"You little brats, what are you doing pacing around in front of my house?! Trying to scare me to death!" Completely annoyed, Chen Sheng stepped out to scold them, "When Da Wa's mother is hiring, she has requirements, right? You should just go and apply honestly. Don't try to pull strings here! This is a merit-based system!"
Actually, he had already gone to see Da Wa's mother yesterday. She said that when her workshop hired workers, she would prioritize the villagers of Shiligou, and she had even offered his eldest son, Chen Jincai, the supervisor, even though this would mean he couldn't go to the patrol team anymore. Moreover, Chen Jincai had already agreed, saying he was willing to work at the brickyard!
Chen Sheng blushed, feeling somewhat embarrassed. He was glad his eldest son could work at the brickyard, but he never expected him to become a manager.
Seeing his reaction, Qin Sanniang comforted him, "Brother Jincai has the ability. I'm not nepotistic! You know I always know how to use people wisely!"
One sentence pushed back the words he was about to say. He knew in his heart that being a manager at the brickyard was definitely better than being on patrol. Although it was harder work, it was at least a long-term job. He thanked Qin San Niang immediately.
But thinking back on it, when did Chen Jincai become so capable? He can make such big decisions on his own? That brat, I'll see how I deal with him when we get back!
Seeing his attitude, the villagers could only smile ingratiatingly. Everyone knew he had influence with Da Wa's mother. They didn't ask for anything else, just a few kind words from him would be appreciated.
Chen Sheng could tell what they were thinking at a glance. He shouted, "Look at all you ambitious people! With that kind of energy, you should go back and think about how to get selected. This brick kiln is hard work. Not to mention anything else, you have to stay at the kiln opening day and night while it's firing. If you're not strong enough, don't have enough stamina, or like to slack off, I advise you to give up now and stay home and farm! If you delay Da Wa's family's business, you'll lose money! Even I can't plead for you here!"
As the village head, Chen Sheng upheld the principle of integrity and couldn't let the eldest son's mother suffer losses. He had to secretly oversee the selection of personnel. Besides, his eldest son would be in charge from now on. If his subordinates caused trouble, could the head of the household escape responsibility?
Thinking about it this way, it wouldn't work! He scanned the people in front of him with sharp eyes, frowned, and became even more annoyed! What kind of scoundrels are these? Well, the capable ones are all working now! They're either assigned to patrol teams, working in workshops, or have their own businesses to run. Why would they need to loiter around in front of his house looking for a way out?
Qin San Niang wasn't worried about that. She decided to entrust the entire matter to Chen Jincai, as it was within the scope of his responsibilities. Chen Jincai was the eldest son of the head of Shiligou Village and was very likely to become the next head of the village in the future. He was very familiar with the surrounding villages, so recruiting a few suitable kiln workers wouldn't be a problem.
Upon hearing this news, Chen Jincai was stunned for a while. Da Wa's mother had entrusted him with such an important task, which showed her great trust in him!
Chen Jincai felt a surge of energy; he was determined to make a good start in his new role. However, having been influenced by his father, the village head, for so long, he wasn't one to act rashly. Knowing that many villagers wanted to work there, he didn't want to offend anyone. So, he simply introduced a trial period system: those who performed well would stay, and those who didn't would be let go!
This method was accepted by most people, since none of them had ever been exposed to kiln firing before, and they didn't know exactly what it entailed. They had only heard that the work was quite arduous, and they didn't know if they were up to the task.
The work at the kiln is quite complicated, with many different jobs. For example, there are people who inspect the finished products, people who are responsible for taking clay, drying it, and removing impurities, people who roll clay strips and make blanks, people who are responsible for shaping and drying the clay, people who are responsible for loading and unloading the kiln, and people who are responsible for firing the kiln. Currently, all these skills are in the hands of Master Xing and his apprentices. The most crucial part is firing the kiln. Controlling the temperature is a test of one's perseverance. Kiln workers need to stay at the kiln for more than ten hours a day to control the rise and fall of the temperature. Therefore, it requires not only physical strength but also meticulous attention to detail.
After the trial period, Chen Jincai finally selected a dozen or so people to work at the brickyard. These people were not all from Shiligou; there were also a few men from neighboring villages. Most of these men were related to Shiligou by marriage. After learning about the recruitment and conditions, they weighed their own circumstances and felt they could give it a try, so they packed their bedding and came to work for the trial period.
These men were quite excited to be selected. They hadn't had high hopes beforehand, since the owner was from Shiligou and the manager was the son of the village head. Wouldn't they prioritize people from their own village? So, when they heard their names on the list, they were stunned. It was only when someone they knew nudged them with their elbow that they dared to believe it.
Qin Sanniang personally held a mobilization meeting for this group of people. It was called a mobilization meeting, but in reality, it was just making empty promises, setting demands, and stirring up emotions! This is a common trick used by capitalism. It's just that what Qin Sanniang said was usually seriously put into practice!
The kiln workers stood happily in the kiln yard. The kiln was also made of adobe, but since Qin San Niang had bought the whole place, she naturally built it as big as possible. So the kiln workshop was very spacious. In addition to the workshop, there were also dormitories for the kiln workers, with custom-made beds for them to rest. Each room had four beds. If the weather was bad or they lived far away, they could also choose to rest here.
Although no one knew what a dormitory was, they understood the meaning: it was a place built for them to sleep! This employer was really generous; no wonder everyone was scrambling to work there! For that reason alone, the hardship and fatigue were worth it.
Qin San Niang stood in the middle of the courtyard, and Chen Jincai gathered everyone together. Seeing that almost everyone had arrived, Chen Jincai cleared his throat and said loudly, "Everyone, stop arguing! Now, our boss, Qin, will say a few words to us."
The landlady was actually a woman?! This stunned the group of men from the neighboring village! But after their initial surprise, they didn't dare say anything and could only awkwardly greet Qin San Niang!
Qin Sanniang addressed the crowd with a very kind tone, "Congratulations to everyone on becoming employees of our Ruyi Kiln Factory. You all got in based on your own abilities, which shows that we are all very hardworking and resilient men!"
"Don't worry, boss! We farmers are strong and will definitely work hard!" said the tall man. He had a dark complexion and a thin build, but his eyes were bright and his voice was loud. He and three other men came from a neighboring village and were very excited to be selected to work here.
"Alright! Then let me tell you about the rules and benefits of our kiln. We can't expect everyone to work for me without knowing why. First and foremost, the most important rule of the kiln is to keep your word!"
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