Baozi Xishi's Struggle

Chapter 403: Such a cold-fearing little fat kid, she's going to cook?

Lu Lang also said, "After you left that day, Master Qian and I discussed it and decided that building a thatched hut and then dismantling it would not only be unwarm, but also a waste of materials."

"Why not build a few sturdy houses like this along the canal? They can be used all year round. They are convenient and practical."

"Although this house has a wooden frame, the walls on all four sides are made of mud bricks, which is very solid."

"Master Zhu is very skilled in building houses. According to him, in addition to loess, there are other materials used to build mud bricks for houses."

"The mud bricks he mixed with his secret recipe are no worse than the green bricks fired in the brick kiln. They won't crack or chip, and they can withstand wind and rain. You can use them without worry, young lady."

Speaking of Master Zhu, Shen Yu thought of the backyard alley that he had cleaned more than half of in the past two days.

She thought to herself that when she had the chance, she would ask Lu Lang when Master Zhu, who was building the house, would be able to bring his men over to start work.

Building his own inn is the top priority in Shen Yu's mind.

As the three were talking, Qixi came over and said, "Master, all the recruits for tomorrow's job are here and are waiting for you to come over.

Lu Lang agreed and led the way out of the house. Sure enough, not far away, he saw a group of men of different heights, but mostly in their prime, standing in a crowd and whispering to each other.

Shen Yu followed Lu Lang and Master Qian and stood beside them.

Master Qian raised his hands and pressed them down. When everyone calmed down, he took the roster and called out the names one by one.

Seeing that all sixty conscripts had arrived, they asked Lu Lang to come forward and explain the specific details of the construction.

Lu Lang didn't say much. After introducing himself, he spoke simply and clearly.

Such as the time of day, how many hours of work are done, the scope of the repair work, how many days it will take, the punishment for being late or lazy, etc., so that everyone can know clearly.

After talking about the rules of work, they talked about the time for three meals a day, and Shen Yu's proposal that everyone should chop a bundle of firewood and bring it over every day.

As soon as these words were spoken, it was like a drop of water thrown into a boiling oil pan, and the crowd who had been listening silently suddenly exploded.

Most of these men are villagers from nearby villages, and they speak rudely and bluntly.

When they heard that not only did they have to perform river labor, but they also had to bring their own bundle of firewood, they could no longer contain themselves and started talking a lot.

"Although it is a duty, I have never heard of a military service that requires one to chop wood."

"That's right, that's right. We have to rush here from home before dawn every day and work until dark before we can go home. It's hard enough, and we have to chop wood too. Isn't this even more tiring?"

"Repairing the riverbank in winter is the hardest job of the year."

"It's cold and tiring. I heard the food is terrible and we don't even have enough to eat. Why do we have to chop wood for ourselves?"

"Why don't you just ignore our meals and give us the daily food money? We can bring some bread to eat and chop some firewood to boil some hot water to drink. It's the same thing."

Such a scene was expected by Lu Lang and his friends. They kept silent and just waited for everyone to complain.

After everyone had repeated the same thing several times, they found it boring because the county magistrate's son standing in front of them didn't say a word. Gradually, no one spoke, but just stood there angrily.

Lu Lang asked calmly, "Are you done?"

"If you haven't finished, we can wait a little longer. When you've finished, we can continue."

These people are all illiterate farmers who dare not speak in front of the government on weekdays.

It was only because he relied on the fact that Lu Lang in front of him was young and not the county magistrate himself that he dared to shout a few words.

Seeing that Lu Lang's expression was calm but there was a sense of dignity in him, he couldn't help but feel a little timid.

One of them seemed to be the leader of the group. He whispered something to everyone, and then everyone behind him fell silent.

He stepped forward with a flattering smile and said, "It's our fault. We have finished talking. Sir, please speak up. We will listen."

Lu Lang nodded and said, "We all work for the government, so we should understand each other."

"I know you're working hard. It's cold in winter and the workload is heavy, so I'm trying to make sure you have good food and warmer so you have the energy to work."

"I asked you to chop wood not for boiling water or cooking, but to exchange it for some money to supplement your food."

"The food allowance allocated by the higher authorities is not much. If you only use this money to cook meals, you will definitely not be able to eat enough."

Lu Lang pointed to Master Qian beside him, and then said to everyone: "This is our county government's financial and grain master."

"If you don't believe me, he can show you the account books that record all the money spent on this construction."

"Look at how much each of you spend on food every day, and then calculate what kind of meals you can make with this money, and whether you can eat enough."

As he spoke, Lu Lang pointed at Shen Yu who was standing beside him and said, "This is Miss Shen. She will be in charge of the food for this canal construction project."

Only then did everyone notice the person standing next to Lu Lang.

A young girl wearing a thick hood, revealing only a small face the size of a palm, and a thick double-breasted long coat. Although she is not short, she looks like a fat little bear at this moment.

They were all stunned.

After a moment of silence, someone started laughing unbridled: "Sir, are you kidding me?"

"Such a cold-fearing little fat kid, she's going to cook?"

"Can she do it?"

"We do heavy work and work hard. Each of us eats more in one meal than she does in a day."

Everyone nodded: "Yes, yes, can she do it?"

Seeing that Shen Yu just stood there calmly, neither annoyed nor arguing, everyone became bolder.

They didn't dare to complain about the county magistrate's son, but they did have some courage to tease the little cook.

A few shameless people winked at each other and pushed each other a few times, and then one of them shouted, "Hey, young lady, are you the lover of the county magistrate's son?"

"Are you here to play by the canal?"

"What's so nice here? There's not even a flower. Don't let it freeze you. The county magistrate will be heartbroken if he sees you."

"Ha ha ha ha……"

Everyone was laughing together and completely forgot what was standing in front of them.

When Lu Lang first heard everyone questioning Shen Yu, he felt a little angry.

Before I could even react, I heard these rude words.

This time he no longer concealed it and his face suddenly fell.

He didn't say anything, but just glanced at Qi Xi who was standing beside him and was already furious.

Qi Xi received Lu Lang's signal and rushed forward in one step.