Chapter 106: Chapter 105 Contract Content
Ye Shiqi had Siya carry her to the courtyard, beside her father, as Siya had already learned to understand some of her sister’s sign language.
“Stop fooling around. Go back to your room. Don’t you see we have guests? What are you kids messing about here for? Do you believe I will spank you?”
Just as Siya’s voice faded, Mrs. Lai, who was listening to her husband and the housekeeper’s conversation, saw Siwa and Wuwa approaching and furiously scolded them.
“Grandma…” Siya was scolded by her grandma, looking timidly at her with fearful eyes, holding her sister but not obediently returning to the room.
“Mother, why are you scolding the kids? My little daughter just wanted me to hold her, it’s no bother, it won’t interfere with my conversation with the housekeeper.”
Hongji extended his hand to take his younger daughter from Siya, also worried that Siya, being only about three years old, might accidentally drop her sister if she held her for too long.
“Hmph, son, you only ever take their side,”
Mrs. Lai intended to continue, but she was stopped by a glare from Hongji’s father. The couple seemed to have an understanding; her husband resented her for not leaving some dignity for the family in front of guests. Understanding her husband’s intent, she stood quietly to the side, with her head lowered.
Being a woman, she was not to sit beside the men while they discussed matters.
Moreover, there were no spare stools for her to sit on; all available seating had already been taken out for the guards and the driver to use.
Mrs. Lai didn’t return to her room; she wanted to stand there to hear more clearly what her husband and the guests were discussing.
At that moment, she couldn’t contain her anger any longer; she hadn’t realized it before, but now thinking it over, cooperating with Mr. Tang in setting up a factory in the village had made her son a small employer; thus, she was the employer’s mother.
This meant she could become like a landlord; if she earned more income than now, she could buy more land to become a true landlady and could afford to hire long-term workers and servants for work, delighting in the thought that she would be able to enjoy a comfortable life thereafter.
Hongji’s father glanced at the notebook; he only did simple carpentry, earning less because the orders were small and infrequent, and he had never signed a contract with a big employer, thus he was unsure about how significant these terms were.
Looking at the many clauses in the contract, noticing that if one party breached the contract, they would have to pay a penalty.
In the past, when they did carpentry, customers would pay a small deposit and could pay the rest slowly, even if their woodworking was a bit delayed.
This would just mean working overtime to finish it. A delay of a day or half wouldn’t matter unless the client needed it immediately; there was never any question of a penalty then.
But now, it was different, collaborating with such a major employer; how large were the stakes?
Just the penalty clause alone, if triggered, could cost them everything they had. Hongji’s father, somewhat worried, pointed to the penalty clause and showed it to his son, saying:
“Hongji, look at this clause. If we truly make a mistake, selling all we own still wouldn’t cover the cost.”
“Father, what should we do?”
Hongji was at his wits’ end. The anxious expression on his father’s face was something he had not encountered before; listening to his father’s words dampened his excitement like a splash of cold water.
“Hehe, this clause binds us all, such as when hiring workers later on, make them sign too. If there’s a problem later, it’s handled according to the contract on both sides, even if it goes to court, there will be evidence.
The breach clause binds both parties; if we don’t follow the contract, we also have to pay a penalty. It ensures that both families work together properly.”
The explanation from the housekeeper made sense to Hongji, and he took the notebook from his father’s hands to read.
Being the only son in the family and with a father who was a carpenter able to make some money, his father could read a bit, and he had attended private school for several years. He could understand the simple words in the contract.
Ye Shiqi nestled in her father’s arms while he was reading the contract, her eyes also scanning its content.
In her previous life, she had never worked. After returning from studying abroad, she found herself here. While studying overseas, to prepare for the possibility of working in her family business and not being clueless, she had studied business management, and she could understand the common clauses in contracts.
She had even checked some information online about literary loopholes in contracts and roughly understood a bit about it.
Seeing that the ancient contracts were actually very simple and did not contain many clauses as modern companies do for legal reasons,
it contained only a few words and did not have any textual loopholes. The contract stated that after deducting costs for wood materials, labor, and some expenses, one tael of earned Silver could be divided to give twenty percent to their family, which would be two maces of Silver.
The contract seemed a bit unfair; the Tang Family would receive eighty percent, and his family would only receive twenty percent.
Yet, his family did not have to take as large a risk as the Tang Family, which was building workshops and hiring workers. The initial investment was coming from them.
His family was only providing the technology, and even if they did not make much money, they would not incur losses.
At that moment, Ye Shiqi couldn’t speak. Seeing her father’s hesitant demeanor, as if he was afraid to sign, she did not want her father to miss this money-making opportunity.
It was right for her father to be cautious, but being too cautious wouldn’t bring in money. Opportunities often come with risks, and being too fearful would accomplish nothing.
Seeing a pen nearby, she impulsively moved her body and reached to hand her father the pen.
Hongji was hesitating, somewhat afraid to refuse, but he did not want to lose such a big opportunity. If he could become a small boss and make money, Mrs. Li should be able to return home, and their family could be reunited.
It seemed as though the housekeeper knew Hongji’s feelings, and at this moment, he disclosed a bit of news, intending to get this man to sign the contract quickly while he still had time to handle some other matters:
“Our Old Master and the Eldest Young Master have discussed it. If you agree to this contract and sign it, our families will become collaborators. After the new year, Mrs. Li will be allowed to return home if our families cooperate. If we do not collaborate, she will continue to work as a wet nurse,” the housekeeper said.
Hongji had just thought about his wife being able to stay at home when he became a boss and their family could reunite, and now the housekeeper mentioned that cooperating would enable his wife to return home.
He had spent several months without his wife by his side and, naturally, longed to have her back and was eager to have a healthy baby soon.
“Housekeeper, the Tang Family keeps their word, right? Once I sign, Mrs. Li won’t have to be a wet nurse in your house after the new year, right?”
Hongji took the pen from his little daughter’s hand, but fearing that the housekeeper might retract the offer after he signed, he fixed a confirming gaze on the housekeeper once again.
“Of course, our Tang Family is large and prosperous. Hiring a wet nurse is very easy for us—as long as the Silver is right, we could hire as many wet nurses as needed. Rest assured, our word is solid,” the housekeeper said nonchalantly.
The housekeeper spoke confidently, knowing well that even if they wanted to take advantage of this honest man, he didn’t have much to be taken advantage of. Besides, they still needed his family for now.
The housekeeper was not only carrying this task; he also needed to inquire about honey.