The First National Preceptor of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 51

Since he didn't object, it means he agreed.

"Oh, so there's also Chai Xiaolang. I couldn't be happier. Since he's an apprentice, how about this, Foreman Chai, transfer one string of your monthly salary to Chai Xiaolang, and the workshop will contribute another string. That'll make two strings, how about it?"

"Apprentices can get paid?" Chai the blacksmith asked, looking slightly surprised.

“In my workshop, apprentices also get paid, since they do work. However, they can only get half a salary at the beginning. They can get a higher monthly salary after passing the assessment and being promoted.”

Xu Tian knew why Chai the blacksmith was surprised. In this era, it was common practice for apprentices in skilled trades such as shops and workshops to not receive any money for the first few months or even years. At most, they would receive some living allowance. Only after becoming skilled could they receive a formal monthly salary.

He couldn't comment on whether this approach was good or bad.

However, after thinking it over, he still acted according to his own ideas. There's a saying that goes, "If you're paid enough, even a novice can become a talent." He felt that there was some truth to that, and it wasn't just nonsense.

He hopes that the factory will adopt an elite approach in the future. This is because he has a lot of ideas waiting for talented workers to realize. He is not afraid that the workers will be paid more, but he is afraid that they will not have enough talent to realize his ideas.

If he had to do everything by himself, wouldn't he be exhausted? He was already unlucky enough to have transmigrated to this time and space; he didn't come here specifically to suffer.

"Old Master Yu said you were a magnanimous person, and today I've witnessed it firsthand," said Chai the blacksmith, looking at him.

"Hey, money isn't so easy to come by. If you take the money, you have to do your job well. Those who aren't qualified should be eliminated." That's how he responded.

"Of course, I can't stand lazy people either."

"Foreman Chai came prepared today, bringing such a huge iron hammer," Xu Tian asked curiously, now that the business was almost settled.

"Hey, I've been blacksmithing for half my life. I'm so used to this hammer. It's been to many places, and I always carry it with me. This hammer may not look like much, but it's made of good iron. I forged it myself. You can't buy it anywhere else," the blacksmith said with a proud expression.

The two chatted for a while longer before completing the onboarding procedures. They would sign a work contract in a few days.

This was rarely done in this era, but Xu Tian felt that for the long-term development of the factory, it was necessary to take a standardized approach and not to be lazy or take shortcuts. Therefore, it was best to do it this way from the beginning and form a standardized factory culture.

The two of them just arrived today, and they still need to make some preparations in various aspects. Although most of their daily necessities have been prepared, there are still some things they need to buy themselves, and they also need to tidy up their rooms and familiarize themselves with the environment.

Xu Tian felt that the factory needed someone to be stationed there regularly to coordinate the affairs.

In the long run, neither I nor Brother Anping are really suitable. Wang Anping is the nominal shop owner and factory owner, and he needs to be involved in both aspects, while I should focus more on the craftsmanship and technology, researching product realization, and improving and upgrading the technology, so as to maximize profits.

However, the number of people available to him is currently very limited, you can count them on your fingers, not to mention that the manager must have certain talents and be able to take charge independently in the future.

This matter is currently unresolved, but we can arrange for two of Anping's younger relatives to come to the factory for targeted training.