After the documents from Manager Wu's side were approved by the government, they were sent over by someone.
Considering Yan Qingqing's family's current situation, Manager Wu said that the contract could be implemented six months later.
Yan Qingqing was worried about this matter. After all, Jinsheng Pavilion needed a lot of goods. Although these headdresses were relatively simple to make and did not require much expertise, she still needed time to prepare them.
Of course, Manager Wu wasn't without his own requirements; those bows had sold so well the other day that many people wanted them.
Manager Wu took the opportunity to propose that Yan Qingqing should supply a certain number of bow ties to Jinsheng Pavilion during this period. The materials would be provided by Jinsheng Pavilion, and the labor would be provided by Yan Qingqing, at a cost of six coins per bow.
Yan Qingqing immediately agreed. Firstly, she would have time to train people, and secondly, she could earn some money during this period.
Thinking of this, Yan Qingqing immediately went to the village chief's house.
In her previous life, Yan Qingqing was an expert at handling interpersonal relationships. Now, as a widow, she would need to rely on others to establish herself in Canghe Village.
Li Kaishan is highly respected in the village, so it would be best if he were the one to handle this matter.
When Yan Qingqing arrived at the village chief's house, Li Kaishan was just about to leave. As soon as he saw Yan Qingqing, he quickly greeted her, "Xiang Ping's mother is here. Come in and sit down!"
Jiao, who was feeding the chickens nearby, put down what she was doing and warmly took Yan Qingqing's hand, saying, "Oh my, Qingqing, you're such a busy person, how come you have time to come to your aunt's house?"
Li Kaishan and his wife were both shrewd and experienced people. They had come to understand Yan Qingqing's abilities over the years and knew that she was capable. Since they came from the same family, they were naturally willing to befriend her.
Yan Qingqing replied playfully, "Auntie, are you blaming me for not coming often enough?"
Jiao quickly replied, "How could that be? Auntie knows you have a hard time raising several children and running a business. Unlike those idle women in the village."
Yan Qingqing was somewhat moved by Jiao's words. Since arriving in ancient times, Jiao was the only one who said that her life was not easy.
Although she is the soul of a modern person, she has been having a really hard time these days. It's like she doesn't know where her next meal is coming from, and she has to worry about everything.
Fortunately, life has improved, so Yan Qingqing stopped dwelling on the past and got straight to the point: "Actually, I came here today to ask Uncle Village Chief for help."
Upon hearing that the person was looking for him, Li Kaishan immediately asked, "What is it? Tell me! As long as it's within my power, I'll do it without hesitation."
Yan Qingqing then recounted her collaboration with Jinsheng Pavilion.
Li Kaishan listened and admired Yan Qingqing's abilities, then said gratefully, "Niece-in-law, you're not asking your uncle for help, you're clearly asking your uncle to do you a favor."
Such a good thing, as long as Yan Qingqing speaks up, the idle women and children in the village will rush to do it, why would they need the village chief to step in?
Yan Qingqing was doing this entirely to save face for him, the village chief.
Therefore, Li Kaishan stopped calling Xiang Ping's mother "Xiang Ping's mother" and started calling her "niece-in-law" directly, clearly showing his closeness to her.
Yan Qingqing then said, "Uncle Village Chief, you are the most respected person in the village, so it is most appropriate for you to handle this matter."
Moreover, I have follow-up plans. I will definitely build a workshop in six months, and at that time, the workers will definitely be people from our village.
Also, I heard that a new village head will be elected next year, and I hope that you, Uncle Village Chief, will be more confident then.”
The Great Yan Dynasty stipulated that each village should have a village head, and five villages should have a li head, also called lizheng.
Li Kaishan was shocked to hear this. Becoming an official was a dream for every man, and he was no exception.
If one could become the village head, not only would one have much more power, but one would also receive a salary of two taels of silver per year.
Of course, the competition for the position of village head is also very fierce, and it requires consideration from many aspects. The most important thing is to look at the economic strength of a village.
Yan Qingqing wasn't very clear about these things; she only had a general understanding.
But this didn't stop her from making grand promises to Li Kaishan, because only in this way would Li Kaishan wholeheartedly help Yan Qingqing do what she wanted to do.
Finally, Yan Qingqing stated her requirements for hiring: the initial workload wouldn't be large, and she only needed some skillful young women or young wives who were good at needlework.
Moreover, Yan Qingqing also wanted to cultivate a few talented individuals from among these people who could take on important responsibilities later on.
Li Kaishan immediately agreed.
When Yan Qingqing returned home, she called Yuan Huiniang and the other two over and told them about what she had discussed with the village chief.
Yuan Huiniang smiled and said, "Mother, you can decide this matter."
Yan Qingqing shook her head and said, "Since this business has been given to the three of you, you should have been involved from the very beginning."
I've given you the general direction; you'll need to decide on the specific details.
Once the village chief releases the information, the final decision on who to choose will be up to the three of you.
However, there will definitely be people who use connections and back channels. You need to manage this carefully yourselves, and know who you can and cannot use.
Yan Qingqing had already made her point very clear to the three of them. If they still couldn't understand, then Yan Qingqing could only say that they were hopeless cases.
In the afternoon, many villagers came to Yan Qingqing's house to inquire about the situation. They all wanted their eldest daughters and young wives to come and work. They thought that even earning two coins a day would be better than being idle.
Yan Qingqing did not show up; the matter was left entirely to Yuan Huiniang and the other two.
That evening, Yuan Huiniang told Yan Qingqing that the candidates had been selected—fifteen in total, all of whom were hardworking and skillful people in the village.
After Yuan Huiniang finished speaking, Li Xinniang said, "Third Aunt's needlework has always been quite good, and she also volunteered this time. I discussed it with my sister-in-law, and we're planning to have her come too."
Xu Shi Yan Qingqing was quite well-regarded and willing to give her a chance, but since she was eating from the same pot as Old Madam Li, she reminded her, "I have no problem with your third aunt, and it's fine to let her do the work, but you have to make sure of her position."
Everyone who works for us must sign a confidentiality agreement; anyone who dares to cause trouble behind our backs will face legal action.
After listening, the three said they would definitely convey the message to these people.
The next day, right after breakfast, a crowd gathered in front of Yan Qingqing's house. They were all people that Yuan Huiniang and the others thought were of good character and had good needlework skills.
Yan Qingqing glanced around and saw that Widow Liu was there too. It wasn't that Yan Qingqing paid much attention to this person, but rather that Widow Liu had spoken to her in a sarcastic tone by the field last time. Although it wasn't a big deal, Yan Qingqing still felt uncomfortable.
However, since Yuan Huiniang had already chosen Liu, she couldn't very well send her away, so she thought she'd observe her for a while before making a decision.
Yan Qingqing let the people into the courtyard and had Yuan Huiniang explain the rules to them: fifteen coins a day, those who wanted to work could stay, and those who didn't could leave.
When everyone heard that they could earn fifteen coins a day, no one was willing to leave. In those days, even an adult laborer might not be able to earn fifteen coins a day.
At that moment, everyone was genuinely grateful to Yan Qingqing. Even if they were asked to sign a confidentiality agreement, none of them would refuse.
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