Chapter 104: Factory When Liu Ji came home after washing the clothes, he found out that someone had come to order a waterwheel and stone mill, and he was even more excited than Qin Yao.
"That small waterwheel is three taels per set. You and Carpenter Liu can earn half of it, right?"
"Half is one tael and five cents of silver. If you split it in half, that's seven cents and fifty coins. For three of you, that's a little over two taels and two cents!"
Liu Ji excitedly threw a piece of washed clothes on the bamboo clothesline and said, "My dear, our family is going to be rich!"
"Or, I'll stay at home and help you with the work. We're a family, what's yours is mine, and what's mine is yours. Just give me two or three taels of silver every month, and I don't want more!"
The back of his head felt heavy, and the excited Liu Ji cried out in pain. He turned around and saw Qin Yao holding a mallet in her hand.
"Hang your clothes. These are not things you, a househusband, should worry about."
Liu Ji rubbed the back of his head, which might be swollen, "Madam, what is a househusband?"
She always uses some strange words. Do people in the North speak like this?
Qin Yao: "You are the kind of person who takes things as they come."
He threw down the hammer, strode out of the door and headed straight for Carpenter Liu's house.
Qin Yao told Carpenter Liu about Shopkeeper Wu's situation. Carpenter Liu was very excited, but he also thought that there might be more people coming in the future. "We have to set a price. We can't always decide based on the situation."
Qin Yao also meant this. She picked up Carpenter Liu's pen, dipped it in ink and wrote on the scrap board:
A small waterwheel set weighs three taels, a medium set weighs five taels and eighty cents, and a large set starts at fifteen taels. The specific situation can be analyzed in detail.
If you bring your own stone mill, you can save eight cents of silver for each millstone.
Note: Within Kaiyang County, delivery and installation are included.
"What do you think of this price?"
Qin Yao handed the board to Carpenter Liu, who counted on his fingers several times and nodded, "Okay!"
There are only two of them, so how should they divide the profits in the future?
Qin Yao had thought about this on the way here. If the money can't be divided well between the two of them, there's no way they can last long in the collaboration.
Qin Yao said: "From now on, let's just think of it as us working together to open a water mill manufacturing plant. The plant will be temporarily divided into three departments."
"There is a waterwheel department, a stone mill department, and a reception, installation and after-sales department."
"You take care of the first one, and I'll take care of the second two. Now we'll each take out three taels of silver and put it in the public account. The material expenses will be drawn from here, and after the money is collected, it will be filled into the public account. At the end of each month on the 30th, we'll tally the accounts, calculate the expenditures and surpluses, and you and I will split the profits equally."
After hearing this, Carpenter Liu exclaimed that it was wonderful.
"But I don't know how to do accounting, so Madam Qin, you should be the accountant." Carpenter Liu said with a wry smile.
He had no problem calculating small amounts of money on a normal day, but if it was like what Qin Yao said, it would be too complicated for him.
Qin Yao nodded, "As long as you trust me, I have no problem."
Carpenter Liu said hurriedly, "Of course I can trust you. If it weren't for you, Madam Qin, we wouldn't be able to build this manufacturing shop. As a small carpenter, how could I have thought of turning the waterwheel into a business?"
Qin Yao said seriously: "Without you, a skilled carpenter, I wouldn't be able to make these things. We are mutually accomplished."
"Then let me write another contract and ask the clan leader, village chief, and Liu Dafu to be witnesses so that we can have a basis for future actions."
"Hey, hey, hey, all right." Carpenter Liu sighed again, "Madam Qin, if you were a man, you would be amazing."
"What? I'm just a daughter now?" Qin Yao asked jokingly.
Carpenter Liu waved his hands repeatedly, "No, no, no, what I mean is that you are already amazing now!"
Qin Yao smiled, very pleased. She asked for paper and pen, drafted a statement of partnership shares and rights, and read it to Carpenter Liu. After he agreed, she wrote two copies and sent Carpenter Liu's son to invite people. They had dinner at Carpenter Liu's house.
The village chief was very surprised. He didn't expect Qin Yao and Carpenter Liu to make a waterwheel and stone mill in such a formal way. If you didn't know, you would think they were doing some big business.
Qin Yao said seriously: "Village Chief, the waterwheel and stone mill are small things, but if it is done well, it will be a big deal for our Liujia Village."
"Oh?" The village chief asked curiously, "What do you mean?"
Qin Yao said, "We have a rocky mountain in our village and timber in the forest. These two things are exactly what we need to build a water mill. If someone places an order with us, should Carpenter Liu and I purchase these raw materials?"
"This way, the villagers can earn profits from the wood that is difficult to sell or sold at a low price."
"As for the stone mountain, although everyone can use it for free, if we can make it into a stone mill and sell it, we will pay the village 20 coins for each stone mill sold. One is 20 coins, ten are 200 coins, and a hundred is two taels of silver."
"With this money, can the village repair the roads in our village?"
"Now that the road has been repaired, it will be more convenient for the children in the village to go out, right?
"There are many more. For example, there are too many orders. Carpenter Liu and I cannot handle it alone. So we must ask the villagers to help. Can this help everyone increase their income at home?"
The more they listened, the more surprised the village chief and clan leader were. They had never thought about what Qin Yao said before.
If what she said was true, the two men looked at each other, their beards trembling with excitement.
Liu Dafu often goes out, so it is easy to imagine what he said to Qin Yao.
He was a member of Liujia Village. If the road in the village was repaired, it would be much more convenient for him to go to the city to sell grain. He immediately said,
"Madam Qin, if you need a bullock cart or something like that in the future, just let me know."
Qin Yao nodded gratefully at him and continued, "If a region wants to develop its economy well, it must establish sustainable pillar industries. Only in this way can it firmly grasp the economic lifeline, grow and develop, get rid of poverty, and achieve a well-off life for everyone."
Stop, stop!
Qin Yao suddenly came to her senses. This was not a civil service exam interview. If she continued, she would not be able to explain herself clearly.
However, just the half sentence she said was enough for the village chief, clan leader and Liu Dafu to ponder for several nights.
The more I taste it, the more I find it wonderful. How could someone be so smart as to sum up such experience and principles?
When Qin Yao returned home, it was already late at night and the five of them, father and son, had gone to bed.
She sat in front of the window, took out the share contract from her arms, spread it out, read it three times, and then carefully folded it and put it in the drawer.
She actually opened a manufacturing plant in ancient times. What a magical feeling.
Well, we have to give the factory a name, how about calling it Liujia Village Water Mill Factory?
Although it is very ordinary, it carries the regional identity and can also promote Liujia Village.
She then told Carpenter Liu to carve the words "Liujia Village Water Mill" on the waterwheel.
She would also carve this line of words on the millstone and use it as the signboard of Liujia Village!
(End of this chapter)