Starting from iron smelting

Li Er came over, twisted my arm, then walked into the inner room. He turned back and motioned for me to come in to discuss salary matters. Lu Xiuyuan lifted the curtain and walked in.

After opening the curtain and pushing open the door to the inner room, Lu Xiuyuan immediately felt an old and dull atmosphere. The small space was cluttered with scattered firewood, which seemed to have been taken and stacked countless times, and could not be called tidy at all.

The paint on the wall had long since peeled off, leaving a mottled and dull appearance, and the yellowed and worn wooden wallboards revealed the traces of time. The woodshed was filled with dust and mold, and the wood smell emitted by the messy firewood was even more dull and uncomfortable.

The piled up debris and scattered firewood in the corner formed a chaotic scene, as if the unattended corner was forgotten by the years, left to the passage of time and the invasion of wind and dust.

Don't just stand there like an idiot. Come in and I'll tell you about work. Shopkeeper Li Er glanced back at Lu Xiuyuan, his eyes revealing a calculating and stingy look, as if he was considering costs and profits every minute and every second.

Due to the small scale of the business, the space in the woodroom was crowded and dim, with scattered firewood and a few old tools, which was in stark contrast to Lu Xiuyuan's previous expectations of neatness and order.

"You can see that I'm a small business here, and I earn my money through hard work." Shopkeeper Li Er spoke calmly, his tone revealing the calmness of years of business experience. He asked Lu Xiuyuan to sit down, and he found a bench in front of the table and sat down, with a slight smile on his face, as if he saw a lamb to be slaughtered.

"You come here to work for a while, I'll provide you with food and lodging." The shopkeeper Li Er continued, with a sinister smile hidden in his tone. This was obviously to emphasize the conditions provided, which were not very luxurious, highlighting the stingy nature of the boss. The work in the firewood room was not an easy job, and the reward of 20 spirit stones was obviously well thought out.

"I'll give you twenty spirit stones a month. How about that? Are you satisfied with this treatment?" The boss's eyes fell sharply on Lu Xiuyuan's face, waiting for his response.

Although Lu Xiuyuan had been in the forest and had no contact with others, he had learned about the prices in this world by strolling around the market today. With a salary of 20 spirit stones, he couldn't even afford the lowest-grade herbs. How could it be enough? He felt that he was not greedy, but the reward in front of him was too little.

After listening to this, Lu Xiuyuan waved his hands and said, "Boss, you give too little. What can we do with this salary? Although you provide food and accommodation, I can tell from the skinny and pale faces of the guys outside that the food you provide is definitely not enough to fill their stomachs. Look at the environment, how is it different from the street? You want to give me twenty spirit stones a month? The price of livestock is more expensive than mine." Lu Xiuyuan said in a firm tone. He knew his own worth very well and did not want to suffer any loss in this job.

Li Er was immediately displeased when he heard this. He had never expected that this young man was such a tough guy. He could see that he wanted to get something for nothing and make him work for free. However, he thought that the remuneration he gave was already generous, but he did not expect that the new temporary worker would despise it.

He sneered, "You think this price is too little? No matter how many people begged me on their knees, I would not agree. This is your blessing. If you think it's too little, I think it's too much. Do you want this?"

Lu Xiuyuan was somewhat helpless because of his boss's attitude, but he didn't want to compromise easily. He pondered for a moment and said firmly: "Boss, I know this is a small business, but the salary is really too low. I need at least 30 spirit stones so that I can support myself."

Li Er snorted coldly after hearing this, and a trace of displeasure flashed in his eyes. He thought about it, and finally gritted his teeth and said, "Okay, I'll give you 30 yuan, no more, you can do it yourself, but you have to work harder, if you are lazy at all, I won't give you a penny."

After listening to his boss's remarks, Lu Xiuyuan felt unhappy and disgusted. He couldn't help but feel extremely disgusted with this shrewd and stingy boss. Such a person could actually be a boss and oppress and exploit others with a clear conscience. Human life is really cheap, and life for the lower class is really difficult. Such a boss will sooner or later suffer retribution.

Although Lu Xiuyuan was full of disgust, he understood that in this unfamiliar environment, he had to maintain some compromise. People had to bow their heads under the eaves, and at least on the surface, he had to appear cooperative and optimistic. He tried to force a smile on his face and said to the boss, "Thirty spiritual stones is already very good, and it also includes food and accommodation, which is good.

I will do my best to do this job well." Although he didn't agree with his boss's behavior, Lu Xiuyuan knew that he had to at least express his willingness to cooperate with his boss in words to avoid unnecessary trouble.

Li San led Lu Xiuyuan into the backyard and began to introduce the real working environment of the firewood room. The environment in the backyard was darker and damper than the firewood room in front. The walls were obviously in disrepair for many years, and some cracks were leaking damp air from the walls.

The boss pointed to the messy pile of firewood on the ground and said, "This is where you work. You have to handle these firewood every day. Remember, every piece of firewood must be counted clearly and there must be no mistakes. If you make a mistake, your salary will be deducted and your working hours will be extended by one hour until you make no mistakes."

After hearing this, Lu Xiuyuan couldn't help but roll his eyes and thought, "I'm here to work, not to sell myself. Once I get the information I want, I'll leave. Who cares about you?"

Li Er paused and continued to introduce the daily work content, from cleaning firewood to sorting the piles of wood, each task needs to be completed accurately and quickly. The boss added stiffly: "You have to remember that time is spiritual stone. Every minute of your time must be used to create value, and there can be no waste."

Then Li Er turned to talk about the rules and regulations of the firewood room. These rules and regulations cannot be said to be strict, but can only be said to be anti-human. No wonder Zishu can make a fortune. Then Zishu pointed to a yellow notice hanging on the wall, which was densely covered with various regulations.

From working hours, rest time to the number of tasks that must be completed every day, everything is extremely anti-human. The boss warned expressionlessly: "You come here to work, not to enjoy yourself. There is no shelter here. You have to work hard according to the rules, otherwise you will be eliminated."

After the boss finished speaking, he waved his hand and a set of old and tattered work clothes fell into Lu Xiuyuan's hands. The work clothes had long lost their former color, and the mottled stains and cracks on the fabric almost told Lu Xiuyuan that these were work clothes that had gone through years of wind and rain.

The four big characters "Li Erchaidian" on the back were full of traces of vicissitudes of time. Lu Xiuyuan took the work clothes and put them on. The fabric felt weathered to the touch.

The work clothes seem to carry countless stories, and every trace bears witness to the past labor and the baptism of years. The four big characters, Li Er Chai Dian, are like a deed of sale, like a heavy label, engraving his connection with this place.

After putting on his work clothes, Lu Xiuyuan felt as if his whole body had become heavy. This set of old clothes seemed to tell him that this was not an easy and pleasant job, but a hard and arduous struggle. The boss smiled coldly and motioned him to start working.

From then on, Lu Xiuyuan started his hard working life.