Chapter 106: The Temporary Laborers Have Grown!
Inside the manor.
After Lin Sanniang left, Old Man Xu’s wall was just about finished.
Jian Xingxia helped Old Man Xu with the finishing touches and, in the process, asked if there were any basket weavers skilled in bamboo weaving on his side.
However, Old Man Xu shook his head. “This old man knows quite a few bricklayers and carpenters, but I don’t know any basket weavers.”
Well, it looked like this particular endeavor wouldn’t be as easy as using repeat connections.
Looking at the pristine, bright white walls, Jian Xingxia felt immensely satisfied.
Aside from the bathroom which was tiled, the rest of the floors in the old house were bare concrete. Although there were a few cracks, they didn’t matter much. Old Man Xu had patched them right up with a single bag of cement.
Jian Xingxia then had Old Man Xu select his wages. “The masonry work on my end is pretty much complete, and I likely won’t be hiring you again anytime soon. Think carefully about what you want to take back.”
Old Man Xu gave a simple, honest laugh. “No need to think. My old woman arranged everything before I came.”
“Oh?”
Old Man Xu was too embarrassed to say it out loud, but he had been rambling for months about how wonderful the mountains were, and his family hadn’t believed a single word. It wasn’t until yesterday, when he brought back that substantial haul—items he would have to work as a bricklayer for several months in the Great Sheng Dynasty to earn—that his family finally believed him.
His old woman had stayed up half the night burning incense for the ancestors and had even taken ten eggs to thank Immortal Lady Xu.
When she came back, she twisted his ear and gave him a thorough scolding: “All you care about is your trowel and your shoes! With so many people in this family, you didn’t know to bring back a few more pairs of shoes?”
Old Man Xu had tried to defend himself: “I didn’t know what size everyone’s feet were.”
“It doesn’t matter what size they are! Even if you bring them back and I can’t wear them, can’t we just exchange them?”
The old woman was nearly faint with anger.
If the immortal mistress hadn’t offered, it would be one thing for Old Man Xu not to ask. But according to him, the immortal mistress and the manager lady were practically chasing him down to give him things, yet he still refused to take them. He was truly like rotten wood that couldn’t be carved!
In the end, it was only because the immortal mistress and the manager lady had forcefully stuffed the brown sugar, coarse salt, and fabric into his hands that he brought them back!
The old woman stared at those items all night before finally deciding: “Old man, if you can still go back tomorrow, bring back only coarse salt and shoes.”
That brown sugar and fabric clearly didn’t look like things an ordinary household like theirs should possess. Holding onto them, they would be loath to eat or use them, but giving them away ran the risk of causing trouble.
Only coarse salt and shoes were safe. One was something they already had at home, so it was just a matter of quantity, while shoes were worn on one’s own feet and didn’t attract attention. As long as they didn’t take off their shoes when visiting others’ homes, there wouldn’t be any issues.
Old Man Xu fished a few pieces of straw from his pocket. “These are the foot measurements of my family. I must trouble the young mistress to help compare them so this old man can take a few pairs of shoes back.”
Having been lectured by his family, Old Man Xu had also come to understand that this kind of opportunity didn’t come along for just anyone. He had no idea how these shoes were made, but they were even sturdier than the ones his old woman stitched herself. The soles were likewise made of cloth, yet they were hard as rock and looked incredibly durable.
When he took these excellent items back, his family could secretly wear them on their feet; the comfort would be a secret known only to themselves.
Jian Xingxia calculated that Old Man Xu’s maximum wage could reach 60 yuan. Since he only wanted coarse salt and cloth shoes, and coarse salt was only a bit over one yuan per catty, she couldn’t possibly have him carry dozens of catties of salt back—that would be far too conspicuous.
Therefore, she decided to give him two pairs for each shoe size.
Two pairs each of size 41, size 36, and size 37. Old Man Xu had taken one pair yesterday, and today he took another pair of size 42. The seven pairs came out to 42 yuan total.
With eighteen yuan remaining, Jian Xingxia packed five catties of coarse salt for him.
“Is this much enough?”
“Enough, enough, it’s more than enough!” Five catties of coarse salt! That was a heavily packed bundle, enough for their family to eat for several years!
Since there was still a bit of money left, Jian Xingxia packed some sesame oil for him. “Your family’s life is going well, so since you don’t want grain, take some sesame oil back to add a bit of flavor to your household.”
Sesame oil wasn’t cheap, so a small section of bamboo tube was sufficient.
Old Man Xu accepted it with absolute joy, thanking Jian Xingxia repeatedly. Although he didn’t lack food and drink, being able to receive such bounties after only two days of work made him genuinely happy.
“This old man wishes the young mistress a prosperous business and that everything goes smoothly!”
Jian Xingxia beamed. “I’ll take your auspicious words. Until we meet again!”
Once Old Man Xu’s figure vanished into the depths of the wild grass, Jian Xingxia was left as the sole person in the manor.
However—
The flock of chickens, ducks, and geese was being exceptionally boisterous, creating such a din that it gave her a headache.
Left with no choice, Jian Xingxia tried calling out to Da Hua, “Can’t you keep them in line? They’re making a racket all day long!”
Da Hua’s bead-like black eyes looked at Jian Xingxia, then turned to look at the flock of youngsters.
A miraculous scene occurred—the remaining sixteen chickens and two ducks instantly quieted down.
Only that silly white goose, which had just been fighting with three roosters, failed to notice its opponents suddenly falling silent. It kept stretching its neck out and squawking at the top of its lungs.
By the time it realized something was amiss, Da Hua had already flown above its head, its beak pecking down viciously again and again.
“Honk, honk, honk—” the large goose wailed.
Watching the display, Jian Xingxia didn’t even dare to step forward to stop it.
But credit where credit was due, Da Hua was incredibly effective. Once the large goose finally shut its beak in utter grievance, the manor instantly fell quiet. There were only a few soft clucks and quacks used for brief communication.
Jian Xingxia: …Satisfied. Highly satisfied.
It was the nineteenth day since she had returned to the old house.
As agreed, she couldn’t call Lin Sanniang today, so Jian Xingxia summoned Da Hei first.
Da Hei’s employment duration was the easiest to fill out. Jian Xingxia had tested it and found the maximum she could input was 16 hours—it seemed that although the system stated Da Hei’s status as a slave fell outside the standard temporary labor rules, it would still guarantee him at least 8 hours of rest time.
Jian Xingxia couldn’t help but think—that’s much better than a lot of exploitative bosses out there.
However, for Da Hei, longer working hours were actually a privilege. Deep in the mountains of the Great Yu Dynasty, he had no one to talk to, and sleeping out in the open meant his life was pretty miserable. In contrast, at Jian Xingxia’s place, he could eat his fill of excellent food, and the work wasn’t even exhausting.
In Da Hei’s eyes, the meager amount of chores Jian Xingxia assigned was no different from resting. The most exhausting thing had probably been climbing the mountain that day—and the exhaustion applied strictly to Jian Xingxia. When Da Hei climbed mountains, he could scale them for several hours straight, the kind where he literally scaled sheer cliffs and precipices.
Therefore, the moment Da Hei received the notification, he happily plunged right into the cave.
He had even brought a small gift for Jian Xingxia. “Master, the seeds you gave me before have grown. There is fruit now.”
Da Hei’s employment was intermittent. A day or two on Jian Xingxia’s end amounted to at least ten to twenty days on his end; imperceptibly, two or three months had already passed for him.
Da Hei had harvested a handful of various leafy greens and had dug up two tiny potatoes and sweet potatoes from the ground, each only about the size of a pinky finger.
Jian Xingxia was delighted, but she quickly urged him, “Plant them well, don’t dig them up anymore.”
She didn’t know which parallel world Da Hei’s dynasty belonged to; it had potatoes and sweet potatoes, but no corn.
Jian Xingxia handed over some heirloom seeds she had bought at the market yesterday. These seeds were kept by the farmers themselves, unlike the genetically processed ones sold by seed companies, meaning the probability of them being carried across successfully was much higher.
However, Da Hei uncharacteristically rejected Jian Xingxia’s arrangement.
He looked a bit timid, but he still gathered his courage to request, “Master, I want a clay pot.”
“A clay pot?”
Da Hei nodded, looking a bit shy. “Master taught me that I must drink boiled water and not raw water. When I drink the water at Master’s place, my stomach doesn’t hurt.”
He steeled his resolve. “Master, I will do a lot of work. I want a clay pot to take back so I can boil water to drink.”
Jian Xingxia was absolutely thrilled.
Following Lin Sanniang’s capability upgrade and level increase, Da Hei seemed to have had an epiphany as well! He had finally learned to look out for his own well-being!
It was worth noting that prior to this, Da Hei would accept whatever Jian Xingxia gave him, and he used to gnaw on the sweet potatoes and vegetables completely raw. Now, he actually knew to boil water before drinking it!
Jian Xingxia hadn’t even noticed this detail. She agreed immediately, “Alright, once you finish your work today, I’ll find a clay pot for you.”
Da Hei nodded happily.
However, Jian Xingxia immediately turned around and purchased deworming medication online—she had completely forgotten that given the background of these temporary laborers, the probability of them having parasites was 99.99%.
She would buy some deworming medicine and have them take it while they were inside the manor.
At this moment, the temporary laborers had no idea that in the near future, they would swallow sweet, candy-like medicinal pills and experience an ordeal they would be entirely loath to remember.
