is no overtime pay.But the number of adobes per day can still be guaranteed.

All the veterans and long-term workers in the family went to serve in the military.Chu Qing didn't ignore them, and each brought food for fifteen days.Because it is not very far from the mine, they can come back to get food on rest days.

The long-term workers are very grateful.Those who are homeless and unemployed, in the past, they could only do corvée work without starvation, and when they couldn’t stand it, they owed credit to the foreman, and then they had to work for the foreman’s house for a month to repay the debt.

Now, the boss has brought food for everyone, as long as they plan to eat it, it will be absolutely fine for fifteen days.This is equivalent to paid corvee service.

Since it is to mine, it is a long-term thing.When these corvée entered the mountain, they first felled wood and built shacks.Building a hut is simple, as long as it can barely shelter from the wind and rain, and then there are Datong bunks, and a hut sleeps [-] people.

After that, we have to drive the mountain road.The roads on the mountain were made by the villagers stepping up the mountain, and they had to go around the mountain in a gentle place to open a road that was enough for two carriages.At the same time, it is necessary to build iron smelting rooms and military workshops.These hard labors were divided into two parts, one part for opening roads and the other part for building houses.

The amount of this project is not insignificant.The imperial court was also eager to see benefits, and everything was placed nearby to reduce freight costs and time loss.

But in this way, these forced labors will be tragic.I go to work before dawn every day, and I don’t stop working when it’s not dark at night.It's already June. According to the lunar calendar in ancient times, it is July according to modern times, which is the hottest time.

It was very bright before four o'clock in the morning, and there was still light at eight o'clock in the evening.Forced laborers work nearly sixteen hours a day, which is still heavy physical labor.

The hard laborers worked hard, and the officials were not idle.On this day, Chu Qing met one.

(End of this chapter)