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Chapter 650: Chapter 640: Can I Bring My Family?
This was yet another piece of good news after moving into the dormitory, as everyone learned that the bonuses for the following months wouldn’t dip, their faces were all alight with smiles.
Shen Yunfang shared their happiness. Although she wasn’t a philanthropist, she felt a deeper closeness and tolerance in her heart for Li Hongjun’s comrades.
She had never thought about getting rich from the farm’s output. There were many ways to make money if she wanted to. She worked so hard to start this farm so that in the coming decades, her family could eat safe food and maintain healthy bodies.
Of course, she wasn’t willing to run a business at a loss. In her planning, the farm had to be somewhat profitable, at least.
On this basis, she really didn’t mind helping Li Hongjun’s comrades. To be honest, it wasn’t even about helping; it was mutual benefit.
"What’s wrong with you, got a turd stuck or something?"
Liu Jianqiang was puzzled by Zhao Erkui’s pained expression. Seeing that he seemed troubled, he asked.
Now, everybody’s attention turned to Zhao Erkui.
Zhao Erkui’s face slowly turned red, as if he didn’t know where to put his hands or feet.
"Really, Erkui, if you’ve got something to say, just say it. We’ll all think of a solution together," Miao Shan mumbled through a mouthful of bone.
"If you have something to say, just spit it out," Chen Jing also urged.
Under their urging, Zhao Erkui finally asked the question that had been gnawing at him, "I, I just wanted to ask Sister-in-law if it’s possible for my wife to come here as well?"
On hearing this, everyone burst into laughter.
One of the more sarcastic ones chimed in, "What’s the matter, Erkui? Been out for just three months and you’re already pining for your wife?"
The laughter grew louder at this, and Zhao Erkui felt his face burning up.
"No, no, don’t talk nonsense. I was just thinking, there’s not much to do on the farm back home, so maybe she could come out here and find some work," Zhao Erkui quickly explained.
Everyone fell silent, stealing glances at Shen Yunfang without saying a word.
"Sure, your sister-in-law is actually short of hands right now. If your wife could come and help out with the work, that would be even better," Li Hongjun replied even before Shen Yunfang could speak.
Shen Yunfang gave a glance in his direction, and even though she silently disagreed, she didn’t say anything against it; after all, she had to save face for her man in public.
Moreover, the two had discussed this issue at home. The farm was large, and the handful of people they had now were simply not enough. However, Shen Yunfang wasn’t keen on hiring unknown outsiders, as it would be troublesome to manage later on. Li Hongjun had suggested before that he could introduce his subordinates who were either discharged or facing family hardships to come and help her, but those were long-term solutions and couldn’t quench the immediate need. They had a heap of work waiting to be done and couldn’t just sit around waiting. So Li Hongjun came up with a suggestion—it could be possible for Li Dabao and the others to bring their wives over to work.
But there was another issue. Most of these men were young, with little children at home. If their wives came over, who would take care of the kids? That’s where the discussion had stalled, as no one could come up with a solution, they didn’t tell the others, and had not expected them to have such ideas on their own. If that was the case, it was great news indeed.
"What is going to happen to your child if your wife comes over to your place?" she remembered that Zhao Erkui had two children, both still young, one seven and the other only three years old. He wanted to come out to work to pay for his children’s school fees.
"My children are still little, and my parents don’t live far away. I’m thinking of sending the children over to my parents to have them help take care of them for a while, then my wife can come over." This is what his wife had written in her letter, also mentioning her willingness to work, that even if her salary wasn’t as high as Zhao Erkui’s, it would be fine. With both of them working together, they could save up some money for the children in a few years.
Shen Yunfang nodded after hearing this, as long as they could arrange for their children to be taken care of, "Sure, as your brother Li also said, we are indeed short of manpower here. As you have seen, a third of our land wasn’t even planted this year. Once we get all the land working, next year I want to plant rice, and we need people for the breeding farm as well. The mountain also needs to be cleared. So just a few of us definitely can’t finish it all. If your wife can come, that would be great. As long as she can work, I will pay her the same wages. Even if she can’t work, if she comes over to take care of your daily life, I have no objections."
"Yes, yes, my wife can work hard. When I wasn’t at home, she took care of our several acres of land all by herself," Zhao Erkui said excitedly and somewhat incoherently.
"Sister-in-law, is what you said true? Can my wife also come and get paid just like me?" Zhang Hongwen asked again, as if he was afraid his sister-in-law was just joking.
"Yes, our farm doesn’t feed the idle. As long as one can work and isn’t lazy, I will pay wages," Shen Yunfang confirmed.
After all, hiring people was hiring people wherever you went. If their wives came to work, these men would feel more at ease and have an even greater sense of belonging here.
"Then I’ll also call my wife over."
"Me too."
"Sister-in-law, can I call my younger sister over?" Zhang Weizhong asked. "My little sister is eighteen this year. There was some trouble at home, and she hasn’t been betrothed yet. We are short of manpower here. Can I let her come to work? I can guarantee my sister’s character is absolutely not an issue, and she is capable of working hard."
"Sure," Shen Yunfang agreed immediately, but with some conditions. "It’s okay if you all want to bring your siblings, but let’s make one thing ugly before we continue: working here, first, one must be capable, and second, the character must be good. Don’t bring troublemakers who throw tantrums and pick fights. The people you bring in, you must vouch for. If something happens in the future, you will be held responsible."
"No problem, sister-in-law, rest assured. The people we bring are hardworking and reliable; otherwise, we wouldn’t dare bring them close to us."
"Mine is tough, but absolutely reasonable."
"Mine isn’t talkative, just heads down and works hard."
"My brother is just too honest. He’s hardworking too. Back home, he just couldn’t find a wife. I’ll have him come here too, work for a few years and save up some money."
Seeing that everyone was going on without end, Shen Yunfang promptly reined them back in, "Everyone, pause for a moment and listen to me first."
The crowd fell silent, looking her way.
"Although I’ve agreed to recruit people, I can’t possibly hire that many all at once. Based on this year’s workload, at most I can hire thirty people. Weigh your options, because I can’t take on too many. Also, after they arrive, we’ll have a trial period of one month. During the trial, the wage is only thirty yuan. If someone really can work, after one month I’ll start paying fifty yuan," Shen Yunfang said, truly worried they might bring their entire extended family over.
She had calculated that for the rest of the year, there were a few primary tasks. The most important was to clear new land; all the fields had to be utilized this year. Then came the greenhouses, plant as many as there were greenhouses available. The last task was the current crops in the fields like soybeans and corn, which needed regular watering, weeding, and harvest in the autumn.
If these tasks were allocated reasonably, forty people would be sufficient, so she planned to recruit thirty more people. Together with the current staff, forty-six was not too few.
"Okay, after a while, we’ll all report in, discuss it, and finalize this matter," Chen Jing said.
