Chapter 159: Father Is Still So Selfish
“We’re willing! Second Master Yu, when do we start? And what are the working hours? We still need time to tend to our own land, so it can’t take up the whole day.”
Liu Mingxia made sure to lay out his concerns upfront. Fifty wens per day was a good wage, but they couldn’t afford to spend all their time working for someone else—they had their own fields to manage.
“Father, rather than paying them daily wages, which would be a hassle to track, why don’t we let them contract the work? We can set deadlines for each project, and they can decide how to organize their time. That way, they’ll also have time for their own fields.”
Yu Luo didn’t want to deal with people dragging their feet just to stretch out their daily wages. Some might pretend to work hard while slacking off, and calling them out on it would only create conflict.
By setting clear tasks and deadlines, they’d have incentives to work efficiently, while still managing their own affairs.
Yu Haojie’s eyes lit up at the idea, but the rest of the crowd hesitated. They had been dreaming of earning steady daily wages, imagining that they’d save up dozens or even hundreds of taels over the years.
Now, hearing Yu Luo’s proposal, the excitement they’d felt earlier faded.
“This is actually a good idea,” Yu Haojie said. “But judging by everyone’s expressions, I don’t think they fully understand. Luo, explain it to them clearly.”
“Right, let me break it down,” Yu Luo agreed.
“The work we need done is finite. Once the crops are planted, besides occasional watering, there won’t be enough daily tasks to justify paying you fifty wens each day. If we just stop paying you after planting season, you’ll lose your income.
“So instead, here’s the deal:
We need to dig a three-acre pond, at least two meters deep, leakproof, and built to last. If you complete it, we’ll pay 100 taels to split among whoever participates.
However, you must finish within one month. If you’re late, one tael will be deducted per extra day. Land clearing will be paid per acre. 10 taels per acre if it meets farming standards. If you clear 100 acres, that’s 1,000 taels for your group.
After clearing, we still need people to plant crops. 2 taels per acre for planting. If 100 acres are planted, that’s 200 taels to divide among workers.
You control how much you earn. If you want more money, you work harder. There won’t be any daily wages, but if you plan well, you could earn even more this way.”
The crowd fell silent, processing the numbers.
Some started mentally calculating—if they worked fast, they could make far more than 50 wens per day. But it also meant no slacking off.
“This is too cheap! A 100-tael reward for digging a pond that big? Back home, just digging a house foundation takes ten strong men two full days!”
A voice broke the silence, filled with discontent.
Everyone turned to Yu Liang, their gazes filled with uncertainty. Even Yu Luo and Yu Haojie looked at him.
“Uncle, how much does a laborer earn per day for digging foundations in the village?”
“Twenty coins,” Yu Liang answered smugly, thinking he was proving a point.
Yu Haojie nodded thoughtfully. “Alright, so we have about 50 men here. If we pay 20 wen per day, that’s one tael per day total. If they take 30 days, that’s just 30 taels in wages.
We’re offering 100 taels—more than triple that—because we value this project. Plus, if 50 men work together, you won’t even need a full month—you’ll finish in half that time.
And once the pond is ready, we’ll still need water channels. When you clear your fields, where will you get water? If you don’t use our pond, do you have another option?”
Yu Haojie’s words left Yu Liang speechless.
“If you want to haggle over labor costs, fine. We’ll just hire those stone-house men. I bet if I offered ten wens per day, they’d be desperate to take it.”
That hit a nerve.
Everyone in the group froze, realizing that Yu Haojie had alternatives.
In this wilderness, no one else would hire them.
Even if digging a pond for 100 taels seemed unfair, it was better than having no income at all.
“Father, Second Brother Haojie is right. He’s giving us a great deal because we’re all in this together. If it weren’t for his generosity, he could have just had Xiao Yi dig the pond alone.”
Yu Shanhai —Yu Liang’s son—was embarrassed by his father’s greed.
If Xiao Yi could do the job fast and for free, why should Yu Haojie pay them at all?
Hearing that, Yu Liang had nothing left to say.
“Fine,” he muttered. “I’m too old for this kind of work anyway. Do whatever you want.”
With his pride wounded, Yu Liang turned and stormed off.
Watching his retreating figure, Liu Lan muttered, “Father is still so selfish. He’s not even that old—why can’t he do his part? If he worked, we’d get an extra share of the money.”
