Jian Ning stated his demands straight away. Like the Tian and Chang families, he would receive one-day wages for one-day work. If he was late or left early without reason, five cents would be deducted for the first time, and fifteen cents for the second time.

As for the wages, she also explained it clearly. Now that food is in short supply and costs are increasing, the original 180 wen a day she offered to Tian and Chang will remain unchanged. However, for the three of them who came later, Ding Yang and Ding Jian will be paid 120 wen a day, and Cui Gu will be paid 100 wen a day. If anyone among them has outstanding abilities, she will increase the salary, so it is not fixed.

She also said that if business continued to improve, the winery would expand, and her salary would increase as she grew older. In short, she hoped everyone would treat winemaking as their own family business, working together, and she would not let anyone down when she made money.

In fact, Jian Ning didn't care about whether she was paid a few dozen more or less. It was just that competition would create motivation. Tian and Chang knew that they were paid more than the three of them, so they would work harder; and the three of them knew that their wages were lower than theirs, so they would also work harder to compete with them.

Tian and Chang never told anyone except their husbands how much they were paid, and they would just give vague answers when others asked. They both wanted to keep their wealth private and were also worried that others would ask them for money, so most people in the village didn't know how much they were paid.

Ding Yang and Ding Jian had originally thought it would be eighty wen a day, a figure they sometimes earned as outworkers. However, Jian Ning's job was permanent, and they were both quite content with eighty wen a day. When they heard it would be one hundred and twenty wen, with the prospect of a raise for good work, they were both furious, unconvinced they couldn't outperform the Tian and Chang families, and were quite satisfied with the wages Jian Ning offered.

Cui Gu was unhappy and went home to tell her husband about it. Tian and Chang were paid 180 wen a day, and even Ding Yang and Ding Jian were paid 120 wen a day, but she was only paid 100 wen a day. She felt that Jian Ning was unfair and did not give face to her father-in-law, who was the head of the village after all.

Cui Gu's husband also complained about this. When the village head found out, he scolded them both, "You short-sighted people! You haven't even done a day of proper work, but you're already staring at how much money others are making. How can you compare with them? Tian used to rent land from other people and was very good at farming. Chang cleared the land and grew vegetables on her own, carrying them to town to sell every day. She worked in the wind and rain, but she managed to support her family. Who can compare with their hard work?"

The village head glared at Cui Gu angrily and said, "They only let you go because of my face. If you don't value the 100 coins, then don't go as soon as possible. There are many people vying for the spot!"

Cui Gu was shocked when she heard this. A hundred coins wouldn't fall from the sky, and even if they did, it wouldn't necessarily be her turn to pick them up. Besides, she knew both the Tian and Chang families were capable, especially Tian. Her husband was a constable and never had time to work in the fields, and their family didn't own even an acre of land. Tian had rented land from someone else when she married, and even plowed it while heavily pregnant. She had witnessed all this in her early years, and she couldn't compare.

"I was just saying it, I didn't say I didn't want to go. Besides, I didn't tell anyone that I was going. But I talked to my family about it. How could I not want to go for such a good thing?"

The head of the village said, "If you want to go, do your job well. Tomorrow, work with them. If you are as good as them in every aspect and do as much as they do, you will be able to compete with Ding Yang and Ding Jian. Then come and talk to me. I will then go and argue with the fourth son's wife. Why should I pay you the lowest wages? Now shut up and stop talking nonsense!"

Cui Gu lowered her eyebrows and replied submissively, "Yes."

The village head ignored her, his mind preoccupied with increasing grain production. He'd consulted several village farmers, some saying it was possible, others not. He had to try to find out. "Xiji Sanyuan" tomatoes only produce more fruit after being pruned. The village head decided to talk to Mr. Ding again, but if that didn't work, he could just try it himself.

In the school.

The Hezi class was in chaos. Dabao pinned Ding Gui to the ground, Ma Xiaodou and Ma Xiaomi held Ding Quan, and Ma Xiaomai stood by, cheering Dabao and his two younger brothers on, and kicking Ding Gui and Ding Quan from time to time.

The incident started because Ding Gui was really upset that Dabao was dressed better than him. He didn't wear a long gown, so why should Dabao wear one? He happened to be sitting behind Dabao, and in the row behind him sat him, Ding Sheng, and Ma Xiaomai. Ma Xiaomai was dozing off on the table, and Ding Sheng didn't pay any attention to him. So he quietly took a brush and drew a few lines on Dabao's back.

Ding Sheng was torn when he saw Ding Gui's actions. Dabao and Ding Gui were both his cousins, and his mother told him to take care of Dabao, while his father warned him to stay out of trouble at school. He hesitated for a moment, and seeing that Ding Gui didn't say anything, he became bolder and picked up his pen to draw a few more strokes. Unexpectedly, Lu Dajun, who was sitting next to Dabao, turned around and saw him and shouted.

Lu Dajun was Xiaosi's nephew, a recent school enrollee. Dabao had met Jian Ning when she went to Sanniang's shop to deliver a stuffed doll. Jian Ning had saved Dajun before, so he naturally sided with Dabao. Dabao, who had previously been immature and allowed Ding Gui to bully him, was no longer so docile. He turned around and punched Ding Gui.

The two men scuffled, and Dabao, being the stronger of the two, knocked Ding Gui to the ground with a few blows. Ding Quan tried to help, but Ma Xiaomai, startled awake, ordered Ma Xiaodou and Ma Xiaomi to hold him back. Master Chen, hearing the news, rushed over from the Tianzi class and, without questioning the reason, gave each of the five students thirty lashes of the cane. He then ordered the five who had disrupted the class to sit in front of the wall in the corridor to reflect on their mistakes.

After Master Chen returned from his lecture to the Tianzi class, he asked about what had happened. Ding Gui lied, saying that Ding Sheng had bumped into him, causing his pen to touch Dabao's clothes. Ding Sheng, not expecting him to implicate him, blushed with anger. The two argued, and Master Chen questioned Ma Xiaomai, who was sitting in the back row. Ma Xiaomai honestly admitted that she had fallen asleep and hadn't seen anything.

In the end, Ma Xiaomai was punished to reflect on his mistakes facing the wall, and the five people who participated in the fight were punished to copy their own surnames a hundred times. They were not allowed to go home after school until they finished.

The character "丁" combines traditional and simplified Chinese characters, has few strokes and is easy to write. The character "马" has more strokes, which made Ma Xiaodou and Ma Xiaomi very worried. Fortunately, Dabao was kind and stood up for the two brothers. After the two brothers finished writing their own characters, he wrote for the other two brothers, and finally they finished writing before school was over.

Ding Pingshun was waiting for them outside the private school. He saw them coming out from a distance. He went up to them and found that his son was in a bad mood. He also saw that Dabao, Ma Xiaodou and Ma Xiaomi's clothes were torn. He quietly pulled Ding Sheng and asked what was going on.

Ding Sheng whispered the whole story. When he mentioned Ding Guipan biting him, he gritted his teeth, a fierce look flashing in his eyes. "Just wait, don't fall into my hands. One day I will avenge you."

Ding Pingshun said hurriedly, "Don't dare to cause trouble. Their grandmother is not someone you can easily mess with, and their uncle and fifth uncle are not people who are easy to talk to. Our family has just gotten better, so there is no need to get angry with them. Just stay away from them from now on."

Ding Sheng glanced at his father sideways, lowered his head and said nothing more.