The Daily Life of Farming and Raising Children in Ancient Mountain Residences

Chapter 267: Employee Benefits

The next morning, Chen Dashan and Lu Erlang arrived with several carts, still unloading goods, while Mrs. Zhao came carrying a chicken in her left hand and a basket of eggs in her right.

Since the recruitment for the prefectural school began, several private schools had opened in Shezhou City. Annual tuition fees were not cheap, and with the additional costs of books, ink, and paper, affording education for one’s children was something most families could only dream of.

Mrs. Zhao, understanding this well, found it hard to express her request to Sang Luo. She stammered a few times before managing to convey her thoughts and quickly added that if it was inconvenient, they could have Liu Ya’er and Xiao Jiu teach the older children at home.

Sang Luo was surprised, “You’re willing to give up this labor?”

Sang Luo was aware of Zhao’s family situation; they were the first household she employed. The wages she offered the first year were considered high, and Zhao’s older children had helped with farm work in the past, which Sang Luo remembered. Zhao’s eldest children were already of working age, and others were also contributing as laborers. Was it really worth giving up?

Mrs. Zhao explained, “We are aware that you may not always have such high commissions, but we were moved by the recent news. If the children could learn some literacy and accounting skills here, it would be beneficial. Even if you don’t need them later, learning these skills is good. It’s better than just working the land. It’s only an hour a day; we can manage the work at home. That’s why we’re making this request.”

Before Sang Luo could respond, two other women arrived, who were the wives of Zhao’s other workers. Each of them also carried a chicken and a basket of eggs. It was clear what their intention was.

The two women greeted Sang Luo and then, seeing the chickens and eggs Mrs. Zhao had brought, awkwardly asked if they too could send a few children to learn literacy and accounting.

Sang Luo felt it necessary to clarify, “It’s true that the commissions were quite high this time, but this was the first trip to find distributors. The goods they wanted might be sold over a month or so, so it’s not always like this.”

Mrs. Zhao and the others understood. Sang Luo continued, “Education is important, but it’s not as lucrative as you might think. However, it’s a good thing to want your children to learn. Please take your things back for now. Let me think it over and I’ll give you an answer in a couple of days.”

The three women felt somewhat embarrassed. Mrs. Zhao said, “If it’s inconvenient, please don’t be troubled by it. We didn’t mean to be intrusive. We could also have the older and younger children learn at home.”

Sang Luo smiled, “It’s not that it’s inconvenient. However, as rural people, farm work is also a priority. I’ll see if there’s a way to balance both and let you know.”

The three thanked her and left, refusing to take back the goods they had brought. Sang Luo knew how significant these items were to farming families and didn’t insist they take them back. She assured them she would consider their request and get back to them.

After the three left, Sang Luo spoke to Chen Dashan, who was still unloading goods.

“What do you think about giving the workers or their children working in our workshop or shop a chance to learn literacy?”

Chen Dashan was surprised, “That would be quite a few people, wouldn’t it?”

Having overheard Mrs. Zhao’s conversation, Chen Dashan thought Sang Luo was reconsidering the number of people to be included. He hadn’t expected her to consider including the workers and their families.

“Also, children can attend classes, but how much time can adults spend learning?”

Sang Luo suggested, “We can have classes in the evening. Younger children could come during the day for half an hour, and older ones could come in the evening for half an hour. What do you think?”

Chen Dashan realized this was similar to his own situation—he and his wife had learned at home with their younger siblings.

“This could work, though there might not be many who want to learn.”

Chen Dashan had not seen the need for literacy and accounting skills until he had to deal with business contracts. After experiencing it himself, he understood the importance. Zhao’s family, seeing the potential benefits, had also brought their children forward.

Most people only recognized the importance of literacy and skills when faced with practical needs.

Sang Luo nodded, “Yes, that’s right. We’ll see how many are interested and consider it a benefit for our workers. If we do need to hire people in the future, it would be beneficial to have trained staff.”

In reality, Sang Luo had only two shops, one workshop, and one caravan at the moment, so the need for skilled workers was becoming pressing. For example, Xin Niang from the Daxing Village specialty shop did not know many characters; although the shop had price tags for its products, she recognized less than half of the characters when it first opened, and had to rely on memory for prices.

With a limited range of products in the shop, it was manageable. However, with a broader range, it would be much harder. This meant that in the initial months, Shen Ning had to spend extra time on accounting and bookkeeping.

Mrs. Zhao’s comment reminded Sang Luo that if Zhao’s family wanted their children to work for her in the future, it would be necessary to train staff in advance if her business expanded. Even if the business did not grow, it would still help build loyalty among the current staff.

Chen Dashan understood the idea and said, “That makes sense. I’ll go over to the workshop and ask my wife.”

Sang Luo replied, “Let me think about it more. If there are only a few people, it’s manageable, but if there are many, we need some rules. We can’t have everyone from Daxing Village coming to work. It would be chaotic and there wouldn’t be enough space.”

Although Sang Luo thought the chance of this happening was slim, as people like Mrs. Zhao were few, it was always good to consider all possibilities.

“Alright, you’re thoughtful about this. If there’s anything you need us to do, just let us know.”

After moving the goods, the group split up to deliver them to different counties.

…

Sang Luo took the matter of setting up the school seriously and spent the day discussing with Shen Ning how to allocate the spots.

With the workshop, shops, caravan, and additional workers, Sang Luo currently had over fifty people working for her.

As Chen Dashan had pointed out, not everyone would be interested in learning to read and write, so having a few out of the fifty interested would be considered good. However, if spots were given to the children at home, the older ones who could work might not be willing to go, while the younger ones might be interested.

“One spot per person?”

“What if they’re eager to learn, but their own children also want to?”

In the end, they decided to allocate two spots per family, regardless of whether they were for adults or children, with a minimum age of seven.

“Sister-in-law, if we have students of varying levels, we’ll need another class, right?”

Sang Luo thought for a moment and said, “We should have three types of classes: a literacy class, a basic class, and an advanced class. The literacy class will focus on basic reading and arithmetic, with night classes. The basic class will be like the one you’ve been teaching, and the advanced class will be for the small group taught by your older brother and Yun Zheng.”

She added, “Since this is a benefit for the workers, there won’t be any tuition fees. The teachers for the basic and literacy classes will also receive wages from me.”

Shen Ning’s eyes lit up, “We get paid too?”

“Of course, I wouldn’t have you work for free.”

“Has Sister-in-law ever asked us to work for free?”

Even in the past, there was tuition, and though it wasn’t much, it gave a sense of accomplishment. Now that there was pay, Shen Ning was even happier, “I’ll tell Wen Yin and the others right away.”

The four little money-makers now each had their own small savings. The money earned from making brushes was given to Shen Ning to manage, and Shopkeeper Xu also managed Wen Yin’s share. After hearing this, the Chen and Shi families also allowed their children to manage their own money.

Night classes would be inconvenient at Shen’s place due to having two children, so after discussing with Shen Yin, they decided to set up a classroom in their place. This was settled.

Mrs. Chen, who was tasked with informing the others at the Fan’s workshop, passed the news along, and while others were still processing the information, Zhao’s two daughters-in-law were beaming with delight.

“Sister-in-law agreed!”

Some families with children also brightened up.

Mrs. Chen smiled and said, “Those who want to enroll should go to the village and register with An Ning after work in the evening. But before registering, check with your own children if they’re willing to learn. It wouldn’t be right if they just cause trouble and disrupt others’ learning.”

The women agreed and, after Mrs. Chen left, began discussing in the workshop: “Our children can really go to learn to read?”

Zhao’s eldest daughter-in-law nodded, “Can’t you believe it? The children of Daxing Village are all learning to read. We’ve been working for Sister-in-law for a long time, and my six-year-old daughter and nephew have already been learning in Daxing Village for half a year. They can recognize quite a few characters now.”

“Send the girl too? How much will it cost for books and materials? And doesn’t she help with the housework?” asked another woman.

Zhao’s eldest daughter-in-law looked at her, “What’s wrong with sending her? The teacher for my daughter and Xiao Jiu is a young lady, the youngest of whom is only ten this year, and was nine last year.”

“Really?” The woman was astonished. “A nine-year-old can be a teacher?”

“Certainly. The teachers are more than capable of teaching my daughter and Xiao Jiu. The adults in the village can’t compare to them.”

“And what about the materials? Don’t they cost money?”

Zhao’s eldest daughter-in-law said, “No need for paper. We use bamboo slips at home. We buy some ink and ask An Ning to help with copying the books. They use a sand tray for writing, and in summer, they use water and stone slabs. They study for half an hour a day, which doesn’t disrupt much at home. Being able to read and write is very useful.”

What it’s useful for, Zhao’s daughter-in-law didn’t say.

Some might look down on the girls, but weren’t the clerks at the Daxing Village specialty shop also women? Wasn’t Sister-in-law also a young lady? Now she’s an official recognized by the Emperor. And wasn’t An Ning also a young lady who managed everything both inside and outside the home very clearly?

Zhao’s eldest daughter-in-law decided that, out of the eight spots available, she would enroll not only her son but also her eldest daughter.

At another processing area, there were two young women. One was Zheng Daniu, who hadn’t gained weight in years, and the other was Gan Erlang’s wife, the younger sister-in-law of the Gan family with faint scars on her left cheek.

The two women listened attentively to Zhao’s eldest daughter-in-law’s words. Zheng Daniu quietly asked Gan Erlang’s wife, “Sister Gan, will you enroll your Pan Niang?”

Gan Erlang’s couple had a son and a daughter, with the son being still young, born after they came down from the mountains, and the daughter was eight years old.

“Yes, I will enroll Pan Niang. She envies her cousin the most and has learned a bit from copying books. I’m not just enrolling Pan Niang; I’ll enroll myself too.”

“You’re going to learn as well?”

Gan Erlang’s wife nodded, “I see that the business in Sister Sang’s hands will likely expand in the future. Right now, the workshop is hiring female workers, but what about later? Learning will always be beneficial. I suggest you consider it too.”

Zheng Daniu had not remarried in recent years and had refused matchmakers directly. Even though her family treated her well, she still felt the need to stand on her own.

Gan Erlang’s wife touched the scars on her left cheek. She had been scarred when she was pushed towards a wolf’s mouth, leaving half of her face damaged. She wondered if learning to read and write could help her become a female clerk.

She wasn’t sure, but she thought if she learned well, she could teach her husband and children, which would be good.

…

In the evening, after the vermicelli workshop ended work, while others might still be discussing at home whether their children could learn to read and who would get the spots, Gan Erlang’s wife and Zheng Daniu went directly to Shen’s house.

Gan Erlang’s wife was enrolling herself and her daughter, while Zheng Daniu also enrolled herself and asked Sang Luo, “I heard each person can have two spots. Can I use the other spot for my nephew?”

“Of course. The child needs to be at least seven years old.”

“He’s old enough. My eldest nephew is of the right age.”

She happily inquired about what preparations she needed to make, thanked Sang Luo, and then left with Gan Erlang’s wife.

As they were leaving, Lu Dalang, carrying a hoe, was coming down from the mountain. When they crossed paths, Gan Erlang’s wife, with her scarred face, was quickly avoided by Lu Dalang, who glanced at her and then looked away. Zheng Daniu, being unfamiliar to him, caught his attention, and Lu Dalang stopped to look at her a few more times.

Zheng Daniu, sensitive to the gaze, turned her head and saw Lu Dalang. She didn’t know who he was, but being stared at made her uncomfortable. She frowned and quickened her pace, pulling Gan Erlang’s wife along with her.