Chapter 179 Forced relationships are never sweet
He turned around again and pulled out a small package carefully wrapped in oil paper from the inner layer of the cloth bag.
The oil paper had turned somewhat black, and there were still some gray stains on the edges.
He handed over the oil paper package.
“These are my father’s account books and notes. He said they contained some secrets that might be useful to Mr. Zhou.”
Once the oil paper was removed, a yellowed, thread-bound booklet was revealed inside.
The cover was made of coarse linen, and the edges were badly worn.
However, the four small characters in the middle are still clearly visible: "Zhou's Accounting Method".
Zhou Shufen took the booklet and gently stroked the cover with her fingertips.
She carefully turned to the first page, and what came into view were rows of densely packed, tiny characters.
What's even more touching is that there are several places clearly marked with phrases such as "Zhou Family Shop's turnover was uneven on the seventh day of the third lunar month" and "Suspicious overstatement of accounts in August".
Those were the very problems that repeatedly arose during the Zhou family's business operations back then.
Beside him, Mr. Kang wrote down his solution in red pen, stroke by stroke.
As she looked up, Kang Liangwen walked out the door, his figure disappearing into the sunlight outside the shop.
In that instant, the silhouette slowly overlapped with the hunched back from the depths of her memory.
Yang Yunmu walked over at some point and stood next to Zhou Shufen.
She looked at it for a moment, then suddenly burst out laughing, her eyes curving into crescent moons.
"What a coincidence! The old accountant's son is in charge of the accounts, so the accounts must be correct."
After she finished speaking, she patted Zhou Shufen on the shoulder.
Zhou Shufen gently stroked the hard cover of the ledger.
She gazed at the empty street corner outside the door, and a smile involuntarily crept onto her lips.
"Yes. Old Kang used to say that the ledger is the root of a business. Only when the roots are deep can the tree grow strong. Now that his son has come, the roots have finally been reconnected."
She paused, a hint of relief flashing in her eyes.
"This is not just settling accounts, it's more like... bringing back the old Zhou family traditions."
Yang Qingshan only took Kang Liangwen under his wing for one day, and the kid was already able to handle things on his own.
The next morning, Kang Liangwen checked the inventory flow himself and verified three accounts.
They also compiled the previous day's daily report into a table and presented it in a clear and organized manner.
Not a single word was superfluous, and not a single mistake was made.
He handled all the processes with remarkable ease.
Yang Qingshan stared in disbelief, nodding repeatedly.
"This is no novice! She's even more efficient than a veteran accountant with ten years of experience!"
The weight that had been hanging over Zhou Shufen's heart finally lifted.
She can finally rest easy.
With a trustworthy person overseeing the accounts, she could go to Ningcheng with peace of mind.
She still had new clients to meet and a design exhibition to prepare for; she couldn't afford to delay any longer.
Several job applicants arrived one after another.
Zhou Shufen picked out a few who seemed reliable and hardworking.
She didn't assign them to handle the tasks directly, but instead handed everything over to Kang Liangwen.
Sure enough, Kang Liangwen quietly assigned tasks to the people.
They were taught to keep records, reconcile accounts, and affix receipts in an orderly manner, leaving no detail overlooked.
Newcomers learn quickly, and he teaches patiently.
The garment factory was already running smoothly.
As Aunt Yu's skills improved, from cutting to sewing, the sample garments she made were almost identical to the drawings.
Zhou Shufen was only responsible for drawing the design drawings, turning the ideas in her mind into stitches on paper.
In the subsequent mass production stages, factory workers can now complete the tasks independently, the production line operates smoothly, and efficiency is increasing.
Each batch of goods rolls off the production line, undergoes quality inspection, packaging, and shipping.
With everything arranged, she prepared to set off back to Ningcheng.
My luggage is already packed, and my plane ticket is booked for tomorrow morning.
With Zhou Hongxue overseeing the shop and Kang Liangwen managing the accounts, she had nothing to worry about.
Zhou Hongxue stayed behind to look after the shop for her.
Although he was young, he was sensible and steady, and willing to learn, so Zhou Shufen always trusted him.
Before leaving, she specially handed him the shop keys and gave him a few words of advice on daily precautions.
Zhou Hongxue nodded in agreement, his expression serious and without a trace of impatience.
The day before she left, Zhou Shufen took Yang Yunmu to a clothing store and picked out two new outfits.
The store's displays have been completely revamped, with several new spring designs she personally created hanging on the racks.
The cut is clean and crisp, the fabric is lightweight, and the colors are elegant yet lively.
She tried on a beige trench coat, cinched at the waist, which accentuated her slender figure.
Yang Yunmu clapped and cheered, "This dress really suits you, it instantly elevates your style!"
Zhou Shufen looked at herself in the mirror and smiled slightly.
She then picked out a navy blue suit, intending to take it to Ningcheng to wear.
The two sets of clothes were packed into bags and carried in my hand.
Aunt Yu pulled her along and sat her down on the long wooden bench in the tailor shop, still holding a needle and thread in her hand, sewing and chatting as she went.
The conversation lasted for almost half an hour.
Sunlight streamed in at an angle from the doorway.
"Shufen, how are you doing in Ningcheng?"
As she asked the question, Aunt Yu rubbed the needle tip on her hair.
She's so busy these days.
During the day, I work in a clothing store, and at night I take on odd alteration orders.
She also helped her neighbors mend clothes, taking on several jobs at once, and didn't even have time to eat properly.
She herself never expected that she would be over fifty years old.
I originally thought I would just live my life in this routine.
As a result, her son and daughter both became successful, which allowed her to change her way of life.
Life is getting more and more exciting, and I feel much more at ease.
“Auntie, I opened a supermarket in Ningcheng. It has a good location and a lot of foot traffic. Business is more than ten times busier than here.”
Shufen smiled and spoke gently.
"There are more people over there, and the prices are higher; all sorts of small commodities sell well. What about this clothing store? How's your little shop doing?"
Aunt Yu laughed when she heard this.
"My income is about the same as before, not much, but very stable. Every month people come to order clothes or alter the edges, so I can make ends meet. I have work to do every day, so I'm not hungry or idle, and I feel at ease."
"What about the shoe and hat shops?"
Shufen casually asked another question.
She knew that the shop was run by the second son and his wife after Aunt Yu bought the Cheng family's old shop.
Zhou Shufen herself never got involved or interfered.
When the shoe and hat shop was mentioned, Aunt Yu's smile immediately faded.
She sighed softly, her voice low.
"Sigh, the second son just sits there all day drinking tea and eating melon seeds. The goods are still the same few outdated styles. Young people don't even glance at them when they pass by, thinking they're too old-fashioned; the elderly think they're too expensive, saying they're not worth the price. These past two months, business has been getting worse every day. Sometimes he doesn't even sell a single pair of shoes all day."
She paused, a hint of disappointment flashing in her eyes.
“I took a look the other day, and the dust on the floor tiles by the door was so thick you could write with your finger. My second daughter-in-law was sitting behind the counter, legs crossed, eating sunflower seeds. When someone pushed the door open, she didn’t even lift her eyelids. Her attitude was like someone owed her money. I advised her to get some new styles and change things up, but she said I was meddling.”
Zhou Shufen had actually expected this, but she remained expressionless.
"If they're not doing well, don't force yourself to. Business is for your own benefit, not for theirs. Forced enthusiasm is useless; a forced relationship will never be happy."
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