Chapter 54 Going up the mountain_1
Liu Yang Village currently has over one hundred and ten households, and more than eighty of them have benefited from the Mo Family’s generosity. Knowing that the Mo Family was looking for people to clear wild land, every household with spare labor was willing to help. Even if the adults were too busy, they would instruct their older children to come over and help with tasks they could manage, such as weeding and picking up stones.
As a result, there were over thirty adults and about seven or eight older children who came to work.
Of course, the wages for adults and children couldn’t be the same. Mo Qingze calculated the wages according to the common rates in the city: twenty Wen Money a day for adults and eight Wen Money a day for the older children. Naturally, these wages would be offset by the previously mentioned cotton and grain, as agreed beforehand.
However, Mo Yan proposed providing one meal at noon. Those who worked had hearty appetites, and their own modest amounts of grain hardly seemed enough to fill them. How could they work if they were not well-fed? Two middle-aged women from the Lin Clan were responsible for cooking, also making ten Wen Money a day, and they too would be paid with cotton and grain.
Mo Yan did not want to go overboard with showing off, so the prepared lunch was modest, intended only to fill stomachs. The main dish was dry rice with sweet potatoes, accompanied by potatoes, cabbage, and boiled eggs. While such a meal was nothing special for the Mo Family, who had fish and meat with every meal, it was a luxurious feast for the peasant households who often went hungry and had to trade eggs for oil and salt.
The sight of Mo Qingze bringing two large baskets of vegetables and over seventy eggs made the two women responsible for cooking widen their eyes in amazement. They had been recommended by Lin Yong, known for their good character, and despite their surprise, they did not indulge in idle gossip or contemplate secretly keeping some of the food to take home for themselves.
The workers didn’t need to say anything. The fact that their employer was providing lunch was already something they were grateful for. They didn’t expect the meal to be so substantial. Therefore, after eating, they worked even harder. However, the two boiled eggs allocated to each of them were too precious to eat right away, and they discreetly set them aside, planning to take them home to nourish their elderly and children in the evening.
Mo Qingze noticed this and said nothing. Having the consideration to think of their families showed their good character. Once the greenhouses were built, and vegetables started growing, he definitely would need people to guard them daily, and such character was a must. It was important to observe their behaviors closely on ordinary days.