Chapter 133: Chapter 132: Company Culture

On July 28th, thanks to the efforts of Liu the carpenter and the workers, a courtyard-style wooden factory building sprang up on the grassy land.

The plaque of the Liu Family Village Watermill Manufacturing Factory was formally hung on the simple wooden gate frame.

The villagers borrowed red cloth from somewhere, and the skillful women twisted it into large red flowers, hanging them on both sides of the factory gate, adding a lot of cheer.

Qin Yao bought two rolls of firecrackers, which crackled noisily for half an hour. Together with Liu the carpenter and all the workers, she announced the official establishment of the Liu Family Village Watermill Manufacturing Factory!

Although the factory was quite simple, the villagers saw neat and bright sheds, where workers were busy but orderly.

People like Liu Dafu, who have seen the world outside, could easily tell that these small sheds held hidden potentials.

From now on, to reach Liu Family Village, one must first pass this place.

After the simple opening ceremony, Qin Yao and Liu the carpenter led the workers to officially start production.

Heavy stone blocks were carted into the factory, piled up in the central courtyard.

The logs were transported down from the mountain, to be repaired neatly on a specially reserved space beside the factory, then put on tripods to dry for a month before being used.

The first batch of ready wood was cut by carpenters into evenly thick and thin planks.

Some were responsible for cutting these planks into waterwheel blades, others specialized in cutting the long strip axle parts, followed by assembly, and finally entering the painting and drying process.

Yun Niang was among the painters. Because she had experience, on the first day, she became the leader of the painting group.

Liu the carpenter initially thought having a female worker was inconvenient, but he realized later that gender did not matter, only good and fast work did.

Moreover, she didn’t cause any trouble, and her children at home were looked after by her mother-in-law.

Every evening, Liu Huolang came to pick up his wife, occasionally bringing some snacks to ask everyone to take good care of her.

What reassured Liu the carpenter most was Yun Niang’s attention to detail and sharp eyesight; she could spot any unfinished wooden surface and have the group workers repaint it, resolving issues before shipping.

The progress in the waterwheel department was good, but Qin Yao’s stone mill department faced some trouble.

A bunch of big guys hammering every day, would have a quarrel every now and then.

Either this one hit another’s hand, or that one accidentally struck a stone shard, severely injuring someone’s forehead.

Luckily, Qin Yao was not at ease with them. She stayed with them during the initial days, or they would have fought for real.

However, constant persuasion and forceful deterrence were not long-term solutions. Qin Yao thought she needed a one-time fix.

Rules must be established, rules must be established!

This was the idea given by the clan leader after Qin Yao consulted him.

This bunch of uneducated peasants had basic qualities, relying on etiquette and law was useless since they didn’t know what it meant.

They were better suited for a clear reward and punishment system. The clan leader advised Qin Yao to write down the rules and read them to this bunch of rough men, making sure they memorized them. By dealing firmly with a couple of troublemakers, the rest would fall in line.

Of course, when Qin Yao was present, this wasn’t necessary. If she stood there and shouted, the men of Liu Family Village would tremble thrice.

These reward and punishment rules were mostly used when Qin Yao was not present, making it easier for Uncle Jiu to manage.

Qin Yao gave the clan leader a thumbs-up, seeing that indeed, experience comes with age!

At home, she stayed up late, formulating the reward and punishment system and construction precautions, requiring workers to collectively recite them before starting each day.

Qin Yao called it, “This is our enterprise culture!”

Liu Bai and others excitedly nodded, now they were cultured people too!

Seeing their excited faces, Qin Yao guessed they might have misunderstood something, but it didn’t matter. What mattered was she could finally let this bunch of men go quarrying on their own.

The autumn harvest in Liu Family Village was nearing its end. During this time, Qin Yao took a trip to Jinshi Town, hoping to bring back more orders.

They couldn’t just stop the factory once they finished Bai Shan’s fifty sets, could they?

Previously, Manager Wu’s water mill faced a booming business due to the autumn harvest, with queues of rice bags waiting, stretching from the riverside to the main road.

Coincidentally, the main road outside Jinshi Town was lined with small stalls of vendors selling small trinkets and snacks.

Qin Yao stopped at a snack stall, tied Old Huang to a roadside stump, took out three cents and ordered a bowl of cold drink.

The chilled rice wine glutinous dumpling soup from the well water quenched her thirst and filled her stomach.

Qin Yao pointed to the nearby watermill, “Boss, I’ll take the bowl over there and return it later.”

The stall owner, a young couple, agreed, saying it was fine since business was slow, and there were plenty of spare bowls in the basket.

And so, Qin Yao ate her cold drink and leisurely walked over to the busy Manager Wu.

The three watermills were running continuously, with one having problems due to overload. Manager Wu just fixed it, drenched in sweat.

Raising his gaze, he saw Qin Yao eating her cold drink, enjoying the breeze by the river, looking relaxed and carefree.

“Oh dear, Miss Qin, what brings such a rare guest to my shabby mill?” Manager Wu fanned himself with one hand, put down his repair tools with the other, and pointed to an empty spot nearby. Qin Yao followed.

“See, I told you back then, these three mills surely wouldn’t be enough, and you didn’t believe me. Now the queue stretches to the main road, right? Villages near and far have come over, haven’t they?” Qin Yao said with a smile.

Still a bit proud, Manager Wu replied, “More than that, the old lady from Ding Family Manor asked someone to inquire, planning to rent my water mill exclusively for a month!”

That was the last of his sentence. He didn’t mention whether he accepted or refused afterwards.

Qin Yao didn’t need to ask, knowing Manager Wu surely didn’t accept.

Otherwise, he would have offended all the ordinary folks around here.

Families like Ding’s only use it once, as they have slaves who grind rice on the manor. With or without his water mill, it makes little difference.

But other folks can’t afford such slaves and need his water mill daily, so for long-term business, one must weigh things carefully.

Seeing the regret in his eyes, Qin Yao reminded him, “It doesn’t work this year, but must you miss out on next spring’s opportunity?”

She referred to the wheat harvest period. Flour needs grinding much more than rice, with shelling and grinding twice as long.

Manager Wu realized Qin Yao’s sudden visit was not just to watch the fun, helplessly asking her:

“I heard you have a big order at your village, can’t deliver other small orders before November. I need it urgently and you can’t deliver. Come November, it will be too late.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep