Builder Wang strode back to the construction site in high spirits, with Jinyi and Jinwen accompanying him.
"Get everyone together — there's good news!"
"Uncle, what good news? Tell me first."
"Third, you and your endless chatter — just go and call everyone. All of them."
"But what if we fall behind on the schedule?"
"What the — I..."
"Why are you cursing my mother? My mother is your mother too."
Jinyi and Jinwen came up from behind, and Third instantly snapped his mouth shut — no longer daring to keep running it — and hurried off to gather the others.
Sixty or seventy people swarmed over in a rush. Builder Wang waved his arms and called out, "Big news — Master Zhao has agreed. From now on, we eat under Master Zhao's roof!"
Third piped up. "Uncle, aren't we already eating under Master Zhao's roof?"
Builder Wang ignored this dense younger brother of his and carried on. "From now on, we're not just taking Master Zhao's contracts anymore — we're his people."
"Going forward, everyone will draw wages just like the folks over at the distillery — six to ten wen per person per day, and the Master covers meals!"
Third grew excited. "Uncle, is that really true? Then I want the ten wen!"
"Get lost! Cut me off one more damn time and I'll have you eating shit! Ten wen — who do you think you are, trying to fly to the heavens!"
Honestly, if this man weren't his own blood, he'd have throttled him long ago.
Jinyi stepped half a pace forward, and the crowd fell silent instantly.
"Everyone listen. Going forward, you're all people of the Zhao household. You work for the Master, and the Master pays your wages."
"The Master is generous — you're welcome to bring your families here. Young or old, men or women, it doesn't matter. Anyone who comes will have food to eat, without fail."
Someone plucked up the courage to ask. "Miss Jinyi, is that really true? My mother is nearly sixty — what could she do here?"
"There's plenty she can do. If she can still get around, there's cooking, sweeping — even keeping watch at the gates, or overseeing the community later on. Any of those will keep her fed."
The man didn't follow all of it, but he caught enough to understand there were plenty of options to choose from.
"I'll go back and bring my mother here within the next few days."
"No rush — people need somewhere to sleep, don't they? Right now, all we have is the front courtyard or the sheds over at the distillery."
"That's fine with me — my place back home isn't much better than a shed."
Builder Wang felt his head throb with irritation. How did that reckless brother of his always manage to say the wrong thing?
Jinyi smiled. "The Master won't allow anyone to live in poor conditions — which brings me to the second thing I came to say. We'll be pulling some of you aside to build a number of residential houses near the Zhao estate."
"The first phase will be eighty-one units. Once they're built, they'll be for you all to live in."
"We're building houses for ourselves? Do we still get paid for that?"
"Those are two separate things — wages will be paid as normal. But the houses aren't being given to you; you're being given the right to live in them. No rent for the first year, but after that there'll be a charge."
Zhao Baihui could foresee any number of problems down the road — property prices among them — so he had nipped certain things in the bud from the very start.
"Steward Wang, pull twenty men to build the residences — one unit at a time, and each one occupied as soon as it's finished."
Builder Wang blinked, then realised she was talking to him, and quickly responded.
Going from boss to steward — the feeling was hard to name. Not exactly good, not exactly bad.
"Also, the Master knows things haven't been easy for any of you, so he's decided to advance everyone some wages — three hundred wen per person. Have everyone form a line and come up one at a time to collect."
They'd barely become Master Zhao's people, and already money was coming in. It felt almost too sudden to be real.
Zhao Baihui had clearly mastered the old art of buying a dead horse's bones for a thousand gold.
Someone quickly brought over a table. Jinyi and Jinwen sat down behind it. Jinyi produced a small cloth pouch and tipped it out — tiny silver pellets, no bigger than a fingernail, went rolling in every direction.
A crowd of country men who had never laid eyes on this much money all at once stood there, struck dumb.
Even Steward Wang found his breathing had gone short.
"Don't push forward — everyone gets three qian of silver. Keep pushing and there'll be none left."
Steward Wang rushed over, kicking and shoving people aside to restore order.
Twenty-odd taels of silver, and every single heart in that crowd was won over.
"Steward Wang — this is yours."
"I get one too?"
"Of course you do." Jinyi smiled. "Management staff have to eat too, don't they? Even I and Jinwen and the others take three hundred wen each."
"Ah — ah, then I'll take it."
"And this five taels — consider it the Master's payment for buying out your construction crew."
Each ingot weighed one tael — about two thumb-joints long, cast into shape, rounded like a little boat, like a dumpling. Beautiful things, all told.
Five gleaming silver ingots were pressed into Steward Wang's hands.
"Keep them safe — don't let anyone see."
"I — I can't accept this."
"The Master keeps his accounts straight — personal and business are two different things. Whether you want to accept it or not, you'll accept it. The Master doesn't do favors he can't settle with money."
"Steward Wang, if you could start taking people out to build the houses today, that would be ideal. Also, draw up an assessment of each person's work capacity and set the daily wage rates — then bring it to me for approval."
"You can count on me, Miss Jinyi — I'll see to both without fail."
"Make sure the wage rates are done properly — we don't want any dirty business."
"Rest easy — I can handle it. These are all my own kinsmen. I know to a man who's capable of what and how much they can take on."
"Get the work distributed fairly and it takes care of itself — if they want six wen's worth of food, they do six wen's worth of work. If they want ten, they do ten. I won't stand in anyone's way. Don't worry, there won't be any trouble."
"Very good. Then I'll head back for now — I'll come again tomorrow."
On the way back, Jinyi said to Jinwen, "Spend the next few days coming to the construction site with me and get familiar with how everything works. I'd like to put you in charge of the building side of things going forward."
"Elder Sister, do you really think I can manage it?"
"Why wouldn't you? I was afraid I couldn't manage it myself, at the start — and haven't you stuck through it all the same?"
"Don't be afraid of making mistakes — the only real mistake is doing nothing at all. Don't worry, the Master has our backs."
"Mm, Elder Sister. Don't worry — I'll work hard and do my best."
"And if you're really worried about managing on your own, bring Jinyuan along — it'll be good practice for her too."
"Alright."