"Sister-in-law, you two are more reliable in your work, so you can be in charge of quality inspection after work every day. You can do whatever you want during lunch break, no one will restrict you."
"Little sister, you'll be in charge of registering and recording who's late, leaves early, or takes leave each day. You'll also need to record how many clothes each person made each day and how much they'll receive next month. This is a difficult and demanding task. You'll even have to learn to read from Lei Zi and the others for a few days. I'll keep track of everything for now, and you can learn from them."
"Sister Shen, you'll be in charge of logistics. I'll find a few other people to be in charge of cleaning. Your responsibility is to manage them well and make sure they do their jobs properly. Logistics tasks include cleaning every day and checking if any of the female workers are missing any needles, thread, or fabric. Also, you'll have the key to the warehouse. You also need to keep a clear record of how much fabric and clothing goes in and out each day, and make sure you don't make any mistakes."
"As for supervision, it's relatively easy, so let's leave it to Mother. She can't stay idle, so it's nice for her to stroll around the workshop."
He Jiuniang took out her notebook and assigned tasks to everyone.
“Right now, the family is short of an accountant. Managing the accounts is a big deal, and we can’t find anyone we trust to do it right now. For the time being, we’ll let Mother manage it. We’ll discuss the accounts together every night and then have my younger sister keep a record. Is that a good arrangement?”
After He Jiuniang finished speaking, she looked up at the four people in front of her.
The expressions on the faces of the Yu family members were hard to describe; they wanted to laugh, but couldn't.
Being given important responsibilities is a good thing, and they are happy about it, but they don't think they can do it well.
Madam Yu said, "Third sister-in-law, we can't even say how good the clothes we make ourselves are, so how can we check the clothes made by others? What if the check doesn't go well?"
Qin did the same thing as Yu, and nodded anxiously in agreement.
He Jiuniang said, "It's not a big deal. The main thing is to look at the details. The cuffs, collar, and all the places that need to be hemmed must be carefully checked. There can't be any careless omissions. Also, check if the pattern is symmetrical. Just be careful and meticulous."
"By the way, little sister, you also need to record who made mistakes. Three mistakes will result in dismissal."
While teaching Yu and Qin, she also filled in any gaps in her knowledge and supplemented the points she had mentioned.
Lu Guilan nodded anxiously. She had so many things to do. Oh my god, who can help her share the burden?
"Third Sister-in-law, what about me? My mind is a complete mess right now. I feel like I have so many troublesome things to deal with! I can't read or write, what am I going to do!"
Lu Guilan spoke up, mainly because she was illiterate and making this record was really too difficult.
"Don't panic, I'll teach you individually in a bit."
He Jiuniang comforted her with a word, then looked at Shen Shi. Shen Shi was usually not very talkative. Although the Lu family was easy to get along with, she still felt that since she was living under someone else's roof, it was better to speak less and not upset the master of the house.
Now that He Jiuniang was actually asking her to be the supervisor, she felt somewhat insecure and said softly, "Sister-in-law, how about I go and do the cleaning? I'm afraid I can't do the supervisor job well. I also have to keep records of the warehouse, and I can't read..."
A soldier who doesn't want to be a general isn't a good soldier. Shen Shi naturally wanted to be one, but she had never been a soldier before becoming a general. She was afraid that she wouldn't be able to do a good job and would cause trouble for the Lu family.
"Sister Shen, don't be afraid. This is the first time we've all done this, so it's normal to be unfamiliar with it. I'll teach you slowly. Practice makes perfect, and you'll get the hang of it after a few more days. Most importantly, we're a family now, and each of you has contributed to the workshop. Only when we all work together will the workshop's business get better and better."
Actually, managing logistics would be more suitable for the eldest sister-in-law, Yu, but Yu is a good cook and also in charge of the family's food. If she were to manage the storeroom as well, it would be too busy, so it could only be handed over to Shen.
He Jiuniang had been secretly observing Shen Shi for a long time and knew that she was a smart person, and not the kind of person who would cheat or be cunning. She knew when to be smart and when to play dumb, which was her greatest strength.
"Yes, Sister Shen, you're so smart, you'll definitely do a good job!"
Ms. Yu smiled encouragingly, but inwardly she breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, this troublesome task hadn't fallen to her, otherwise she would have been so upset that she cried. Writing was just too difficult!
"I... I'll give it a try, thank you for trusting me, sister-in-law!"
He Jiuniang smiled and said, "When the family is doing business, of course we will use our family members first. However, everyone should pay attention to cultivating capable assistants around them so that they can help when things get busy. More importantly, our Lu family cannot only do this one business, and our sisters-in-law cannot only do this job. The family business needs to be managed, so our sisters-in-law need to grow up as soon as possible."
Upon hearing this, everyone was stunned. They had thought that once this task was completed, they could rest easy, but they were told that this was just the beginning and that as the owners, they still had a lot to do.
"If we do so much work, what do the men in the family do?"
Qin couldn't help but speak up, feeling that they did everything while the men were idle and had nothing to do, and she felt a sense of imbalance in her heart.
The others also thought of this question and looked at He Jiuniang expectantly.
Since He Jiuniang returned after dying once, she has gained a voice in the family, and the family has gradually become run by women. The men all follow the example of Old Man Lu, letting their wives take the lead while they keep their achievements hidden.
Seeing them point out their own men, He Jiuniang found it somewhat amusing, but still said seriously, "My elder brother and his family have a lot to do. For example, they are great contributors to the medicinal herbs and potatoes in the fields. In addition, my brother-in-law and his family are responsible for collecting chicken feathers and pulling carts to sell them. We women are in the rear, so the men naturally have to go out and make a living. I've thought about it, and from now on, the men will handle all the business in the family. My elder brother and his family will take turns accompanying Lianhua and the others to sell clothes."
The more you go out, the more people you meet, which can help you develop your interpersonal skills.
In this era, it is common for men to work outside the home and women to stay at home. Although the Lu family doesn't care about these things now, it is indeed not good for the men in the family to be timid and hesitant. They still need to be trained.
"That's a great idea!" Madam Yu was the first to clap her hands in agreement. "People need to be trained. When Lianhua first came, she was quite timid, but after going out a few times, she came back much bolder. She speaks and acts with great poise, and I really like her! It shows that going out and seeing more really can help you improve!"
That makes sense.
Lu Guilan nodded. Although she didn't go to sell clothes this time, she had to admit that going a few times had indeed broadened her horizons.
"It's not just my brother and the others; you and your sister-in-law can go too, as long as you take care of your current tasks."
He Jiuniang paused for a moment, then continued, "However, the most important point is that it's not just the children who need to read and write; we adults also need to learn. For example, when tasks were assigned this time, everyone was worried about not being able to do them well because they couldn't read. This shows how important it is to read and write."
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