Chapter 41 "Labor Contract"

  Soon Li Dechen gathered all the able-bodied men in the village to his home's courtyard. Over a hundred people, not many, but standing in the courtyard they seemed like a dense crowd.

  Liu Yitiao walked out of the house with his hands behind his back, and the noisy crowd in the courtyard immediately fell silent. Everyone looked at this young new master with tension and curiosity, wondering what he was going to do this time.

  Liu Yitiao smiled slightly, it seemed that his identity as the master of this house still had an effect on these villagers. He walked towards the crowd with a smile on his face, a kind of smile that made people feel like they were basking in the warm spring breeze.

  The villagers' tense faces relaxed, and Liu Yitiao spoke to them in a voice full of temptation: "Fellow villagers, villagers, or tenants, do you want to get rid of this impoverished life? Do you want to have cotton-padded jackets in winter and cool clothes in summer? Do you want to live in spacious and bright wooden houses and eat meat every day?"

  Looking at the strong hope and longing on each villager's face, Liu Yitiao smiled confidently and stood aside without speaking. He wanted to give these people some mental buffer time, because he had more important things to say next.

  After a while, Li Dechen walked out of the crowd with a slight tremble and looked at Liu Yitiao excitedly, asking: "Boss, can we? Without land, without money, can we really get rid of our current situation?"

  "Alright!" Liu Yitiao said with a firm tone: "With me here, you can!"

  Li Dechen looked back at a group of villagers and asked Liu Yitiao again: "Then what should we do? Please teach me, Master!"

  "It's very simple," said Liu Yitiao with a smile: "As long as you work hard for me, I can give you all these things! Five years, no, three years is enough. As long as you work hard for me for three years, you can have all the things I mentioned earlier!"

  The scene fell silent, and everyone in the room was indifferent to Liu Yitiao's words.

  Liu didn't mind, knowing that someone else must have said the same thing. He didn't say anything more and instead took out a contract he had prepared earlier from his pocket and handed it to Li Dequan, saying: "Please trouble Old Li to find a villager who can read and recite the contents of this contract."

  Li Dechen took it and said: "When I was young, I studied in a private school for a few years and still recognized some characters. Let me read it."

  "Then I'll have to trouble Old Li." Liu Yitiao nodded and said.

  Li Dechen turned to face the villagers, unfolded Liu Yitiao's contract and read aloud: "Labor Contract for Farming; Party A: Liu Yitiao; Gender: Male; Address: Gutian Village. Party B: ×× Villager; Gender: Male/Female; Address: No fixed address."

  "On the principle of equality and mutual consent, both parties agree to sign a farming contract as follows:

  1. Contract period: From the × day of × month of × year of Zhenguan to the × day of × month of × year of Zhenguan, Party B shall provide labor services for Party A for × years.

  During the contract period, Party A has the right to unilaterally cancel the contract. After the expiration of the contract, if Party A still needs farming services, it can request Party B to renew the contract again. Party B shall not refuse."

  "2. Labour Remuneration: Party A shall provide Party B with three meals a day and pay a basic salary of ten cents per month, bonuses will be determined according to the labour situation of Party B, and adjusted accordingly. After autumn harvest, based on the yield per mu, one-fifteenth of the value of each mu's yield will be distributed to Party B."

  "Three, labor welfare treatment: Implement six days of work and one day of rest. During busy farming periods, this is calculated separately. However, for every five days of rest, Party A shall give Party B a subsidy of one cent as compensation."

  “......”

  The sweet date has been given, and next is some responsibility and obligation of the second party. As for the first party's Liu Yitiao, it was reserved in the contract. Looking at it, the first party only needs to give them some rent, and there is no other responsibility, let alone obligation. Therefore, when writing about the punishment that should be done in case of breach of contract, it is also much stricter than modern times.

  This is not because Liu has a black heart, compared to the current tenant's living and labor conditions, the terms he offered are already very good. Moreover, his financial situation is not good now, being able to offer such treatment is already very generous.

  And his purpose in doing so is also only to restrain. He wants to tightly grasp every rural household in his hands, lest they be poached midway.

  Although the times are different, as long as both parties sign their names or stamp their seals on the contract, they have the same legal binding force and can serve as a legal basis for one party's breach of contract.

  Because the contract is too novel and both parties are unfamiliar with it, many villagers don't understand it and only have a rough idea of its content. However, Li De-shen, an old man who has read a few years of books, has seen through it clearly.

  Old Li became more and more excited as he read on, his voice growing louder and louder. His face flushed with excitement, turning a deep red from his neck to his face.

  After finishing reading, Li Dechen suddenly knelt down to Liu Yitiao with a thud, scaring Liu Yitiao into hastily yielding the floor. He couldn't bear an old man kneeling to him.

  "Li Laozhang, what's wrong with you? Get up quickly!" Liu Yitia walked to Li Dezhen's side and tried to pull him up. However, he couldn't straighten out Old Li's knees which were bent at a 90-degree angle.

  "Master, don't stop me, let Xiao Lao give you a few kowtows, otherwise Xiao Lao won't get up." Li De's voice was firm, with tears streaming down his face.

  Liu Yitiao saw that he couldn't win against him, so he put down his hand and acknowledged his courtesy.

  Li Dechen kowtowed on the ground, knocking three loud heads to Liu Yitiao, before standing up. Wiping away tears from his face, he faced the still bewildered villagers and said: "You all should also kowtow to Master Liu. From the contract just now, Master Liu has given us a great favor - we have money, grain, and rest days. This is something that no other master would ever give us. Master Liu truly regards us as human beings, you all kneel down."

  Li Dechen was highly respected in the village, and no one doubted his words. Since he said there was money and grain, it must be true. So after hearing Li Dechen's words, the villagers' gaze at Liu Yitiao became fervent, and they all knelt down on the ground.

  More than 100 people knelt down together, and the scene was spectacular.

  But Liu Yitiao's heart was not pleasant. They just wanted to sign a labor contract that was not equal at all, and even abusive, they could be moved to kneel down for you, it can be imagined what kind of inhuman treatment they had before.

  At the same time, he is also more at ease, with these, the dozens of households will be his in the future.

  Liu stretched out his hand, gesturing for them to get up, and said: "Fellow villagers, there's no need to be so polite. After signing the contract this afternoon, you will all be my employees, my tenants. We'll be together often from now on. I will strictly follow the content of the contract and give you corresponding treatment. However, I also hope that everyone can follow the provisions of the contract and work hard for me."

  After finishing, Liu Yitiao took out 90 cents from his pocket and handed it to Li Dechen. He turned around and said to the villagers: "Here are 90 cents, I'll hand them over to Lao Li first, let him buy some grain, vegetables and clothes, and help everyone get through this New Year's Eve. As for later, I will arrange everything with you."

  The villagers actually still had the intention of kneeling down, Liu Yi waved his hand to stop them and said sternly: "There is no such etiquette as kneeling here, nor do I like people kneeling for me. A man's knees are made of gold, bowing to heaven and earth, bowing to monarchs and ministers, bowing to parents. I don't want my employees to be some spineless weaklings. In the past, you didn't know any better, but from now on, I won't care about what happens elsewhere, but here, if I see someone kneeling down for something trivial again, they will either be fined five dollars or have their contract terminated and never renewed. I hope everyone can remember this."

  "Yes, Master!" Everyone present bowed to Liu Yitiao with tears in their eyes. Although Liu Yitiao's words were severe, they heard a kind of respect from them. Respect for people, this is what they couldn't get elsewhere before.