"I thought we'd be the ones getting anxious, but you're not worried at all!"
Xie An laughed heartily, then casually took out a bottle of Moutai and poured a glass of wine for each of them.
Chen Jing accepted the wine glass with a smile. He wasn't in a hurry, but Ji Xia was, and he just happened to listen to his wife.
His wife is a lucky charm for him, and countless facts have proven that listening to his wife will never be wrong and will bring him great fortune. Why doesn't he listen to her?
I took a small sip of baijiu, letting the warm liquid slide down my throat. I have to say, drinking alcohol really does keep you warm in the cold winter.
Chen Jing smiled faintly: "To be honest, I'm not in a hurry to expand the factory, but I urgently need female workers who can embroider. That's what I really need. If the three of you can solve my immediate problem, that would be the best."
"Embroidery girls? Don't you have more than a dozen in your workshop?"
Chen Jing couldn't help but smile wryly upon hearing this: "How can a dozen or so female workers be enough? As you all know, this embroidery is purely handmade work. Embroidering a single pattern takes at least one or two hours. How many sections of a Xiu Kimono need to be embroidered, from the collar and front to the hem and skirt? According to the current order requirements, customers have already pre-ordered more than two hundred Xiu Kimonos. We simply can't keep up with the demand."
"Pre-orders? All the hundreds of wedding dresses you prepared in advance have sold out?"
"Don't even mention it. We prepared more than 300 wedding dresses, and all of the more than 100 expensive ones were sold out. The more than 200 that were reserved were all made of silk and had intricate embroidery. The most expensive ones were the most reserved, while the cheaper ones didn't sell much. I don't know what they were thinking."
The three young masters burst into laughter upon hearing this: "How expensive can it be? Is a dress that expensive? This is Beijing, after all. Marriage is a once-in-a-lifetime event. What's wrong with spending a little more money? What's so strange about it?"
If there is no other choice, a wedding dress made of fine cotton will probably still be popular.
However, since one half of the wedding dresses is made of silk and adorned with intricate yet beautiful embroidery patterns, the family is willing to spend a little more money, provided they are not in dire financial straits.
In rural areas or small towns, some people might think that clothes costing over 300 yuan are expensive, equivalent to a year's salary for an average worker.
But this is the capital city, where salaries are generally higher than in other regions. There are also many officials in the capital who are willing to spend money on their appearance. What's wrong with spending a little more money on the most important moment of one's life?
Department stores or Friendship Stores in Beijing also have some high-end cashmere coats, which cost two or three hundred yuan each, not to mention a complete kimono.
Just as some people in later generations spend tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars to buy a dress, there will always be some people who can afford this kind of consumption.
After listening to Chen Jing's complaints, Jiang Yizhi said, "You're embroidering every single piece of clothing now? How are you going to solve this problem?"
Chen Jing shrugged and smiled helplessly: "Xiao Lian is in charge of the embroidery workshop, but Xia gave her an idea. Now, following her method, the speed has increased a little, but it's still far from enough."
"I've sent a telegram and made a phone call to my brother-in-law, asking him to find someone like that for me in Jiangnan. As for the shop, I've already cancelled the reservations. If I keep making reservations, we really won't be able to deliver."
Before opening his shop, he never imagined that so many brides in Beijing would be getting married at the end of the year; it was beyond his wildest imagination.
Xie An quietly took a few sips of wine: "I'll ask my brothers, sisters, and relatives to keep an eye out, and invite them over if they see anyone."
Chen Jing laughed and said, "Even if she doesn't know how to embroider, if she is skillful and good at sewing, we can hire her. We have someone to teach her, and the salary and benefits are generous."
Jiang Yizhi looked surprised: "Teaching on the spot? How can that be done in time? I heard that in ancient times, it took several years to become a master embroidery student? What can you possibly accomplish by teaching me now?"
Chen Jing shrugged: "Xia has a way. She has already divided up the various patterns, with each person responsible for only one pattern. If someone is particularly smart and skillful, they can learn it very quickly."
"Moreover, each person is responsible for one pattern, and they embroider every day. Embroidering the same pattern many times not only increases the speed but also ensures the quality."
The patterns used on the Xiu kimono include auspicious designs such as dragons and phoenixes, auspicious clouds, sea waves, peonies and butterflies, and the five blessings. Although they seem intricate and complex, they are actually quite similar patterns, with only minor variations in details.
Moreover, the most pre-ordered styles, some with dozens of orders, all have the same pattern, making it easier for one person to handle each section.
This was based on the assembly line model of later generations, but at this time assembly lines were not yet widespread, and Chen Jing and the three young masters understood them even less.
But Ji Xia has memories of her previous life, so she knows the benefits of assembly lines and repetitive processes. She used this method when she first started her workshop, and now she produces embroidery using the same method, so it's easy for her to accept.
Xie Xun couldn't help but give a thumbs up: "Excellent, your woman is indeed excellent."
"If we're just looking for girls who are skillful and quick, and who can be taught even if they don't know how, that's easy. We'll go back tonight and ask our relatives and friends for help in finding one."
"Let's eat something first, then we can talk business!"
Xie An handed over several large soup ladles, gesturing for them to scoop up the mutton together, and said with a smile, "After we talked about this topic last time, we've been traveling around various markets in Beijing and neighboring cities these past few days, and we also inquired at the Bureau of Industry and Commerce."
"Industry and Commerce Bureau?"
Chen Jing looked at him suspiciously, then quickly scooped up a spoonful of mutton: "What did you find out?"
"There have been quite a few people applying for business licenses these past few days, but not many are factories. Most are individual businesses, and the majority of those applying for business licenses are in the food and clothing industries, accounting for more than 60% of all applications."
Chen Jing smiled slightly and remained silent. The end of the year is usually the peak season for clothing and food, and these two categories have relatively low barriers to entry. Now that the economy has just been liberalized, these two categories are naturally the most popular.
Chen Jing's shop and workshop applied for a license on the first day and obtained it a week later.
"Therefore, I think the demand in the clothing market is huge. So I think it's worthwhile to set up a clothing factory, a large one, that can at least accommodate four or five hundred workers."
Chen Jing raised an eyebrow: "A factory with four or five hundred people needs factory buildings, dormitories, a canteen, and all aspects need to be considered comprehensively. In addition, there is the land for building the factory. These are not small sums. How much money do you plan to raise to start the factory?"
Upon hearing this, the three frowned: "Buying land and building a factory? Isn't that a bit too hasty? We can simply rent an old factory and build the factory later when we've made some money, right?"
Chen Jing shook his head as he recalled what Ji Xia had told him: "Renting is an option, but it's too easy to get choked up. If we don't have enough funds, I think we can rent a house while also buying a piece of land to keep there. That way, if the economy develops quickly and land prices rise sharply, or if someone raises the rent, it will be very unpleasant."
In later generations, some landlords saw that their tenants' businesses were doing well, so they raised rents year after year, with some increases exceeding 50%.
Chen Jing had never witnessed it before, but Ji Xia had, so she specifically reminded him to leave himself a way out.
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