Chapter 162: Setting Expectations Upfront
With that, Ye Jiamei stepped back into the cave and shut the wooden door behind her.
Yu Luo and Yu Haojie found themselves pushed out, standing awkwardly in front of the closed door. They exchanged glances, then chuckled sheepishly.
“The cave really is too small for all of us. Let’s talk outside!”
Even though his wife’s irritation wasn’t directed at him, Yu Haojie still felt nervous and quickly agreed.
The others didn’t mind Ye Jiamei’s attitude—they understood that paying for medical treatment was fair. She had already helped them far more than expected, and trying to guilt her into continuing for free would be shameless.
Most of them were reasonable people, unlike Liu Lan. They had only come so early in the morning because they wanted to start working and earning silver. This was their top priority—small matters didn’t concern them.
They followed Yu Haojie and Yu Luo to an open space outside the cave.
The vegetable seeds in Yu Luo’s field had yet to sprout, and the once rock-covered land had been transformed into soft, freshly turned soil.
The soil here wasn’t fertile—they knew they couldn’t expect a good harvest this year.
Everyone carefully avoided stepping on the freshly seeded ground and turned their full attention to the father-daughter duo.
“We’ve reconsidered,” Yu Haojie began. “The ponds don’t have to be three acres each. Instead, we’ll make them one acre per pond, and each one will earn you thirty-five taels of silver.
You’ll have one month to complete each pond. The depth should be at least six feet, and the ponds should be waterproof.”
“What? One acre instead of three? That’s way less money! We have so many workers—splitting thirty-five taels means we’ll barely get anything!”
Liu Mingxia immediately objected. The difference between thirty-five taels and one hundred taels was huge.
“Hold on, Liu—think about it.”
Yu Haojie remained calm.
“Yesterday, I mentioned a three-acre pond, but today, I’m talking about one-acre ponds. If you want to earn more, just dig multiple ponds. Now, consider this—when we start farming, you’ll need to irrigate the fields.
One hundred acres of farmland is a lot of land. If you only rely on one pond, you’d have to walk long distances to fetch water. Wouldn’t it be more practical to have multiple ponds closer to the fields?
By spreading them out, irrigation will be easier, and you won’t waste time carrying water. Plus, look at the numbers—one acre earns thirty-five taels. If I had stuck with the original plan, three acres would have only paid one hundred taels. This way, you’re actually earning more per acre.”
“Oh, that’s right! Liu, you’re rushing to complain. Yu Second Master is actually paying us more this way!”
Scholar Bai You quickly grasped the logic.
The others took a moment to process it, then nodded in agreement.
“That makes sense.”
“Alright, I understand now!”
Yu Haojie continued.
“Since we’re short on time, we’ll dig ponds and clear farmland at the same time. If we wait too long, the planting season will pass, and the cleared land will be useless. I’ll pay you the same rate as before—ten taels per acre of cleared land.
Each family has men, women, and children—you can decide how to divide the wages among yourselves. If no one has any objections, let’s sign the contract today. I’ve already prepared the documents.”
Yu Haojie pulled out the agreements he had written the night before—one for pond digging and another for land clearing.
Bai You took the papers and started reading carefully, but the more he read, the more puzzled he became.
“Yu Second Master, why doesn’t the contract mention planting or harvesting?”
“That’s intentional,” Yu Haojie replied.
“I plan to hire you all permanently once the land is cleared. That means steady, long-term income—you won’t have to worry about running out of silver. I’m not combining the contracts on purpose. Why? Well…”
Yu Haojie paused, glancing meaningfully at the crowd.
“What’s the other reason, Yu Second Master? Please, tell us!”
Bai You asked eagerly. By now, everyone already felt grateful for the long-term job opportunities, but they still wanted to hear the rest.
“Since you asked,” Yu Haojie said seriously, “I’ll be upfront about it. I want to observe your work ethic. If you slack off while digging ponds and clearing fields, I won’t hire you later. Simple as that.”
The moment he finished speaking, the crowd erupted—not with complaints, but with reassurances.
“Of course! We’ll work hard, don’t worry!”
“What an amazing opportunity! You’re giving us a way to survive!”
Many were genuinely grateful—to them, Yu Haojie’s generosity made him a savior.
Even Yu Shanhai felt ashamed—his wife Liu Lan had made a fool of herself, while these people were offering gratitude instead of complaints.
“Yu Second Master, Xiao Luo—you two are incredible! Rest assured, we’ll get those ponds and fields ready as soon as possible!”
Liu Mingxia and the others spoke with conviction.
The fact that they were being paid fairly and offered future stability was unbelievable luck.
“Alright, then,” Yu Haojie said with satisfaction.
“I’ve already picked the locations for the fields. Let’s not waste any more time—we start today. The sooner you finish, the sooner you get paid. And with your hard-earned silver, you can buy what you need.
By the way, my brother-in-law is sending more supplies soon—including pots, pans, and utensils. So if you want to improve your living conditions, you just need to work hard.”
Hearing this, the families hurriedly urged their household heads to sign the contracts.
Then they rushed home to grab tools and headed toward the designated work areas.
Yu Haojie led a group of workers westward, pointing out pond locations and giving further instructions.
Meanwhile, the workers organized themselves, dividing tasks—some cleared rocks, others tilled the soil, and a few mapped out pond locations.
The barren wasteland was gradually coming to life.
For the exiled people, this wasn’t just work—it was hope.
Back at the cave, Yu Luo was preparing to take Xiao Yi to dig underground irrigation channels.
The ponds might take time to complete, but the river fifty miles away could be connected right away.
