NOVPUB
Chapter 768: 758
The entire Spring Festival went by pretty pleasantly. Toward the end, Li Xianghe seemed to have learned to control her mouth, focusing on eating and trying not to talk at the table, which made for a much warmer atmosphere.
Goudan stayed in the military district for just over a day before insisting on going back to take care of his chicks. You need to understand that finding someone to cover your shift during this period meant docking wages at double the usual rate.
However, Wang Dan thought her son was being foolish. The entire farm belonged to his aunt by marriage, so how could they dock his wages for spending a few days at home during the New Year? She believed that a direct word to the manager would sort things out and prevent anyone from daring to dock her son’s wages.
But Goudan wasn’t as naive as his mother. He had been working at the farm for a few months and understood its rules and regulations all too well. Although he worked under his aunt, he certainly knew better than to exploit the relationship to curry favors, although it was true that no one dared to bully him.
On the afternoon of New Year’s Day, Goudan was adamant about returning to the farm. Wang Dan couldn’t stop him herself, so she thought to have Shen Yunfang say something to keep the boy at home.
But Shen Yunfang just smiled at the mother and son, saying, "Sis, the kids have grown up and have their own thoughts. As parents, we just need to support them from behind. The less we meddle, the better." She believed that Goudan’s work ethic deserved praise and shouldn’t be discouraged by Wang Dan.
Seeing his aunt respond like that, Goudan wriggled out of his mother’s strong grip, opened the door, and ran outside.
"Hey, kid, what’s the hurry? If you must go, why not take your younger brother with you? Let him work with you," she said.
Wang Dan called out after Goudan, but he was already far away, certainly too far to respond. Wang Dan turned to Shen Yunfang, who was sitting on the couch, and brought up the subject again.
"Is this really a good idea? I remember Erdan is only fourteen years old. Letting him drop out of school to work this young isn’t right," said Li Xianglian, frowning in disapproval.
In her view, the only way for children to get ahead nowadays was to get a good education, which is why she was determined to provide for all three of her children to complete their schooling, even if it meant tightening her belt.
"Oh, what do you know. Erdan is just like Goudan; he doesn’t like studying. Now that he’s about to graduate from junior high and is unlikely to get into a high school, he might as well come out and work with Goudan, earn money for a few years, which would help him when it’s time to get married and build a house," Wang Dan had her own theory.
She directly asked Shen Yunfang, "Yunfang, since the farm is ours, why not let Erdan work there too? But since he’s young, assign him some lighter tasks for now. After he grows a bit, you can switch him to other duties." Wang Dan stated this quite naturally.
Shen Yunfang just laughed. "Sis, I can’t fulfill that request. Not to mention anything else, Erdan is only fourteen. This is a legitimate business and officials come here often for inspections. I dare not hire underaged labor. It’s better for Erdan to continue his studies for a few more years, and he can come work when he turns eighteen."
"What’s the problem? Goudan was also only sixteen when you hired him. Erdan may be just fourteen, but he’s used to farmwork at home, chopping wood and all that. He’s strong," she retorted, suddenly promoting her son’s capabilities.
"Hehe, sis, have you forgotten? When Goudan started, didn’t we alter his household registration? Legally he’s eighteen, an adult. I wouldn’t have been able to hire him if it weren’t for that. And I dare not hire him without that adjustment," Shen Yunfang couldn’t compromise on the age issue, not wanting to risk getting reported.
Wang Dan blinked her eyes and said, "Then why don’t I just change Erdan’s age to eighteen?" She didn’t think it was a big deal at all. The kid was right there, just that big, after all, it was only a matter of a piece of paper. Why so much fuss?
"If you really think that will work, then go ahead and do it," replied Shen Yunfang, "but let me make one thing clear: my farm doesn’t support idlers. Anyone who comes to work must be fit to work. If during the trial, it turns out they can’t meet the farm’s standards, even if they’re our own relatives, the farm will not keep them. As for labor distribution, I keep my hands off that. The farm has people specifically in charge of assigning work based on needs. Where there’s a shortage, that’s where you work; there’s no picking or choosing easy jobs." Shen Yunfang was putting the hard word out front.
But Wang Dan didn’t take her words seriously. They were all relatives; wasn’t her aunt’s farm basically her own? If her own children were going to work there, why wouldn’t they choose the work they liked? Shen Yunfang was now being seen as someone who loved to scare people.
Seeing her like this, Shen Yunfang didn’t say more; she had made herself clear. If Wang Dan was determined to send her child for some "labor reeducation," then as an aunt, she would certainly accept him. But after that, whether he could handle it would have to follow the farm’s rules and regulations.
On the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, Wang Dan and Li Hongxing visited the farm again to see Goudan. On the sixth day, the whole crowd finally boarded the train to head home.
After sending them off, Shen Yunfang thoroughly tidied up inside and out of the house. During the past few days, the house was full of people and she hadn’t had a chance for a proper clean. Now that they were gone, she could finally get to work.
After the New Year’s celebrations were over, the farm was about to start the bustling spring planting season again. However, Shen Yunfang didn’t exert much effort this time around; having had the experience from last year, she just needed to draw up her plans and then others would execute them.
The processing factory, on the other hand, only rested for three days over the New Year; the rest of the time, they were working overtime. This professional manager they had hired was quite capable. These days, he managed the processing factory in an orderly fashion and even took the initiative to expand sales channels. During the New Year, he had secured Z City and several surrounding counties and cities, and now the production of snack foods was to supply these areas.
With special personnel managing both the processing factory and the farm, Shen Yunfang was temporarily confident in their abilities. After some thought, for more standardized management, she felt the need to hire an experienced accountant to get a grip on the finances of both locations.
However, it wasn’t easy to find an experienced and reliable accountant. Eventually, it was Li Hongjun’s comrade-in-arms who recommended someone—a retired chief accountant from a state-owned enterprise.
Shen Yunfang and Li Hongjun met with this person and had a deep conversation about the specifics of the situation. They both felt he was suitable, so Shen Yunfang offered a high salary to employ the chief accountant to oversee the financial transactions of both the farm and the processing factory.
Now, Shen Yunfang truly became the hands-off manager, working nine to five, primarily reviewing financial statements and outlining future development plans. When she had free time, she would stroll around to understand the local sentiments. Although she wasn’t earning a lot of money, it was very worry-free.
Li Hongjun was very satisfied with his wife’s entrepreneurship or, should we say, the nature of her work. He could also rest easy knowing his home was in good hands. In a good mood, he received a new mission, and before the fifteenth of the first lunar month, Li Hongjun set off on a task with a team of soldiers under his command.
Shen Yunfang was lying on the big bed in the bedroom, looking up at the ceiling and pondering. Weren’t they saying she was being marginalized? Weren’t they saying she wasn’t valued? Weren’t they saying she was being edged out? Weren’t they saying she needed to keep a low profile? Weren’t they saying she needed to bide her time? So what was the situation now, huh?
Shen Yunfang tossed around on the big bed. After living together day and night for two years, she wasn’t used to suddenly having one less person in bed. It made her feel quite uneasy.
