Three households arrived that morning, bringing everything they owned with them — though since they were all poor families to begin with, there wasn't much to bring.
By midday, everything had been more or less settled.
Two large tables were set up in the central courtyard, and Jinyi sat composedly at the head of the main table.
Three of the girls ferried dishes and bowls of rice to both tables.
Four dishes in total, two of which contained shredded and diced meat.
White rice and steamed buns — as much as anyone could eat.
At the main table, the four girls sat on one side, with the three male heads of household seated across from them.
Though they shared the same table, each side had their own separate dishes.
Having lived in the Zhao household for so long, the girls had grown ever more accustomed to — and fond of — cleanliness. Eating from the same pot with shared chopsticks was something they genuinely struggled to accept.
Even if these were their own fathers, the girls couldn't stand the grimy feeling that clung to the men.
The other large round table seated all eleven of them.
"Today marks your first day in your new home, and the Master invites everyone to share this first meal. Please don't stand on ceremony — eat up. There's plenty of food, but do mind the little ones — don't let them stuff themselves sick."
Fine food that hadn't graced their tables even at New Year's now sat before them. Everyone was quietly swallowing in anticipation; the smallest children reached out to grab at the dishes, only to have their hands rapped with chopsticks by their mothers.
"Come on, everyone — go ahead and eat." Jinyi moved her chopsticks first, and only then did the others begin.
Jinyi and the other three girls ate with such delicate refinement that the three men, already under considerable pressure, ate with great care — though their pace was by no means slow. Short steps taken briskly can cover just as much ground as long strides.
"Slow down — were you a starving ghost in a past life?"
"Have you no shame in front of your sister? Choke on it, why don't you!"
The other table was a different scene entirely — practically a battlefield. The mothers couldn't keep up with the children at all.
Dishes finer than anything they'd seen at New Year's had sent the younger children into a kind of wild joy.
So what if Mother smacked their hands red and swollen? Get it into your stomach first — everything else can wait!
After the meal, the table was cleared, and Jinyi waved her hand. Jinxiu set three small pouches on the table.
"The Master knows that none of your families are well-off, so he's advancing each family some wages — five hundred wen per household. Use it to pick up whatever you're short of at home."
The men stared at the pouches in disbelief, their breathing quickening. Five hundred wen — that was more money than they'd see in an entire year of farming, only when they sold their grain at harvest.
And now, here it sat before them, light as a feather?
"It's an advance — it'll simply be deducted from your wages later."
"As for wages, I've discussed it with the Master. You'll be hired on a day-labor basis. Each of you men will earn a provisional ten wen per day."
"The women of the household will earn seven wen."
"The older children can work too, and will be paid on a sliding scale according to their age."
"None of this is set in stone — wages may change at any time based on performance."
"Wages will be settled every ten days. If you have any questions, feel free to come to me."
"If there's nothing else, you're all dismissed — work starts officially tomorrow."
The men's breath came in short bursts. Ten wen a day for himself — that came to three taels, six qian, and five fen of silver over a full year?
His wife would clear two and a half taels on her own — together that was already over five taels! And the children could earn wages too.
Even a well-off family with ten or eight mu of farmland might not pull in that much in a year.
Questions? They certainly had questions!
"Miss Jinyi, I have a question — I don't want a day off. I can start work this very afternoon, and so can my whole family!"
Wang Dagou, Jinyuan's father, was breathing hard with excitement. For wages like these, he was ready to work his kids Dalü, Daniu, and Dama like beasts of burden.
But Dama was only four years old!
A four-year-old, and already being sent to earn wages?
Jinyi glanced over at the other table, where the little turnip-top was still gnawing furiously on a steamed bun while simultaneously getting smacked by her mother. She gave a small nod.
"All right — one wen a day."
A small investment to attract greater talent down the road.
In the beginning, Zhao Baihui had thought ten wen a day per household would be more than enough to keep people grateful and content.
But thinking it over, he decided it was better to lay the proper groundwork early — starting with pay tied to effort.
You put in more, you earn more; you do more work, you eat better.
Fourteen people across three households — once they all passed the trial period, that was a hundred and forty yuan a day.
Their wages came to about a hundred wen per day — the equivalent of ten yuan. What was that to him?
Zhao Baihui felt like he'd struck an absolute goldmine.
And it served as a showcase investment, to boot.
Once they'd been working for a while, they'd be living proof — a walking advertisement.
Was he supposed to worry they wouldn't bring every aunt, cousin, and distant relative they knew flocking to his doorstep?
"Take the rest of today off — the children have eaten themselves half to death. What work would they get done?"
"That settles it — everyone starts tomorrow."
Jinyi rose and headed toward the rear courtyard. Noticing that the girls seemed to linger, as though reluctant to part from their families, she immediately let her expression go cold.
The three girls were so startled they quickly fell into step behind her.
With the girls gone, the tension in the air lifted noticeably.
With wives and children sent off to get the new home in order, the three men settled in for a leisurely chat.
Half an afternoon passed, and the three families had grown quite familiar with one another.
Sun Tiezhu said, "Brother Dabao, I heard you fell ill a while back — have you recovered?"
"Pretty well, thanks. It was all thanks to Daya — oh, that is, Jinyuan. Jinyuan brought money home, and I had good chicken broth for many days. I'm doing quite well now."
The conversation drifted naturally to each man's daughter, each brimming with undisguised pride.
At the same time, they each quietly hoped that one day their daughters might carry themselves with the same commanding poise as Miss Jinyi.
In the rear courtyard, the girls returned and were called over by Zhao Baihui.
"Come, come — payday, payday!"
"From now on we'll settle up every ten days too — a hundred wen each time. We're skilled workers, after all, so naturally we get a strong laborer's full work points!"
The girls didn't quite understand what "work points" meant, but they all knew money was a fine thing.
This wasn't the first payday — the girls were quite at ease now, each reaching out to take her own share.
Jinxiu clutched her little coin purse, eyes sparkling, already daydreaming about what she might buy herself.
Now that her family had come to stay, they were working and earning and living far better than before — she no longer needed to support them. She could finally start building her own little nest egg.
Jinyuan pressed her share of the money into Jinyi's hands. It was to repay what she'd borrowed before.
Jinyi said, "Why don't we all chip in and buy some more cloth? Combined with what's left from last time, we should have enough for everyone to have another new outfit made."
"That way we'll all have something to change into. As for the old clothes, we can throw— well, give them away."
"Or keep them for work if you like — though I doubt any of us will be doing the really dirty work much longer."
"Some of the men will probably be going into town to shop this afternoon. Whoever wants to go along — Jinxiu, any of you — can bring the cloth back with them."
All the girls' eyes lit up at once, and without a moment's hesitation they happily pooled their coins.
Zhao Baihui looked on with a fond chuckle. Jinyi, you've changed.
The person who used to be so frugal — now talking about throwing away old clothes!
Good. Very good. I like it. Keep it up.