Chapter 58: Would You Like to Work Here?

“Director Lu, I didn’t know you were so knowledgeable. That’s really impressive.”

Zhang Haiping meant every word.

These days, all the young people were leaving to work in the cities. No one wanted to stay behind and farm anymore.

Back when they were still working the fields, they often talked about this with the other villagers.

Young folks nowadays all want to move out.

But then, who’s going to farm the land in the future?

If no one’s farming, what are we going to eat or drink?

Even if the younger generation were willing to come back and farm, would they even know how?

Pesticide ratios, fertilizer selection, pruning fruit trees, maintaining the soil—do they know any of that?

Take their own family’s grape field last year, for example. It was just over an acre, and while it looked easy, it was actually a ton of work.

Just the fertilizer alone had to be applied in three different stages.

Each stage required something different: nitrogen fertilizer, ammonium fertilizer, organic fertilizer.

And when necessary, they had to add supplemental nutrients based on the condition of the plants.

And that was just the bare minimum.

If you weren’t careful and used the wrong fertilizer at the wrong time—say, ammonium fertilizer when something else was needed—the grapes wouldn’t taste right. The fruit wouldn’t be plump either.

In short, there’s a lot to learn.

Just like the shiitake and snow fungus cultivation on basswood logs that Director Lu mentioned earlier.

That kind of thing? Most young people today probably wouldn’t have a clue.

But Director Lu, young as she is, actually knows all this.

And she’s already a director at such a young age, and a woman at that. How could she not be impressive?

“Uncle Zhang, you flatter me. I only know a little.”

“There’s a saying: professional work should be done by professionals.”

“I’m not sure if Master Zhang has told you about our orphanage?”

“In the backyard, we’ve planted some vegetables, set up a few greenhouses, and even built a new rabbit hutch.”

“I’ve also taken over the nearby mountain.”

“We’ve already cleared the area, and starting today, we’ve begun planting trees.”

“My plan is to grow all kinds of fruit trees on the mountain and raise a bunch of animals—chickens, ducks, geese, pigs, and so on.”

“There’s no way I can handle all that on my own, so I’ve been thinking about where to find help.”

“Then Master Zhang recommended you two.”

“You couldn’t have come at a better time.”

“The mountain area is quite large. I’ll give you a quick tour of the orphanage first, then we’ll head up the mountain.”

“When it comes to work, it’s a two-way street. We both have to be satisfied. Don’t you agree?”

“Yes, yes,” Liu Shufen nodded.

“Master Zhang, take Uncle and Aunt around the orphanage and show them what we’re doing here.”

“I’ll go change and meet you shortly.”

“Alright, Director.”

After Master Zhang left with the couple, Lu Qingqiang finished drilling the last few holes into the logs, then stood up and got ready to head back.

“Director, are the logs all drilled?”

“What’s next?” Yuan Yuan and Doctor Feng arrived with a group of kids.

The little ones chattered behind them, talking about the vegetables in the garden or the rabbits.

Of course, there were other topics too.

Like Zhou Yang, who declared, “When I become a great hero, once I draw my sword, forget rabbits—even wild boars in the mountains won’t stand a chance.”

“I’ll slash them down in one go!”

“Are wild boars tasty? I wonder how they compare to regular pork.”

“Wild boars have bristles. Super scary!”

“Wild boars are protected animals. You can’t eat them. If you don’t believe me, ask Teacher Yuan and Grandma Feng.”

“They’re right.”

“…”

“Next, break off a bit of the mushroom spawn and stuff it into each hole I just drilled.”

“Then, just leave the inoculated logs here for now.”

After giving instructions, Lu Qingqiang demonstrated how it was done.

Seeing Mama Lu get to work, the Little Radish Heads stopped whispering and crowded around, eager to learn.

“Got it?”

“Got it, got it! It’s super easy!”

“I can do it too!”

“Hmm, my brain gets it, but my hands aren’t quite there yet.”

“Hahaha, Kai, you’re stuffing in way too much.”

“Like this?”

“Director, do you have other things to take care of? You go ahead. Yuan and I will keep an eye on things here.”

As she spoke, Doctor Feng placed her thermos on the nearby chess table, rolled up her sleeves, and got ready to work.

“Alright, thank you both.”

After changing into a fresh outfit, Lu Qingqiang followed the location Zhang Qiang had sent and headed to the backyard.

By the time she took the couple up the mountain and brought them back, the sky was already starting to darken.

That trip up the mountain had filled Zhang Haiping and Liu Shufen with excitement about the work ahead.

Even the heavy sadness they’d been carrying seemed to lift a little.

It turned out what people said was true: once you find something else to focus on, something you’re interested in, the sorrow can be tucked away deep inside for a while.

Life is long, and it has to go on.

It felt like they had finally found their balance.

“Uncle Zhang, Aunt Liu, what do you think of the orphanage environment?”

“Would you like to work here?”

“Of course, there are a lot of fruit trees to plant and animals to raise. If you’re willing to join us, and things get too busy, we’ll hire more help or bring in temp workers.”

“I won’t let the two of you get overwhelmed,” Lu Qingqiang explained.

The mountain was huge, and there were so many animals to care for.

Even with her bringing the kids up to help from time to time, once the busy farming season hit, they might not be able to keep up.

She had to make that clear from the start, so they wouldn’t think the orphanage was trying to work them to death.

“I think the environment is great. We’ve talked it over and we’d love to join,” Zhang Haiping said after exchanging a glance with his wife.

“As for the salary, it’s 7,000 a month to start. After the probation period, it goes up to 10,000 before tax.”

“There’s a year-end bonus, one day off each week, and all the standard holiday benefits.”

“Does that sound acceptable to you?”

“Yes!” The two of them were stunned for a moment, then nodded repeatedly.

That salary… was incredibly high.

Back when they farmed at home, even after a whole year of hard work and deducting all the costs, they didn’t make 100,000 yuan.

But now, this young Director Lu was offering them such a generous salary?

7,000 per person per month meant the two of them would make—

Nearly 170,000 a year.

If their son were still alive, saving that kind of money for two years would be enough to help him get married.

At that thought, their expressions dimmed again.

Lu Qingqiang noticed right away.

She continued, “Since you’re okay with everything, let’s go ahead and sign the contract.”

“After that, I’ll take you to your dorm.”

“The new employee dorms are still under renovation and need time to air out.”

“For now, you can stay in the old dorms. Is that alright?”

“Of course, we’re not picky,” they replied.

Lu Qingqiang had the system generate the contract, so there wouldn’t be any issues.

After reading through it, the couple signed without hesitation.

The dorm was the last available room in the orphanage. The conditions weren’t great, but it would do for now.

It was still early October, so the weather wasn’t cold, and staying there wouldn’t be a problem.

As for supplies, Lu Qingqiang had already asked Aunt Liu to purchase a batch. They could just grab what they needed from the storage room.

“It’s about dinner time now. Once you’re settled, have Master Zhang take you to the canteen for a meal.”

“We provide both room and board here.”

“Great, great,” the couple nodded again and again.

This kind of job was just too good to be true.

At this rate, how much money would they be able to save in a year?