Chapter 159: The Issue of Hiring People

On the way back, Li Yi finally learned that these thugs had actually been harassing Third Sister for the past few days.

But since Third Sister saw how busy he was, she hadn’t mentioned it.

Deep down, Li Yi knew there was another reason Third Sister hadn’t told him: she was worried that his hot temper might lead him to cause a major disaster if he weren’t careful.

After all, if he hadn’t acted so impulsively three years ago and seriously injured someone, his eldest sister wouldn’t have been so desperate to get married, nor would she have been looked down upon because of the dowry and bride price.

Now that the family’s situation had just started to improve, she didn’t want a few petty thugs to ruin their peaceful and happy life.

“Sis, you should’ve told me about this!”

“I… I was worried…”

“You’re worried I’ll act too impulsively and hurt someone again, right?”

“Yes! We don’t need to stoop to their level!” Li Na said.

But Li Yi shook his head and said, “Sis, you know what? The worse the scum, the more we can’t let our guard down. These guys have no limits—they’ll do anything for money!”

“If you give in to them today, you’ll never be able to get rid of them—unless we quit this business altogether!”

Li Na was clearly startled by Li Yi’s words and immediately asked anxiously, “Then… what should we do?”

“To deal with people like this, you either have to make them respect you or make them fear you!”

“Yi, don’t do anything reckless. I’d rather we quit this business than let you do something stupid!” Li Na said.

A look of disdain flashed across Li Yi’s face as he replied, “Do something stupid? For a bunch of nobodies like these? Is that really worth it?”

“So what do you suggest?”

“We’ve got ready-made resources right there—it’d be a waste not to use them!”

“What resources?”

“What do street thugs fear most?”

“The police!”

At that point, Li Na suddenly understood and said, “Xiao Yi, are you saying that if they dare to come back, we’ll call the police?”

Li Yi smiled and said, “That’s too much trouble! Tomorrow I’ll have Captain Wang’s men swing by the textile factory—and grab a bowl of liangpi while they’re at it—and the rest will take care of itself!”

“Will that really work?”

“Of course it’ll work. Street thugs are bullies who pick on the weak and fear the strong. If they know we have connections at the county police station, they wouldn’t dare come bother us again even if you gave them ten times the courage!”

“That’s great!”

Li Yi continued, “Sis, I’ll also find you an assistant to keep an eye on things for you.”

“What kind of helper? Does it cost money?”

As a penny-pincher, Li Na was most concerned about money, so she asked immediately.

“Liu San—you’ve met him before. Twenty-five yuan a month!”

“25 yuan? That’s so expensive!”

Li Yi smiled and said, “He’ll earn in a month less than you make in a single day. What’s so expensive about that?”

“In the village, hiring someone costs only a dozen or so yuan a month—how could we possibly spend that much?”

“Haha, can the village really compare to the city? I’ve already made arrangements with them—it’s settled!” Li Yi said.

Originally, he’d had some reservations about taking Liu San on so impulsively.

But after what had just happened, he felt he’d made the right decision—and at exactly the right time.

Compared to Third Sister’s safety, everything else was secondary.

…….

Back home, Li Yi and Li Na tacitly agreed not to mention the matter, so as not to worry their family.

After unloading the supplies from the car into the house, Li Yi headed over to the new house, while Li Na washed the bamboo cups, chopsticks, and other utensils.

She was also waiting to go to the back mountain that evening to pick up the children!

At the new house, Tang Xue was busy with Second Sister, collecting and drying mushrooms.

When customers came to sell mushrooms, they weighed them, kept track of the transactions, and settled the accounts. When no one was around, they went into the drying room to spread the collected mushrooms evenly on the racks, waiting for them to air-dry naturally.

Once they were completely dry, the mushrooms would be repackaged and set aside to await customers.

Tang Xue was overjoyed to see Li Yi arrive.

“Why are you back so late today?”

Li Yi smiled and said, “Is it late?”

“Well, at least half an hour later than usual!” Tang Xue replied.

“I ran into some things in town today, so it took a little longer!”

Before Tang Xue could ask, Li Yi recounted the gold theft at Plant 812 and the matter of taking Liu San in.

After hearing Li Yi’s story, Tang Xue was initially taken aback. “That really is quite a coincidence!” she said.

“You bet. No one expected that guy to go after Liu San. He’d barely gotten his hands on the gold—it wasn’t even warm yet—and now he’s been caught!” Li Yi said.

“How pitiful!”

“Haha, what’s there to feel sorry for? You could say that those who are pitiful must also be despicable!” Li Yi said with a smile.

Third Sister chimed in, “You’re absolutely right. He had a good life at the factory, getting a salary and rations, yet he thought he’d steal the country’s gold. People like that should be taken out and shot!”

Li Yi shook his head and said, “They certainly won’t be shot—after all, it’s just a theft case. But the value of what that couple stole is so high that a life sentence should be more than enough!”

“Doesn’t that mean they’ll be locked up in prison for the rest of their lives?”

“Not exactly. Our country’s laws are quite humane. As long as they serve their sentence properly, they’ll be out in no more than a decade or so!”

“You can actually get out after being sentenced to life?”

“Yeah. For a single offense, if you don’t commit any intentional crimes within the first two years, your sentence gets reduced to 15 years. If you keep behaving well, you can still fight for further reductions. With a 15-year sentence, you’ll likely be out after serving about ten years!”

After hearing Li Yi’s explanation, Tang Xue looked at him with starry eyes and said admiringly, “You really know a lot!”

“Hahaha, if you read more books, you’d know all this too!”

“Mm-hmm!”

Just then, Second Sister suddenly remembered something and asked immediately, “Xiao Yi, will you be okay after taking in that Liu San?”

“What could go wrong?”

“Hiring someone!”

Upon hearing this, Li Yi fell silent. What his second older sister had mentioned was indeed a major issue.

Hiring workers—in this era, that was truly a “red line” that simply couldn’t be crossed!

At the time, there was a widespread consensus throughout the country—from the grassroots up—that landlords had amassed their wealth by exploiting farmers, and capitalists by exploiting workers.

Consequently, since the socialist transformation of industry and commerce, “hiring laborers” had all but disappeared in China, and the notion that “hiring labor equals exploitation” had become virtually a social consensus.

Moreover, although society had just emerged from that great catastrophe, people’s mindsets were still stuck in that era.

Last February, the State Administration for Industry and Commerce stated in a report: “Local authorities may, based on local market needs and with the approval of relevant competent departments, permit some unemployed laborers with formal household registration to engage in individual labor such as repairs, services, and handicrafts; however, they are not permitted to hire workers.”

If I were to hire Liu San now, that would clearly constitute hiring a worker—a move that crosses a red line.

If someone were to report him, the consequences could be far more severe than simply setting up a street stall.

With this in mind, Li Yi fell deep into thought.

Tang Xue frowned upon hearing this and said, “What about the villagers and the children? We’ve had them help pick mushrooms—does that count as hiring workers?”

Li Yi shook his head and said, “They don’t count. There’s no dependency relationship between us and the villagers. Their primary role is still as village members; they have their own legitimate jobs and income. Right now, they’re just using their spare time to earn a little extra money.”

“Besides, once the weather turns cooler and the mushrooms are gone, our partnership will end—it doesn’t qualify as an employment relationship!”

“But what about Liu San? If you take him on, that’s definitely hiring someone—the consequences could be serious!” Second Sister said.

Just then, Uncle Zhou from the village walked in carrying two baskets on a pole, saying he was there to sell mushrooms.

Li Yi immediately turned to Tang Xue and Third Sister and said, “We’ve got work to do. I’ll think it over and we’ll discuss it later!”

“Hmm!”

…….