On the living room sofa.
Xu Minli took Xu Fei’s hand, her face wreathed in smiles. "Feifei, we’re so close, just one floor apart. You should bring Wu Jun up to visit more often when you’re free. He’s not an outsider."
Wu Jun felt a little awkward listening from the side. ’Since when am I not an outsider?’
"I know, Auntie," Xu Fei replied, her face flushing. She was thinking the same thing as Wu Jun. ’I’m just staying at his place, it’s not like I’ve married him. Auntie’s words are so misleading!’
"Auntie Xu, where’s Uncle Cui? Isn’t he off work yet?" Wu Jun asked, changing the subject when he saw that only Xu Minli was home.
Xu Minli’s husband, Cui Zhishen, was a taxi driver in his early forties. At his age, he couldn’t handle pulling all-nighters anymore, so he had found a partner to cover the night shift while he drove the day shift. Normally, he should have been home from work by now.
"Sigh, don’t get me started," Xu Minli said with a sigh. "The partner he found is so unreliable. He just up and quit without any notice. Your uncle is so worried about losing money on the taxi rental fee that he’s been driving until after midnight these past few days while looking for a new partner."
"Uncle Cui is really pushing himself..." Wu Jun said sympathetically.
"He has no choice," Xu Minli said. "Cui Hao has his college entrance exams next year, and college will cost a lot. After he graduates, he’ll want to find a girlfriend and get married, which also costs a fortune. And we have to help him with the down payment for a house, don’t we? It’s just one expense after another."
Wu Jun asked, "Auntie Xu, how much does Uncle Cui make in a month driving a taxi?"
Xu Minli replied, "After the company fees and gas money, if he works hard, he can make around 6,000 a month."
Wu Jun said, "Alright, Auntie Xu, why don’t you call Uncle Cui and ask him to come back now?"
Xu Minli was taken aback. "Do you need him for something?"
Wu Jun said, "I’m actually hiring delivery drivers right now. Uncle Cui is an experienced driver who knows the city inside and out. He should come work for me. He’ll definitely make more in a month than he does driving a taxi."
He had always remembered Xu Minli’s kindness. Now that he was able to, he wanted to help her out. Besides, with his business expanding, he really needed to hire more people.
’He had doubled Wang Qidong’s salary, and they weren’t even related. How could he offer any less to the husband of Auntie Xu, who he was so close with?’
"Wu Jun, are you serious? You’re not joking with me, are you?" Xu Minli asked, uncertain. "Does your supermarket even need delivery drivers?"
"Auntie, Wu Jun has other businesses on the side, it’s not just the supermarket," Xu Fei chimed in, feeling grateful when she realized Wu Jun was genuinely trying to help her family.
Hearing this from Xu Fei, Xu Minli no longer hesitated. She picked up her phone and called Cui Zhishen, telling him to hurry home.
Xu Minli had absolute faith in Wu Jun’s character. ’If he says the delivery job pays more than driving a taxi, he wouldn’t lie to me.’
Xu Minli had sounded so urgent on the phone without explaining why that Cui Zhishen thought there was an emergency at home and rushed back in a panic.
When he burst through the door and saw the three of them sitting there leisurely drinking tea, Cui Zhishen finally let out a sigh of relief.
"What in the world was so urgent? You didn’t explain anything on the phone, you scared me to death," Cui Zhishen complained after greeting Wu Jun and Xu Fei. He plopped down on the sofa and set his car keys on the table.
Wu Jun said, "Uncle Cui, I was the one who asked Auntie Xu to call you back."
"What’s going on, Wu Jun?" Cui Zhishen asked, confused. "Is there an emergency? Do you need to use the car?"
"You silly goose, it’s good news," Xu Minli said, playfully punching her husband. "Wu Jun has found a job for you. Go turn in your taxi tomorrow; you won’t be driving for those bloodsuckers anymore."
"What kind of job? Am I even able to do it at my age?" Having driven a taxi for over a decade and never done anything else, Cui Zhishen was hesitant about changing careers.
Wu Jun said, "Don’t worry, Uncle Cui, you can definitely do it. It’s still a driving job. Instead of hauling people, you’ll be hauling goods. They’re much less demanding."
"Well..." Cui Zhishen was still hesitant. "Wu Jun, don’t think I’m being nosy, but it’s best to be clear about these things beforehand. Where would I work, what would I be hauling, and what’s the monthly salary?"
"You’d be working for me, driving a truck to deliver rice around the city. The base monthly salary is 10,000," Wu Jun said, getting straight to the point about the job and compensation.
’He was already paying Wang Qidong this much, so naturally, he couldn’t offer Auntie Xu’s husband anything less.’
His company wasn’t even officially established yet, nor were the salary standards set, but this was the wage Wu Jun had been offering everyone he’d recruited in the last two days.
’It’s what he offered Wang Qidong and Chen Lin, so he couldn’t show favoritism with Cui Zhishen.’
Cui Zhishen was stunned by the salary Wu Jun offered. ’Doesn’t he just run a small supermarket? Can you really make 10,000 a month delivering goods for a little store?’
’Who would believe it if I told them...’
’Is running a small supermarket this profitable now?’
Cui Zhishen found himself having the same question that Huang Zili and Bian Xuedao had before him.
"10,000!" Xu Minli exclaimed. Wu Jun had only said it would be better than driving a taxi, not by how much. She would have considered six or seven thousand to be a huge improvement, but she never imagined he would offer 10,000 right off the bat.
"No, no," Xu Minli said hurriedly. "Wu Jun, how much do you even make a month? Don’t go into the red by paying your uncle such a high salary."
Cui Zhishen: "..."
’This woman... Is she really my wife? Why is she siding with an outsider against her own husband!’
’I know they’re from the same hometown and are close, but not *this* close, surely...’
’Most people complain their salary is too low and ask the boss for more. You, on the other hand, are complaining it’s too high!’
"Don’t worry, Auntie Xu, I know what I’m doing," Wu Jun said. "Brother Wang Qidong from downstairs is working for me now, and his salary is the same. Naturally, I can’t offer Uncle Cui any less."
Hearing Wu Jun’s explanation, Xu Minli and Cui Zhishen were even more astonished. ’He has more than one driver earning 10,000 a month?’
However, with someone else to compare to, Xu Minli stopped worrying about the high salary. And just like that, the matter was settled.
Cui Zhishen still hadn’t eaten, so he asked Xu Minli to whip up a couple of dishes in the kitchen. Then he insisted Wu Jun join him for a drink, praising him endlessly.
After they finished a bottle of liquor, Wu Jun saw that it was getting late. He told Cui Zhishen to return his taxi the next day and then report to the rented villa to sign his contract and complete the onboarding process.
After giving Cui Zhishen the instructions, Wu Jun stood up, said his goodbyes, and left with Xu Fei.
Xu Minli and her husband saw the two of them out, only turning to go back inside after watching them get on the elevator.
"Honey, Wu Jun’s really become something, huh? He became a big boss without anyone noticing," Cui Zhishen marveled as he came back inside.
Xu Minli said, "Wu Jun gave you a wonderful opportunity, so you have to work hard. Don’t think you can slack off just because he’s close to our family."
"We’ve been married for ages, and you still don’t know me? Is your husband that kind of man?" Cui Zhishen said. "Don’t worry, I’ll make him proud. I’ll give it 110 percent."
"That’s what I like to hear," Xu Minli said with a smile. "Now go take a shower, you reek of alcohol. For once, you can get to bed early tonight."
"Wait for me," Cui Zhishen chuckled slyly and headed for the bathroom.
After Wu Jun and Xu Fei went downstairs, they took turns washing up before returning to their separate rooms.
He had made a total of 270,000 yuan from selling rice today: over 260,000 from the warehouse and just under 10,000 from the supermarket.
After spending about 100,000 on office equipment, Wu Jun still had 170,000 in cash.
After spending 70,000 yuan last night to recruit seven Farmers, he still had eight mu of rice paddies lying idle in the game.
Wu Jun spent another 80,000 yuan to recruit more Farmers, fully staffing his fields and bringing his in-game production back up to 38 tons per day.
Hearing no sound from outside, he figured Xu Fei had already gone to bed. Wu Jun summoned all his newly recruited Farmers and touched each one in turn.
’Not a single one blushed. They’re all just cannon fodder...’
Wu Jun sighed, sent the Farmers back into the game, put his phone away, and went to sleep.