Shen Qing nodded, her tone resolute: "I'll come again tomorrow! Until Gao Yuanqi reveals who ordered him, I'll come back to find out!"
Qi Zhenheng said "Okay".
Shen Qingchao waved to him and left the prefectural government office.
She went back to the factory.
Today we need to reassemble the ten damaged spinning machines one by one to see if they can still be used.
If it can be used, the factory can restart soon and continue producing rayon, and there will still be hope.
They arrived at the factory quickly, and Shen Qing asked Lao Xu and Chunju to help out as well.
With everyone's help, they put the parts that had fallen off the spinning machine back in place, managed to put them all back together, and then started the machine.
But no miracle occurred.
Looking at the motionless spinning machine, Shen Qing's last bit of hope collapsed.
She stood on the covered bridge, looking down as she had done before when she stood here to observe the factory's operation.
The more bustling it was in the past, the more desolate it is today...
A horse-drawn carriage entered the courtyard.
Shen Qing snapped out of her daze and looked towards the main entrance, where she saw Mr. Bai, a merchant from Guangzhou, rushing in.
Seeing the empty workshop, he paused for a moment, then looked up at her standing on the corridor bridge, and immediately ran up with his long coat in hand.
"Mr. Shen! Mr. Shen! I heard you were arrested? And the factory was also..."
Shen Qing smiled at him and said, "Mr. Bai, come in and have a seat."
The two of them went into the accounting room together.
Before Boss Bai even sat down, he asked nervously, "What did you do to get arrested?"
Shen Qing poured him a cup of tea and calmly said, "It's a struggle between clansmen."
Boss Bai understood instantly.
The fact that she, a woman, could go out to do business shows that there are no men left in the family, so the clansmen all want to exploit the extinct family.
Throughout history, all sorts of underhanded and vicious methods have been used to exploit those who have no descendants!
Feeling pity, Boss Bai comforted him, "You must be strong. If there's anything I can do to help, just let me know!"
Shen Qing smiled and said, "Thank you, I appreciate your kindness."
Boss Bai nodded, took a sip of hot tea, and looked around the accounting office: "With the factory in such a state now, will we be able to deliver goods next year?"
Shen Qing shook his head with a wry smile and said honestly, "I can't say for sure. All the machines were smashed. It depends on whether they can be repaired and how long it will take."
Mr. Bai kindly said, "Mr. Shen, if it doesn't work out, just let me know and I'll refund the deposit in full! Please don't let it drag on until next year when we can't deliver the goods, otherwise we'll have to pay a penalty for breach of contract!"
If he can't deliver the goods next year, it means he won't be able to earn money from this batch of materials for which he has paid a huge deposit. However, he still has to pay the high interest rates of the money shop every month, so he will naturally need to ask Shen Qing for a penalty for breach of contract.
He immediately refunded the deposit and returned the money to the money lender, bearing the interest for the next few days himself.
So Boss Bai is thinking not only of himself, but also of Shen Qing.
Shen Qing knew his feelings, so she was conflicted.
If she doesn't return the deposit, this batch of machines won't work. There's still money to buy a new batch of machines and reproduce the rayon, so maybe we can meet next year's delivery deadline.
However, there are too many variables in the year before and after, and she cannot guarantee that she will not be arrested or harmed again for no reason.
If she gets into another accident, the factory will continue to suffer heavy losses.
These merchants had borrowed money from the bank to pay their deposits. If something happens to her, they will lose everything and be burdened with huge debts.
A businessman's empire can crumble overnight.
Recall the image of some modern businessmen who went bankrupt overnight and dragged their wives and children to the rooftop to jump off.
Shen Qing couldn't bear it.
Finally, he opened his purse, found the silver notes that Boss Bai had given him, and placed them all in front of him.
"Mr. Bai, once I've resolved all the machine issues, revised the production plan, and confirmed that we can deliver on schedule next year, you can give me the deposit then, how about that?"
Boss Bai nodded: "Of course! I want Boss Shen's business to thrive more than anyone else!"
He put all the banknotes away.
Shen Qing then said, "Those two bosses from Fujian and Tianjin are your friends. Could you please write to them and ask them to come to my place to get their deposits back when they have time?"
Mr. Bai straightened his sleeve and smiled, "They've all received the message; I reckon they're on their way by now."
"That's good."
Mr. Bai looked around the still unorganized accounting room and shook his head regretfully: "When I heard about the accident at your factory, Mr. Shen, I was so worried that I couldn't sleep all night!"
Shen Qing smiled: "Are you worried about not getting your deposit back?"
"Not entirely, but it's a real shame to have missed out on such excellent material! I was planning to use this batch of your material to make a comeback, but..."
He took a sip of hot tea, stood up, and cupped his hands in a respectful gesture to Shen Qing: "Boss Shen, I beg you! You must get the rayon business going again!"
Shen Qing said gratefully, "Okay, I will definitely find a way!"
No sooner had Mr. Bai left than two businessmen from Fujian and Tianjin arrived.
Like Boss Bai, they didn't make things difficult for Shen Qing. Instead, they encouraged Shen Qing to get the factory up and running again. Once the delivery date for the rayon was confirmed, they were willing to renegotiate the contract and offer a deposit.
After the person left, Shen Qing stared blankly at the purse that contained only a few pieces of broken silver.
We're back to square one.
An empty wallet, huge monthly interest, and a principal of 100,000 taels.
Shen Qing sighed, hung the purse back on her waist, and got up to continue organizing the accounts.
She quietly tidied up by herself, and also sorted out her inner thoughts.
Looking at the production plan and budget for the next few years written down stroke by stroke in the ledger, my confidence gradually returned.
The next day, Shen Qing went to the warehouse and had the workers take inventory of all the stock.
Then he went to the telegraph office and sent a telegram to Cheng Zhiwen, asking him to come to Jiangzhou to discuss the matter of machine repair.
She needs to determine how much money is needed to repair the machines before deciding how much inventory to sell off at a low price.
She is now at her wit's end, with only the goods in the warehouse left.
On the way back, she asked Lao Xu, "Do you think Boss Cheng would like to come to Jiangzhou sometime?"
Although the telegram had been sent, she was not confident that Cheng Zhiwen would come.
He was meticulous and unpredictable; she couldn't guess what he was thinking.
Old Xu shook his head and said, "It's hard to say. Sometimes when Boss Cheng gets busy, you can't see him for months."
Several months...
Shen Qing sighed.
Months later, she didn't even know if she was still alive.
Unfortunately, the machine-related matters still depended on Cheng Zhiwen.
Shen Qing immediately made a decision in his heart.
If I still don't receive a reply from Cheng Zhiwen in three days, I will personally go to Yongzhou!
The carriage stopped in front of the prefectural government office.
Shen Qing got out of the car and went to the courthouse first. Qi Zhenheng wasn't there, so she went around to the backyard.
The guard at the gate greeted her with a smile: "Boss Shen, here to see Lord Qi again?"
Shen Qing was anxious and in no mood for jokes. She forced a smile and went straight inside.
The weather has warmed up a bit today; the willows are swaying gracefully, and a warm breeze is blowing.
Shen Qing took a deep breath of the fragrance of flowers and plants to calm herself down, then jogged through the corridor and into the courtyard.
Qi Zhenheng, dressed in a light blue silk gown, with a gentle and refined demeanor, sat at the Four Immortals Stone Table in the courtyard, drinking with his friends.
The man had his back to the courtyard gate, wearing a dark brown suit, with a black cashmere hat beside him, and his short, shiny black hair was neatly trimmed at the bottom.
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