NOVPUB
Chapter 662: Chapter 652: All Asking the Same Question
Shen Yunfang left the office building and rode her bicycle home. As soon as she reached the downstairs, the loudspeaker in the residential area for military families started broadcasting about the recruitment for temporary farm work. Shen Yunfang nodded in approval, thinking that the administrative efficiency was quite acceptable.
After locking up her bicycle, Yunfang noticed a few army wives downstairs who seemed to be moving in her direction for a chat. She quickly pretended not to see them and turned to go upstairs. She had no intention of explaining the situation to them again.
In the military residential compound, the idle housewives had all heard the announcement over the loudspeaker. It didn’t take long before several people gathered downstairs, all inquiring about the broadcast mention.
"I heard that the farm next to us is run by Li Hongjun’s wife. She even had a phone installed at home a few days ago. Now isn’t she the one coming to our place to look for workers?"
"Well, I’m certainly not going. I’d rather stay at home and take care of the kids if I have spare time."
"That’s because your home situation is good. I can’t afford to just stay at home and watch the kids. No way, I need to go ask about it. If it’s true, I’m signing up."
"Hey, where do you think you’re going?"
"To the logistics department to ask."
"Hey, why go all that way? Just find Li Hongjun’s wife directly. I just saw her riding her bike back home, she’s in her house now."
"Really? Then let’s go ask her together."
So a group of them made their way up the stairs toward Shen Yunfang’s place.
Yunfang, of course, had to welcome them at home, but she skipped offering tea and water. She simply told the inquirers about the specifics of the job, the salary, transportation, meal arrangements, and other details before sending them off.
This went on for quite a while, with several groups visiting.
It wasn’t until she heard the sound of keys at the door that Shen Yunfang finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"What happened?" Li Hongjun asked as soon as he walked in and saw his wife standing at the kitchen doorway, apron tied around her waist.
"I thought it was another inquirer. You have no idea, after the loudspeaker announced the recruitment, I’ve hosted several groups of people inquiring about it at home. Over and over, all the same questions, it’s been so irritating." Shen Yunfang truly felt the frustration of a scholar coming across soldiers—no matter how just, one couldn’t argue reason. Five people had come, each asking about the salary, and she had to repeat it five times. What kind of brains do they have?
"Haha, that’s necessary. Everything is difficult in the beginning. Once they have worked for you once, they’ll understand next time." Li Hongjun removed his shoes and entered the house. "Where are the kids?"
"Daddy, I’m here!" Manman poked her little head out of the bedroom.
Shen Yunfang left the father and daughter to their endearments and went to serve dinner in the kitchen.
During the meal, she received a barely operable call, informing her that twenty-six people had signed up, with the rest still watching and waiting.
Shen Yunfang thought it over, twenty-six was fewer than she had hoped for; her goal was to reach fifty, but there wasn’t much she could do about it. She didn’t have much credibility, so she decided to leave it at that for the moment.
After hanging up the phone, Shen Yunfang called Zhang Chunwang to have someone send a tractor at one in the afternoon to pick up the workers, then to receive them on his end, arrange their work, and finally keep good records, settling the day’s wages on the same day.
By twelve fifty at noon, Shen Yunfang also arrived at the military district’s gate and saw several people already standing there. Shen Yunfang went over, greeted everyone, and exchanged a few pleasantries. Of course, at this time, some people were still asking questions about what kind of work they would be doing and how much they would be paid, when fortunately, the tractor arrived with a clatter. Shen Yunfang gestured grandly, directing everyone to get on board.
When the clock struck one, she counted the people on the tractor: not twenty-six, but twenty-four. She didn’t know who had dropped out over the course of the afternoon. However, having agreed to set off at one, Shen Yunfang couldn’t afford to wait for those two who might or might not show up, so she told the tractor to leave on time.
Among these twenty-four people, there was no one she recognized, though there were a few familiar faces, probably from seeing them in the residential area when going home. That was better, familiar faces meant fewer complications.
The tractor trundled along and arrived at the farm in just ten minutes, where Zhang Chunwang was already waiting at the Drying Yard.
Zhang Chunwang was well prepared. After the temporary workers got off the tractor, he quickly organized a brief meeting to explain the work of the day and the work requirements. They were there to make money, not to cause trouble. Harvesting cabbages and other autumn vegetables could lead to accidental damage, but this had to be kept within a reasonable range. He warned that anyone cheating the system for the sake of speed would not only lose their wages but also compensate for the damaged vegetables. It was better to warn the shameless before addressing the honorable to prevent conflicts.
Regarding what Zhang Chunwang had said, some of the twenty-four people scoffed, while most kept their heads down and remained silent. 𝔫𝔬𝖛𝖕𝔲𝖇.𝖈𝖔𝖒
Seeing no objections from the crowd, Zhang Chunwang distributed tools to the temporary workers and handed each person two small iron flags with long poles to follow him.
These small iron flags were Zhang Chunwang’s own invention, a long, slim iron pole with a triangular iron flag at the top, designed specifically for the temporary workers.
Reaching the end of the field, he called over the worker closest to him, took one of her iron flags and planted it at the edge of the field, then walked twenty steps forward and planted her other flag, establishing her working area. Upon completion, these markers would allow him to estimate precisely how much work they had done.
In less than five minutes, Zhang Chunwang had allotted plots to all the workers, urging them to get started quickly.
Everyone had come for the high wages, and so none chose the cabbage plot or the turnip patch; they all went to harvest radishes instead. This was the first time hiring outsiders, and Shen Yunfang, the boss, showed no sign of concern; it was Zhang Chunwang who kept an eye on things.
"Hey, comrade, be gentle. These are radishes, not stones. If you throw them like that and they get bruised, how can we sell them? Gently, gently," he advised, frowning at someone who was tossing pulled radishes as if they were stones.
The military spouse picking radishes immediately objected, not expecting to be supervised while working. They treated her like a landlord or a tyrant, "Hey, what kind of people are you? I’m working for you, and you still have so much to say. If it’s not good enough, then do it yourself," she protested, clearly not having adjusted to her role yet.
Zhang Chunwang, seeing her attitude, stopped lecturing and sternly said, "Fine, then you don’t need to work. Go over there and wait; I’ll arrange for someone to send you back." He had effectively fired her on the spot.
"What?" The stubborn military spouse was stunned, unable to comprehend how she had been so swiftly dismissed. Once it sunk in, she exploded, "Why not?! I’ve already pulled out several radishes, and now you say you don’t need me? No way. Even if you don’t need me, you have to pay me for the work I’ve done," she prepared to make a scene.
