Chapter 42 Payday! (The ancient town and the Xiang family...)
Lu Xiaoqi's eyes lit up: "This is a train that doesn't stop at any station."
She gets excited for a long time when she encounters a high-speed train that doesn't stop or slow down on the platform. Watching the world's most extreme speed rush past her gives her a tremendous sense of exhilaration. She still remembers the excitement she felt the first time she witnessed such a scene.
A light drizzle was falling from the sky. The train sped past like lightning, so fast that it became a blur, kicking up a mist on the tracks before disappearing from their sight with the force of a thunderbolt.
The journey of over a thousand kilometers took only four hours.
Yuwen Kai was filled with pride: "Excellent, excellent! Departing in the morning and arriving at noon, even the legendary celestial horse that rides the clouds cannot compare to it."
If the Sui Dynasty had such a carriage... well, he shook his head with a wry smile. Even if it did, it would probably only be His Majesty's personal carriage, and then it wouldn't just be used for traveling south; it would probably be used to wreak havoc all over the country.
Su Jun's expression was somewhat dazed.
In his time, even the greatest visionaries would have struggled to imagine such a scene. But here, it's just everyday life. People waiting on the platform don't even bother to lift their heads; they've become too lazy to look.
Is this the magic of so-called "science"?
He loved mechanics from a young age but had no interest in literature or history. Although he was the eldest son in the family, he had no intention of pursuing an official career, which disappointed his parents. Even his grandfather, Su Song, who was highly accomplished in mechanics, told him that these were just minor skills and trivial tricks, of no use to the court or the country.
Su Jun murmured to himself, "Grandfather, if you were standing here right now, would you still say that these things are not beneficial to the country and its people?"
Sister-in-law Song sighed with envy, "It's a pity that my freedom is only moderate, so I can't go to Bianliang to see it."
Su Jun and she shared the same plight.
"Let's go to Hangzhou!" Lu Xiaoqi raised her hand. "Hangzhou is a good choice! It's the capital of the Southern Song Dynasty anyway..."
Su Jun looked over, and she swallowed the last two words, "city," in time, blinked, and forced a smile.
hey-hey.
Su Jun shook his head with amusement, suppressing the boundless melancholy in his heart.
Well, she wasn't wrong.
......
After seeing Zhao Feiyan off, Lu Xiaoqi received a new weekly task on her way back, which was also her tenth weekly task.
System: "Player, you have a new weekly mission: Your employees have been working diligently for a long time. Please pay them a salary to increase their loyalty to you."
Lu Xiaoqi slapped her forehead. Oh no! Chen Yingying had sent the first draft of the salary system to her email the day before yesterday, but she had forgotten about it because she was busy with other things.
Back in the ancient town, Chen Yingying smiled and said, "You're the boss, you're a busy person, it's alright. Anyway, if the wages can't be paid, just say it's stuck with you, boss."
Despite the polite words, Lu Xiaoqi felt a chill run down her spine. Manager Chen was usually very mild-mannered, but when he got sarcastic, even she couldn't stop him. And she had no way to argue back, because the HR department had been working the most overtime lately.
To develop this compensation plan, Chen Yingying, along with the newly recruited HR specialist, went through each person's job duties and skill level. She is a very meticulous person and also conducted a lot of relevant market research, almost turning herself into a semi-expert on ancient architecture projects.
Seeing how hard she had worked, Lu Xiaoqi could only obediently admit defeat: "I'll watch it right away!"
It must be said that Chen Yingying's plan was very detailed. Even Lu Xiaoqi, a novice boss with no practical management experience, found the logic to be very clear and reasonable.
Leaving aside the ordinary positions, the craftsmen of Xiangjia Village, whom Lu Xiaoqi was most concerned about, were ultimately assigned to the ancient town renovation project team, signed labor contracts, and received wages according to the project. Their wages consisted of two parts: a basic salary and a project bonus.
Chen Yingying pushed up her glasses: "After the entire Qinghe Ancient Town is renovated, if you, the boss, feel that you still need so many craftsmen, then we can switch to long-term employment contracts and only pay the basic salary."
Although the salary will be less, the work will be less demanding and more stable.
Lu Xiaoqi nodded. This project would last at least several years, and no one could predict what would happen after that. If they didn't want to stay, they could find work elsewhere. If they were willing to stay, even if there wasn't much work available, she could arrange other positions for them or set up a special team to help them find jobs outside; presumably, many projects would be eager to hire them. Alternatively, she could help them explore more avenues for earning money through social media.
In short, those who have been summoned by us will not be treated unfairly.
She has some plans for these follow-ups, but there's no rush now.
Aside from the few people from Xiangjia Village, Yuwen Kai was naturally the head of the ancient town renovation project team, receiving an annual salary of 600,000 yuan as a special consultant.
"A special consultant for the Suzhou Garden Restoration Office, 800,000 yuan a year." Chen Yingying was afraid that Lu Xiaoqi would think this number was too high, so she gave her own reason: "I feel that Teacher Yuwen's level should be no less than that of Lu Xiaoqi."
Lu Xiaoqi: "...Your feeling is very accurate."
Even 600,000 seemed a bit too much for Yuwen Kai. For a city planner of Daxing, and the Minister of Works, an annual salary of 600,000 was probably the lowest he had ever received.
But what can she do when she's still poor? Let it be! Teacher Yuwen certainly won't have any objections...
Besides, Song Wu Sao and Zhao Feiyan haven't officially started working yet. Song Wu Sao only shares the fish restaurant's profits privately with her, while Zhao Feiyan's salary comes from the newly registered MCN company. The base salary is average; she mainly receives profit sharing. As for Su Jun, Chen Yingying has already assigned him to the president's office, officially making him Su's special assistant.
When Lu Xiaoqi saw this title, she couldn't help but want to laugh.
Chen Yingying's proposal was quickly approved, and she would arrange everyone's contracts in the following week.
After she left, the system popped up: "Congratulations, player, you have finally upgraded from a gang to a team."
Lu Xiaoqi: ...You're the one in the gang!
She didn't miss any opportunity to ask for a reward: "Such an important achievement, shouldn't we give you some reward, system?"
System: "...Please look forward to the upcoming basic maintenance function for the ancient town."
Even a wild goose flying by will have its feathers plucked; I should have known better than to speak!
Friday morning.
The people of Xiangjia Village are used to the seven-day work week. Every Friday, Xiang Dali feels that his mood becomes very good, and even the continuous drizzle today did not affect his good mood.
Because Saturdays and Sundays are days when you can rest.
The rest system in the future world is very generous; for every five days of work, there are two days off, which can be used for personal matters. He never had such a privilege before; the rule of only one day off per ten days was ironclad, even for court officials. However, he also learned from his colleagues from the outside world that not every boss adhered to this system; Miss Lu was simply a good boss. Even if overtime was required on Saturdays and Sundays, overtime pay would be calculated.
Xiang Dali swore his loyalty to Miss Lu was as clear as day, and his anticipation of Friday wasn't because he wanted to slack off—in fact, they often had to work overtime on Saturdays and Sundays to meet deadlines. Nevertheless, the fact that they had two days off per week, which was written into the rules and regulations, did make him feel good.
On weekends when he's not rushing to finish work, he can do something for himself.
Their small house has been cleaned up.
The small house has two floors. The first floor has a living room, kitchen and a small courtyard. Upstairs there are two bedrooms for the family of three and his mother, a bathroom, and even a storage room under the stairs.
The windows and doors on the second floor, which were originally broken, have been repaired by him and replaced with new, bright glass. Because of her pregnancy, Huang Si Niang was unable to go to work, so she and her mother-in-law stayed home every day to clean. Now the entire small building is bright and clean, completely different from the dim indoor environment he used to be used to.
Later, Miss Lu bought a bed from outside, and they finally had a proper place to sleep. He repaired the few broken chairs and a small cabinet that were already in the house, and the little house truly felt like home.
Huang Si Niang kept saying that when she had money, she would buy some cloth to make some quilt covers, and make a curtain to block the windows. If she had enough wood, she could also make a table and a large cabinet. Then the family's life would be complete.
Everyone was very satisfied. Although the accommodation was not as spacious as before, the experience was much better.
He arrived at Qinghe Tower on Friday morning. This is their recent focus of restoration. Before the new wood arrived, they dismantled some of the old components for repair. They were busy with that as well.
Everyone was very dedicated to their job; no supervision or reminders were needed, and they immediately got to work. Just then, Xiang Ming rushed in, bringing good news:
"After dinner tonight, everyone stay in the cafeteria and don't leave yet, there's good news."
Everyone looked at each other and asked, "Village head, what's the good news?"
Xiang Ming's old face beamed like a chrysanthemum: "Miss Lu said that she's going to pay us our wages!"
Pay the workers!?
Everyone was thrilled by the news.
Wages!
They're going to get paid!
Although they genuinely felt that they didn't need to repay Lu Xiaoqi for her work, and that a small act of kindness should be repaid many times over, let alone a life-saving one, they still needed money to live in this world. In particular, many of them had elderly or young children to support, so they had to consider the long-term implications.
So a few days ago, when the newly arrived "Minister of Personnel" Chen Yingying—the villagers' nickname for her—went around chatting with people and signing contracts, everyone cooperated very well. They understood that the contract was equivalent to a deed, and with the deed in hand, their jobs would be officially settled.
When the contracts were signed, everyone knew their monthly wages. According to modern societal norms, it's best to keep everyone's salaries confidential, and everyone kept quiet. But the people of Xiangjia Village didn't share this awareness; they excitedly spread the news far and wide.
It wasn't just the craftsmen; even the women, young and old, busy in the canteens were talking about this.
"I heard your Dali can earn more than ten thousand yuan!" Li Niang and Huang Si Niang were chatting, their words tinged with envy.
Her husband, Xiang Dazhu, was hospitalized due to an injury and is still recovering since returning home. He can only help with some light tasks and probably won't earn much this month. Furthermore, they still need to pay off some of the medical expenses, and they can't let Ms. Lu pay for that.
Huang Si Niang smiled and comforted her, "It's alright. Once your Da Zhu is fully recovered, go to the village head to get his rank. His skills are similar to my Da Li's, so he should get the same amount in the end."
In addition to taking market rates into account, Chen Yingying also based her wages for the craftsmen on the grades they received from Xiang Ming and Xiang Qi. These two were highly respected and skilled in Xiangjia Village, and everyone respected them.
As Huang Si Niang spoke, she seemed to envy Li Niang instead: "Although Da Li earns a relatively high salary, there are four of us in my family, and I'm pregnant so I can't do much work. My mother-in-law only helps with cleaning. There are few people earning money in the family, and then there's Ali... Sigh, how can your life be as easy as yours?"
Huang Si Niang didn't think pregnancy was anything special; it wasn't that precious. In the past, people would still go to work in the fields even when they were heavily pregnant. But Xiang Dali listened to the doctor and felt that this pregnancy had been difficult and they hadn't made it this far, so he insisted that she stay home and do housework.
Therefore, she became the most idle person in the entire village besides the children. Huang Si Niang felt that she was not destined to enjoy a life of leisure, and envied those like Li Niang who could find something to do.
Liniang and the rest of Xiang Dazhu's family are gone, so she has no worries about food and shelter. Moreover, Liniang only works as a kitchen helper in the canteen, yet she has signed a contract just like the craftsmen and can earn three thousand yuan a month.
“What’s three thousand yuan to me? Du Fang can get more than six thousand.” Li Niang: “After you give birth, I’ll talk to Miss Lu and see if there’s any work you can do.”
Huang Si Niang seemed to have thought of something, and a strange expression appeared on her face. She smiled shyly and whispered, "I'm not afraid you'll laugh at me, but I've been seeing Miss Chen running around these past few days. She's very capable, and I really admire her."
How wonderful it would be if she could do this kind of work!
Li Niang nodded, "What's so funny about that? She's the head housekeeper! Who wouldn't aspire to that?"
Zhang Ying and Xiang San Niang were also discussing Chen Yingying.
"Manager Chen is really capable. I saw that she wasn't afraid of the village head and Teacher Yuwen at all, and she could talk so much." Zhang Ying even had a hint of admiration in her eyes. "Even my father said that Manager Chen is more capable than the managers of the Ministry of Works he has dealt with before."
These young women preferred to call Chen Yingying "Manager Chen," which made them feel more integrated into the new world. They liked that feeling.
Xiang San Niang whispered, "Manager Chen's wages must be very high."
Zhang Ying nodded: "I heard the other day that Manager Chen graduated from a very good university, one of the top fifty in the country."
The two girls huddled together, admiring and envying each other for a long time.
They are too young and don't have any skills, so they usually just help the villagers wash clothes and clean the fourth area. Manager Chen said they are not yet of working age, and their focus is on their studies.
But I really want to be rich too!
That evening, after dinner, the newly recruited employees all left, leaving only the people from Xiangjia Village sitting in the canteen. Lu Xiaoqi came in from outside, carrying a black plastic bag that looked quite ordinary.
The bag actually contained stacks of cash, freshly withdrawn from the bank.
The finance person was puzzled as to why these people's salaries were being paid in cash. She almost thought it was a trick the boss was using to evade taxes. Fortunately, Lu Xiaoqi explained in time, otherwise the newly hired finance person would have run away.
She didn't want to go to Tilanqiao, and since people from Qinghe City couldn't go to Tilanqiao, it wouldn't be worth it.
Lu Xiaoqi felt that these villagers would only feel a sense of reality when they actually held the cash in their hands. They had no concept of bank cards or mobile phones.
After the first cash disbursement, subsequent cash disbursements will be handled by a regular bank.
Everyone stared intently at the black plastic bag on her table, knowing that it contained the money they had now—red banknotes known as "RMB."
Lu Xiaoqi knew everyone's expectations, and she didn't feel the need to say anything like a boss. She got straight to the point: "Those whose names are called, come up and collect your wages. If you don't recognize any numbers or can't count, you can go ask Assistant Su over there."
"First place, Xiang Ming."
Lu Xiaoqi looked at the number on the form: 25,800, which was the amount after deducting social insurance, housing fund, and individual income tax.
Xiang Ming also earned the most in the entire Xiangjia Village, two thousand yuan more than Xiang Qi, because he was also responsible for some management work.
Master craftsmen like him and Xiang Qi are extremely rare, and their salaries are quite substantial. In large project teams, they can earn 40,000 to 50,000 yuan per month, or even more.
Lu Xiaoqi felt that Xiang Qi and Xiang Ming's abilities were fully commensurate with the salary, but unfortunately she was poor.
However, she couldn't offer too little, so after careful consideration, she offered a salary of 30,000 yuan, which, including other benefits, was reasonable. In fact, very few labor contracts on the market provide social security and housing provident fund for their workers, but she insisted on doing so.
Lu Xiaoqi didn't want to exploit these people and make them work like slaves for low wages just because she controlled the system. She felt that if the system's advantages were so great, and she couldn't even afford such a small increase in labor costs, then she should just quit playing this game.
Xiang Ming stepped forward and happily accepted the wages handed over by Lu Xiaoqi.
The finance person was very meticulous; they wrapped everyone's money in red paper, which looked very festive.
After receiving the thick envelope, Xiang Ming stroked the red paper several times with his withered hands, then sighed, his eyes welling with tears. After a long while, he bent down towards Lu Xiaoqi:
"Thank you, Miss Lu."
Wrapped in this red paper is their confidence and strength to take root in this world.
Lu Xiaoqi helped him up, her eyes crinkling with laughter: "No need to thank me, village head. You earned this yourselves through hard work."
Xiang Ming sighed, took the thick wad of money, returned to his seat, waved it at his grandson and granddaughter, and grinned from ear to ear: "What do Xuezhi and San Niang want to buy? Grandpa will buy it for you!"
"How could we let you pay for it, Dad?" Xiangming's son said hurriedly, puffing out his chest. "Dad will get the money too, and he'll buy it for you then."
Xiang Ming gave him a disdainful look: "What are you showing off for? If your skills don't improve, you won't even earn as much as Xiang Dali, who's younger than you."
While the family was talking, the others went to collect their wages one after another.
"Xiang Dali!"
Xiang Dali's salary is shown on the table as 15,000 yuan after deduction.
Half of the able-bodied adults in Xiangjia Village earn about the same salary as Xiang Dali, with slight variations depending on their monthly work. The younger ones can earn around six to eight thousand yuan—their skill level is only slightly lower than that of their fellow villagers, but they are already considered key personnel by outside standards.
The young craftsmen beamed with joy after receiving their wages.
These young people are more outgoing. They have already become familiar with the other employees and know that seven or eight thousand yuan is quite a good salary in Qinghe City, even higher than many other employees.
During the Ming Dynasty, these young artisans would not have received such high salaries or such recognition. This was also the first time these inexperienced young artisans had clearly and directly felt the value of their skills.
Zhang Ying and Xiang San Niang sat together, looking on with great envy.
"Did you ask your father?" Zhang Ying secretly asked Third Sister.
Xiang San Niang nodded, her eyes sparkling with joy: "I've asked. Although my father is still hesitant and feels it's unnecessary, I think he's starting to waver. If I keep pestering him, there's definitely a chance."
The two were whispering when they suddenly heard Lu Xiaoqi call their names:
"Zhang Ying! Xiang San Niang!"
The two blinked, wondering if they had misheard, and exchanged a blank look until they saw Miss Lu smiling and waving at them.
"Yes, it's you guys. Why aren't you coming up to collect your wages?"
Zhang Ying and Xiang San Niang felt as if they were walking on cotton, and they were dizzy.
Xiang San Niang took her share and mustered up her courage to ask, "Miss Lu, do we get some too?"
Lu Xiaoqi nodded: "Of course! You guys have been working very hard to clean up Zone 4 every day. You reap what you sow."
Doing things like washing clothes for the villagers is considered personal work, but since Zone 4 is so big, and the two of them cleaned the common areas together, they naturally had to be paid.
“You’re not old enough to start working yet. This is the time for you to focus on your studies. Consider this your earnings from part-time work,” Lu Xiaoqi said with a smile to her two younger sisters. “Keep these safe and use them to buy things you like, or save them for your future studies.”
Zhang Ying and Xiang San Niang clutched their wages tightly, their hearts filled with excitement and joy, and bowed to Lu Xiaoqi in a gesture of respect.
"Thank you, Miss Lu!"
They were the last two to receive their wages. After they were all paid out, Lu Xiaoqi clapped her hands and announced something else: "Everyone has been here for almost two months now, and you all have some money in your hands. Starting tomorrow, those of you who want to go out of town to see the world can go."
She detained them for so long, teaching them some basic modern knowledge, and now she has completed a phase of her mission.
Lu Xiaoqi added, "However, due to the issue of freedom, you can only go to the county for now. Also, please be careful on your first trip out and don't act alone. Divide yourselves into groups and then register with the village head. Please keep an eye on their safety, village head."
Xiang Ming quickly agreed.
After Lu Xiaoqi left, the cafeteria erupted in a commotion and became quite lively.
"You can go out now!"
"Let's go tomorrow! I've been wanting to see the outside world for ages. Shall we go together tomorrow?"
"Okay, I want to buy a few things..."
Everyone was unable to hide their joy and excitement; they could finally go out!
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