Chapter 53: Sitting Firmly in the Fishing Boat (Seeking Follow-up Reads and Monthly Tickets!)

People go to work simply to make a living and support their families. As long as it brings in money and puts food on the table, what hardship cannot be endured?

Zhao Erwa and his companions certainly did not come here to live a life of luxury. Therefore, no matter how crude and primitive the lime kiln appeared before their eyes, it did not matter in the least. As long as they were paid, what would it matter even if they had to work deep within barren mountains and desolate ridges?

Back in the day, they had served at the front lines, braving hail of bullets, crossing minefields, and wading through swamps. What kind of hardships had they not experienced?

"Your positions have already been arranged. Comrade Zhao Erwa will serve as the deputy factory director, overseeing the accounts and other operational affairs of the plant."

"Comrade Zhao Chuanjia will handle shipments—that is, he will be in charge of selling the lime. This involves collecting money, so the accounts must be meticulously kept!"

"Liu Zhuanfu, Comrade Little Liu, will manage the inventory and warehousing. We procure bluestone here, which is limestone, meaning money flows outward, so you must be even more vigilant!"

"The three of you, do you have any objections to these arrangements?"

"Right, your salaries will both be two yuan per day, totaling sixty yuan a month!"

"Our kiln has just been established, and various supporting facilities are not yet complete. But there is no need to worry; we are gradually improving things."

"Take the cafeteria, for example. You can have your midday meal right here at the factory, though a small fee will be charged. Don't worry, the money will be deducted from your wages at the end of the month."

"Haha, what is Little Liu trying to say? The pay isn't low, and the factory provides subsidies."

"Still having doubts? A steamed bun costs two cents, and no ration coupons are required."

"A bun for two cents weighs two taels of flour. Not expensive, right? This is supplied at cost price."

"The biggest subsidy is in the dishes. The work here is physically demanding, so the workers need extra nourishment. Therefore, there will definitely be meat in the midday meal."

"Five cents a portion, with plenty of meat—averaging two to three taels per person!"

"Qin Shi, today's dish is stewed pork bones with Chinese cabbage, right?"

"Ah, when buying steamed buns, keep in mind that each person can buy a maximum of five—meaning a daily quota of one catty per person. You cannot exceed this."

"As for the dishes, there's not much to say: five cents a portion!"

"Well, that pretty much covers it. Qin Shi, do you have anything to add?"

Qin Shi immediately spoke up: "Now that Deputy Director Zhao Erwa has officially started work and the accounts will be mutually monitored, can we perhaps advance a portion of the wages ahead of time?"

This suggestion had already been brought up during lunch yesterday, and today provided the opportunity to implement it!

"What do you mean?" Qin Zheng asked, knitting his brows in a deliberately puzzled expression.

Qin Shi immediately explained: "Times are tough for everyone right now. Although we subsidize a meal at noon, that alone isn't quite enough. Workers need a little cash in their hands at home so they can improve their living conditions—only then will they have the strength to work hard!"

Qin Zheng turned to look at Zhao Erwa: "Deputy Director Zhao, what do you think we should do? This truly is an issue. The food at the factory cafeteria is better than what they have at home, and they might even feel reluctant to eat it all themselves!"

Zhao Erwa sensed that something was amiss; this seemed like a scheme pre-arranged by the factory director and the accountant.

Realizing this, he found it somewhat amusing and almost smiled. Yet, an instant later, the smile vanished entirely—they were likely doing this out of genuine consideration for their families!

His mood grew somewhat heavy, and Zhao Erwa hardly knew what to say.

After a brief moment of silence, Zhao Erwa finally spoke: "Alright, let's advance half a month's salary! Every household is struggling right now!"

He turned to glance at his two comrades beside him. Although they hadn't served in the same unit, how could he be unaware of the conditions back in the village?

Having returned for half a year, his own family's situation should theoretically be considered relatively good, yet life at home was still an utter mess.

It wasn't a matter of domestic strife, but rather the anxiety of consuming their reserves with nothing coming in!

"We'll issue the wages right after work today!" Qin Zheng declared upon seeing no objections.

With a consensus reached, Qin Zheng proceeded to discuss upcoming operational tasks. The division of labor was the main focus, though there wasn't much to debate since everyone's specific duties had already been determined.

Since it was now working hours, Zhao Chuanjia and Liu Zhuanfu had to head out to attend to their tasks. The bluestone just transported back by the production team also needed to be weighed and logged into the inventory.

Outside, many people were already waiting to purchase lime, which required unloading the kiln, weighing, and collecting payments.

With the help of these two newly hired colleagues, Qin Shi found himself relieved of the heavy workload he previously bore.

Once Zhao Chuanjia and Liu Zhuanfu had completed their procedures and departed, Qin Jun received his money.

Eight kitchen knives had fetched a total of sixteen yuan, averaging two yuan per knife—a hefty price during this era. Yet, if those exact eight knives were placed in the future generations, they would easily sell for five or six thousand yuan.

On the other hand, the four iron pots brought in twenty-four yuan, bringing the total to forty yuan.

After bustling about for half a day, earning only this much made Qin Jun feel a bit unaccustomed to it. Even so, when the money was actually placed in his hand, a broad smile spread across his face.

In truth, forty yuan was by no means a small sum nowadays; after all, it exceeded the monthly salary of many industrial workers.

Thus, his decision to hold back the iron hammers had been entirely correct!

If he had sent over dozens of iron hammers, even at one yuan per hammer head, it would have amounted to several tens of yuan.

Water must flow in a steady, thin stream to last long. The lime kiln smashed stones every single day, and hammers would inevitably be in demand in the future. As long as Qin Jun maintained a sufficient supply of hammers in his hands, he wouldn't need to go around peddling them—factory directors would naturally seek him out for custom orders.

The only good thing about this era was that whatever goods were produced, finding buyers was never a problem!

Sitting securely like a fisherman on a bank, Qin Jun was naturally in no hurry.

Counting the money in his palm, Qin Jun felt a profound sense of satisfaction!

He finally had cash in hand, and this was the fruit of nearly a month's hard work. Compared to later eras, making money in this period was genuinely difficult!

Right now, he held a total of forty-eight yuan. He ought to take a trip to the commune; perhaps he could stumble upon something interesting.

Ignoring Comrade Zhao Erwa's strange, searching gaze, Qin Jun continued counting his money as he stepped out of the dugout dwelling. He needed to finish his chores quickly so he would have free time to stroll around.

With a look of sheer disbelief, Zhao Erwa asked, "Are you saying those iron pots were made by that kid just now?"

After Qin Jun left, sensing the disbelief in Zhao Erwa's mind, Qin Shi offered a brief explanation.

With a smile, Qin Shi said, "Even this lime kiln was single-handedly built up by him!"

"He's that young technician?" Zhao Erwa was even more astonished.

Qin Shi gave him a serious look—clearly, Zhao Erwa had been mentally prepared for surprises, but not quite this one!

Having safely stowed his money away, Qin Jun walked cheerfully over to the lime kiln area, where bustling activity was already underway.

Although Qin Han had not been officially employed prior to this, he had never harbored any complaints. Whatever tasks Qin Jun assigned him, he simply kept his head down and executed them.

Naturally, Qin Jun could not indefinitely let him toil away at the kiln without official status or compensation. Therefore, taking advantage of the large-scale hiring today, Qin Jun had long since arranged with Qin Zheng and Qin Shi that not only outsiders, but several villagers as well, would be officially added to the payroll.

These included Qin Han, along with Qin Zhoke and Qin Yingchun.

With the addition of these three, the kiln now boasted a total of twenty-nine employees!

Even so, this number by no means represented the final limit. Because Qin Jun had long-term plans, he was certain the workforce here would expand further.

However, expansion could not continue just yet. Operating four kilns a day to support thirty workers struck the ideal balance.

Currently, the daily sales revenue of this kiln reached two hundred and forty yuan.

Deducting material costs of one hundred and twenty yuan and labor expenses of thirty-five yuan, the profit still stood at ninety-five yuan.

Even if a ten-cent subsidy per person was factored in, amounting to three yuan daily, the final net profit remained at ninety-two yuan.

For a small lime kiln supporting nearly thirty workers to still yield a daily profit of ninety-two yuan—what more could one possibly ask for?

Qin Jun was thoroughly satisfied with the current profit margins.

"Wait, there's also the coal savings generated every day!"

As he passed the coal yard, Qin Jun suddenly remembered that thanks to his technical methods, each batch of fired lime saved an extra one hundred kilograms of coal!

In this way, the fuel needed for the kitchen fires was completely covered, with surplus to spare.

Having calculated the daily financial surplus, Qin Jun began pondering how best to continue expanding the workforce. Rather than having these earnings distributed simply as profits, it was far better to employ more people.

After all, if profits were distributed, the commune and the production team would take the lion's share. Even within the team's forty-five percent share, the actual amount trickling down to individual members would be negligible.

Instead of spreading meager sums thin among everyone, converting profits into wages allowed individual households to earn a bit more substantially.

As for any unfairness this might cause, who would really care?

At any rate, Qin Jun certainly did not. Human relationships had varying degrees of closeness, and if Qin Jun were to recommend workers, he would naturally prioritize those close to his own family.

"Once the operation gets bigger, we'll need security personnel as well. But let's wait; there's no need to rush!"

Since this kiln was running profitably, utilizing the funds to support people made complete sense—who knew what qualified talents might be nurtured in the process?

Qin Jun had long harbored these thoughts. After all, he was bound to undertake larger endeavors in the future, yet very few people in the village were capable of assisting him.