Chapter 368: Chapter 368 Wages Chapter 368: Chapter 368 Wages The next day, since the residence had already been constructed, with even the surrounding walls completed, the mason masters arrived in groups at the Li Family’s house early in the morning, ready to ask Xuexue for their wages.
Aunt Li had just finished her breakfast when she came out and ran into them at the entrance, asking, “What brings you all here so early in the morning?”
Being from the same village and very familiar with each other, they hurriedly smiled upon hearing Aunt Li’s question and said, “Aunt Li, we’re here to see Xuexue.”
“She’s inside having breakfast! What do you want with her?”
They laughed heartily and replied, “Hehe…! The house is already finished, isn’t it? We’ve come to ask Xuexue for our wages.”
“Oh! Then go on in, she’s in that room over there.” Aunt Li said indifferently, turning her head to point in a direction.
Typically, she was a loner who did not enjoy socializing, so everyone was accustomed to her expression and readily agreed before proceeding in a grand procession towards the house.
Aunt Li turned to watch their retreating figures before slowly entering the house and then heading back to her own room.
Main Hall
Xuexue had just set down her bowl and chopsticks when the mason masters arrived at the doorway. Seeing that some of them were still eating, they were too embarrassed to enter and stood at the door, smiling awkwardly at her.
Realizing why they had come, Xuexue got up and went out, smiling, “You’re all up so early, Uncles and Aunties.”
The mason masters nodded with smiles, “Indeed, there’s not much to do at home, so we came early.”
Indeed, farmers had little entertainment at night, and to save some lamp oil, people in the village would usually go to bed early. Naturally, they would wake early in the morning too.
Xuexue understood this well and said with a smile, “Don’t stand outside. Please come in and have a seat. I’ll be right back.” Having said this, she turned her head and shouted to Big Bull, who was still eating, “Big Bull, stop eating and come help me.”
“Ai! Coming!”
Big Bull set down his bowl and chopsticks, stood up, and strode over.
Madam Xie also quickly stood up, cleared the table, invited the mason masters inside, and poured each of them a cup of water, asking them to sit and wait for Xuexue and Big Bull to bring the money.
Among them were a few women who had cooked meals for the mason masters during the construction, and they had also come to collect their wages.
Soon, Big Bull carried over a large basket full of Copper Coins. These were the coins Xuexue had exchanged in town a couple of days earlier, prepared for paying the wages.
“Wow! Such a lot of money!” The women’s eyes lit up at the sight of the large basket of Copper Coins.
Upon hearing this, Xuexue chuckled, hoisted the bundle in her hand, and said, “There’s even more here, what Big Bull has is just the small change.”
While speaking, she sat down next to the table and unfolded the bundle.
Inside were all Silver, carefully portioned into weights of one tael each. Everyone was even happier, finding Xuexue had been so thoughtful.
The mason chief handed a ledger to Xuexue, which recorded the number of days worked by everyone, and they only needed to be paid according to that record.
Xuexue first settled the wages for the women who had cooked meals.
Having cooked for nearly a month and tallying up the amount, they each received over four hundred Copper Coins. They were grinning from ear to ear, overjoyed. They had never imagined that cooking could earn them so much money, and their gratitude towards Xuexue was profound.
The mason masters, who provided skilled labor and endured harder work, naturally received higher wages, with each getting a bit more than one tael of Silver, and they too were excited.