Unlimited Resources: Raising a Minister with a Space Supermarket-Chapter 493 - 441: What If We’re Just Joking?

Fu Qing swiftly led people to confiscate County Magistrate Qian’s home, but the amount of money found was less than Jun Mobai had anticipated, causing him some disappointment.

Fortunately, the concrete in the molds successfully solidified into sturdy cement blocks the next day, which made Jun Mobai very happy.

Su Jingchen generously shared the cement mixing ratio and production method with Jun Mobai, and subsequently, they discussed the location of the cement plant and the transportation of raw materials. Once these matters were settled, Jun Mobai readily left half of the Silver Coin obtained from County Magistrate Qian’s house to Su Jingchen as the startup capital for the cement plant and road construction.

After seeing Jun Mobai off, Su Jingchen quickly had Li Wenyuan draft an employment notice and posted it outside the county government.

Civilians who had gone through the back door of the Government for medical treatment quickly noticed the new notice. Those who couldn’t read frowned immediately upon seeing it; any notice posted by the Government typically meant bad news, and if there was good news, it hardly concerned common folk like them.

"Is it about road construction again?" Some illiterate individuals began to speculate. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

"It’s either road construction or the autumn grain tax collection; could the Government really be giving us money?" One person sarcastically suggested.

"Let me through, let me see. I’m a student, I can read. I’ll read it to you!" The student shouted, and seeing his scholarly attire, the crowd made way for him.

The student approached the notice, scanned it briefly, then looked surprised, "Oh my, the Government is willing to hire us for work and pay us?"

Historically, any Government project required compulsory labor from each household, without offering payment to the citizens.

This new County Magistrate is indeed different!

"Can you really read? Are you joking with us?" Someone expressed deep doubt about the student’s words.

"Exactly. How could the Government pay us? It’s good enough they don’t whip us!" In previous years, when conscripted for labor or temporarily seized to serve as militia, those who worked slowly were often scolded and whipped by officers. The notion of the Government paying people to work seemed very unrealistic.

They couldn’t even dream of such things!

"Really, this says Yangcheng County plans to build a cement plant, requiring a large number of laborers aged sixteen to forty-five years old, offering fifteen coins per day with two hearty meals included." The student himself could scarcely believe the reality of what he read.

"Believe it if you will, don’t block my way; I’m going to sign up." Such an opportunity might not come again.

"Hey, hey... You, a student, why are you competing with us for labor? The Government requires laborers, not scholars with pens. Do you think you’re stronger than us?

Did the notice state how many people they’re hiring and when? Where do we sign up?" Someone grabbed the student.

The student, frustrated, responded, "The notice indeed mentions a need for not only laborers, but literate stewards, and those who can cook large meals!

It says to sign up with County Magistrate Li; has Yangcheng County changed its County Magistrate?"

"Maybe they have changed; if it were still County Magistrate Qian, how could he be providing such benefits to the people?

Hurry up, stop talking, look at them rushing toward the county government, let’s go quickly... If we’re late and they’ve already hired enough people, what then?"

The crowd flocked toward the county government then realized that to promote wealth among the people, the employment system still implemented a one-laborer-per-household policy.

If a household had no male laborers, female workers could be utilized for kitchen tasks, but female worker wages were five coins less, earning ten coins a day.

This rate was slightly lower than typical hiring wages, generally thirty coins a day, but employers do not provide meals. Although wages at the cement plant were considerably lower, they offered two hearty meals, hence many opted to work there.

Those better off, who had never experienced hunger, tended to dismiss the lower wages, refusing to join.

Su Jingchen intentionally set low wages to aid those genuinely in need, aiming for his constituents not to go hungry.

Laborers, after enjoying two hearty meals, could save fifteen coins to buy grains for family members, ensuring no one in their family starved.

Enabling wealth among the people was not yet within Su Jingchen’s plans; first, he sought to solve the immediate issue of food scarcity.

"With over five thousand households, if each household provides one laborer, that’s five thousand people; can our cement plant employ so many?" Li Wenyuan voiced concerns, equating five thousand persons to a daily expenditure of seventy-five taels in wages alone—excluding the massive food cost, which could easily reach over one hundred taels daily.

Su Jingchen smiled serenely, "Leave the issue of funds to me."

The top priority was to complete road repairs around Yangcheng before the cold set in.

They aimed to accumulate more cement through the winter, and by next spring to repair the main road to Linzhou. There, Linzhou’s Magistrate would begin work from Linzhou, and they would work from Yangcheng, anticipating a smooth connection in little time.

As Yu Xiaolian put it, the cement plant wasn’t afraid of too many people but too few, as ancient times lacked machinery, necessitating manual labor for tasks like lime stone crushing and grinding—a gritty endeavor.

To avoid exhausting individuals from unceasing labor, Su Jingchen and Yu Xiaolian decided on two-shift rotations, ensuring recovery time and preventing fatigue.

Unexpectedly, after half a month, Li Wenyuan tallied fewer than two thousand registrations, leaving them wondering if some hadn’t heard the news, or half of Yangcheng’s households were wealthy and uninterested, or perhaps individuals from outer towns deemed Wuyuan Mountain too distant and opted not to come.

Among seventeen hundred registrants, more than two hundred were women, leaving Su Jingchen troubled, as even for large meal prep, not so many were required.

At night, discussing the matter with Yu Xiaolian, she soon devised a perfect solution.

Twenty women would cook at Wuyuan Mountain cement plant, while arrangements for the others were made separately.

Since Su Jingchen had taken a substantial amount of Silver from her, Yu Xiaolian resolved not to remain idle; earning money was paramount.

Though Zheng Yuanfeng annually shared profits with her, and Luocheng’s ventures generated income, money was never excessive.