Marrying a White Snake Wife is Super Cool-Chapter 63: Sweet~

「Early Morning」

「Outside the East City Gate of Taiping City.」

The area was bustling with voices.

Many people from the surrounding towns and villages had gathered here.

Winter had now set in, and with no work left in the fields, those with a bit of a craft didn’t want to sit at home and eat for free.

So, they gathered around Taiping City, hoping to find some work.

It was a bit like a day-laborer market from Earth.

From time to time, a carriage would emerge from the city.

A man who looked like a steward would stand on the carriage and shout, calling for a certain number of laborers or a certain number of tilers.

Upon hearing the commotion, everyone would immediately swarm forward.

Even if they didn’t have the required skill themselves, they could still recommend someone from their own village.

Soon, a luxurious carriage rolled out from the East City Gate.

It naturally drew everyone’s attention at once.

Generally speaking, the more luxurious the carriage, the more people they were hiring, and the better the pay.

If you did a good job, you might even be rewarded with a blended-flour steamed bun for lunch.

In an instant, the crowd surged around it.

At that moment, Lu Yuan, standing on the carriage, saw the crowd gathering and immediately rose to announce loudly:

"Ten laborers, ten Wen a day.

Six tilers, six carpenters, three plasterers—fifteen Wen a day.

Lunch is provided, you’ll have a place to sleep at night, and the work period is at least two months!"

Lu Yuan’s words were like a clap of thunder on a clear day.

They sent the area outside the East City Gate into a complete uproar.

The terms were just too good!

Putting everything else aside, just the laborers—ten Wen a day?

That’s three maces of silver a month!

That was already on par with the wages of a shop clerk in the city.

Of course, the most important thing was the duration of the work.

Out here, people would occasionally run into a generous employer. If they did a good job and pleased the boss,

they might even get a little bonus before leaving.

Adding it all up, they could sometimes earn twenty or thirty Wen in a single day.

But the problem was, where could you find that much work?

Basically, squatting here, you’d be lucky to land one job every three to five days.

But now, here was a job that lasted two months.

There was work every single day, and the new year was less than three months away.

Finish these two months of work, and they’d have everything—new clothes for the kids for the new year, white-flour dumplings for the new year feast, you name it.

In an instant, the hundred or so people at the East City Gate all crowded around.

They jumped up and down, waving their hands, hoping the employer would see them.

Meanwhile, inside the carriage, Su Liyan and Zhao Qiao’Er were each holding an ear of corn, happily munching away.

Lu Yuan had bought it for them when they came out earlier.

Cradling their corn, the two of them would occasionally lift the curtain on their side of the carriage, curiously peering at the scene outside.

Speaking of which, the two women in the carriage presented a strangely charming contrast.

One was a glamorous, cool beauty, and the other a gorgeous, mature woman.

But now, with each holding an ear of corn, they looked inexplicably cute.

Soon, Lu Yuan had found his people.

He had selected these twenty-odd men using his system.

The Multiplication Factor for all twenty-odd of them was 1.

As mentioned before, Lu Yuan had more or less figured out how the system’s Multiplication Factor worked.

The Multiplication Factor was based on a person’s status and abilities, their relationship with him, and their moral character.

First off, their individual abilities weren’t anything to write home about.

They were just ordinary farmers with a bit of a trade.

To Lu Yuan, that was completely useless.

So that part was zero.

As for their relationship with Lu Yuan, that was even less of a factor. They’d never met before, so what relationship could there be?

So that was also zero.

And yet, these men still had a Multiplication Factor of 1 above their heads.

That could only mean their moral character was good. They were the simple, honest type who wouldn’t cause trouble.

He could feel at ease using people like that.

The chosen men joyfully went back to roll up their bedrolls and follow Lu Yuan into the city.

As the group walked toward the city, they were happy, yet also a little apprehensive.

’Is this really happening?’

An old man closest to Lu Yuan rubbed his hands together and looked at him timidly, asking:

"Boss... are you really paying that much?

And the work will really last that long?"

Lu Yuan knew what they were thinking, so he immediately called out to the men around him:

"When we get there, I’ll pay everyone half a month’s wages up front! From now on, we’ll get paid every half-month!"

After Lu Yuan finished speaking, the men all grew excited, shouting that the boss was a good man, that the boss was generous.

Lu Yuan grinned but didn’t say anything more.

The Underground Heating System wouldn’t take that long to build.

The Underground Heating System would probably be finished in about three or four days.

The two-month work period was because Lu Yuan planned to renovate his entire grand courtyard, inside and out.

As for their wages...

’To be honest, for such a long-term job, I could have lowered the pay significantly.’

’For example, I offered ten Wen a day for the laborers.’

’But in reality, even if I had only offered five Wen a day with food and lodging, a whole crowd would have still rushed to take the job.’

’But was it necessary?’

’Not at all.’

Lu Yuan wouldn’t say he was a good person, but he definitely wasn’t a bad one.

In this freezing weather, they were huddled outside the city gate, so cold that their running noses and watering eyes were indistinguishable.

They left the warm hearths at home to suffer out here—for what?

Wasn’t it just to work hard and earn a little more money?

He didn’t know whose children’s father or whose wife’s husband they were.

Lu Yuan wasn’t short on money. Was it really worth haggling with these men over one or two Wen?

’Not at all.’

As they were nearing the large estate, the carriage stopped for a moment before continuing on its way.

"One for each of you."

Lu Yuan’s voice came from the front, and then two skewers of tanghulu were passed inside.

It wasn’t anything rare, but for Lu Yuan to suddenly pass in two tanghulu skewers as if by magic, it made both women’s faces light up with joy.

Especially Zhao Qiao’Er. Her eyes curved into crescents, and looking like a young maiden, she couldn’t have been happier.

Was it because the tanghulu was delicious?

Of course not. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

It was simply because Zhao Qiao’Er had never experienced a feeling like this before.

When they left the house this morning, Zhao Qiao’Er had assumed her dear nephew was taking her and Liyan somewhere fun.

She hadn’t expected that he was really just going to the east side of the city to hire people.

He hadn’t planned any fun outings for the day at all.

When Zhao Qiao’Er first realized this, she felt a little disappointed, but she soon found herself loving this feeling.

It was mainly because her sweetheart kept surprising her with little things.

The slow carriage ride from their home to the east side of the city took a little over an hour.

The carriage couldn’t go fast in the city, constantly starting and stopping.

After all, they hadn’t brought anyone from the nursing home this time, and there was no one to clear a path for them.

And during that hour or so, her sweetheart would pass little things into the carriage from time to time.

Things like freshly steamed buns from a roadside stall, corn, sweet drinks...

...and little hair clips and wooden hairpins from the side of the road.

He even bought children’s toys like masks, rattle-drums, and feather shuttlecocks.

These were all things Zhao Qiao’Er would have never given a second glance before, but now, she treasured them dearly.

She felt an inexplicable shyness in her heart, especially after receiving these gifts.

Everything came in pairs; whatever Su Liyan got, she got one too.

Buying masks and feather shuttlecocks for Su Liyan made some sense.

After all, Su Liyan wasn’t that old.

’But why buy them for me?’

’Is he trying to humor me like I’m a little girl?’

’That little rascal, he’s so infuriating~~’

But then again...

Zhao Qiao’Er, who had never experienced being pampered like this, couldn’t help but sigh in her heart.

’Being a woman doted on by a man... this feeling... it’s truly wonderful~’

"Is it sweet?"

Lu Yuan suddenly lifted the door curtain, poked his head in, and asked.

With shy smiles, Zhao Qiao’Er and Su Liyan replied in an incredibly sweet, delicate tone:

"Sweet~"