Qin Chang was shocked when he saw Li Xiuyuan and stood up immediately, feeling a little frustrated.
"Since you can't do this, how about you just listen to me?" Li Xiuyuan said.
Qin Chang said with some reluctance: "I can listen to your orders, but at least you have to show your skills and see how you can recruit people from these refugees to rescue people in disasters? If you can do it, I will do it myself."
Be careful to convince me sincerely, if it doesn't work, you are just this capable, how can you make me convinced."
"Okay, just keep your eyes open and watch."
Li Xiuyuan did not delay, and shouted to the refugees sitting on the city wall along the road: "My Li family is recruiting people to provide disaster relief. We only pay ten taels of silver a month. Is there anyone willing to come?"
Twelve?
Hearing this, some victims immediately raised their heads and looked at Li Xiuyuan.
"I'll come, I'll come."
Two voices immediately came from the crowd, but it was Wang Ping and Zhu Yu who took off their long robes and pretended to be refugees and responded loudly.
"My house has been destroyed and I need emergency money. It's only ten taels of silver a month, but is it true?" Wang Ping shouted.
"Of course it's true." Li Xiuyuan said.
"Okay, then count me in."
Ning Caichen, who was hiding in the corner, also rushed over. His face was a little red, and it was obvious that his acting skills were not good.
"There are three people, and the manpower is still low. Is there no one else? If there is no one, I will go to other places to call. By then I will recruit enough people, but I won't come here." Li Xiuyuan shouted.
As soon as these words came out, the people who had been a little agitated before immediately said in a hurry: "I, this young master, recruit me."
"Okay, I count you as one, come here." Li Xiuyuan nodded.
"Sir, recruit me, recruit me." Someone called out again.
Li Xiuyuan glanced at it; "You are a little older, have you done anything good?"
"Sir, although I am a little older, I am the best at doing things. I can do any tiring and hard work." The man in his forties said hurriedly.
Li Xiuyuan thought for a moment; "Okay, then I'll count you as the one."
"Thank you, boss." The man was delighted.
"Recruit me, recruit me."
For a time, the nearby people who had the strength to do so all jumped up in excitement.
Seeing this scene, Qin Chang was immediately dumbfounded. He had been so talkative in the morning that he couldn't recruit anyone, but just a moment after Li Xiuyuan came forward, refugees started to pour in and they took the initiative to accept employment.
"Two months a month, Li Xiuyuan really dares to speak. How did he get so much money?" A scholar next to him was also stunned.
Although he had thought about recruiting heavily, he didn't dare because he didn't have a penny in his pocket. How could he dare to make such a big promise?
Qin Chang understood immediately when he heard this. He said: "This Li Xiuyuan is playing with fire and burning himself. He doesn't have that much money at all. The salary of ten taels of silver a month will definitely not be paid immediately, but will be paid after a month. After one month, the disaster will be over."
It has subsided. No, it will not take more than a month, but within ten days, ministers from the imperial court will surely come forward to provide relief. When the imperial court takes over, the real gold and silver will naturally not need to be cashed out."
"This, is this okay?" Several scholars next to him were dumbfounded.
"Hey, this Li Xiuyuan is really cunning. No wonder some people say that he is a son of a merchant. It is true. His business skills are really powerful." Qin Chang sighed, feeling that he had lost unjustly.
"What? Then the boss won't pay the wages?"
At this time, a passing citizen who was going to hire workers heard Qin Chang's words and immediately cried out.
As soon as these words were spoken, the people who were employed around Li Xiuyuan were stunned for a moment.
"Yes, how can you afford ten taels of silver a month? How can you hire us if you don't have a penny on you now?"
"That's right, that's right, we must have been deceived. These people are all poor scholars and have no money. They paid ten taels of silver. I don't think they even have one tael of silver."
"Bah, let's just have fun in vain and expect to make some money so we can repair the house later."
For a time, the employed people were greatly disappointed and started making noises.
Li Xiuyuan frowned and glanced coldly at Qin Chang, who was not far away.
Qin Chang's eyes suddenly flashed and he didn't dare to look directly. He also understood that he had ruined Li Xiuyuan's plan and ruined everything.
This scholar really succeeds more than fails. He only relies on his little cleverness to do bad things, but he can't accomplish anything by himself, Li Xiuyuan thought to himself.
He did not argue with the scholar at this time, but immediately shouted angrily: "Who said that I, Li Xiuyuan, can't pay my wages?"
Common people, you look at me, I ask you, but no one stands up.
"You go and ask around. I am the Li family in Guobei County. I am the eldest son of the Li family. Not to mention the wages of people like you, even if there are ten times more people, my Li family can afford it."
After Li Xiuyuan finished speaking, he took out an ingot of gold from his arms and said: "This gold is worth two hundred taels of silver and can pay the wages of twenty people. The total here is not more than fifty people, which is enough to pay the wages of half of them."
"
He showed the gold to everyone.
Under those eyes, the golden light flashed, and it was not fake.
After saying that, he threw the gold into the city. With the sound of falling into the water, the gold fell somewhere in the city.
"How can I take a mere ingot of gold seriously? I will leave this gold in the city. When the flood recedes tomorrow and you follow me to clear the mud, whoever finds this gold will get it."
Li Xiuyuan glanced at the crowd and shouted majestically: "Who still doubts that I can't afford a mere ten taels of silver? Come forward. My Li family doesn't hire such people. Leave now. Don't ask for help in a month."
When you see others getting paid, you become jealous."
The people who were agitated before suddenly fell silent, and their eyes looked in the direction where the gold fell from time to time.
They were all thinking about when they would find a chance to pick up the gold.
That's worth two hundred taels of silver.
If you find it, you will make a fortune.
"Anyone who is willing to accept employment from my Li family, come here. Those who are not willing to leave," Li Xiuyuan said.
As soon as he moved his steps, most of the people around him followed him away. None of them dared to say anything for fear of losing their job.
Anyone who dares to lose a piece of gold will never look like he has no money.
Moreover, Li Xiuyuan's salary of ten taels a month was enough to impress these poor people.
Don't think that in those novels, some knight throws away ten or twenty taels of silver for a meal without having to change. That's fake.
After coming to this world, Li Xiuyuan realized that the average person's busy work for a month was only a few cents. Take the ordinary hawker selling candied haws for one penny, or two cents for one day.
Earning fifty cents after the cost is only a little over one tael a month. This is still a good time for business.
A rough calculation of ten taels is enough for the vendor to make a year's profit.
Therefore, the salary offered by Li Xiuyuan for twelve months is enough to make most people excited. No matter how high it is, it will easily make people suspicious.
As for those who are not interested, they belong to wealthy families, and Li Xiuyuan does not intend to recruit such people. Moreover, wealthy families cannot endure hardship and cannot do dirty work.
After Li Xiuyuan walked around the city wall, he recruited at least five to six hundred people.
Moreover, they were all strong men, old, weak, women and children, and he did not recruit them.
Although there are some strong women who also want to earn this salary, Li Xiuyuan has another consideration besides disaster relief this time, which is not to let these strong men cause trouble in the city.
When Li Xiuyuan saw that the number of people was almost recruited, he began to arrange their division of labor in advance.
"Two hundred people are responsible for dredging, and the main streets will be cleaned first."
"Three hundred people are responsible for transporting corpses in the city. No matter whose body it belongs to or which family it belongs to, it will be buried outside the city. There is no time for the family members to claim it. The weather is hot now and I don't want an epidemic to happen." Li Xiuyuan said.
"The remaining people are responsible for the security of the city and the management of the well water."
"Wang Ping, go and look at the wells in the city. Remember, the water source is the most important thing, and the people cannot drink sewage. Once the disease occurs, no one in the city will treat it, and there will only be death."
"Zhu Yu, you are responsible for directing them to clear the silt."
Ning Caichen said: "What about me?"
"I would like to trouble you to recruit some healthy women to cook rice. There are several rice shops in the city. Although the rice is soaked in water, it is still edible. Get them all." Li Xiuyuan said.
Ning Caichen said: "Don't ask for it. What if the store investigates this?"
"Then let the store owner come to me." Li Xiuyuan said.
Ning Caichen nodded immediately after hearing this.
It seems that this extraordinary moment requires extraordinary means.
After some further discussion, everything was finalized until midnight.
But late at night, bursts of crying and wailing could be heard on the city walls and inside the city.
Some people worship their dead relatives and children.
The crying was so heartbreaking that it was touching.
But no matter how sad and sad the people are, they still have to live this life.
By the third day of the flood, the water in the city had almost dissipated. Although it was still there, people could already walk in the city.
Li Xiuyuan's previous instructions worked. He first led five or six hundred people into the city. The first thing he did was to find a place on high ground where the floods had receded, to make a fire and cook, so that the people who had suffered from hunger for several days would have a good meal.
"My boss, the Chenghuang Temple in the city has not been flooded. You can go there to make a fire and cook." A commoner ran over and said.
"Okay, let's go there."
When Li Xiuyuan heard about the Chenghuang Temple, he was stunned for a moment, and then immediately led the victims there.
After entering the City God's Temple, I found that except for the signs of flooding on the outer wall of the City God's Temple, the inside was actually dry, as if there had been no floods.
"The city god appeared, and there was no disaster here." Zhu Yu exclaimed.
"Brother Li, there is a well here. The water in it is clean and not polluted."
Ning Caichen said happily, but he saw that the water in a well in the City God's Temple was extremely clear, without any turbidity. Such a well in the city was worth tens of millions of gold.
"You are responsible for making fire and cooking, and also letting the old and weak in the city go to the City God's Temple to rest." Li Xiuyuan said.
Several people nodded, indicating that it was no problem.