NOVPUB
Chapter 638: 628
After speaking with Zhang Bin, Shen Yunfang drew up a contract that day and signed it with him, incorporating every discussed term without omission, which, in Shen Yunfang’s words, was to ensure the rights and interests of both parties.
After that, she took Zhang Bin for a site inspection. Under the supervision of professionals, they determined the approximate location for the house construction. Then, she left Sun Dawei to work on it by himself, just needing to make a visit every other day or so.
During this period, the workers found by Li Hongjun for her also began to arrive one after another.
The first to come was not Chen Jing and her husband, but a man named Sun Dawei, who appeared to be about forty. However, Li Hongjun told her that he was only twenty-nine, a year younger than Li Hongjun himself.
Shen Yunfang smirked; the man looked quite mature for his age.
He stayed at their home that night, and of course, they had to treat him well with a good meal.
Through the conversation between the two men, Shen Yunfang learned that Sun Dawei had once been in the same unit as Li Hongjun, and the two had a decent relationship. However, Sun Dawei was a bit impulsive and had once thrown punches in a fit of rage when faced with unfair treatment, which ultimately led to him being sent back home.
"Is everything settled at home?" Li Hongjun asked.
"What’s there to settle? I’m all alone; wherever I go becomes my home," replied Sun Dawei with a smile, but Shen Yunfang could tell that there was no laughter in his eyes.
Li Hongjun clinked his glass with Sun Dawei, saying nothing more, as everything was conveyed through the toast.
"Now that you’re here, work hard with your sister-in-law. She may not be good at much, but she knows how to make money. After a couple of years working here and saving enough, you could get married locally. That’s a life for you," Li Hongjun said.
Shen Yunfang rolled her eyes in silence, thinking what a thing to say – implying she wasn’t good at anything else. She felt she was capable in every respect.
"Heh, I’m not thinking about any of that right now. Sister-in-law, whenever you have something that needs doing, just let me know, and I’m on it," Sun Dawei said somewhat shyly, turning to smile at his sister-in-law whom he had met for the first time.
Such a young sister-in-law, and pretty too. It was indeed hard for this rough and tumble guy to call her sister-in-law.
Even though Shen Yunfang couldn’t vouch for Sun Dawei’s character, she trusted her man’s judgment. "Well, there’s plenty of work. Did Li Hongjun tell you? I’ve leased some land here, planning to start a farm. It’s already this time of the year, and the weeds in the fields have grown waist-high. Right now, I want to find some more people to get the land cleared quickly, hopefully to plant something this year and recoup a bit."
Li Hongjun had mentioned the land clearing to Sun Dawei when they came here, but he hadn’t explained specifics like the size of the land. "Sister-in-law, how much land have you leased?" Sun Dawei asked, since it sounded like starting a farm meant it couldn’t be a small piece of land; this clearing wasn’t going to be a simple task.
"About eight hundred pluses of wasteland and a mountain area of over a hundred qing," replied Shen Yunfang, who had already finished eating and was now sitting at the side of the table, joining the two men for drinks.
Sun Dawei was stunned. What? That much land? Relying on just him, it would mean working to death and still not getting so much land cleared.
He made his surprise so obvious, Shen Yunfang of course noticed it and quickly reassured him, "Although the land is a bit extensive, we have machinery, so there’s no need for manual plowing. I’ve already prepared the tractor and the big iron plow. A few people will be enough to cultivate a large area. You know how to operate a tractor, don’t you?"
In the end, she asked uneasily.
"I do," Sun Dawei replied confidently. He had even learned to drive a large truck during his time in the army.
"That’s good, that’s good. Tomorrow I’ll take you to see the place, and in a couple of days when a few more people arrive, we’ll start working. As for your wages, I guess Li Hongjun hasn’t mentioned them to you, let me have a good talk with you about that..." Shen Yunfang prepared to draw in her future employee.
"Sis, there’s no need to bother about the wages; as long as you provide food and lodging, that’s enough for me," Sun Dawei interrupted her, with the attitude that everyone was family, so there was no need for formalities.
"That won’t do. I know you’re close with Li Hongjun, but now you’re working with me, not with Li Hongjun. Besides, even real brothers settle accounts clearly. You won’t be working for just a day or two, so you must be paid," Shen Yunfang insisted. She didn’t want to become a Huang Shiren, exploiting workers without pay; that was no way to sustain a business.
"Just listen to your sis. If she gives it to you, take it, and don’t dilly-dally," Li Hongjun said with a stern face, chiding Sun Dawei when he seemed to still be reluctant.
Shen Yunfang gave Li Hongjun a glare upon hearing this. That man really... still thinking he was commanding his own troops, not realizing that people had already been discharged from the army.
But Li Hongjun’s stern voice did have an effect, as Sun Dawei stopped dawdling, standing straight, ready to be lectured—as if he was ready for a beating.
"Working for your sis, the starting salary isn’t much—the base pay is fifty per month, plus bonuses..."
"Sis, wait, you’re saying fifty yuan a month?" Sun Dawei couldn’t believe what he was hearing. That salary was higher than what some workers made in a month. Back in his hometown, he had farmed for several years, and being part of the production team, he would’ve been lucky to receive a hundred yuan in a year. For the past two years since the land had been distributed individually, being the sole worker in his household, he had received only an acre and a half of land. As a result, after securing enough food for himself, the money he got from selling the remaining grain at the procurement station was a mere two to three hundred yuan. His brother spent as much as he earned. If it weren’t for the call from his old army commander asking for his help, he might have spent his life with his acre and a half of land.
"Yes, that’s just the base pay. If you work hard and well, there’s a bonus too..." Shen Yunfang, oblivious to his astonishment, continued.
"Wait, sis, with such a high salary, you’re still offering a bonus?" At that moment, Sun Dawei started to doubt Shen Yunfang’s intelligence. With such generous wages, how could she make any profit? She wouldn’t end up bankrupting the commander’s (when he was discharged, Li Hongjun was the deputy commander) household, would she?
Listening to the tone of his voice and observing the expression on his face, Shen Yunfang finally realized what the man implied— he was astonished by the high wages. Oh, the man was really too honest.
"Hehe, actually, these wages aren’t considered high. You should know that the work here is the toughest and most exhausting. Sometimes, especially during the spring plowing season, it’s non-stop. Right now, we’re just getting started, and there are hundreds of acres waiting to be opened up, so the workload is enormous, and the wages are set a bit higher accordingly," Shen Yunfang explained. "To encourage workers to work more diligently, I’m planning to implement a bonus system based on the amount of land cleared. One yuan bonus for every acre cleared—the monthly earnings depend on your capability..."
Sun Dawei’s eyes widened as he listened, quickly calculating in his mind. Fifty yuan as base pay, plus one yuan bonus for each acre cleared, and they would be using tractors to plow the fields. Plowing dozens of acres a day would be a breeze, so by the end of the month... Sun Dawei couldn’t help but gasp at the thought of the wages he might earn.
Unthinkable, just unthinkable!
