Chapter 29 Wages

Guan Li and Guan Xiaoshan followed Shen Qing to her home.

The originally small house was now extremely crowded, with every piece of space filled with things. The two of them observed carefully and found that although the things were mixed, they were not messy.

Everything has its place and is placed in the perfect spot, not hindering the next step in the process.

Seeing Guan Xiaoshan coming, Jiang Xiangdong hurried over to report: "Xiaoshan, I finally became more proficient in baking yesterday. Now I can successfully bake more than 40 sticks a day!"

It shouldn't be a problem to make more than fifty sticks in the future, but if I want to go further, I can only do so by using up my sleeping time - my mother said no, no matter how busy I am, I can't use up my sleeping time, saying that earning money is for a better life for the whole family.

Moreover, making brushes is a long-term task. It is not something that can be finished in one or two days or ten days or half a month. If you do that, you will just have to endure it until it is dry. If you endure the long-term work, your body will be worn out, and no amount of money will be of any use.

Although he felt that his mother was exaggerating, and that he was young and in good health, and that nothing could happen if he just endured it, since his mother disagreed, of course he had to listen to her.

Guan Xiaoshan followed Jiang Xiangdong to look at the baked pen holders;

Guan Li's eyes fell on Jiang Xiangnan and Jiang Xiangxi, who were polishing the cut edges of bamboo joints with stones.

The two brothers rubbed the bamboo in their left hand and the stone in their right hand, rubbing them together very quickly, one after another! They were so busy that they didn't even raise their heads.

Jiang Shui was originally grooming the hair, but when he saw Guan Li coming, he stopped what he was doing, followed her into the house, and explained for Guan Li: "Mom said that grinding with stones only requires great strength and quick movements, and is more suitable for men. The third and fourth brothers did this process, and the division of labor is clearer;

We girls will use linen and cotton cloth to do fine polishing work, which requires skill, so the third and fourth brothers can make waste cloth."

Guan Li often saw her father doing carpentry work at home, and she knew best that the initial process was the most tiring. Her aunt was leaving the easy work to them, so didn't Xiangnan and Xiangbei feel at a disadvantage?

She whispered, "Are your third and fourth brothers willing too? Don't you have any complaints?"

Jiang Shui chuckled, covered her mouth and whispered back, "Of course I am willing, and I have no complaints at all!"

Guan Li raised her eyebrows slightly. Having grown up in the same village, she knew the two brothers' personalities a little bit. They weren't the kind of people who loved to be simple and hardworking.

Jiang Shui whispered, "A pen costs one penny, and they can polish thirty or so in half a day. Do you think they'll complain?"

Not only did he not complain, but he was very happy.

A pen costs one cent, and one person can earn thirty cents in half a day. Guan Li was really shocked this time!

You know, the work of carrying and unloading large bags in the city only earns 37 or 38 cents a day, and so many men have to rob to get it;

She said blankly, "More than sixty cents a day is really too much."

"How can that be? Mom said that if you polish it all day long, you won't be able to speed it up and time will be wasted, so they only polish it for half a day, and spend the rest of the time catching fish, shrimps and eels." Jiang Shui said again.

She also had a vague guess that if her third and fourth brothers could polish more than 60 pens a day, her mother's initial price would not be one cent per pens, but two per cent.

My mother would let my brothers earn money, but at the same time she would not let them have too much money. To be more precise, she would not let them earn money too quickly or too easily at the beginning.

For some reason, Guan Li felt relieved.

As the biological sons, Jiang Xiangnan and Jiang Xiangbei did the hardest and most tiring steps. It was normal for them to earn more than 30 cents a day. After all, they were a family, and the meat was still rotten in the pot. Even if the salary was higher, it was justified.

She could roughly guess how much she and Xiaoshan would be paid.

But it was also good to have half of Jiangxiangnan and Jiangxiangbei. Corn cost three cents a pound, and she could buy five or six pounds of corn a day. How could she, a woman, and Xiaoshan, a twelve-year-old boy, find such a good job?

Seeing that Guan Li and Guan Xiaoshan had already understood the process, Shen Qing stepped forward to finalize the processes they were responsible for: "Xiao Li, you will be responsible for the last two rounds of polishing, Xiaoshan will be responsible for tying the wire and trimming the pen tip;

As for wages, we work harder, we earn more. The more you do, the more you earn.

Because the previous grinding process was done from south to north, so"

Guan Li listened calmly, thinking about what Jiang Shui had said just now: if she completed all three steps, she could polish eleven pieces in a day. She was more efficient and quicker than Jiang Shui, so if she completed all three steps, fifteen pieces would be no problem.

If we remove the most tiring and physically demanding part, it would be easy to double the number of pieces per day. If we make another push, maybe forty pieces would not be impossible.

If my auntie charges two sticks for one cent or three sticks for one cent, she can earn...

"So, Xiaoli, your price can only be one cent per stick." She had originally planned to sell them for two cents per stick, but the first step of polishing was completed by the third and fourth brothers, so this part of the income would belong to them.

If each person is responsible for the three polishing processes from start to finish, they can indeed get two cents per piece, but that is actually not very efficient. Of course, efficiency should be maximized for the same wages.

Guan Li thought she had misheard and blinked. "One cent per stick?"

It's just polishing, and it costs one cent per stick, so thirty sticks means thirty cents. Are you sure you're right?

Shen Qing thought she didn't hear clearly and nodded affirmatively.

Then he looked at Guan Xiaoshan and said gently, "Xiaoshan, tying wires requires skill. I think you have the most dexterous and steady hands among us. I'm counting on you!"

After installing it, I still have to trim the pen tip, which is very tedious. I'll charge you two cents for each one. Is that okay with you? "

Hands that can carve wood and make combs are being wasted on tying the threads of brush heads!

Guan Xiaoshan first looked at his sister. He had just seen Jiang Shui demonstrate it. Was it complicated?

It's not as complicated as making a comb, so is it worth two cents for one?

Guan Li thought her price was already very high, but she didn't expect her brother's price to be even higher!

However, she didn't know the process her brother was in charge of. After hearing Shen Qing say it was complicated, she thought that maybe he could only make a few a day at most.

She nodded to her brother and said, "You have to do it seriously and do it well!"

Guan Xiaoshan nodded obediently.

Shen Qing was very happy to see that the two of them agreed readily. Thinking of the food, he said, "Lunch..."

This time, Guan Li didn't wait for the words to finish and quickly replied, "Auntie, Xiaoshan and I will go home to eat and won't disturb you."

She doesn’t know how much Xiaoshan can earn in a day, but she knows very well that she is responsible for herself!

Of course I can’t use this salary to feed my aunt’s family.

Shen Qing thought that Carpenter Guan was still at home and did not try to persuade him further.

On March 22, the simple family-style brush workshop officially got on track!

Jiang Xiangdong is responsible for cutting, transporting, sawing and baking. On average, he produces more than 40 qualified pen barrels per day, and he expects to be able to produce more than 50 after he becomes more proficient.

Jiang Xiangnan and Jiang Xiangbei only spent half a day polishing the penholders. They had fifty or sixty penholders in total, so the supply was overstocked and they used the extra time to go fishing.

Guan Li was responsible for the other two polishing processes, and polished thirty-two pieces on the first day!

River water is used to clean wool and trim wool;

Guan Xiaoshan tied the wire, installed it, and trimmed the brush head. At this point, a complete brush was successfully made!

What is Shen Qing responsible for?