Chapter 119 118. “How can I catch you if I’m not ruthless?”
A little bit of rice is a favor, a peck of rice is a grudge.
This kind of forced favoritism towards girls over boys will eventually cause public resentment.
Lei Li naturally knew this, so he added another item immediately afterwards - boys and girls who graduated from the school would be given priority to enter Montessori-related industries.
Montessori's business is very broad.
The rice shop alone sells many varieties of japonica rice, millet, glutinous rice, black rice, red rice, and beans, and also sells high-quality rice and bean seeds.
In addition, they also engage in businesses such as medicinal herbs, tea, cloth dyeing, embroidery, and small jewelry, and use the developed shipping and Meng's connections to sell them to Xiling, Zhongchuan, Nanjiang, etc.
Like the businessman who previously treated his employees to dinner at Lei's fast food restaurant, in addition to openly managing the rice shop in Qingmi County, he secretly did other businesses, using Meng's methods, and then enriched himself.
Not to mention those far away, let’s just talk about the chili factory in the village. Many people in the village are jealous and want to get in.
As soon as Lei Li said this, the trend in the village changed.
"Boys and girls go to school and study. After they finish their studies, Brother Li will find them jobs!"
"Where's the job?"
"It's related to the Meng family! The Meng family... they have shops in the capital. If you can work for the Meng family, you will definitely get a lot of money. It's definitely not less than the chili factory!"
"Can I enter the restaurant?"
"Who knows! Who knows, maybe I can find a man from the county town to marry in the future!"
After hearing this, the women and husbands in the village, including the middle-aged man who had strongly opposed it at the beginning, stopped objecting and instead became excited.
For the villagers, the county town is like the difference between a small village in the 18th tier and a big city. Although the economy of the county town is far from that of a big city, it does not prevent the villagers from striving to get in and live in the city.
In the past, boys and girls always worked in the village, and most of them married people from the village, or from the surrounding villages. The farther and better ones would be towns.
If you marry into a county town, the children you give birth to will also have county household registration, and your future grandchildren will also have county household registration. That would be different from those who dig for food in the fields.
If she marries into a good husband's family, she might be able to find a good girl or boy in the county for her brother. If she tells others that she has married two good relatives in the county in a row, she will be very proud.
If the boy or girl grows up to be capable enough to take their parents to live in the county town, that would be amazing!
Didn’t you see Brother Li?
I can buy a mansion worth tens of thousands of taels just by saying so!
Lei Dashan and Liu Ye'er didn't come back this New Year. They were being served and enjoying a comfortable life in the county town, with their fat little grandson to play with them!
What a blessing!
——What if this blessing falls on me?
The villagers couldn't help but think that it was like a ladle full of hope floating on the water. When pressed, it floated up again, and when it floated up, it was pressed down again. The more it was pressed, the more beautiful it became.
The more beautiful it is, the more I wish the school would be built sooner so that I can send the boys, girls and young men at home to school, learn a skill early and go to the county town to earn money!
It is winter now, and it is difficult to build a house in the ice and snow. The villagers, unable to bear the excitement and imagination, unconsciously flocked to Lei Li's house.
She eagerly tried to get close to Lei Li, asking him how he would arrange for the girls and boys who were studying. She also eagerly helped him boil water, chop wood, and catch pigs from the pigpen and slaughter them.
Especially Gui Fulang, who was in a hurry and came over with a big basket of taro. Knowing that Lei Li had a stubborn temper, he smiled and forced the taro on Zhou Yi.
"Remember that you love taro, so I picked out the best and sweetest ones for you. Don't be disgusted by them. If you need any help from me, just tell me. Don't be shy!"
"And mine! My eggs are pretty good too!"
"My little hen just laid eggs, and the meat is so tender. I caught two to give to Brother Li as a tonic!"
"Auntie embroidered little pillows and shoes for the baby. The stitches are dense and the material is so soft. All the young men and women in the county town love them!"
"My sweet potatoes are sweet too..."
"The sweet wine made by my uncle..."
After being reminded by Gui Fulang, the villagers took out the best and most decent things from their homes and hurriedly stuffed them into Zhou Yi's hands.
Zhou Yi was so flustered when catching it that a frightened hen almost fell on Lei Li's head. He quickly grabbed the chicken's two claws and pulled it back.
He didn't even remember who gave it to him, and the villagers took every opportunity to introduce and sell him things.
"If you like, tell Auntie again, my Hong Ge'er's embroidery patterns are also very beautiful, and everyone in the embroidery workshop wants them..."
"My daughter Qiaomei is a good cook, especially stewing a hen. She can also take care of the baby. It would be much easier to let her go back to the county with you to take care of the baby..."
"My little boy has a very lucky horoscope and is very likely to attract brothers and sisters. If I keep him by my side, I'm sure I'll have another big fat boy next year..."
"My..."
All kinds of nonsense came out, for fear that other people's homes would be looked down upon while their own homes were not.
Lei Li laughed as he watched the show, and with a sharp knife in his hand he deboned and skinned the pig, doing it smoothly and effortlessly. He just didn't help Zhou Yi, and didn't respond much to the villagers' words.
Of course he knew what the villagers meant, but he ignored their eagerness.
Although he has improved the living standards of the villagers and promoted their economy, it does not mean that he has forgotten who used to talk too much, expose his shortcomings, and laugh at his family.
He wanted to keep them hanging with bread and honey. If anyone made him unhappy, he would take back the bread and honey and poke them with a stick.
What did Zhou Yi say before?
"Some people get paid based on their abilities, and the boss has to coax them. Some people get paid half for being a loser, and the other half is just a salary."
Lei Li put aside past grudges, gave them such a high salary in ICBC, and did not default on their payments. He was also very picky, so what's wrong with giving them a hard time occasionally?
Others want it but don’t have it yet.
Zhou Yi finally dealt with the villagers and sent most of them away. The things they sent were temporarily placed in the yard. Turning around, he saw Lei Li smiling with a mischievous look on his face. He felt helpless and funny.
"What are you thinking? It's like you're going to do something bad."
"No way?"
Lei Li snorted, then raised the corners of his lips in a cheerful mood, almost humming a tune, "It's just so funny to see them fighting over it. They act like they've gotten such a great advantage by winning it, but in reality, aren't they just earning money for us?"
"I bought the land, I built the school, I hired the teacher, and after I finished my studies at the school, I worked for the Meng family. Of course, I have to take a cut."
"Even if I charge a 10% interest rate, and sell an embroidered handkerchief for only 100 wen, I can still make a net profit of 10 wen."
"How many handkerchiefs can a boy or girl make in a year? How many handkerchiefs can they make in their lifetime? What if they use good material and embroider beautiful patterns on them?"
"Ten coins, 100 coins, 10,000 coins, rolling it over and over will become 1 tael, 100 taels, 10,000 taels! I can buy another big house with that!"
Lei Li was beaming with joy and looked very proud, just like a tabby cat that had caught a big rat and was showing off in front of its owner. He was handsome and cute.
Zhou Yi couldn't help laughing and patted Lei Li's head, "You make yourself sound so bad, like a black-hearted boss."
"I am."
Lei Li grabbed Zhou Yi's hand and kissed it, smiling slyly, "How could I catch you without being ruthless?"
"You're right."
Zhou Yi laughed again.
But if this black-hearted boss was really black-hearted, how could he be caught by Lei Li?
—
Lei Li only killed three of the pigs raised by the Lei family in the village. He sold the rest to the villagers, asking them to find someone to kill the pigs and then divide them up.
No more sows were left.
They don't plan to raise pigs next year. Lei Dashan and Liu Ye'er can't bear to leave their baby. They will probably live in the county town in the future, so if they raise pigs, they will have to hire someone to take care of them.
Moreover, the blood of this wild boar is much diluted, and it tastes not much different from ordinary local pork. There is no need to raise it yourself, just buy it ready-made.
As for the buffalo Dazhuang, keep him well.
This is the dog that Lei Dashan and his wife have carefully raised for two years. They treat it as a member of the family and naturally cannot sell it. Moreover, Dazhuang is in love this year and is pregnant with a calf. It is estimated that the baby will be born in March next year.
Before Lei Dashan and his wife went to the county town, they entrusted Dazhuang to the care of a beekeeper.
The beekeeper has no wife or children.
Usually he would go up the mountain to look after the bees, herd the cattle, wash and brush their fur, and bask in the sun. He lived a leisurely life with the monthly salary of several hundred coins given by Lei Li.
Knowing that Lei Li and Zhou Yi had returned, he took them to Lei's house and asked them to see Da Zhuang. He took out some honey he had harvested and gave it to them with a smile.
"You need to nourish yourself well after giving birth. This honey is sweet and good for your health. I remember Li Ge'er likes it too. Tell me when you're done eating it, and I'll leave some for you!"
The beekeeper likes Lei Li Zhou Yi's temperament, and also likes Da Zhuang. Usually, with Da Zhuang by his side, he never feels lonely when he talks to him and listens to his moo.
Lei Li knew that the old man didn't like to talk about money, so he went to the yard and bought a basket of taro and eggs, and cut a piece of pork for the old man, saying with a smile, "It's New Year's Day, so don't be stingy with me. Eat what you need and spend what you need, and don't take things to heart."
"Haha, good!"
The beekeeper laughed heartily twice, and did not refuse. He carried the basket and the meat, and walked leisurely with Da Zhuang, touching Da Zhuang's corners from time to time.
Lei Li asked someone to send the slaughtered pig home.
At the same time, he hired an ox cart and followed his own horse carriage to Silihe Village to pick up his grandparents and return to the county town.
We had agreed early on to go to the county town to celebrate the New Year.
Everything at Grandpa's house was tidied up, and the whole family changed into their best and newest clothes. Xiaohua was taken to Grandpa's house to celebrate the New Year, and they also went to the county town together.
Seeing the tall horse pulling the cart, Sister Huaer was very happy and looked at the horse again and again.
But she knew that the carriage was not big enough, so she just touched the horse's hair and got on the ox cart obediently. It was only when her grandmother and uncle called her that she happily pulled Xiao Liumu on.
Xiaohua felt that she was an adult, so she gave the carriage to the children and the elderly, and got on the ox cart with her uncle and others, carrying her luggage.
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