NABC Chapter 171 Distribution
Chapter 171 Distribution
A murmur of discussion gradually rose from the crowd, and some young people were eager to try it out.
Finally, a few people mustered up the courage to step forward: "Since there is food, let's do it! As long as we can survive, what does it matter if we're tired?"
To ensure fair and efficient distribution, Gu Jinyan meticulously designed a system for allocating remuneration based on job type and working hours.
As evening fell, the setting sun cast a soft glow on the ruins of Hesha, illuminating the dilapidated city.
The open space in the city center was crowded with people, many of whom gathered in front of the "daily distribution point".
On the simple notice board, a few lines of words written by Gu Jinyan swayed slightly in the evening breeze.
She stood beside the bulletin board, patiently explaining the allocation criteria to the people surrounding her.
"Fellow villagers, we will begin distributing food today according to job type and working hours."
She raised her head, a determined look in her eyes, and slowly pointed to the contents of the notice board, reading aloud, "For fairness."
To ensure that every person who participates in labor receives their due food ration, I will today divide the assigned jobs into four categories.
Her voice wasn't loud, but it was incredibly penetrating. The people surrounding her held their breath, listening intently, afraid of missing a single word.
“First of all, it’s physically demanding work,” she said, pointing to the top of the notice board. “Work like moving stones and ramming earth to build walls is extremely physically demanding.”
Therefore, these jobs were recorded as one work hour per person per day, and after completing the work, each person could obtain the most food.
We will ensure everyone receives sufficient food rations based on attendance.
A robust young man in the crowd raised an eyebrow, smiled and nodded, then clenched his fist and said, "Sir, don't worry!"
These tasks are perfect for us young people; we'll handle them flawlessly!
Gu Jinyan smiled slightly, then pointed to the second line of text: "Medium physical labor, such as building wooden frames and organizing materials. These require a certain amount of physical strength, but are not particularly strenuous tasks."
People who participate in moderate physical labor can earn a relatively high wage for each hour of work completed, slightly less than those doing heavy physical labor, but enough to ensure their basic needs are met.
At this moment, a middle-aged man dressed in a gray coarse cloth coat nodded and said, "This is a good distribution. Although we are not that strong, we are more than capable of doing these tasks."
Gu Jinyan nodded and continued, "The third category is light physical labor."
Activities like clearing rubble, picking up bricks and tiles, and moving light tools require patience but are not physically demanding, making them suitable for older people and women.
Although the pay is a bit low, it's still one hour of work per day, which guarantees basic food sustenance.
In the crowd, an elderly woman cautiously asked, "Master Gu, can we do this kind of work too?"
Gu Jinyan looked at her gently and nodded in reply, "Of course."
As long as you are willing to work, we will calculate your working hours based on attendance, and each person will receive the same amount of food for each hour of work.
The old woman breathed a sigh of relief, clasped her hands together, and gently thanked him, seemingly much more at ease.
"Finally, there are the assistants." Gu Jinyan paused slightly, looking at several shy children hiding behind the crowd.
He said in a gentle tone, "Odd jobs, delivering tools, and assisting craftsmen are all classified as assistants."
These tasks are mainly completed by children with weaker physical strength or ordinary people who lack physical strength. The pay is lower, but we will still ensure that they have enough to eat every day.
The children looked at each other, their little faces showing a mixture of nervousness and eagerness.
Many of their families have elderly people and women who are sick or weak. If they can contribute their efforts, it will help ease the burden on their families.
A thin little boy tugged at his mother's hand and asked softly, "Mom, can I go help tomorrow too?"
His mother bent down and patted his head, her eyes filled with a mixture of reluctance and relief.
Seeing this heartwarming scene, Gu Jinyan felt a little comforted. She then addressed the people, saying, "The purpose of dividing these four types of work today is to ensure that everyone can do their best and earn a fair wage."
"As long as everyone is willing to contribute, the reconstruction of Hersha City will proceed faster and faster, and you will have enough food to sustain yourselves every day."
At this moment, a middle-aged man stepped forward and asked loudly, "Lord Gu, will these divisions of labor change in the future?"
Gu Jinyan replied calmly with a smile, "If there are any special circumstances or new arrangements, we will inform everyone in advance."
But I promise you all that every person who participates in the labor will receive their due food rations according to the publicly announced standards; not a single grain of rice or grain will be lacking from you.”
As soon as she finished speaking, a murmur arose from the crowd, and everyone nodded to each other, seemingly trusting the arrangement.
A sense of relief gradually appeared on everyone's face. Some people breathed a sigh of relief, while others began to discuss in hushed tones the jobs they were considering.
A woman next to me whispered to the child beside her, "Let's go to work tomorrow too, at least we won't have to worry about our next meal."
As Gu Jinyan looked at all this, he felt an unprecedented sense of satisfaction.
Only when the people feel at ease can the reconstruction proceed steadily and continuously.
As dawn broke, people began arriving at their designated work locations.
Today's task is to clear the ruins, especially the collapsed houses and accumulated rubble.
People carried simple tools; some used bamboo baskets to hold pebbles, while others tied strips of cloth to their hands to prevent being cut by sharp tiles.
An elderly man, well past fifty, and several young children squatted together beside the ruins, using small hoes to loosen the soil bit by bit and pick out some of the larger broken bricks.
Although they were slow and deliberate, they were full of energy, as if every piece of gravel represented hope.
A woman wiped the sweat from her brow and gave Gu Jinyan a grateful smile: "Sir, we are tired here, but at least we won't go hungry anymore."
Gu Jinyan nodded in response, feeling a sense of relief.
Only when the people feel at ease can the reconstruction work proceed steadily.
The primary task of reconstruction is to provide temporary shelter from the wind and rain for the people.
After discussing with the craftsman Li Fu, Gu Jinyan decided to first build some simple wooden frame houses next to the ruins, using trees cut down from outside the city as supports and covering them with canvas or thatch.
Li Fu led the young soldiers and strong young civilians, sweating profusely as they erected the wooden stakes on the ground, then tied them tightly with thick ropes to ensure that each stake was stable and would not fall.
"Bury the stakes deeper!" Li Fu shouted, wiping the sweat from his brow. "Even though this house is temporary, it needs to be sturdy enough so the wind doesn't blow it down!"
The people devoted themselves to their work, and a glimmer of hope ignited in everyone's heart.
The women were busy arranging the canvas and thatch, layering them on the wooden frame, and then weighing down the four corners with stones to ensure that they would not be easily blown away by the wind.
Several children ran around, carrying small stones and handing out tools, their innocent faces showing excitement and anticipation.
Some of the people were assigned to the work of building the protective wall.
These protective walls will not only provide protection in the future, but also act as a barrier against sandstorms and floods.
Li Fu, along with several experienced craftsmen, directed the people to first sort the bricks and tiles by size, and then stack and build the structure layer by layer.
During the wall repair process, the villagers chatted about their family affairs while working, and it seemed that the reconstruction work brought them closer together.
Gu Jinyan stood aside, quietly watching their busy figures, feeling a sense of satisfaction he had never experienced before.
True stability comes not only from sturdy houses, but also from the trust and unity in the hearts of the people.
A little boy squatted to the side, struggling to move a stone, his face turning red, clearly finding it difficult.
Seeing this, Gu Jinyan went over and gently helped him up, smiling as she said, "If you're tired, take a rest. There's no need to push yourself."
The boy looked up at her and grinned, "It's okay! My mom said I'm the pillar of the family now too."
Gu Jinyan smiled slightly, looking at the still-childish face, his heart filled with satisfaction.
Every day at sunset, after a long day's work, the people would head to the "daily distribution point" in the center of the city.
The distribution point was an open space surrounded by wooden stakes, with sacks of grain piled up under a makeshift shed.
The soldiers were stationed here early to ensure everything was in order.
To avoid chaos, Gu Jinyan and the soldiers marked out several distribution routes in the field beforehand and separated them with ropes.
Each route is marked with signs that clearly indicate the food quotas corresponding to different types of work and working hours.
As evening fell, the afterglow of the setting sun shone on the distribution point of Hesha City, and the warm light illuminated the people gathered in the open space.
They lined up in different queues: there were porters doing heavy physical labor, strong men repairing walls, elderly people and women responsible for clearing the ruins, and even children responsible for odd jobs and handing over tools.
Gu Jinyan stood in the center of the field, with several sacks of grain beside her. Her gaze was firm yet gentle as she gave instructions to the soldiers on how to distribute the grain.
She instructed, "Today's distribution must be open and fair. Everyone's working hours and rations must be clearly recorded, and the people must know how much grain they have earned through their hard work."
Gu Jinyan personally supervised the distribution process. Beside her was a thick notebook containing detailed records of everyone's attendance and work duties for the day.
The soldiers in charge of management stood aside, checking the names and working hours of the civilians one by one. After confirming that everything was correct, they handed the rations to them.
To increase transparency, Gu Jinyan specifically instructed the management to clearly mark the records and allow each resident to check their own work hour records to ensure fair and just allocation.
The soldiers nodded in acceptance and began distributing rations according to their different jobs.
The first person in line was an elderly man over fifty years old. He was responsible for moving bricks today, which was a short job.
After the soldier checked his name, he handed him a small bag of dry rations.
The old man accepted the grain, a hint of gratitude in his eyes. He bowed slightly to the soldier and said in a trembling voice, "With this grain, my little grandson will have a full meal tonight. Thank you so much, Lord Gu."
The distribution line moved forward slowly and steadily, with a hint of anticipation on the face of every person in line.
When it was a young woman's turn, she stepped forward shyly, carefully looked at the bag of wheat the soldier took out, accepted it with both hands, and gently thanked him.
Her child peeked out from behind her, staring intently at the grain sack, clearly looking forward to a warm bowl of porridge.
Gu Jinyan, who was not far away, noticed the expressions on the faces of these people and felt both moved and heavy-hearted.
Although the daily food distribution was limited, for these impoverished people, every grain of rice represented their hope for survival.
Behind them were several young and strong men who had worked the longest hours that day, carrying a lot of heavy objects.
The soldiers handed them a little more food than usual, and the men joked with each other after taking it: "Hey, this work really does earn us food!"
"We'll have to work even harder tomorrow." Their words revealed a hint of satisfaction, clearly showing that they were proud of their day's work.
Gu Jinyan smiled and encouraged them, saying, "You've all worked hard. Keep up the good work tomorrow. Your efforts will not be in vain; every brick and tile contributes to the future of the city."
These words spread among the people, and gradually a sense of trust and relief grew in the crowd.