17. In the loop, going around in circles.
Fang Shuning returned to normal and started going to the village committee again when she had free time. After all, Cui Sitong and Liu Yi were there, so it was lively with many people, and they even provided meals.
The villagers had no idea what these young people were up to. They only saw a young girl carrying a video camera, following the Party Secretary and Old Cui's daughter around, filming them. She filmed in the morning and evening, in the village, in the fields, and even in the orchard.
After watching several videos, Cui Sitong finally understood that although a large portion of the traffic to Song Jiuchen's account initially came from him, later on, it was basically due to Song Jiuchen's own actions.
Song Jiuchen doesn't do anything; he just stands there, says a few words, and the comments section is filled with things like, "No need for introductions, just post the link," "Will buying an apple come with the secretary?" and "I don't know if apples are sweet, but Secretary Song is definitely sweet."
This world is far too fond of men.
Fang Shuning scrolled through the comments section for a while, and got goosebumps all over her body; it was unbearable.
In the blink of an eye, a month has passed.
The video shooting was on track, and Song Jiuchen had almost mastered what he needed to learn and understand. Indeed, everything was simpler than cooking. From now on, Song Jiuchen could handle everything himself.
Cui Sitong left Xitang a few days ago, and the trip was very fruitful. His backend traffic surged, and his fan base grew significantly. His business team received a new assignment: a local government-led internet support program, inviting Cui Sitong to participate. So, Cui Sitong headed straight from Xitang to his destination.
She wants to capitalize on this surge in traffic.
When the fruit trees are ripe, Cui Sitong will return during Song Jiuchen's live stream.
Song Jiuchen never mentioned asking Fang Shuning to invest again. It was as if nothing had happened. Fang Shuning would tease Song Jiuchen from time to time, often making him blush and blush before he would stop.
Others might not understand, but Fang Shuning and Song Jiuchen were thoroughly enjoying themselves.
Old Fu didn't urge Fang Shuning to go back, and Fang Shuning was struggling with when to leave. But this struggle lasted for several more days.
That day, there was a knock on the door downstairs. Fang Shuning peeked out from upstairs and looked down; it was Song Jiuchen.
Strange, Song Jiuchen hasn't been here in a long time. Why is he knocking on the door without even saying hello? Judging from the knocking, it seems like something urgent has happened. Fang Shuning, not knowing what's going on, called out, "The door's unlocked, just come on in."
Song Jiuchen didn't stand on ceremony and came upstairs as if he knew the way well.
Before Fang Shuning could even ask him to sit down, Song Jiuchen eagerly began to speak. "Uncle Zhang from the front street went to work in the city and got injured on a construction site. The boss refused to compensate him, only paying part of the medical expenses and then leaving it at that. Uncle Zhang just came back from the hospital. I just went to see him; he survived, but he can't do any heavy work anymore, and he has a family to take care of. He still owes a lot of money on medical bills. I was thinking of asking you if you could help Uncle Zhang. At least he was injured on the job, so he should at least pay for his medical expenses and compensation."
"Did Uncle Zhang sign a contract? Was it an employment contract or a service contract? What caused the injury? Was it improper operation, machine malfunction, or something else?"
Many people are unaware of the difference between a labor contract and a service contract. Many low-income migrant workers who leave their homes to work in cities sign service contracts. They don't understand that even after happily signing the contract, their rights are not protected at all.
Because, under a labor contract, the worker provides the labor and assumes the work risks themselves, while the employer is only liable according to the contract (if an injury occurs, it will be handled according to the tort liability provisions of the Civil Code).
"I don't know the specifics either; you'll have to ask Uncle Zhang about these things."
"You come to me with nothing to say, and even if I'm free right now, my time is valuable. I charge a lot, and in the time you can't explain yourself, I can charge you hundreds of yuan per hour." Fang Shuning dislikes communicating with clients like this, who know nothing. Work efficiency is impossible to guarantee.
Song Jiuchen assumed Fang Shuning was charging a fee, so he said, "I'll cover the fee for Uncle Zhang."
During their time together, Fang Shuning discovered that Song Jiuchen's actions always carried a sense of great compassion, righteousness, and a desire to save the world. He seemed to see himself as a savior, as if the people of Xitang Village could not live independently without him.
Admittedly, Song Jiuchen's existence is very important, but sometimes he overestimates his own importance.
"Can you help everyone? Can you help them for a lifetime?" Just like his attempt to rebuild the cannery, but, Song Jiuchen, can you help everyone? Can you help them for a lifetime?
Song Jiuchen stood there, stunned. It wasn't that he couldn't understand the implication behind Fang Shuning's words. It was just that he seemed to be trapped in a strange loop. He couldn't break free. He had long since realized the problem, but he couldn't find a solution. And so he continued to go round and round in the loop.
"Wait for me a moment, I'll change my clothes and go to Uncle Zhang's house with you."
Song Jiuchen then realized that Fang Shuning was only wearing shorts and a tank top at home, probably for comfort. The moment Fang Shuning turned to go back to her bedroom, Song Jiuchen's ears turned red again.
After changing her clothes, Fang Shuning went to Uncle Zhang's house with Song Jiuchen.
After briefly explaining his purpose, Uncle Zhang became extremely agitated. He had considered consulting a lawyer, but they immediately demanded money, collecting a consultation fee before doing anything. Uncle Zhang simply couldn't afford the extra funds, and ultimately had no choice but to return to his hometown.
Song Jiuchen calmed Uncle Zhang down and asked him to explain the situation to Fang Shuning in detail.
As Fang Shuning had predicted, Uncle Zhang had signed a labor contract.
Uncle Zhang didn't understand the difference between a service contract and a labor contract, and why they weren't the same. Fang Shuning had to explain the differences to Uncle Zhang first before proceeding to the next step.
Labor contracts and service contracts are two common forms of employment. The main differences lie in the legal basis, the relationship between the contracting parties, the rights and obligations, the allocation of risks and responsibilities, and the dispute resolution methods.
In detail: Labor contracts are governed by labor laws and regulations such as the Labor Law and the Labor Contract Law, which emphasize the protection of workers' rights (such as social security, minimum wage, and dismissal protection). Service contracts, on the other hand, are governed by the Civil Code and are ordinary civil contracts, where both parties are equal and there is no special bias in their protection.
An employment contract establishes a subordinate relationship between the employer and the employee. The employee is required to comply with the employer's rules and regulations, attendance, and work arrangements. Employees typically provide labor on a long-term, stable basis and are considered part of the employer's organizational structure.
In contrast, labor contracts involve equal civil entities (such as an individual and a company, or a company and another company), where the party providing labor is not subject to the day-to-day management of the employer. These contracts typically involve temporary, short-term, or project-based services (such as part-time work, consulting, or outsourcing).
Under a labor contract, the employer must pay social insurance (five insurances and one housing fund) for the employee, pay wages that are not lower than the local minimum wage standard, and terminate the contract only if it meets legal conditions (such as paying economic compensation). A service contract, on the other hand, has no obligation to pay social insurance (unless otherwise agreed by both parties). Remuneration is paid according to the contract, with no minimum wage requirement. Termination of the contract is subject to agreement between the parties, and generally does not involve economic compensation.
In a labor contract, the employer assumes the employee's risks during work (e.g., work-related injury compensation is governed by the "Regulations on Work-Related Injury Insurance"). In a service contract, the worker assumes all work-related risks, and the employer is only liable according to the contract (e.g., injury is handled according to the tort liability provisions of the "Civil Code").
Finally, there's dispute resolution. For labor disputes under an employment contract, labor arbitration must be applied for first; only if dissatisfied with the arbitration result can a lawsuit be filed. For service contracts, a civil lawsuit can be directly filed in court.
After finishing her speech, Fang Shuning felt parched, and Song Jiuchen thoughtfully handed her some water.
In cases like Mr. Zhang's, a civil lawsuit needs to be filed in court. Fortunately, Mr. Zhang's accident occurred during work due to a machine malfunction, as documented in his medical records. Most importantly, Mr. Zhang underwent a medical examination, and the report clearly stated that the accident was caused by machine malfunction.
Fang Shuning had learned everything she wanted to know. Then, she took the medical records and injury report and had Song Jiuchen make copies. She went home and wrote a complaint to file a lawsuit, assuring Uncle Zhang that she would definitely help him get justice.
As luck would have it, Uncle Zhang worked in City A, a place Fang Shuning knew intimately. After thinking for a moment, Fang Shuning wrote another power of attorney, authorizing her to handle the matter entirely. This would save Uncle Zhang from having to make another trip.
"Uncle Zhang, don't worry. I will definitely handle this properly for you. I'm going back to City A in a few days, so I'll take care of this for you as soon as I get back."
Upon hearing Fang Shuning's words, Song Jiuchen's heart skipped a beat; Fang Shuning was about to leave.
Uncle Zhang was so grateful he didn't know what to say, only asking about the expenses. Fang Shuning told him not to worry, Secretary Song had already taken care of it.
After they had finished discussing what needed to be discussed, the two of them left.
Fang Shuning is the kind of person who gets things done immediately and never procrastinates. Just like now, Song Jiuchen originally planned to ask her about her departure, but Fang Shuning was in a hurry to go home to write the indictment and power of attorney.
Song Jiuchen had no choice but to give up.
Writing these things was already a piece of cake for Fang Shuning. She finished writing in no time. She sent Song Jiuchen a WeChat message, asking if he was at the village committee office; she needed to use the printer.
Song Jiuchen said he was there and told her to come over.
The old printer was working, emitting a low hum, like a metal beast taking a deep breath as it awakened. There was no other sound in the room; Song Jiuchen and Fang Shuning's figures overlapped in the lamplight, neither of them speaking first.
The moment the printer stopped working, Song Jiuchen's hoarse voice came through, "When are you leaving?"
"I'm not sure, it could be tomorrow, or it could be the day after, it'll happen in the next few days anyway." Fang Shuning pretended to organize the documents, avoiding looking into Song Jiuchen's eyes.
She was going to leave anyway, so why was she suddenly feeling this inexplicable reluctance? Fang Shuning didn't understand what was wrong with her.
One morning, Fang Shuning left Xitang without telling anyone.
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