Chapter 587: Building a Furniture Factory
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Nieng Ce told his mother he would be loyal to King Lan Ruozhu when he met the King during the earthquake. Still, he did not know if the entire Feng and Meng families would remain loyal to the king.
That was because Old Madam Feng did not completely control her family. Instead, Meng Ce l s uncle had control over it. The current situation had yet to be determined, and whoever they pledged allegiance to would determine the family’s future development.
Nonetheless, it was somewhat risky to choose sides now. Moreover, everyone still thought King Lan Ruozhu was still in poor health.
However, Old Madam Feng was firm and wanted her family loyal to King Lan Ruozhum. On the other hand, Meng Ce had grown accustomed to listening to his mother.
He was not obedient, but he trusted his mother’s judgment. That was the case many times before.
Old Madam Feng said, “You need not worry about the Feng family. After all, the relationship between my family and the deceased royal’s mansion was perfect. We’ll agree to be loyal to King Lan Ruozhu.
“Although, Your Majesty’s body might be weak, don’t you think his health is improving? Also, Miss Su has unparalleled medical skills. I believe King Lan Ruozhu will recover completely. We must keep this matter a secret and not reveal it to anyone.”
“Don’t worry, Mother. I know what to say and what not to say.” Meng Ce nodded.
The Feng family became one of the six most prominent families and still stood tall because of the family’s judgment. However, the Meng family was not under Old Madam Feng’s control, so Meng Ce had to convince his uncle to be loyal to King Lan Ruozhu.
“You’re in charge of convincing your uncle. I might have to step in if you can’t.”
“All right, Mother.”
Unbeknownst to Meng Che, the Feng and Meng families’ status would rise because of his decision. When that time came, the situation in Chu Country was already evident, and the other prominent families could only envy them. After all, it was crucial to choose the right side in advance as it directly determined a family’s survival.
Meanwhile, Su Zhengde and his family were swamped these days. He and his eldest grandson were busy helping people build and renovate their houses while many others made appointments with them.
Madam Zhou was also busy making furniture with her three sons. They would usually place the furniture they made in a big house for everyone to look at and order before they had a shop.
Now that they had sold many more products, their reputation rose. Whenever people came to them to buy furniture, they no longer asked to see the actual products—instead, they ordered based on pictures the family prepared in a catalog.
Madam Zhou knew it was all thanks to the Su family’s reputation that everyone trusted their craft. That was why people dared to order furniture just by looking at pictures of them.
Of course, Madam Zhou and her three sons were consistent with their quality, even though the customers did not look at the actual products and made orders based on pictures.
After dinner, Madam Zhou lit a candle and looked at the orders she had received. “I’ll have to make more than ten furniture sets in just a month. I feel like I’m too busy. We still have to tend to those who have made pre-orders for next month, and there are still many orders I haven’t accepted yet.”
Su Xueye was drawing a blueprint when he heard his grandmother. He said, “Grandma, should my father and his brothers build a furniture factory? Then you can hire people to help.”
“But we should pass on our craftsmanship secrets to outsiders. We should keep them in the family.”
Su Xueye said, “Then we’ll do it just like the tofu factory, Grandma. Aunt Binglan doesn’t show everyone the whole process of making tofu. Instead, she made each person responsible for only one step. Some only soak soybeans, and some only grind them.
“It’s the same at the pottery workshop. Only a few workers can master the process. Still, the workers only know parts of the process, not everything.
“You can do the same if you open a furniture factory, Grandma. For example, you can train a few people to make legs for stools and some who make the top.
Then Father and my uncles can assemble them.”
Su Xueye’s father, Su Wenxing, understood his son’s meaning immediately after hearing his explanation. “We can do that.”
Madam Zhou nodded, saying, “You’re so clever. No wonder Binglan always praises you. Finally, our family will open a furniture factory.
She was relieved, knowing she could accept more orders if she opened a furniture factory. After all, her business was booming, and opening a factory would be wise to allow the family to profit more.
Everyone felt at ease, even though they were swamped. The family had saved a lot of money, and Madam Zhou felt it was good to have a career in something she was passionate about.
The entire Su family worked hard to improve, not to fall behind. They all felt their lives had become more meaningful. Their businesses constantly expanded, and they could earn money while gaining the people’s respect.
Madam Zhou’s three sons were ecstatic when they heard they would open a furniture factory. After some thought, Madam Zhou said, “You three won’t be able to handle all the assembly. Your wives can also learn to assemble furniture.’
Su Wenxings wife was excited when she heard that. “We can learn from them, Mother-in-law?”
Madam Zhou said, “Of course you can. Binglan said women can do whatever men can do. Just follow and learn. That way, the six of you can assemble the furniture while the workers build more.’
Her three daughters-in-law were diligent and honest. They did not slack off with work. However, they could only help Madam Zhou with certain things and did not learn much initially.
The three daughters-in-law were envious of Madam Ding, Liu Yinyin, and Miao Zhizhi since the three had businesses to run. The daughters-in-law were thrilled that they could learn more from Madam Zhou.
Madam Zhou smiled when she saw her in-laws’ happy expressions. She said, “Work hard, and I’ll give you bonuses and commissions.
The trio could not hold in their excitement, thinking, ‘So, we can have private savings, too?’
Su Xueye smiled when he saw his father and mother’s happy expressions. He enjoyed the lively environment at home and that everyone was working hard.
Su Zhengde looked at his blueprint and then at his grandson’s. He asked,
“What are you drawing?”
Su Xueye replied, “It’s for an apartment in the neighborhood.”
“Who hired you to build it?”
“Many more people are buying houses in Tenghe town these days,” Su Xueye said, “However, there aren’t many places available. Even if someone were willing to sell their place or rent it, the people can’t immediately afford it.
“Aunt Binglan was the one who told me to design an apartment, no one else. I was the one who built the residential area and the staff dormitories next to Aunt Binglan’s embroidery shop.
“She said she would build another factory around there and supporting facilities. A row of houses would look neat since we can build some in town. I also considered designing guard houses with gates. I’m first drawing some blueprints and will show Aunt Binglan when she returns.”
“Binglan plans to build apartments there? Can we sell that many houses?”
“I don’t know,” Su Xueye said, “Still, if Aunt Binglan says we should, then it’ll undoubtedly be helpful. She also said we should build houses around Blue
Mountain Academy..”