Chapter 59 (Exclusive on Jinjiang Literature City): The Two of Them Are Involved

“I’m just a small business owner. Even if I run a small workshop, I can’t hire many people. You’re asking me to provide a quota, which is an extra requirement. So you should offer a corresponding discount.”

Su Ruyi spoke slowly, her tone completely different from her indifferent attitude; it was as if she was the one who was at a disadvantage.

Li Mingde, the deputy factory director in charge of personnel, said: "Our factory workers are of very high quality. The ones we send over are all skilled. Since you need to recruit people anyway, our factory workers can play a great role."

Li Mingde didn't really think it was a good idea. Su Ruyi was just a self-employed individual who made some money selling hula hoops; her resources were limited.

He wasn't optimistic about how big Su Ruyi's workshop could be. The market for fabrics and clothes was different now than before; everyone was scrambling to buy them, and there was no worry about selling them.

Cloth rationing has now been abolished, which means that the market is not short of cloth and there is no need to restrict it with rationing.

Clothes from other regions can also flood in, impacting local garment factories.

Su Ruyi's pants are a new item. Although many fashionable girls like to wear them now, young girls like to buy nice clothes, but they also change their minds quickly. This money can be made, but Li Mingde thinks it is limited.

In the past, their factory wouldn't even bother to serve small vendors like Su Ruyi.

However, the situation at the textile factory was really bad. Some of the employees came from very poor families and were under a lot of pressure. They couldn't get their full wages and were really going to go hungry.

For some families, having a sick member means they can't afford medicine.

Some families have elderly parents and young children to support, relying solely on their meager wages to survive. Those wages were already a struggle to make ends meet, and now they're not even receiving the full amount. They're truly struggling to make ends meet, and some have even knelt down at the factory manager's doorstep.

But if these people are paid their full wages, the other workers will also protest. Everyone has their own difficulties, so why should you get the full amount?

It's the wages they deserve, not something they're asked to do more to make a contribution.

Moreover, this hasn't been a one-month or one-month thing; it's been going on for quite some time, and people have been living in fear for a long time.

Just then, Su Ruyi arrived, and the factory manager immediately came up with this idea.

Anyone who dares to disagree will be met with their employees' families kneeling in front of their homes at mealtimes, crying and complaining that their entire family has no food to eat.

Li Mingde was assigned to take charge of this matter, and to be honest, he was a little embarrassed to say it. It was Zeng Guoqin who mediated between them.

The factory made a shameful decision, but the other party still didn't want to accept it.

Li Mingde had also visited the south and clearly felt the difference between them; the latter had a much more proactive work attitude.

After all, if you don't perform well, you'll be fired.

Unlike their state-owned enterprises, where you can stay in the factory for life unless you break the law or commit a crime.

Workers in the past were more conscientious and worked diligently for the sake of honor, but today's workers are far inferior to those of the past.

Su Ruyi laughed and said, "I don't deny that the employees in your factory are excellent, but state-owned enterprises and small private workshops like mine that bear the risks are definitely different. Whether it's the management style or the calculation of compensation, it's all different from before. They may not be able to keep up with my pace. I can draw the picture I need on a blank sheet of paper, but it's not so easy to modify the picture I want on a sheet of paper that's already covered in drawings."

Besides, you workers don't belong to me; you could go back at any time. Training skilled workers also requires effort and time, and if they leave, I'll be in a huge gap in my workforce, which is a huge cost for me.”

Li Mingde: "What are your requirements?"

“I hope you can rent me one of the factory buildings and one warehouse on that piece of land you have in the suburbs.”

The textile factory used to be very profitable and was constantly expanding, but now the space is limited, so we once thought about setting up a branch factory in the suburbs.

At that time, the land had already been purchased, the walls had been built, and the land had been leveled. Some of the bricks for building the factory had been transported there. However, due to various reasons, it was delayed. Later, the textile factory became increasingly unsuccessful and suffered several setbacks. The headquarters was on the verge of collapse, let alone building a branch factory.

So now the area is overgrown with weeds, with only two or three lonely houses standing there. If it's not repaired soon, it will collapse.

That area is very remote, but in recent years people have been building houses there, so it's not too desolate.

Moreover, that area is the only way to the provincial capital, and there is also a main road leading to the city, so you don't need to go through the county.

The roads in the city are very narrow, with many places having only two lanes. Although there aren't many cars now, there are many pedestrians, so cars have to slow down when passing through.

Su Ruyi didn't know such a place existed; it was Ma Lefeng who brought it up when she asked Ma to help her find a house.

Ma Lefeng's family lived nearby, so she always remembered this incident.

Li Mei never went that way, and she hadn't paid much attention to these things before, so she forgot about it.

Upon hearing this, Su Ruyi was immediately tempted.

After spending this time together, Old Li had come to trust Su Ruyi and knew that she wasn't there to steal the house.

If Su Ruyi really couldn't find a place, he would rent all the houses to her, and the three of them would rent a house from a neighbor.

Although housing is in short supply, some people still have extra rent to lend to others.

However, people are generally wary and don't trust outsiders, so they won't mention it to outsiders and will only lend it to people they know well.

"Can."

Li Mingde agreed without hesitation. Su Ruyi had discussed this with Zeng Guoqin beforehand, so the textile factory was prepared.

Following that, Su Ruyi negotiated with the textile factory on the number of employees to be received, the method of calculating wages, and other related matters.

An agreement was finally reached that the first batch would consist of twenty people, whose salaries would be the same as other workers, and whose management style would be in accordance with factory regulations, without any special treatment.

If you fail the performance evaluation during your work period, you will be dismissed, and the textile factory can replace you.

These were not the focus of the negotiations; rather, the issues concerned the price of the fabric and the payment method.

After laying the groundwork, the real work that needs to be done is to refine the skills and techniques.

Su Ruyi wasn't too tight on the price, mainly because the textile factory was also quite reasonable and didn't offer a very high price.

However, the two sides discussed the payment method for a long time.

Su Ruyi didn't have much capital on hand, and she still needed to spend money to stock up on goods. She couldn't just operate entirely on a mobile basis or wait for wholesalers to come to her.

At first, she needed to promote her products, and the market was not just in a small county town, but also in the city and the provincial capital.

This means that with a significant initial investment, there isn't much money left for payment of goods.

Therefore, Su Ruyi needs to reduce the deposit and extend the time for the final payment.

Textile factories, on the other hand, are very cautious about this, as they have too many bad debts, which is one of the reasons for their gradual decline.

After some negotiation, the two sides finally reached an agreement.

Settling accounts every six months is already the biggest concession the textile factory has made.

However, the number of workers supplied to Su Ruyi increased from twenty to thirty.

Su Ruyi smiled and said, "If everything goes smoothly, I will settle the balance as soon as I have the money. It won't really drag on for that long."

It's actually quite common to settle accounts once a year, but Su Ruyi is nobody, so naturally she doesn't have that kind of preferential treatment. Being able to settle accounts every six months is already quite difficult for the textile factory in its current situation.

The people in charge at the textile factory just smiled and didn't take it seriously.

A businesswoman like Su Ruyi wouldn't rush to pay back money even if she had it; she would use it to operate other businesses and make money from money.

Su Ruyi made a phone call to Li Guangqian from the small shop at the entrance of the textile factory, asking his brothers who were free to go to the new textile factory together.

"If they have any hoes, sickles, shovels, or anything like that at home, bring them along. If they have any able-bodied people at home who are free, they can come along too. I'll give them ten yuan a day for their work."

Upon hearing this, Li Guangqian's eyes lit up immediately, and he quickly agreed.

There are far too many people with nothing to do, but the number of people who want to sell hula hoops is still limited.

After all, not everyone has the brains or the decency to go door-to-door hawking their wares.

Especially since they entered the market late, the local market was divided up, and they could only go to the countryside or other counties and cities. Not everyone has the courage to do that; most people prefer to follow behind others and work.

If I'm not good at other things, I'm definitely fine with physical labor.

How many do you want?

"We'll order as many as we can; we need to get the factory and warehouse ready as soon as possible."

Su Ruyi had visited before; the area inside the wall was overgrown with weeds taller than a person.

Although she only rented a warehouse and a factory, she couldn't just clean up that place; the surrounding area also needed to be cleaned up.

It would be troublesome if a snake were hiding in the grass and bit someone.

"Okay, I'll get on it right away. Everyone will be here within an hour."

Su Ruyi hung up the phone and was about to take out her money when the shop owner stopped her.

"Boss, what you said on the phone was true? Ten yuan for a day's work?"

Su Ruyi said, "Yes, but I can only work for half a day today and I'll only get five yuan."

The shop owner slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "Oh dear, my brother-in-law's family of three strong men are all free. They're all very capable workers and can definitely help you!"

Before Su Ruyi could say anything, the boss said:

“My brother-in-law used to be in the army, his eldest son is also in the army, and his youngest son is also preparing to join the army. Their physical fitness is absolutely top-notch.”

Su Ruyi had originally intended to refuse, but upon hearing these words, she said:

"Fine, let them go..."

“I know, I know, the textile factory that never got started, their family lives in a nearby village.”

Su Ruyi: "Could it be Ma Family Village?"

"Yes, yes, that's it. You know it too? It's perfect since we're all acquaintances!"

The shop owner refused to take the money Su Ruyi used for the phone call, so Su Ruyi bought some candy and left.

Su Ruyi went to the market to buy shovels, hoes and other items, and then hired a tricycle to transport them there.

When she arrived at the new textile factory, there were already people waiting at the gate, but the gate was locked, so she couldn't go in.

Upon seeing her, Li Guangqian immediately ran over.

"Sis, everyone's here. Aren't there too many people?"

There were more than thirty people who came, including men, women, young and old.

Li Guangqian was also surprised that so many people came when he casually called out.

If it weren't for the fact that this was a last-minute call and the time was too tight, there would probably be more than this many people.

"It's okay, just get it ready as soon as possible, we'll start hiring soon."

Li Guangqian then pointed to the three burly men standing alone beside him and said, "These three men said they were invited by you to work together. I saw that they also brought tools, so they didn't seem to be here to cause trouble, and I didn't chase them away."

The three of them look very alike; they must be a family.

They were all very tall, all over 1.8 meters, and looked strong and powerful. One of them even had a soldier's air about him.

She walked over and said, "You were introduced by Mr. Wang, the owner of the convenience store, right?"

The older man, who looked honest and simple, nodded quickly and said, "Yes, my brother-in-law said you need people to do the work. We may not have much else, but we are strong and often take on odd jobs outside. We will definitely do a good job for you, boss."

"Alright, then come and work with us. As long as you work hard, I won't treat you unfairly."

The three thanked him repeatedly.

Su Ruyi took the key and opened the gate. Because there was no cement road built in the factory, the grass was so overgrown that the road was no longer visible, so Su Ruyi did not go in.

“Clear all these weeds and make a path. Whoever knows how to repair houses, go and repair them.”

Su Ruyi didn't intend to manage everything; she simply told Li Guangqian her requirements and entrusted him with full responsibility.

"Don't worry, sister, I'll arrange everything. I'll make sure you're satisfied."

Su Ruyi nodded, still trusting him.

Li Guangqian, as expected of someone who founded a gang, does have some ability. His recent training has also made him more mature, and he's quite reliable in his actions.

"Xiaonan, you stay here and supervise. If anything happens, just page me. Take this money; you'll settle the wages at 6 PM this afternoon. Record the good work. Those who don't perform well don't need to come tomorrow."

Su Ruyi just went to the bank and withdrew five hundred yuan, half of which were five-yuan notes, to make it easier to settle the bill later.

"good!"

Xu Xiaonan accepted the assignment seriously. This was the first job she had ever taken on, and she had to do it well.

Su Ruyi then left without paying any attention to what was happening here.

She went directly to the furniture factory to order some tables and chairs.

She was already very familiar with the furniture factory, so there was no need to haggle for too long; they directly agreed on the price and pickup time.

The furniture factory doesn't have many orders right now, and they know that Su Ruyi's business is doing well and she's a promising prospect, so they're delivering very early.

The receptionist said, "Mr. Su, don't forget our furniture factory if there are any good things to do in the future. After all, this is the factory where your father used to work."

As for the previous last-minute reneging on the contract, it was not mentioned at all.

Su Ruyi smiled and said, "Don't worry, definitely."

Su Ruyi had just signed a contract with the textile factory that morning, but the furniture factory had already received news that Su Ruyi wanted to borrow thirty workers from the textile factory!

Although the exact salary wasn't mentioned, it certainly wouldn't be less than what one would earn working in the factory.

Such good fortune actually fell into the hands of a textile factory; who wouldn't be envious!

In the past, this would have been called being exiled to the frontier, and one would have cried and begged their superiors not to go.

But the situation is different now. They are only temporarily transferred and their positions are still at the original factory, but they still have work to do and money to earn. It's hard for workers in poorly performing factories not to envy them.

Although it sounds unpleasant—a state worker working for a self-employed individual—who can turn down money?

Su Ruyi has always had a good reputation, and those who follow her are now making a fortune.

Some people at the furniture factory started to regret it, thinking that if they hadn't broken the contract at the last minute, they could have gotten close to Su Ruyi and asked for a few more jobs.

Even if you don't go yourself, you can send unemployed relatives or friends.

Su Ruyi ignored all of that, but she could clearly feel that everyone was being kinder to her.

Although everyone had already started to treat her differently, they weren't that close to her.

After all, it would be too shameful for them to sell things on the street, and many people would be unwilling to do so. But it would be a different story if they were to work in a factory.

Su Ruyi maintained her previous attitude, smiling and talking but not responding to the conversation.

One person couldn't help but complain, "Now that he's a big boss, he doesn't bother talking to people like us."

"Who would have thought that after Accountant Tong passed away, a group of women would be living even better lives?"

Su Ruyi had no time to care about what everyone was saying; she had many other things to deal with.

Originally, she only planned to set up a small workshop, but judging from the current scale, she probably can't fool people with a small workshop anymore. So she has to take the proper route and complete all the necessary procedures.

"They won't even leave me a penny," Su Ruyi sighed, her pockets emptying after just a few days of being well-off.

Given the current scale, she'll have to invest all her money for this period, and it might not even be enough; she might have to take out a loan.

Suddenly, she went from being a wealthy young woman with assets to being burdened with huge debts.

Doing business is like gambling; it's all about the thrill.

She couldn't resist the temptation. During negotiations with the textile factory, they promised to help her get all the necessary permits and procedures done so that she could set up a legitimate factory in a short time.

Once the factory is set up, it will be much easier to get a bank loan, and funding will no longer be a problem.

Zeng Guoqin revealed to her that she had such connections.

Su Ruyi was immediately interested, so she took over with thirty employees and also had to recruit externally, which quickly increased the scale of the business.

Her original idea of ​​having employees bring their own sewing machines and then providing subsidies was inappropriate.

While it's still possible to do it this way, you'd definitely need to buy sewing machines, irons, and other equipment, which would be a significant expense.

Su Ruyi decided to head to the provincial capital early tomorrow morning, and also to visit the hula hoop factory.

This is her lucky charm; she has to cultivate a good relationship with him.

The hula hoop market is now extremely hot, and demand still exceeds supply. So even though other plastic factories have entered the market, profits haven't changed much.

However, this hype is limited, and the price will soon drop. But for Su Ruyi, she has already made almost all of her initial capital through this wave.

Su Ruyi called Lu Ting, and he sounded very excited on the other end of the line.

I was just about to call you!

Hearing the familiar voice, Su Ruyi's tense emotions eased slightly.

"What a coincidence! What brings you here?"

Lu Ting clearly wanted Su Ruyi to speak first, but he couldn't hold back and blurted out:

I have news about Li Niannian!

"Really?!" Su Ruyi exclaimed, completely forgetting everything else.

“We used Yao Simei’s information to investigate and found a boy who looked very similar to Li Niannian. However, the village was very xenophobic, and the people I sent there were almost beaten up by the villagers when they went to investigate.”

Su Ruyi frowned deeply: "This is too arrogant!"

"Could you call Li Niannian's parents over? We need to call the police, and we need Li Niannian's parents to be there to confirm that the child is indeed Li Niannian."

Su Ruyi fell silent. Grandpa Li and Grandma Sun were both old, and judging from what they had just said, it wouldn't be easy for them to bring the child back. She wondered if the two old people could handle it.

Su Ruyi had heard before that when the police went to take away abducted women, they would be stopped by the villagers, who would even dare to beat the police.

However, no matter what, the child's relatives will definitely have to take him back.

"I'll go talk to them in a bit."

Lu Ting: "I've had someone keep an eye on him. He's fine so far, but he's noticeably thinner than in the photos. I heard he had a serious illness before, but his family didn't take him to a major hospital. They just gave him some medicine and then left him alone. He pulled through, but his health is very poor, and they often don't feed him. That family regrets buying him and keeps arguing with the person who introduced him."

Su Ruyi frowned even more, which meant that the family was definitely not easy to deal with and would be very difficult to handle.

They buy children purely to find someone to take care of them in their old age; it's driven by strong utilitarian motives, and they can't possibly love the child genuinely.

"No matter what, it's good news. Now I have people feeding the children privately, so I don't have to worry about them going hungry."

Su Ruyi breathed a sigh of relief. "Yes, it's good that the child has been found."

"There's another piece of news."

"What?"

“Someone provided us with information about Li Yunyao before; they had all seen Li Yunyao on the train.”

Su Ruyi gripped the phone receiver tightly: "Really? Is there any news about her?"

"Although we haven't tracked her down yet, we know where she got off the bus, which has narrowed down the scope of our investigation considerably. If things continue like this, I think there's still a good chance of success."

Su Ruyi nodded. "I hope everything goes well. Thank you for your hard work."

Lu Ting chuckled lightly: "What's up with calling me?"

Laughter brushed past her ears like feathers, and Su Ruyi couldn't help but rub her ears.

"I'm going to the provincial capital tomorrow, so I'll treat you to dinner."

"You come to my turf and you expect me to treat you to a meal?"

"What, you're not willing to keep the appointment?"

"Of course not, it's my pleasure."

Su Ruyi's heart raced, and she quickly asked again, "Are there any sewing machine factories in the provincial capital?"

"A sewing machine factory? No, you want to buy a sewing machine?"

"Yes, I'm planning to open a garment factory and I need to buy a batch of sewing machines."

"You want to open a garment factory?" Lu Ting asked in surprise.

It hasn't been long, and Su Ruyi has already caused such a big commotion.

Lu Ting suddenly realized that he had been too lax and needed to work harder, otherwise he would fall behind the other person.

Before they knew it, the two of them got tangled up.

"Yes, I am optimistic about the market for bodybuilding pants and am preparing to make them specifically."

Leggings? What's that?

This touched upon Lu Ting's area of ​​ignorance, but he was too embarrassed to admit his lack of knowledge, so he could only change the subject:

"I do know of a batch of obsolete sewing machines that I'm about to sell. Are you interested?"