Not long after Cheng Yue and the others returned home, a group of people came noisily outside the courtyard wall.
The villagers have been very busy lately, helping Chen Ping harvest wheat and plant crops, and helping Zhao Luoguo and Erlaizi build houses.
I had just been idle for a couple of days recently and was worried about having nothing to do when the village head came to my door, saying that Chen An wanted to take on apprentices.
They weren't ambitious enough to work in Cheng Yue's shop, but they couldn't shirk their responsibilities of enduring hardship.
Although being someone's apprentice means being busy like a son, with no freedom for three to five years, they still couldn't ask for it.
After all, carpentry is a craft. Once you've mastered it, you can make a living for a lifetime. If you're ambitious, your descendants will probably never have to worry about food.
Just look at Chen An's father. If he didn't have this skill, how could he have built the only brick house in the village and so much land?
"Nephew Chen An, are you really going to take on an apprentice? Look at my Xiao Bai, he may only be eight years old, but he's incredibly hardworking. He can do more farm work than his father!"
Aunt Li has the loudest voice. As soon as she entered the yard, she started excitedly recommending her grandson. You can't let such a good thing go to waste!
Cheng Yue looked over and saw that he was indeed fair-skinned and clean-cut. No wonder he was called Xiao Bai (Little White). He was completely different from his father, Hei Dan (Black Egg).
But do all the names Aunt Li choose in her family are so descriptive and casual?
The black one is called Black Egg, and the white one is called Little White...
Chen An replied with a smile, "Aunt Li, I do want to accept her, but it depends on the child's own wishes and whether she is suitable."
Everyone has arrived. This was said to Aunt Li, and also to everyone in the village.
"Understood, understood. It would be great if we were selected, but we won't say anything if we weren't!"
Aunt Li said this, but her heart was pounding.
Her son, Heidan, wasn't very capable. He either worked in the fields or went out to do odd jobs, all of which were tiring and hard work. She didn't want her grandson to suffer like that for the rest of his life.
With so many children in the village, Chen An can't possibly take in just anyone. There are too many wolves and not enough meat. Would her Xiaobai be suitable?
Aunt Li was anxious, as were the other villagers. They didn't know how Chen An would choose, since taking on apprentices was his business, and whether he was chosen or not was up to fate.
Chen An coughed lightly and said slowly, "We're all from our own village, so I'll be frank. I don't have many rules about taking on apprentices; just treat it as a job recruitment."
However, they are all children who have never been exposed to carpentry before, and it is unknown how many years it will take them to learn.
Before you complete your studies, I will not charge you any money, and you will not receive any wages, but you must still do the work and not be lazy.
Of course, once you've completed your studies, I guarantee you'll have work and pay. However, I have one condition: you'll need to sign a ten-year contract.
Similar to a long-term labor contract, it only stipulated that the learned skills could not be disclosed to others during the ten-year period, and that one could not establish one's own business. Violation of these rules would result in a penalty of one hundred taels of silver.
Actually, there are many rules and regulations for accepting apprentices, but Chen An and Cheng Yue discussed it and decided not to follow the old ways too much.
Cheng Yue, in particular, had many ideas about carpentry. Rather than taking on apprentices, she was recruiting workers to form a carpentry team.
As the braised food and pastry shops gradually took off, they gained connections, and naturally, the carpentry business also flourished.
This was Cheng Yue's own idea, and Chen An agreed with it. Even if they couldn't make a business deal, he was confident he could still get work.
It's not easy to find experienced workers, so this is the only way.
The advantage is that such relationships are stronger, but of course there are also disadvantages. It takes a lot of time and energy to teach a group of children.
They are not philanthropists and cannot teach everyone a skill for free, but they are not heartless either. Although they have signed long-term labor contracts, they will ensure that everyone can earn money.
So Cheng Yue and Chen An discussed and made this decision, and now it's up to everyone to see if they can accept it.
After Chen An finished speaking, the villagers gasped. One of the older women said worriedly, "How can we possibly pay back one hundred taels?"
Cheng Yue continued, "If there are no violations of the rules, then naturally there is no need for compensation. Carpentry is a craft passed down through generations, and we also face risks if we teach it to others for free. This is just to provide us with a guarantee."
The village head understood everything. In the end, it was the villagers who benefited. So he said, "You can only hear the bad things, but you definitely can't hear the good things."
This is called being upfront about the consequences: as long as you don't make any mistakes, what's there to be afraid of paying compensation for?
What a bunch of people who care about their own heads but not their own backsides, and who care about their own backsides but not their own heads!
"What about ten years from now?"
The village head glared at them, thinking that everyone usually had a pretty good head on their shoulders, so why did they all become such idiots when something happened?
"Isn't it clearly stated? It's a ten-year period!"
Cheng Yue smiled and tried to dissuade her, "Uncle Village Head, it's alright. This is a very important matter, it's normal for everyone to ask a few more questions."
The village head sighed and had no choice but to give up.
Chen An continued, "The contract will be terminated in ten years, and I won't care what you do then."
After Chen An finished speaking, everyone started discussing it.
Aunt Li didn't want to listen to everyone's discussion and firmly stated, "Nephew Chen An, I don't have any particular ideas. I just want Xiao Bai to learn a trade so that he doesn't have to travel around like his father."
"Don't even mention ten years, even twenty or thirty years, I'll have him follow you!"
She didn't think that much about it; it was just this one idea.
Chen An taught them for free. Even if they worked for free for a few years after they finished learning, it wouldn't be a problem. Which master who takes on apprentices outside doesn't do the same?
It's just a ten-year contract, and they even guarantee I'll have work to do. Why worry so much?
After Aunt Li explained it, everyone understood. Ten years really isn't much. Even if a teenager finishes their studies and has another ten years, they'll only be in their early twenties.
Ten years isn't the problem; the problem is that after ten years, they'll be left with nothing to do after leaving Chen An. What can they do on their own?
So they all agreed.
Everything that needed to be said had been discussed in advance, so everyone had no concerns, and Chen An began selecting people.
He first asked who was unwilling, and he didn't force them. Clearly, even the children knew it was a good thing, and not one of them shook their heads.
Next, we need to consider physical condition. Carpentry is physically demanding, so you need to be strong. Anyone who is sickly and weak will definitely not be suitable.
Although they are all children from farming families and used to farm work, some of them are hungry or are naturally weak.
This round eliminated more than half of the children, and the parents of the eliminated children looked worried but had no choice but to accept it.
As for the remaining people, Chen An wanted to see if they had any talent. So he gave them tools and a few pieces of wood, explained the purpose of the tools and how to use them, and asked them to go home and make a small stool and hand it in two days later.
A small stool may seem simple, but making it well is not so easy. Whether the tenons are strong and whether it is planed smoothly are all important factors.
"Tch! With your skills, you dare to take on apprentices? Even your father, who lived to a ripe old age, didn't dare to. How dare you?"
"What a load of rubbish about a ten-year contract! This is more like a servitude contract! Hey! Don't be fooled!"
Just as everyone was about to leave, a shrill voice suddenly came from outside the door.
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