Sophia and Ronin quickly exchanged a look.
Sophia said, "Uncle, this factory just opened not long ago, and our factory is full of smart machines now. We don't really need many workers anymore. Once the program is set up, it runs by itself."
This was not just to fool Village Chief Zhang. Sophia had heard some news when she went to Peng City.
Big city factories now use smart digital technology. Assembly lines need fewer workers. Big machines are made to avoid accidents, but at the same time, many jobs disappeared.
Sophia was thinking about getting one of these machines too, but she needed to check which one fits best.
Ronin was a bit surprised but quickly agreed, "I heard those machines cost several million."
"Yes, I plan to mortgage the house and factory to buy the machines," Sophia said.
She turned to Village Chief Zhang, "Uncle, with these machines, the workers will be fewer. But they still need people to operate them. It's easy work, and the salary is about three to four thousand a month."
Village Chief Zhang heard them agreeing together and felt unsure. He never earned more than ten thousand before, usually just six or seven thousand. Three or four thousand was low, but at least it was close to home.
"When do they pay the salary each month?" Zhang asked.
His small shop was enough for his wife to manage.
Sophia showed an awkward smile, "Salary? Uncle, I put all the money into buying machines. For now, we can't pay salary. We have to pay the bank back first!"
Village Chief Zhang showed a look of dislike, thinking they wanted him to work for free!
He didn't want to waste more time chatting, so he patted his pants and left. "Remember to fix the road! This isn't just for us; it will be easier for your vehicles to come in and out!"
He felt cheated and quickly left. At first, he came because Sophia had been very generous, like throwing money away.
After subtracting compensation losses, their family made at least a million.
But when he rode his electric bike home, the cold wind made him think clearly.
Talking to his wife, he was more sure now.
"Did I get tricked?"
"You only just realized? Look, she spends big, giving away ten thousand easily. She must have hundreds of thousands or even millions, right? Who spends like that without a lot of money!"
Zhang's wife said, "She just doesn't want you to go there."
"Did you find out what they really do?"
Before, the village had no factories or workshops. Now, big trucks came and went every day.
They didn't say it to Sophia's face, but the whole village was guessing.
After Sophia and Ronin scared people away, they got to work.
"Boss, we can't refuse once, or we will offend the whole village."
Ronin said.
Sophia sighed, "That's why we have to quickly open the road behind, so it goes out."
"I'll go find the village chief now."
The village chief heard Sophia wanted to build a road to the big bridge connecting to the next area. His first reaction was to shake his head.
"No, no, the other side won't agree."
The neighboring village was not in the same district. Ten years ago, they had a fight over land. The two villages didn't get along well.
Even though opening a gate at the bridge was easy, the other village probably wouldn't agree.
The villages also compete with each other.
Sophia advised, "Village Chief Zhang, haven't we tried yet? Imagine, that bridge leads to the highway entrance. If we can go directly from here, it will be much easier for people from our village to come and go. Why not give it a try? If they refuse, we won't lose anything, right?"
There is a saying: to get rich, first build roads. Many people have proven this true; it makes sense.
Village Chief Zhang was afraid of losing face if rejected. But after hearing Sophia's explanation, it made sense. The nearby villages have developed better than his village in recent years. He had thought about developing his village but never found a chance.
Maybe this is the chance. He looked at the two new buildings at the foot of the mountain Sophia had built.
After coming down the mountain, the village chief said he needed to think about it.
"Sophia, if we really build the road, I can cover all the costs!"
The village chief looked surprised, "The cost to build the road is not low!"
He did not know the exact cost, but it must be at least tens of millions.
In fact, from Sophia's place to the big bridge, there were several kilometers. Tens of millions might not be enough.
The matter was raised, but Sophia and Ronin could not do much for now. They went to fill the warehouse with supplies first.
Ronin asked, "Boss, are you really going to spend such a large amount of money?"
From the warehouse's monthly income, Ronin knew Sophia was quite wealthy, but he had never seen a boss willing to be so generous.
Sophia said, "So we won't be controlled by others!"
Today Ershun might come, tomorrow Liushun, and the day after Buniu.
This was not just because Sophia showed her wealth last time. The frequent trucks passing through meant they were easily controlled.
If the road problem was solved, no one could control them anymore.
Sophia thought for a moment and said to Ronin, "Qi, if you know anyone reliable, recommend them! It's too much work for just the two of us!"
Sophia was mainly responsible for material supplies; Ronin handled other matters alone.
Collecting supplies, buying equipment, building roads, paving the ground — Sophia also had a private exhibition coming soon.
After counting all this, even hiring one more person would not be enough.
Ronin thought for a moment, "I have a cousin who graduated two or three years ago. Would she be okay? If yes, I can contact her for an interview."
Sophia said, "Okay, but you know this work is tiring since you've done it yourself. Can your cousin handle it?"
Not everyone had their hardworking spirit. To earn more, Sophia and Ronin worked hard on any job.
Sophia's pay was high and generous, but this work was still exhausting. Look at how thin Ronin got from working so much.
Ronin smiled and said, "Boss, don't worry. My cousin is tall and strong, very good at working hard."
He really trusted her. She grew up with grandparents after losing her parents. Though she didn't have parents, she was well cared for and strong.
Her grandparents were old and often needed hospital visits. Their house was run-down.
After graduating, she worked outside for two years, treated like a workhorse but with no raise. Her company recently closed. She went home to visit and was now planning to find a new job.