It's winter and there are no vegetables, otherwise Ye Ming would have to make a few.
But for now, he'd have to make do.
"What's with the wages?"
"Brother Ming, we're already content with having food to eat. We absolutely can't take the wages."
"Yeah, we don't know if we can make any money from firing the kiln yet."
"The wages..."
"Auntie Huang, you have to take the wages, or you'll share the food with your family."
"How can I have the energy to work?"
"Okay, get to work, it's getting late."
Although Ye Ming's words were harsh, everyone knew he was giving them money.
Giving their families a livelihood, they felt even more grateful to Ye Ming. They were also thankful they had helped him.
Near noon, Ye Ming had built a small kiln by the river.
It was closest to Ye Ming's home and the clay, and with the bluestone mountain behind it, it was easy to get firewood.
"Brother Ming, can this clay you asked us to knead really be fired into ceramics?" The man kneading the clay was the village's only craftsman.
His name was Wang Cheng. He had worked as a laborer with Liu Qiang before and learned how to make clay bowls.
So Ye Ming gave him the important task of making clay bowls, while the others made clay bricks according to the temporary molds.
Ye Ming looked at the pile of clay bowls, bottles and bricks in front of him and smiled lightly.
"Don't worry, Uncle Wang Cheng, there shouldn't be any problem."
After the clay bricks are fired, they can build a bigger kiln. As for those bowls and bottles, if they are fired successfully, Ye Ming will use them himself.
Even if he fails, he can still gain experience. After all, although there is a recipe rewarded by the system.
But there is no guarantee of 100% success.
"Uncle Wang Cheng, why are there two children? Didn't I say to let strong adults come?"
Ye Ming said, pointing to the two girls carrying firewood.
When he mentioned the two girls, a trace of sadness appeared on Wang Cheng's old face.
"Those two little girls are from Zhang Laosi's family."
"At the end of last year, Zhang Laosi was drafted into the army, and his wife died of depression because of it."
"Now these two children are the only ones left in the Zhang family."
Wang Cheng looked at Ye Ming, his eyes full of pleading.
"Brother Ming, I asked them to come here. Please don't chase them away, okay? They don't need to be paid, I just hope you can give them a way to survive."
"These two children are so miserable. If they didn't have this bowl of rice, I'm afraid they wouldn't survive for a few days."
Ye Ming looked at the two children wearing obviously loose clothes, their hands and feet covered with bruises and frostbite, and felt distressed.
If only in his previous life, he would see little kids in their early teens playing at home carefree, without having to worry about life.
"Don't worry, Uncle Wang Cheng, I won't chase them away."
If he chased them away, would he still be a human being?
"Then I thank you on behalf of Zhang Laosi and his wife."
Wang Cheng was about to kneel and kowtow to Ye Ming, but was stopped by Ye Ming.
"Uncle Wang Cheng, you can't!"
"You're all my benefactors, Ye Ming. Now that I'm able, it's my duty to repay you."
Since he'd taken over the original owner's body and, thanks to it, had such a wonderful wife, it was only right for him to repay his debt.
Even if it weren't for this reason, Ye Ming wanted to lead the people of Qingshi Village to a better life.
These people lived a miserable life, yet even in such hardship, they still retained their kindness. As someone with a modern soul and a system, he naturally wanted to help if he could.
Tears welled up in Wang Cheng's eyes as he listened to Ye Ming's words.
"Ming'er, just for what you said, I, Wang Cheng, will fire this kiln, even at the cost of my life."
"Uncle Wang Cheng, I'll leave these bowls in your care. I'll go check on the two children."
Zhang Suisui and her sister, Zhang Pingping, were carrying a calf-thick piece of firewood and carefully placing it on the ground.
Zhang Pingping was so hungry she couldn't lift her arms, her stomach growling in protest.
"Sister, I'm hungry. I just don't have the strength anymore."
Zhang Suisui wasn't much better, even though the frostbite and blisters on her hands were rubbed raw.
She didn't cry out in pain or fatigue, but instead forced a smile to comfort her sister.
"Hold on a little longer, little sister. It won't be long before we can eat."
"Grandpa Wang Cheng said that silly brother is giving everyone some porridge. Hold on a little longer."
The two children stood up, ready to continue carrying firewood. But then a figure appeared before them.
"Silly brother, silly brother."
The moment they saw Ye Ming, the two sisters panicked.
"Brother, we're not slacking off. Please don't chase us away, okay? My sister and I might have done it."
"We don't want wages either. Just a bowl of food is enough. We don't have much to eat."
"Yes, silly brother, my sister and I don't have much to eat. Please, please, let us stay."
Seeing the two sisters, emaciated and covered in frostbite, kneeling before him, begging not to chase them away, Ye Ming felt even more distressed.
"Hurry up, you two, get up. I didn't say I was going to chase you away."
"Silly brother, you really won't chase us away?"
When the two sisters heard that Ye Ming was not going to chase them away, their swollen eyes lit up.
Then they saw Zhang Suisui pulling her sister to kowtow to Ye Ming.
"Thank you, silly brother!"
"Oh, don't do that. Get up quickly, the ground is cold!"
Ye Ming helped the two sisters up, and then he saw clearly that they didn't even have a pair of decent straw sandals on their feet. They used straw to tie directly to their feet.
He didn't dare to think about how uncomfortable it would be.
"Little sister, silly brother is willing to take us in to work, so we can't be lazy. Let's go and carry firewood quickly."
"Wait."
Ye Ming called the two sisters and pulled out the pancakes Su Xiaorong had baked that morning.
"You didn't eat breakfast, right? Take half each."
Zhang Pingping swallowed her saliva as she looked at the white flour pancakes in front of her.
She and her sister hadn't had a proper meal since their mother's death.
When they didn't find any sweet potatoes or grass roots, they would even eat a mouthful of snow.
"Silly brother, we haven't done much work yet, so why should you give us such a thing?"
Although she knew she and her younger sister were hungry, Zhang Suisui was even more afraid that Ye Ming would dislike them and not allow them to work with him in the future.
"Here, this is from me, your brother. It doesn't count as wages."
Ye Ming didn't let the two sisters refuse and simply stuffed the pancakes into their hands.
"By the way, do you really want to work for me?"
Zhang Suisui looked at the half-eaten pancake in her hands, a little overwhelmed.
"Yes, silly brother, please give us a way to live. My younger sister and I are willing to work like slaves for you."
Ye Ming smiled kindly. "That's good. I have a job that suits you, but the pay isn't high. Are you still willing?"
"Yes, as long as I can have something to eat, my sister and I don't need any wages."
Ye Ming nodded.
"Then I'll take you to my house later. From now on, you two sisters will help my wife with her daily life and cooking."
"Two meals a day, and two cents of wages."
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