Madmen don't keep diaries

Chapter 403 402 Ye Liushuang

Feng Xiuhu nodded and said, "Good eye!"

The owl who asked the question said smugly, "I've never been wrong about anything!"

"That's not necessarily the case."

Feng Xiuhu shook his head and pointed to the owl-man beside him who had been observing without saying a word: "Didn't you realize that he actually wants to go back to work at the factory?"

The owl who had asked the question turned to his companion and glared angrily: "Is what he said true?"

The owl, startled, quickly waved its hands in denial: "I didn't!"

Feng Xiuhu nodded with a sneer: "Very good, I was just trying to bluff you, but I didn't expect you to be so determined. Not bad."

The owl who had asked the question angrily retorted, "Are you trying to fool me?!"

Feng Xiuhu countered, "Which sentence are you referring to?"

The owl was momentarily stunned: "Anything else?"

Feng Xiuhu patted him on the shoulder: "I'm the factory manager, why would I lie to you?"

This statement sounds illogical, and in fact it is illogical, but the owl was so confused that he couldn't make sense of it for a while.

Feng Xiuhu didn't intend to give him time to think it over, and said, "I'm here to get you back to work. Take me to see your boss."

The owl understood what he meant and glared at Feng Xiuhu, saying, "Don't even think about it, we're not going back!"

Feng Xiuhu shook his head and said, "It's not up to you; it's up to your leader."

The owl sneered, "Keep dreaming. Brother Ye wouldn't agree to that."

"That's not necessarily the case."

Feng Xiuhu crossed his arms and laughed, "You won't even let me talk to that guy surnamed Ye, how do you know he won't agree?"

Before the owl could give a sufficient reason, Feng Xiuhu preemptively asked, "How much did the factory pay you per month before?"

The owl blurted out, "Seven strings of coins!"

Feng Xiuhu thought for a moment. This wage level was already much higher than that of the Owlmen of Dicheng. He remembered that before the village tower in Dicheng collapsed, the Sail City factory only paid the Owlmen four strings of cash.

But after all, there are regional differences, and there's no nationally unified price for this stuff.

Without much recollection, Feng Xiuhu blurted out, "My foreign master said he'll pay you three silver dollars a month from now on! Think about it carefully, do you think the Ye family would disagree with that price?"

The two owlmen stared in disbelief, almost drooling: "Really?!"

Feng Xiuhu thumped his chest loudly: "I, the factory manager, am here, how could it be fake? To tell you the truth, the foreign lords are forced into a corner and just want to start production as soon as possible—if you don't do it, there are plenty of people who will. At this price, are you worried about not finding workers?"

Seeing that Feng Xiuhu was getting impatient, the two owlmen were afraid that he would just turn around and leave. So the owlman who was asking the question quickly grabbed Feng Xiuhu and shouted to the owl who was looking at him, "Go find Brother Ye right away, I'll take this lackey—and the steward over right away!"

……

Feng Xiuhu finally entered the village tower.

During the journey, the owl introduced himself, saying his name was Lin Laiji, and the one who went in to report was Hua Changgui.

The two stepped onto the elevator, and Feng Xiuhu felt a sense of familiarity, touching this and that.

Lin Laiji asked suspiciously, "The factory has elevators, why is it so strange?"

Feng Xiuhu said, "I haven't seen this thing in my hometown for some time now, ever since I dismantled it."

Lin Laiji didn't understand, but seeing that Feng Xiuhu wasn't going to explain, he simply didn't bother to ask any more questions. After exiting the elevator, they were back in that familiar, cramped corridor. Lin Laiji led Feng Xiuhu through several turns before finally leading him to a room.

Feng Xiuhu quickly looked around and determined that the room was probably converted from a spacious ship cabin.

Behind the table in front, a somewhat gaunt owl was already waiting.

Although he is not tall, he has a very calm and composed demeanor.

Hua Changgui was standing next to him. When he saw the two of them come in, he said, "Brother Ye, this is him."

The owl, addressed as Brother Ye, waved his hand and said, "You all go out. I'll talk to him alone."

It was clear that the owl surnamed Ye was highly respected. Even without an explanation, Hua Changgui and Lin Laiji left as instructed, closing the door behind them.

The owl surnamed Ye gestured for Feng Xiuhu to sit down: "I am Ye Liushuang. Tell me your purpose, friend."

Feng Xiuhu sat down with a smile: "Didn't I already say that I came here to persuade you to go back to work?"

Ye Liushuang laughed too: "You can fool them, but you can't fool me. You're not from the factory at all."

Feng Xiuhu asked curiously, "How did you know?"

Ye Liushuang smiled helplessly and slowly shook her head: "I don't know you, but do you think I don't know the nature of those foreigners and managers? They would never ask for three silver plates—what's the difference between that and just robbing them?"

Feng Xiuhu then asked, "Then why not just rob them?"

Ye Liushuang was taken aback: "What nonsense are you talking about? Robbery is against the law—let alone robbing foreigners."

Feng Xiuhu then asked, "You had the guts to lead them in a strike, so why didn't you have a little more guts? If it were me, I would have led my brothers to dismantle the foreigners' factory. At this critical juncture, we certainly wouldn't have trouble finding buyers for the factory's machinery parts and various instruments."

Ye Liushuang stared blankly at Feng Xiuhu: "I'm afraid it's not appropriate."

Feng Xiuhu frowned slightly: "Do you think I'm joking? It's such a simple principle. If you take advantage of the foreigners now, the government will at most put on a show, but they won't actually pursue the matter. Even the tea drinkers on the street know that the government and the foreigners are having a falling out over the shipyard. If you don't do something big now, are you going to wait until they make up before you do it?"

Ye Liushuang opened her mouth slightly, and after a long while, she finally uttered a word: "You... just who are you?"

At this point, Feng Xiuhu was already somewhat dissatisfied—he had thought he had encountered a rare person with a clear head, so he rushed to offer advice, but Ye Liushuang's performance made it difficult for him to continue the conversation.

Feng Xiuhu stared at Ye Liushuang for a few seconds: "Were you the one who led the Owlmen on strike?"

"of course."

Ye Liushuang nodded, her tone seemingly genuine.

Feng Xiuhu then asked, "Have you thought it through? What is the real reason for the strike?"

Ye Liushuang replied without hesitation: "Of course, it's for a raise."

Feng Xiuhu didn't give him time to think: "Then how much should it rise to be appropriate?"

Ye Liushuang hesitated for a moment: "Eight strings of coins—no, nine strings! At least nine strings of coins."

Feng Xiuhu smiled helplessly. Clearly, Ye Liushuang had not really thought about this question, or perhaps he had thought about it but had not figured it out.

Feng Xiuhu asked him, "How much does an ordinary worker earn?"

The answer to this question is readily available. Ye Liushuang replied, "Two silver plates for a master craftsman, and one silver plate plus five strings of cash for a junior craftsman."

Feng Xiuhu was very disappointed and puzzled: "What right does someone like you have to lead the brothers on strike? These owlmen are brainless too. If they follow you, they'll starve to death in the stockade sooner or later."

(End of this chapter)