After being rebuked by the village chief, everyone was speechless.
They just wanted to ask the village chief to put in a good word for them with the Lu family. They didn't ask for much; they just wanted one person from each family to get into the Lu family's workshop, since the Lu family's workshop was short-staffed anyway.
But who knew that the village chief had received benefits from the Lu family and his heart was completely biased towards the Lu family, so he no longer cared about the local villagers.
“Village chief, that’s not very kind of you to say that. How come we haven’t taken good care of our own fields? This is all work in the workshop, and it’s not a lot of work. Anyone can do it. So many of your family members are working there, and you must have gotten a lot of benefits, right? What’s wrong with saying a few words for us?”
"Yes, we respect you as the village chief. You've been law-abiding all these years and haven't caused any trouble. We're all from the same village, so why do you have to say such harsh things?"
"You've taken all the benefits from the Lu family without sharing them with us. Is that any way to talk about it?"
...
These people got more and more excited as they talked, not thinking there was anything wrong with what they were saying. They weren't afraid of the village chief's stern face, since the village chief had already taken benefits from the Lu family and would definitely not dare to keep them to himself after they exposed him.
Hearing these people talking, the village chief was so angry he laughed. He said in a very roguish way, "Yes, I did get some benefits from them. My sons have all worked for them, and all the women in my family work in their workshop. I got a lot of good stuff at the end of the year. What can you do about it?"
Originally, I wanted to reason with these people and get them to work diligently so that the Lu family could see their sincerity. That way, I could recommend them next time I need to hire someone, which would be a natural thing to do.
Before he could even exchange a few words, these people turned on him and immediately lost interest. There was no need to waste his friendship with the Lu family on such people. Even if they entered the workshop, they would only cause trouble for him and make him lose face.
Everyone was speechless, thinking that the village chief was really shameless, daring to admit that he had received benefits.
But before they could say anything, the village chief continued, "The reason so many of my family members were able to work in the Lu family workshop is because they are hardworking. Just ask around; although my family members don't earn the most in the workshop, they certainly earn a lot. Everyone knows that the Lu family pays according to the amount of work done. Lazybones like you wouldn't earn any money even if you went there!"
Since things had fallen out, the village chief wasn't going to give them a friendly look. He continued, "You'd better behave yourselves. If you cause any trouble in the village, I'll go directly to the county government and have the magistrate drive you pests out of the village. There are just too many people in this village; it's too much of a hassle for me to manage!"
After saying that, without waiting for them to speak, he simply ushered them outside.
No one dared to say anything. The village chief's sons stood calmly to the side, and if a fight broke out, they would be no match for them.
Moreover, even if the village chief is a minor official, he is still just a village official. If something happens, the county magistrate will definitely side with the village chief.
A large group of people left, muttering curses under their breath.
The village chief's wife, Liu, spat at their retreating backs and cursed, "They're all shameless filthy things, what bad luck!"
The Lu family had no idea about the troubles that had happened at the village chief's house. After working hard for more than half a year, they were finally able to relax.
After the workers' wages and benefits were paid, it was time for their own families to receive their share of the profits.
Sun took out all the money she had earned during this period and placed it in front of everyone. She counted it, and it amounted to a total of 1,270 taels of silver.
According to the previous investment ratio, Gongzhong received 482 taels of silver and 600 copper coins, the eldest, second, and third sons received 190 taels of silver and 500 copper coins respectively, and the Zhang brothers' families received 95 taels of silver and 250 copper coins respectively.
The remaining twenty-five taels of silver and four hundred copper coins were to be used as retirement funds for Old Man Lu and his wife, Mrs. Sun.
The first and second wives had only received twenty taels of silver before, which they thought was a lot at the time. But now they had nearly two hundred taels of silver in their hands, which felt very heavy. Their feelings were indescribable.
Not to mention the Zhang brothers, the money they invested was all borrowed from He Jiuniang. If it weren't for He Jiuniang, they would still be penniless.
With great excitement, Lu Guilan discussed it with Shen Shi and pulled He Jiuniang aside, saying, "Third Sister-in-law, the money we had before was all lent to us by you. Now we've decided to return twenty taels of silver to each of you. It's not a lot, but it's just a small token of our appreciation. You absolutely mustn't refuse!"
He Jiuniang didn't refuse and accepted it with a smile. She had indeed helped them, so the interest wasn't excessive.
Everyone was happy after the money was divided. They gathered around the fire, dreaming about the future and thinking that they would definitely earn more money next year.
That's for sure. The reason we're receiving so much money now is because the family bought so much more land and that's what's left over.
The Zhang brothers also included the farmland they bought, since they had invested money in it.
Next year, we will not only have income from the garment workshop and food workshop, but also income from the fields.
During this time, Old Man Lu has also figured out some tricks of planting medicinal herbs, and he will be able to start planting them in the spring.
Once the medicinal herb workshop is established, it will bring in another source of income.
The future looked bright. The group of men, led by Old Man Lu, all got drunk. In the end, each wife carried her husband back to their house.
Then--
The task of washing dishes fell to He Jiuniang, a widow without a husband!
Really!
She looked up at the sky speechlessly, while Lianhua chuckled and came over, saying, "Aunt Jiu Niang, let me wash you!"
She received a lot of bonuses when she was given welfare benefits before, and now she has thirty taels in her private stash, which is all from the wages and year-end bonuses given by Mrs. Sun every month.
Originally, I wanted to return this money to Sun, to repay the money I had given her to redeem her from her servitude. However, Sun said that she didn't earn much now, and if I returned the money, I would be penniless. So I told her to save some more and return the rest later.
It was just a disguised way of making excuses. Lianhua knew that she had no way to repay the Lu family's kindness, and she only hoped to work harder next year to repay them.
"Okay, you pass me the plate!"
He Jiuniang wasn't the type to exploit children; it was already quite kind of her to be willing to help.
It's late at night now, and all the other children in the family have gone to bed early. Lianhua is a bit older and more sensible, so she's thinking about cleaning up the mess.
At times like this, He Jiuniang couldn't help but sigh in her heart, thinking how sensible and well-behaved all the children in her family were.
The other children were enrolled because they were getting paid, but Lianhua was sensible because she was grateful and wanted to repay the Lu family.
"Auntie, let's set up our stall in the city after the New Year."
When they were almost done washing, Lianhua suddenly brought up the topic of doing business.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com