Chapter 219: Song Gong Takes on Apprentices
Chapter 219 -211: Song Gong Takes on Apprentices
Boss Zhao chimed in, “From what I see, not everyone working here knows how to lay bricks and tile roofs. At the very least, you and Wu Jiang don’t. How is it you two can do this work, but we can’t?”
Song Gong had spent his entire life building houses. He’d built more houses than he could count and traveled to countless places, but he had never encountered such shameless, unreasonable villagers as the ones in Huangtuo Village.
These people came to the construction site every day to gawk. Every time they saw Wu Jiang and Li Cheng helping out for free, they would sneer and taunt them with sarcastic remarks. Song Gong saw it all. Yet, Wu Jiang and Li Cheng never gave up despite the villagers’ ridicule. This was the biggest reason Song Gong decided to take them into his troupe. ‘Hardworking people shouldn’t be looked down upon and mocked.’
Song Gong faced Boss Zhao. “That’s right. The two of them don’t know how to lay bricks or tile roofs right now, but they will soon enough. Today, I am taking them on as my apprentices. From now on, they are members of the Song Family Troupe. As long as they are willing, wherever the Song Family Troupe has work, there will be a place for them.”
Hearing this, the faces of the villagers twisted with envy, jealousy, and resentment. Naturally, some of them couldn’t accept it.
Xu Laosan shot back, “Whether or not you take them as apprentices is your business. But you’re building houses in our Huangtuo Village. How can you not hire a few of our own people? Don’t you even understand that basic custom?”
Song Gong knew he was dealing with scoundrels now. He wasn’t a local, after all; he couldn’t just say and do as he pleased. One misstep could lead to a confrontation, and that wouldn’t do anyone any good.
“What are you all doing blocking the way? Have you got nothing better to do?” a hoarse voice, laced with unmistakable authority, boomed from behind the villagers.
The villagers recognized the voice instantly—who wouldn’t know it was the village chief?—and hastily stepped aside to clear a path.
The village chief strode into the crowd, frowning as he sized up Boss Zhao, Xu Laosan, and the others. “What are you all doing gathered here?”
Boss Zhao’s confidence wavered for a moment, but then he thought, ‘The village chief is our village chief, after all. Deep down, he has to be on our side. We’re not asking for a handout, just a chance to work and earn some money. Surely he’ll support us.’
So Boss Zhao was the first to speak up. “Village Chief, we’re not here to cause trouble. We just saw there was plenty of work going on and thought we’d see if there was anything we could do. It’s the slack season for farming, after all. We’re just looking to earn a little extra to help support our families. That’s all there is to it.”
The village chief shot Boss Zhao a cold glance. ‘As if I don’t know what kind of people my own villagers are.’ Boss Zhao, Xu Laosan, Xu Laosi, and the rest of them… not a single hardworking person among them. They were always quick to show up for a spectacle or to snag an easy advantage, but when it came to actual work, there was only one word for them: lazy.
“So you’re looking for work? That’s a good thing. Find any?” he asked, already knowing the answer.
Boss Zhao said quickly, “Village Chief, you have to be the judge here. These houses are being built in our Huangtuo Village, on our village’s land. So when this group of outsiders comes here to work, shouldn’t they hire a few of our own people to help? When there’s money to be made, everyone should get a share. We can’t just let these outsiders take all the good for themselves, right?”
The village chief fought the urge to hawk a wad of phlegm onto that face of his, which was thicker than a city wall.
‘Why can’t these people just keep quiet for a couple of days?’ Just the other day, while Bai Zhi and Hu Feng were out, they went to Hu Changlin’s house and cornered him, demanding to buy his grain at a low price. They used the excuse of “helping a relative” but planned to turn around and sell it for a profit. When he refused, they just stayed there, shamelessly pestering him in his own home.