Chapter 1205: Road Repaired Halfway
The guano workshops were in full swing, and so was the road construction.
Soon more than half a month passed and the corvée labor was almost over.
As a result, only half of the road was built, and there was still a long section that had not been completed.
County Magistrate Wang hurried back and asked, "Sir, what should we do? Should we continue repairing?"
This road is much more difficult than I imagined. I thought I could just repair it casually and make it a road that can be pushed with a wheelbarrow.
It turned out to be extremely difficult and the road they built was several more roundabout than expected.
Laborers from the entire county came together to repair the road, but they were only able to finish half of it, and that half was repaired very sloppily.
In the sense of a "road", it is not yet a road.
County Magistrate Wang was very anxious. The road was not repaired, which meant that the bird droppings could not be transported out. If they could not be transported out, no money could be made.
Sun Shan had no idea that building a road would be so difficult.
Alas, for someone like him who has never worked in engineering, he can only talk about it on paper. The reality is another matter.
Sun Shan asked, "Where is Liu the clerk?"
County Magistrate Wang replied, "We are still at Aojiawan, and we are still building the zipline."
Compared with County Magistrate Wang, Engineer Liu was even more busy and tired. He stayed in Aojiawan all day and dared not come back until the project was completed.
Sun Shan originally wanted to ask Engineer Liu about the road construction situation. After all, he was in the engineering field and was more familiar with the situation than County Magistrate Wang and himself.
Now I have no choice but to go to Da Niao Village in person to take a closer look at the progress of the project.
This road must be repaired, even if it costs money.
County Magistrate Wang said, "Sir, the road is already halfway built, and we must continue to repair it before winter and snow. If we wait until next spring to repair it, it will be even more troublesome."
It snows in winter, rains in spring, and is extremely hot in summer in Yuanlu, so autumn is the best time to work.
This is the time when farmers are least busy and have more time to work.
Sun Shan thought for a moment and said, "The service period is almost over. We can only pay to hire workers to build the road."
This is also a helpless choice. We originally wanted to build the road for free, but in fact we have to spend money.
Oh, it cost a lot of money to build this guano workshop.
County Magistrate Wang immediately retorted: "Sir, there is no need to spend money, just extend the service period. It is up to us to decide how long the corvée service should be."
A group of illiterate people have no idea how long their service will last. They can only do what the government says.
What's more, if this guano workshop is repaired and produces guano, it will also benefit the people of Yuanlu as a whole.
What's wrong with letting them do more work?
County Magistrate Wang felt that there was no need to pay people to do the work, so he simply extended the service period with the same staff.
Humph, I don't believe that these peasants dare to disobey the orders of the government.
Sun Shan: ...
County Magistrate Wang's behavior is indeed that of a half-official. How dare a small servant disobey an order from the government?
However, Sun Shan was not an ordinary official. He was a kind-hearted and upright official.
Sun Shan shook his head repeatedly and said in disagreement, "County Magistrate Wang, this is unfair. We can't do this."
County Magistrate Wang thought that Sun Shan had just become an official and did not understand officialdom. This was very common and normal.
Asking the laborers to work a few more days does not mean sending them into a cauldron of oil or a mountain of swords.
There is no danger at all in building the road this time. It is at least much safer than dredging the lake. What objection could the laborers have?
County Magistrate Wang continued, "Sir, it won't be a problem if the laborers work a few more days. They are building roads for the people of Yuanlu, which is an honorable thing. Sir, there is no need to pay them, just let them continue to work."
After a pause, he added: "If they are tired, let their brothers take turns. It's just a simple road repair, it's not hard at all."
Sun Shan looked at County Magistrate Wang.
He said it so lightly and naturally, and the typical image of an official who "exploits the people" immediately emerged.
In fact, what County Magistrate Wang did was a very common and practical approach.
It's just extending the labor term of the conscripts, not sending them to die.
But Sun Shan is different. A thousand-mile long dam can be breached by an ant hole.
If we impose a little more pressure on the people here and a little more pressure there, eventually the straw that breaks the camel's back will appear.
Although such a situation will not occur at present, Sun Shan does not want to be one of the perpetrators.
He held his head high and rejected County Magistrate Wang's suggestion righteously: "County Magistrate Wang, one is one, two is two. The conscription period is as long as we agreed on. We must not keep our word. It is clearly written on our conscription notice, and we must not go back on our word. County Magistrate Wang, don't say anything more. When the conscription period is up, the conscripts can leave."
Sun Shan's words made County Magistrate Wang extremely angry.
What a man of his word! He speaks so noblely, doesn't this cost money?
County Magistrate Wang objected, saying, "Sir, this road construction costs a lot of money. We have already spent a lot of the money we raised. This is just the beginning. When the guano is produced, we need to hire people to transport and sell it, which will cost even more money. I am afraid that we will not make a penny from the guano, and we will lose a lot of money."
If the Wang family was not one of the largest shareholders of the guano workshop, County Magistrate Wang would not have made such a suggestion.
If it was all Sun Shan's money, let alone spending it sparingly, it would be polite enough not to spend it recklessly.
It's a pity that this fundraising money belongs to everyone, and if we spend a penny it will be gone.
What if the guano workshop is not built yet and all the money has been spent?
Sun Shan might call them together again and ask them to continue raising funds.
Emma, it hurts to give away this money!
Sun Shan shook his head and said, "It's one thing for the guano workshop to have no money, and it's another thing to use the laborers for free. The two things can't be compared. In short, when the labor service is over, the laborers can go back. If they don't go back and continue to build the road, they have to be paid. This is a matter of principle and it must not be changed."
Then he calmed down and said, "Wang County Magistrate, I know you want to help the workshop save money, but money can't be saved like this. We are not the kind of officials who take advantage of others, so we can't say that."
Seeing that Sun Shan was unmoved, County Magistrate Wang thought it would be pointless to continue talking.
He ran home angrily and complained to Old Master Wang and Mr. Wang.
Only after he scolded Sun Shan severely did he feel better.
Old Master Wang said helplessly: "This Lord Sun has always been stubborn. Son, you can't convince him. Forget it, the money is spent. The money from the guano workshop is not only our Wang family's."
Fortunately, it’s not just my own money, so I feel a little better when I spend money on everyone.
Mr. Wang, who was exhausted like a dog after working on the workshop project and finally returned to Aojiawan where only birds were shitting, took a sip of tea leisurely.
He consoled County Magistrate Wang: "Brother, if you were to become the county magistrate, he would praise you for being smart. This Lord Sun..."
After a few clicks of the tongue, he continued, "Didn't the aunt's letter say that? Lord Sun loves fame, and you're asking the people to serve him for free. This is simply offending him. Lord Sun, who loves fame so much, would never do such a thing as bullying the people.
My aunt said that Lord Sun is very ambitious and is aiming for promotion, so he created an image of a good official to be praised by the people. "
Then he sighed and said, "Brother, forget it. Just spend the money. My aunt told us not to confront Lord Sun head-on."