In years of famine and drought, their village even rejected fatty meat.

Chapter 391 Apprentice

Li Lao Er and the others fell silent.

Did they not want to stay in Chenjia Village? Did they not want to live with dignity?

But they didn't have Cao Shui's determination. After all, leaving one's hometown is an extremely difficult thing for people in any era or world.

Jiang Xiaobai glanced at Cao Shui's attire. Cao Shui's clothes were very ordinary, even somewhat tattered, and there was still some dust on them from carrying goods. From this alone, it was clear that Cao Shui was not a lazy person.

"Brother Cao, I think you're a hardworking person. Staying in Chenjia Village shouldn't be difficult for you!"

"really?"

Cao Shui's eyes lit up.

Jiang Xiaobai smiled and said, "If you want to stay in Chenjia Village, a job is essential. The best job in Chenjia Village is to work for Mr. Chen. Mr. Chen is a generous man. Anyone who works for him will receive at least 500 coins a month, and they will also get holidays during festivals. It is the best-paying job in Chenjia Village, but..."

Jiang Xiaobai changed the subject: "Mr. Chen usually gives priority to people from Chenjia Village and Xiaohe Village when he offers jobs, and he is not currently open to migrant workers like us!"

Upon hearing this, Cao Shui's face showed a hint of sadness, but he remained silent, waiting for Jiang Xiaobai to continue.

"Besides working for Mr. Chen, the next best job is building houses for the villagers of Chenjia Village!"

Jiang Xiaobai paused for a moment, then continued, "The villagers of Chenjia Village are building new houses and need a lot of manpower to help. Moreover, the villagers of Chenjia Village are generally good to us migrant workers. Although the pay is not as good as what Mr. Chen gives us, we can generally get 300 to 400 wen a month, which is enough to fill our stomachs."

Cao Shui nodded. The wages of 300 to 400 coins were certainly not as good as those from Chen Dao, but it should be enough to have enough to eat.

"Besides Mr. Chen's work and building houses, many other businessmen also recruit laborers in Chenjia Village!"

Jiang Xiaobai pointed to the trucks passing by outside the food stall: "Many merchants who come to Chenjia Village to do business and open shops also need help. The wages they pay are generally lower than those of the villagers in Chenjia Village. However, if you can meet a kind-hearted merchant, he will provide meals, which can save you a lot of money."

"There are really a lot of job opportunities in Chenjia Village."

Cao Shui nodded frantically, then asked, "Brother Jiang, what kind of job do you think would suit me?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Xiaobai glanced at Cao Shui and pondered for a moment before saying, "I suggest you become an apprentice in one of those craftsmen's shops."

"apprentice?"

Cao Shui looked surprised. He naturally knew what an apprentice was. An apprentice was someone who learned a craft in a craftsman's shop.

In the Xia Kingdom, becoming an apprentice is no easy task. After all, to avoid the situation where the master starves after teaching his apprentice, many craftsmen are unwilling to pass on their skills to outsiders.

Even for some enlightened craftsmen who are willing to take on apprentices, becoming their apprentice often requires passing the craftsman's extremely rigorous tests and then working as a servant in the shop for free for several years before one might be able to learn even a little bit of the craftsman's skills.

That's why Cao Shui was so surprised when he heard Jiang Xiaobai ask him to become an apprentice. He was going to stay in Chenjia Village to live. If he became an apprentice, he would have no income. Without income, how would he survive?

"Brother Cao, please listen to me."

Jiang Xiaobai didn't seem surprised by Cao Shui's performance and quickly explained, "Becoming an apprentice is the simplest way to register as a resident of Chenjia Village. As long as you learn a skill and pass the certification of Chenjia Village, you can have the status of an artisan, which will greatly help you register as a resident of Chenjia Village."

"But……"

Cao Shui frowned and said, "I don't have any money. If I become an apprentice, won't I be unable to afford even food?"

Apprentices these days don't get paid; they even have to pay out of their own pockets to cover their daily expenses. Cao Shui only had a few copper coins in his pocket, and if he couldn't find a paid job, he would probably starve to death in no time.

"Don't worry about that!"

Jiang Xiaobai laughed and said, "The apprentices in Chenjia Village are a bit different from those outside! The shops here provide meals for the apprentices, and the meals are very plentiful. Occasionally, they can even eat meat!"

"what?"

Upon hearing this, Cao Shui, Li Lao Er, and the others were stunned. Could there really be such a good thing in the world?

Becoming an apprentice not only teaches you a skill, but also provides meals? And even meat?

"Brother Jiang, how could the craftsmen of Chenjia Village be so kind?"

Li Lao Er asked incredulously.

"It wasn't that the craftsmen of Chenjia Village were kind-hearted, but rather that Mr. Chen requested it."

Jiang Xiaobai explained, "Mr. Chen values ​​craftsmen highly, so he asked the village craftsmen to teach more apprentices. Originally, the village craftsmen were unwilling, after all, no one wants to pass on their unique skills to outsiders, right?"

Li Lao Er and the others nodded repeatedly. A skill was extremely precious in this era, and ordinary craftsmen were unwilling to pass on their skills to outsiders.

"However, Mr. Chen's offer soon changed the minds of the village's artisans."

Jiang Xiaobai said, "These craftsmen only need to successfully train one craftsman, and Chenjia Village will give them a generous bonus. Therefore, the craftsmen in the village are very willing to teach their skills to apprentices, earn generous bonuses, and even provide meals for their apprentices."

"I see!"

Li Lao Er and the others suddenly realized that this made sense. The reason why the craftsmen in the village were willing to teach their skills to their apprentices for free was not because they were so generous, but because Chenjia Village was subsidizing them.

"It's true."

Jiang Xiaobai added, "I'm also planning to find a shop to be an apprentice. Although working in Chenjia Village for three years gives me the opportunity to become a resident of Chenjia Village, that takes too long. So I plan to speed things up and try to learn a skill so I can become a resident of Chenjia Village as soon as possible."

After saying that, Jiang Xiaobai looked at Cao Shui and said, "Brother Cao, if you are interested in becoming a resident of Chenjia Village, you can also become an apprentice in the shop."

Cao Shui nodded solemnly, and began to make his own plans.

Does he want to become a citizen of Chenjia Village?

Of course I want to.

After all, the benefits of becoming a resident of Chenjia Village were too tempting. Not only did they get half-price grain, but they could also earn 500 coins a month. These generous benefits were enough to entice them.

The fastest way to become a resident of Chenjia Village is undoubtedly to become an apprentice in a craftsman's shop. Once you learn a skill, you have a high chance of becoming a resident of Chenjia Village...

Cao Shui clenched his fists secretly, having already made up his mind.