After Li Mai finished speaking with several people, he let the five managers ask questions and select people themselves.
The five shopkeepers exchanged glances, and Wen Xiuhua spoke first: "Then I'll ask first. I don't actually need any more people. Since they are members of the owner's clan, and the owner wants to lend a hand, I'll see if there are any suitable people to work in the embroidery workshop."
Xiuhua only asked two questions: one was whether you think it's more important to have enough to eat or to have clothes to wear.
Another question is, if someone asks you for your master's birth date and where he lives, and threatens to kill you if you don't tell them, would you tell them or not?
Everyone laughed when they heard Xiuhua's question. "Xiuhua, you're hiring in an embroidery workshop, what kind of question is this? Shouldn't you be asking if she knows what kind of fabric it is?"
Xiuhua shook her head, looked at the six children, and waited for their answer with a smile.
After getting married, she became more mature and composed. After becoming the head manager of the embroidery workshop, she became more and more magnanimous in her actions. When she returned home, Zhou Heng would often teach her some ways of dealing with people.
What Zhou Heng knew was all taught to him by Li Mai through his words and deeds during the three years Li Mai took him under her wing.
Li Mai understood the significance of Xiu Hua's question.
In fact, what Xiuhua wanted was an honest and loyal assistant.
Unsurprisingly, the six people gave a wide variety of answers.
Some answered that eating is important, while others answered that wearing clothes is important. Some answered that they wouldn't tell, while others answered that they would tell.
After listening to their answers, Xiuhua chose a boy named Li Su, who was about the same age as Li Shan.
When Li Su heard that she had been selected, she and her mother exchanged a glance, both of them very happy.
Li Wanchun and Aunt Chun were also happy; it was good that they had chosen one.
Manager Lu glanced around, didn't ask any questions, and directly chose one who looked honest and didn't talk much. That kid Li Shan was too noisy, so he would neutralize him.
This is Liping.
Xu Changhe also posed a question. He raised his two sleeves and asked the young men who were willing to work at the incense shop to smell them and describe what they smelled.
Of the remaining four people, three shook their heads, saying the flavors were too mixed. Only one short boy hesitated for a moment and said that the two sleeves smelled different.
Xu Changhe pointed at him and said, "Boss, I want him."
"Li Gu, would you like to work in Xiangfang?" Li Mai asked.
Li Gu was still a little confused. After Li Mai asked the question, he glanced at his mother and nodded when he saw her encouraging look.
Li Mai smiled at Xu Changhe and said, "This was the youngest one who followed me back then. He was only seven years old at the time, and he's thirteen now."
"He's a little young, aren't you going to encourage him to study?" Xu Changhuan asked Li Gu's parents.
The two men shook their heads helplessly. "We have four sons. He's the third. The eldest two are already married. We don't have the money to send him to school. We were just thinking of sending him to Xiaomai to see if he could learn some skills, even if we only provide food and don't pay him wages."
After listening, Li Mai nodded, "Okay, as long as he is talented, I can train him. But the talents I train will have to sign a ten-year contract and work for me for ten years. After ten years, they can go out and open their own shops or workshops if they want."
"This is not only to recoup the cost of training him, but also to ensure that he learns the skills more thoroughly. Otherwise, if he only studies for three years, he won't be able to do well in the job market, won't make any money, and will even damage the reputation of my Li's Trading Company."
After Li Mai finished speaking, everyone nodded, understanding what she meant.
Li Gu's parents nodded, "Xiaomai, we understand what you mean. If it can be like this, that would be even better. He's not cut out to be a big boss. We'll be content if he can learn a skill, support himself, and get married."
Li Gu glanced silently at his parents, then at Li Mai.
Li Mai nodded, "Then go ahead and learn from Manager Xu. There's a lot to learn at Xiangfang."
"Yes, Sister Xiaomai!" Li Gu knelt down and kowtowed to her parents before standing up and standing next to Xu Changhe.
When Xu Changhe saw him kneel down and kowtow to his parents, he was touched. He realized that the man was grateful and filial.
Shen Qu, who manages the dyeing workshop, and Liu Guang, who manages the weaving workshop, glanced at the remaining three people and looked at Li Mai with some difficulty. They didn't really want the other three. Their workshops had enough people, and they didn't like any of the three. They didn't like their attitude when answering questions or their reaction to others being selected.
Both the dyeing workshop and the weaving workshop need meticulous people. Moreover, these are all Li Mai people. If someone with bad intentions comes in, it will cause trouble later. They don't want anything to happen in the workshops they manage.
Li Mai understood what they meant and nodded. "If you don't need it, then forget it. Go back and take the people you've chosen to a place to stay. If you need anything, ask Zhou Quan for help."
Everyone agreed.
Zhou Quan followed them out, leaving Li Mai looking at Li Wanchun. "Uncle Wanchun, then this is the only way. The three have been chosen, so don't worry. As long as the children are well-behaved and don't make mistakes, I will protect them."
"You three families, sign the contract with me first. The children will stay here. We'll sign a three-year contract. During these three years, I'll have their master train them and see what their aptitude is. If they learn well in three years, they can stay and continue working after that. Their wages will increase, and we'll sign a ten-year contract."
"They will receive wages for these three years, but not much. In the first year, they will receive one tael of silver per month, two taels in the second year, and three taels in the third year. As long as they work hard and learn skills, and can let their master see their talent, no talent will be buried in my hands."
After Li Mai finished speaking to them and saw them nod, she went to a cabinet on the side and took out three pre-written contracts, handing them to Li Wanchun. "Uncle Wanchun can read, let him read them to you."
Li Wanchun nodded and read the words aloud. The parents of Li Gu and the other two families heard it clearly and nodded. Li Wanchun wrote down their names, and they came over and pressed their fingerprints on their names.
Afterwards, Li Mai signed and confirmed the documents, put the three pieces of paper into the locked cabinet on the other side, took out a wooden box from the drawer below, opened it, took out three silver ingots from inside, and handed them to Li Gu's parents.
“This one is two taels, and these three are six taels. This is half a year’s wages for Li Gu. You can take it back to your family. He has food and lodging here, and I will take care of his clothes. He doesn’t need to pay for them. For the second half of the year, I will give them to him directly. How he spends them is up to him.”
The two were surprised that Li Mai would give them the money in advance, and they didn't dare to come over to accept it. They looked at Li Wanchun instead.
Li Wanchun nodded, "Take it, Xiaomai is worried you'll need the money."
Li Gu's father came over and took the child, smiled at Li Mai, and said, "Then thank you, Xiaomai. The child is yours. If he misbehaves, you can scold or beat him as you please."
Li Mai sighed and nodded, "Don't worry, he's still young, we can teach him."
Afterwards, Li Mai gave Li Su and Li Ping's parents six taels of silver, telling them to rest assured about the child and that whenever they came to town and wanted to see the child, they could come to the shop and find the manager.
They agreed.
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