Chapter 211
211
Those parents were throwing a tantrum at the door, shouting that their children had worked so hard for a month but had not been paid a penny. Even if the factory was run by an official's wife, they could not oppress the people so heartlessly.
If it were in the past, when Lord Lin was still the prefect here, and his relatives opened a factory and did not pay the workers, no one dared to complain.
In the past, relatives of Lord Lin did run a factory. The workers there did not work voluntarily. The food they ate was almost like pig food, and the living conditions were extremely poor. Not only were they never paid, but the supervisors also whipped them in the back every day. The workers there were no different from coolies.
They were afraid of Lord Lin and did not dare to make trouble. Now they all knew that Lord Cheng had a kind heart and was good to the people. Last time, all the villagers in the village signed a collective petition to sue Lord Cheng, but Lord Cheng did not pursue the matter. Most people were sincerely grateful to Cheng Yeran and Shen Yuntang, but these parents who were making a scene thought that Cheng Yeran was easy to bully.
They thought that Cheng Yeran would not punish them at will for the sake of his reputation. Shen Yuntang was a boy, and boys were stupid and thin-skinned. They thought it was shameful to see them crying at the door. To save face, he should compensate them with one month's salary, and maybe even give them a few more months' salary.
When they were crying and making a scene, they caught a glimpse of Shen Yuntang walking towards them, and they cried even harder.
Shen Yuntang walked up to them, glanced at them, and did not explain to them or the people around them. He knew that he was not good at quarreling, and was afraid that he would get so angry that he would cry in public, which would be quite embarrassing.
He called a few burly security guards and said, "Take them to the government office and let Lord Cheng interrogate them."
"What rights do you have to arrest us? Just because you are an official's wife, you can do whatever you want? What's the difference between you and Lin Gouguan?" the arrested parents shouted.
The onlookers were all shocked. How dare they do that? Although everyone had been calling Lord Lin a "dog official" after Lord Lin was beheaded, no one dared to connect Lord Cheng with Lord Lin.
But listening to them shouting, it seemed that Mr. Shen did not pay the workers. Could it be that Mr. Shen really did not pay them?
Now that various factories and schools have just been built, if the reputation of not paying wages gets out, it will really affect the recruitment and enrollment of students. I'm afraid this city will really become what it was before.
When Shen Yuntang heard them yelling, he asked someone to cover their mouths, and then said to the onlookers: "They instigated the child to steal my things. I only punished their child with one month's wages, and did not think of reporting to the authorities. But since they are not convinced, I will send them to the government and let Lord Cheng make the decision. If you are curious, you can also go and see together."
Everyone heard him call Lord Cheng Lord Cheng, as if the two of them were not that close. They felt very curious and were also curious whether the case was as he said. But Cheng Yeran was Shen Yuntang's husband after all. Once he entered the yamen, Lord Cheng would definitely favor Shen Yuntang.
Despite this, everyone was still curious and wanted to go and take a look.
Not only did the onlookers want to go over, they also notified their relatives and called over their aunts, uncles, and cousins to go to the yamen to watch the trial.
Those parents who were throwing a tantrum never thought that Shen Yuntang would be so ruthless as to send them to the government just for a few bars of soap and some food.
After entering the yamen, these parents were so frightened that their legs went limp and they struggled desperately to retreat.
Cheng Yeran would not stay in the yamen all the time on weekdays. Sometimes he would go to school or factories, and sometimes he would go to the countryside or several county towns to take a look. Today he happened to be working in the yamen. Before Shen Yuntang and others came, someone tipped him off and told him about this matter.
He was very angry when he heard that someone dared to bully his young husband. However, now his identity is not only Shen Yuntang's husband, but also the local official. He can't do whatever he wants like before.
He changed into his official uniform. Normally he disliked the uniform as it was too complicated and uncomfortable to wear, and was not as good as his casual clothes. However, he had to wear it when he went to court to handle cases, as it was more formal.
When he arrived at the court, there was a huge crowd of people outside, and it was as lively as if it was New Year's Day.
Cheng Yeran slammed the gavel, asking everyone to be quiet. The onlookers had never seen Cheng Yeran so serious, and they were a little scared. They closed their mouths and dared not say a word.
But no one wanted to leave. They wanted to see how Lord Cheng would try the case.
Especially since Mr. Shen was standing in the hall, he became even more excited.
Although Cheng Yeran and Shen Yuntang are very affectionate in private, few people see them going out together on weekdays. They are too busy, one with official duties and the other with the factory. They only show their affection at home and don't have many opportunities to go out and show their affection.
However, the people have heard that Lord Guocheng dotes on this husband very much, but now it seems that the two of them don’t seem to know each other very well. Are the rumors false?
Then they saw the two of them asking and answering each other in a businesslike manner. Cheng Yeran asked him what happened, and he told them that these parents had instigated their children to steal a few bars of soap and a few meals, and then he said that in order to punish them, he fined them one.
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Monthly wages.
After hearing this, some of the onlookers felt that since they only took a small amount, wouldn't it be fine to just deduct the amount of money they took? Was it necessary to deduct one month's salary? No wonder those parents were so angry that they cried at the door.
Some people also think that if they steal things, they are thieves. Mr. Shen is kind-hearted and only gives them a light punishment but does not fire them. If they change in the future, they will still have the opportunity to make money.
Some people even talked about the former Lord Lin, saying that if it were Lord Lin, not only would he not pay them wages, but he would also whip them, let alone distribute meals and soap every day. Now that the treatment in the garment factory is so good, they still dare to steal things, they are really ungrateful.
Many people are also discussing the treatment in garment factories. “Why are the wages so high?”
"They also gave us towels, soap, charcoal, and cotton bedding? Isn't that better than my family's conditions?"
"Not only that, didn't you hear that the food they stole was all meat, as well as white flour buns and rice. My family can't even have one meal of such good food in a month."
"My family doesn't have enough food to eat for a whole year, but they can eat every day. Will the garment factory still hire people?"
"I heard they are hiring, but you have to go to school for training before you can enter the garment factory, and they only hire women and men."
"What about age? Is there an age limit?"
"Yes, anyone under 50 years old, in good health, with clear eyesight and hands, and the strength to make clothes on a sewing machine can go." He went to the school gate to read the notice on purpose. Because he knew a lot, he was surrounded by a group of people asking questions. He felt like the center of attention, and his vanity was greatly satisfied.
But soon someone said, "Everyone, be quiet. Lord Cheng is going to judge the case."
They quickly shut their mouths and turned to look in the direction of Cheng Yeran. They wanted to see how Cheng Yeran would judge the case, whether he would vent his anger for his husband and severely punish those parents.
The result of Cheng Yeran's judgment surprised them. Cheng Yeran calculated the price of the soap and the meals, and asked Shen Yuntang to deduct this money and give them the remaining wages. The factory owner could not punish workers privately, and violators would be fined.
The fine was set by Cheng Yeran himself. According to local regulations, the fine will be confiscated and later used for road construction or urban construction.
The amount of the fine is three times. He had mentioned before that if a factory boss slapped a worker, he would have to slap him three times in return. If he deliberately withheld wages, he would be fined three times the salary. Shen Yuntang deducted one month's salary from them, so he would be fined three times the salary and hand it over to the government.
He also asked Shen Yuntang to fire those workers and ask them to pay the tuition fees to Shen Yuntang.
The money for soap and food plus the price of tuition is exactly one month's salary. The parents were happy to hear that they only had to pay for soap and food, but then they heard Cheng Yeran asked Shen Yuntang to expel them and ask them to pay tuition. They would lose the rest of their wages and even their jobs, so it would be better to deduct one month's salary at the beginning.
They couldn't help but want to cry and make a scene in the court. When they first entered the yamen, they were quite scared, but Cheng Yeran's attitude was so good. Although he was very serious, it was not scary. They mistakenly believed that Cheng Yeran had a good temper, and that making a scene was very effective against people with good tempers.
But before they could make a scene, they heard Cheng Yeran asking the constable to bring over the thieves. He also said that when he first entered the city, he dealt with a group of thieves and thought there were no more thieves in the city, but he didn't expect to catch a few more today.
Cheng Yeran said that since they were first-time offenders and young, they were exempted from punishment, but he gave them a suspended sentence for three months and also explained the meaning of suspended sentence.
In the past, officials would arrest people directly and never give suspended sentences. They felt that Lord Cheng was too merciful. But then Cheng Yeran said that they were directed by their parents to do these things, and that their parents were the masterminds. Their parents were adults, and if they made such a mistake, they would not be given a chance and the constable would directly beat them with twenty boards.
Listening to their cries, the people who had just thought that Cheng Yeran was very kind now felt that Lord Cheng was very strict and fair. He did not even give face to his own husband, and was a very good official.
Those who wanted to commit crimes saw Cheng Yeran making a judgment today. They thought that he didn't even give face to his own husband, let alone them, so they decided to behave themselves and not cause trouble.
After the case was judged, Shen Yuntang wanted to pay the fine, but Cheng Yeran paid for it on his behalf.
Shen Yuntang asked him, "Why did you pay for me? Are you afraid that I will be angry? I know you want to use me as an example to let other merchants see clearly that even if the wife of an official makes a mistake, she will be fined, not to mention them. This way, they will not dare to bully their workers in the future. I support your approach and will not be angry."
"I'm your husband. Do I need a reason to pay for you?" Cheng Yeran held his hand and wanted to go home with them. "I know my husband is the most considerate, but that's one thing. I want to feel sorry for my husband, but that's another thing. Let's put one thing first."
He took Shen Yuntang's hand and shook it, "But my money is originally your money."
"It's our family's money." Shen Yuntang looked at his cautious look and said, "I'm really not angry, you don't have to be like this."
"If I ask you to fire your employees, will you feel unhappy?" Cheng Yeran knew that the fine would not stop Shen Yuntang from starting, but if he asked him to fire the employees on his own initiative, Shen Yuntang would probably be unhappy.
"I'm not unhappy. I originally wanted to keep them. They are quite pitiful. The ones who were wrong were their parents. You can tell from the looks of it that their parents are not good people. I don't know what will happen to them after they are expelled." Shen Yuntang and Cheng Yeran came out of the back door of the yamen and got on the carriage to go home.
Originally, one thought that there would be no one at the back door of the yamen, but it turned out that many people who had just finished watching the trial passed by this side, and then they saw Lord Cheng and Mr. Shen coming out of the door hand in hand, and Lord Cheng looked humble and submissive, and there was no doubt that Lord Cheng might kneel on the washboard when he returned home at night.
Shen Yuntang saw that some people were watching them, so he hurriedly got into the car and quickly pulled Cheng Yeran in.
Cheng Yeran was usually quite friendly and wanted to say hello to them, but Shen Yuntang pulled him into the car. "You've been quite strong lately."
"Just recently?" Shen Yuntang wanted to pinch him to make him feel it.
Cheng Yeran then realized that since he traveled through time, Shen Yuntang had been able to go up the mountain to chop wood, do farm work at home, and even pull the mill. His strength was no less than his, but he was soft in bed and looked soft too, which made him always forget that Shen Yuntang was actually quite strong.
Shen Yuntang thought of the topic just now and continued, "Those children just now probably didn't have a good life at home. Their parents only treated them as cash cows. It was better when they were working in the factory. If they lost their jobs and went home, they would probably be beaten and scolded, or even find someone to marry right away. It would be fine if they married into a good family, but they might not marry to their satisfaction."
Shen Yuntang thought about his past life, when he married Xia Xiaowu. Not only did he suffer a lot of torture, but he also died at a young age. Although his parents loved him before the marriage, they still accepted his betrothal gift and used it to give to his brothers to get married, as if they were selling him for money. After the marriage, they never supported him, and the same went for his brothers.
He married a good person in this life, so his family kept in touch with him after he got married. He also did a lot of good things to his parents and brothers, and his parents and brothers also showed that they loved him very much. But he always thought about things in his previous life. He always felt that his family did not help him after he got married in his previous life. He wondered if it was because they benefited from him in this life that they treated him well. But he also felt that his parents were just like this because of their personality, and that they actually liked him very much, so he was always very conflicted.
Cheng Yeran held his hand and said, "You feel sorry for them, but who feels sorry for you? When I was judging the case just now, I asked those children about the whole story. They were always on their parents' side. After all, they are their parents, and they will always stand on their side. Today I punished their parents, but you still let them work in the factory. Maybe they will hate you and take revenge on you. Today is also a warning to other parents, so that they will not dare to encourage their children to steal things back home. Even if those girls and boys can't hold their wages in their hands, they can still have enough food and clothes."
Shen Yuntang nodded, "You are right. If those few people who stole things today continue to stay in the factory, other parents will see it and let their children take the risk of having a month's salary deducted to let them steal things home. It is the best way to fire them for stealing things like this."
After today's lawsuit, I will give Shen Yuntang the technology
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The school put up an advertisement, and many poor families in the village were attracted when they heard that the factory provided food and accommodation, the wages were very high, and that the tuition fees could be paid after learning, or they could use their wages to pay the tuition fees in installments after getting a job.
Several families had already planned to get their daughters married, but when they saw that the tiny gifts they had were not even enough for their sons to marry off better wives, they immediately cancelled the engagements and asked their daughters and brothers to work on sewing machines in garment factories in the city, earning money for a few years so that they could build a big house for the family and find better wives for their brothers and sisters.
It just so happened that a group of students graduated from the clothing technology class, and the graduates entered the factory, so new students could be recruited.
The position was filled up in just a few days. There were so many people that the line stretched until the end of the next year.
Shen Yuntang knew that many parents used these girls and boys as tools to make money, and he felt sorry for them. He thought that in addition to teaching them how to use sewing machines to make clothes, he should also give them lessons to teach them other things to save them ideologically.
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