Chapter 2559 - 2533: Making Money

The progress on the section of road Zhou Wulang is in charge of was particularly fast; it was scheduled for ten days, but by the eighth day, it was nearly finished. However, since it was too late that day, there were still a dozen steps not fully compacted, so they needed to work a bit more the next morning.

Zhou Wulang decided not to rush back to the city, squeezed into a bed with three foremen, and chatted with them by a fire in the fields.

"Have the rice seeds started to sprout yet?"

"Almost, but there’s been little rain this year, my family’s land is dry, and I’m not sure if we’ve planted yet."

"This timing is just right, when you return home, you can level the fields, and once the seedlings grow, you can transplant them."

Zhou Wulang looked up at the star-filled sky and sighed, "These stars are so bright, tomorrow will be another sunny day."

"Isn’t a sunny day good? With the road just completed, it needs to be dried for a couple of days; once it gets solid, people and livestock can walk on it without damaging it."

Zhou Wulang looked at them foolishly, "It’s been dry since the spring began. Count how many times it’s rained since the ’Dragon Heads Up’ festival?"

"Twice?"

Hearing this, everyone was shocked.

Zhou Wulang continued, "Last year, when the Astronomical Bureau predicted snow disasters in the central and southern regions, my teacher said that it might be dry in the coming spring, and it really turned out dry."

Everyone felt uneasy, as they were all farmers relying on the land for sustenance.

Zhou Wulang said, "That’s why I reckon we need to wait longer to transplant seedlings with water."

"Wait longer for the rain to come?"

"Even if it doesn’t rain here, it will surely rain elsewhere," he said. "When the water level of the Wei River rises, irrigation will be easier."

Everyone thought this made sense.

Zhou Wulang seized the opportunity to ask, "Anyway, there’s still time before spring planting; what do you plan to do next?"

Everyone was puzzled, "We will go home to level the land."

"The wheat seedlings have turned green; those that survived last year’s snow disaster are thriving. Take care in weeding; even if rice planting fails, there will still be a good harvest of wheat."

There are still many tasks to be done, farm work can be done year-round if you’re proactive.

If you lack vision, the weeds will grow taller than the wheat seedlings, yet you’ll think it’s not time for farming.

Zhou Wulang rubbed his nose and straightforwardly said, "Since we have time, do you want to stay a few more days to continue road construction?"

Not only the three foremen but everyone sitting around him was shocked, looking at Zhou Wulang with disbelief: We thought of you as a brother, a good man, but now you want to extend our labor, oppress us, exploit us...

"The next section of road is under the responsibility of the princess. She gave me money to hire people for the work. I’ve calculated that if you work with me, I’ll pay you fifty coins a day, plus three meals a day. I can even arrange for someone to deliver the paving stones here, so we don’t have to haul them ourselves. What do you say, will you do it?" Zhou Wulang winked at them.

The previous shock and anger instantly disappeared, and the foremen began to seriously consider, asking, "Will we get paid upon completion?"

Zhou Wulang nodded, assuring them, "On the day we finish, payment will be settled. Also, if you’re willing to take charge, I’ll pay you an extra twenty coins a day."

The three foremen became more tempted and looked at the villagers behind them.

They were able to become foremen due to their high esteem within their communities, so their attitude was crucial.

The three foremen didn’t immediately agree but said, "We’ll need to discuss it."

"Alright!" Zhou Wulang said, "Give me a definitive answer tomorrow. If you wish to stay, I will treat you well. If not, I won’t blame you; I’ll find the spare workers elsewhere in the city."

There are many outsiders on the west side of the city, living in shacks, looking to make a living in the capital. They will work as long as they’re paid.

After discussing among themselves overnight, most decided to stay, but about a dozen opted to return home due to having fewer family members and needing to focus on their farm work.

Zhou Wulang was delighted that he was working with familiar people, who were also experienced in road construction, so the speed would be faster.

Zhou Wulang said, "You can go home to see your family today, and return early tomorrow. I’ll also recruit more workers, aiming for three hundred people. If we maintain the speed, we might complete it in seven to eight days."

After hearing this, the foremen exchanged glances and pulled Zhou Wulang aside, saying, "No rush to recruit more; let us return to the village to see if anyone is willing to come."

"True, it’s better to work with acquaintances from the same village; there’s mutual support."

The current three hundred workers weren’t from the same village, but three different villages. One village only contributed seventy households, and they certainly have relatives in other villages, who can be enlisted for the work.

Zhou Wulang considered and agreed.

So they solidified the remaining section of the road and then packed up and dispersed.

Before leaving, the foremen verified with Zhou Wulang, "This counts as ten days of labor service."

Zhou Wulang nodded, "Yes, ten days. I’ll report it to the County Governmental Office tomorrow."

Only then did everyone disperse with peace of mind.

The next day, they indeed brought the new recruits, replenishing the departed ones, totaling exactly three hundred men.

Zhou Wulang breathed a sigh of relief and led them to continue road construction from where they left off the previous day.

Bai Erlang came over for a look and saw that they had divided into three groups, each simultaneously working on three sections of the road, progressing at a rapid pace.

Standing beside Zhou Wulang, Bai Erlang praised, "Impressive, Brother Zhou Wu; quite an operation."

Being his first time managing such a large group, Zhou Wulang felt proud, "It’s alright, not bad."

Bai Erlang asked, "How long will it take to complete this section of road?"

"At most ten days, or maybe less," Zhou Wulang said, glancing around and speaking quietly, "I gave twenty thousand coins to the quarry workers to deliver stones daily."

That should expedite the process considerably.

Bai Erlang calculated and asked in bewilderment, "How much is their daily meal allowance?"

Zhou Wulang replied, "Each person costs about eight or nine coins."

After all, there needs to be meat; they’re doing manual labor, so they eat more.

Bai Erlang: "... So what profit are you making?"

He and Mingda had given him two hundred thousand coins.

Zhou Wulang wore a solemn expression, saying, "Just wait and see; I’ll definitely make a profit."

Even if not profitable, it shouldn’t result in losses, right?

Zhou Wulang swallowed nervously, feeling a bit uncertain whether he had offered too high a wage or asked too little from Bai Erlang and Mingda.

Ultimately, it proved not to be a loss due to the quarry’s dedicated delivery of stones. With their previous experience and the wages offered, everyone worked diligently. By midday on the sixth day, the road reached outside New City, connecting to the major road beyond.

Zhou Wulang exhaled in relief and selected ten people to quickly transport the money from the workshop using ox carts. Once the road was assuredly completed, he ordered them to unload basket after basket of cash.

He picked up a string of coins from the basket and announced, "Everyone, take a look; each string is worth a thousand coins. I’ll directly give them to your foremen, who will distribute them to you."

The villagers, seeing such a large sum of money for the first time, gathered around excitedly, encircling the baskets, their eyes gleaming brightly.