mtl008 Chapter 202 Recruitment
Chapter 202 Recruitment
Shi Wanxia sat in the swaying carriage, and after a bumpy ride, she finally arrived at the manor. Before even entering the courtyard, she could hear the noise coming from inside.
She lifted a corner of the curtain and peered out curiously. The courtyard was bustling with people. Many villagers were surrounding Madam Sun and Sun Qian, asking them a barrage of questions about planting. Their eager and expectant expressions made it seem as if this was the most important thing in their lives.
As soon as Shi Wanxia stepped off the carriage after it came to a stop, the village chief of Xingjia Village spotted her with sharp eyes. The village chief was taken aback at first, then quickly signaled everyone to quiet down.
Immediately afterwards, he led the villagers quickly to Shi Wanxia, and knelt down with a thud. The others followed suit and knelt down as well.
"This humble subject pays his respects to Your Excellency, and thanks you for finding us these superior seeds. We will certainly do our utmost to cultivate them well," the village chief said respectfully, his voice filled with gratitude.
Shi Wanxia quickly stepped forward and helped the village chief up, a gentle smile on her face. "Village chief, you flatter me. This is all I should do. Everyone, please get up. The planting of improved seeds still depends on you all."
The villagers rose one by one, their eyes filled with respect for Shi Wanxia. At this moment, Shi Wanxia cleared her throat and said loudly, "By the way, I have two workshops that need manpower. I'm recruiting thirty female workers and ten male workers, aged around 13-18. Does anyone want to come with me?"
Upon hearing this, the villagers immediately began to murmur amongst themselves. Some looked puzzled, while others were somewhat tempted. Shi Wanxia sighed helplessly. She didn't want to use child labor either, but the situation in this village was truly unique.
Many families are unwilling to send their children to school because of the busy farming season, feeling that it is a waste of time, especially for girls. In their eyes, girls will get married sooner or later, so it is better for them to stay at home and help with the work.
Shi Wanxia knew that it would be difficult to change their mindset, so she came up with the idea of taking these children out of the village under the guise of recruitment, so that they could have a different life.
In fact, these two workshops were sugar-making and glass-making workshops carefully prepared by Shi Wanxia. In this world, her glass products are currently selling very well, but professional talent is extremely scarce.
Shi Wanxia was impressed by the children's cleverness and simplicity, and hoped to nurture them into outstanding individuals. She believed that in the workshop, the children could learn knowledge and develop critical thinking skills, instead of being trapped in this small village for their entire lives, only knowing how to farm.
In the crowd, a little girl tugged at her mother's sleeve and whispered, "Mom, I want to go." Her mother hesitated and gently patted her hand.
"What would a girl like you do at the workshop? Helping out at home is the proper thing to do." A hint of disappointment flashed in the girl's eyes, but she didn't say anything more.
Seeing this, Shi Wanxia walked up to the little girl, squatted down, looked into her eyes, and asked, "Why do you want to go to the workshop?"
The little girl said timidly, "I don't want to farm all my life. I want to do something interesting." Shi Wanxia smiled, "Then do you know what the workshop does?" The little girl shook her head, and the surrounding villagers all pricked up their ears to listen.
"The workshop is a place to cultivate talent. I hope that you can use your own hands to change your current predicament and help many people in need. Each of you has the potential to become such an amazing person." Shi Wanxia's voice was firm and powerful, echoing in the courtyard.
Excitement began to gleam in the eyes of some young people, as if they saw a whole new world beckoning to them.
The village chief looked at Shi Wanxia, pondered for a moment, and then said, "Sir, we don't know anything about this kind of work, but we trust you. I'll go and talk to everyone and let the children decide for themselves."
Shi Wanxia nodded, "Okay, this concerns their future, so naturally it depends on their own willingness."
Over the next few days, news of the workshop's recruitment drive spread like wildfire throughout the village. Children gathered together, excitedly discussing how much they could earn, while parents weighed the pros and cons at home.
Shi Wanxia was not idle either. She asked Shuyun to send someone to bring the glass they had made to the village so that the villagers could see it.
Finally, the day for recruitment arrived. A large group of children and their parents gathered in front of the workshop. Shi Wanxia stood at the door, looking at these young faces, her heart filled with anticipation.
After screening, the qualified children were selected. Shi Wanxia led them into the workshop, beginning their brand new journey. Here...
However, they are still young, and the workshop has not yet been established. They need to study during the day and exercise at night to improve their physical fitness.
Time passed quickly, and Cui Zhihao's transfer order arrived. According to the imperial court's regulations, he had to take up his post in Youzhou Prefecture within five days.
The promotions of Wang Chang and Miss Shi were announced outside the yamen, and Cui Zhihao handed over the official seal of the county magistrate to Miss Shi.
The official seal is the identity card of officials at all levels, symbolizing power and status. He hoped that Miss Shi would live up to expectations, and he also agreed to her wish to recommend other women for official positions.
As women, they dared to defy societal norms and act for the people; such courageous and intelligent women are rare indeed. He will take responsibility if anything happens; he will definitely protect them.
Shi Wanxia hurriedly thanked Cui Zhihao for his kindness and support. If it weren't for him, how could a woman like her have any chance of gaining a foothold in the officialdom without anyone objecting? But his status as a member of the Qinghe Cui family made those people dare not have any objections.
Shi Wanxia knew that she owed her success entirely to Cui Zhihao's support. She secretly vowed to repay him properly.
That day, Cui Zhihao sought out Shi Wanxia to discuss an important matter. Now that she had been promoted to county magistrate, he wanted her to carefully consider the position of county assistant.
Cui Zhihao wanted to recommend Wang Chang's classmate. Shi Wanxia was both excited and nervous upon hearing this. She had also heard of the young master Xu, who was highly learned, but he was unhappy that she, a woman, was to be a county magistrate. He was unwilling to take the post, so Cui Zhihao wanted Miss Shi to find a way to get him appointed.
Cui Zhihao saw through her thoughts and encouraged her, saying, "Don't worry, I believe you have the ability. As long as you do as I say, you will definitely be able to complete the mission successfully." Shi Wanxia was moved to tears and nodded repeatedly.
With Cui Zhihao's help, Shi Wanxia made thorough preparations. She consulted a large amount of information and learned about Xu Mingyi. She also formulated a detailed plan; she refused to believe it wouldn't work.
Can't she tame this awkward and aloof academic genius?
Xu Mingyi was also a genius. He could recognize a thousand characters at the age of three, speak fluently at the age of five, and became a scholar at the age of twelve. He was a well-known child prodigy. Unfortunately, an unexpected event almost ruined this talented young man.
Cui Zhihao was somewhat worried that Miss Shi might make things worse.