This matter caused quite a stir in the village, and those who had gossiped about it all fell silent and never spoke of it again.

I'm not interested when asked.

The workshop is nearing completion.

The Li family specially made many invitations for families with whom they had business dealings.

Li Xuming personally delivered the gifts to Magistrate Lin and the Cao family.

"Your Excellency, the workshop is nearing completion. We cordially invite you to the ribbon-cutting ceremony. After the ribbon-cutting, we will begin recruiting workers. We can then tour the workshop, explore its interior, and sample its products."

“Very good, I will definitely go.”

Lin Pei had already decided to go, so naturally he wouldn't refuse and immediately accepted the invitation.

When the county magistrate went, the Cao family naturally had to go as well; even Cao Shangjin received an invitation.

The workshop is nearing completion, and the Li family has released their recruitment requirements.

There are no gender restrictions, but hard work and endurance are the most important qualities. Workers work four hours a day, with one day off per month. The monthly wage is 500 coins. The workshop will also arrange agricultural holidays during the busy farming season.

The news of five hundred coins caused a stir not only in the area around Shuxia Village, but also in neighboring towns.

You should know that 500 cash a month means you can earn more than 7 taels of silver a year. This family of five worked hard in the fields all year round and couldn't even save 2 taels of silver.

Fangda's braised food shop sells expensive food, but its costs are also high. Meat is expensive to begin with, plus spices and herbs.

In other words, it was set up in the county, and the target audience was wealthy people who didn't care about money. Moreover, they sold a limited quantity every day, so the sales seemed pretty good and the profits were considerable.

However, in Shaoguan County, many families can only make a living by farming. At most, they can take some vegetables or chickens and ducks from their homes to sell at market fairs. The income is not much, just enough to supplement their income.

Then there are those with skills, but there aren't many of these families. They all start learning from a young age, and it's common for them to only see a return on their investment after more than ten years. Especially for embroiderers, the girls in those families can't do rough work, for fear that their rough hands will ruin the thread. Their hands also need to be taken care of.

Moreover, the embroiderer also has to get married. After all the hard work of raising her, she has reached the age to get married. Which ordinary family would be willing to do such a losing business?

Therefore, there are few embroiderers on the market. Only families with some capital are willing to train them, firstly to increase the value of women, and secondly to enhance their own reputation.

The fact that the girls of the Li family could embroider was also due to external factors. After all, the Li family was a prominent clan in the area, and if the women of the Li family couldn't embroider, it would be a disgrace to the Li family.

Anyway, five hundred coins is a rare find, and it's close to home.

Many people from neighboring towns already want to get a piece of the pie. If they are selected, they can build a thatched hut in Shuxia Village to have a place to live. If all else fails, they can always rent someone else's house.

As soon as the news spread, the Li family was besieged by the villagers of Shuxia Village. No one wanted to miss this great opportunity, so they all brought eggs and good dishes from their homes to their door.

That's not enough. People who used to have a good relationship with each other no longer chat when they see each other. They are all potential competitors. Who knows how many people the workshop will recruit? If they don't recruit many people, how can they squeeze themselves out?

The Li family refuses to accept anything, but blocking the doorway isn't a good idea.

Li Xuming quickly convened a village meeting.

"Village chief, give us a straight answer. How many people are you going to hire for this workshop?"

"Why is it open to both men and women? Can women really do the work?"

These words, once spoken, caused a great stir, like a stone thrown into water.

Many people are unhappy about this. There are too many people vying for jobs, and even men may not be able to get all of them. They have to allocate some of the positions to women. If they don't hire women, wouldn't they get more opportunities?

"That's right, there are limited spots, and we don't even have enough for everyone, so why should we give them to women?"

"That's true. Women are delicate and weak. It wouldn't be good if they caused trouble for the workshop without doing anything."

No one said it was bad for women to show their faces in public. In rural areas, there are many women who have to go out and show their faces in public. If they didn't work, how would they make a living?

At this moment, they tacitly stopped thinking about the fact that women's labor intensity was not much less than theirs in normal times; perhaps, they couldn't even imagine it.

"Pah! What are you yelling about, Gou Laosan! What's wrong with being a woman? Why can't she do housework?"

Suddenly a woman rushed out; she was from the Liao family at the village entrance.

Perhaps due to bad feng shui, the Liao family only had four daughters, who were well-educated, but there was a fear that their family line would end.

I heard that the Liao family is planning to keep their eldest daughter at home to find a husband. Finding a husband requires money, and this workshop is recruiting workers, which is a great opportunity. The Liao family has long planned to have all their daughters sign up.

Hearing these stinky men implying they were going to ruin the whole thing, he immediately became extremely anxious.

"Women are weak, what can they do?"

Gou Laosan was not convinced, and the Liao family was even more unconvinced.

"Go to hell! You, Gou Laosan, are all this age because your parents worked hard to support you. Did you wipe your mouth clean after you finished eating? You just spout nonsense."

Gou Laosan was humiliated, and his face immediately fell. He raised his hand as if to hit someone, but was stopped by others.

"Alright, stop arguing. We're hiring 60 men and 40 women. Anyone who meets the hiring criteria can apply. This is settled, and arguing won't change anything. If you're not happy about it, you don't need to apply."

If you're not selected, don't be upset. Our workshop will definitely hold another round of recruitment, and you might get selected next time.

The allocation of this quota was discussed internally within the Li family.

A murmur rippled through the crowd below; though there was discontent, no one dared to openly refute it.

After all, nobody wants to miss out on a chance to be selected before the recruitment process even begins.

"Village chief, what are the requirements for hiring?"

"There will be someone in charge of the registration on the day. Just listen to their instructions on the spot. This is not my responsibility."

The villagers scratched their heads. "Isn't this your responsibility? How could that be?"

"Furthermore, the day of recruitment is also the day of the workshop's ribbon-cutting ceremony. My Li family has already sent an invitation to the county magistrate, who has promised to come to the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Our village also needs to find some able-bodied men to form a guard team to maintain order at the scene."

The crowd erupted in uproar. The county magistrate had actually come here! This was a big deal.

"The magistrate is coming? Is it really true?!"

"Is the magistrate really coming?"

"Good heavens! The magistrate has actually come to see the opening of a workshop!"

It's just the opening of a small workshop, why would the county magistrate be invited to come and see it?

The discussion below became heated, and soon everyone reached a consensus: either this workshop had a bright future, or it was only because the county magistrate had a minute of his time that he would come to see it.

Thinking about it that way, it makes sense! It makes perfect sense!

They absolutely must be selected for the workshop!