Contracted employees are no trifling matter. Ah, ah," Lin Wanrong, aware of his verbal misstep, quickly pretended to cough twice to cover up and said, "Contracted employees, as the name suggests, refers to me signing an employment contract with the Xiao family for a period of one year. During this period, I serve the Xiao family, working eight hours a day, oh, that is, four temporal divisions. Personally, I am still a free man, not belonging to the Xiao family. Of course, I am still a servant of the Xiao family, and my labor results belong to the Xiao family. The advantage of this approach is that once the Xiao family is dissatisfied with me, they can dismiss me at any time."
"Oh, oh," seeing the three old men staring at him intently, implying that even if you sign a lifelong contract, as long as the Xiao family is dissatisfied with you, they can still dismiss you at any time. Lin Wanrong hurriedly continued, "And under this kind of motivation, I will be more enterprising, more diligent, and contribute my modest efforts to the construction of the Xiao family and the prosperity of the Great Hua Dynasty. After one year, as long as both parties are satisfied, we can renew the contract, and friendly negotiations can be conducted on the issue of salary."
The subsequent words have some meaning. Not seeking comfort, not satisfied with the current situation, daring to explore and advance—there are not many young people like Lin San who are self-motivated. The three old men praised with clicking sounds.
Fubo spoke, "Lin San, it's not that we don't agree with you. In fact, your proposal is constructive. Abolishing the lifelong system for leading cadres is also a topic we have been researching. With you taking the lead, in the next servants' representative meeting, we will propose this topic for discussion. Once approved, we will inform the young lady and the young miss, and then formally implement it. However, you know, such reforms will encounter great resistance, and we can only proceed step by step. This time, we can only report your proposal to the young lady and the young miss. Whether it succeeds or not, we don't know. However, you have to think it over. Once the higher-ups disagree, you may be eliminated. Have you considered that?"
Fubo's words were full of sets, talking about abolishing the lifelong system for leading cadres, servants' representative meetings, and the resistance to reform. Lin Wanrong felt dizzy. Finally hearing the last sentence, he hurriedly nodded and said, "Of course, I've thought it through. Fubo, you should report it to the higher-ups quickly."
Committing murder is like cutting off a head to repay Old Wei's kindness, but enduring the humiliation of changing names and surnames is something Lin Wanrong is unwilling to do. If necessary, he would rather return his life to Old Wei.
After discussing for a while, Fubo was entrusted by the three old men to bring the matter to the higher-ups.
Outside the door, Fubo saw a woman standing there, covering her mouth and smiling secretly.
This woman was not young, but her appearance was extremely beautiful. With the passage of time, she would definitely become a great beauty.
"Second Miss, so you're here." Fubo was delighted and hurried over. Seeing the woman's sneaky smile, he couldn't help but find it amusing. "Did you hear this guy's tricky idea just now?"
Xiao Er, Second Miss, snorted and said, "It's quite excessive. I've known for a long time that this guy is not a good person."
Fubo saw her holding a piece of paper with some crooked and twisted characters on it, vaguely exuding a rebellious taste. He asked strangely, "Second Miss, what is this you're holding?"
Xiao Er, Second Miss, pursed her lips, and the delicate shoulders trembled slightly. Finally, she couldn't restrain her laughter and said, "Uncle Fubo, look. This is the Three-Character Classic written by that fellow Lin San, hehe—"
It turned out that she was holding Lin Wanrong's answer sheet from the first test. Fubo couldn't help but be amused when he looked at these characters.
Whether literate or not, even if he only knew half of the characters, based on the proposal he just made about contracted employees, this guy didn't seem to be illiterate. How could he write such unbearable characters?
Xiao Er, Second Miss, took out a small booklet from her bosom, pointed at the woman in the painting on the booklet, and said to Fubo, "Uncle Fubo, take a look."
Fubo's eyes lit up when he looked at the booklet and said, "This is the young miss. Whose handiwork is this?"
Xiao Er, Second Miss, shook her head and said, "I don't know who painted this. I bought it from Lin San, and many people have bought this booklet from him. Huh, that guy actually used my sister's portrait to make money. He's really bad."
Fubo, not doubting that Lin Wanrong could do business, based on the guy's shamelessness, it would be a waste not to do business.
Fubo said, "So, Second Miss, have you asked him whose work this is? Although I don't understand painting, the technique of this portrait is completely different from the ones we've seen. It's simple, smooth, expressive, and although it's simple, it's extraordinary. I wonder who this master is."
Xiao Er, Second Miss, said, "I asked him, but that guy just wouldn't say. Huh, he can't even write a few words properly. He's definitely not the one who did this. Besides, my sister rarely shows up in a year. Almost no one has seen what my sister looks like, but this master can paint her vividly. This master must be an extraordinary person with exceptional artistic skill."
Fubo nodded and said, "So, how should we deal with this Lin San? From what Second Miss said, it seems that this Lin San has a lot of resentment. It seems that this Lin San has little connection with the Xiao family."
Xiao Er, Second Miss, bit her lip, a hint of a smile on her face, and said, "This guy has a lot of tricky ideas, and he has done so many bad things. Huh, how can I easily let him go?"
Fubo didn't understand Second Miss's meaning. "So, Second Miss, should we sign or not sign this Lin San?"
Xiao Er, Second Miss, smiled and said, "Sign, of course we should sign. Fubo, just follow his idea and make a contract for contracted employees. Haha, as long as he enters my Xiao family's gate, I will—"
A devilish smile appeared on her face: "—close the door—release the dogs—"
Fubo ran like the wind, but beads of sweat kept dripping down his body. He was too familiar with the power of Second Miss's "close the door—release the dogs."
The "master" mentioned by Second Miss was currently having a lively discussion with the remaining two old men in the house. Since boasting doesn't incur taxes, the three of them, all experts in the
field, were inundating the room with tall tales, and the saliva almost flooded the room.
From the mouths of these two old men, Lin Wanrong roughly understood some information about the Xiao family.
The old master of the Xiao family, that is, the father-in-law of Mrs. Xiao, held a high position in the Ministry of Rites, once serving as the Minister of Rites, and his students were spread throughout the world. After retiring, he returned to Jinling City for retirement. When he passed away, the current emperor of the Great Hua Dynasty personally wrote a eulogy to express condolences, giving him the honorable title of Mr. Ren De.
However, since the old master's departure, the young master of the Xiao family also fell ill and passed away after suffering for two years. The Xiao family lost its support, and the situation was not as good as before. Fortunately, with the care of the old master's students and the diligent efforts of Mrs. Xiao, coupled with the natural intelligence of Miss Xiao, the mother and daughter managed to maintain the vast Xiao family estate until today.
However, with the passing of many years since the old master of the Xiao family, his influence gradually weakened. In addition, with increasing competition and stronger rivals, the Xiao family's business has become increasingly difficult in recent years. Miss Xiao, in order to maintain the Xiao family's business, often travels around several provinces in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, rarely staying at home. Therefore, in Jinling City, very few people have seen her.
From the mouths of these two old men, Lin Wanrong also obtained important information about this year's recruitment of servants. Although it seemed to be a large-scale event, the number of new servants recruited by the Xiao family this year was extremely limited, and it was also kept strictly confidential.
Lin Wanrong could understand this. When doing business, he always liked to exaggerate the company's turnover. As for the actual content, only a few people knew.
"So, what about these literary talents?" Lin Wanrong remembered a question he had in mind for a long time and directly asked the two old men.