Douluo: A Century-old Legend I Am the Second Uncle Chenxin

Chapter 1509 Touching Hearts

Asking for recommendation votes
……

After some pleasantries, the atmosphere in the hall was relaxed.

Tang Jigen's gaze fell on Xiongmao'er, and he asked, "So, Brother Shen, you are now serving under the Chen family?"

Panda'er grinned habitually: "Haha, Brother Tang knows me. I'm naturally lazy and love to wander around. I've just happened to make some friends."

He said casually, "That's why I'm just staying here with Ah Zhang, being his helper, and making a living off him."

At this moment, Chen Zhang, who was standing to the side, naturally took over the conversation with a cupped hand: "Uncle Tang, you are wise."

"In recent years, the family has been dealing with a lot of affairs, especially external liaison matters, so we have established a new External Liaison Department."

"I am a junior and feel great pressure to lead this new department. I am grateful to Uncle Tao for not abandoning me and for condescending to come and assist me in taking on the position of deputy director of the External Relations Department."

Chen Zhang spoke steadily and said in a deep voice, "Uncle Tao is experienced and handles things with ease. With Uncle Tao by my side, the burden on my shoulders is much lighter."

Tang Jinghe, who was sitting in the main seat, had been listening quietly. At this moment, he stroked his silver beard and said with emotion, "I heard a few years ago that the Shen family is a branch of the Chen family. They are of the same blood and have a prosperous family."

"Nephew Shen, your spirit soars like a dragon and a steed, your magnanimity and elegance bring honor to our family."

"Speaking of which, it has been several decades since I parted ways with Brother Tianjun."

"I heard a few days ago that he broke through to the Title Douluo level, which is truly a cause for celebration."

"The name of the Azure Sea Douluo resounds throughout the Northwest. Brother Tianjun's achievements in this life are truly admirable."

Panda turned to the side and said, "Old man, you're just lucky. You've been accumulating experience for a long time, so please don't flatter me, sir."

Tang Jinghe smiled and shook his head slightly: "Brother Tianjun has a deep foundation, so it was a natural outcome."

"I imagine that you, Brother Tianjun, are at the height of your life right now. I am truly envious."

That's right. If he could break through to the Title Douluo level, the Xuanhuang Tang family wouldn't be bullied by the Haotian Sect Tang family anymore.

Panda continued, "Before he left, the old man specifically asked me to give you his regards. He will be visiting you in person soon."

Upon hearing this, Tang Jinghe and Tang Jigen, who was sitting next to him, exchanged a subtle glance, both father and son displaying a thoughtful and calculating look.

Tang Jinghe's smile immediately brightened. "That would be wonderful. If Brother Tianjun comes, I will certainly prepare a warm welcome, with fine tea and wine, so we can reminisce about our time together."

After a few more casual words between the host and guests about the sights and sounds of the mainland and the interesting stories of Soul Masters, the atmosphere became even more harmonious and familiar, and the invisible sense of distance quietly diminished a bit.

Seeing that the time was ripe, Tang Jigen straightened his posture and said, "Nephew Chen, Brother Shen, it must be important that you two have come here today, despite the long journey?"

Chen Zhang's expression turned serious: "Uncle Tang is very perceptive. I have come here today with a few matters that I hope your family can assist me with."

Tang Jigen's expression remained calm: "Nephew, there's no need for formalities. Whatever the Tang family can do, we will do our utmost."

Chen Zhang paused briefly, his eyes clear and bright, and spoke in a gentle tone: "Grandpa, Uncle, I'm sure you two have heard that the various soul tools and equipment produced by my Chen family in recent years are widely circulated in the market."

"But with the daily increase in production and sales, the manpower available for forging is gradually becoming insufficient."

Then, he naturally raised his hand, palm up, and pointed in Tang Yuchen's direction, "And Brother Yuchen, your skills in forging and refining weapons displayed in the Chen family over the years have truly impressed the entire family."

His gaze turned to Tang Jinghe, and he solemnly said, "The Xuanhuang Tang family is famous throughout the continent for its exquisite forging skills passed down through generations."

"Therefore, entrusted by the head of the family, I wish to discuss with your family the establishment of cooperation... in-depth cooperation."

He uttered the words "deep cooperation" with great weight, his gaze steadily meeting Tang Jinghe's eyes.

Tang Jigen's gaze unconsciously turned to his father.

Tang Jinghe did not answer immediately, as if he was thinking about something.

He unconsciously twirled his silver beard with his fingertips, his eyes as deep as an ancient pool, his gaze lingering on Tang Yuchen for an extremely brief moment.

Tang Yuchen remained seated with his hands at his sides, his expression calm and unwavering.

After a moment of silence, Tang Jinghe's usual warm smile returned: "Yu Chen is indeed one of the best among his peers in the art of forging."

He did not deny Chen Zhang's assessment; on the contrary, he affirmed it.

Tang Yuchen's expression shifted slightly, but he remained silent.

Tang Jinghe then changed the subject, "So, how does your esteemed family intend to conduct this cooperation?"

With a slight movement of his left sleeve, Chen Zhang held up three simply bound, clean white paper notebooks in his palm and handed them to the three members of the Tang family.

"These are three cooperation paths that my Chen family has carefully considered and devised. Please take a look, Grandfather, Uncle, and Brother Tang."

Tang Jinghe took the notebook, feeling the unique suppleness of the paper with his fingertips, and his gaze fell on the open first page.

Tang Jigen and Tang Yusheng also focused intently on reading.

“The first option,” Chen Zhang’s voice rang out in the quiet hall, “is that we can commission your family to produce specific products.”

"Chenjia only needs to specify the detailed specifications and technical standards of the products they need, and the final product will be verified and approved by us."

"These collaborations mainly involve various appliances and equipment that are relevant to people's daily lives."

He paused briefly, then continued, "Given the reputation of the Xuanhuang Tang family in the forging field, and the stability of their craftsmanship, we intend to sign a long-term contract for five or even ten years." This is the standard contract manufacturing model.

But the words "long-term contract" stirred subtle ripples in the hearts of the three members of the Tang family.

Tang Jigen looked up at Chen Zhang and asked again, "A long-term contract?"

“Yes, a long-term contract.” Chen Zhang nodded affirmatively.

The weight of the word "long-term" is naturally clear to the three members of the Tang family.

In recent years, due to the oppression of the Haotian Sect, many large workshops under the Tang family have had their production equipment idle, and the craftsmen have also been quite idle.

A long-term, stable order can revitalize these idle resources and bring a continuous and predictable source of income to the entire Xuanhuang Tang Clan, which undoubtedly hits the nail on the head for them.

Tang Jinghe's gaze didn't leave the text in his hand for long. He asked in a seemingly casual tone, "So, what about the other two modes?"

“This second type,” Chen Zhang lightly tapped his finger on the open notebook, pointing to the corresponding paragraph, “is for certain special products related to military equipment.”

"Due to the confidentiality of the matter, we are not in a position to entrust others to manufacture the complete product."

"Therefore, we hope to directly hire your family's skilled craftsmen to work in the workshops directly under the Chen family."

"Hire?" Tang Jigen's eyebrows twitched slightly.

The Tang family is known for its large clan-run workshops. Most of the craftsmen are trained by the family and bound to the Tang family's businesses. There are very few precedents of them being hired by other forces to serve for a long time.

"Yes, we will hire you." Chen Zhang reiterated, "As I said before, my Chen family greatly admires and respects your family's profound forging expertise and the skilled craftsmen at all levels."

"Therefore, we hope to invite them with generous terms."

He then stated the most crucial condition: "Regarding the basic remuneration for employment, after approval by the family, it is initially set as follows: for formally employed Soul Master level craftsmen, the annual salary is 30,000 gold coins; for Soul Kings, 100,000 gold coins; for Soul Emperors, 150,000 gold coins; and for Soul Saints, 200,000 gold coins."

These words caused the already quiet atmosphere in the hall to freeze even more.

Tang Yusheng's gaze swept quickly across his grandfather's and father's faces.

"This is just the most basic base salary," Chen Zhang continued, his words revealing sincerity. "In addition, a skills-based salary will be issued after evaluation based on the level of skill and uniqueness of the craft."

"Furthermore, after joining the company, performance-based pay will be awarded based on the employee's actual work performance and contributions in the workshop."

"These two additional sources of income can generally reach at least 50% of their base annual salary, or even double or triple it."

Observing the changes in the expressions of the three members of the Tang family, he further explained: "The Chen family also provides craftsmen with benefits including priority discounts on all kinds of self-produced goods, paid leave in accordance with regulations and workshop systems, and many other welfare guarantees, which are detailed on page six of the text."

At this point, Chen Zhang changed the subject slightly: "Naturally, the Chen family is well aware that this move may require the use of the talent resources accumulated by your family."

"To express our respect and gratitude to the Xuanhuang Tang family for cultivating these talents over the years, whenever our Chen family hires a craftsman from the Tang family, regardless of his or her rank, we will deduct an additional 20% from his or her basic annual salary as a talent support fee for your family, which will be settled and paid annually."

"Twenty percent? Every year?" Tang Jigen subconsciously confirmed, his voice slightly deep, a glint of light flashing in the depths of his eyes.

“That’s right, it happens every year.” Chen Zhang gave a very affirmative answer.

These simple words represent net income.

The Tang family doesn't need to pay any costs for materials, premises, product losses, or management. As long as the craftsmen are allowed to be hired, the Tang family can just sit back and collect the money.

There may not be many Soul Saint-level craftsmen, but what about the core members of the Soul Sect and Soul King levels?
With the accumulated numbers and the added 20% fee, this "talent support fee" can easily reach one or two million gold soul coins per year.

In today's world, gold coins still have strong purchasing power.

An eighth-rank noble family is lucky if they can save three or four million gold coins a year.

This was undoubtedly a godsend for the Xuanhuang Tang clan, which was in dire financial straits.

Moreover, the generous salaries offered by the Chen family to individual craftsmen, far exceeding those within the Tang family, were enough to enable these hired craftsmen to be self-sufficient, thereby indirectly reducing the burden on the Tang family in supporting its workforce.

This is equivalent to the Chen family supporting a portion of the Tang family's population every year.

Of course, the Chen family also gained access to high-quality craftsmen, making it a win-win situation.

Perhaps driven by his eagerness, Tang Yusheng almost immediately followed up with, "Then what about the third mode?"

Chen Zhang smiled faintly and pointed to the summary at the end of the line: "The third type is also a contract-based employment, but it targets a more advanced and special group."

"The first two types roughly correspond to the production and manufacturing stages of daily necessities and armed equipment, while this third type focuses on the front end—research and development and innovation."

"Our Chen family has a dedicated research department whose function is to explore various cutting-edge possibilities in the forging of soul guides and related materials and technologies, and to develop corresponding advanced prototype products."

Chen Zhang's gaze turned to Tang Yucheng, who had been sitting quietly. Tang Yucheng nodded slightly at Chen Zhang's prompting.

"Brother Yuchen, based on his outstanding forging theory and technical insights, has been appointed as the deputy technical director of the research department."

"This position, in terms of compensation, is second only to the director and deputy director of the research department, and belongs to the core management team."

Chen Zhang turned his gaze back to Tang Jinghe and Tang Jigen: "Brother Yuchen's basic annual salary is 500,000 gold soul coins."

"At the same time, all employees under the research department system receive higher levels of skill-based and performance-based compensation, as well as greater opportunities for advancement, compared to craftsmen who work in workshops."

(End of this chapter)