"What kind of nerves do these guys have, as soon as this shipyard opens, they have to work for the court in vain, a few days ago, these guys are still sighing and sighing, frowning and sad, but why are they laughing like babies today?" Inside a teahouse in the shipyard, three old men in brocade robes looked at the boatwrights walking on the street with puzzled expressions, and one of them, the old man in brocade robe who looked rather sleek and had a gloomy face whispered.

"If you want to know, it's not easy, come here, go and call an old shipwright who is drinking tea in the lobby, the old man has something to ask." Next to him, another old man in a rich face in a gorgeous costume first looked at the old man who was about fifty years old sitting opposite, although he was wearing a brocade robe, but the pair of official boots under the placket that had not been replaced revealed his true identity.

Seeing that the man bowed his head slightly, as if he agreed, he clapped his hands and called the little maid in the teahouse to give instructions.

After a short time, an old shipwright, gray-haired but still in good spirits, followed the little man to the private room facing the street. "The old man Niu Qi has seen a few officials."

"Hehe, Niu Qi, are you a shipwright?" The rich old man, who had just spoken, stroked his long beard and asked the old shipwright with a reserved bow.

"Back to the officials, the old Han family is a hereditary craftsman, working in this shipyard, and now there are four generations of the old man. When the Three Treasure Eunuchs went to the West, the old man and the old man's father were building treasure ships for the Three Treasure Eunuchs. The old shipwright replied respectfully, and a pair of eyes swept over the three rich-looking and richly dressed old men, and he could not help beating quietly in his heart, and subconsciously reached out and touched the silver tied to the waistband of his trousers.

That's the prepaid monthly salary that I just got from the steward of the treasure shipyard, three taels of silver, this is a real three taels of silver, but it's not like in the past, it's reduced and deducted, and I can get it in my hand in a month, at most no more than two taels.

As soon as I thought about myself, I heard that the officials and gentry would have weak legs when they saw it, and the Jinyi Wei actually explained the new employment contract to himself and others with a pleasant face, and invited a number of squires to prove there, as long as they worked in the shipyard and did a good job, they could not only get three taels of snowflake silver every month, but also be able to rise to the intermediate shipwright, the intermediate shipwright could get four taels of silver a month, and there were also senior shipwrights, the senior shipwright could get five taels, this year, He could earn sixty taels of silver, which was twenty taels more than his nephew, who was a groom in the yamen.

In addition to these, those who know how to improve, or who are literate, who can write, draw, and make boat patterns, these are even higher, and it is said that they are called technicians, and they get a tael more than the senior shipwright.

-------------------- in addition to these monthly salaries, if you do a good job, or say you have done your part, you can do more, and you can do more at all, and you can get an extra tael or even a bonus of up to five taels. As soon as he thought of this, Niu Qi's heart was hot, and when he returned home, he really had to talk to the two sons who were working as handymen at home, he was also a shipwright for decades, and the two children also learned from him for seven or eight years, and then because he no longer built treasure ships, he left the shipyard and found other jobs to make a living.

When the time comes, bring the two children together, with their own help, it won't be long before this old guy can get a senior shipwright, and the two brothers can get three to four taels of silver a month, so after more than a year's work, the youngest son marries a daughter-in-law, then there is really no need to worry.

"This treasure shipyard, isn't there a lot of shipbuilding in addition to repairs over the years? Why did there suddenly become such a big battle these days? The old man with a gloomy face asked.

"The officials don't know, in the past, since the construction of the treasure ship was stopped, the shipyard has rarely built ships except for maintenance, and then the shipwrights in the shipyard have nothing to do, so naturally there is no silver to take, only to find their own work, but a few days ago, those old guys who stayed in the shipyard took the officials and their families around, and told the old man that the treasure shipyard was going to start construction again, and the silver was all cash, so ah, we are old, and the old guys who can't sell their strength in the city will come to see first... …”

"It seems that the court really wants to rebuild this treasure shipyard." After Niu Qi left, the gloomy old man who spoke first stroked his long beard under his chin and said with a slight frown.

And the old man, who looked quite rich, couldn't help but shake his head, looked at the boatwrights who were drifting away on the street, and asked with a little doubt: "Could it be that today's son wants to go down to the ocean like Emperor Taizong and mobilize the crowd to boast of his martial arts?" ”

"What Uncle Liu said is not bad, and this official also thinks that it is very possible, when today's son is not what it used to be, heroic and resolute, chasing Emperor Taizong, and now destroying my century-old rival of the Ming Dynasty, I am afraid that there will really be such thoughts." He had not spoken, sipped his tea, and listened to the two gentry inquire about the old shipwright, and the middle-aged man dressed as an official nodded slowly at this time, and seemed to agree with the statement of the rich old man.

"Master Hu, do you think so too?" The gloomy old gentry couldn't help but set his eyes on this Lord Hu, who had finally opened his golden mouth.

"Well, the old man thinks it should be so." Master Hu raised his eyebrows and said affirmatively. "If not, where else can ships be built, and why should such costly ocean-going ships be built?"

"This is also true, but Long Live Lord is in Xuanfu, and the trouble is not light, Xuanfu, Datong, and even the colleagues in Gansu Town are quite complaining, saying that it is Long Live today and the people are competing for profits, and the people are angry......" The gloomy old man raised his eyebrows, still with a sad expression, as if everyone owed him eight thousand silver.

"Yes, don't say it's someone else, it's the old man, and he lost nearly 30,000 taels of silver in Xuanfu, hmph, long live the lord, it's really too much......" The rich old man Liu stroked the jasper plate fingers on his thumb, with a stupid look. It's completely a forced buying and selling, and it also forces me to wait for taxes, what kind of rule is this? ”

"Such a place for pedestrians, please be cautious about the two old men." At this moment, Master Hu cleared his throat, glanced at the two of them with a slight displeasure, and said in a deep voice.

"Hehe, Master Hu, it's not that the old man has a grudge against the Long Live Lord, but in fact, the Xuanfu Trading Company is too arrogant, and now in the north, I am waiting for Jiangnan Shangjia, it is really difficult to have a chance to intervene......" The rich old man smiled and still said.

(To be continued)