Chapter 88 Servant Market

According to Zhang Guang, there was definitely no way to go to the brothel, at least not under the guise of "business." This made He Xi very depressed for a few minutes. He didn't really want to go there to solve his physical problems.

, but I really want to see how different the Oriental nightclubs in the seventeenth century are from those four hundred years later. Even if he wants to go, He Xi can only wait until the salary system is determined in the future and pay for it himself, otherwise this

Once the "public money for prostitution" thing spreads back to the base camp, it will definitely be ridiculed by many depressed single men.

"Idle time is idle. Let's go to the talent market." After He Xi made the decision, he pulled Zhang Guang in reverse direction and headed towards the south gate.

Zhang Guangqi asked: "Is there a talent market in Yazhou?"

"Well... it should be said that the labor market is more accurate." He Xi immediately corrected his statement: "I heard the official mentioned that there is a place outside the south gate where unemployed people are waiting to be hired...

…”

The term "unemployed idlers" may not be accurate. Every year, many prisoners are sent to Yazhou, and these people often have families to take care of, so Yazhou has always maintained a considerable number of unemployed people. If it is

It's easier to deal with the whole family sitting together, just drag them all into the hard labor camp, but those family members, subordinates, servants, etc. who are innocent but come to Yazhou will become a security risk when the number increases. How can we make these

It is also a headache for local officials that outsiders who are unfamiliar with the place can find a stable livelihood in Yazhou.

In the end, in line with the principle of "treating headaches", Lord Zhizhou designated a piece of land outside the south gate for outsiders. One was to reduce the number of unemployed vagrants in the city as much as possible and use gentler methods to drive them out of the city.

Secondly, it also makes these people have a thought in their minds. At least there is a way to survive that they can try, so that they will not be forced by the pressure of survival to do some robbery. As time goes by, outside the South Gate, too.

Such a labor market has been established, and some local gentry businessmen who need to hire people will come here to make selections.

The two of them walked out of the south gate and walked along the main road for about half a mile, and then took a look at the so-called "labor market". Of course, there were no seats for recruitment units here, and there were no government officials here to maintain order. They just looked at

There were about two to three hundred people sitting in small groups in the open space on the roadside. These people were men, women, old and young. Most of them had numb faces and dull eyes. When someone approached, they would stand up and bow their heads.

, hoping to win the favor of customers.

"When I first came to work in the city, I went to some labor markets and they were almost the same." Zhang Guang said with emotion when he saw the situation in front of him.

"That's still different." He Xi shook his head and said: "In the labor market of later generations, most of the migrant workers want to go to the city to make money, but now we see these people just looking for something to make a living. Yes.

For them, there is basically no way out when they come here, and their survival pressure is greater than that of migrant workers."

"Do we really want to hire people here?" Zhang Guang asked with some confusion.

"If there are suitable ones, we can hire a few." He Xi has already made plans for this: "We are also wealthy overseas businessmen now. Even if we can't take a car or a sedan when we go out, we will always have one or two servants to run errands and do odd jobs.

Is it necessary?"

"I don't think it's necessary. We can do anything ourselves. Why spend money to hire servants?" Zhang Guang paused and then added: "Of course, if you plan to buy a few maids, then I think you can still have them.

of."

"You're such a big girl, maid!" He Xi scolded with a smile: "Don't think too much, kid. This is for us to maintain our image in the future and make things easier for us. Think about it, many of the people we will deal with in the future are wealthy businessmen and celebrities from Yazhou, as well as gentry.

Senior official, if you don't even have anyone around you, do you think others will recognize your social status? When discussing business, the effect will definitely be different from going alone instead of going with the driver and secretary Ma Zai, right?"

Zhang Guang had to admit that what He Xi said made sense. On the issue of whether to use servants, what now needs to be considered more is the image of the traveling public in Yazhou rather than the cost. Yazhou City is the designated place for distribution by the imperial court.

There is a certain amount of population input, and the local labor force is actually surplus. This has also led to the labor price in Yazhou staying at a relatively low level all year round. As far as Zhang Guang knows, the price of servant employment here in Yazhou is about five months a year.

Two silver taels, which is for healthy young and middle-aged servants. The price for children, the elderly and women is even lower than this. This fee is completely affordable for the Cliff Office, even if it includes food and accommodation, hiring a servant for a year

It will not cost more than ten taels of silver.

Before the two of them entered the market, a man in Tsing Yi came up to them. He clasped his fists and bowed, saying, "Excuse me, gentlemen, are you planning to hire workers or buy servants? I may be able to lend a helping hand to you."

"This place actually has a shopping guide!" Zhang Guang couldn't help but sigh. It seems that the ancients also had a strong sense of business.

The man probably didn't understand what Zhang Guang meant by "shopping guide", so he took out a piece of paper from his arms and said: "Two Mingjian, this is a dental post issued by Yazhou Yamen. I am a serious official."

It specializes in the trade of hired labor. If two people hire workers or buy servants here, the documents they sign must be signed and pledged by such an official as a witness before they can be effective."

Zhang Guang and He Xi looked at each other and said in unison: "Agent!"

The middlemen who introduce transactions to buyers and sellers in the market and collect commissions were called "dental merchants" or "dental merchants" in ancient times. The dental merchants must hold dental certificates issued by the government and pay taxes.

It started in the Ming Dynasty. A man in Tsing Yi like this who can produce an official tooth sticker is an official tooth, while those who operate without a license are private teeth. This is similar to the formal agency companies and black agencies in later generations. In comparison, that

Of course, government agencies with operating licenses are more reliable. In order to eliminate the existence of private organizations, this labor market directly stipulates that employment documents must be witnessed by official organizations before they are valid. This leaves no room for private organizations to operate.

.

After understanding the other party's intention, He Xi asked: "Then how is your commission calculated?"

The man was not busy quoting, but first introduced: "Although there are many people coming to this place to look for errands, their quality varies. Some people are experienced at working all year round. They can start working immediately after being hired.

Some of them don't know anything, and they just come here to find a way to make a living. If outsiders don't look around, they may not be able to hire suitable candidates. I can find people at your request and negotiate the price. It only costs two coins a day.

, It’s already past noon today, and seeing as it’s the first time for both of you to come here, you’ll only need one penny.”

Zhang Guang calculated in his mind that the offer didn't sound high, but even if this guy only received one group of customers a day, he only had two taels of silver. In a month, he would still have six or seven taels of silver. His annual salary was higher than that of Luo Shengdong, the boss.

It's quite a bit higher. It seems like this agency is quite profitable.

Seeing that they didn't respond, the man thought that his quotation was too high, so he continued to persuade: "You two, the price I said is the actual price set by the state government, and I am not just shouting it casually. You know, everyone here

When you receive one tael of silver, you have to hand over half of it to the state government as payment, otherwise you will not be able to operate here."

He Xi's heart moved and she asked him: "Please show me the dental post again. I didn't see clearly who signed it just now."

The man took out the dental card and handed it to him as he was told. The handle column on the dental card indeed filled in the name of Kong Li. He Xi smiled and said, "Why is this guy so enthusiastic? I heard that I want to hire someone."

The man immediately recommended this place and wanted to bring me here in person. It turns out that he is also very knowledgeable... Okay, one penny, right? That’s you."

The man was overjoyed, took the money from He Xi's hand, put it into his arms, and led the two of them toward the crowd: "Here you two, I wonder what kind of person you are looking for?"

"Two or three men who are younger, honest and obedient, in good health, and have a clean family background." He Xi thought for a while and then added: "If there are girls suitable to be maids, you can also take a look.

"

Zhang Guang bumped He Xi with his elbow and said, "Didn't you say you didn't want to buy a maid earlier?"

"I didn't plan to buy it for myself." He Xi explained: "Zhao Xiaoruo, a girl living in the same courtyard as us, a group of grown men, would be somewhat inconvenient. Buying her a maid would, firstly, make her

She has a female companion to talk to, who can take care of her life. Secondly, if anything happens, it will be more convenient to have a woman in the courtyard."

"Ah...I didn't think it through." Zhang Guang scratched his head in embarrassment, admitting that he had misunderstood, but he obviously overestimated He Xi's integrity.

"...If you really like him, it would be a good idea to buy yourself a warm bed in the house. This is more serious than going to a brothel to solve problems." He Xi added shamelessly.

With Na Yashang's leadership, the two of them save the time of wandering around like headless flies. He Xi's conditions have been made very clear, and it will be faster to find a suitable candidate.

Soon they settled on two young servants, one fourteen and one fifteen, both of whom came from the north with their assigned masters. These two young men had been sold into slavery when they were young, and their master was convicted and assigned by the court.

When they arrived in Yazhou, they had nowhere to go and had to follow all the way here. But now the owner no longer had the financial resources to support their servants, so they simply let them fend for themselves. And in this situation, this servant

It is also the most common in the market. Almost 60% of the people have a similar experience. When the three of them were negotiating with the two teenagers, there were also many self-recommended people beside them who kept begging them to hire them. The scene was once chaotic.
Chapter completed!