The Female Assistant of Wei Yuyan Shuangfei

Chapter 218: Serving Labor and Still Getting Food

Before the real work started, Xie Shuting asked Wu Yang to donate money with just one sentence. Although five cents per person was not much, there were many people involved.

Seeing this, others also expressed their opinions. They did not care about "leaving their names in the county annals", but Xie Tingwen's last sentence had already determined the nature of the matter.

"I am an old man of low talent, so I will donate twenty coins on behalf of every household in Qili Township. Anyway, I am grateful to Shanghe Township for all these years. If it weren't for your flood diversion, Qili Township would not be what it is today."

"Each household in Xiahe Township donated ten coins. Although the money is not much, it is what I can afford."

"Hanjiazhuang..." Other village heads also responded and stated the amount of donation.

After this incident, Sun Cheng secretly calculated that he had more than 3,000 strings of silver. This was not just silver, but the hearts of the people.

After this incident, whenever Sun Cheng saw Xie Shuting, his eyes were filled with scrutiny.

Because she was able to achieve such an effect with just one sentence, he couldn't help but feel a little admiration for her.

Little did they know! If other county magistrates issued a notice to raise funds, many people would sneer at it, but there were also many people who donated money with the intention of currying favor.

But if this notice was issued by Xie Tingwen, all the merchants would have no doubts and would rush to get a seat, fearing that they would miss out if they were too late.

The little episode was soon resolved, and Xie Tingwen nodded with satisfaction and said, "Thank you all for your generosity. I thank you again."

As Xie Tingwen spoke, he slowly stood up, bowed slightly to everyone, then turned to look at Xie Shuting and nodded slightly.

Xie Shuting also bowed obediently without saying anything. The simple exchange between the father and daughter also attracted everyone's attention.

After Xie Tingwen sat down, Cao Shuang hurriedly stood up and stroked his hand, saying, "I wonder if Lord Xie summoned us to help build the dam?"

"Yeah!~"

Xie Tingwen nodded without doubt, then looked at everyone and said, "There will be no major actions in Gu County this year. The corvée labor will mainly focus on building embankments and digging canals. Please discuss it!"

Corvée labor was one of the obligations that the people of the Song Dynasty had to fulfill, and it was also a policy that had never been changed by successive dynasties.

In Xie Shuting's memory, her parents in her previous life earned work points, which was similar to this corvee labor.

There are many types of corvee labor, usually including road construction, bridge construction, city construction, etc. It can be said that there are many types, which is an additional burden for the people.

This heavy burden usually requires them to give up their own production and life, which may lead to the collapse of a family.

Seeing that everyone was silent, Xie Shuting quickly said, "Father! I have a suggestion. Is it appropriate for me to say it?"

"Yeah!~"

Xie Tingwen frowned and said after a moment's hesitation: "Tell me what you think?"

Although everyone's eyes were avoiding, their ears were perked up, for fear of missing out on Xie Shuting's speech.

Seeing this, Xie Shuting smiled and said softly, "The people have already contributed their share. Why don't we let the government take over the food for the labor service? What do you think, father?"

Since ancient times, the government has not provided food for those who performed corvée labor. In addition to working, the people also had to prepare food, otherwise they would have to work on an empty stomach.

This kind of work that required labor and food naturally disgusted the people. However, they were suppressed by the imperial power and dared not speak out.

Now Xie Shuting has proposed that the government should be responsible for preparing meals, which is acceptable to the people since they have nothing to do at the moment.

The county government issued an order to postpone spring ploughing.

Apart from going to the mountains to look for dead branches and rotten leaves to make fertilizer every day, the people have nothing to do the rest of the time. A few people go to the city to do odd jobs.

Xie Tingwen pondered for a moment, then looked at Sun Cheng and said, "Master Sun! What do you think?"

"this......"

Sun Cheng was speechless for a moment, and stroked his hand in fear and said, "Miss's plan is not impossible, but the details still need to be decided by the adults."

"Just as Shu Ting said, the government will pay for the two meals of those who perform corvée labor."

Xie Tingwen chuckled, then turned to look at Sun Cheng and said, "Master Sun! Contact Qian Ming, the master of the household office, immediately and ask him to send food to Shanghe Township. As for the amount, you decide. Make sure that all the people doing corvée labor have enough to eat."

"Yes!~" Sun Cheng responded with a twitching mouth.

Upon hearing this, everyone thanked him repeatedly. After all, they never had enough to eat at home. They didn't expect that they would be provided with meals while performing labor service. This was a rare good opportunity.

Seeing everyone's eyes glowing, Xie Tingwen raised his hand and said, "In a word, I can ensure that everyone is well fed, but the work must be done beautifully."

"Don't worry, sir. I'll wait..."

Before they could express their determination, Xie Tingwen raised his hand and said in a cold voice with a gloomy face: "Let me be frank with you. If there is anything wrong with this project, I will arrest someone and punish them. Do you understand?"

"Understand...understood." Everyone responded, but their tone no longer had the previous calmness.

Xie Tingwen nodded with satisfaction. He wanted to make a warning to his opponent. The construction of the dam and canal had to be completed by the end of April.

Because the end of April is the summer solstice, when sweet potatoes should be planted, and they don’t have much time left. God knows when the drought will start.

Sun Cheng wrote a stroke with his hand, blew on the ink slightly, then looked at Xie Tingwen and said, "Thank you, sir! How are the corvée services arranged? Is it the same as in previous years?"

"How was it arranged in previous years?" Xie Tingwen asked with a puzzled look on his face.

It’s not that he was unclear about the process of corvée labor, but that he was unaware of Laigu County’s plan. After all, every county has its own unique method.

"My Lord, the details are as follows..."

Sun Cheng hurriedly explained the process of corvée labor in previous years, and Wang Lang, who was standing by, occasionally spoke and added a few words.

Xie Tingwen listened to the two people's reports quietly, his expression becoming more and more solemn. Seeing this, Sun Cheng's voice dropped noticeably.

"Sir, it has been like this in previous years." Sun Cheng hurriedly stopped talking, fearing that if he continued talking he would bring bad luck.

Wang Lang also noticed something was wrong, and with a look of panic on his face he said, "Sir! Is there something wrong?"

"Yeah!~"

Xie Tingwen nodded, thought for a moment and then said, "Building dams and digging canals can only be done by young and strong men. This year's corvée labor should not be distributed to each household, but to each township and village."

"This..." Everyone looked puzzled and looked at Xie Tingwen.

Seeing this, Xie Tingwen said slowly, "The government has covered two meals a day, and these meals are not free. In this case, the young children and the elderly and weak do not need to come, and each village head will arrange it on his own."

What Xie Tingwen said made sense. If the corvée labor service was really carried out according to the previous years, it would be the fathers who would step forward if there were no young and middle-aged people in the family.

Not to mention the delays it would cause, their old arms and legs are unable to carry stones or transport supplies, so asking them to perform labor service would be a sheer waste of time.