Chapter 30
Looking For Workers
After bidding farewell to Manager Lin, Jian Qingqing went to the iron shop to look at the iron pot.
She took a fancy to an iron pot with a diameter of one meter. When she asked about the price, she was almost shocked. This pot, which was not too big, actually cost 20 taels!
She had thought that a few taels of silver would be enough. She had forgotten that iron was hard to refine in this era. Moreover, the state of Great Wei was not peaceful, and there were often wars to be fought. Therefore, iron was tightly controlled, causing the price of iron to be sky-high.
However, no matter how expensive it was, she had to buy it. She planned to buy it tomorrow after she sold her formula.
After leaving the iron shop, she planned to find someone to build a house. It would take too much time to build it after the farming work was over. What she lacked now was not money, but time. Therefore, she planned to spend a higher price to find someone to build it immediately.
Before this, she had some vague ideas. Now, she wanted to see if it was feasible.
She went to the place where the refugees often gathered. Most of these people were men. They were all skinny from hunger, and their eyes were dull. It was obvious that they were waiting to die. If no one was there to save them, they would not be able to live for long.
Although these people were skinny, some of them were still quite tall. Jian Qingqing nodded her head in satisfaction. If they ate well, they would be very strong.
“Do any of you know how to build a house?”
These words suddenly appeared on the quiet field, but they did not stir up any reaction, and they did not cause any disturbance. Those refugees did not even raise their eyes and were in a daze.
Jian Qingqing thought for a moment and added, “I’ll buy the meals and pay the wages.”
Swoosh!
These words finally touched the nerves of those refugees. They raised their heads in unison and stared at Jian Qingqing with burning eyes. They had completely lost their previous lifeless look.
Jian Qingqing was not afraid of them. She continued, “Do any of you know how to build a house? I need to hire 20 people. I will cover two of your meals a day. We’ll discuss the salary then.”
The refugees finally reacted and saw her clearly. They realized that she was a little girl who often went to the restaurant to sell meat.
They rushed up and surrounded Jian Qingqing.
“Me!”
“Choose me! I know how to build!”
“Me! I know how to build too!”
Even the women surrounded her. “Miss, choose us too. We can do anything.”
Messy voices rang out. Jian Qingqing shouted, “Line up! I’ll choose one by one!”
The noisy and chaotic crowd suddenly became orderly.
Jian Qingqing was the first to choose the tallest one. The big guy instantly had tears in his eyes. “Thank you, Miss, thank you, Miss!”
Jian Qingqing was not used to people calling her Miss, so she asked embarrassedly, “What’s your name?”
“I’m Ma Jiacai. I once built a brick house for the landlord.”
Jian Qingqing nodded in satisfaction. This person’s eyes were not as dull as the others. She saw that he was holding a child in his arms just now. Obviously, he still had expectations for life, and he was also smart.
“Alright, Uncle Ma, help me find the remaining 19 people. They have to be able to do things without cheating.”
Ma Jiacai was stunned for a moment, as if he did not expect her to make such a request.
Jian Qingqing asked again, “Are you clear?”
This time, Ma Jiacai hurriedly nodded his head, “I am clear.”
“Alright.” Jian Qingqing thought for a moment, then took out two copper coins and handed them to Ma Jiacai. “This is the deposit. I will come here to look for you three days later and bring you to a place.”
Ma Jiacai quickly took them. “Thank you, Miss.”
Jian Qingqing quickly ran away. If she did not run, those people who were not chosen might eat her. Ma Jiacai had survived in that place and was able to raise a child. His strength should not be weak.
After that, Jian Qingqing immediately went to order the bricks. She did not want to live in a thatched hut that leaked every time it rained anymore.