Chapter 300: Was Very Passionate
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The villagers were nervous and puzzled, but that was the Su family’s rules, so they had to abide by them. Moreover, many villagers had already benefited from the Su family. The villagers did not treat Su Binglan as a child and were polite to her.
However, everyone still thought that this interview format was relatively novel. Initially, the villagers were nervous, but they slowly relaxed when they saw Su Binglan speaking to everyone gently.
She only asked for the villagers’ names, where they lived, and what they were good at, “What are you good at?”
Lady Liu was confused. “Um, I don’t know.”
Su Binglan explained, “Oh, I was wondering what you do well.”
Lady Liu replied, “Well, I’m strong and can put in more effort. I’m also not afraid of hardships.”
Another person came for the interview and answered the same questions, “I’m good at washing clothes and cooking. I also raise chickens, ducks, and pigs. My parent says I’m thoughtful and meticulous, while the rest of my family says my cooking is delicious.”
Everyone answered Su Binglan’s questions thoughtfully, but most gave almost the same answers since village folk did the same work every day. The villagers were straightforward and honest but did not know how to put in good words for themselves.
Su Binglan asked everyone these questions and encouraged the villagers to ask her some in return. “If you have questions about the tofu factory, you can always ask me.”
She recruited people to work in hopes that everyone could go to work efficiently and understand things.
Ms. Yang, Su Binglan’s neighbor, said, “Um, Binglan, everyone has heard that we’ll get paid five copper coins daily. Is that true?
She felt a little embarrassed to ask such a question. Still, everyone was most concerned about money.
The autumn harvest had already ended, and everyone had nothing to do at home. The villagers were also hurrying to get more rice ready for the winter. They would be delighted to work at the factory to earn some money.
Moreover, they were in their own village, so they did not have to travel far. Just like working in the fields daily, they would not delay their family affairs.
Ms. Yang asked this question, but she feared making Su Binglan unhappy. She also hesitated for a long time before asking about it.
Su Binglan looked at everyone’s expressions and explained smilingly, “Indeed, the salary is five copper coins a day, which adds to 150 a month. That’s the base salary, mainly depending on your performance.
“My family and I will give whoever performs well a bonus, primarily if we sell more tofu products. That means everyone can potentially earn more than 150 copper coins a month, but the bonus amount is uncertain.”
Most of the women in the village were illiterate, but they could understand the reason. They became even more excited when they heard there would be a bonus and they could potentially earn more than 150 coins a month.
The villagers’ eyes were full of eagerness, and they could not wait to work in the factory. Su Binglan noticed this and understood how they felt.
“Don’t worry, everyone. The wages and benefits will be outstanding if you work in my family’s tofu factory. We’ll be going with morning and evening shifts, and you work three and a half hours daily.
“If you have something to do, you can ask for a day off. However, if you ask for one, we will deduct your wages according to the time. Of course, you can also find someone to replace you temporarily.
“Also, when you have spare time, you can help others by becoming their replacement. My family will pay you monthly and on time. You will not be in arrears.
“However, my family and I have a requirement. That is, you must keep our process a secret. If you tell others about our factory’s practices, we will hold you accountable because it will affect the factory’s business and, ultimately, everyone else’s wages.
“We will also report that potential situation to the people in the village.”
Su Binglan explained many things, and everyone thought it was reasonable. Having wages and bonuses was already good enough, so the villagers became excited about those things.
Moreover, they would only work three and a half hours a day, which was very little. With the shift system, they could still set aside time to do things at home.
The main reason for everyone’s excitement was that the factory was within the village. It was so close that it would not affect their daily lives instead of leaving early in the morning to walk to town.
Su Binglan had also said the villagers could ask for a day off, and they could also find someone to replace them. Then the villagers could deal with their family matters in time.
Even if the villagers had to plant crops at the start of spring, they could go to work in the morning and plant crops after working hours in the afternoon. If the villagers worked in the afternoon, they could work their fields in the morning.
Everyone knew Su Binglan was a good person and was kind to everyone. Otherwise, they would not have such a good opportunity. However, the villagers could not be too sure whether or not Su Binglan would hire them.
Su Binglan wanted to consider whether some were more suited to work at the factory. Everyone hoped she would select them, but some lazier women felt slightly annoyed and thought they should have been more diligent daily.
The Su family had dinner in the evening as per usual. They sat on the heated platform and discussed the applicant list for the factory job.
Shen Qiuhua pointed at a person on the name list and said, “Yao Cuihua is usually very diligent. She works in the fields before dawn and doesn’t even go home to rest at noon. She won’t be able to stay still even if you tell her to. She always finds something to do.”
Su Feng Mao said, “This Liu Qiao.shi can somewhat read and is meticulous in doing things, but she doesn’t have much strength. Li Mei is quite difficult, even though she’s diligent and honest. However, she doesn’t talk much. She’s rather capable, so if you see a use for her, then by all means.”
Everyone discussed the applicant list together. Since everyone was from the same village, the family knew everyone’s home situations and personalities. Therefore, Su Binglan knew who to hire after discussing it with her family.
Shortly after, she arranged for these people to do different jobs in different parts of the factory. Su Binglan hired twenty-five people at once.
Initially, she would hire around ten people first and only hire more after the factory got on the right track. However, after thinking about it, some people were not easy to hire.
She might as well hire them at once and make more tofu products since she was not worried that the tofu products would not sell. It was equivalent to hiring most who went for the interview. Few did not make it due to being too young, old, or weak.
The following day, Shen Qiuhua went door to door to inform everyone who had gotten hired. They were thrilled and so excited that they could not speak
Everyone was grateful to Shen Qiuhua and even attempted to give her eggs from their homes when she was about to leave. However, she did not take any because she knew they needed to sell the eggs for money.
Of course, Shen Qiuhua also had to notify those who did not get hired.
“Thank you for at least giving me a chance, Miss Shen. I’m aware I’m still very young, but I just wanted to try. I’m sorry if I’ve troubled you to come all this way.”
Shen Qiuhua looked at the eleven-year-old Dong Xiaolei and thought of Su Binglan when she was that age. Her heart ached as she said, “Binglan said there would be more work opportunities in the future that you might be able to help with. I will tell you about it when the time comes, Little Lei.”
She could not bear to see Dong Xiaolei’s disappointed expression. ‘Sigh, too many villagers have not had an easy time.’
Shen Qiuhua’s family had been there before but now had better conditions. She never forgot the hard times her family faced and could understand how everyone felt..
