Chapter 91: Sleep peacefully with me here
Zhao Laoer's family has been busy at home recently and has not been to the city, so they didn't know about the recruitment of female workers.
In the afternoon, Zhao Laoer's wife went to pick up their daughter from school. On the way back, they were stopped by two little beggars.
Zhao Laoer's wife thought they were beggars and was about to say that she had no money in her pocket, and if they didn't mind, they could go home with her and she would pack some food for them.
But the two little beggars spoke before her: "Auntie, the toilet paper workshop in the city is recruiting female workers. Anyone who is 16 years old and healthy can sign up. Food and accommodation are provided. The fee is 10 cents a day, and at least one meal is meaty. The more you work, the more money you can earn. There is a lunch break every day and one day off every seven days. If you don't live in the workshop dormitory, you can also get a penny for travel expenses. Such a good job, don't miss it if you pass by!"
Another little beggar said, "The male workers are full, and they don't want children, otherwise I would have signed up. Now there is no one for the female workers. It's first come first served. The registration place is at the toilet paper store in the city. If I miss this opportunity, I don't know when I will have the next one."
The two of them sang in unison and said a lot of things, which made Zhao Laoer's wife dizzy.
Juan'er was the first to react. She said in surprise, "Mom, my two brothers said that the toilet paper workshop is hiring, and you meet the requirements. You can get ten cents a day. Last time, Boss Rong said that the papermaking workshop is a government-owned workshop, and they won't delay wages like those bad bosses."
After the autumn harvest every year, when the fields become idle, the men in the village would go to the city to look for work to supplement their family income.
But without an introduction, not only is it difficult to find a job, but you may also be pressed for wages. There are even cases where you are not paid for the work done. Zhao Laoer had encountered this once before.
But the boss was a city dweller and was acquainted with the constables in the yamen. The villagers dared not fight with them and could only swallow their anger and say forget it.
After Zhao Laoer came back that time, he was exhausted for several days. Juaner remembers it very clearly.
Zhao Laoer's wife understood now: "The government is recruiting workers, so they shouldn't lie, but..."
She looked at the two little beggars and said, "You two kids are not lying, are you? Apart from embroidery workshops and restaurant kitchens where people wash vegetables, I have never heard of any workshop that would hire female workers for manual labor."
The little beggar was anxious, raised his hand and swore: "Auntie, I swear to heaven, if what I said just now is a lie, let the thunder god strike me to death. This job recruitment notice has been out for several days, but it has not been spread to the village. If you don't believe me, you can go to the city to ask, everyone knows about it."
Another person said, "Yes, the news has spread like crazy in the city. If no one signed up, Boss Rong wouldn't have spent money to let us promote it in the village."
"Boss Rong?" Zhao Er's wife grasped the key point, "Were you sent by Boss Rong from the Yunduo Cake Shop?"
The little beggar nodded: "Yes, it's the boss Rong who is as good-looking as a god. He often shares bread with us. I will never mistake him for someone else."
Hearing that it was Rong Yin who asked them to come, Zhao Laoer's wife was skeptical at first, but now she believes it completely.
"I, I have to go home and discuss it with my family." Zhao Laoer's wife's heartbeat quickened, and a vague sense of anticipation rose in her heart.
The two little beggars looked at each other and saw that she was interested in the job opening, so they said, "Auntie, if you want to sign up, can you tell the manager my name? Let the manager know that it was me who told you about the job opening."
"Of course." Zhao Laoer's wife agreed readily, "What's your name?"
One of the little beggars said, "Just call me little monkey."
"Okay, I'll remember that."
"Goodbye, auntie. We are going to tell more people about this. The workshop is only hiring fifty people. If you want to go, you'd better hurry up."
"Okay, go ahead."
After the two little beggars ran away, Zhao Laoer's wife also led her children and ran home eagerly.
When she met a villager on the road, she saw that she looked hurried, so she asked her, "Xiao Cui, why are you in such a hurry? Did something happen to you?"
Tian Xiaocui is the name of Zhao Laoer's wife.
Since it was not a final decision, Tian Xiaocui could not publicize it everywhere, so she had to make up an excuse: "The child is hungry, so I went home early to make dinner for her."
Everyone in the village shook their heads and said, "I think in the whole village, only your family is so accommodating to children."
Tian Xiaocui smiled and said nothing more.
When the mother and son arrived home, Zhao Laoer had just returned from the fields, his grandfather was weaving baskets in the yard, and his grandmother was picking vegetables.
Seeing the family, Tian Xiaocui immediately said, "Master, father-in-law and mother-in-law, I want to discuss something with you."
In the main hall, Tian Xiaocui told her family what the little beggar had said, and then she said, "Boss Rong will not lie to me. I want to sign up to be a female worker."
Juan'er also hurriedly said, "That's ten coins a day, a total of three hundred coins a month. Daddy may not be able to earn that much even if he works for others for a month."
Zhao Laoer's family was considered relatively open-minded in the village. His parents-in-law had never made things difficult for their daughter-in-law. When the young couple said they wanted to send Juan'er to school, the two old people never said a word of objection.
It was because she understood them that Tian Xiaocui dared to think of signing up and spoke out openly.
The villagers have enough food and drink, but it is very difficult to make a penny. They can go to the city to sell vegetables and eggs, but not only are the prices low, but they may not even be able to sell them, so the situation is extremely unstable.
For the villagers, a job that pays ten cents a day is really a good thing that is hard to find even with a lantern.
Grandpa smoked a pipe with a frown on his face. "Old man, I've heard before that there are only male workers in the paper mill. Why are they suddenly recruiting female workers this time? How can a group of women stay with a group of strange men?"
After all, this was the first time he had encountered such a thing. No matter how sensible Grandpa Zhao was, he could not help but be influenced by old ideas.
Juan'er ran over and hugged Grandpa's arm, shaking him, and said coquettishly, "Grandpa, the city is different from our village. I have seen many sisters and aunts in the city working outside. There are many young and beautiful sisters working in Boss Rong's bakery and milk tea shop. They work inside, away from the wind and sun, and they are well dressed and well fed. They look so respectable."
Since going to school, Juan'er, who was originally a bit shy, has become much more cheerful and bold after seeing more of the world in books, and she also speaks more fluently.
Grandma Zhao was touched by her granddaughter's words and said, "We are going to recruit 50 female workers. There are so many people, and they are not just a couple. When we go out on the street, men, women, old and young are mixed together. How come there is no bad news?"
Master Zhao glared at her: "You old woman, how can you say be the same as what I say?"
Grandma Zhao was angry: "Didn't you hear me? Ten cents a day, free food and lodging, and meat. With such good conditions, what else can you complain about? If you care so much about your reputation, why did you climb over my wall and secretly feed me food when we were not married yet?"
"Tsk, why are you talking about these old things in front of the children?" Grandpa Zhao glanced at the young people shyly, and the three of them turned their heads away, pretending not to hear anything.
Grandma Zhao said, "Which is more important, a bad reputation or having a full stomach? If I were not too old and they did not want me, I would have signed up long ago."
Zhao Laoer, who had been silent the whole time, also spoke up: "Yes, Dad, think about a few years ago, when there were wars everywhere, our family was hiding from place to place, and our only wish was to survive safely. Now our whole family is here, and since we can have a better life, why should we care about those rules and regulations."
Juan'er came to help again: "The two brothers said that after the notice was released, no one in the city would sign up. People in the city have money but don't want to sign up, and we don't have money so we won't sign up either. If the workshop is disappointed, they may not recruit female workers anymore in the future, and it will be useless to regret it then."
The four members of the family all looked at Grandpa Zhao. Grandpa Zhao took a long puff of his cigarette, sighed, and then said, "Forget it. This is not the first time that our Zhao family has done something out of line. Anyway, as long as we can make money, let others say whatever they want."
"Grandpa is so nice! Juan'er likes him the most!" Juan'er excitedly threw herself into Grandpa Zhao's arms.
The other three also smiled happily.
Because it was already very late and the village was quite far from the city, it was too late to rush over, so they decided to go to the city to register early the next morning.
That night, the whole family couldn't sleep. Zhao Laoer hugged his wife and said, "The paper mill belongs to His Majesty. The news was brought by Boss Rong. They are both great benefactors of our family. I trust them."
Tian Xiaocui nodded: "If I can successfully get a job in the paper mill, our family will have another way to save money in the future. You have always wanted to renovate the house, maybe it will come true soon."
The couple thought about the future and fell asleep in a daze.
The next morning, the family of five went out together. In order to get into the city quickly, they even paid to ride an ox cart.
The man driving the ox cart in the village saw that the whole family was going to the city and couldn't help but be curious: "Zhao family, why are you going to the city?"
Grandpa Zhao replied perfunctorily: "I just went to do something."
Seeing that they were unwilling to talk, the man driving the ox cart did not ask any more questions. However, his curious mind got the better of him, and after entering the city, as soon as the Zhao family left, he asked someone to help him watch the ox cart and quickly caught up with the Zhao family.
When the Zhao family arrived at the toilet paper store, they saw a table at the door and a handsome man sitting behind the table. It was Rong Yin.
There were many people gathered at the store entrance to watch the excitement, but no one came forward to sign up. Rong Yin was spinning his brush boredly when he suddenly heard a familiar voice calling, "Boss Rong!"
He looked up and saw Juan'er running towards him, followed by the rest of the Zhao family.
Rong Yin stood up excitedly, "What are you doing..."
It was the first time that Grandpa Zhao and Grandma Zhao saw Rong Yin in person. Before that, they had only heard about him from their children and had eaten the snacks he brought them. They knew that he was a kind and loving person.
Tian Xiaocui stepped forward and summoned her courage to say, "Boss Rong, are you still hiring female workers? I want to work in the paper mill."
After the Zhao family squeezed in, the surroundings became quiet and everyone was observing their movements.
When Tian Xiaocui said she wanted to sign up, a sarcastic voice came from the crowd: "How dare a woman sign up? The paper mill is full of men. Who knows what they want to do by hiring women in?"
As soon as these words came out, people started talking about it. Tian Xiaocui's face turned very ugly, and Zhao Laoer silently held her hand.
Rong Yin immediately walked out and looked at the crowd: "Who said that just now?"
People avoided his gaze and no one acknowledged him.
Rong Yin sneered: "I hear your voice is sinister, and I don't know whether you are a man or a woman, but since you dare to say it but not admit it, I will call you a coward."
"Pfft." Someone laughed out loud, and then others followed suit.
Rong Yin continued, "You coward, this paper mill is owned by the government. We recruit female workers just like we recruit male workers. We let them work for money. It's no different than letting women and men work in the fields. It's just a change of location and job. Don't piss on your shoes. If you're being naughty, then you'll see others being naughty, too."
Rong Yin's words were indeed sarcastic and funny. Someone laughed and said, "Boss Rong, I am asking you this openly. I am not a coward. I am just worried that men and women are working in the same paper mill, and outsiders cannot enter and see what is going on. What if the female workers are bullied inside?"
This person said it in a tactful way, but his meaning was still the same: he was afraid of problems arising between men and women.
Rong Yin replied, "Okay, my dear brother, since you asked politely, I will also explain politely. In fact, we have already written down the solutions to the problems you mentioned in the recruitment notice, but you may not have seen it yet."
Rong Yin reached out and asked someone to bring a notice for recruiting female workers, and held it up for everyone to see: "It says at the end that male and female workers will work, eat and stay separately in separate workshops. Those who don't want to stay can go home, and they will also receive a penny for travel expenses. We will have people patrolling day and night to prevent male workers from bullying female workers."
Someone in the crowd said, "I saw the notice before, and it really says this."
Zong Zhengxiao said, "You are worried that the male workers will bully the female workers, so you don't allow women to sign up. If a situation occurs where male workers bully other male workers, will you also send all the male workers home and not allow them to go out and find work?"
"That's different." someone whispered.
"Why is it different? Tell me."
The man was silent.
Rong Yin said loudly: "Everyone, the purpose of recruiting female workers is to enable families who need to earn money to earn money. Both men and women in the family have the opportunity to work. Isn't this better than letting men earn money alone? One person can save one copper coin, two people can save two copper coins. After years and months, think about it, how much more money can a family with female workers earn than one without them?"
It is inappropriate to talk about human rights and equality in this era. Only by starting from their own interests can we impress them.
After he finished speaking, everyone thought about it carefully and felt that what he said made sense, but still no one dared to stand up.
At this time, Zhao Laoer said, "Boss Rong, please write my wife's name first. She is in good health and is also good at doing farm work at home. She is willing to work in the paper mill, and our whole family supports her."
Tian Xiaocui also said: "My family doesn't have much land, and my parents-in-law and husband can do all the work on the land. My children are grown up and don't need me to watch them all the time. Rather than working hard all year round and only relying on food to survive, I would rather find another way out for myself and my family."
Rong Yin looked at the couple gratefully, knowing that they said these things in order to help him prove what he had just said.
"Okay!" Rong Yin responded, went back and sat down, and started to register Tian Xiaocui.
"name."
"Tian Xiaocui."
"address."
"My husband lives in Xiaoxi Village."
"Do you choose to live in the workshop? Don't worry, you will have a day off every seven days, and you can go back to see your family then."
"My home is far from the city, so I'll choose to live in the workshop."
"Who told you about the job opening?"
"Two little beggars, one of them said his name was Little Monkey."
"Okay." After Rong Yin finished writing, he pointed to a corner in the store and said, "Go to the doctor and let him take your pulse to make sure you don't have any serious illness. After signing the confidentiality agreement, you can enter our workshop."
In fact, there will be background checks and training later, but now it is only the registration stage, so Rong Yin did not mention it.
Tian Xiaocui and her husband went to see a doctor together. The doctor examined her and said that she was not sick and that she would not have to work. Another person read the contents of the confidentiality agreement to her, and after confirming that she was willing to sign it, he asked her to put her fingerprints on it, knowing that she could not read.
When she came out, Rong Yin smiled and said, "Congratulations, Tian Xiaocui, for becoming the first female employee of the toilet paper workshop."
Juan'er jumped up and down and shouted happily: "That's great, Mom can earn ten cents every day in the future, and can eat meat every day."
The Zhao family surrounded Tian Xiaocui with satisfaction, smiles on their faces.
Juan'er's words touched many people. Having money and meat to eat was really exciting.
Rong Yin looked at the people in the crowd who were obviously moved and said, "Does anyone else want to sign up? There are only fifty spots. If you miss it, you will have no chance."
Seeing that some people were still hesitant, the kind-hearted Zhao Laoer directly gave a strong prescription: "Boss Rong, look, apart from my wife, no one else has come to sign up. You have given opportunities to women, but they are useless and dare not even sign up. How about this, you change the remaining quota to male workers, and I will also sign up, so that I can accompany my wife to the workshop."
As soon as Zhao Laoer finished speaking, a woman who was about the same age as Tian Xiaocui squeezed out of the crowd and shouted, "Who said women are useless? I'm here to sign up. This is the quota given to us women by the government. Why should it be given to you men? Boss Rong, I want to sign up too."
Someone took the lead, and soon more and more women bravely stepped forward.
"What this lady said is very true. We women are not useless. We can work in the fields like men, and we can also go to the workshop to make paper like them!"
"Boss Rong, sign me up!"
"I want one too!"
“…”
The registration table, which was originally deserted, was suddenly crowded with people. Rong Yin's face was full of smiles, and he shouted to everyone not to be anxious and to line up one by one.
Zhao Laoer and Tian Xiaocui looked at each other and smiled, then asked their grandpa and grandma to take Juan'er aside, while they helped Rong Yin maintain order.
After working from morning to afternoon, I finally finalized the list of fifty people. Some people may be screened out through background checks and training, and we can just recruit more later.
After everyone left, Rong Yin rubbed his sore wrist and said to the Zhao family members beside him: "I'm sorry to bother you today. You kept me busy until so late. Come on, I'll treat you to dinner."
The Zhao family subconsciously refused: "No, no, this is what we should do."
Rong Yin bent down and picked up Juan'er. "What should I do or not do? You helped me. It's a fact. You don't have to be polite to me. If you don't agree, I won't return Juan'er to you."
Juan'er cooperated and said, "Grandpa, grandma, parents, please don't abandon me."
The Zhao family had no choice but to follow Rong Yin into the nearest restaurant.
Fearing that they would be embarrassed to order food, Rong Yin ordered several meat and vegetarian dishes according to the appetite of the group.
After the dishes came, the adults ate cautiously because of his presence. Rong Yin went to interact with Juan'er, picking up dishes for her and chatting with her. He stopped looking at the adults, and they finally relaxed a lot.
After dinner, Rong Yin asked the guards to go to his shop to get some bread and milk tea and give them to the Zhao family so that they could take them with them on the road.
The Zhao family had no choice but to accept it.
The oxcart driver who had been following the Zhao family was chewing on the tasteless steamed buns he brought from home. Then he looked at the Zhao family members who were full of food, and he couldn't hide the jealousy in his eyes.
The Zhao family wanted to go back by ox cart, but when they arrived at the old place, they found that the driver had left.
They thought the driver had left early because his bus was full and couldn't wait any longer, so the family didn't mind and walked back on their own.
As soon as they entered the village, they found that the villagers looked at them strangely.
After returning home, Tian Xiaocui went to ask the villagers she knew and found out that the driver had spread rumors to the villagers since he came back, saying that Tian Xiaocui had signed up to work as a female worker in a paper mill and would have to work with a group of men in the future.
Yesterday, the two little beggars ran all over Xiaoxi Village. In fact, many people in the village knew about the recruitment of female workers, but only Tian Xiaocui actually signed up.
The driver had obviously been to the city and heard Rong Yin's explanation, and he even said such ambiguous words. It was as if Sima Zhao's intention was known to everyone.
Now the Zhao family could no longer sit still. From grandpa and grandma to Juan'er, they all ran to their own social circles and told them the contents of the notice that Rong Yin had mentioned before.
Hearing that Tian Xiaocui had found such a good job, some people couldn't help but feel jealous. However, the Zhao family threw out a big pie at this time and successfully solved this problem.
"I heard from the paper mill that they may need to recruit workers in the future, both male and female. My daughter Xiaocui works in the workshop and is well-informed. If she knows about the recruitment, I will definitely let her come back and tell everyone as soon as possible."
Since I've missed it this time, I can only wait for the next time.
Knowing that they could not offend the Zhao family, everyone, whether they wanted to or not, put away their jealous expressions and began to compliment the Zhao family.
Rong Yin was busy all day and was so tired that he fell asleep in the carriage on his way back to the palace.
While he was groggy, he felt himself being picked up. Before he woke up, the familiar smell made him feel at ease.
"Your Majesty..." Rong Yin hummed and subconsciously rubbed against Zong Zheng Xiao.
Zong Zhengxiao was carrying Rong Yin towards the Silver Shark Garden. When he heard the noise, he lowered his head and kissed him on the forehead, saying softly, "Thank you for your hard work, A Yin."
Rong Yin murmured instinctively: "I want to eat hot pot tonight. I'm so sleepy and need to go to sleep."
Zong Zheng Xiao comforted him, "Okay, go to sleep first, I'll eat hot pot with you tonight."
After hearing his words, Rong Yin finally fell asleep peacefully.
At this time, Cui Mansion.
The second young master Cui was sitting in his small study, writing. His servant knocked on the door outside. After getting his permission, he came in and whispered in his ear, "Sir, the eldest young master has gone to that person's yard again."
Hearing this, the corners of Cui Ershao's lips curled up, and an evil smile flashed in his eyes.
"Got it. Keep watching."
"yes."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
