"Isn't that the truth? Liu Nian was too quiet before, and didn't talk much, which is why we missed the chance to get to know him."
"..."
Jiang Qingqing's small face flushed bright red upon hearing everyone's words, looking proud and triumphant.
Su Jie, within the crowd, saw everyone fawning over Jiang Qingqing and a fleeting, enigmatic smile suddenly appeared on her face.
"Liu Nian is back, Liu Nian is back!"
Just then, a loud shout came from the back of the crowd. Hearing the sound, everyone looked towards the rear and saw Zhang Liu Nian standing on the tractor, like a victorious general returning, dazzling and making others feel ashamed.
"Sorry to have kept everyone waiting." Zhang Liu Nian said, looking at the uniformly directed gazes, waved his hand, and then jumped off the tractor to greet them.
"We just arrived too, not long ago."
"Not long at all."
"Liu Nian, you were out delivering goods, weren't you!"
"Liu Nian, when will your factory be set up?"
"Liu Nian, are you hiring factory employees this time?"
"..."
Seeing Zhang Liu Nian's return, the crowd unconsciously made way, clearing a path for him to return to the courtyard.
Zhang Liu Nian didn't answer each question individually. Instead, he walked towards Jiang Qingqing with a smile. She timely looked up, seeing Zhang Liu Nian walking towards her step by step, as if striding with the moon, incredibly handsome.
At the same time, Zhang Xiaomei returned from the educated youth girls' dormitory with Hua Bao and ran into Da Tou again. This time, Da Tou didn't hit Hua Bao, but merely cursed her as a wild child before running off.
It was clear that Zhang Liu Nian's previous actions against Zhang Liu Huo had had an effect.
However, Zhang Liu Nian was unaware of this. By now, he had walked up to Jiang Qingqing. Seeing her flushed face and sweat on her forehead, he asked with concern, "It's hot outside, you should go inside and rest!"
"I'm fine, quickly confirm the employee selections!" Jiang Qingqing's cheeks were rosy. She cast a loving glance at Zhang Liu Nian, then shyly lowered her head like a waterfall.
Zhang Liu Nian gazed deeply at her pinkish cheeks, perhaps lost in thought. Then he turned to the crowd and said, "The people being hired today are the first batch of factory employees. However, since the factory building is not yet completed, the work location will also be at the educated youth girls' dormitory. The number of people won't be too large for now, ten is enough.
The wages and benefits will be the same as Xiao Qian and the others, one yuan and fifty for half a day, and three yuan for a full day."
After speaking, Zhang Liu Nian looked at Zhang Hao. "Uncle Hao, we still have a few struggling families in the village. Have each of them nominate one person, regardless of gender."
Upon hearing Zhang Liu Nian's call, Zhang Hao immediately began to call out to the three struggling families in the village. Each of these three families nominated one person: two were young girls, and the last was a young boy on the cusp of adolescence.
"There are only three. You need to select a few more yourself." Zhang Hao looked at the children nominated by the three families. Although he felt they were still young, he didn't say anything further, considering their family situations.
"Since everyone is from the village, I will prioritize the struggling families. These three are comparatively more disadvantaged, so they will not participate in the draw. They can come to work tomorrow morning at eight o'clock."
No one in the crowd objected to Zhang Liu Nian's words, as these three young people were all from families with too many children, unable to support them, and were so poor they cried out daily. They were more disadvantaged than many other families.
Therefore, their attention was now focused on the remaining seven positions, which would depend on luck.
"This will be a lottery selection. Each family sends one person to draw. Drawing a red stick means selection; a stick without color means not selected. Everyone line up, no pushing, one by one."
After speaking, Zhang Liu Nian took out a large bamboo bucket filled with thin sticks from the house and instructed them to draw colored sticks from these thirty thin sticks.
After they drew, Zhang Liu Nian would put them back into the bucket, shake it a few times, cover it with the lid, and let them draw again.
Whether they were selected depended entirely on personal luck.
Upon seeing Zhang Liu Nian was well-prepared, the crowd suddenly became a little nervous.
Fortunately, they knew this opportunity was fair. There was no pushing, and they stepped forward one by one to draw.
However, as there were thirty sticks, the chance of being selected was not high. After a round of drawing, only seven people were chosen.
As for those who were not selected, it could only be attributed to their luck.
"My luck is bad, I'll have someone else try next time!"
"Mom, my luck is bad too, you should do it yourself in the future!"
"Old man, you are the head of the household, you do the drawing from now on."
"..."
Those selected were happy, and those not selected were sad. And because fewer people were chosen, the sad ones were in the majority.
Zhang Liu Nian was about to return to the house with the bamboo bucket when he saw that those not selected were unwilling to leave. After some thought, he said to the crowd, "Everyone, don't be disheartened. Once my factory is on track, everyone will have a chance."
Upon hearing this, the crowd finally felt a bit comforted.
"Liu Nian, we'll await your good news."
"Liu Nian, when will your factory start construction? Uncle doesn't have much, but I have strength. I'll help you with the work then!"
"Me too, I have plenty of strength. Don't hesitate to ask then."
"And me."
"And our whole family."
"..."
Seeing everyone eagerly anticipating the factory's completion, Zhang Liu Nian smiled, unsure how to respond.
He would formally start test sales of his lobster sauce tomorrow, but for the factory construction, he planned to start after his own house was built.
And for his house to be completed, a month was a conservative estimate, as they intended to build a two-story house, along with surrounding walls, flooring, and so on, all of which required time.
But seeing the expectant eyes now, he couldn't reveal his plans. He could only vaguely say, "I've noted everyone's intentions. Once my lobster sauce sells well, I will expedite the process."
Everyone left satisfied.
"Liu Nian, Uncle will measure those areas at the village entrance for you tomorrow. Wait for my good news." Zhang Hao, seeing everyone leave, stepped forward to guarantee he would handle things properly, subtly conveying his eagerness for the factory to be built sooner.
Zhang Liu Nian replied, "Okay," and watched him leave. As he retracted his gaze, his sharp eyes swept over his parents and three nephews standing not far away, watching him.
His parents' expressions were complex. They had clearly been there for some time, and his three nephews looked bewildered, as if they didn't realize they no longer had a mother.
It seemed they had done a good job, ensuring these three young nephews hadn't overheard any gossip.
"Mom and Dad, would you like to come in and sit for a while?" This was the first time Zhang Wenxue and his wife had come over since their reconciliation last time. Zhang Liu Nian proactively invited them in.
It was a rare moment of peaceful coexistence between father and son.
Zhang Wenxue was somewhat inclined to do so, but thinking of his younger son's busy schedule and his own past actions, he ultimately felt a bit embarrassed.