After dressing as a widow

Overnight, the news of composting, manure, Qu Yuanli, and the state government’s loan of grain and seeds to the people on credit spread everywhere like wings. Did you go to see it yesterday, the new uncle of Master Zhizhou taught those peasants to farm, I heard that with the method he taught, one mu of land can produce forty or fifty catties more grain!"

The horse shopkeeper who sells rice went to watch the fun yesterday, and he also saw Lin Zhen who taught the peasants how to make composting manure with his own eyes. It always feels that the current state capital is very different from before.

Suddenly, he was about to answer his old neighbor who didn't go outside the city to watch the excitement yesterday, but he saw seven or eight people carrying baskets on their backs, carrying bags in their hands, and even children walking past the rice shop with baskets on their backs. , the basket and the basket are the grasses that can be seen everywhere in Lizhou.

They also went to the state government office.

Shopkeeper Ma has a feeling that it must be the new Mr. Zhizhou, or Boss Lin.

Unexpectedly, Shopkeeper Ma recalled the news that came out two days ago. He heard that the government government was going to issue some out-of-state bonds, and how much interest would be paid for buying them for a year. Those who do business like them can also reduce corresponding taxes.

Shopkeeper Ma didn't think about it at all before, thinking that anyone who can buy that thing is definitely a fool, isn't it just sending the money to the new Zhizhou bag for nothing?

But now it seems that that thing might be really capable!

Shopkeeper Ma was hard-working and aggressive when he was young, earning his current family business, but when he gets old, he thinks about his children and grandchildren, fearing that the family business will lose and the family will live a hard life.

But at this moment, my heart became agitated, and I asked Xiao Er to look at the shop and go to the government office.

He remembered that the people in the government office said two days ago that if you want to buy bonds, you have to go to the government office to notify there to register, and he will go and have a look first.

When shopkeeper Ma arrived at the state government office, he happened to see those men, women and children passing by his rice shop put down their baskets and pockets, and two brothers and a man were grabbing the grass inside to check.

"It's very good. The leaves and roots are still intact. Brother Ping, let him weigh how many catties," Niu Da said to the old man who came to sell Youcao, "Old man, we have collected your Youcao, and we will weigh it when we weigh it." I'll count the silver for you."

"Hey, thank you, thank you!" A smile appeared on the old man's skinny face, and his hands that couldn't stop shaking after getting old trembled even more.

The four or five-year-old child standing next to him also handed his small basket filled with grass to Niu Da: "This is... spring..."

The child was a little shy, and hid behind the old man while talking.

Niu Da also took his little basket, and said to Brother Ping who was bought by Lin Zhen like himself: "The ones in this are also called by the uncle."

"Okay." Brother Ping and the other brother first weighed Youcao and the basket together, and then poured Youcao onto the ground with sacks behind them, re-weighed the basket and basket, and they got it. The pure weight of Youcao.

Brother Ping looked at it and said to Niu Dao: "Brother Niu, there are 27 catties of grass in total."

"Okay," Niu Da immediately counted out 27 Wen from the box on the table, and handed it to the old man, "Master, take it, this is the money for you to sell Youcao this time, a total of 27 catties, 27 Wen, down We also charge this price for the second digging.”

The 27 Wen coins were not enough to hold in his hands, but the old man was so happy that he carefully placed the copper coins next to his body with shaking hands, and kept saying thank you to Niu Da and his two brothers, and followed him to dig the grass. The little grandson stuck his head out from behind him in a childlike voice, and whispered, "Thank you."

The grandfather and grandson turned around and left with their baskets on their backs. Other Youcao sellers lined up in a regular line. Niu Da and his two elder brothers were the same as before, calling Youcao and giving copper coins.

The shopkeeper Ma who was standing on the side felt a strange feeling in his heart. Suddenly, he saw the maid who had seen Lin Zhen come out with a piece of paper and paste in his hand.

Niu Da and the two elder brothers knew that she was serving Lin Zhen closely, and greeted him one after another when they saw him: "Xiao Lu, what are you doing?"

Lu Lu brushed the wall with the bristle brush in the paste basin, and tiptoed to stick the paper on the wall: "The boss wants to recruit people, thirty girls and boys, twenty men, come to Guangzhou Work over there in Shun Lane."

As he said that, Lu Lu looked at the locals who came to sell Youcao: "Every uncle and aunt, if you have a suitable girl or brother, you can call to see it, no matter if you are a boy or a girl, the salary for a month is one Fifty Wen of money."

"What? Girls and brothers can still come to work?" The aunt who happened to be at the front of the line widened her eyes. She wanted to go to Lu Lu to ask clearly, but she was afraid of missing the sale of the grass, so she stretched her body and went to Lu Lu's side. Cou, "Miss, what you said is true! One cent and fifty cents a month!"

The people in the queue at the back were all like her, staring at Lulu closely.

Lu Lu nodded, reassuring them: "Our boss can still tell lies, but our boss doesn't want everyone. He has to be diligent in his hands and feet, and he has to be slick in his work. He can't be someone who steals and plays tricks." .”

"Look at how my brother is doing!" As soon as Lulu finished speaking, a husband in the queue pushed out the two brothers who were digging grass with him, "They work hard, I can do any job, let alone 150 Wen a month, a hundred Wen is fine.”

The two brothers who were pushed out by their father are still a little confused, but they have the same thoughts in their hearts as their father, if only they can earn a hundred coins a month, the family will be more prosperous.

Lu Lu looked at the two thin, dark-skinned, young brothers: "The wages are set by our boss, so we can change them as we please. If you want to go to work, go to Guangshun Lane tomorrow morning to queue up. If you are selected, you can stay and work.”

"By the way, our boss who works in Guangshun Lane provides a lunch. There is a lot of work, so we can't delay."

Every time Lu Lu said a word, the hearts of those present jumped.

A salary of 150 Wen a month, and a meal at noon, is this some kind of god who came down to save the suffering?

And the secluded grass they dug up now is also sold to Boss Lin.

Lulu posted the revelation of job recruitment, and said to Niu Da and his two elder brothers who were harvesting Youcao here: "Brother Niu, Brother Ping, Brother Shu, the boss said that Youcao will charge another five hundred catties, you and Diyou The grass man said."

"Okay." Niu nodded.

After selling Youcao, the person who got the news that Lin Zhen was going to recruit a job in Guangshun Lane hurried home. Now that no one has two girls and brothers in their family, they all want to take the good news back and let them try it out. try.

If it can be done well, the family will have an extra income.

Meng Fulang hurriedly walked into the low door with an empty backpack on his back. The husband who had no work today saw him come back and took the backpack: "All sold out? I thought it was a lie, Youcao It’s everywhere, I don’t know what to collect it for?”

There is only one room in the family, but there are two squeezed couples, one son and one elder brother. The bed made of stone is only palm-width apart. As the children grow older, let alone the couple, there are two children. All embarrassing.

But what can I do if I am embarrassed, Tian'er from Lizhou, if I sleep outside for a night, I will be frozen to death, so I can only do this.

"Where's Mai, why isn't it at home?" Meng Fulang asked her husband.

Her husband said: "He just got up for a while, and went to fetch water outside the city."

Meng Fulang hurriedly said: "Is he in good health?! It's good, it's good, it's good."

"He said he was neither hot nor sore anymore. Fortunately, the pair was bought in time."

The couple were talking, and the wheat who went to fetch water came back. Seeing father and father in the house, he put down the bucket and poured water into the water tank with the bucket: "Daddy, you are back, Has Youcao been sold yet?"

"Sell it and get 29 Wen."

"So many!" Maizi opened his eyes wide, and said with enthusiasm, "I will follow daddy to dig the grass tomorrow!"

Meng Fulang answered him straight away: "No, take care of yourself today and go to Guangshun Lane with your brother tomorrow. The boss who collects the grass is recruiting there. If you are selected, you will be paid 150 Wen a month. Can have lunch there."

The bucket in Maizi's hand paused, he thought he had heard wrong, and looked at his father.

Meng Fulang looked at him and his husband: "I heard it with my own ears in front of the government office. Thirty girls and boys and twenty men are going to be recruited."

Although digging Youcao seems to make a lot of money right now, Youcao can't be dug in winter, and I don't know how much the boss will accept. In the long run, it's better to work in Guangshun Lane.

In the evening, Mengjia Dalang, who went out to do odd jobs, also came back. He was doing mud and water work, and he followed the team of masons to build houses for people everywhere.

But the team of masons was very defensive. He didn't learn the craft and could only pick mud. He was exhausted after a day, and his young and dark face was a little numb.

When he heard Meng Fulang and his father explain to him that he would go to Guangshun Lane early in the morning to see if he could be selected for a job, a little ripple appeared on his numb face.

He is already 20 years old this year, and many people of his age are married and have children of his own. Because of his poor family, even his elder brother does not want to marry into his family and suffer.

He also didn't want to drag others down, and he was prepared to live like this for the rest of his life.

If you can get such a stable job with money to do, you should be able to save a lot of money after working for a few years. It will be great to find an older brother and have a child of your own. of.

The next day, many women and men who knew from relatives, friends and family members that Guangshun Lane was recruiting came early in the morning. The women and brothers were accompanied by their family members. Mother and elder brother are not allowed to go out, and those who can appear here are because the family conditions are really bad, and they are released because of the 150 copper coins.

But I was also worried that something might happen to them outside, so I followed and wanted to see the situation.

Both Maizi and his brother came, they took turns to take a shower last night, and changed into the best clothes with only five or six patches this morning, which were sent by Meng Fulang and my grandfather.

There are many people like them, men are the most, brothers are the second, and women are the least.

When Lin Zhen led Lu Lu Niu Da and eight other people into Guangshun Lane, he was almost confused by the crowded scene and thought he had gone the wrong way.

It's probably too exaggerated.

The people who came here to look for work also saw him, and for a moment they just felt a little dizzy, how could someone be so beautiful and have such white skin, and then they reacted and moved back to the sides to make way for him.

Lin Zhen said to Niu Dao, who was beside him, "You tell them to stand in two rows, one row of women and brothers, and one row of men, and then go in one by one."

"Yes," Niu Da said in a loud voice, "The boss said that those who want to work should be lined up in two rows, women and men in a row, men in a row, go in one by one, don't crowd!"

Seeing that there were too many people, Lin Zhen sent two more people to help him maintain order, and brought Lu Lu and the rest of the people into the yard.

The furniture in the yard has been emptied, only a simple table and bench that Lin Zhen asked to buy, and there is a well in the middle of the yard.

Lin Zhen stood in front of the main room, "Right here, Lu Lu, you can study the ink, Brother Ping will watch at the door, and you will call the next one after I finish writing."

"Yes."

Lin Zhen asked quickly, and wrote down the name, age, and detailed address of the family on the paper while asking, and then went to the side to do twenty squats, moving his hands and feet, and settled the person if he looked good.

Thirty girls and twenty men were quickly recruited, and those who were not recruited were very frustrated, and some even ran to Lin Zhen to recommend themselves.

But Lin Zhen really doesn't need so many people at the moment, he said: "I will do other business in the future, maybe you will be able to come and work for me soon."

No matter how frustrated, those who were not selected could only leave, which formed a sharp contrast with those who were selected.

Both Maizi and his brother were selected, and the two brothers looked at each other across the crowd, feeling both apprehensive and happy.

Suddenly, Maizi heard the good-looking boss say: "I told you when I was recruiting just now, and now I will repeat it to you again. The initial salary for you to work here is 150 Wen, not much. I'll pack the meal here."

"Correspondingly, the work here is not easy. The girl and brother are responsible for cleaning the flowers and plants, spreading and dripping dry water; washing rice, grinding rice milk, filtering rice milk, and drying flour. Wash hands before doing work and wear hats. , You can’t bring dirty things into the powder.”

"I will divide you into groups, and each group has its own storage place for the things made by each group. If there is a problem, I will only ask you."

"The man is responsible for moving the goods, not only the things bought, but also the things sold."

"Did you hear clearly?"

"Listen clearly." Maizi said along with the people around him, feeling unavoidably excited, wishing he could start working now and get the money sooner.

Maizi didn't know what a deed was, he only knew that he pressed his fingerprints on it, and then he kept the deed under the boss's instructions, and went home with his brother.

The two brothers walked back side by side, and as they walked, you looked at me and I looked at you, just like when you were young, you didn't know what it was like to be sad, you smiled at me, and I smiled at you.

Just now the boss said that we will start work tomorrow, from the beginning of the morning to the middle of the afternoon, and from the beginning of the morning to the end of the hour.

The first salary will be paid after finishing this month.

Meng Fulang and Father Meng, who were anxiously waiting outside, saw their two children coming out, and hurried up: "How is it? Is it done?"

Maizi took out the deed with his own handprint and showed it to his father and father: "My brother and I have both been selected, and we will start working tomorrow!" Then he told his father and father about the time of work for a day.

Meng Fulang's eyes were wet, and he patted the shoulders of his two sons: "Okay, okay, you will come here to work from tomorrow, I will dig grass and sell it to Boss Lin, and your father will also do odd jobs, our family will be better of."

"It will definitely." Maizi refolded the contract.

The next day, Lin Zhen came. The twelve people he had bought before, except for Niu Da Lu Lu, Niu Da's mother, and Niu Da's wife, were all veterans who had done the work well, so he took the thirty people he had brought in. The women and brothers were divided into eight groups, and the eight veterans were the group leaders, leading the newcomers to work.

Except for the last group with only three people, the other seven groups are all five people.

Let these eight groups be responsible for different tasks, cleaning the flowers and plants of distilled toilet water, washing rice, grinding rice milk, filtering, and drying rice milk sediment.

The wall that originally separated the two courtyards was demolished after he consulted the two families and added a little money. The two courtyards were joined together, and the space was much larger, which was more than enough to separate these groups.

As for the twenty men who specialize in loading and unloading goods, the rice they bought is still at the government office, and they will soon push the rice from the government office with a cart and put it in a separate yard. come over.

The finished jade powder was sent to the government office, and Lin Zhen sent it to the brothers and daughters here to put it in a porcelain box after coloring it, and let them send it here after Lin Zhen distilled the flower dew and put it in a porcelain bottle.

At this stage, the most important thing in Lin Zhen's business is the coloring of Yurong powder and the distillation of floral dew. It is impossible for him to hand it over to others.

Lin Zhen answered auspiciously in a vulgar way, and asked Niu Da to buy more than a dozen strings of firecrackers, and brought dozens of brothers and sisters and men to work, and said: "Start work, from today onwards, it will be very auspicious, and every day will make money." .”

The girl, brother and man behind him were also very happy, and shouted together: "Boss makes a lot of money!"

"Crackling, crackling, crackling!!!" More than a dozen strings of firecrackers were lit together, and the front of the two courtyards was instantly filled with red smoke. The girls should be more afraid, and the brother and the man were talking happily, making the noise so joyous.

It is rare for the aborigines in Guangshun Lane to see such a lively scene. They watched it once yesterday, and today they heard voices coming out.

For a brother like Lin Zhen who led so many people to do business, most of them still held the idea that they would definitely lose money.

And those who went outside the city to join in the fun and watched Lin Zhen teach farmers how to make compost and manure water liked and liked him a little, and said with fists in their hands, "Congratulations, Boss Lin."

As long as they came to congratulate, Lin Zhen smiled back one by one and chatted with others.

And the brothers, daughters, mothers and men behind him waited for the firecrackers to be blown up, and immediately got to work. The men followed Niu Da to the government office to store Mira here. What to do, what to pay attention to, a lively scene.