In the evening, the sun was still hanging in the west, bright red.
Tomorrow is another sunny day.
Li Sheng ate and drank enough, with four corn buns in his pocket, plus eight copper coins, and officially left work.
In the southeast corner of the shack area, there is a temporary market. It was specially drawn out by the owner.
Around the capital, small merchants and hawkers gradually gathered here, making the market more and more lively.
These small merchants and peddlers walk around the streets and alleys in the capital city or the towns near the capital city to do business during the day.
In the afternoon, they carried their loads to the shack market.
The refugees who are now focused outside the South City Gate are not what they used to be. It's no longer what it used to be.
The peddlers all knew that these refugees who worked as coolies had money in their hands.
With an income of ten copper coins a day, I can get three hundred coins a month, including two meals.
This kind of treatment has made many local people feel excited and want to work on the construction site.
But the work on the construction site is too hard and tiring, and I have to get up and go to work before dawn every day. Ordinary people really can't bear that hardship.
Some local people went to work on the construction site for two days before leaving in despair.
Fortunately, I can't do coolies, but I can do technical work.
Most of the craftsmen on the construction site are locals, and the treatment is excellent. After a month, let alone get a salary of one tael of silver, which attracted the envy of many people.
Li Sheng was walking in the market, where there was a huge crowd of people, and the magic sword was brushing.
Even if you don't buy it, it's good to go to the market to join in the fun.
At this time, it is also the time when the big girls and the young wives are all out.
They put on their best clothes, washed their faces with clean water, and braided their braids. A few of them chatted together.
When a young and strong unmarried youth who came back from work passes by, they will boldly look at that person.
This market seems to have become a place for refugees to meet each other.
The boys blushed when they were looked at by the girls, and at the same time they were very proud.
In the refugee shack area, those who can work are obviously superior to others in terms of psychology, material and status.
Gentleman Li Shengcao, he is not surprised if he is not favored by the big girls.
He has a wife, a child, and he is still waiting for a family reunion.
He had eight copper coins in his hand, and he was going to buy himself a pair of sturdy straw sandals.
He was barefoot and hadn't worn shoes for a long, long time.
After he has shoes, he plans to save some money and buy two ready-made clothes.
He had inquired a long time ago that the straw sandals in the market were made of sufficient materials and were strong, and they were the straw sandals sold by old man Li.
Old man Li is also a refugee. There is no strong labor in the family, but he has the craft of making straw sandals and making furniture.
After the market opened, Mr. Li started selling straw sandals, and the business was pretty good.
Just selling straw sandals is enough to support the family, and there is still money left.
It's a pity that no one among the refugees has a decent property, and his carpentry skills are useless.
Li Sheng bought a pair of straw sandals and five copper coins.
Before leaving, he suddenly said: "I heard that the owner is selling houses. You can buy houses one by one, and you can pay the house payment in three or five years. I heard people say that the construction site in the west There are a lot of people who are planning to buy a house. Then you can help people build furniture.”
This is the first time old man Li heard the news, "Really?"
"Of course it's true. How can such a thing be faked."
"How much?"
Old man Li has saved some money by selling straw sandals in the past few months, and is interested in buying a house.
Li Sheng said: "I heard people say that a room in the main house costs eight taels of silver, nine taels if paid in three years, and ten taels if paid in five years. The wing room only costs six taels of silver... There is also a small second floor, which can be divided into upstairs and upstairs. There is another kind of one-room house in a row, but there is no well, no toilet, and no kitchen.”
Old man Li remembered this in his heart, "Thank you! I don't know about this yet."
Li Sheng asked curiously, "Do you want to buy a house? Aren't you going back to your hometown?"
Old man Li shook his head, "What do you do when you go back to your hometown? You can't support your family when you go back to your hometown. The capital is pretty good. As long as the whole family stays together, it doesn't matter where you are."
Li Sheng shook his head and said after a while: "I also heard that you can settle in the capital after buying a house. In the future, you can open up wasteland and farm."
"This is a good thing!" Old man Li said cheerfully.
Li Sheng hummed, it was indeed a good thing.
If his family is around, he will definitely save money to buy a house. Regardless of whether it is three years or five years, you must have your own home.
go back home
Li Sheng thought about it too.
But there is nothing left in my hometown. In order to survive and sell the house and land, I have to sell my children and daughters.
What can I do when I go back? Working as a tenant farmer for a big family, eating chaff and water all year round, not to mention eating meat, even eating enough is a delusion.
Thinking about it this way, it would be nice to stay in the capital.
He touched his pocket, and there were three copper coins in it.
He wants to save money.
He wants to save money to buy a house.
Even a single room is better than a shack.
Maybe one day he will find his family, and he can proudly bring his family into a new house and let them have a roof over their heads.
…
Wang Jiangen returned to the shack where his family lived, and hesitated when he entered the door.
The surroundings seem to be different.
After a closer look, I finally realized that the difference was because the nearby garbage dump was gone. Compared with the past, the residual odor is not worth mentioning.
He heard people say in the morning that his employer recruited workers to clean up the laneway, feces, and garbage.
I didn't expect the results to be so remarkable on the first day.
Thinking about it carefully, the way back was indeed cleaner than in the past.
He walked into the door of the house. The so-called door is just a fragile wooden board.
"I am back."
As soon as he finished speaking, he saw two steamed buns on the wooden board that was used as a dining table.
It smells fresh.
"I'm back! These two buns were brought back by Ergen."
A smile appeared on Wang Lianshi's face, "Ergen was selected, and there are four buns and three copper coins every day."
Ergen stood aside, looking excited, but kept silent.
Wang Jiangen was overjoyed when he heard the words, "It's a good thing that Ergen was selected! Mother, why don't I go and buy some food and wine to celebrate Ergen."
"No, no. Wowotou is enough." Wang Lianshi waved his hands repeatedly.
Ergen hehehe laughed.
The big brother's compliment made him very satisfied.
Now he can also earn money and is no longer a idler.
Wang Jiangen brought back four steamed buns and put them on wooden boards. Including the two ones brought back, there are six corn buns in total, enough for my mother and younger siblings to eat until noon tomorrow.
In this way, everyone doesn't have to go hungry, which is great!
"Ergen, follow me to fetch water."
Ergen jumped off the bed, picked up a smaller wooden barrel and followed Wang Jiangen out.
The two brothers, one in front and one behind, came to a well three or four miles away.
Regardless of age, men and women, everyone consciously lined up to fetch water.
These refugees didn't realize that it took only two months for them to develop the habit of queuing from being chaotic and disorderly.
Who knows how to line up before the owner builds a house.
They are all stolen.
The strong bully the old and the weak.
A family with a large population bullies a family with a small population.
Those with many sons bully those with few sons.
A man bullies a woman, a thick woman bullies a young daughter-in-law and a big girl...
The refugee shacks of tens of thousands of people seem to be a cruel jungle society.
In the face of all this, no one thought there was anything wrong with it.
Because from the first day of fleeing famine, they came here like this.
Only by running away and robbing all the way can we reach the capital alive.
Until the boss sent people over, until the boss started recruiting workers among the refugees, all this changed.
There is no need to preach, those guards will use sticks in their hands to let everyone learn to line up by themselves.
This well was also paid for by the owner.
Before there were no wells, everyone went to the river to fetch water to drink.
It's just that the river water is too dirty. After drinking the river water, I often have stomachaches.
After having well water, everyone has stomachaches every time.
In the beginning, guards were required to hold sticks to maintain the team.
Now everyone consciously queues up, and the guards no longer need to show up.
The two brothers of the Wang family put the buckets in the queue and sat down on a stone pier.
Wang Jiangen asked Ergen, "Are you tired from work?"
Ergen and one face were oily from the sun, "I'm not tired. I just don't have broth to drink."
Wang Jiangen laughed, "Work hard. If you perform well, the employer will give priority to us when recruiting workers in the future."
"Is the boss still recruiting workers?" Er Gen was speechless.
Wang Jiangen worked on the construction site for two months, and gained some insight.
"Where is this? I heard people say that in the future all the shacks will be demolished, and new houses will be built here, many, many houses."
"With the shack demolished, where shall we live?" Ergen panicked.
Wang Ergen laughed, "Don't be afraid, we will buy a new house."
Ergen was completely stupid.
I can't even eat enough, and I can still buy a house.
He was in a daze, and after returning to the shack, he didn't come back to his senses.
"Mom, there is something I want to discuss with you."
Hearing this, Er Gen immediately cheered up. Brother, do you want to discuss buying a house
"What's up?"
Wang Lianshi didn't notice anything.
Wang Jiangen licked his lips, a little nervous.
"After work, I went to Aunt Hu's house. Aunt Hu promised to marry Juanzi to me."
When Wang Lianshi heard the words, he wept with joy.
The boss is finally getting married.
She wiped her tears, "Then we have to build another shack."
Wang Jiangen shook his head, "There is no need to build a shack."
When Wang Lianshi heard this, his face turned pale, "If you don't build a shack, do you want to marry?"
Wang Jiangen is a strong laborer in the family, how will the whole family live after getting married
Wang Lianshi trembled all over, but he couldn't say anything to make Wang Jiangen unmarried.
The Juanzi family didn't dislike their poverty, how could she be picky.
The son missed Juanzi, and it will be difficult to find a girl who is willing to marry into their family.
Wang Jiangen said: "It's not about getting married, I plan to buy a house."
"Buy a house?" Wang Lianshi looked confused.
Wang Jiangen nodded heavily, "Yes, it is to buy a house. The houses built by my boss can be bought one by one, and the house payment can be paid in three or five years. Aunt Hu said that as long as I buy a house, Just marry the silk to me. The dowry will do whatever you want."
"This, this, this, can our family afford it?" Wang Lianshi came back to his senses. Obviously, I was still worrying about eating before, so why did I talk about buying a house in a blink of an eye.
Wang Jiangen said: "I can get three hundred Wen a month, and I can save three taels and five taels of silver in a year. The two houses are paid in five years, a total of sixteen taels. My wages are just enough to buy a house.
In another two years, Ergen will be able to work as a coolie on the construction site, and he will be able to earn a salary of three or four hundred cash a month. Half of Ergen's salary was saved for him, and the other half was used to supplement the family. In this way, the family can live on. When Juanzi gets married, she can still earn money every month. "
Wang Lian's mind was like mud, "Yes, it will take five years to buy a house. In five years, can Juanzi wait?"
Wang Jiangen laughed, "Mother, it's not your calculation. You can live in a new house after paying five hundred cash first. The rest of the house payment will be paid back every month for the next five years."
"Is there such a good thing?"
Wang Jiangen nodded heavily, "The owner is kind and gave us a chance to settle down."
"Then, if you don't have a job after that, where can you earn money and return it to your employer?"
Wang Lianshi was worried to death.
Wang Jiangen said: "There is no work on the construction site, but there is still work in the workshop. I heard people say that the owner needs a lot of people to build a workshop here. Maybe the next time I recruit workers, my mother can also be selected."
Wang Lianshi was tongue-tied, "Why is the boss so rich? They have hired thousands of people, and they still need to recruit workers?"
"At least tens of thousands of people must be recruited. Every household can work to earn money to support the family. When the shacks are demolished and the houses are built, this will be a big town. If you don't work, you can still do some small business."
Wang Lianshi looked at his eldest son, "Have you thought about it, do you really want to buy a house?"
Wang Jiangen nodded heavily, "This time we will buy two houses first. When Er Gen talks about getting married, we will buy two more houses. Our family will be settled in the capital."
At the thought of leaving the dirty and smelly shack and living in a new house, and being able to take root in the capital, Ergen became excited, "Brother, I will give you all my wages. I also have ninety Wen a month."
Wang Jiangen laughed, "Your salary will be handed over to mother, save a little more, and add two cotton-padded clothes and two quilts at the end of the year."
Wang Lianshi nodded frequently, "Your elder brother is right. The capital is cold in winter, so I need to save money to add two quilts."
Last winter, their family was lucky not to be frozen to death.
All of them were immersed in excitement because they were about to buy a house.
…
Early in the morning, Gu Jiu came to the Shaofu Yamen in a carriage.
After being notified, she was invited into the signing room.
"I've seen my ancestors!"
Gu Jiu bowed and bowed.
The Shaofu family order laughed, "Don't be too polite. You have twin bodies now, so be careful about your body."
Gu Jiu said with a smile, "Thank you, ancestor, for your understanding."
"Is it okay to be pregnant? I haven't seen you go out since the beginning of the new year. Why are you free to come out to me today?"
Gu Jiu pursed her lips and smiled, "I'm here today because I want to drink tea with my ancestors."
"Haha... I am happy that you asked me to drink tea. But drinking tea is not enough. Tell me, do you have any new ideas? I am looking forward to it."
Gu Jiu smiled and said, "Sure enough, I can't hide it from my ancestors. There are two loan agreements here, please have a look at them."
Huh
The Shaofu family order was very surprised.
He didn't rush to ask, but picked up the loan agreement on the table and looked through it.
Gu Jiu sat on the side, keeping quiet.
In the time for a cup of tea, Shaofu Jialing read the loan agreement.
He shook his head, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, "Xiao Jiu, your calculations are too smart. You dared to build a house with a loan from the Shaofu, and now you need to sell the house with a loan from the Shaofu. You just take the money from the Shaofu, Money begets money outside, earning a lot of money.”
Gu Jiu smiled slightly, and retorted: "The old ancestor's words are unfair. Look at my pricing, six taels of silver per room, this price is basically a waste of money.
I gave money to resettle the refugees and solve the security problems around the capital, which is tantamount to solving a huge hidden danger for your majesty and the court.
This merit is indispensable, benefiting the country and the people. Since it benefits the country and the people, shouldn't the Shaofu support it? "
Was the house order of the Shaofu fooled by Gu Jiu? of course not.
He said with a smile: "The old man is here to settle accounts with you. The land outside the south city gate, the old man will sell you at a low price of six taels per mu.
Counting wages, materials, and food, the cost of converting an acre of land from land to a house will not exceed one hundred taels.
The old man read your plan, and you need to build 60 houses on one mu of land. If it is a small second floor, you have to double it. Calculated at six taels per house, one mu of land can sell for three hundred and sixty taels.
After removing the cost, there would still be two hundred and sixty taels left. And the price of the second floor will double. Calculated in this way, one mu of land can earn more than three hundred and sixty taels.
With such a high profit, it can be said that it is a waste of money. Xiao Jiu, you should be honest when doing business. "
Gu Jiu: MMP, how come one and two have become so shrewd. Not as easy to fool as before.
Will she throw in the towel
of course not.
She coughed lightly, and said, "The old ancestor paid less tax, and there is also interest on the loan from the Shaofu. Streets, sewers, wells, and cleaning up garbage and forests all cost extra money, which was not included.
Adding it all up, building a house on one mu of land cost more than one hundred taels, at least one hundred and seventy-eight taels.
That little profit will be distributed to all shareholders. In the end, the money that really fell into my hands was only a few dozen taels per mu of land, and I hadn't made any money from farming. "
The corners of Shaofu's family order's mouth twitched, and Gu Jiu was crying again.
What is only a few dozen taels of profit, everything is fake.
The first phase of the project outside the South City Gate, the house price is indeed very low, but there are not many houses that can't stand it.
Shaofu Jialing personally went to the construction site to see it. At a glance, it was densely packed with newly built houses.
With so many houses sold, with an area of over a thousand acres, Gu Jiu alone has less than one person, at least hundreds of thousands of taels of profit.
There will be a second phase of the project, a third phase of the project, and a fourth phase of the project...
The farther you go to the back, the higher the price. However, the construction cost did not increase much.
At that time, the money will flow into Gu Jiu's pocket like running water.
Shaofu specializes in dealing with money.
In the past, he lacked knowledge, didn't know the way to go here, and was fooled by Gu Jiu and almost couldn't find the north.
After cooperating with Gu Jiu, all the officials in the Shaofu Yamen have come to their senses. I also know how to calculate this account.
The Shaofu family order rubbed the center of his eyebrows, and said earnestly: "Xiao Jiu, how dare you call me poor in front of this old man. This old man is really poor!"
Gu Jiu pursed his lips and smiled, "The profit outside the South City Gate is nothing compared to Yuhua Lane. Such a small profit requires ten times more energy and ten times more staff than Yuhua Lane. Why do such a thankless thing
Of course, it is for His Majesty, for the court to relieve the worries, and to settle these refugees down as soon as possible. The original intention of Shaofu Bank when it was established was to serve the people's livelihood and the community.
Settling the refugees is a great achievement. It is the Shaofu's duty to let the refugees have a tile to cover themselves. And it's not an interest-free loan. Isn't there interest? "
The family order of the Shaofu was very distressed, "The interest of one tael in three years, and only two taels of interest in five years, is this called interest? The Shaofu also needs to make money to eat."
Gu Jiu laughed softly: "I am the one who makes money to eat, and there are other merchants. The interest I give to your Shaofu is hundreds of thousands of taels a year.
However, the loan to the small people is to solve the people's livelihood. Old Ancestor, this is an opportunity to make merit in front of His Majesty, are you sure you want to reject me? "
The Shaofu Jialing looked hesitant.
Seeing this, Gu Jiu made persistent efforts and added another firewood.
She said: "When the refugees live in new houses and take the lead, will the hundreds of thousands of people in the capital with seven or eight people living in one room be tempted to buy a house
Did the ancestors think that I built houses just to accommodate refugees? wrong!
The reason why I chose low-cost housing outside the Nancheng Gate is mainly to accommodate hundreds of thousands of people in the capital who need housing. They are my main customers.
Ancestors, think about it for yourself, let hundreds of thousands of small people have tiles to cover themselves, and the people have a place to live. Is this action beneficial to the present and meritorious for the future? Is it an excellent opportunity to make achievements in front of His Majesty
As long as the ancestors agree to the Shaofu's low-interest loan to these small people to buy houses, the credit will belong to you, the ancestors, and no one can take it away.
With this achievement, the history books of later generations will also write a biography for the ancestors. The old ancestor passed on his name through the ages and became the most eye-catching figure among civil servants and military generals during the Kaiyao period. Such an honor, the ancestors really want to give up? "
Shaofu Jialing's breathing became heavy, and his eyes sparkled.
At his age, what do you want? It is nothing more than the name before and after survival.
What an honor it is for future generations to write a biography for him in the history books.
In the 300-year history of the previous dynasty, only more than 100 people were passed on.
He asked subconsciously: "Is there really a chance for this old man to be passed on to future generations?"