vstars Chapter 172 Logging
Chapter 172 Logging
As night fell, Gu Jinyan stood by the campfire at the distribution point, looking around.
He pondered how to make the "work-for-relief" program more efficient and sustainable.
After observing for this period of time, in order to better coordinate the work of the people and ensure that everyone's efforts are fairly rewarded,
It is necessary to establish a more systematic management system.
The next morning, Gu Jinyan gathered the soldiers, craftsmen, and some elderly people familiar with the distribution process to discuss a new labor management system.
In her plan, a group of reliable villagers will be selected to serve as "foremen" to supervise and record attendance on a daily basis.
This not only reduces the workload of the distribution center but also ensures transparency and fairness in the allocation process.
Gu Jinyan looked around at the soldiers and craftsmen sitting around her and said, "Gentlemen, our work-for-relief program has begun to show results."
However, if it is to be sustainable in the long term, a reasonable management system is necessary.
I propose establishing the position of 'foreman' to be responsible for recording the daily attendance and work performance of the people, ensuring that distribution is based on work done.
Her suggestion drew some whispers.
An experienced craftsman nodded in agreement: "What you say makes sense, Master Gu. The establishment of a foreman can make management more orderly, so that you don't have to make decisions on every little thing."
Gu Jinyan went on to explain: "The foreman's responsibilities are not only to record and supervise, but also to mediate problems in the work and ensure that everyone's work hours are recorded accurately."
In this way, every citizen who participates in the labor will be aware of their efforts and know that their hard work will not be overlooked.
Finally, after some discussion, the foremen's duties were clarified: they were responsible for recording daily attendance and work performance, and handing these records over to the soldiers for verification at the daily distribution point.
To ensure fairness in the foremanship, Gu Jinyan specifically selected some respected and impartial elders in the city to fill the position.
Each foreman will manage a small group of people and distribute food according to job type and working hours to ensure that people of all jobs receive appropriate compensation.
Over the next few days, Gu Jinyan began selecting and training foremen.
She stood in the open space, carefully selected a group of suitable people, and patiently explained to them the foreman's duties and standards.
These foremen came from different trades, including strong men who were responsible for heavy physical labor and women who were experienced in medium-level physical labor.
There are also hardworking elderly people who do light physical labor.
“As foremen, you have a great responsibility,” Gu Jinyan said to them solemnly. “You are not only responsible for recording daily attendance.”
We must also pay attention to the health of everyone, ensure that everyone's working hours are accurate and truthful, and ensure that no work is overlooked.
The foremen nodded in agreement. Some of them were not good at speaking, but with Gu Jinyan's encouragement, they gradually came to understand the responsibilities on their shoulders.
Gu Jinyan distributed a simple logbook to each foreman to record the workers' daily working hours, job types, and special circumstances, so as to ensure fairness and reasonableness when distributing rations.
With the advancement of the management system, the reconstruction of Hesha City gradually got on track.
In the early morning, the people arrived at the distribution point, found their foremen, recorded their working hours in the logbook, and then went to their respective work sites.
The foremen meticulously recorded everyone's work performance, and after each day's tally, they handed the data over to the soldiers for unified verification and statistics.
When distributing rations, Gu Jinyan stood in front of the distribution platform and personally supervised the foreman and soldiers to check the records to ensure that the distribution of each bag of food was clear and transparent.
To encourage residents to actively participate in the reconstruction, Gujinyan has also established a reward mechanism.
Each month, some outstanding workers are rewarded based on their working hours and performance.
The rewards may take the form of extra food, or even warm clothing or other necessities, which are especially valuable as winter approaches.
Gu Jinyan also set up a "Hard Worker List" to publicize the names of these outstanding workers at the distribution point, in order to encourage more people to actively engage in labor.
On this day, an old man named Liu Laohan received an extra reward.
He is nearly sixty years old this year, and he usually chooses light physical work, such as clearing up the ruins.
Because of his diligence and hard work, working from morning till night every day, the foremen specially reported his performance.
Gu Jinyan handed him a thick old cotton-padded coat and said with a smile, "Old Liu, thank you for your hard work. Here, take this coat. The weather is still a bit cool, so wear more clothes and take care of yourself."
Old Liu excitedly accepted the cotton-padded coat with both hands, and said with a sob, "Thank you, Lord Gu. I'm so happy that I can do something for Hesha City, even though I'm an old man."
I am truly grateful that you still remember me!
Gu Jinyan patted him gently on the shoulder: "It is our blessing that you can contribute to the reconstruction of the city."
Keep up the good work! With everyone working together, Hersha City will surely be revitalized.
On the ruins of Hersha, the figures of the people were particularly clear in the morning light.
Every morning, they would gather at the distribution point to wait for their food rations for the day.
However, in recent days, the rations distributed have been decreasing day by day, and everyone can barely fill their stomachs. The daily labor has exhausted them, and their morale has gradually declined.
Standing on the city wall, Gu Jinyan looked at the people who had suffered from the ravages of war and felt a deep sense of worry.
If a solution to the food shortage is not found soon, reconstruction efforts will inevitably stall.
After nightfall, Gu Jinyan convened several village elders and foremen to discuss countermeasures.
The village chief, sitting by the campfire, frowned and slowly said, "Sir, our warehouses in Hesha City have already been burned down, and our food reserves are very low. If this continues, I'm afraid we won't last more than a month."
Gu Jinyan pondered for a moment, looked around at everyone, and said with a firm gaze: "I plan to open up a few vegetable plots in the suburbs and plant some green vegetables and beans. These crops have a short growth cycle and can be used in emergencies."
We can also send people to neighboring villages and towns to ask for help, promising to repay their generosity with handicrafts in the future.
Her suggestion was a revelation to everyone.
Everyone nodded in approval, but then someone worried, "This method is good, but the people are already working every day. If they are asked to grow vegetables, I'm afraid they won't have the strength to keep up."
Gu Jinyan took a deep breath and reassured everyone, "I will arrange for shifts to plant, so that everyone can take care of the vegetable garden during their rest time, without adding too much burden."
No matter how tough or tiring it gets, only by persevering through this period can Hesha City regain its vitality.
The next day, Gu Jinyan gathered the people and told them about the plan to grow vegetables.
Although some people initially appeared exhausted, under Gu Jinyan's mobilization, the people volunteered to sign up and decided to cultivate vegetable gardens on the open land outside the city in batches.
Thus, a team composed of young and middle-aged men was formed to cultivate vegetable plots.
People carried hoes and shoulder poles, walking towards the barren land on the outskirts of the city in the morning sun.
Upon arriving at the outskirts of the city, Gu Jinyan personally directed the land reclamation. She picked up a hoe, rolled up her sleeves, and led the way in turning over the soil on the wasteland.
The people were greatly encouraged to see the adults personally going to the fields, and they all rolled up their sleeves and threw themselves into the reclamation work.
As the sun rose higher, its rays shone on everyone's sweat-drenched backs.
Sweat trickled down Gu Jinyan's face.
But she never stopped what she was doing, hammering the hoe into the cracked earth, loosening the soil.
Just then, a boy suddenly stopped and asked with a puzzled look in his eyes, "Sir, will we be able to grow anything if we plant vegetables like this?"
This land looks very barren.
Gu Jinyan raised his head, wiped away his sweat, and replied with a smile, "As long as we do our best, the earth will reward us."
Although Hersha is desolate, this land once nurtured our ancestors, and as long as there is water and sunshine, it will regain its vitality.
Hearing this, the boy regained his confidence and continued to work diligently on turning the soil.
The old man next to him also stopped hoeing and stroked the ground beneath his feet, as if reminiscing about the past.
He said softly, "Yes, this land is our home, and one day it will be full of life again."
Soon, the basic shape of the vegetable garden was finally completed, and everyone began to sow seeds.
Gu Jinyan carefully scattered the seeds of vegetables and beans into the soil, and the people followed suit. She taught them how to sow the seeds evenly, how to cover them with a thin layer of soil, and how to water them appropriately.
Everyone was focused and earnest, as if they were sowing not only the hope of food, but also their expectations for the future.
In the days that followed, the people worked in the city during the day and took turns going to the vegetable garden at night to water and weed.
The older women and children took on the lighter task, carrying small buckets and ladling well water into the vegetable garden.
The women carefully parted the soil with their hands to check the germination of the seeds, occasionally calling softly to the children beside them: "Look, these little sprouts are emerging. When they grow up, we'll have vegetables to eat."
The children listened to the adults, their eyes sparkling with curiosity, as if they were witnessing a miracle.
Some children squatted beside the vegetable garden, gently touching the tender green leaves with their fingers, as if afraid of disturbing these fragile new lives.
Gu Jinyan would also frequently visit the vegetable garden to check on the planting progress.
She felt a surge of warmth in her heart as she watched the children carefully tending to the seedlings.
One early morning, as dawn broke, Gu Jinyan led several soldiers to the outskirts of the city. She had already heard that some of the vegetables she had planted were already ripe.
When she arrived at the vegetable field, she saw a patch of lush green seedlings thriving in the morning light. People excitedly gathered around the field, and many had already begun picking the vegetables.
The children ran around excitedly, shouting, "Look! I picked the biggest leaf!"
Gu Jinyan walked up to a woman, smiled and took the vegetables from her hand, and said gently, "Thanks to your hard work, Hesha City has this vegetable garden."
These green vegetables can temporarily fill everyone's stomachs and help them get through the most difficult days.
The woman was moved and said, "Sir, we are willing to do our part for the city."
As long as the people in the city can survive, we have hope.
The villagers packed the harvested vegetables into individual portions, and each household received some fresh vegetables to take home.
As night fell, every household in the city lit a fire and cooked fresh vegetable soup, filling the entire city of Hesha with its fragrant aroma.
The children held their bowls and drank the vegetable soup in big gulps, their faces beaming with satisfaction.
The adults also enjoyed the food they had earned through their hard work and felt a sense of fulfillment they had never experienced before.
Gu Jinyan stood on the city wall, looking at the lights of every household, and felt comforted.
She knew that this vegetable garden not only solved the problem of food shortage, but also gave the people hope for survival.
As the vegetable gardens matured, the people gradually developed a shift system for labor and farming.
Some people continued to repair houses and city walls within the city, while others took turns cultivating and managing the vegetable gardens.
Gu Jinyan arranged for soldiers to transport well water every few days to ensure a sufficient water supply for the vegetable garden.
Whenever it was time to sow or harvest, Gu Jinyan would personally go to the vegetable fields to encourage the people.
One day, she met an elderly man who was weeding in the field, sweating profusely but never stopping.