NOVPUB
Chapter 763: Chapter 753 One Shock After Another
Wang Dan’s loud shouting came from the entrance of the greenhouse.
"What, you’re paying workers seventy to eighty yuan in wages?"
Shen Yunfang frowned and looked at the approaching Wang Dan, "Sister-in-law, you sure know how to scare someone. If I were faint-hearted, I’d have passed out from fright by now." All this surprise and commotion, no wonder Goudan is so erratic, he must get it from you.
Wang Dan had already run up to Shen Yunfang, and in her excitement, she grabbed her arm. She might have really been shocked because her whole body was trembling, making Shen Yunfang tremble along with her.
"Yunfang, is it true? You’re really paying them seventy to eighty yuan in wages on your farm?" It’s not that Wang Dan didn’t believe it, but she often heard people in the village who had relatives in the city boast that an experienced worker in their thirties or forties could earn just over fifty yuan at a factory, and younger workers or temporary ones would get twenty-something.
"Not necessarily."
Wang Dan breathed a sigh of relief, thinking exactly, this sister-in-law, even if she were foolish, wouldn’t just throw money away like that.
"We have a base salary plus bonus wage system. If the assessment is passed and one becomes a regular employee, the monthly base salary is fifty yuan. And here, we distribute according to work done—more work, more gains. Those who work well get a bonus every month, so the final monthly earnings depend on their own abilities." Shen Yunfang was not lying. If she were to explicitly state the amount, seventy to eighty yuan was simply the minimum income. Out of over a hundred employees on the farm, nearly half could earn over a hundred yuan a month.
"Oh my," Wang Dan slapped her thigh, "then why didn’t you put Goudan to work on the fields? Making him raise chickens, when at home he never even helped me feed them. How would he know how to do that?" She immediately thought of her son’s presence, and in order to secure a better job for him to earn more money, the mother did not hesitate to belittle her own son.
"Hehe, sister-in-law, you’re underestimating Goudan. Since he came here, he chose chicken farming on his own, and these past few months, Goudan has actually been doing quite well raising chickens." Shen Yunfang could clearly see Wang Dan’s motive.
Doing well was worthless, Wang Dan grumbled in her heart, "Ah, that’s just blind luck. Goudan is my son; I know him best. He’s been working in the fields with your elder brother since he was little; he’s really good at farming."
"Haha, sister-in-law, I get what you mean. You just want Goudan to earn a bit more money, right? I’ll tell you the truth. Goudan, working in the animal husbandry department raising chickens, earns about the same as those working in the fields," Shen Yunfang said honestly, without teasing Wang Dan, making clear that the animal husbandry department also had a bonus system. As things stood, Goudan was indeed doing well, now almost earning a hundred yuan a month. Once the chickens he was raising started laying eggs, his bonus would increase, and over a hundred yuan a month was not a dream.
The more Wang Dan listened, the brighter her eyes became. Though Shen Yunfang never specified how much Goudan made a month, knowing that her son wasn’t at a loss made her happy as a mother.
"So, sister-in-law, you don’t have to worry. Goudan is doing quite well here for now, and besides, as his second aunt, let me be frank: between chicken farming and crop cultivation, I still think chicken farming is relatively easier."
Of course, this varied from person to person. The cultivation department was busy from February to October, and their salary and bonus sometimes reached over two hundred, much more than the usual hundred or so in the animal husbandry department. But after the autumn harvest, there wasn’t much work left in the cultivation department, and during the months around New Year, there would only be a base salary with very little bonus.
Averaging it out across the year, the salaries for both departments were roughly the same.
The cultivation department was extremely busy from spring plowing to autumn harvesting, but very relaxed during the agricultural offseason, akin to being a teacher with holidays. On the other hand, the animal husbandry department involved daily tasks like cleaning and feeding, which those who were quick could finish in half a day, but this was year-round with no midday break. Any leave would come with salary deductions.
So, when comparing, which is easier, the planting department or the breeding department, it really depends on the individual’s perspective, and there’s no way to compare.
"That’s right, that’s right," Wang Dan wholeheartedly agreed with her words. When at home, who doesn’t prefer to raise a few more chickens rather than work in the fields? "Look at me, with no education and no culture, I often think in the wrong direction. Yunfang, you shouldn’t listen to me. Just do what you need to do."
"Hehe, it’s good if you understand, big sis," Shen Yunfang successfully bamboozled Wang Dan.
"Yunfang, I just remembered I have something to discuss with Goudan. Why don’t you all stay here, and I’ll go check on him?" Wang Dan had her son’s earnings on her mind. That foolish boy simply wasn’t good at saving money. If he had any money on hand, he couldn’t rest until it was spent. Of course, she had to hurry over and get the money from him. There was no way she had the mind to stroll around with them in the garden.
"Sure, I was just taking big sister and brother-in-law around for a look. You go ahead if you need to see Goudan. Just meet me at the office at four-thirty," Shen Yunfang was very easygoing. The big sister was too talkative. With her around, it was hard for anyone else to get a word in; she dominated the conversation.
"Oh, then I’m off," Wang Dan said, chuckling as she turned towards the exit, "What are you sticking around for? Hurry up and go find your son." Of course, she wouldn’t forget to take her man with her as she left.
"My goodness, look at that, there are actually green beans in the dead of winter." It was only when she walked towards the exit that Wang Dan spared a moment to look around and then marveled at the beanstalks in the greenhouse.
"Yunfang, why are these green beans so small? The fertilizer in the fields isn’t keeping up, I guess. Oh dear, you’re willing to build houses and burn coal, but you skimp on the fertilizer? That won’t do," Wang Dan practically shouted this because she didn’t stop walking as she spoke, continuing towards the gate all the while.
The distance was getting far, and shouting was the only way to be heard.
Only after the couple had left did Shen Yunfang turn to catch up with big sister Li and her husband.
Liu Jianjun was chatting with the worker responsible for the greenhouse.
Seeing the dark, ruddy, and wrinkled faces of big sister Li and her husband stirred something in Shen Yunfang’s heart.
Shen Yunfang then asked, "Big sister, brother-in-law, haven’t you thought about doing something else? Just farming back in your hometown, how much money can you earn in a year?"
"How could we not have thought about it? Yunfang, I’ll tell you the truth, the past few years working with you, we earned so much. But when your brother-in-law and I went back to scrounge in the fields all year, we couldn’t even make a fraction of that money. You can imagine how frustrating that feels," Li Xianglian spoke openly to her sister-in-law, with nothing held back.
Shen Yunfang nodded along, as she understood well the output of the fields; after all, she was a farmer herself. That’s exactly why, having just stabilized this year, she had begun to meddle with setting up a processing factory—it stemmed from the same reasoning.
"Indeed, the desire is there, but with all the old folks and kids back home, tell me, my husband and I could maybe leave for a month or two to work, but if it involves leaving our homestead behind for a long period, that’s just not possible."
