vstars Chapter 695 Returning Home in Succession
Chapter 695 Returning Home in Succession
The amount of supplies given to the craftsmen at the dock was quite substantial, and together with their own belongings, it was rather heavy.
However, what's more humane is that the Tongzhou Wharf Office is responsible for sending vehicles to take the craftsmen back to their hometowns, regardless of the distance.
Food and lodging along the way were provided by the dock, so the craftsmen didn't have to pay for their own food, clothing, lodging, or transportation.
Such welfare benefits were rare not only in the Great Zhou Dynasty, but also hundreds of years later.
Of course, Lord Qiu Cheng wasn't a fool. He did this partly because of the Second Prince's wishes and partly because he considered the normal resumption of work next spring.
With such good benefits, he's not afraid of being stood up by the craftsmen next year.
Of course, what he didn't mention was that he had withheld ten days' wages from the craftsmen.
At first, everyone had some complaints about this, but when they saw the green-canopied carriage that took them back to their hometown, and the New Year's goods that the carriage was full of, their awkward feelings had long since disappeared.
It's just ten days' wages, right? If you want to hold onto it, then hold onto it. They understand. They know this is a guarantee for the dock to resume operations next year.
Moreover, the fine cotton cloth, cured meat and sausages, dried fruit and candy combined far exceeded the value of their ten days' wages.
Everyone's smart enough to know the boss's intentions.
Many people were worried that such a good job wouldn't be available next year, but this actually reassured the craftsmen.
Qiu Cheng has been spending the last two years with the craftsmen at the grassroots level and has long understood the principle that "if you want a horse to run, you have to feed it grass."
After all, if the craftsmen weren't after fame and fortune, they would naturally be after profit, since they all had large families to support.
Don't talk about ideals, poetry, and distant places with people at the bottom of society.
Let's talk about the necessities of life, like firewood, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and tea, and how to eat more meat.
Only when the problem of survival is solved can we talk about anything else; otherwise, it's all castles in the air, nothing but empty dreams.
Of course, these so-called "Second Princes" all meant Jiang Xiaoqi's idea. The Second Prince just glanced at the letter after Jiang Xiaoqi finished writing it to Qiu Cheng, and then signed it himself.
However, since it was Jiang Xiaoqi who was providing the money, and it was a very good thing for the craftsmen, what reason did the Second Prince have to refuse?
As the gentleman once said, monarchs who expanded their territories have been common throughout history.
However, monarchs who pay attention to the people's livelihood and sentiments have been extremely rare throughout history.
He really wanted to try and be that "rare talent".
The journey to the south was long, so the southern craftsmen were the first to embark on their journey home, with six people per vehicle, and the convoy of vehicles sending them off consisted of thirty or forty cars.
Traveling in groups greatly increases safety. If they encounter bandits or robbers on the road, unless a large group of several hundred people from a mountain stronghold comes out in full force, the team of two hundred or so strong craftsmen is very safe.
The security situation in the Great Zhou Dynasty was relatively good; once a certain stronghold gained power, troops would be dispatched to encircle and suppress it.
Therefore, on this journey south, you might encounter small groups of petty thieves at most, but large-scale ones are almost nonexistent.
However, these thirty or forty carriages were still a lucrative target in the eyes of the desperados, so out of caution, Qiu Cheng hired a caravan for them, which added another expense.
The southern craftsmen, witnessing this, were deeply moved; they had never needed a bodyguard escort in their entire lives!
This feeling of being valued and treated like a human being is more satisfying than having money in your pocket.
By the time the twelfth lunar month arrived, not a single southern craftsman remained at the dock.
The northern craftsmen, even those from distant places, had already made their way there, escorted by convoys who helped carry their luggage and New Year's goods.
Everyone inexplicably had the illusion of returning home in glory. Wait, when did being a carpenter or blacksmith, who does manual labor, become something that brings honor to the family?
That was... awesome!
The craftsmen from the north declined Qiu Cheng's suggestion to hire a caravan. Unlike their brothers in the south, they faced long and arduous journeys with too many unpredictable factors.
The furthest they travel is only a hundred or two miles, why bother hiring a caravan? It's a waste of money!
Besides, they all have their tools of the trade tucked into their belts—axes or carving knives. Mountain bandits? Bring it on!
At this point, the warlike mentality of the northern craftsmen became evident. Moreover, compared to the southern craftsmen, they were taller, stronger, and more robust, which greatly reduced the possibility of them encountering danger.
In addition, there were about twenty carriages and more than a hundred people traveling together, and the journey was indeed short, so there was no need to hire bodyguards.
However, to be fair, Qiu Cheng gave the money he was supposed to spend on hiring bodyguards as a discount and used it to buy some medicine powder and ointment for everyone to take on the journey.
Qiu Cheng was afraid that a real fight would break out, so he prepared medicine for the wounds in advance, which can be regarded as trying to treat the north and south equally.
Everyone accepted the medicine, but not because they thought they would get hurt.
These days, medicines made into finished powders and ointments aren't cheap, so why not take advantage of them?
Besides, it can also be used for sprains and bruises in the family, right? Then there's no need to go to the doctor, which is essentially saving money for the family!
They don't need medical care if they get injured while working at the docks, since they have some kind of "medical insurance" that means the docks will find doctors to treat any injuries they get while working there.
What's even more delightful is that during the recovery period, you can still get half of your wages. Of course, everyone is genuinely out working to earn money, so there's no such thing as deliberately getting injured to cheat for half a day's wages.
After all, everyone wants to earn full-time or even overtime wages in the limited number of days available. Time is money, so how can we waste it on something like getting injured?
When most of the craftsmen from the north had left, the docks officially entered a period of closure.
All the semi-finished ships were covered with tarpaulins. Qiu Cheng was worried about not being able to find so many and such large tarpaulins, but unexpectedly, Magistrate Jiang delivered them to him in his time of need, without asking for a single penny.
"Magistrate Jiang, how can we refuse payment? One thing is one thing, and another is another! Friendship is friendship, and business is business!"
"Hey, I said it's free, so how many times do I have to repeat myself?"
Jiang Wenqing thought Qiu Cheng was being indecisive and dragging his feet in the snow in this freezing weather. He was practically sick!
"That's no small sum; it must be at least several thousand taels of silver, right?"
"How would I know if it's a few thousand taels or ten thousand taels? I didn't buy it myself. I was just doing my duty to someone who entrusted me with this. Lord Qiu, you can use it as you please. Why do you have to ask so many questions?"
Qiu Cheng always kept clear accounts, whether it was for purchasing materials or necessities at the dock, with cash on delivery.
A large batch of oilcloth suddenly arrived but wasn't recorded in the accounts. Will it be said that Magistrate Jiang is sponsoring it out of friendship?
"Not bought? Where did it come from? This stuff of unknown origin can't be used at the docks!"
So stubborn! So stubborn!
My son said he could just drop off his things and leave, but he didn't say how to tell Lord Qiu. Sigh~ I should have known better than to come.
Why not just send Master Qian or Master Xing over? It's been so long since I've gone fishing, it's really made my brain ache.
"Alright, alright, my son gave it to me! Don't ask anymore! My son told me not to say!"
Lord Jiang Mingfei?
Qiu Cheng was puzzled. Why was the oilcloth being delivered? Was it something shameful?
Why are the father and son acting so secretive together?