It is Li Chuanli.
What is he here for?
Wen Qing remembered that Li Chuanli was from Nanzhou City. What was he doing in Wangcheng County? Visiting relatives?
"Li Chuanli!" A clear, joyful voice suddenly called out.
Wen Qing looked over and saw Ji Ningzhi wearing a pink coat, with white powder on her face and lipstick on her lips. She looked very radiant and ran over with a smile.
"Ningzhi." Li Chuanli walked over, carrying a cake in his hand.
"You came really fast."
"Anyway, I had nothing to do at home, so I came to see you all early."
Ji Ningzhi lowered her head shyly and said, "Let's go."
"Um."
Wen Qing looked at the two of them with a puzzled expression. Was it Ji Ningzhi's birthday today? No, Ji Ningzhi's birthday was right after the New Year, when school was about to start. So why was Li Chuanli carrying a cake?
Wen Qing looked at the two of them, and many passersby also looked at them. Some familiar neighbors greeted Ji Ningzhi.
"Ningzhi, is this your relative?"
Ji Ningzhi was unusually quiet and polite: "No, she's my classmate. We have other classmates here to celebrate Fangfang's birthday together."
"It's your birthday, Ningzhi, you guys are so stylish."
Ji Ningzhi smiled.
So it was Zhang Fangfang's birthday. Wen Qing smiled. Li Chuanli was really attentive.
Wen Qing looked at Ji Ningzhi, who remained reserved throughout, deliberately keeping a distance from Li Chuanli, her face beaming with joy, unable to contain her excitement.
Li Chuanli, who was standing to the side, was carrying a cake but was looking around.
Wen Qing recalled that in her previous life, Ji Ningzhi hadn't always listened to Zhang Fangfang. There was a time when the two had a big argument, but later Zhang Fangfang seemed to have persuaded Ji Ningzhi, and Ji Ningzhi still listened to Zhang Fangfang.
Later, Ji Ningzhi also got married, but not to Li Chuanli.
Wen Qing dropped out of school in her previous life and never studied again, so she didn't know Li Chuanli. Could it be that the argument between Ji Ningzhi and Zhang Fangfang in her previous life was because of Li Chuanli?
Wen Qing looked up at Li Chuanli and Ji Ningzhi. It was obvious that Ji Ningzhi didn't even dare to look at Li Chuanli. The little girl's thoughts were very obvious. Recalling how Li Chuanli walked alongside Ji Ningzhi at the school gate, and how Li Chuanli went to the pedestrian street and Su Fang Clothing Store almost every day afterward, Wen Qing smiled and made up her mind. She stopped looking at the two of them and walked towards Feng Qing Clothing.
Today, Fengqing Garment Factory is no longer as small as Aunt Xiao's tailor shop. It has bought three nearby shops, knocked down the walls between them, and turned into a factory that can accommodate fifty tailors and more than fifty sewing machines. This scale is not only among the largest in the county, but also among the largest in Nanzhou City.
As soon as Wen Qing entered the factory, he saw everyone with their heads down, making cotton-padded clothes.
Master Wang was checking the clothes, and Master Yan was measuring the fabric. When they looked up and saw Wen Qing, they quickly went up to her and said, "Young boss."
When Master Yan shouted this, Master Wang and the others all turned to look.
Some of the newly hired tailors didn't recognize Wen Qing. There was noise in the factory, and they didn't hear clearly what Master Yan called out. They only saw Master Yan and Master Wang greet her with great enthusiasm and respect. The group wondered, "Who is that little girl?"
"Even Master Yan and Master Wang were very polite to her."
"You're so pretty! Come buy some clothes."
At this moment, a tailor who knew Wen Qing came over and said, "She is Wen Qing, the boss of our 'Feng Qing'."
"Wen Qing?!" The group of people were dumbfounded. Although they had heard that the boss was not even twenty years old, he already owned Feng Qing Clothing Store, Feng Qing Garment Factory and Feng Qing Shoe Factory, which was very impressive.
But when these people actually met Wen Qing, it was a completely different story. It completely overturned their image of her. Wen Qing did not look like a particularly fierce or sharp-tongued person. On the contrary, she was very gentle. Most importantly, she was beautiful. Her eyes, nose, and mouth were all beautiful, and she was even more beautiful overall.
Some people either looked directly at Wen Qing or secretly glanced at him, all harboring admiration in their hearts.
"Young boss, you're finally back!" Master Yan and Master Wang said happily.
Wen Qing smiled and said, "Master Yan and Master Wang, you two have worked hard these past few days."
"It's not hard work, it's not hard work," the two said in unison.
"It's quite tiring," Wen Qing said with a smile.
Master Yan humbly lowered his head.
Master Wang said, "Young boss, it's quite noisy here. Why don't you come and sit in the office?"
Wen Qing nodded: "Okay, Master Yan, Master Wang, you come too, I have something to tell you."
"Okay, sure." Master Yan and Master Wang followed Wen Qing into the specially set-up general manager's office, which was mostly empty and only used when Wen Qing returned.
Upon arriving at the general manager's office, Wen Qing began the main purpose of her visit: to show Master Yan and Master Wang a new design she had created for a spring shirt.
"Watermelon red?" Master Yan said.
Wen Qing: "Yes, I think the main color for tops in early spring is light red, but of course there are also white and green ones."
"Long front hem? Suit collar?" Master Wang asked, these were ideas he had never seen before.
Wen Qing nodded: "The length of the front hem can be left hanging down, which gives it an artistic feel. Or it can be tied up, which makes it look very modern."
Master Yan nodded: "That's good."
"Will it look good?" Master Wang couldn't imagine it.
Wen Qing smiled and said, "Master Wang, this is just a first draft. Make it according to this first, try it on, and if there are any improvements, we can make them, okay?"
"Okay," Master Wang replied.
"Then, may I come and pick up the clothes tomorrow?"
"No problem," said Master Wang.
“Alright, it’s almost the end of the year. Although we haven’t reached our first anniversary yet, we should still have a big meeting at the end of the year,” Wen Qing said.
"A meeting?"
“Yes, let everyone take a break for a bit, then I’ll hold a meeting,” Wen Qing said. “I’ll just say a few words.”
"Okay, I'll have them stop now and have a meeting first," said Master Yan.
"Um."
Master Yan then left the general manager's office, telling everyone to stop for a moment, as the young boss needed to hold a meeting. Not only that, Master Yan specially pulled up chairs and a table and placed them in the middle of the factory, then went to get a water bottle and a new tea mug, placing them on the table. Wen Qing, seeing this, felt slightly embarrassed; the scene resembled a meeting held by the village chief of Shuiwan Village. However, that wasn't the main point; the main point was the content of the meeting.
Wen Qing sat down at the table in the center.
"Clap!" Master Wang said, leading the applause.
The audience immediately erupted in applause.
Wen Qing turned to look at Master Wang: "Master Wang, let's get down to business and not get into formalism."
"Yes, boss."
Wen Qing then looked at the fifty tailors sitting together.
Wen Qing smiled and said, "Hello everyone, my name is Wen Qing, and I am the person in charge of Fengqing. It's nice to meet you all."
The audience listened quietly. Wen Qing had just said not to engage in formalism, so no one applauded.
Just then, Wen Qing continued slowly, "Thanks to everyone's help, Feng Qing Clothing Store is doing very well. Thank you all. But 'thank you' isn't just something to say. With the New Year approaching, everyone should be going home for the holidays."
Upon hearing that they could go home for the Chinese New Year, all the tailors were overjoyed. In this era, society was not like school, where people would be given a day or two off to celebrate holidays.
People who have started working don't have the standard May Day holiday, National Day holiday, annual leave, etc. that are common in the 21st century. Some private company bosses say that you have to work when they want to, and they say that you can't take annual leave when they want to. It's rare to encounter someone like Wen Qing who says that they can go home for the New Year.
Everyone was very excited, and the scene was inevitably a little noisy.
"Everyone, please be quiet," Wen Qing said.
The factory immediately fell silent.
Wen Qing continued, "To thank everyone for their contributions to Feng Qing over the past few months," Wen Qing picked up a piece of kraft paper and said, "Year-end bonuses will be distributed at our discretion based on each person's performance and length of service, ranging from fifty, twenty, ten, five, to two yuan."
The moment money is mentioned, everyone gets excited.
What is a year-end bonus?
"It's the year-end bonus."
What is a year-end bonus?
"It's a bonus in addition to the wages!"
"There's even a reward?"
While everyone was discussing this, Wen Qing pulled a piece of paper out of the brown paper bag, unfolded it, and handed it to Master Yan: "Master Yan, distribute according to this."
Master Yan took the blank paper and was shocked. He thought that Wen Qing didn't come to Fengqing Garment Factory often and wouldn't know much about it. He didn't expect that she had made a table herself, which was even more standardized than the accountant's.
The table contains fifty tailors, and a comprehensive evaluation was conducted based on their skill level, output, attendance, and other factors. Year-end bonuses were distributed accordingly.
The fifty yuan reward was given to him, Master Wang, and another experienced worker.
The twenty yuan reward was given to the seven people who were the first to come to Aunt Xiao's tailor shop. These seven people were very hardworking and quick.
The ten-yuan reward is for fifteen key personnel who are quick to produce results and reliable.
Five dollars is for those who are a little slow.
The remaining two dollars were for the newly hired employee who had only been working for a short time.
Master Yan stared at the list in astonishment, shocked by Wen Qing's omniscience. She knew everyone perfectly well, even their abilities. She only came home once a week on weekends when she didn't go to school, yet she was able to see the whole picture of Fengqing Garment Factory.
Master Yan realized once again that he had underestimated Wen Qing.
"Here's cash." Wen Qing pushed the brown paper letter in front of Master Yan.
Master Yan read out the rankings and distributed the money, explaining the reasons for each year-end bonus. Of course, Wen Qing had written these reasons, using tactful yet motivating language. Master Yan couldn't admire Wen Qing any more. He secretly felt he had found a good boss.
A moment later, the bonuses were distributed. The tailors who received more were grateful, those in the middle were determined to earn more next year, and those who received less were completely convinced of their worth.
Master Yan silently gave Wen Qing a thumbs up.
Wen Qing smiled and said, "Feng Qing belongs to everyone. Only with a good everyone can there be a better Feng Qing. After we finish this batch of goods, everyone can go home and have a good New Year. Let's continue to work hard next year, okay?"
"Bravo!" everyone shouted in unison, and thunderous applause spontaneously erupted. There was a group of tailors who thought that Wen Qing was too young to command the scene, but now they realized that Wen Qing's method was not to suppress, but to conquer.
"Then, everyone continue with your work, I won't keep you any longer," Wen Qing said.
"Yes, boss!" everyone responded.
After having Master Yan and the others set up tables and chairs, Wen Qing began to check the warehouse accounts, including the amount of fabric used and the purchases. In addition to the accountant's supervision, Wen Qing also frequently reviewed the records.
Furthermore, compared to people in the 21st century, people in this era are more sentimental and more down-to-earth.
Therefore, there are no problems on the books.
Wen Qing no longer lingered at Feng Qing Garment Factory, but instead rushed to finish at Feng Qing Clothing Store.
Watching Wen Qing walk out of the factory, the warehouse manager breathed a sigh of relief and patted his chest, saying, "That scared me to death! The young boss seems kind and generous, but he was so serious when he checked the accounts just now that I didn't dare to breathe."
"You think the young boss is a pushover?" Master Wang retorted. "If the young boss didn't have some skills, how could he possibly be as good as Feng Qing, right?"
“That’s true,” the warehouse manager said.
Master Yan chimed in, "That's why we need to be even more careful in our work from now on. The boss may be small, but he's generous and has a lot of ideas."
Master Wang and the warehouse manager nodded in agreement.
At this time, Wen Qing had already boarded a bus heading to the city. Half an hour later, she arrived at the city bus station, got off the bus, and went straight to Feng Qing Clothing Store in Da Mo Plaza.
"Be kinder to customers next time, and you'll sell more clothes." Aunt Xiao was instructing a new employee.
"Understood, Aunt Xiao."
"Then you should go home and have dinner first."
"Um."
The three girls turned and left Fengqing Clothing Store. Wen Qing then stepped forward and said, "Aunt Xiao, Bao Hong."
The two turned around at the same time, both with smiles on their faces.
"Wen Qing!"
"Sister Wen Qing!"
"Are you done with your work?" Wen Qing asked.
Aunt Xiao greeted us with a smile: "There's no one around right now during mealtimes, but we'll be busy again soon. The clothes that the garment factory sends over by bus every day aren't enough to sell, especially the cotton-padded coats."
"It's the end of the year, after all," Wen Qing said with a smile.
Bao Hong ran over and pulled Wen Qing into the store.
Wen Qing asked about the two of them.
As they talked, the topic somehow swirled around Zhang Fangfang.
Bao Hong said cheerfully, "Sister Wen Qing, you don't know, Zhang Fangfang was initially unwilling to pay compensation, acting like a victim. But the customers wouldn't listen and made a scene at her shop every day. I deliver goods to Sister Zhang every day, so I saw it all clearly."
"And then?" Wen Qing asked.
Aunt Xiao continued, "Then Zhang Fangfang tried to frame Feng Qing. Bao Hong saw this, put her hands on her hips, and went to her door to reason with her, saying that the country had already convicted her, so why was she still throwing mud at Feng Qing? Bao Hong fiercely scolded them, which made the people around them applaud and cheer."
Wen Qing smiled and looked at Bao Hong, saying, "Don't get into conflicts with people when you're alone in the future."
“What’s there to be afraid of? We’re in the right.” Bao Hong continued, “When she couldn’t get away with smearing us, she tried to cheat us. She angered the customers, and they smashed her storefront. They said they’d take her to the police station and make her go to jail if she didn’t pay! Anyway, when the police come, everyone will pay for the storefront together. Zhang Fangfang and Su Hongmei are terrified this time. They not only sold Su Fang’s storefront, but they also sold the tailor shop in the county town. I heard they have to borrow money to pay off the debts.”
"Zhang Fangfang has really had a tough time this time," Aunt Xiao said with a sigh.
“She deserved it!” Bao Hong said.
Wen Qing laughed: "Alright, alright, let's not talk about her anymore. It's almost Chinese New Year, I'm here to give you guys money."
What kind of money will be given?
"Year-end bonus".
As usual, Wen Qing distributed money to Aunt Xiao and Bao Hong in the same way as Feng Qing Garment Factory. Aunt Xiao and Bao Hong were embarrassed to accept it and had to take it after several refusals. Wen Qing encouraged them again and then did not stay any longer. When they came out, snowflakes began to fall.
Wen Qing took a car back to the county town, bought a bundle of joss paper and a box of matches at a general store, put the matches in his pocket, and walked towards the dirt road with the joss paper in his arms. Just then, Ji Yanjun and Ji Yousheng were also walking this way with joss paper in their arms.
"Wen Qing," Ji Yousheng greeted first.
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