Chu Yu only drew a rough sketch. The specific construction methods, the height of each floor, and the design of the slide's curvature all needed to be figured out by Shu Aiguo himself. He was also very capable, and he completed the bunk bed in just three days.
In her past life, when Chu Yu's colleague was renovating his house, he hired a carpenter to make bunk beds. They used eco-friendly boards commonly used in children's rooms, and together with the wardrobe and desk, it cost less than 20,000 yuan.
In the 1980s, there were no so-called eco-friendly wooden boards; the most primitive solid wood was used. After it was finished, Shu Aiguo sanded and painted it. As Chu Yu had said, the stairs were painted white in between layers, while the middle layer retained its original wood color. The whole bunk bed was a beautiful combination of white and original wood color.
The cost of the wood used for the bunk bed is only fifteen yuan. The carpenter's daily wage is 1 to 1.5 yuan, and the labor cost for three days is 5 yuan. The total cost of the bed is just over 20 yuan.
Chu Yu figured he could easily sell it for a hundred or two.
"The buyer is a pair of twin girls? Should we paint them pink?"
"Let the buyer see it first. If she likes pink, I'll add another layer of pink. It won't take much effort."
Painting involves layering colors, so layering pink on white isn't difficult.
Shu Aiguo doesn't understand what aesthetics are, but he thinks that the combination of white and natural wood color is particularly refreshing and beautiful, like the small white flowers on the mountain in early spring, simple and clean.
Of course, he thinks that looks are useless; it's only important that the girl likes him.
When Chu Yu mentioned the price, Shu Aiguo seemed a little embarrassed. He was the worst at setting prices. The raw wood was not expensive, but this bed was particularly difficult to make and the design was unique. It would cost the couple more than half a month's wages to buy such a large item.
The couple working in Dachang, Deyang city, earn only a couple hundred yuan a month, so Shu Aiguo really didn't know what price range would be most appropriate.
"Let's go with 108? This wooden bed is sturdy and made with good materials. You also made an extra small desk for him, so it can't be less than 100."
Chu Yu also wanted to raise the price of the integrated cabinet, but there had to be a suitable opportunity to do so. Raising the price by 5 yuan at random would make people feel that the pricing was too arbitrary.
"Second Uncle, have you ever thought about starting a furniture business?"
Shu Aiguo was taken aback. He really hadn't thought of it. Carpentry was nothing special in the countryside. People would make a few tables for one family and a couple of chairs for another. Rural people only thought of hiring a carpenter when building a house or moving. It didn't matter if the furniture was old. As long as the wood was good, it would last for decades. There was no need to waste money on new furniture.
He was thinking of making a few tables and chairs for people, which had nothing to do with the furniture business.
He can manage small-scale dabbling, but when it comes to "business," it's no longer child's play. He's afraid he can't handle the business. He worries that his family has finally earned some money and is living a better life, and he might ruin it all with his antics. He would feel guilty towards his wife and children.
Shu Aiguo's state reminded Chu Yu of Shu Hui more than a month ago, who lacked self-confidence and had no plans for the future.
Chu Yu didn't mind giving him a push.
“Second Uncle, this isn’t a spur-of-the-moment decision. I’ve long thought you could open a furniture store, selling stylish furniture. Look, the cost of living in Deyang is rising year by year, but there are only a handful of stores in the city. You can count the number of clothing stores on two hands, let alone furniture stores. Newlyweds need to buy furniture for weddings, children going to school, and the addition of a new member to the family. Deyang has limited housing, and people in Deyang value having many children and grandchildren. If there aren’t enough rooms in the house, then people need built-in wardrobes and bunk beds.”
Shu Aiguo knew she had a point, but he was afraid he wouldn't be able to handle it all.
"How many sets of tables and chairs do you think I can make in a day? And what kind of furniture store are you talking about? How much stock would that require? I don't know how many years it would take for me to make it all by myself."
“Of course you can’t do it all by yourself. We can set up a small furniture factory and hire workers to help you with the assembly line operation.”
Shu Aiguo looked completely bewildered, having no idea what "assembly line" meant.
In the 1980s, there were very few factories, let alone assembly lines.
Chu Yu explained to him: "If you spend 3 days making one bunk bed, you can only make 10 beds a month. But if you find 5 workers to work together, you might be able to make 100 beds a month."
Shu Aiguo did not understand the reasoning behind it.
There are only a few people, and the amount of work each person does each day is fixed, at most 50 sheets a month. Where do the extra 50 sheets come from?
“Each person makes one part: Lao Wang makes the slide, Lao Li makes the stairs, Lao Zhang makes the bed board, Lao Qian makes the guardrail, and Lao Sun is responsible for assembling the wooden bed and painting it. Each person is only responsible for one task. Practice makes perfect, which can greatly improve work efficiency.”
Shu Aiguo suddenly realized.
Shu Aiguo put a lot of effort into making this bed. He got up before dawn and even fumbled around in his sleep. Fortunately, he was quick-witted and finished the bed in three days. Of all the manufacturing processes, he spent the least time on the bed board. He was good at making bed boards, which didn't require much technical skill and didn't require much thought. However, he found it awkward and difficult to work on the bookshelf stairs.
After the assembly line operation, he can focus on the bed board and leave the stairs to a specialist. Everyone will make their own parts and assemble them.
Shu Aiguo was persuaded by Chu Yu, but to open a so-called furniture city, one would need to open a furniture factory. The investment in setting up a factory and opening a store would be considerable!
Even if he tries to save money, finding a factory will cost at least several hundred yuan a year, and the rent for a furniture store will also be several hundred yuan a year. Timber is also a considerable expense, not to mention the business license.
It would take two or three thousand to barely keep the storefront up. Two or three thousand is definitely not enough. If we were to buy machines like large factories, the investment would be huge.
"Chu Yu, opening a furniture store must cost a lot of money, right?"
Chu Yu pondered that the biggest expenses would be for the factory, warehouse, and furniture store. The wood couldn't get damp, the warehouse needed to be large, and the factory couldn't leak. Finding such a place in Deyang wouldn't be easy.
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