bookrandom Chapter 287 Recruitment
Chapter 287 Recruitment
Because their families were poor and they had many children, there were several mouths to feed. They relied entirely on their husbands to earn money, and even then, they couldn't make ends meet. They also had to earn money to supplement their family income in order to barely make ends meet.
However, there were very few jobs available for women in the county. While there were jobs for wealthy families, they had to live in the servants' quarters and could only return home one day a month. Their children were still young and needed their mothers, so they couldn't stay and work for wealthy families.
A woman named Chuncao asked somewhat uncertainly, "Does this shop really want to hire us?"
Lin Xiaotang nodded and said seriously, "Yes, our pig's trotter shop needs to hire some women. The work is not heavy, you just need to be quick and efficient. The salary is one tael of silver per month."
What?
One tael of silver a month?
Chuncao and another young woman named Hesui stared in astonishment, their eyes widening in disbelief.
The two whispered, "My God, one tael of silver a month, where else can we find work like this?"
"Yes, the work isn't tiring, and you get an ounce of silver a month. Is there really such a good deal?"
"Could this be a scam?"
"Probably not. This pig's trotter shop is located in the market, in a busy area. They wouldn't dare to openly cheat people."
"That's true. I heard that the braised pig's trotters sold at this pig's trotter shop are the same as those sold at Wanhe Restaurant. Even the braised pig's trotters sold at Wanhe Restaurant are made by this shop. How could they possibly lie to people selling such famous braised pig's trotters?"
"I've heard about what you're saying. There weren't any restaurants selling braised pig's trotters in Dushui County before. It was only because Wanhe Restaurant started selling them before the New Year that all the other restaurants followed suit."
"So, this braised pig's trotter shop must be quite reputable. They wouldn't cheat us. We finally found a job with such high pay, so let's give it a try first. If we do well, we might be able to stay on, and we can go home every day to take care of our kids. Wouldn't that be great?"
"That's right, that's right..."
The two whispered to each other for a moment and immediately decided to stay together.
Chuncao smiled slightly and said, "One tael of silver a month, we'll do it!"
“Yes, let’s do it!” He Sui echoed.
She had overheard the two women whispering to each other. Since they were poor and had children to raise, they should be able to stay in business for a while longer.
She smiled and said, "Alright, starting tomorrow, you can come over at the end of Chen Shi (7-9 AM) and go back at the beginning of You Shi (5-7 PM). You two can take turns at noon and rest for an hour."
Can I rest for an hour?
Isn't this great?
The two women were overjoyed, feeling that they had met a good employer. They suddenly remembered that the little girl was only a few years old. Could she make decisions for her family?
Or perhaps she misremembered the instructions the adults gave her?
He Sui asked, "Where are your parents? Could you have the shopkeeper come and explain things to us more clearly? We're afraid we might have misremembered and come late tomorrow."
Wu Yu, who was standing to the side, wiped the counter clean with a rag. He walked towards everyone and said, "This is our manager. She can make decisions on everything, big or small, in the household."
The two women were stunned when they heard this; they had never heard of a shopkeeper who was so young.
Isn't this a joke?
Chuncao laughed and said, "What are you joking about? How could you let a little girl be the manager? She's so young, can she manage this household well?"
How could anyone be so foolish? There are clearly adults in the shop, yet they let a little girl be the manager. If the shop goes bankrupt, they'll be devastated.
Seeing that Chuncao didn't believe she could be a manager at such a young age, Lin Xiaotang twitched her lips and said, "Since you've decided to work in our shop, the first thing to remember is to talk less and work more. Don't question the decisions made by the shop; just follow along. If the shop makes a profit, we'll get extra rewards in addition to our wages."
Are there any other rewards besides wages?
Is this a windfall?
The two young women covered their mouths and laughed happily, agreeing in unison, "Yes, we'll remember that, we'll talk less and work more!"
After Lin Xiaotang asked them a few simple questions about how far away their homes were, she sent them home and told them to come back to work on time the next day.
The next day, Lin Xiaotang sent Uncle Wu Yu and Uncle Shuisheng to Pingding County to deliver braised pig trotters. She also asked Uncle Shuisheng to teach her how to buy raw pig trotters and gave him some money before he left.
While she was serving customers in the shop, she was also teaching the two women how to run the business, packing braised pig's trotters for customers, and cleaning the shop.
By the time of Yin (3-5 AM), there were far fewer customers, and those who had gone out to deliver supplies had all returned. Xiao Jiu was studying books in the shop, while Lin Xiaotang led two young women to burn pig hair and clean pig trotters by the well.
With that, the shop had manpower, and Wu Yu no longer needed to stay in the shop every day. Liu's health also recovered a lot, and the little guy grew very quickly, changing every day. The turmeric in the fields of Guihua Village was also ripe, and everyone packed up to go back to the countryside to harvest the turmeric.
Everyone felt that Xiao Tang had to take charge of the large-scale purchase of turmeric in the countryside, otherwise no one would be confident.
Lin Xiaotang said, "We've been doing business for so long, dealing with managers and shopkeepers in restaurants. We've all seen the world in Dushui County. Why are we so unconfident about buying turmeric back in the countryside?"
Shui Sheng scratched his head and said, "Oh dear, how can it be a lack of confidence? These are two completely different things. You arranged the supply of pig trotters a long time ago. All we need to do is braise the ingredients and deliver them on time every day. We haven't worried about anything else."
"But this is the first time we've ever gone back to the village to buy medicinal herbs. The idea of us acting as buyers was yours; your father and I aren't good with words, and I'm worried we won't be able to reach an agreement. What if the villagers refuse to sell to us and end up selling to the pharmacies?"
Lin Qingchuan was also a little worried. The villagers in the countryside had never seen much of the world and they all liked to make a fuss. What if they thought he was rich and wanted to take the opportunity to raise prices?
A look of worry appeared on his face as he said, "Tang'er, listen to your Uncle Shuisheng. You come back with us to buy the herbs. It won't take more than a few days anyway. Your aunt is in charge of the shop, so you don't need to worry about it."
In the end, Lin Xiaotang was persuaded by her father and Uncle Shuisheng, and she agreed to accompany them back to the countryside.
But then she suddenly remembered, "Dad, if you go back to the countryside with us, who will go to Wucheng to supply us?"
Yes!
Wu Yu has replaced Shui Sheng, but who will replace him?
Xiao Jiu is still young, and he is worried about sending Xiao Jiu to Wucheng to deliver supplies. However, the shop is full of women and children, and it is not suitable for them to travel long distances by carriage. The main problem is that the journey to Wucheng involves passing through a long stretch of dense forest.
He hesitated for a moment and then said, "Then I'll continue supplying Wucheng. I'll leave the task of buying turmeric back in the countryside to you."
Wu Yu suggested, "How about I go to Wucheng to supply them, and Xiao Jiu goes to Pingding County, while Qingchuan and Shuisheng take Xiao Tang back to the countryside to buy them?"