Assign tasks
After buying shops, grain, and estates, and now building a winery, Fu Zhi Qiao has very little cash left. If she hadn't swindled 20,000 taels of silver from Fu Ming Jie, she really wouldn't have been able to survive until now.
Fu Zhiqiao shuttled between the two wineries, giving instructions and supervising, handling various matters. She left early and returned late every day, working like a spinning top. Fortunately, many things had already been arranged and could be handed over to her subordinates one by one.
Old Gao, Defu, Wenjiang, and Wenshan are already her capable subordinates.
Fu Zhiqiao called a meeting with the group and asked them to get to know each other so they could contact each other directly if anything came up in the future.
"There are no outsiders here, so you don't need to be so reserved. Sit down and let's talk."
The group greeted each other.
"I'm going to assign you your tasks now..." Fu Zhi Qiao began to assign tasks to people very clearly.
"Master Gao, you are in full charge of production at the winery. If you're short of raw materials, contact Defu; if you're short of manpower, contact Wenjiang. They will cooperate with you. Remember, the quality of the wine must be strictly controlled; there can be no carelessness!"
"Defu, you will be in charge of purchasing various raw materials for the time being and cooperate with the work of others. The rest of the time, you will follow my arrangements. After the wine shop opens, you will become the manager. Report to me directly if there are any issues."
Upon hearing this, Defu was stunned. Had he heard correctly? The girl wanted him to become the manager of the wine shop. Defu, he actually had a day when he would become the manager.
"What, you don't want to?" Fu Zhi Qiao noticed De Fu's stunned expression.
"No, I'm willing, I'm willing!" Defu quickly came to his senses. Seeing how much she trusted him, he hurriedly bowed to her and said, "Thank you for your high regard, young lady!"
"Wenjiang and Wenshan, you two will be responsible for winery management. Wenjiang will be in charge of recruitment and personnel management, and Wenshan will be in charge of patrolling the winery and transporting goods..."
Fu Zhiqiao rambled on for a while, "Also, if you have suitable candidates under you, you can promote them yourselves without going through me."
The group looked at each other in bewilderment. Was the young lady about to delegate authority to them?
"Got it?"
"Yes!" The three nodded, glanced at each other, and answered in unison.
"You are my right-hand men. I have complete confidence in entrusting these matters to you. In the future, you must learn to handle things on your own. If you can't handle it, then come to me. Understand?"
"Young lady, we will certainly not let you down."
The brothers Wenjiang and Wenshan were particularly excited. They had followed Fu Zhiqiao all the way from Yuzhou to Qingzhou, rising from gate guards to winery managers, and now overseeing hundreds of people.
All of this was thanks to the girl, and they felt genuine gratitude and respect for Fu Zhiqiao.
Defu, Wenjiang, and Wenshan were all brought out of the old house by Fu Zhiqiao. Having followed Fu Zhiqiao for so long, they had long been accustomed to her way of doing things. At her command, they all went about their business.
"Master Gao, how's the wine production going these days?"
Old Gao replied, "With the two wineries inside and outside the city working together, we estimate we can produce seven or eight hundred catties a day. If we're in a hurry, we can produce even more." Old Gao was in full charge of production, and he would tally the output every day.
Fu Zhi Qiao nodded to indicate that she understood. She wasn't worried about the sales of the wine, as long as the production volume could keep up.
Drinking 700-800 jin of liquor a day isn't a lot, but it's not a small amount either. Her career is still in its early stages, so she'll take it slow and not rush it.
Old Gao had been selling wine for most of his life, and even at his busiest, he only sold about 100 jin a day. Recently, the winery had brewed nearly 20,000 jin of wine. If it were before, he wouldn't have dared to even think about selling 20,000 jin of wine.
After working for Fu Zhiqiao, his horizons and perspective were completely broadened.
Old Gao knew Fu Zhiqiao's capabilities well and immediately assured her, "Boss, don't worry! I can brew any amount of wine!"
Fu Zhiqiao thought to herself that now that she had 20,000 jin of wine in stock, it would be best to resume normal production and not work overtime to brew more wine.
As everything slowly got back on track, she finally had a moment to catch her breath.
Fu Zhi Qiao returned home as the sun was setting. As soon as she entered the main courtyard, she saw maids and servants bustling about. The table was already full of dishes. Yu Rou Lan looked at the thin Fu Zhi Qiao with great heartache and her eyes were filled with reproach, "You still know how to come back?"
Fu Zhiqiao said coquettishly, "Mother, I was too busy at the shop and didn't notice the time. I will definitely pay attention next time."
Yu Roulan touched her face, repeatedly saying, "You've lost weight! You've lost weight!"
Thinking of her daughter's busy schedule over the past two or three months, Yu Roulan didn't say anything more and immediately ordered the kitchen to bring out chicken soup. "This chicken soup has been simmered over low heat for two hours. Try it quickly."
Fu Zhi Qiao obediently took the chicken soup and drank a sip. Her gaze fell on Yu Rou Lan's gentle smiling face, and her heart softened.
It feels so good to have someone at home who always cares about you.
After dinner, the mother and daughter sat together chatting. When she heard that Fu Zhi Qiao had bought another estate, she was a little incredulous. She thought her daughter was just buying a wine shop to do a small business, but she didn't expect that it had developed to the point of buying land and building a winery.
She couldn't help but worry: "This? Will this work?"
"Don't worry!" he said, taking out the land deed to show her.
Yu Roulan gasped when she saw the land deed, "You've bought so much land, do you even have any money left? I have some money here, take it and use it..."
Fu Zhiqiao hugged Yu Roulan's arm, "We don't lack money, the shop has already made money." Then she told her about the drinking challenge she had organized at the market.
Yu Roulan was shocked, never expecting her daughter to have such a talent for business.
"Mother, the shop is starting to make money now. We bought the land for a better life. Besides, if things don't work out, we can always sell it. So don't worry!"
Knowing that her daughter was a woman of her own mind, Yu Roulan stopped saying anything.
Then Fu Zhiqiao handed over a booklet, which Yu Roulan saw was the wine shop's account book, which recorded the wine shop's various expenses.
"The shop is looking to hire an accountant for ten taels of silver a month. I wonder if Mother would be interested?"
Let her manage the accounts? Yu Roulan was shocked once again.
Fu Zhi Qiao nodded. She definitely wanted to keep the ledger in her own hands. Currently, only De Fu was her confidant in the wine shop. Everyone else was still under observation. The shop was missing a reliable accountant, so she could give that position to Yu Rou Lan.
Since moving to Qingzhou, Yu Roulan has been idle at home. Finding her a job managing accounts will prevent her from overthinking all day.
Yu Roulan looked at Fu Zhiqiao with suspicion, clearly somewhat tempted, but also a little embarrassed. After a moment of silence, she said, "Isn't this a bit inappropriate? Can I really do it? How can a woman confined to the inner quarters like me..."
“Mom, you can do it!” Fu Zhi Qiao interrupted her.
“Mother, you are a proper lady in charge of the household, more than qualified to be an accountant. I think you are wasting your talents.”
Fu Zhi Qiao believed in Yu Rou Lan's abilities; with her help, she would save a lot of effort.
Fu Zhi Qiao's flattery successfully amused Yu Rou Lan. She picked up her teacup and took a sip. The warm tea swirled on her tongue, slightly bitter yet sweet. The hopelessness she felt when Fu Chang Yue passed away was gone from her eyes, replaced by calmness and determination.
At the same time, she was filled with mixed feelings. Other people's daughters were pampered and spoiled as they grew up, while her own daughter was not yet of marriageable age but had already supported the whole family. Even if she couldn't help, she couldn't hold her back. Right now was the time when her daughter needed her.
Yu Roulan was both excited and nervous. After much deliberation, she finally agreed.
Seeing this, Fu Zhiqiao breathed a sigh of relief. She couldn't let Yu Roulan feel like a burden or a useless person, and she also hoped that her mother could truly get over the pain of the past and live for herself.
*
With more and more wine being brewed, the digging of a wine cellar could no longer wait.
The wine cellar was designed by Fu Zhiqiao herself, and she personally oversaw everything from the selection of the cellar site, the layout, and the height of the space.
The ideal location for a wine cellar is a basement, where the wine jars are buried deep underground, away from heat and light sources, allowing for better storage. However, current building technology does not support digging a huge pit, which could easily collapse, rendering all efforts futile.
Fu Zhiqiao had previously surveyed the terrain of the manor, and decided to avoid soft sandy soil and choose a location with thick clay soil, digging a deep pit underground and then building the house on the surface.
Furthermore, it is necessary to avoid dense forests, as these plants have very developed root systems and can easily damage the foundation of the land if they grow too large.
Fu Zhiqiao locked himself in his study, found books on construction to study, and went to find specialized craftsmen to confirm the building structure. After more than ten days of back and forth, he finally drew up the blueprints for the wine cellar.
The newly built wine cellar must be large, with enough storage space.
"We'll start digging and compacting the foundation in the next couple of days. Ask Liu Pinggu to help ask if anyone in the village or surrounding villages is willing to help. The work will cost 20 coins a day, and lunch will be provided."
Twenty coins for a day's work is not a low price in the city; the wages offered by Fu Zhiqiao are already quite generous.
"Miss, will the wages be paid monthly or daily?" Wenjiang asked to clarify everything, because he would be in charge of distributing the wages.
"Pay on a daily basis!" Farmers can get paid for each day's work, which makes them feel more at ease. They don't have to travel around, and they can bring the money home in time to supplement their household income. This is the best possible arrangement.
Although daily settlements are a bit troublesome for the winery, it's worth it because it allows farmers to work with peace of mind.
Once the news spread, people started coming to Wenjiang to sign up for work. Some even had gray hair and wanted to come and dig, but Fu Zhiqiao refused them. At their age, she couldn't bear the responsibility if something happened to them.
Liu Pinggu was very efficient and quickly found a group of people for her. They were all native farmers with no other skills, but they were strong and knew how to do the work, which was enough for them.
Fu Zhiqiao thought Liu Pinggu was a capable person, so she went along with it and made his son a small manager in the team digging the wine cellar.
It was Fu Zhiqiao's decision to provide lunch, since everyone needs to be well-fed to have the energy to work. Fu Zhiqiao also had some women with good cooking skills found in Liujia Village and set up a shed not far from the cellar to prepare lunch for the workers on time at noon, with large portions and plenty to eat.
The employer was kind-hearted and always considered his own interests, which made the workers work even harder.
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