Chapter 130: Chapter 129: Female Carpenter

By the village well, there was an old tree, under which several stools were placed all year round. Qin Yao casually found an empty one to sit on, picked up her homemade wooden board work book and pen, and began interviewing one by one.

All three of Liu Bai’s brothers came, and there were still dozens of acres of land at home that hadn’t been harvested. Mrs. Zhang said that even if they had to pay to hire day laborers to help with the harvest, they couldn’t miss this opportunity.

Stone quarrying paid twelve cents, grinding paid ten cents, and counting breakfast and lunch, it couldn’t compare to Qin Yao’s previous four hundred cents job for all three of them, but long-term stability and a ten-day, eight-day stint were totally different matters.

As for harvesting rice at home, hiring a day laborer, providing lunch, plus six or eight cents was enough, with some margin in between, it’s a sure profit!

Initially, Old Liu was not willing to have all three of his sons go, and He and Mrs. Qiu were worried sick. Later, when he heard Mrs. Zhang calculate the accounts, he agreed.

However, there weren’t many villagers as good at calculations as Mrs. Zhang. With food being the most important, the autumn harvest was imperative, and they couldn’t afford to delay.

Some people had rice that matured late, and even if they harvested continuously, it would be mid to late August, so they could only envy others who could spare manpower to apply for jobs.

There were also those who came to ask Qin Yao if they wanted day laborers.

Currently, without any long-term substantial orders, Qin Yao didn’t give a definitive answer, just told those who wanted part-time work to wait aside, to see if she could fill the long-term positions of over three months first.

The village head’s eldest grandson also came, tall and sturdy, he stood out among the skinny, short villagers.

Qin Yao: “Name, age, what job are you applying for?”

“Liu Qi, seventeen, applying for stone quarrying work.”

Upon hearing this, although the three Liu Bai brothers felt that Qin Yao wouldn’t leave out their own family, they still felt a bit anxious.

Qin Yao calmly scrutinized Liu Qi. Apart from those with inherently superior genes, it was rare for the village to raise someone as robust as Liu Qi.

She nodded, asking some basic questions about whether he had experience in quarrying.

Liu Qi shook his head. He had never quarried stone, but he learned quickly and was strong. He even lifted a couple of bags of grain set aside to dry under the tree, one in each hand, straight-arm lifting, showing incredible strength.

Qin Yao noted in her book: No experience, strong physically.

“Next,” she waved, signaling the next one to come forward.

The results weren’t decided immediately; after Qin Yao compiled them, she would have to go back and check with Liu the carpenter, and after finalizing the number, notify households one by one.

There were twenty-three applicants, all young and strong from the village, the oldest being thirty-eight and the youngest fifteen.

When it was He’s turn, knowing no one was competing with her for the head chef position, she beamed and assured Qin Yao of her rice measuring skills, promising not to waste a single grain.

The onlooking villagers laughed at her words, some saying she was too shrewd, while others praised her skill with the big ladle.

For any village banquet, He and Mrs. Zhang, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law duo, were indispensable, known for He’s excellent culinary skills.

With no other contenders, Qin Yao said on the spot, “He Hua, come to my house after dinner this evening so we can calculate the heads and buy the groceries.”

“Ah? So I got the job?” He asked in surprise.

Qin Yao chuckled helplessly, “Yes, you’ll be the head chef at the Liu Family Village water mill in the future.”

“Hahaha, I said it, if not me, then who? No one’s better than I am!”

He was overjoyed, her confidence soaring, looking proudly at everyone.

Maybe due to familial bias, Qin Yao found her a bit adorable.

Qin Yao gestured for her brother to pull her sister-in-law aside so she wouldn’t block others.

Liu Bai smiled slightly, pulled his wife along, called his brothers, and went back home to continue their work, since Qin Yao had told them they were only there for formality.

With time on their side, they intended to harvest a few more acres, hire one less day laborer, and save money.

Yun Niang walked up to Qin Yao nervously; she was the last applicant.

“Qiao Yun, twenty-two, applying for woodwork,” she said mimicking everyone else, giving her personal information.

Qin Yao made a note and then asked her, “What can you do?”

When it came to her strengths, Yun Niang was not nervous and listed, “Chalk snapping, planing boards, painting, mortise and tenon assembly, all of it.”

Qin Yao looked at her with surprise, “Do you have any experience?”

Yun Niang nodded vigorously, “Yes, I used to help my dad make tables and chairs at home.”

So, Qin Yao noted in her personal information: Ample experience, a carpenter.

Anyone who dealt with writing and drawing would recognize a few words and numbers.

Yun Niang wasn’t intentionally reading, but just by glancing down, she saw the word “carpenter” written in Qin Yao’s notebook, and a wave of joy surged in her heart.

Qin Yao stood up, put away her paper and pen, “Is there anyone else applying? If not, that’s it for today, everyone head home and wait for the news. I’ll discuss with Liu the carpenter and come to notify everyone.”

The work in the fields still awaited, and upon hearing this, people dispersed one after another.

Qin Yao turned and walked towards the village entrance, reaching the overgrown field in less than two hundred meters, less than a two-minute walk from the entrance.

Seeing Qin Yao, Liu the carpenter told the two workers to continue working, put down his saw, and walked to the roadside, “How many did you recruit?”

He had just seen quite a few people near the village well.

Qin Yao pointed to the grass by the roadside, and they sat where they were, using the little tree branches overhead to shield them from the sun.

Qin Yao opened her notebook, “A total of twenty-three applicants. Subtracting your two carpenters now, there are sixteen spots left. The chef is already decided to be my sister-in-law He Hua.”

“For quarrying, Liu Bai, Liu Zhong, and the village head’s eldest grandson Liu Qi are already confirmed.”

“Liu Fei is applying for the grinding position, which makes one more, and I recommend a skilled carpenter for you, this Qiao Yun, Yun Niang from Liu Huolang’s family.”

Those front ones Liu the carpenter knew long ago, not surprised, and he needed the three Liu brothers who were skilled to lead the others anyway.

But what’s with Yun Niang?

“In our bunch of men, letting Yun Niang in might not be appropriate, right?”

Qin Yao directly handed the recruitment book to him, “Then take a look at these and see if any are promising!”

Liu the carpenter smiled wryly, “I’m illiterate, even if you show me, I can’t tell anything.”

“Then I’ll read it to you.” Qin Yao read all the information on the woodworking applicants from the notebook.

Liu the carpenter’s brow furrowed deeper and deeper. How could each of them be so confident? Applying for woodworking without knowing anything?

Because the pay is high, they all want to try their luck, hoping to be selected, especially since there aren’t many tough competitors.

As Qin Yao recited “ample experience, a carpenter,” Liu the carpenter excitedly pointed, “Isn’t there a good one, take them!”

“That’s Yun Niang.” Qin Yao raised an eyebrow at him, quite pleased with herself.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep