"Okay, then come to my house for dinner tonight, and meet your cousin and your mother. Let's talk about this and see what to do."
Hongying agreed readily and added, "Can my dad go? He comes to pick me up after get off work every day. Mainly because it's dark when I walk home, and he's worried about me being alone."
Huang Wanzhen smiled and said, "No problem, take your father with you. It's a deal."
Around eight o'clock in the evening, the long dining table in the Huang family was polished clean by Hongying's mother. Huang Wanzhen smiled and asked everyone to sit down. "I have already told Hongying about the matter today. I wonder if she has just told Hongying and Aunt Wang."
Hong Yingniang twisted her fingers and replied first, "She mentioned it to us. Whether Hongye goes to Beijing or not is up to her, but I'm the one who decides about lacemaking. Miss Xiulan can learn from her."
When Xiulan saw Hongyingniang looking at her, she smiled and nodded.
Huang Wanzhen followed Hong Yingniang's words and looked at Hongye, who was sitting on the side without saying a word. "What does Hongye think?"
Hongye pinched her palm hard, struggled in her heart for a while, and said in a muffled voice, "Mr. Huang knows that I have three daughters. The eldest and the second are married, and I have given them my due. But I still have a third daughter. She was originally raised by my sixth brother, but at the beginning of this year, my sixth brother had two children, so I couldn't raise the third daughter anymore, so she had to stay with me. Beijing is really too far away, and I don't know when I will be back. I really can't let the child go."
Huang Wanzhen asked, "How old is your third daughter?"
Hongye said helplessly, "It's already eleven, and her period hasn't come yet. Otherwise, I would have found her a husband. It's better for her to get married than to suffer with me."
Huang Wanzhen disagreed with Hongye's idea, but she had no right to refute it, so she suggested, "If you're willing, you can bring your child to Beijing. There are staff dormitories in Beijing, and I can arrange for you and your child to live together. I'll raise your monthly salary to eight yuan, and if you do well, you'll get a raise every year."
When Hongye heard the price of eight yuan, her lifeless eyes suddenly lit up. "I'm willing. I'm willing to go to Beijing..."
Huang Wanzhen raised her hand to stop her from saying the following words, "I need to see your handiwork first. Can you teach Xiulan for a few days and then make some lace for me to see? Where can I buy the materials for lace?"
Hongye smiled and said, "I have everything. I brought a crochet hook and cotton thread when I came here."
Huang Wanzhen continued, "If we want to mass-produce them later, we'll need enough crochet hooks and cotton yarn. I wonder if you could take the lead and find a good source of these."
This time Hongye stopped talking and turned to look at Hongyingniang.
Hongying's mother continued, "I asked Lao Wang to go to Gusu to purchase goods for Mr. Huang. Hongye has no husband and has no say in her hometown. But Lao Wang is different. My parents are still alive, and my family values him as a son-in-law. If he goes over and asks my brothers to help with the purchase, there will be no problem."
Huang Wanzhen's face immediately showed joy, "Will this delay Uncle Wang's work?"
Hong Yingniang hesitated and said, "This..., once or twice is fine, but if it happens too often, Lao Wang's boss..."
Huang Wanzhen touched her chin and asked, "What shop does Uncle Wang work in?"
Without waiting for her mother's reply, Hongying said quickly, "It's a cloth shop next to the concession. They mainly sell cloth, but they also do some work making curtains and quilts."
Huang Wanzhen then asked, "How much is your monthly salary?"
"Twelve dollars. My father mainly keeps the accounts. There's also a clerk in the shop who helps with the cloth and cuts curtains and quilts."
Huang Wanzhen suggested, "Aunt Wang, how about I hire Uncle Wang to do my purchasing? I'll pay him an extra three dollars a month."
Hong Yingniang was in a dilemma. She really wanted to help Mr. Huang, but she couldn't sacrifice her husband's job. Who knew how long Mr. Huang's company would last? "Old Wang's boss and the Wang family are old friends. When my father-in-law passed away, most of the family property was given to my brother-in-law's family. Old Wang was also driven out of the shop by my brother-in-law's family. It was Mr. Chen who took pity on Old Wang and hired him as the shopkeeper."
Huang Wanzhen thought for a moment and said, "Aunt Wang, from what you said, it seems that Master Chen is a good man. He knew your family was in trouble and helped them. But I have to say something unpleasant. It is precisely because Uncle Wang has found another way out that he should not continue to trouble Master Chen. Think about it, isn't this reasonable?"
"This..." Hongying's mother was stunned.
Huang Wanzhen reminded, "Uncle Wang is here too, why don't you go and discuss it with him?"
Hongying's mother stood up in a hurry and walked towards the kitchen. Halfway there, she seemed to remember something and turned back to Huang Wanzhen and said, "Boss Huang, you guys go to the meeting first. I'll be back soon."
Huang Wanzhen waved at her, "Go, go."
After about a quarter of an hour, Hong Yingniang came out of the kitchen accompanied by Wang Qisheng.
"I'm very tempted by Mr. Huang's proposal. I want to inform Mr. Chen in advance. Once he finds the right person, I'll be able to familiarize him with them before we can leave."
"Here's what I'm thinking. I'll take some time off and go to Gusu to find a good source of goods for Mr. Huang, so as not to delay Mr. Huang's business. I'll continue working at Chen's Cloth Shop for a while. Once Mr. Huang's lacemaking business is established and there's more work for me to do, I'll officially leave the shop."
As soon as Wang Qisheng said this, Huang Wanzhen gave him a thumbs up in her heart. He was so smart and his plan was a surefire way to avoid any mistakes. If Huang Wanzhen's business was successful, he could get a job with a higher salary and more development prospects than before. If it wasn't successful, he could still continue to be the shopkeeper of the cloth shop.
Huang Wanzhen thought that the Wang family was indeed a family that had been doing business for generations. However, his approach would not harm Huang Wanzhen's interests. On the contrary, it would allow her to save several months' wages. It was a win-win situation, and she only had to go with the flow.
"Uncle Wang's suggestion couldn't be more appropriate. After we start working together, you'll understand. I'm very generous to my employees and I won't let you suffer any loss."
Wang Qisheng didn't expect Huang Wanzhen to be so easy to talk to. He felt that she was someone who could listen to other people's suggestions. He then suggested finding another lace master in Gusu. Although his niece Hongye was indeed very capable, she was illiterate, had no management skills, and no innovative ability. In order for Huang Wanzhen's work here to proceed smoothly, Wang Qisheng felt that it was necessary to find a master with superb skills.
Wang Qisheng said, "Lacemaking is like embroidery. It also has its merits, and whether it's beautiful or not. Some people with quick minds will design their own patterns and shapes based on the purpose of the lace."
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