GBP Chapter 499 Someone Brings a Pillow When You're Sleepy
Chapter 499 Someone Brings a Pillow When You're Sleepy
The next morning, the two hunters from Heyan Village arrived with samples as expected. They brought various pelts, including fox, otter, and rabbit skins, as well as some game and medicinal herbs.
Li Xiangyang carefully inspected each item and nodded in satisfaction: "The quality is good, and they're very clean."
After some bargaining, the two parties reached an agreement: Li Xiangyang would purchase their goods at market price, and if they could cooperate long-term, he would offer them a certain price discount.
The purchasing station was exceptionally busy that day. In addition to the hunters from Heyan Village, many villagers who had heard the news came with their mountain goods. The three novice workers were extremely busy, and Li Xiangyang and Wang Ergou provided guidance throughout, afraid of making any mistakes.
By the afternoon, the goods at the purchasing station had piled up into a small mountain. Li Xiangyang looked at the overflowing goods and felt a great sense of accomplishment.
"We need to go to the county town tomorrow," Li Xiangyang said to Wang Ergou. "These goods need to be sold as soon as possible, otherwise they'll spoil easily."
Wang Ergou nodded: "I'll stay here and continue acquiring more; you go to the city to contact buyers."
Li Xiangyang shook his head: "No, we'll go together. There are too many goods; I can't carry them all by myself."
After careful consideration, Li Xiangyang decided to suspend the acquisition for one day and continue after processing this batch of goods.
The next morning, Li Xiangyang and Wang Ergou loaded the goods onto the truck and headed to the county town.
Upon arriving at Mr. Liu's shop, he was astonished to see the sheer volume of goods they had brought: "Have you plundered the entire mountain area?"
Li Xiangyang laughed and said, "Mr. Liu, this is nothing. There will only be more goods to come. I wonder if you could buy them all?"
Mr. Liu readily agreed: "Of course I can accept it, but it will have to be done in batches. You can unload half first, and the rest can come back tomorrow."
So, Li Xiangyang and Wang Ergou spent two days running around the county town before they finally sold all the goods. The income from this batch of goods was more than they had expected.
Back in Xiaoliang Village, Li Xiangyang shared the good news with Li Xiaoyun. Li Xiaoyun's eyes crinkled into slits with joy: "That's wonderful! Now we can expand the purchasing station!"
Li Xiangyang nodded: "Yes, the current sheds are too rudimentary; we need to build a proper house."
In the days that followed, Li Xiangyang and Wang Ergou continued to buy mountain products while also working to expand their purchasing station. They hired a carpenter from the village to build a larger shed and even set aside a small shed specifically for processing hides.
As the purchasing station expanded, Li Xiangyang's reputation spread to the surrounding villages. More and more people brought their mountain products to Xiaoliang Village, and Li Xiangyang's business grew bigger and bigger.
"Brother Xiangyang, shouldn't we hire an accountant?" Wang Ergou suddenly suggested one day. "The accounts are piling up, and I'm finding it hard to keep track of them all."
Li Xiangyang thought for a moment: "That's a good suggestion. But who should we ask? City people aren't willing to come to this remote mountain village, and the villagers don't have the necessary expertise."
Wang Ergou scratched his head: "Yeah, this has stumped me."
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
Li Xiangyang got up and opened the door, only to see a simply dressed young woman in her early twenties standing at the door, clutching a cloth bag tightly in her hand.
"Excuse me, is this the place where we collect mountain produce?" the girl asked timidly, her voice soft but her words clear.
Li Xiangyang nodded: "Yes, I am Li Xiangyang. What can I do for you?"
"I..." The girl's face flushed slightly, "I heard you're hiring, and I'd like to apply."
Li Xiangyang looked the girl up and down. She was petite and looked frail, not like someone who could do physical labor.
“We’re hiring loading and unloading workers right now, and you’re a young woman…” Li Xiangyang said tactfully.
The girl quickly explained, "I'm not here to do manual labor. I... I can keep accounts."
Upon hearing this, Li Xiangyang and Wang Ergou exchanged a glance, both showing expressions of surprise.
This is like a pillow being delivered to someone who's sleepy—I'm so lucky!
"You can keep accounts?" Wang Ergou asked incredulously. "Where did you learn that?"
The girl's eyes lit up: "My dad used to be an accountant at the supply and marketing cooperative, and I learned from him since I was little. Later..." Her voice trailed off, "Later, our family suffered a disaster, and I didn't have the chance to go to school anymore, but I still managed to keep the accounts."
Li Xiangyang gestured for her to come inside and sit down: "What's your name? Where do you live?"
“My name is Zhao Xiuying, and I’m from Shicun,” the girl replied. “My father… passed away two years ago, leaving only my mother and me.”
"Shicun?" Li Xiangyang remembered. "Isn't that more than twenty li away from here? How did you get here?"
"I came on foot," Zhao Xiuying said softly, but her eyes showed determination. "I heard from the villagers that there's a man named Li Xiangyang in Xiaoliang Village who buys mountain products, and his business is quite large. I thought you might need some manpower."
Li Xiangyang couldn't help but feel a bit more favorably disposed towards this girl; her determination to travel such a long distance to find a job was evident.
"You say you're good at bookkeeping, so let me test you. If our daily purchase volume increases by 10%, how many times will our daily purchase volume be after one month?"
Zhao Xiuying thought for a moment, then said, "If we calculate based on 30 days, it's approximately 17.45 times."
Li Xiangyang nodded inwardly; this girl was indeed quite capable.
“One last question,” Li Xiangyang asked, “Why did you want to work here? Shicun isn’t close to here, and it must be inconvenient for you to commute every day, right?”
Zhao Xiuying's eyes hardened: "My mother is sick and needs money for treatment. I heard you pay fair wages here, and..." She took a deep breath, "I can live here and only go home once or twice a month."
Li Xiangyang looked at Wang Ergou, who nodded slightly, clearly also having a good impression of the girl.
“Alright then,” Li Xiangyang decided, “you can start work tomorrow. It’ll be paid daily, ten yuan a day, with room and board included. You’ll have a one-month trial period; if it goes well, we’ll raise your pay.”
Zhao Xiuying's face lit up with joy: "Thank you, Brother Li! I will definitely work hard!"
"Ergou, take her to arrange accommodations," Li Xiangyang said. "She can stay in that little house on the west side."
Wang Ergou nodded and led Zhao Xiuying to arrange accommodations.
Li Xiangyang sat back down in his chair, pondering future developments.
The accounts of the purchasing stations are becoming increasingly complex, and a dedicated accountant is indeed needed to manage them.
Although the girl was given a simple test and her level was more than enough to handle the situation, it would still cost money to send her to school after she was officially hired.
And even if you spend the money, it's hard to say whether you can keep the person in the end.
That evening, Li Xiaoyun learned about this from Li Xiangyang and frowned: "Isn't it inappropriate for a young woman to come here to work alone?"
Li Xiangyang explained, "Her family is struggling financially, and her mother is sick. Besides, she lives near the purchasing station, and with so many people watching over her, there won't be any problems."
Li Xiaoyun thought for a moment and nodded, "Alright then, but I need to go check that little house to see if it's habitable."