After traveling through time, she still led the villagers to make money as a county magistrate

Chapter 26: The Headmaster

Village Chief Zhang trembled as he spoke, "Do you need so much?"

Gu Niannian, "Yeah"

Village Chief Zhang, "Is it too late for me to ask my son to plant the seeds now?"

Gu Niannian, "It's still in time, but we have agreed that each village must have a specific number of acres of rice fields, and there can't be any less."

Village chief Zhang repeatedly said yes

How could I not be happy? Originally, I carried vegetables to the market for a penny per pound, and I would get about the same amount back as I did. After all, this was in the countryside, and every family grew vegetables. It would be unusual to sell them.

I could sell the vegetables for two cents per pound in the county, but the journey was too long, taking one or two hours to go back and forth. Whether the vegetables could be sold or not was another matter, and my shoes would be worn out if I walked any longer.

Of course, you can also take an ox cart, which also costs two cents per trip, and four cents for a round trip.

But the reason they go there is to make money, so why spend money first? At most, if they walk out and sell all their vegetables, they might spend a couple of cents. But most people are still unwilling to spend this money.

Straw sandals are free to make and can be remade if worn out.

Now the vegetables grown at your doorstep can be sold for two cents per pound. This news is as exciting as pie in the sky.

Gu Niannian, "This workshop still needs a manager. Zhang Lai, would you be willing to be the manager?"

Gu Niannian had considered who would be the head of the ward. Zhang Lairen was honest and literate, and this was his family, so he was the most suitable person to be the head of the ward.

Zhang Lai was a little confused when he was named. "What does a ward leader do? I've never done it before, so I'm afraid I can't do it well."

Gu Niannian, "Recruiting people to do the work and do the accounting, haven't you been an accountant? It's not difficult for you."

"But the common people..." Zhang Lai scratched his head.

Zhang's mother interrupted her son and asked, "Sir, is there any salary for being the head of the ward?"

Gu Niannian, "There are two ways. The first is to invest, which means you get a share of the final profit, 10% of the total profit, and I won't pay rent for the house, it's considered as your investment capital. The second is to pay monthly wages, two cents of silver per month, you choose one."

Zhang's mother said, "If we go by income, does that mean no income means no money?"

Gu Nian Nian nodded

Zhang's mother: "Then let's choose the second option."

Gu Niannian looked at Zhang Lai, "What do you choose? What does your mother say?"

Zhang Lai, "Is this salary paid by the adults?

Gu Niannian continued to nod, "Yes, not only your wages, but also the money for recruiting workers in the future, the rent of your house, and the money for collecting chili peppers will all be paid by me."

Gu Niannian's idea is that after the sales channels expand and stabilize, she will withdraw from it, establish a cooperative, and let the villagers manage and operate it completely on their own.

So she still hoped that Zhang Lai would choose the dividend distribution method based on shares, because only in this way could they treat this matter as their own business, rather than just working for others.

"I choose profit sharing." Zhang Lai said without hesitation.

"No, you silly boy, if you don't want this real money, how can we know if there is any profit!" Zhang's mother slapped her son.

Gu Niannian, "Don't worry, I will disclose the accounts truthfully."

Zhang Lai said, "Mom, the adults taught us how to grow peppers. Now we can get two cents per pound, which was never the case before. Do you think such adults would harm us?"

"Besides, our house is empty anyway and won't generate any money. Now I can use it. I can also grow peppers at home and spend time with you guys."

Zhang's father didn't have much of an objection and always let his son make his own decision. After hearing what her son said, what else could Zhang's mother say! She had never dared to think that she could make money by farming at home.

Now that his son can earn as much money from the peppers he grows as from working in the city, maybe even more, they all agree with his approach.

Zhang Lai said firmly, "I choose the first one, sir."

Li Jing took out the contract that Gu Niannian had already drafted at home and said, "Look at it carefully. If there is no problem, sign it here."

Zhang Lai took a quick look at it and signed his name.

Li Jing, "Look more carefully."

Zhang Lai had no choice but to read it carefully from beginning to end before giving the signed contract to Li Jing.

Gu Niannian, "If there is anything you don't understand or finds unreasonable, you can raise it now. After I leave, we will follow the contract."

Zhang Lai said, "I understand everything, don't worry, sir."

Li Jing gave Zhang Lai a contract and kept a copy for himself

……

After Gu Niannian and the others left

"You don't take the ready-made money, it's three cents a month! You prodigal son!" Zhang's mother beat her chest and stamped her feet.

Zhang's father stood aside without saying a word.

Zhang Lai said, "Mom, we should not only consider the immediate gains and losses. I believe in Mr. Gu's character. Besides, we are just poor people. If Mr. Gu wants to cheat us, he will not choose a family like us."

Father Zhang, "What my son said makes some sense."

Zhang's mother glared at her husband, and Zhang's father quickly changed his words, "But your mother's consideration is reasonable. Three cents is not a small amount."

"But old lady, the county magistrate is young and promising, and he has great abilities! We are old too, so let the young people handle this matter. Why should we worry about it? Finding a sensible wife for Alai is the serious matter now." Father Zhang said as he pushed his old wife back to her room.

Zhang Lai also returned to his room to think about how to open a workshop. He had worked as an accountant in a restaurant in the county town for a period of time, so accounting was not a big problem for him. He didn't need too many workers now, and the required amount of chili powder was not high. There were many people in the village, so it was not difficult to recruit workers.

Now we mainly buy some polished tools. Old Li in the village is a carpenter. The contract states that if we need to purchase something, we can report the cost on a monthly basis.

……

Li Jing looked at the contract in his hand with some concerns, "Can Zhang Lai do it well?"

Gu Niannian asked back, "Do you have a better candidate?"

"no"

"That's fine, he's the best candidate there. He seems honest after spending time with us today. You can learn from him if you don't know how to do it. When choosing someone, you should first look at their moral character, then their ability."

Li Jing had never done business before. He had always heard people say that no businessman is without dishonesty, so he believed that businessmen should be smooth and tactful. However, people like Zhang Lai did not look like businessmen at all, so he asked.

"Being treacherous may bring temporary benefits, but it is difficult to sustain them in the long run. Honesty may seem clumsy, but over time more and more people will trust him, and his business will expand."

"Since we are doing business, we should hope that it can last forever, don't you think, Brother Li?"

Li Jing scratched his head and smiled, "If you say so, then it is."

Gu Niannian, "Now the problem is roads. As the saying goes, if people want to get rich, they must first build roads."

"If both the buyer and seller have the necessary qualities but fail because the road is bumpy, then the loss will outweigh the gain."

Li Jing, "Don't worry, sir, just leave it to me."

He wasn't good at business, but he had no problem finding someone to build a road. However, building a road was no small undertaking and required a large sum of money. "Our small county government can't afford such a large amount of funds!"

Gu Niannian closed her folding fan and said, "If we don't have it, we'll report it to the higher-ups! We can't do something without them knowing anything."

"But it will take forever to get approval from the higher-ups, so let's just do it first. I'll pay you the money in installments. If they really approve the money, that's great. If not, we'll deduct it from the cooperative." Although Gu Niannian is a good person, she's not the one who always gets taken advantage of.

He will pay for what he should pay, and of course he will not bear the burden that is not his responsibility in vain.