The Sea Queen of 1985

Chapter 74: Chapter 74: High Commission, High Salary

With the house purchased, it was time to go shopping.

They bought clothes and shoes.

This time, Han Xiaorui wasn’t just shopping for herself. She also bought things for her sister and got two dresses for Liang Xiaoyu: one green and one blue.

As for the children, they each got two new outfits. ’Good things come in pairs; it’s more auspicious that way.’

Anyway, there were plenty of excuses to go shopping.

Remembering how Yang Zhigang had helped her sell the ambergris, she bought two summer outfits for him, estimating the size based on his height and build.

As for Yang Jianguo’s help, Han Xiaorui felt it would be inappropriate to buy him clothes directly, so she bought some for Wu Cuicui instead.

Wu Cuicui had a similar build to Liang Xiaoyu, so she just bought clothes in Liang Xiaoyu’s size.

She bought two dresses for Yang Minmin but no shoes, as she wasn’t sure of her foot size.

Han Xiaorui didn’t forget her employees, Wu Lingling and Xu Wenwen, either.

Everyone was overjoyed and bursting with cheer. ’Having a boss like this is pure bliss!’

Back home, Han Xiaorui grabbed the clothes she had bought for Yang Zhigang and Wu Cuicui, then rode her bicycle over to Wu Cuicui’s house.

When Wu Cuicui saw Han Xiaorui arrive, she asked, ”Xiao Rui, what’s up?”

Han Xiaorui smiled and handed her three bags. ”Sister Cuicui, Uncle Yang and Brother Jianguo helped me out before, but they wouldn’t accept any money. So, I bought some clothes for Uncle Yang, and for you and Minmin.”

”Why don’t you try them on and see if they fit? If they don’t, I can exchange them tomorrow. As for Uncle Yang’s clothes, could I trouble you to give them to him for me, Sister Cuicui?”

Wu Cuicui saw that Han Xiaorui had bought clothes for her, Minmin, and her husband’s second uncle, but nothing for Yang Jianguo.

’This gesture alone showed that Han Xiaorui understood propriety and knew how to avoid gossip.’

’The Second Aunt was wrong to slander Han Xiaorui all the time.’

”Well, since you’ve already bought them, I won’t refuse,” Wu Cuicui said with a laugh, taking the bags. ”I’ll go try them on inside.”

”Great, I’d love to see.” Han Xiaorui nodded. When people helped her, she always found a way to thank them.

Inside the room, Wu Cuicui felt the fabric. ’This isn’t cheap stuff.’

”It’s beautiful, Xiao Rui. Thank you,” Wu Cuicui said with a smile. ”Minmin, stop your homework for a minute! Your Auntie Xiao Rui bought you some clothes. Come and try them on!”

Yang Minmin’s mind hadn’t been on her homework for a while now. The moment she heard her mother’s call, she rushed out. ”Thank you, Auntie Xiao Rui!”

After changing into the dress, Yang Minmin looked even more beautiful. She even did a little twirl in front of her mother.

”You look so pretty, Minmin,” Han Xiaorui praised. ”The weather should be nice this weekend. If you finish your homework after you get home on Friday, we can all go to the amusement park on Saturday.”

Hearing this, Yang Minmin’s big eyes lit up. ”Auntie Xiao Rui, really? Mom, can we go?”

Wu Cuicui smiled. ”Of course. I’ll go too. Otherwise, your Auntie Xiao Rui will never be able to handle a little monkey like you on her own!”

Yang Minmin was ecstatic. ”Thank you, Mom! Thank you, Auntie Xiao Rui! I’m going to do my homework now!”

’Usually, getting her to do homework required both coaxing and threats. It was so rare for her to do it on her own initiative.’

Wu Cuicui had just looked at the clothes Han Xiaorui bought for the second uncle. They were all made of good fabric and in the latest styles. The only question was the size, but they looked like they would fit.

’I have to admit, Han Xiaorui is incredibly thoughtful!’

’Zhang Xiufang almost never bought clothes for her husband. As for their son, that scoundrel Yang Jianming, they considered it a blessing if he didn’t cause trouble, let alone buy his father clothes or show any concern for him.’

’And as for Zhang Lili, she was too busy demanding this and that to care where the money came from. Her only principle was to get as much as she possibly could.’

”Xiao Rui, thank you on behalf of my husband’s uncle,” Wu Cuicui said, sighing. ’No wonder he’s always so willing to help Han Xiaorui without complaint.’

’She holds gratitude in her heart and never forgets a kindness.’

”It’s the least I could do,” Han Xiaorui replied with a hearty laugh. ”Uncle Yang has helped me so much, and he’s so good to Pingping and An’an.”

’When you compared Han Xiaorui to people like Zhang Lili, Yang Jianming, and Zhang Xiufang, it was obvious just how exceptional she was.’

That evening, when Yang Jianguo came home and learned that Han Xiaorui had bought clothes for his uncle, he was deeply moved as well.

When he gave the clothes to his uncle, the older man’s eyes grew red.

’With a mother like Han Xiaorui teaching them by example, when Pingping and An’an grew up, they would surely remember their grandfather’s kindness and treat him with filial respect.’

The next two days brought strong winds and rain.

Han Xiaorui calculated the dates. It was time to pay Liang Xiaoyu.

Her original plan was to pay a base salary, plus a 1% commission on days they fished together.

However, with their income growing so high, and because she truly wanted to invest in Liang Xiaoyu’s development, she decided that arrangement wouldn’t work anymore.

So, after some consideration, Han Xiaorui decided to give her a straight 0.5% commission on the total catch.

This month, they had gone out to sea for 16 days. Their total earnings were 279,300 yuan. After subtracting 3,100 yuan for expenses, their net profit was 276,200 yuan.

Liang Xiaoyu’s commission came out to 1,381 yuan.

Her base salary for 16 days, at 10 yuan per day, was 160 yuan.

In total, that was 1,541 yuan.

When Liang Xiaoyu received her pay from Han Xiaorui, she was dumbfounded. She simply couldn’t believe her eyes.

”Good heavens, Xiao Rui... y-you’ve given me way too much!” Liang Xiaoyu stammered. She had thought that even two hundred yuan would have been a generous amount.

’Who knew Han Xiaorui could be this generous!’

Han Xiaorui just smiled and pushed the money back toward her. ”The old way of calculating was too complicated, and you’ve been working just as hard as me through all of this. I’ve decided to standardize it at a 0.5% commission.”

Liang Xiaoyu cradled the thick stack of cash in her hands, her eyes turning red.

”Fishing is hard work, but you always do your best to lighten my load! I’m truly happy working with you.”

Han Xiaorui smiled back. ”Me too! That’s exactly why I’m giving you this commission—because I want us to keep working together!”

”I can’t be the boss, earning so much, and only pay you two or three hundred yuan. That’s just not enough!”

Liang Xiaoyu shook her head. ”Even if you only paid me two or three hundred yuan, that’s still more than my husband makes.”

”Now that I’ve given it to you, just take it and don’t worry! Save it up and buy a house!” Han Xiaorui prompted. ’With the Cai Family’s income, there was more than enough to pay for Cai Wenjun’s classes.’

Liang Xiaoyu nodded. ’Han Xiaorui was a capable person, so if she said to buy a house, then buying a house must be the right thing to do!’

”Yes! The house you bought for Xiao Jing is so nice—I could never afford that! But I can save up and buy a small shop!”

Han Xiaorui nodded. ”Well, that’s for you two to discuss. Are you going to tell your in-laws about this income?”

Liang Xiaoyu thought for a moment before shaking her head. ”I plan to take 300 yuan home and put the rest in my bank passbook!”

”It’s not that I’m hiding it from my husband, or from my mother-in-law. I’m hiding it from my father-in-law!”

Han Xiaorui was taken aback. ”But isn’t Uncle Cai doing much better now? He was willing to pay for Wenjun’s classes!”

Liang Xiaoyu gave a bitter smile. ”Sigh... it all goes back to my father-in-law’s past transgressions. He once had an affair with a widow. She eventually remarried, but just seven months after her wedding, she gave birth to a child—a boy.”

”At first, her husband just thought the baby was premature. But then it turned out the boy grew up to be the spitting image of my father-in-law. The widow’s husband knew my father-in-law, and that’s when he realized he’d been duped. The widow had another child with her husband later, so she couldn’t get a divorce, but she came to us, demanding child support from my father-in-law.”