Transmigration: Flirted with My Childhood Sweetheart
Chapter 509 - 508: Wonderful Misunderstanding

Chapter 509: Chapter 508: Wonderful Misunderstanding

Rong Zhiguo glared at Chang Jinzhong as if he were a dog landlord who squeezed the laboring people dry.

"What’s the deal? My apprentice draws a design for you, lets the factory produce new products, gets you recognized, and you can’t even pay wages? Are you even human, Chang Jinzhong?"

Chang Jinzhong’s mouth twitched incessantly; he wiped off his sweat and said with a bitter smile, "Old Rongzi, Xiao Lin doesn’t come to work, the factory doesn’t have such rules... Anyway, during the New Year’s wasn’t there also..."

"Also what? Do you think those trifles could buy a design? You must be out of your mind!"

Rong Zhiguo curled his lip and squinted, tapping his bag lightly with one finger, and with his other hand holding a cigarette, he exhaled a puff of smoke before saying, "That girl just gave me a new design, for a major production line." After that, he slanted his eyes at Chang Jinzhong and took a while before continuing, "The Spring Trade Fair is a good time, huh? Not only can you earn foreign exchange from exports, but I can also meet a few old buddies. The old vise guys from the Shanghai machinery factory are coming over too. Ah, I’m really getting old, always thinking about hanging out with old friends..."

The meaning of his words was clear—if you don’t pay my apprentice’s wages, I dare to give this major production line design to the Shanghai machinery factory, and if they want me, I might just consider going there.

A Level 8 Machinist! Which factory wouldn’t scramble for one? As long as Rong Zhiguo gives the nod, residency registration, housing, wages—none of that would be an issue!

Chang Jinzhong’s cold sweat fell even faster; he grabbed Rong Zhiguo’s wrist and put on an uglier smile than crying, "Old Rongzi, don’t make trouble, think about the factory, we really can’t set such a precedent!"

Rong Zhiguo snorted coldly.

Think about the factory?

The girl is so poor she’s going to paste matchboxes for a living, and he’s still thinking about the factory? Who’s going to think about his little apprentice?

Of course, Chang Jinzhong had no idea what Rong Zhiguo was thinking, and could only continue to plead earnestly, "Old Rongzi, it’s not that I’m stingy, but look, Xiao Lin is an educated youth, suddenly holding a position and getting wages in the machinery factory, how does that look? It doesn’t sound good at all!"

Rong Zhiguo’s gaze shifted slightly but still looked at him with the coldest, most mocking expression, "Oh, so you want to just take the girl’s work for nothing and use it to rake in a good reputation for yourself?"

Chang Jinzhong: "..."

He really wasn’t reasonable at all!

Chang Jinzhong frowned, knowing if he didn’t resolve the issue, he’d not only lose the major production line’s design but also the only Level 8 Machinist in their factory.

Paying wages was out of the question, completely out of the question, there was no such rule.

Then...

Chang Jinzhong quickly weighed his options in his mind and then gritted his teeth and said, "Here’s what we’ll do: for the Spring Trade Fair, I’ll take one percent of the revenue from the hand-cranked threshing machines and give it to Xiao Lin as a bonus! That should be good enough, right?"

Though the hand-cranked threshing machine didn’t use much material and wasn’t expensive to make, it was a unique and novel idea and a good product for promoting agricultural production, priced at five hundred yuan for export.

That meant, for every hand-cranked threshing machine sold, Lin Nianhe would get five yuan.

This bonus sounded significant, but no one knew how many hand-cranked threshing machines could be sold at the Trade Fair. If not a single one sold, then Lin Nianhe’s bonus would be nothing more than an empty red envelope.

And this was a one-shot deal.

Rong Zhiguo immediately understood the key point and started cursing at Chang Jinzhong, pointing at his nose, "Damn you, you’re utterly shameless! Bullying a young girl, do you still call yourself a man?"

Chang Jinzhong’s head hurt.

"So what do you want? I’ll lay it out here and now, paying wages for not working is impossible, impossible for anyone!"

Chang Jinzhong seemed to be ready to give up altogether.

He truly didn’t know what to do.

Should he just give Lin Nianhe the position of factory director? Let her deal with this old bastard!

Rong Zhiguo wanted to secure Lin Nianhe a steady job; he was confident he could get her a wage of twenty yuan, but seeing Chang Jinzhong like this, a steady job was out of the question, so he would just have to stretch out this one-shot deal as long as possible.

"Just this time at the Spring Trade Fair, it definitely won’t work," Rong Zhiguo shook his head, "For all future Trade Fairs, as long as it’s something made from Xiao Lin’s design drawings, you must give one percent of the turnover as a bonus."

Chang Jinzhong: "...!"

"Old Rongzi, don’t be too unreasonable!"

"Me, unreasonable? My daughter is suffering, making matchboxes to get by, and you call this unreasonable? As her master, not feeding my apprentice would be the real unreasonableness!"

Chang Jinzhong: "..."

"A young lady doesn’t complain and you pretend to be dead, isn’t this bullying the honest?!"

"..."

"At your age, have some shame!"

"..."

Chang Jinzhong silently questioned the heavens.

Which factory has a Level 8 Machinist with a good temper?

He would trade for Old Rongzi.

Even with two hundred yuan thrown in.

...

Lin Nianhe could never have imagined that as she was singing on the train, a huge pie would suddenly smack her on the head.

One percent of the turnover as a bonus!

And it’s for every Trade Fair, for every product she designs!

Lin Nianhe felt an overwhelming joy inside, but her face showed a trace of melancholy: "Is that so, what if I don’t sell a single unit... Never mind, it’s okay, I wasn’t doing it for the money in the first place."

The latter half of Lin Nianhe’s words were genuine; she truly hadn’t planned to profit off these things.

But since the profit was offered to her doorstep, she reluctantly accepted it.

Well, reluctantly... hehehe...

To prevent Chang Jinzhong from reneging in the future, Lin Nianhe immediately took out draft paper and a fountain pen, pulled Wong Xiao over, and said: "Uncle Chang, I know you mean well, and in the spirit of reciprocity, I must be responsible to you—I’m afraid that in case I face difficulty in the future and the thought of greed crosses my mind, I might use this to blackmail you, which would be too unfair to you, so let’s sign an agreement!"

As she chattered away, her pen had already written line after line.

Parties to the agreement, duration, bonus amount, and the standard for the bonus without upper or lower limits; everything was clearly and concisely detailed.

Chang Jinzhong’s head was hurting from being scolded by Rong Zhiguo, but now, listening to Lin Nianhe’s articulate and tender voice, his heart finally felt a little ease.

Of course, he also worried about what Lin Nianhe mentioned could happen. She was young now and didn’t feel the hardships of life with her parents providing for her, but what if life got tough for her in a few years and she wanted to raise the standard? The factory wasn’t his, Chang Jinzhong, to decide on. If such a situation arose, both sides would definitely have a falling out and turn a good situation into enmity.

Lin Nianhe quickly finished writing the three copies of the agreement, signed her name first, handed the fountain pen to Chang Jinzhong, and while pulling Wong Xiao, explained: "Uncle Chang, our agreement is prepared in triplicate, one copy for you and one for me, and the third copy will be temporarily kept by Uncle Wong until we get to Sui City, where Uncle Huang can witness and keep it, how about that?"

Hearing such a thoughtful proposal, Chang Jinzhong was moved to tears.

The apprentice is a good apprentice, what a pity to be stuck with such a bandit master!

Chang Jinzhong signed his name, stamped the seal of Beijing Machinery Factory, and didn’t forget to tell Lin Nianhe: "Xiao Lin, you really are a good kid!"

Lin Nianhe: "Mmm, I’ve always been a kind-hearted good person."