NOVPUB
Chapter 718: Chapter 708: Just Obedient
Shen Yunfang was eating in the kitchen, but she was also always attentive to the commotion in the dining room, having heard their loud voices.
When Li Hongjun called her, she responded immediately, hurriedly washed the hands of the two children who had finished eating, and then told them to go to their room to read and draw.
"Sister-in-law, come over and take a seat, we’ve got something to discuss with you," Commander Zhao called out.
Shen Yunfang watched the children enter the room, then turned and smiled at everyone before sitting next to Li Hongjun.
"Have you finished eating? If not, just get another pair of chopsticks," Li Hongjun asked, holding onto his wife.
"I’ve had enough," Shen Yunfang shook her head.
After seeing the couple’s sweet exchange, the commanders then took turns repeating the matter at hand.
"Sister-in-law, it’s not that we want to trouble you, we just want to know if you are still hiring. If you are, could you consider the people we recommend? Rest assured, our soldiers are in excellent physical condition and are truly skilled at planting grains and vegetables. They won’t fall short of those under Hongjun’s command," Commander Wang, in his eagerness to secure this opportunity, was willing to shamelessly say anything. 𝚗ovp𝚞b.𝚌om
Seeing their anxious expressions, Yunfang gave a slight smile, glanced at Li Hongjun, and then turned to say, "Well, to tell you the truth, our farm has just started, and whether it’s the construction on the farm or the operational funds, things are not too plentiful. That’s why I only hired a little over ten workers last year..."
"That’s not right, sister-in-law, don’t you have over thirty people there?" Commander Ren felt that the numbers didn’t add up, inconsistent with the information he had received.
"Haha, at the very beginning, we only had fifteen or sixteen of Hongjun’s comrades-in-arms. Later, considering that all these people had families and businesses, and being separated in different places was not conducive to stability and unity, I prioritized building a dormitory. Any of my employees who wanted to bring their families over could do so, which is why the number has grown to over thirty," Shen Yunfang explained, also indirectly promoting her farm – not only was it open to accepting veterans, but it could also potentially take care of their families’ employment if they performed well.
This condition was considered very generous in the future.
As expected, the commanders’ eyes gleamed even brighter upon hearing this.
"You may not know, my farm is planned to have scientific farming; we will use machinery wherever possible to save a lot of labor. Although the initial investment is huge, the same goes for hiring fewer workers, which in the long run will save me some expenses," she explained.
Hearing her say this, the look in everyone’s eyes dimmed. Although they didn’t understand what scientific farming was, she was saying that machinery would replace manpower, meaning fewer people were needed.
"Sister-in-law, you don’t need to say anymore, we understand." This meant there wasn’t much hope.
"However, there are still some projects in the early stage that absolutely require manual labor, so..."
"So you’re saying you do need people, right?" Commander Wang stared at Shen Yunfang intently, like a dog eyeing a bone.
"Yes, next year our farm has two big projects that need to be carried out, one is mountain clearing, and the other is building a fence; both are quite labor-intensive. I originally planned to hire some military spouses temporarily during the mountain clearing project if we’re short-handed, and to look for people in the city if necessary. For building the fence, I was thinking of finding a construction team to contract the entire job to. It’ll cost a bit more, but it’ll save trouble and effort..."
"No need, no need, why spend that unnecessary money? It’s just building a wall, my few guys can do that," Commander Zhao exclaimed urgently.
"Sister-in-law, mountain clearing is tough work, probably not suitable for women. Why not try out those few men I found for you? They’re strong and reliable, and they’ll certainly do a neat and complete job if given the chance," Commander Wang also hurriedly chimed in.
"Haha, is that so? Then should I give them a try?" Shen Yunfang said, sounding somewhat unsure.
"Definitely, definitely," everyone nodded in agreement.
Shen Yunfang exchanged a look with Li Hongjun, then said with a smile, "Well, that’s fine, let’s give it a try. But let me make it clear upfront, even though our farm is privately owned, we still have our own rules and regulations. If anyone doesn’t follow them, I might have to let them go. Please don’t blame me then."
"That won’t happen, it won’t. Their only good point is that they are obedient. They’ll do whatever you tell them to, just rest assured."
Right, they say it’s all about them.
"In that case, after the New Year when spring farming begins, if they want to come try, they should report as soon as possible. That way, when we really get busy and if we’re still short-handed, I’ll have to hire temporary workers from outside. If more people come after that, I won’t be able to take them. The trial period is one month, with a wage of thirty yuan a month. If they pass the trial period, the wage will be fifty yuan a month, and there will also be different amounts of bonuses depending on the type of work each person does that month. We’ll see the specific arrangements at the time," Shen Yunfang discussed the salary situation with them.
These commanders already knew about this. If they hadn’t known that the farm’s wages were high, they wouldn’t have wanted to send a few good-for-nothings under their command over here. It was all about wanting to help them earn more money to take back home. So they were very pleased that Shen Yunfang was treating everyone equally.
"That’s a good arrangement, very good, excellent," Commander Zhao exclaimed, slapping the table.
"However, I can’t use too many people at my place, and there is a limit to our dormitory as well. We can only recruit about twenty people for now. Of course, if couples don’t mind living together in a single dorm, they are welcome to come as a pair," Shen Yunfang calculated and said.
In fact, there was room for a few more people in the dormitory, but she needed to reserve some spots for the soldiers under Li Hongjun’s command. That’s why she only mentioned twenty people. However, she added another condition that if all twenty brought their wives, that would make forty, which should be enough.
"Although we can only offer single-person dormitories, the facilities inside are basically the same as those in suite-style dorms, with an independent bathroom and a simple kitchen in each dorm. If it’s just the couple coming to stay, it will definitely be sufficient," Shen Yunfang further described the dormitory situation.
Everyone present understood, and Commander Zhao slapped his thigh, "Great, who cares about single-person dorms, when you want to earn money, any place will do to live in." He meant the conditions were already quite good.
The others, upon hearing Shen Yunfang’s words, were more than satisfied, mulling over in their minds whom to send.
After that, Shen Yunfang had nothing else to deal with, and the seven commanders present began dividing up the twenty spots. Everyone wanted to secure a few extra spots for the people under their command, so they almost went from arguing to full-blown fighting.
When it came down to specific interests, no one was willing to back down. Finally, with no other choice, Shen Yunfang had to step in to mediate and ended up adding another spot. With twenty-one spots to be divided among seven commanders, each person got an average of three spots.
