Seeing that Mike was not joking, Dennis thought for a while and said, "As for the shares, let's discuss it with Kelly tonight."
"Alright then," Mike nodded, not insisting.
By the time Mike and Dennis finished their business, it was already close to noon.
At this moment, Uncle Kenya led in a woman dressed as a village woman: "Young Master Quinn, it's almost mealtime. I found someone to prepare lunch for you."
The woman behind Kenya was his daughter-in-law.
At this time, this reserved woman was holding a large pile of fresh ingredients in her arms.
"Then I'll trouble you," Mike responded with a smile.
Afterward, Uncle Kenya took his daughter-in-law to the kitchen.
Mike, on the other hand, began exploring his own manor.
To be honest, ever since he transmigrated, he hadn't properly looked at this slightly old big house.
Because it was for personal use, the manor covered a very large area, and the materials used were also very exquisite.
It could be seen that after learning Mike was returning, Uncle Kenya had already arranged for someone to clean the house in advance.
Bathed in the sunlight reflecting through the French windows, the clean and bright large house had a quaint charm.
Complementing the plantation outside the window, it was indeed a good place for vacation and leisure.
Living room, study, cloakroom, utility room...
After touring each room in the manor, Mike went down the stairs to the spacious basement.
There were still some wines stored in wooden barrels here.
They were all homemade wines. When he returned, he could bring some for Connie and George to taste.
By the time Mike finished exploring the basement and went to the dining room, lunch was basically ready.
Dennis was helping Kenya and his daughter-in-law serve food onto the dining table.
"Young Master Quinn, please enjoy your meal."
When all the food was on the table, Kenya led his daughter-in-law to stand to one side.
"We're all family, let's eat together..." Mike smiled and invited Kenya and his daughter-in-law, and then added, "Oh, by the way, Uncle Kenya. Call your son over to join us too."
"This... Alright..."
Although Mike was smiling, he gave Kenya a feeling that could not be resisted. He turned to his daughter-in-law and said, "Susan, go call Kili over and tell him the young master wants to see him."
"Got it!" Susan, who hadn't yet sat down, ran out of the dining room with a "thump, thump, thump."
Susan didn't make everyone wait long before she returned with a sturdy man.
This man was Kili, Kenya's son. Like his father, he also had a neat full beard.
Perhaps due to long-term labor, the man exuded a sense of simplicity.
"Dad, Young Master Quinn—" After greeting them, Kili stood honestly in place.
"Everyone, sit down and eat first," Mike scanned the newcomers and said with satisfaction.
After receiving permission, Kili looked at his father's expression again before leading his wife to sit by the dining table.
The food Susan prepared, while not made from expensive ingredients, was excellent in its freshness and generous portions.
Kili was clearly an honest person. Having just finished his labor, he was hungry. After Mike started eating, he also began to enjoy the food heartily.
During this time, his unrestrained manner earned him several glares from Uncle Kenya.
However, Mike, on the other hand, greatly appreciated Kili's straightforward personality.
And Susan's cooking was indeed good; at least Mike was quite satisfied with this meal.
When Kenya's family had almost finished eating, Mike spoke, "Uncle Kenya, I have some different ideas about the farm's operation..."
Then, Mike briefly explained his vision for the farm's future development.
Finally, he stated directly, "From now on, the development of the farm will be entrusted to you. Based on this situation, I offer you two employment options..."
Mike looked at Kenya's family: "The first option: your basic salary will be increased by fifty percent on top of your original wages. The second option: you will receive appropriate dividends based on the annual increase in the farm's profits."
Mike clearly wouldn't be stingy with his own people.
Both salary plans were quite a pleasant surprise for Kenya's family.
The first option guaranteed income regardless of circumstances, while the second rewarded more effort with more gain.
"Dad, let's choose the dividend option. According to the young master's previous proposal, the farm will definitely get better and better..." Unlike his father Kenya, Kili, who was only in his twenties and in the prime of his life, had a strong drive.
"Young Master Quinn, isn't this too much?" Ignoring his son's eagerness, Uncle Kenya said sincerely.
"You deserve this treatment..." Through their previous interactions, Mike was willing to trust his judgment.
As for misjudging, wasn't Dennis also there to help keep an eye on things?
Then, at his son's persuasion, Kenya finally chose the second dividend option.
"Very good, please put more effort into the farm's future development." Mike didn't mind Kenya's family earning more money.
As long as the pie was big enough, a win-win situation could be achieved.
Next, Mike informed Kenya about giving shares to Dennis.
Both parties were now considered a community of interests.
After resolving the farm matters, Mike drove Dennis to the town.
Having not returned for a year, Devil's Kettle had gained two new commercial streets, and many new shops and storefronts had appeared in other residential areas.
Its development was not inferior to other second-tier towns.
And after a long tour of the commercial area, Mike also successfully found several jewelry shops and two banks there.
Yes, Mike planned to find time tomorrow to sell his gold and jewelry there and exchange them for cash.
It was evening, and at Dennis's dinner table, Mike again brought up the matter of the farm shares with Kelly.
Upon hearing that Mike planned to give shares to her family, Kelly initially felt it was inappropriate.
Then, under Mike's explanation, she seemed to understand his intention.
While taking shares, they would help him look after the farm.
This connected to the dividends Mike promised to Kenya's family.
Dennis's side and Kenya's side, both families were a community of interests, and at the same time, they also had the responsibility of supervising each other.
This situation was also a result of Mike's deliberate arrangement.
"How about this, of the two percent farm shares, we'll take one percent, and the remaining one percent will be donated to the orphanage in your name every year..." After careful consideration, Kelly gave Mike a compromise solution.
"I have no problem with that. After the contract is drafted tomorrow, we can find someone to notarize it anytime." Mike made the decision and agreed to Kelly's proposal.
Beside them, Dennis, whose mind hadn't caught up yet, saw his wife accept Mike's favor and was about to question it.
"Dennis, from now on, Mike is our boss. You need to pay more attention to the farm matters in the future." Kelly spoke first, reminding her husband before he could speak.
Given Dennis's family's situation, they indeed needed to earn some extra money to raise a child.
Kelly was also considering her small family.
"Looking after the farm is a small matter, we don't need to take Mike's shares." Dennis still seemed to be confused.
"I'll talk to you separately when we go to the room later." Kelly glared at her husband, looking as if she had something more to say but held back.
With Mike present, Kelly found it inconvenient to explain many things thoroughly to her husband.
"I'm full, see you tomorrow." Mike smiled at Dennis, then stood up, ready to leave.
"Hey, aren't you staying here?" Kelly called out to try and keep him.
"No, I want to rest at the manor on the farm. And deal with some things..." Mike waved his hand, his mind made up.
He still needed to pack his jewelry, gold bars, and other items tonight so he could find a place to sell them tomorrow.