Rural Farming: My Buildings Can Be Upgraded

Chapter 32: Chapter 31: Staff Issues

Early in the morning, before the sun had risen, a crowd had already gathered in the square in front of Lin Xian Village.

Lin Feng looked at Uncle Ma standing beside him and asked in a low voice, "What’s going on? Why are so many people here?"

Ma Dehua looked at the people gathered in small groups and felt a headache coming on. He had no idea who had spread the news.

A job like this—close to home, high pay, easy work, and even contributing to the urban pension plan—was bound to attract a lot of applicants.

"I didn’t tell these people to come. I have no idea who leaked the information."

Looking at the ages of the people in the crowd, he quickly realized the issue must have come from his father’s side.

"Uncle Ma, have the people you brought come over so I can take a look."

Ma Dehua quickly brought over five young people—three men and two women. They seemed a bit shy.

"These are all young people from families facing some hardship, so they can’t leave home to find work. Four of them graduated from middle school, and one graduated from high school."

"There’s no need to be so nervous, everyone. Please introduce yourselves, one by one. Let’s start with you," Lin Feng said, pointing to the most muscular man.

"Hello, Boss. My name is Yu Hua, from Yu Family Village in Mountain Ridge Town. I’m twenty-four years old. I’m very strong and can do any kind of work." Yu Hua flexed to show off the muscles on his arm.

Lin Feng was a little surprised. The guy looked simple and honest, but the way he spoke clearly showed he was quick-witted.

"Hello, Boss. My name is Ma Jiajia. I live in Shanwan Village in Mountain Ridge Town and I’m twenty-one. I’ve worked away from home before, and I can do any kind of work, too."

It was clear this young man had a more introverted personality; he looked a little nervous.

"Hello, Boss. My name is He Hua. My home is in Beipu Village, the most remote village in Mountain Ridge Town. I’m nineteen. At home, I do the laundry, cook, raise pigs, and herd sheep. I can do any kind of work—working in the fields or up in the mountains is no problem for me."

One look at this girl and you could tell she was the honest, dutiful, and hardworking type. Her palms were rough, a clear sign she had done a lot of farm work.

"My name is Liu Yan. I live in Liu Family Village in Mountain Ridge Town, and I’m twenty-one. I graduated from high school and know how to use a computer to run a cash register."

’Makes sense,’ Lin Feng thought. ’She has the highest level of education and can operate a computerized cash register. For a place like this, she counts as skilled labor.’

"My name is Liang Dong, twenty-four. I live in Yannan Village in Mountain Ridge Town. I’ve always been a farmer."

This last one was the most nervous; his body was shaking as he spoke.

"Okay. I’m Lin Feng, the owner of the Fenglin Tourism Development Company. Our project is the tourism development of Lin Xian Village that you see now.

The main positions we’re hiring for today are one convenience store cashier, one ticket booth cashier, and three security guards. We also need five cleaning staff, but we haven’t started recruiting for those positions yet."

The three men looked at each other. They would probably be the security guards.

"Of course, while the base salary is only 2,000 a month for now, I will be distributing 5% of the net profits as a bonus to everyone."

No one paid much attention to the 5% net profit bonus Lin Feng mentioned, unaware that this bonus would end up being their biggest reward.

"If you’re willing to take the job, come over in a little while to sign a contract."

He led Uncle Ma to the side, giving them enough time to think it over.

"Uncle Ma, it looks like you picked one person from each village!"

"Sigh, they’re all from good-natured families facing hardships. I wouldn’t send any troublemakers your way.

The income in our town is just too low. People can barely make ends meet with what they earn from the land. I’m hoping you, my boy, can help lift this whole town up."

"Haha, don’t you worry, Uncle Ma. I’ve heard the county is already looking into the situation here."

"Are you sure about that? If that’s true, it would be wonderful!"

Lin Feng reminded him, "Actually, even if the county doesn’t get involved, this wave of online traffic alone is enough to help our town develop.

But, Uncle Ma, you need to get a handle on things in town. Don’t let people get greedy and start price gouging or ripping off tourists.

If we get a bad reputation, then even if tourists come, they won’t eat or stay in town."

Ma Dehua slapped his chest and vowed, "Your Uncle Ma watches the news every day. I’ve seen stories about places that rip people off. If anyone dares to ruin our town’s reputation, I’ll personally ruin their livelihood!"

He decided to head back shortly to call a meeting and discuss the matters of lodging and dining.

"Oh, right, Uncle Ma, the town doesn’t have any proper hotels. You need to get on that quickly. Otherwise, when the tourists arrive, they’ll have nowhere to stay and will have to go to the county seat."

"Don’t worry. I’ve already notified some families to start renovating their homes. Once the tourists start coming, I’m sure more people will follow suit."

Ma Dehua also knew that he couldn’t force anyone to do it. The county seat would definitely get the lion’s share of business from the first wave of tourists.

After the five came over and signed their contracts, Lin Feng had them give him their clothing sizes so he could order custom-made uniforms.

’I’ll have to see how that mission reward, "10 Comfortable Outdoor Work Uniforms," actually turns out.’

As for the other five employees, he was starting to get a headache. He had no choice but to go discuss it with his father.

"Dad, there are so many people out there. How am I supposed to pick the five cleaners?"

"Hold on. I’ll go ask your Uncle Dazhuang what’s going on."

It wasn’t a good idea for him to get involved directly at this point, as it would be easy to offend people.

"Dazhuang, there’s a huge crowd outside. Who spread the word?"

"Ah! Hold on, let me ask."

"Dongyue, my apologies. That wife of mine went and told her side of the family."

When Lin Feng found out, he was speechless. In a rural village, news like that spreads as if someone shouted it through a megaphone.

"Dad, what do we do now?"

"Just a minute. I’ll have someone look into their situations, and then you can pick five people from the list."

It wasn’t his place to get involved, so he had to leave it to his son.

"All right."

While Lin Feng was waiting for his father to gather information, the professors from Hua University arrived at Lin Xian Village again. They seemed rather confident today.

Accompanying them were leaders from the county government. Just as someone had told him the previous night, the county wanted to turn his village into a viral tourist destination.

However, after seeing Lin Xian Village for themselves, the county leaders felt the attraction was a bit thin on its own and decided to include two nearby scenic spots in the promotional efforts.

After they had left, Hu Xia poked him with a finger. "This place of yours is about to blow up," she said. "A lot of the viewers from yesterday’s livestream said they want to come see it. I heard some are even coming today."

"Then I have you to thank for that. Without you promoting it on your stream, it wouldn’t have this much buzz."

Lin Feng glanced at Zhao Shiyun, who was standing nearby. ’No matter how I look at her, she doesn’t seem like a doctor,’ he thought.

"Hmph, in that case, you’d better be prepared to sell me plenty of your Jade Grapes later."

"Me too, me too! You have to sell lots of Jade Grapes to me, too!" Zhao Shiyun chimed in eagerly.

Hu Xia pulled her over and pinched her soft, rosy cheek. "You little foodie!"

"Are you sure you want to work here as a doctor? The salary is only 5,000 a month."

"Uh-huh! I don’t need a salary, I want grapes."

"All right. I’ll just pay you in grapes, then."

After signing the contract with Zhao Shiyun, Lin Feng obtained the recipe for the Clearing Heat and Stopping Cough Pills.

[Clearing Heat and Stopping Cough Pills: Clears away heat-toxins, soothes the lungs, and stops coughs.]

The description was simple. He would have to wait until the pills were actually made to know their specific effects.

He looked at the required medicinal ingredients. ’Looks like I’ll have to build the Medicine House and the Medicinal Herb Garden, too,’ he thought.

Soon, his father gave him a list. The people on it were all from nearby villages and had good reputations.

He took the list and went to the village square. Looking at the crowd of women, who were all around his mother’s age, his expression turned serious.

Wanting to complete his mission as soon as possible, Lin Feng decided not to drag things out. He directly announced that the new employees had already been chosen.

The result was just as he’d expected: these formidable aunties immediately raised a ruckus.

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