Reborn as an Ugly Wife in the Countryside-Chapter 1315 - 1317: Proposal for Piecework Pay

Actually, Xiaoxiao wanted to say that making safety helmets here might not be feasible due to the local conditions, but she decided to let it go. "Lease out the mountain, and split the stone revenue fifty-fifty with them. This solves the problem of no one going up the mountain."

Zhong Lihui was listening intently to Xiaoxiao’s proposal. Her suggestion was indeed very attractive to the villagers. The main challenge with his current business was the lack of people willing to work under the cliffs. This solves that problem completely: just knock the stones down, transport them out, and then hire people to process the stones.

Even a fifty-fifty split was acceptable because stones sold directly from the factory weren’t worth much; the value was in the processing. He immediately agreed with Xiaoxiao’s proposal. "Xiaoxiao, your proposal is great. Big Brother agrees. As long as we transport the stones from under the cliff to our stone yard, we can then hire people for processing."

A smile played on Xiaoxiao’s lips. She knew Big Brother would understand this issue quickly, as that’s how she considered it too. However, since the mountain is being leased, other aspects need adjustments too. "Big Brother, when transporting the stones from under the cliff, those stones will need a fifty-fifty revenue share with the villagers. Someone must record those stones at the exit of the cliff."

"Once the stones arrive at the stone yard, we still need to hire workers to process them. Only after processing can they be sent to buyers. I think we should change the processing method too. We can’t just pay fifteen coins per day like before; it wasn’t efficient. This time, let’s use a piecework system where they earn per finished product, essentially a processing fee. This will incentivize everyone because the more they work, the more they earn. Big Brother, processed stones are worth much more than selling them directly. How much should we price the stones when sold, and what processing fee will be most beneficial to us while making villagers feel they earn more? You know better."

At this point, someone raised an objection, "Xiaoxiao, you’re talking about having hundreds of people working on the mountain. It’s good now because we have business, but what if there’s no business in the future? Won’t the villagers complain about having no business and being unable to sell stones? Our family business isn’t that big; we can’t sell that many."

"Yeah, won’t this turn into something too big? How could our family sell so many stones? We’d need hundreds of people on the mountain."

Xiaoxiao continued to smile, "Big Brother, whether the stones can be sold depends on you reaching out to various places, promoting our products, and securing continuous business."

Stone Mountain lacks fame; the Zhong Family’s survival depended on the few items they produced. However, this time Zhong Lihui going out to negotiate big deals showed ambition, and Xiaoxiao’s proposal aligned with modern observations, making it absolutely feasible—it just depends on whether the Zhong Family has the courage to implement it.

Zhong Lihui understood Xiaoxiao well, which is also why he’s been to Beijing. He wanted to sell their stones farther afield. Xiaoxiao’s proposal made his heart race; he believed that if done well, their old Zhong Family’s Stone Mountain would certainly be remembered by the world.

He said excitedly, "Leave the business negotiations outside to me—I’ll cover more ground."