met free Chapter 124: Settling Refugees in Zhuangzi
Chapter 124: Settling Refugees in Zhuangzi
The little girl's stomach started rumbling again. She stared at the steamed buns and swallowed hard, but she didn't dare to reach out.
"Take it. How will you have the energy to work if you don't eat enough? You will be working on the house later, and it will be hard work." Shen Wanning said.
The little girl glanced at her parents, and only after they gave her permission did she reach out. Shen Wanning looked at her dirty little hands, frowned, and took the bun back.
This made the refugees in the car nervous again, and they looked at Shen Wanning as if they were facing a great enemy.
Shen Wanning had no choice but to explain, "It's not that we don't let her eat, it's just that her hands are too dirty. If she doesn't eat cleanly, she'll get sick easily. When we get to the farm later, wash your hands before eating."
As she spoke, she put the steamed bun back. The adults were fine; although they kept swallowing, they managed to hold back their gaze and not look in her direction. The children, however, kept their eyes fixed on the steamed bun, unable to move their gaze away.
Shen Wanning shouted outside, "Mo Dong, faster."
The carriage accelerated, and the people inside fell backward due to inertia. The man sitting in front of Shen Wanning held on to the board under him tightly with both hands, fearing that he would hit Shen Wanning.
Along the way, Shen Wanning observed the men and was quite pleased with them. Their reserved demeanor suggested they were eager for the job. Furthermore, they were able to ignore the temptation of the steamed buns and didn't try to grab them like the other refugees. They were all law-abiding people.
When they arrived at the farm, He Zhao and his sister-in-law were still there, chatting with Xu Saozi and her husband. Yao Hongxia, in particular, was learning how to milk a cow from Xu Saozi. Shen Wanning was even more satisfied. So far, the people the farm had hired were pretty good.
"Sister Xu, Brother Dashun." Shen Wanning called out as soon as she got off the carriage.
The two washed their hands and came over immediately. He Zhao and Yao Hongxia followed behind them.
"Sister Wan Ning, are we going to start work today?" Mrs. Xu glanced at the refugees behind Shen Wan Ning and asked.
"The saplings haven't come back yet, so they're building houses first. They'll just build a few thatched huts, and then build brick and tile houses later." Shen Wanning replied.
"Knowing that you, Wan Ning, were going to build a house, I told the nearby villagers a few days ago that I needed to collect some straw. As for the mud, you can just dig it from the pond. There's mud nearby, so it's ready-made." Lin Dashun added.
"Okay, then let's start building the house today! By the way, He Zhao, are you guys ready? If you are ready, you can start working today, and I will pay you your wages." Shen Wanning turned to He Zhao and the others and asked.
He Zhao nodded in surprise, "Great, we are ready, let's get started today!"
"Mrs. Xu, please fetch a bucket of water so they can wash their hands."
"Okay!" Mrs. Xu responded and went to fetch a bucket of water. After the heavy rain a few days ago, the pond was full of water, and they no longer had to use water as tightly as before.
"Brother Dashun, take He Zhao to the village to transport the straw first, and let Mo Dong go with you. By the way, hire the villagers to use ox carts to deliver it." Shen Wanning ordered.
Then, the refugees were asked to wash their hands one by one, and each was given two steamed buns, with one given to each child. In ancient times, steamed buns were made larger, so one was enough for a child; any more would have upset their stomachs.
The adults were a little more restrained, but the children immediately started eating the buns with big mouthfuls. Seeing this, Mrs. Xu went to get them a few more bowls of water.
"You guys wait here for a while, we'll start building the house after the materials come back. Just sleep on the floor in the house over there today. Taking into account your actual situation, this month's wages will be paid daily, and starting from next month, you will be paid monthly like everyone else." Shen Wanning turned and said to the refugees.
The abandoned house she was referring to was the one left by the previous owner. Later, when Mrs. Xu and her husband came here, they rebuilt the stone and brick house.
They all opened their eyes wide and looked at Shen Wanning in surprise, unable to believe that such a good thing could happen.
"Miss Shen is a really good person. Unlike others, she doesn't treat us refugees as human beings. I used to work as a helper at the county dock. I worked hard carrying hundreds of bags of goods every day, and she only paid us twenty cents." As Dong Ran spoke, his voice choked with sobs.
"As long as you work hard, I will not treat you unfairly." Shen Wanning comforted.
Then Shen Wanning and Mrs. Xu agreed to leave everyone here. After Mo Dong came back to unload the things, he took Shen Wanning back to Mingyue Tower.
In the afternoon, after Mingyue Tower closed, Shen Wanning and Lin Jingce went to have dinner early. Then they went to the government office.
County Magistrate He must have been waiting for her for a while, walking back and forth in the lobby with his hands behind his back.
"Greetings, His Excellency the County Magistrate." Shen Wanning and Lin Jingce saluted at the same time.
"Get up. The legal advisor just brought the registration list of refugees. There are a total of 183 people. But Heiba and Heibao are also on the list, which makes people a little worried." County Magistrate He said as he handed the list to Shen Wanning.
Fortunately, she did not forget to study when she was live-streaming with netizens at night, otherwise she would not know many words. After reading these pieces of paper, there were only a few words that she did not recognize.
"Don't worry, County Magistrate. As long as they behave themselves, we will naturally treat them as ordinary people. But if they don't behave themselves, I will not be merciful." Shen Wanning was full of confidence.
"It's good that you have this confidence. It's too late today. I'll have my advisor tell them to go to Daqing Village early tomorrow. I'll also have the officials escort them there."
"Thank you, Master He. By the way, I have recruited 200 people in Daqing Village. We only need 200 refugees. I'm afraid there won't be enough land for them to farm if there are more."
"We've recruited 183 people today, which is basically all the refugees near Qinghe County. I heard from the guards at the city gate that some people were reluctant at first, but after seeing others sign up, they followed suit. We'll see tomorrow, and I don't think there will be too many. Besides, didn't the emperor also reward you with 100 acres of good farmland? Your family can't cultivate all that land, right?"
Shen Wanning was surprised. Magistrate He had just received the imperial edict, and he already knew its contents. And he had even known about the tax affiliation issue so long ago. It seemed he had connections in the imperial court.
"The county magistrate is right. I was so busy signing up for work yesterday that I forgot to talk to the head of the village about allocating the fertile land." She thought that these one hundred acres of fertile land could be used to grow wheat, and it would be a good opportunity to let the refugees help.
"Now that the issue of refugees has been resolved, I'm waiting for your good news. I hope they can settle down safely in Daqing Village." At the end, County Magistrate He sighed again.