Hu Ruixue enrolled Shu Yan in the VIP class, which offers one-on-one service. The training area is separate from that of regular students. Outside, many people share one space, while inside is a small, independent training area covered by a shed, protecting it from the wind and rain.
The instructor was also very kind. Even if Shu Yan made a mistake, he never scolded her and patiently explained it to her. Back when she was in college, there were four or five people sharing one car, and she could only drive a few times a day, spending most of her time waiting. Now, she had her own car and could practice for half a day in just one hour.
She really didn't expect that the driving test would be so much harder now than it would be later. She thought that learning to drive in the 1990s would be easier, but the parking test alone stumped her. There were also things like crossing a single-sided bridge and undulating roads, which she had never learned before. Maybe the roads are not good now, so she needs to learn these things. Shu Yan could only comfort herself with this thought.
"Don't panic, panicking will only make things worse. Don't worry, I'll be right next to you during the test and I'll give you some pointers," the coach said patiently.
Shu Yan glanced at him, then silently continued practicing driving. At this moment, it seemed the instructor was accompanying her, not the examiner, so there was a lot of flexibility. According to the instructor, the difficult part was the second stage of the driving test; the road test was easy—just pass a traffic light, and if he said it was okay, she passed.
Actually, the second part of the driving test is easy. There are no infrared lights at this point, and if you happen to have a lenient examiner, they might just let you pass if you barely touch the line.
After a morning of driving lessons, Shuyan came out with a sore back and aching waist. She had originally planned to continue in the afternoon, but told the instructor she would come back tomorrow morning.
"How's your study going?" Hu Ruixue asked with a smile as she saw Shu Yan sprawled on the sofa.
"Don't even mention it, I'm exhausted. But what can I do? I'm smart, I only need to practice for two days before I can take the test." You can take the second and third parts of the test together, there's no fourth part at this time, you can get your driver's license after passing the road test.
"Okay, I'll give you a gift when you get your driver's license," Hu Ruixue chuckled.
Shu Yan looked at her suspiciously, "You're not planning to give me a car, are you? That's too expensive, I don't want it."
It's fine to accept food, but if it's too expensive, I don't know what to give in return. Besides, she can afford to buy it herself.
"This isn't a free gift. Do you know how many franchise stores we have now?" Hu Ruixue looked at Shu Yan seriously.
"How much?" Shu Yan sat up and asked.
"500 stores. Qianxue has surpassed 500 franchise stores. Our garment factory has also become a large factory with a thousand employees. Isn't that something to celebrate?"
Shu Yan was stunned when she heard the data. How could it have developed so quickly in such a short time? She suddenly felt a little scared. Such rapid development could easily collapse if problems arose.
"Is the debt ratio high?" Shu Yan asked worriedly.
"Don't worry, the franchise fees and payments for goods from the franchise stores are enough for us." If each store costs 60,000, then 500 stores would be 30 million. Besides, thermal underwear is already selling well overseas and has become an export product, bringing in a steady stream of income for the company. Their company has always been profitable, so there's nothing to worry about.
"It's definitely worth celebrating, but why buy me things?" Shu Yan thought they could hold a celebration party on Labor Day, so she decided against it.
Hu Ruixue disagreed, "You deserve the most credit for our company's success today. You wrote the advertising plan, you wrote the franchise plan, and you even planned the opening activities of the franchise stores. Without your planning, the company could not have developed so quickly. Moreover, this car was purchased in the company's name as your company car. Do you think it's reasonable for the CEO of such a big company not to have a company car?"
That's what they said, but it was actually for her personal use. Shu Yan was a little unaccustomed to it. Suddenly she had a car and a driver?
"I have more good news for you. I've acquired the land next to the logistics center. Not only that, I've also won the bid for plot number 9 this time."
Shu Yan quickly grabbed the map. Although plot number 9 wasn't the place Hu Ruixue had circled before, it would still be a prime location in the future. Knowing the price was right, Shu Yan exclaimed how amazing Hu Ruixue was.
"How can they acquire so much land at once? Will they be able to get loans from the banks?" Shu Yan looked at Plot No. 9, which would eventually become a cluster of high-rise buildings. She wondered how the government would compensate them.
"Don't worry, how many companies in China have 500 franchise stores? I don't even need to go there; they approved it as soon as I submitted the documents. I plan to build a garment factory on plot 9, but we can put that on hold for now. Construction next to the logistics center will start soon, and this time I intend to build it as comprehensively as possible."
"What's the meaning?"
"I plan to put the entire Qianxue brand here, divided into four factory areas and one warehouse. The first will produce thermal underwear, the second will produce loungewear, the third will produce lingerie, and the fourth will produce socks. In addition, we will also set up a canteen, employee dormitories, and a nursery. I plan to reserve a piece of land here to build welfare housing. Although we are not a state-owned enterprise, we have welfare benefits comparable to those of state-owned enterprises. As long as they contribute to our factory, we will reward them with housing."
"Is this industrial land?" Can houses be built on industrial land?
"It is indeed industrial land, but if I apply to build welfare housing, there will be no problem. On the contrary, the government will strongly support it."
The reason Hu Ruixue was able to acquire the two plots of land so smoothly this time was not only because her company was growing bigger and bigger, but also because she had taken in a group of female workers from the original textile factory and some workers who had retired from other units, helping the government alleviate employment pressure. If they were to apply for welfare housing now, they could definitely become a model private enterprise in Nancheng City, and might even be recognized as an outstanding enterprise.
Shu Yan also knew about that group of employees. Hu Ruixue had talked to her about it, and Hu Ruixue had explained the pros and cons. Shu Yan hadn't expected the returns to be so great.
To be honest, many private companies are unwilling to hire these veteran workers from state-owned enterprises. It's because these people are not as hardworking as workers hired from the private sector, they like to put on airs, and they strike and protest at the drop of a hat. If you dare to fire them, they will dare to sit in front of the government to show their power.
So Shu Yan agreed to take in these people, but demanded that the government grant them the right to dismiss their employees. After negotiations, the government agreed that they could dismiss up to 10% of their employees, and absolutely not more than 10%.
Previously, in state-owned enterprises, there was no such thing as dismissal unless a major mistake was made. Now that they are in their factory, they can be dismissed. I believe those who try to cheat and shirk their duties will no longer dare to act as before.
When those people first came in, many of them were still the same as before, carrying their old habits and still treating the factory employees according to seniority. Hu Ruixue directly arrested a few to make an example of them. Originally, some people wanted to cause trouble, but Hu Ruixue told them in front of everyone that if they caused trouble, she would rather void the agreement with the government than have anyone else come to her.
This startled them greatly. They hadn't worked for almost half a year, and if they didn't go back to work, they wouldn't be able to afford food.
The dismissal of over twenty people in one go stunned everyone. After the slap, a sweet treat followed. Hu Ruixue gave them an advance on a month's salary to settle their families. She also explained that their factory was different from the old state-owned factory; in addition to their basic monthly salary, they would receive commissions on every garment they produced—the more they worked, the more they earned, and there were bonuses for top performers. All things considered, their wages were more than double what they would have earned in the state-owned factory.
In an instant, all the employees' grievances vanished, and they stayed at the factory to work contentedly. They were all veteran employees of the textile factory, so they picked things up very quickly, and Shu Yan and Hu Ruixue were quite satisfied with this.
"Oh right, didn't we say we were going on a spring outing the day before yesterday? I'll go after I finish my driver's license test." Shu Yan really didn't have the energy to go on a spring outing right now.
"The weather hasn't been good these past few days, let's wait until it's better before going. Tianbao has told me several times that he wants to go horseback riding, but you won't let him go." Hu Ruixue had asked Shuyan to go several times, but she had turned her down each time.
"Why go horseback riding in such cold weather? What about that night school you mentioned last time? How do I register?"
"Have you made up your mind?"
"Hmm. Learning is endless. When I go out to meet clients, if someone asks me where I went to university, I don't know how to answer. I originally thought I'd just open a clothing store and raise my two kids. I never imagined I'd meet you, and now we're even starting a company together. The business is growing bigger and bigger, and we're sure to become a well-known large enterprise in the country. In the future, when we go abroad, it would be too embarrassing to say that one boss is a graduate student and the other didn't even finish elementary school." Shu Yan had really had enough of studying and didn't want to sit in a classroom again just for a diploma. But that's how society is these days. Many people say diplomas are useless, but if you actually go to a big city, you'll find that a diploma is a stepping stone. Otherwise, no matter how capable you are, you won't be able to get through that door.
Shu Yan decided to take self-study exams for high school and university, and then attend a continuing education program at a prestigious university to get a master's degree, whether it's formal or not, it just sounds better.
"I heard you're still learning English on your own?" Hu Ruixue asked.
"Yes, last time I sent Jingjing and Tianbao to a training class, I felt that they should also learn something. With my old arms and legs, I'm definitely not good at singing and dancing, so I thought I'd learn English. Whether I need it or not, it's always good to learn more," Shu Yan said modestly.
"Your idea is excellent; we'll definitely need it in the future." Hu Ruixue genuinely thought Shu Yan's approach was very good.
After discussing the company's future development with Hu Ruixue, Shu Yan convened a meeting with the company's middle and senior management after lunch, and then returned to her shop.
According to Hu Ruixue, with Shu Yan's current wealth, there's really no need for her to open a clothing store anymore. It's tiring and doesn't earn much money. After all, it's Shu Yan's first business in this world, and she built it up bit by bit herself. Shu Yan can't bear to close it down like this.
Zhang Huaxiu was keeping accounts, while the other two sales clerks were tidying up clothes. They walked in, glanced at Zhang Huaxiu, and said, "You haven't looked well lately. If you're not feeling well, you should take a day off and rest."
Zhang Huaxiu touched her face. "I probably haven't been resting well lately."
She works at the store during the day and then helps her sister-in-law with inventory and accounting at night, so of course she doesn't get enough rest.
“You can’t do it this way. If your sister-in-law’s business is doing well, tell her to find someone.” Shu Yan frowned.
"She insisted that she could manage on her own." Zhang Huaxiu was also helpless about this.
The problem is, she can manage, but Zhang Huaxiu can't. Last time Wu Xiuyue went to buy goods, she asked Zhang Huaxiu to take leave and watch the shop for her. This means Zhang Huaxiu hasn't had a day off for a month, working 12 hours a day without a single rest day—even an iron woman couldn't endure that.
"It's nothing. I just have a stomach ache these days, it'll be fine in a few days."
"You know it yourself." She didn't want to say too much. As long as Zhang Huaxiu didn't interfere with the shop's affairs, that would be fine. Saying too much would be seen as stirring up trouble between the sisters-in-law, and it would make her look bad to everyone.
It had been a long time since they had taken stock of the goods. Shu Yan asked Zhang Huaxiu to watch the outside while she led the others to take stock and then reconcile the accounts. Zhang Huaxiu was meticulous and remembered the accounts very clearly. By the time they finished, it was almost lunchtime. Shu Yan decided to stay and treat them to a meal because they had worked hard during this period.
Besides the must-order braised pork, the restaurant had live fish today, so Shu Yan made one as well. The two waiters were very happy to see it, but Zhang Huaxiu took one bite and put it down.
"What's wrong?"
"It's nothing, my stomach's upset, you guys eat first." With that, she ran out. Shu Yan was worried and followed her out, only to find her gagging in a corner.
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