jdhmnovel Chapter 694 The docks are closed for the holidays, and the craftsmen are delighted to receive a New
Chapter 694 The docks are closed for the holidays, and the craftsmen are delighted to receive a New
Even with his excellent composure, Tan Hao couldn't help but feel embarrassed at this moment.
It wasn't that I felt I had lost face, but rather that I felt I had really let down Miss Liu. As a young woman, she must have been crying her eyes out these past few days, feeling extremely wronged.
He hadn't expected to see Miss Liu before he came, but now, after hearing what Landlord Jiang said, he knew he had to urge his parents to speed things up.
Ideally, a dowry should be sent out within a few days to marry the person off completely and cleanly.
It's fortunate that Tan Hao didn't see Sixth Miss Jiang Wei'er today, since Jiang Wei'er is currently enjoying the snow, having barbecue skewers, and hot pot with her sister Jiang Fei'er, who just returned to her parents' home.
She simply didn't have time to see any so-called fiancé, since she had her sisters to keep her company.
Jiang Feier took a bite of the kebab and mumbled, "Sixth Sister, I don't know what Tan Hao was thinking, he actually came all this way. He really has a big face."
"How come you know too? Does the whole capital know?"
"Well, not really. I only found out when I entered our house. If this kind of thing were to become common knowledge, you'd be in deep trouble. The Tan family is just too ignorant!"
Jiang Weier chuckled: "Who cares? I don't care. What can reputation do for food or clothing?"
Besides, someone who can't even handle such a small matter isn't worth marrying.
Jiang Wei'er spoke with absolute certainty, which surprised Jiang Fei'er, but she also found it reasonable. Hmm~ this was the little sister she'd known since childhood~
Ruthless, powerful, and exhilarating!
"That's right, it's hard to find two-legged toads in the world, but there are plenty of two-legged men!"
Besides, given the current status of our Jiang family in Beijing, we're hardly nobodys, are we?!
"Others should be eager to pursue us; why should we be so anxious and hesitant?"
Jiang Wei'er covered her mouth and chuckled, "Yes, that makes sense~ We have connections, backing, and people to support us!"
"That's not the case!"
Jiang Feier looked up arrogantly, almost twisting her neck in the process.
"Hehe, I like the seafood hot pot that Seventh Brother researched. It tastes better than that tomato hot pot. That sour stuff is unbearable."
"Mingfei said he's going to make some kind of four-compartment hot pot soon, which is probably another new thing that we've never seen before."
Jiang Weier flipped the lamb skewers over and sprinkled some of the mixed seasoning that Jiang Xiaoqi had given her. This seasoning was particularly convenient, containing everything except salt.
After all, salt should be added separately; adding it mixed with spices will affect the taste.
"A four-compartment hot pot? I bet it means they put the spicy broth, mushroom broth, tomato broth, and seafood broth into four compartments, right?"
Jiang Feier's casual remark caught Jiang Weier, who was grilling skewers, off guard.
Huh? It seems that's actually true!
"I didn't realize that. Fifth Sister is very clever. I guess it's something similar."
Jiang Feier was quite pleased, finally hearing her sixth sister praise her for once.
I'm not entirely useless, you know—at least I have a knack for eating, hehe~
The two sisters ate and chatted enthusiastically, and Tan Hao from the front yard also said goodbye.
Seeing that he had nothing else to do, Jiang Xiaoqi decided to go "visit" his elderly father.
The Tongzhou Wharf is currently undergoing phased finishing work, and Lord Qiu is very satisfied with the current progress, so he has agreed to allow the craftsmen to return to their hometowns one after another.
Why in succession? Because the craftsmen from the south lived far away, and the first batch to return to their hometowns were all craftsmen from the south.
The northern craftsmen had no complaints. After all, they were paid for each day they worked at the dock, and the finishing work was not tiring at all, with no overtime required.
This is something that many southern craftsmen envy. Who wouldn't be happy to earn more money? Money won't bite you.
But there's nothing they can do; their homes are far away, so they're at a disadvantage geographically.
Fortunately, the wages at the docks were paid promptly and in full. Regardless of whether they were craftsmen from the north or south, as long as they had money in their pockets, no one could suppress their smiles.
The money they earn in this short time is more than they did in the previous few years combined. Even though they are exhausted, they can still smile.
"My lord, the New Year's gifts for the artisans have been prepared. When would you like to distribute them?"
Qiu Cheng put down the account book and picked up the list of New Year's goods to be sent to the craftsmen.
"It's better to do it sooner rather than later. The first batch of southern craftsmen are leaving tomorrow morning, so we can send them out today so they can repack their luggage."
"Yes, then I will have Lord Dong and his two advisors come along. More people means faster processing."
"Hmm, let's call Wangchuan and Aniu too. Wangchuan is quick-witted and good at keeping accounts, and Aniu is strong. They can both be of help."
"Yes, the adults are very thoughtful. This way, the supplies can be distributed separately to the north and south, which will prevent things from getting too chaotic."
Currently, the ten shipbuilding teams at the dock are composed of a mix of craftsmen from the north and south. This is done to avoid excessive division between the north and south, and also to allow experienced workers to mentor new ones.
After all, the craftsmen who participated in building the first seagoing vessel included both southerners and northerners, and they were all very skilled craftsmen.
After breaking up the builders of the first ship, "Zhenhai," into ten groups, they filled the group positions with newly recruited craftsmen from various regions.
Therefore, there are now hundreds of craftsmen at the dock, which is why Qiucheng needs to find more people to distribute New Year's gifts.
With just those few people, it would probably take until dark to make money. In this freezing weather, who would want to stay out in the cold all the time?
The New Year's gifts were very practical. Considering the long distance to the south and the local dietary habits, they were mostly preserved meats.
The amount of cured pork and sausage is generally ten catties per person. Northerners also like to eat cured meats, so there is no difference in this item.
Then there's the issue of fabric. Even if the craftsmen were paid their full wages, not many would be willing to buy fashionable fabrics from the capital to make new clothes for their wives and children. At most, they would buy some coarse cloth when they returned to their hometowns.
Qiu Cheng signed large-scale sales agreements with merchants in Tongzhou Prefecture. This large-volume purchasing allowed them to obtain extremely low prices, almost close to the merchants' purchase price.
The merchants were trying to clear out their inventory. Although the fabrics were all fine cotton, some people in Beijing thought they were out of style and wouldn't buy them.
Both sides quickly reached an agreement, and Qiu Cheng bought up all the cloth merchants' stockpiled inventory, which meant that each craftsman could get half a bolt of cloth.
As long as you plan ahead and your family isn't too large, almost everyone in the family can get new clothes for the New Year.
Even if it's not enough for the whole family, everyone will tacitly prioritize making new clothes for the elderly and children, since the craftsmen's own winter clothes were newly issued at the beginning of this year and are still brand new.
Besides cured pork and sausages, there are also some dried goods and candy, which are indispensable for the Chinese New Year.
Of course, the sugar at this time is maltose, sesame candy, etc., definitely not granulated sugar or White Rabbit milk candy.