In a moment of desperation, Shen Qing remembered Cheng Zhiwen's instructions before he left and shouted at Chunju, "Go find the prefect! Quickly! Go find Qi Zhenheng!"
Chunju ran out of the crowd crying.
Shen Qing continued to confront the rioters.
She had to stall for time as much as possible before Qi Zhenheng appeared.
She asked the rioters, "What do you want?"
The leader of the thugs laughed and said, "Smash the sign that's hiring female workers! Hire male workers!"
Shen Qing emphasized, "My factory makes silk fabrics, so female workers are more suitable!"
The rioters immediately flew into a rage, shouting, "We can learn to weave too! So many weavers are men! What women can do, we men can do too!"
Shen Qing estimated the travel time for the prefectural government office to come and go from here.
Realizing the conversation wouldn't last until Qi Zhenheng arrived, she had a sudden inspiration and said, "Okay, I can hire male workers."
The thugs then stopped approaching.
Shen Qing tapped the overturned table with his chin: "Sit down and let's talk."
The rioters quickly straightened the tables and chairs and sat down casually.
Shen Qing also put away the hairpin knife and hid it in her palm.
The shopkeeper caught his breath and, seeing this, quickly ran into the shop and brought out a few more stools.
Shen Qing took his seat and asked, "What are your requirements regarding wages and rest periods?"
The thug grinned and said, "Ten taels of silver a month, two hours a day."
Shen Qing thought to himself: How is this any different from robbery?
She maintained a calm demeanor: "Our working hours are from Chenshi (7-9 AM) to Shenshi (3-5 PM), and we are paid by piece; the more we work, the more we earn."
Upon hearing this, the thug slammed his fist on the table and roared, "From Chen Shi to Shen Shi, five hours a day, are you trying to kill people?"
He yelled at Shen Qing, and a few drops of saliva sprayed onto Shen Qing's face.
Shen Qing suppressed his nausea, closed his eyes, and said with restraint, "But similarly, if you work for five hours, your wages will increase accordingly."
The rioters refused to accept it and started causing trouble again.
The shopkeeper invited Shen Qing into the shop, glanced cautiously at the thugs outside to make sure they couldn't hear him, and then whispered, "Young Madam, these people are clearly trying to take advantage of you, a weak woman, and are trying to freeload. In the past, the Gao family only paid five taels of silver to experienced weavers who worked for a full month. For novices like them, even two taels of silver a month is too much."
Shen Qing nodded, reassuring him, "I know. It's okay, let's keep talking. I can't possibly agree to their conditions."
The shopkeeper shook his head: "If it were a grown man hiring, those people would never dare to bully people like this."
Shen Qing sighed.
She also knew how difficult it was for a woman like her to live peacefully and carefree in this era.
Even though she now has the Gao family and their shop as her backers, there are still thugs who dare to threaten her.
The disparity in strength between men and women means that no matter how intelligent she is, she cannot solve a purely physical threat on her own.
How tragic, how truly tragic!
Looking at the shameless thugs, Shen Qing thought: She couldn't agree to their demands now. If she did, they would cling to her and she wouldn't be able to resolve the situation, even if Qi Zhenheng came. After all, verbal agreements also have legal force.
All we can do is haggle with them over wages and working hours.
Shen Qing perked up and sat back down.
The leader of the thugs asked, "So? Is there no problem with the wages?"
Shen Qing feigned difficulty: "We have other bosses, and I'm afraid the others won't agree to this wage."
The thug slammed his fist on the table, stood up, and glared at her with bloodshot eyes, fiercely warning, "Don't try anything funny with me! Everyone knows you're the head of the Gao family now!"
"The silk shop is mine, that's true, but the business we're hiring for now also involves other branches of the Gao family."
The thug's eyes darted around, and he said, "Who else? Let's go find them!"
Shen Qing could not possibly reveal the names of all the relatives who lent her money; that would be immoral.
She pondered how to deal with it.
Not far away, Qi Zhenheng, dressed in a dark blue official robe, dismounted and walked towards them.
He stood with his hands behind his back, looking at the rioters with a stern expression: "What are you doing?"
The rioters immediately knelt down, covering their heads: "Your Excellency...we...we are..."
Shen Qing stood up, his previous affable demeanor vanishing. He glanced coldly at the group and said sternly, "They kicked over my table, slapped me, choked my manager, and forced me to hire them at an unreasonable wage of ten taels of silver a month!"
Qi Zhenheng looked at the thugs: "Is this really true?"
The rioters vehemently denied it:
"We were just kidding!"
"She only hires female workers! Not male workers! Why?"
"We have no work to do and are starving, so we have no choice but to cause trouble for her!"
"You bastards!" Qi Zhenheng roared in fury, "Guards! Take them all away!"
The officers came forward and took the rioters away one by one.
Shen Qing bowed to Qi Zhenheng: "Thank you for your help today!"
"Madam, you needn't be so polite."
Qi Zhenheng glanced at her, then quickly looked at the recruitment table and asked, "Why are you only hiring female workers?"
Shen Qing straightened up and said honestly, "There are two reasons. First, women are indeed more meticulous when it comes to silk weaving; second, I hope that all women can have a job opportunity to earn money to support themselves and their children."
Qi Zhenheng looked at her, his thick eyebrows furrowing slightly, and said, "Shouldn't women stay at home to support their husbands and raise their children? If all the women go out to work, who will take care of the children and elderly at home?"
Upon hearing this, Shen Qing immediately understood.
Qi Zhenheng was no different from most men in feudal society, believing in the outdated notion that "women should stay at home to support their husbands and raise their children."
Shen Qing had no intention of correcting his views, but when she thought that he was the local official, she realized that if she could get his support and understanding, it would benefit all the women in the area.
Thinking of this, she risked speaking out and said, "If the man in a family can support the whole family, then he has the right to ask his wife to stay at home and take care of the family. If he cannot support the whole family, then he can choose to stay at home to take care of the children and the elderly, and let his wife go out to work to support the whole family. From the perspective of maximizing benefits, it is not wrong for either husband or wife to go out to work; it is all for the sake of the family."
Upon hearing this, Qi Zhenheng's face darkened, and he reprimanded, "Since ancient times, women have been expected to stay within the confines of their homes. Your misfortune today is entirely due to your disregard for these rules, showing your face in public as a woman! I am making an exception for you this time because you are from the same hometown as Zhiwen, but if there is a next time, I will certainly not tolerate your misbehavior!"
After saying that, he turned and left with a stern face.
Watching him ride away, Shen Qing shook his head: "So old-fashioned, how can he be friends with Cheng Zhiwen?"
She turned around, intending to find Erhong to continue discussing the work, but she couldn't find Erhong anywhere.
The shopkeeper came out of the shop and said, "The one carrying the child has left."
Shen Qing asked, "Do you know where she lives?"
The shopkeeper pointed to the mountain not far away: "I guess they live at the foot of that mountain."
Shen Qing nodded, turned around and set up the recruitment table, then continued to wait for other women to come and inquire.
Several more days passed like this, but the woman still didn't come to inquire.
After thinking about it, Shen Qing decided to go find Er Hong.
She took Chunju with her, and carried several bags of snacks and fruits for the children, and headed towards the mountain.
From afar, one could see thatched huts scattered at the foot of the mountain. After asking around at each hut, one finally found Erhong, her face bruised and swollen, in front of the most dilapidated thatched hut.
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