Back in the 1980s, hiking in the mountains was also a way of life

Wang An's words caused Wang Li and Mu Xueli to instinctively turn their questioning gazes toward Wang Dazhu.

Wang Dazhu, Liu Guilan, and Mu Xueqing, who were watching the three brothers' antics, were also taken aback by Wang An's words.

The main problem is that none of these people had any idea what Wang An was trying to express by suddenly making that statement.

But Wang An said with a serious expression:

"Let me tell you, even my own father can't do anything about it. What are you two, one a cousin and the other a brother-in-law, good for?"

As soon as Wang An said this, Wang Dazhu, Liu Guilan, Mu Xueqing, and the other vagrants who heard Wang An's words all burst into laughter.

The main problem is that Wang An's words were both too harsh and too funny.

The key is to separate Wang Li and Mu Xue from them, so that they can no longer find any reason not to pay.

But Wang An continued:

"Don't give me that useless talk. If you want to know what's going on, just pay up. Five yuan each, not a penny less. Oh, and you haven't paid me for the loading and unloading yet, so that's ten yuan each. Hurry up and pay up."

Although Wang An, Mu Xueli, and Wang Li had a very good relationship—what the locals would call "iron brothers"—they were quite clear about how money was divided among themselves.

Because Wang An always adhered to the principle of "even close brothers should keep clear accounts," and Wang Li and Mu Xueli, influenced by Wang An, had always done the same.

Perhaps that's why there hasn't been any rift between the three of them so far.

Of course, while Wang An's distribution of the spoils after a successful expedition into the mountains wasn't always perfectly fair, it was still very close to being fair.

After all, there is no such thing as absolute fairness in this world. As long as we can achieve relative fairness, that is, to a degree that satisfies everyone, that is perfectly acceptable.

After Wang An finished speaking, Wang Dazhu and the others still didn't interrupt, but they also wanted to hear what method Wang An had used to win over the warehouse manager.

This kind of approach, which can instantly reverse a person's attitude, is definitely something everyone should learn.

Mu Xueli said weakly:

"Brother-in-law, can you give me a discount? How about 7 yuan? 5 yuan is for loading and unloading, and the other 2 yuan is for tuition. Is that okay?"

Wang Li immediately chimed in:

“Yes, Fourth Brother, I’ll give you 7 yuan too, not including the loading and unloading fee. We’ll each give you 2 yuan. After that, you can teach us how to do it.”

Wang Li and Mu Xueli, unusually, stood on the same side.

Upon hearing this, Wang An remained unmoved and said:

"No, no discussion. Right now, it's 5 yuan per person, but after we unload the truck, it'll be 6 yuan per person, 7 yuan tomorrow, 8 yuan the day after, and 9 yuan the day after that. Anyway, you two can learn whenever you want. As long as the money is right, I'll teach you anytime, hahaha."

The two looked at each other and then reluctantly took out a one-yuan note from their pockets.

Wang An was very happy to see 20 yuan, mainly because this was the first time he had ever earned money by teaching people how to do things.

Although I only made two yuan in the end, it felt really good.

After putting the 20 yuan away, Wang An slowly recounted what had happened in the warehouse manager's office.

After Wang An finished speaking, everyone was silent for several seconds. Suddenly, Mu Xueli covered her face with her hands and rubbed them vigorously, looking constipated, and said:

"Oh my god, I was so blinded by my own involvement! How could I not have thought of something so simple?"

As she spoke, Mu Xueli slapped herself in the face. Wang Li was stunned for a moment, then said to Wang An with a mournful expression:

"Fourth Brother, you gave him 8 yuan, why did you ask us for 10 yuan?"

Mu Xueli also seemed to wake up from a dream and said:
"Yes, brother-in-law, how could you make money off us? You should give us back a little."

As she spoke, Mu Xueli stretched out her hand, as if asking for money.

After Wang Li and Mu Xueli finished speaking, everyone burst into laughter again. Wang An also smiled smugly, his face full of triumph as he questioned:
“What I charged was tuition, how can you say I’m making money off you two? I’m asking you two, didn’t I teach you all the methods? Besides, you gave me this money voluntarily, did I steal it from you?”

The two blinked and fell silent.

Turning his head, Wang An spoke very boldly to the vagrants standing beside him:

"Come on, everyone's done with the work, right? Time to get paid. Those who have received their pay should hurry back to sleep. You can still get almost 3 more hours of sleep."

As he spoke, Wang An took out a stack of one-yuan bills that he had prepared in his pocket.

In fact, during that era of low prices, the main currency in circulation was in denominations of one or two yuan, as well as small bills, which were mostly a few cents or dimes. Denominations like the "Great Unity" were relatively rare.

Because at that time, 10 yuan had considerable purchasing power; it was a real sum of money.

"Here you go, Brother Gangzi, one yuan for you; Uncle Pang, one yuan for you; Brother Du, one yuan for you."

Soon, Wang An gave each of the 10 people 1 yuan.

These people carefully examined the one yuan they had just received, their faces showing both joy and excitement. They all uttered words of thanks and praise, such as "Thank you, boss," "The boss is so considerate," and "It's good to work for the boss."

You can tell that these people are speaking from the heart, without even a hint of politeness.

After all, it's really too difficult for them to make money. The meager income they usually earn from gathering mountain products has long been exchanged for grain.

It is absolutely true, not an exaggeration, that these people have no money in their pockets.

Wang An finished distributing the money to everyone with a smile, and was in a very good mood.

The main thing is that paying someone a salary and having them look at you with gratitude, and having them sincerely say thank you and praise you, is actually a very genuine and satisfying thing.

So awesome! So exhilarating!
This is probably why everyone wants to be their own boss and hire a large group of people to work for them.

After distributing the money and hearing a barrage of thanks and praise, Wang An's vanity was once again greatly satisfied. He waved his hand generously and said:
"Tomorrow night—no, it's past midnight, it should be tonight, right, tonight! We'll all have drinks, two ounces each, hahaha!"

Wang An's words immediately drew cheers from the crowd, and words of gratitude and flattery poured out of their mouths once again.

For people who can't even get enough to eat, alcohol is a real luxury.

I still remember when Wang Angang was reborn, Wang Dazhu wanted to have a drink, and Comrade Liu Guilan sprayed him with words like a machine gun.

You have to understand that back then, Wang Anjia's family just didn't eat well and rarely had meat. They were definitely not as hungry as these vagrants. But even under those conditions, it was very difficult for Wang Dazhu to drink alcohol.

Wang An glanced at his watch, raised his hand to suppress the cheers of the crowd, and said with a smile:

"Alright, it's almost 3 o'clock. Everyone go back to sleep. Just remember, in our family, as long as you do your job well, drinking is a minor matter."

After Wang An finished speaking, everyone greeted each other and walked towards the gatehouse together. (End of Chapter)