Bonuses
Busy days always pass quickly, and a month has already gone by in the blink of an eye.
Taibai wine's reputation suddenly soared among the wealthy in Qingzhou.
It's quite funny, really. A group of rich young men were boasting about their drinking capacity at a party. Someone brought out a bottle of Taibai liquor, saying that whoever could drink a bowl of Taibai without getting drunk would be the best drinker. None of the young men were willing to admit defeat, so they immediately placed a bet on whether they would win. After drinking around the table, not one of them could finish…
Taibai wine thus became popular among the wealthy. In Qingzhou City, any prominent family that couldn't afford a jar of Taibai wine when hosting a banquet would be ridiculed.
Especially as the year draws to a close, the number of people booking banquets at various restaurants increases dramatically, and there is a constant stream of customers who specifically request Taibai wine.
Penglaiju and Baiweilou made a fortune with Taibai wine, making other restaurant owners extremely envious.
Since Taibai wine began to be sold at Penglaiju, the restaurant's profits have been increasing day by day. Just from wine alone, the daily income has reached several hundred taels.
Such money-making ability is simply terrifying!
When Xu Shangqiang saw the profits while reviewing the accounts, the smile on his face never faded. He even made a trip to Taibai Wine Shop to deliver a New Year's gift to Fu Zhiqiao in advance.
Fu Zhiqiao belatedly realized that the Little New Year was just a few days away.
With the Lunar New Year approaching, every household needs alcohol.
After a year of hard work, the people of Qingzhou begin preparing for the New Year, eating meat and drinking wine. A pot of good wine is indispensable for the New Year's Eve dinner and entertaining guests.
Therefore, the wine shops also launched a one-jin (500ml) bottle of Taibai wine, priced at three taels of silver.
This was fantastic for ordinary people who couldn't bear to spend ten taels of silver to buy a whole jar of wine. They could buy a pound of Taibai wine for three taels of silver, which was enough to satisfy the whole family.
Customer traffic at Taibai Wine Shop has stabilized, and daily cash flow fluctuations are not significant.
Fu Zhiqiao knew that her Taibai Wine Shop had truly established itself in Qingzhou.
Looking back on the events of the past year and the money she had earned, she felt exceptionally at ease and content.
She found Defu and said, "Everyone has been working hard these past few days. Take my seal to the money exchange and have them prepare some money. Then go and inform the winery that they will give bonuses to the workers in a couple of days, and the people in the shops will also receive bonuses."
"Yes!" Defu left after receiving the order.
Fu Zhiqiao specifically instructed Wen Jiang to bring two carriages into the city because they needed to go to the money exchange to withdraw money, and without carriages, the money could not be transported back.
Fu Zhiqiao opened a bank account at the money exchange and deposited all the money she had earned during this period into it. Now she is a major customer of the money exchange, and when she comes to withdraw money, the manager personally serves her.
The copper coins were already strung together and placed in a basket; after weighing, they could be taken away directly.
The prize money was divided into two tiers: half a string of cash was worth 500 coins, and one string of cash was worth 1,000 coins. There were a couple hundred people in the winery, and it took two carriages to carry all those coins.
Back at the manor, Fu Zhiqiao asked Liu Pinggu to gather all the villagers working at the winery together.
The money was distributed on the spot.
Each person received half a string of cash, and they lined up to collect it. Ordinary workers received half a string of cash, while team leaders and supervisors received one string of cash.
At first, the workers were uneasy and didn't believe that she would give out such a large bonus.
Until they saw several baskets of copper coins laid out.
A gasp of astonishment filled the room; they had never seen so much money in their lives. The villagers' eyes gleamed, some stammering, grabbing Wen Jiang and asking, "Manager Wen, um... is all this money for us? Really?"
After receiving an affirmative answer, everyone beamed with joy.
They have been renting land here for generations and have never received a bonus.
In the countryside, people grow their own food and don't spend much on food and lodging. On average, each person's monthly living expenses are about twenty or thirty coins. When the landlord gives them half a string or a string of coins at a time, it's equivalent to half a year's expenses. How could they not be excited!
With this money, some people can fix their leaky houses, some can send their children to school, and some say that the dowry for their sons' weddings is finally secured...
At this moment, the winery was filled with a joyous atmosphere from top to bottom.
Fu Zhiqiao had a table set up at the entrance of the winery. Wenshan, holding a pre-prepared roster, called out names and distributed money in turn, starting with the winemakers, followed by the security team and those doing odd jobs.
The workers lined up in an orderly fashion to receive their money, and soon it was Grandma Jiang's turn. She was the only person in the crowd whose clothes had many patches on them.
Her appearance quickly caught Fu Zhiqiao's attention. Grandma Jiang's face was covered with wrinkles, and she was very thin but looked very energetic. She looked like the kind of person who was living in poverty.
Liu Fangyuan stood aside and explained to Fu Zhiqiao that Granny Jiang was the kitchen helper. Her eldest son had died unexpectedly, leaving behind his daughter-in-law and grandchildren. Her younger son had been in the army for three years and had not returned. Now, no one knew whether he was alive or dead.
With no male heirs, only she and her daughter-in-law were able to work, making life very difficult. This money would greatly ease their financial situation.
Grandma Jiang took the half string of coins, clutched it tightly in her hand, and smiled happily, thanking her repeatedly.
Everyone was expressing their joy, and several men even shed tears of excitement after receiving the money.
Fu Zhiqiao herself was also very happy, happy for these villagers.
In her previous life, she only interacted with the wealthy, and her peers were all rich young ladies and gentlemen from wealthy families. Everyone was well protected from a young age, and they were a group of people who knew nothing of the hardships of life.
In this life, she no longer has the aura of being the heir to the Fu Group, nor does she have a family background to rely on.
Taibai Wine Shop was built from scratch, all thanks to her own efforts. She personally oversaw the construction of the winery and the excavation of the cellars, discussing her ideas for building the winery with bricklayers, carpenters, and other workers. She poured her heart and soul into it, experiencing firsthand what it's like to be a construction foreman.
That's why the people and things here touched her so deeply.
She knew that farmers depended entirely on the weather for their crops.
The villagers' living standards are very unstable, relying entirely on the meager harvest from the farm. When the harvest is good, the villagers have no worries about food and clothing; when the harvest is bad, they have to tighten their belts. If they also encounter a natural disaster, all their hard work for the whole year will be in vain.
Fu Zhi Qiao has always been generous to her own people. She is not a heartless capitalist, nor does she need her workers to be grateful to her. The workers need money, and she needs people to do things; it's a win-win situation.
The winery was built by her and the villagers. They worked hard from summer to winter, so it was only natural that they would receive some bonuses.
The workers put in their labor, and she put in their money.
She got to eat meat, and her subordinates also got to drink meat soup. A little kindness is appreciated, but too much kindness breeds resentment. Fu Zhi Qiao had a good grasp of the balance. Giving out half a string of cash or a whole string of cash as bonuses was enough.
Yuan Jinhua and Liu Dashu walked up to her hesitantly to thank her. The couple each took half a string of cash, which together amounted to a full string of cash.
The two of them felt very embarrassed about the money.
Liu Dashu, in particular, was both happy and ashamed. His employer was such a good person, and he had even slacked off at work before. Now that he thought about it, he was simply inhuman!
"Thank you, boss. We will definitely do our job well in the future."
Fu Zhiqiao smiled and said, "This money is a bonus for everyone, a reward for your hard work, and also a small token of my appreciation. The winery will remember your kindness in doing things for us."
Cheers erupted again from the crowd. The workers who received their bonuses were full of enthusiasm. They had decided to follow their employer wholeheartedly from now on, and they would never go west if their employer said east.
Everyone thanked Fu Zhiqiao and happily went home with the money.
Upon returning to the village, Liu Dashu couldn't wait to boast to his neighbors, "The landlord is a very kind person. We usually have lunch at the winery, and we have meat with every meal, which is better than what we eat at home during holidays."
"How much was the bonus?"
Liu Dashu shook the half string of cash in his hand. "Everyone got a share, even Granny Jiang who tends the fire received half a string of cash."
"Half a string of cash? That's a lot!"
The neighbor's eyes widened when he saw the money. He was both envious and jealous. He wished he could work at the winery and get a share of the money.
No, he had to go talk to the village chief and make sure that next time there was such an opportunity, Liu Qingsheng would be the first to sign up.
After showing off, Liu Dashu obediently handed the money to Yuan Jinhua.
"Jinhua, shouldn't we buy some wine to celebrate?"
Yuan Jinhua rolled her eyes at him, "All you know is drinking. Why did you buy any more wine? We still have half a jar at home."
She spoke harshly to Liu Dashu, but her expression was one of great joy.
Liu Dashu chuckled, "If only I could drink Taibai wine." Recalling the aroma he smelled in the winery, Liu Dashu swallowed hard.
"Dream on! That's fine wine that costs ten taels of silver. What are you dreaming about? Come and help with the work."
Liu Dashu's mother watched the two bickering with amusement, and the whole family was immersed in a joyful atmosphere.
Before long, the workers who had received their money returned to the village one after another, and the other villagers looked on with envy.
"Really? Not only do they give monthly wages, but they also give bonuses! How can there be such a good thing!" After receiving an affirmative answer, those who hadn't signed up to work at the winery were filled with regret.
When Liu Fangyuan returned home, he handed over all the money to his mother. Since their family had not yet divided the property, all the money they earned had to be given to Zhonggong.
When Liu Fangyuan's mother saw her son bring back a string of cash, she was so surprised that she couldn't close her mouth. He had only been working for a short time and he was already earning a string of cash. If this continued, how much money would he earn?
Liu Fangyuan works as a team leader at the winery. In addition to his monthly salary of fifty coins, he receives an extra twenty coins at the end of the month as a bonus for being a team leader.
Liu Pinggu watched his wife count the coins and was pleased. "Don't underestimate the mistress just because she's young. She's very capable. Our son will definitely amount to something if he stays with her."
Liu Fangyuan smiled and nodded vigorously in agreement.
Besides the workers at the winery, Fu Zhiqiao also provided wages to the shop assistants at the wine shop; each assistant received one string of cash.
Because the hiring standards in wine shops are higher than those in wineries, wine shops are responsible for reception work, which requires people to be good-looking, have a neat appearance, and be quick-witted and lively.
“As long as you do a good job, I will definitely not treat you unfairly, but…” Fu Zhi Qiao paused, also preparing to give them a warning. Their work in the wine shop represented the reputation of the wine shop, and she did not want anyone to trip her up behind her back.
"If anyone is half-hearted, don't blame me for turning ruthless."
The men were energized after receiving their money and shouted in unison that they would definitely do their jobs well.
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