Damn it, I'm in the garbage book I wrote

Chapter 29 Damn, why is it so difficult?
Returning to Xinping Township again, Xia Lin carried a bag of local specialties he had brought from the provincial capital back to the shabby township government office. As soon as he entered, he saw two yamen runners, who were older than his father, sitting there drinking tea with their trouser legs lifted up. When they saw Xia Lin coming, they simply greeted him, but Xia Lin still shared some of the things he had brought with them.

After pouring a cup of tea and sitting down, Xia Lin began to ask, "Zhao Da, you have great prestige here. I want you to help me with something."

Zhao Da was the chief of the yamen runners, he was about fifty years old, and was a thug who ran rampant in the village when he was young. Later, he asked someone to find him a job as a yamen runner with a guaranteed income. He didn't take Xia Lin seriously. In his opinion, Xia Lin was just a mediocre boy who couldn't carry anything, and could get a ninth-degree disability if he tried to catch a chicken.

As for whether he was promoted or not, a corrupt official of the ninth rank just killed someone and buried him casually, and then reported that it was a mountain flood and the body was missing, but no one came to take care of it. It was fortunate that the magistrate Liang of Poyang County was enlightened and governed the local area well in recent years, otherwise a young boy like this would have died if he came to such a place.

So when Zhao Da heard Xia Lin speak, he lazily raised his head and looked Xia Lin up and down before he said, "I wonder what the young master wants me to do?"

Xia Lin saw this attitude, but he didn't say anything. He just smiled and said, "Go to the village and find some people to build a house and repair the dock."

"Where can I find one? There are so many widows and orphans in this village, and they live in scattered places. I can't find them." Zhao Da waved his hand impatiently: "Sir, please don't embarrass me."

Xia Lin was not in a hurry. He just crossed his legs and said with a smile, "How much do those working outside earn a month?"

Zhao Da raised his eyebrows. Although he was uneducated, he was smart. When asked this question, he naturally raised the price: "At least five taels of silver a month."

Bullshit! Xia Lin cursed in his heart, this bastard really thinks he doesn't know shit. There are three types of migrant workers: one is apprentices, who are not paid, and are given several liters of rice, flour, meat and vegetables a month, which is about one tael of silver, and then according to the price standard, it is about 700 yuan in purchasing power. The second type is laborers, who get about two taels a month, but the employer usually provides food and accommodation, so the two taels of silver are net income, that is, a laborer gets three to three and a half taels, which is about to yuan in wages.

The last type is technicians, who are more valuable, but usually not more than five taels of silver, and not more than seven taels including food and other expenses. But the problem is that there are few technicians and generally they don't come back to build bridges and roads if they don't have stable jobs.

So they can only be considered apprentices and laborers here, and the skilled workers needed to build the house have to be hired separately. Zhao Da opened his mouth and asked for five taels of silver, which was really exaggerated.

Xia Lin leaned there and pondered for a moment, then nodded: "Okay, then five taels of silver each. I'll give you as much silver as you recruit. You decide how much their wages are, and I don't care about the rest. Recruit the people back for me, and start work as soon as the autumn harvest is over."

After hearing this, Zhao Da's eyes suddenly lit up, and his whole state became different. He leaned in front of Xia Lin and asked in a low voice: "Sir, how many people do you want?"

"The more the better. Five hundred is not too few, and three thousand is not too many. It depends on your ability, but let's be frank. This money is not paid by me, but by the governor, Lord Guo. You know that the governor's money is not so easy to take. If you take it and do a good job, it's fine. If you don't do a good job, your head and my head will be sent to Hongdu Mansion and hung on the city gate. If you can do it, do it. If you can't, don't endanger your life or mine."

Zhao Da thought for a moment, probably weighing the pros and cons, and then he asked with some concern: "Sir...what if the construction period is delayed?"

"I'll fine you, but I don't know about you. If it's lighter, it might be 50 canings and 3,000 imprisonment. If it's heavier, I'm afraid it will be..." Xia Lin chuckled, "I still say that if you can do it, then do it. If you can't, I'll find someone else."

"Sir, if you add six taels per person, I will do the job for you."

Xia Lin frowned: "Bargaining? You are really brave."

"No, no, no, that's not it. My Lord, please listen to me." At this moment, Zhao Da addressed Xia Lin as "you", which shows that the attraction of this silver is much greater than that of a mere ninth-rank official: "There are not many people in this village, so we need to recruit people from other places. People from other places need to be provided with food and accommodation. These working dogs will not be happy if they eat poorly, so... this one or two taels of silver is considered as food."

Xia Lin nodded: "Then I'll leave this matter to you. If you do a good job..."

As he spoke, he looked at the yamen runner next to him, and Zhao Da immediately explained: "This is my wife's brother, one of us."

"There are still some jobs to be done in the future, such as land reclamation and mining. That's the big deal. I'm new here and don't have many confidants. I'm also a little young and don't have much prestige, so..." Zhao Dana has been through a lot in the martial arts world, so how could he not understand this? So he nodded hurriedly and said, "I understand, I understand. Thank you for your advice, sir."

"Yeah." Xia Lin leaned back slightly: "Let's not beat around the bush. I came here for a political achievement. Money and other things are negotiable, but the premise is that you have to do my job well, otherwise I can't explain it and I can only explain it to you."

Zhao Da was shocked, and suddenly he became a little scared when he looked at the young man of sixteen or seventeen years old. As a veteran, he could see murderous intent in the eyes of the young official in front of him. That was real murderous intent, and he would definitely kill someone.

"Oh right." Xia Lin tapped the table with his fingers. "The case of the massacre of imperial officials in Xiuning County next door has been reported. There were a total of 102 principal and accomplices. Nine were tortured to death, 31 were exterminated with their entire families, and the rest were beheaded. Take this as a warning, Zhao Da. Don't let yourself be killed for any reason. If you do, your whole village will be wiped out. After all, you are an imperial official. Although you have no rank, you receive a salary. Be careful."

It seemed like a kind word of persuasion, but in fact it was a murderous intention. Zhao Da's forehead was sweating after hearing it. He quickly wiped it with his sleeve, then took a deep breath and stood up and bowed, saying: "Thank you for your concern, sir. I will go and do my job now."

Xia Lin watched him walk away, sneered, and turned back to the inner room. Of course, he knew the customs of this remote area. Killing officials was not a big deal in their concept, but it should be noted that there is no such thing as the law not punishing the masses. There are cases of killing officials appointed by the court, but the final outcome is always extremely tragic, so as long as these people can have a bite of food, they will not take the risk to do such a thing.

As an official appointed by the imperial court, Xia Lin had to remind Zhao Da that he had actually seen through his little thoughts and told him not to play tricks. Not to mention that he was killed, even if he accidentally choked to death while drinking water, this small Xinping Township would still have to be plowed over. Only by doing things well could he reap endless benefits.

After entering the inner room, Xia Lin saw Chuntao sitting on the millstone in the yard in a daze, staring at the sparrows on the eaves, and she didn't even notice that he came in.

"Sister Chuntao."

Xia Lin called out, and Chun Tao came to her senses and hurried over to greet him. There was no joy on her face, and she just said as a matter of routine: "The master is back."

"There's no need to call me master." Xia Lin took off the big bag on his back and handed it to Chun Tao: "I brought you some rouge and powder and a few pieces of cloth from the provincial capital. I wanted to bring some meat back, but it was so hot that I was afraid it would go bad when I tried it, so I didn't bring any. But I saw a Hu merchant selling donkey jerky, so I bought a few pounds of it for you. I also brought you ten pounds of brown sugar. I can't carry any more."

Chun Tao was surprised when she heard it: "Give it to me?"

"Yes, you were always holding your stomach these days. I thought it was because you were in great pain during your period. I have no other way to deal with it, so I can only give you some sugar. Next time you have your period, I can make you some fermented glutinous rice, boil an egg and add some brown sugar. Oh, and I also got you a bag of tea from where I ate."

Seeing Xia Lin chattering there, Chuntao was a little surprised. Her identity was there. She was just an object that could be given away at will. When she was with the young prince, although she had good conditions in all aspects, she was actually not treated as a human being. Now she saw that her own master could carry a bunch of things back for her from thousands of miles away.

It was the first time that someone treated me like a human being. It would be a lie to say that I wasn't touched, but Chun Tao was not the kind of person who was not very good at expressing herself. She could only sort things out silently while thanking him indifferently: "Don't bring me these things next time. I'm just a maid."

"Sister Chuntao, what are you talking about? You are only 18 years old. There is no need to be so mature." Xia Lin stretched his body and said, "I'm going to take a shower. I'm almost covered with weeds after the journey back. Let's find a way to get the donkey meat to eat tonight."

"I'll take care of it. You just take a good rest."

After taking a shower and lying on the bed, the mountain wind outside poured in through the small window, carrying a bit of muddy smell. Xia Lin listened to the cicadas and gradually fell asleep in the cool breeze in the mountains. Just before he fell asleep, he was still muttering about building a workshop, but he thought it should be difficult. After all, the poor mountains and bad waters produce unruly people. It is easy to deal with the mountains and waters, but it is difficult to deal with the unruly people.

It's a pity that Lao Zhang is no longer around. Now there is no one to discuss things with, which makes him feel a little lonely. But let him be lonely. You can't let fear of loneliness block Lao Zhang's way. He is a real talent with extraordinary talent. If he missed an opportunity and then missed the second one, he would probably feel a little regretful when he talks about it in the future.

(End of this chapter)