"Old branch secretary, the preserved fish factory needs another twenty people. The women in our team will be prioritized, with wages calculated per piece, earning one fen for every two cans."
"Those who are skilled at the factory now can process over two hundred cans a day, earning more than one yuan. Everyone should be happy with this."
Starting a factory is different from opening a shop. Calculating wages by profit sharing wouldn't be appropriate, and the factory would employ many more people, so wages couldn't be set too high.
Yet, even so, earning one yuan a day would amount to twenty to thirty yuan a month.
It was still 1979, and the purchasing power of the Chinese yuan was still quite strong. Many production teams calculated work points, and the money realized from work points for an adult male laborer over a year, after deducting their grain ration, would likely be around this amount.
Of course, this didn't account for the grain ration. Production teams didn't just pay money; they also provided various coupons and food rations for each household.
However, this salary was not low. A newly promoted first-level worker in urban factories earned only a little over thirty yuan a month, and some apprentices earned less than those at the preserved fish factory.
Therefore, every position at the preserved fish factory was a coveted one. Who wouldn't want to earn money at the preserved fish factory, making twenty to thirty yuan a month, which was equivalent to their earnings for a whole year of farm work?
Chen Yang would naturally prioritize the villagers of Shenjia Brigade first. People are like that; there are always closer and more distant relations. His current capability was limited, so he could only prioritize those he knew better.
When the preserved fish factory expanded its production in the future, he would naturally extend his care to the villagers of the entire commune, and even to the villagers of the entire Liuhe County.
This was only natural. Although everyone was envious of those who could join the preserved fish factory, no one complained. The factory was opened by Chen Yang, and they would have prioritized their own villagers too if they were in his position.
"Yangzi, I was right about you. I thank you on behalf of the villagers."
Shen Fuguang increasingly liked Chen Yang. He was immensely glad about his firm support for Chen Yang's decision to sell fish back then.
This young educated youth seemed to have suddenly found his calling. With his help, most of Shenjia Brigade and Shenjiaba Village were living good lives.
Last year, everyone had a prosperous Lunar New Year thanks to selling fish.
This year, they cultivated rice-field fish. The accounting at the brigade had calculated that even without the second harvest, the brigade's earnings this year had already surpassed the total income of last year.
Once the late rice and the second harvest were reaped, their income this year would likely double.
But this was not the most important thing. The most crucial was Chen Yang's preserved fish factory. The factory had hired over a hundred people, more than half of whom were from Shenjia Brigade. Su Dan Novel Network.
These villagers had earned seventy to eighty yuan in a few months, with some even nearing a hundred yuan!
This was almost the price of a bicycle, a fortune that many villagers had never dared to dream of – earning so much money by working in a factory.
Inside the factory, they were protected from wind and rain. They could rest when tired, and outside the factory, there was a well where they could draw water with buckets and drink with ladles.
Aside from having to wear a certain mask, which made it a bit uncomfortable to talk and spit, it was infinitely easier than working under the scorching sun!
And yet, Chen Yang was paying such high wages, and everyone remembered his kindness!
"Yangzi, you can't just think of the villagers of Shenjia Brigade with such good things. The branch secretaries of other brigades will be crying again later."
As Chen Yang was speaking with the old branch secretary, Liu Fuchun approached. These days, there were many things to deal with regarding the school's construction, so he came to discuss progress with Chen Yang almost every day.
"Director Liu, they can't be envious. It's just that their villages don't have someone as smart as Yangzi."
"Yangzi being in our brigade is our blessing. Yangzi, you must not listen to Director Liu. I'll find someone right away and give you the list within half an hour."
After speaking, the old branch secretary didn't even greet Liu Fuchun and rushed back to the village, fearing that Liu Fuchun would snatch some of the spots in the preserved fish factory for other brigades.
"This old Shen, he used to have such high aspirations, but now he's like a changed person. I didn't say I wanted him to give up any spots."
Liu Fuchun grumbled, feeling a bit annoyed. His job as commune director was indeed not easy, and with the excellent benefits at the preserved fish factory, everyone wanted to join.
"Director Liu, don't worry. I've reserved twenty spots for other brigades in the commune. The factory is recruiting forty people in total this time."
Chen Yang naturally understood this. Although he had the final say on who to hire at the preserved fish factory, he wouldn't allocate all the spots to his own brigade, which would make things difficult for Liu Fuchun!
When the factory was built, the land was approved by the commune. The construction of the factory, brick firing, wall building, and asbestos tile production... all these were done with the help of villagers from all the brigades in the commune. He could only give Shenjia Brigade some preferential treatment.
If Shenjia Brigade got to eat meat, the villagers of other brigades should at least get some soup, otherwise, it would be too heartless.
"You really know how to handle things, Yangzi. With twenty spots, I can explain things to the other brigades."
"Oh, right, I'm here today about site selection. I want to build the school next to the commune. There's a small slope there, not our farmland, so it won't interfere with grain cultivation."
"Moreover, the soil on the hillside is red loam, which is perfect for firing bricks. We can dig the foundation and level the small hillside to fire bricks at the same time. By the time the hillside is leveled, we'll have enough bricks."
Liu Fuchun was thinking of saving every fen he could. The commune could open clay kilns and fire bricks themselves; many people in the commune knew how to do it.
For the tiles, he also planned to use asbestos tiles, just like at the preserved fish factory. After harvesting the rice, there were plenty of rice stalks and reeds on the ground. Lime could be obtained by blasting rocks in the mountains.
Asbestos tiles were large and more convenient to produce than regular tiles. Of course, their lifespan was not very long, and they were not as aesthetically pleasing as regular tiles.
But the villagers were not that particular. As long as the house was protected from wind, rain, and sun, it would suffice. If they broke, they could just make new ones, as they were easy to make and didn't cost money.
"Director Liu, your idea is excellent. Digging the foundation and firing bricks can be done concurrently. Also, arranging for people to blast rocks in the mountains and burn lime to make asbestos tiles can be arranged."
"For the desks, the carpenters can also lead people to chop trees in the mountains. We will strive to prepare all the materials as soon as possible so that children can start studying once the school is built."
"The most important thing is the teachers. You must personally vet them. As for things like firing bricks, you can assign several branch secretaries to be in charge. I believe they are all eager to prove themselves to you now."
Shen Rong was scheduled to report to Feicheng University tomorrow. She had been admitted to the University of Science and Technology of China, the best university in Anhui Province. With Shen Rong leaving, it would only be about a week before Chen Yang reported to his university.
Therefore, Chen Yang hoped that the school matters would be mostly arranged before he reported for duty.