When Lanxi came into view, Qingshuang swung down from her horse.
“What was that person doing? He looked rather flustered,” she asked casually.
Lanxi glanced in that direction, already understanding the situation perfectly.
“He saw you coming and got guilty in a hurry. I can handle it. How are things at the coal plant?”
Qingshuang replied, “The newly recruited workers will be arriving one after another. After two days of training, they’ll be ready to start work.”
“I came to ask whether the cement plant still needs more people.”
“There are quite a few Qingxia County locals at the coal plant entrance who didn’t manage to register. If you’re short-handed, you can take them all.”
Lanxi’s eyes lit up. She immediately asked, “How many are there? Are they all men?”
“We’re badly short of workers at the riverbed and the stone quarry. I’ve been worrying about it.”
The corners of Qingshuang’s lips lifted slightly, and her expression softened.
“They’re all men, probably in their thirties or forties. They look exhausted after traveling for two days.”
Lanxi immediately called for someone to bring them over. “I’ll go take a look. If they meet the requirements, I’ll hire them all.”
The same scene unfolded when the recruitment teams from Yuzhu County, Songhe County, and Yanshan County returned.
In all, Lanxi recruited 132 able-bodied men who met the requirements.
At the same time, the number of people from outside Sui’ning City continued to grow.
Even after learning that recruitment had ended, they chose not to leave Sui’ning City. Instead, they tried to find other work in the city. If they couldn’t find any, they slept in abandoned temples or on the streets, waiting for the next round of hiring.
Beside the seventh main road outside the western gate, where cement was being laid, Song Qiming looked up at the sky and pulled his collar closed.
“The weather is getting colder. The final two streets must be finished this month.”
“Once it snows and the ground freezes, the cement will freeze as well, and construction will have to stop.”
Shi Simian immediately pledged, “Rest assured, my lord. We’ll definitely finish within seven days.”
Only a short section remained on the seventh main road, and it would be completed today. Preparations for the final road were already proceeding at the same time. Seven days would be more than enough—they might even finish ahead of schedule.
The gate inspector in charge of patrolling the city gates had already been waiting nearby for quite some time.
When he saw that Song Qiming had finished his business and was about to leave, he seized the opportunity and hurried forward, forcing his voice to sound as calm as possible.
“My lord, this subordinate has an important matter to report.”
Song Qiming looked at him. “What is it?”
The gate inspector said, “Many people from the subordinate counties have poured into the city over the past few days. Unable to find work, they’ve been sleeping in the corners of the inner city and along the streets. Some are dressed almost like beggars, which has prompted much discussion among the townspeople. This subordinate truly doesn’t know how the matter should be handled.”
Song Qiming’s eyes widened. “They came from the four counties?”
The gate inspector nodded, still astonished that so many people had voluntarily come to Sui’ning City to seek work.
“There are also a few from the villages under Songzhou City, though there aren’t many—only seven or eight.”
Song Qiming asked solemnly, “Where are they staying? Take me there at once.”
The gate inspector led Song Qiming to a small corner near the eastern side of the southern gate. There stood a Guanyin Temple.
The tiles on the roof were dilapidated, as though the temple had not been repaired in many years. Yet the ground was relatively clean, giving the impression that someone came by regularly.
After dismounting, the gate inspector pointed inside the temple and said, “This temple had been deserted for a long time. It was occupied only by beggars.”
“Recently, life has improved a little for the common people, and some gradually began coming here to offer incense. Yesterday, they discovered that many people were staying here and panicked. They spread the news everywhere and even told the constables patrolling the streets. That was how this subordinate learned that these people hadn’t stayed at inns or sought refuge with relatives—they had been sleeping here at night.”
“There are several other places in even worse condition than this one. The earthen walls on all sides can barely keep out the wind, and they don’t even stop the rain.”
