Because of the new goods arriving, the area in front of the simple Treasure Pavilion was bustling as workers who heard the news rushed over with money.
Now they weren’t short on food anymore. Working here, they had food every day, and the wages they earned could also buy food.
So everyone had a certain amount of grain stored.
However, they were very short on cloth and finished clothes, shoes, socks, etc., especially since it’s winter; everyone’s clothes let in the wind, and the shoes were still straw sandals, not to ntion socks and other items.
With money, they wanted to buy so things for themselves, at least sothing warm, to make life a bit easier.
Zhao Hanzhang had anticipated this. Since the end of the war, she had ordered Ru Nan County in Anding to start producing various supplies in large quantities.
In Zhang Family Village, Shangcai County, Ru Nan County, Zhang Dayan and Bao Sanzhu pushed a handcart into the village, imdiately catching the sharp eyes of the villagers who quickly ran out to ask, "Dayan, did you bring our money back?"
"Yes, yes, co to my house later to get the money."
"No hurry, no hurry," the person said they weren’t in a rush while grinning widely and keeping their eyes on the cart, "Dayan, is this fabric? Is there more work? You must save a few more pieces of cloth for us; my wife’s skills are good..."
Zhang Dayan replied: "That’s not possible. The county governnt’s manager didn’t choose your wife’s clothes because the stitches weren’t fine enough. However, the shoes were decent. I have a quota for two hundred pairs of shoes this ti and will give your wife twenty pairs."
"Twenty pairs? How long would that take her? How about fifty pairs? She can do it quickly with my daughter’s help."
"That’s not possible," Zhang Dayan said, continuing to push the cart ho, "Everyone has a fixed quota, and the manager’s requirents are very strict. Dahua’s shoe-making skills are not as good as your wife’s. If she makes shoes and the manager doesn’t accept them, you’ll have to cover the material costs."
The person imdiately fell silent.
Zhang Dayan continued: "Making shoes is not as profitable as making clothes. I heard from the county governnt manager that skilled tailors and embroiderers could enter the embroidery workshop. The clothes made there are of silk. Each set can earn at least fifty cents."
Zhang Cong was amazed, "Earn that much?"
"Indeed," Zhang Dayan said: "So Brother Cong, don’t hold Dahua back. I’ve seen it; among all the young ladies in our village, only Dahua’s skills are good enough. Sending her to the embroidery workshop for training might lead to learning sothing valuable."
"Letting her sew shoe soles at ho is a waste. Now, there are so many refugees, and the governor is kind, so he lets us make shoes for relief. But once this wave passes, how many people will buy shoes?" Zhang Dayan said: "But entering the embroidery workshop is different. Not only do you learn tailoring and embroidery, but you also learn spinning and weaving. Learning even one of these skills will be beneficial in the future."
Zhang Cong was still pondering while Zhang Dayan had already pushed the cart into his courtyard.
He didn’t need to go out to announce it; children who saw him spread the news around the village that Zhang Dayan and Bao Sanzhu had returned from the county town.
The villagers imdiately got busy, rushing to Zhang Dayan’s house to collect their wages.
This was the money for their family’s work weaving cloth, making clothes, sewing shoe soles, and making socks for the county governnt.
At first, the county governnt requested each family report their specialty, whether it was weaving cloth, spinning thread, tailoring, sewing shoe soles, or making socks, and each family had to submit a sample.
They were nervous and proceeded as instructed, afraid of doing poorly, and put in great effort to complete it.
After submitting the items, people from the county governnt ca soon, selecting several households, and let them do what they were skilled at. However, another ten households were not selected due to poor craftsmanship.
To be honest, those ten households were quite proud and happy at the ti.
The selected households felt as if they were mourning, timidly taking the materials from the county governnt and handing in exact replicas after completion, then earning the first wages.
Things suddenly reversed, and the unselected households imdiately did not look pleased and ca over again, surrounding Zhang Dayan: "Dayan, did you speak to the manager for us?"
"I did," Zhang Dayan untied the rope on the cart, "but the manager didn’t agree, saying your skills were too poor."
Their faces turned sour.
Zhang Dayan said: "If you truly want to earn money, it doesn’t have to be this way. I heard the manager said the county governnt needs a batch of wood and bricks transported; they lack manpower. If you really wish to earn money, you can go."
"Where to?"
"To Liang State."
"Where is Liang State?"
Zhang Dayan: "Who knows, sowhere within Yu State. I heard Chen County is in Liang State, and the governor is in Chen County."
"How long does the round trip take?"
"A journey carrying cargo, walking to and fro, takes about ten days," Zhang Dayan said: "Food and drink along the way are supplied; just deliver the goods and return. They say one trip earns 100 cents."
Upon hearing this, the village’s young and strong n were all tempted, itching to say: "Dayan, why don’t you lead us to the county town?"
"Sure, we can leave tomorrow. Co on, make way; let first distribute the wages to the aunts and sister-in-laws."
The won who had been squeezed to the back imdiately pushed forward; these were their wages!
So young girls also squeezed forward to look; they too had a share in it.
Zhang Dayan divided the wages, then opened a book and marked it with symbols only he could understand, "The old rules stand: those who spin thread will spin thread, those who weave cloth will weave cloth, and those who make clothes will make clothes; no ssing around."
He also said: "No one is allowed to transfer work to others after receiving it. Everything delivered to the county town will be checked by the managers; if the work isn’t up to scratch, it’s returned directly, and you not only lose the salary but have to compensate for materials."
The won unanimously agreed and happily received the materials before returning ho, while the n followed closely behind, driven away by the won, "Why are you still standing there? Hurry ho and cook! We need to make the most while the sun is up; it’s impossible to work once it turns dark."
The n being ordered around didn’t get angry. They complied imdiately and headed to the kitchen to work, calling their sons along, "Hurry, stoke the fire. Haven’t you noticed your mother and sisters are busy?"
anwhile, at Zhao Manor in Shangcai County, Ru Nan County, it was n who were the busiest.
They pulled bricks from the kiln, placing them aside. Not long after, soone ca to inspect, and once they passed inspection, they started watering them.
On the empty ground nearby, a lot of bricks were already stacked. So pushed carts over, and people imdiately began loading bricks onto the carts. After stacking a full cart, they secured it with ropes and pushed it to the side.
So drove ox carts, mule carts, and donkey carts over, loaded them up, and then stacked them aside, ready to form a caravan the next day and depart.
Hu Zhi rushed over and shouted: "Speed up, speed up; there are many caravans waiting to load behind us. The day is almost over, and if you delay tomorrow’s departure, you’ll face the consequences!"
Everyone instinctively accelerated their pace.
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