NFBE Chapter 129 Anxiety
Chapter 129 Anxiety
Xue Heyu shook his head repeatedly.
“My dear niece, it is a major taboo for officials to get involved in business. I cannot get involved in your business. Otherwise, I will not only harm you, but also get myself into trouble.”
Having finally secured a position, he was at the peak of his career and cherished his reputation greatly. Although he knew Yu Wanran meant well, he valued their friendship and didn't want to be tainted by money in their relationship.
He could help and support Yu Wanran's development in Decheng, but he had no intention of getting close to her business or taking a share of the profits.
Yu Wanran is a great benefactor to him and to the people of Decheng!
Seeing his resolute attitude, Yu Wanran didn't dare to persuade him further. After being forced to stay and have dinner with him, Xue Heyu finally had Xue Jingui escort Yu Wanran out of the yamen.
Song Lianghan followed her and Yan Qing all the way to the inn, and took the opportunity to visit the Lin family grandfather and grandson.
After taking medicine for two days and receiving careful care from the doctor, Lin Fang was able to get out of bed. When Yu Wanran and the others arrived, Lin Anzhi was helping his grandfather slowly stroll around the inn's corridor.
Upon seeing Yu Wanran, the Lin family grandfather and grandson immediately knelt down and kowtowed.
Yu Wanran quickly stopped them and led the grandfather and grandson back to their guest room.
"Grandpa Lin, I'm heading back to Huangshan County early tomorrow morning, so I came to your place tonight. Let's discuss this and sign the contract for establishing the inkstone workshop, shall we?"
The reason Song Lianghan was sent along was to have the young scholar as a witness. With him there, the Lin family grandfather and grandson felt more at ease.
It was something that had been agreed upon long ago, and since it concerned his own ability to make a comeback, Lin Fang was naturally happy to agree.
Yu Wanran asked Yanqing to get writing materials from the shopkeeper and asked Song Lianghan to write two copies of the contract.
The gist is that Yu Wanran funded the workshop and was responsible for sales; the Lin family was responsible for the actual work, such as building the workshop, hiring workers, making inkstones, and management.
This is equivalent to Yu Wanran using 20% of the profits to hire the Lin family as managers of the Decheng inkstone workshop.
They started out penniless, with nothing at all. Yu Wanran had to take care of everything for the Lin family, from food and clothing to shelter and transportation. However, precisely because of this, everyone except Yu Wanran believed that she was doing a good deed out of sympathy for the Lin family.
As they pressed their fingerprints and signed, the Lin family grandfather and grandson secretly vowed to make this inkstone workshop the biggest and strongest in Decheng, so that their benefactors would become incredibly wealthy—only then could they repay their debt!
Putting away the contract, Yu Wanran asked, "Grandpa Lin, how much would it cost to build an inkstone workshop initially?"
"Master, now that the bandits have just been wiped out, we should buy land from the government before others realize what's happening. We need a spot by the river where good silt is most likely to be produced; this step is crucial and we can't skimp on it!"
Lin Fang addressed him directly as "boss." Only after Yu Wanran nodded in agreement did he begin to tally up the expenses on his fingers.
“One acre is enough to build a small workshop. If you are considering future development, I suggest that the owner buy five to ten acres of land by the river!”
"In this way, even if our workshop doesn't grow very big for the time being, no one else will be able to come to this area to mine our good mud and sand, even if we only have five or ten acres of riverbank!"
This is why, in the previous life, later arrivals to Xiaolin Town couldn't even get a share of the leftovers. Every section of the river that could yield silt was monopolized by major merchants and wealthy gentry.
“Master, you don’t need to worry about the high price of land now. The three villages along the river have been razed to the ground by bandits, and the entire riverbank is almost a ruin.”
Lin Fang reminded Yu Wanran.
"As long as the county magistrate approves it for you, based on the price of wasteland, dozens of acres of land will cost no more than a hundred taels of silver!"
Yu Wanran understood and nodded again.
Lin Fang then proceeded with the expense report.
"We've bought the land, but building the house is the real expense. However, in the beginning we'll only build a small workshop, which won't cost much, about thirty to fifty taels of silver."
"As for hiring workers, since digging mud and sand is hard work, the going rate used to be eighty or one hundred coins per person per day."
Inkstone makers are skilled workers, and they are usually hired on a long-term basis. Hiring a skilled worker costs approximately five to ten taels of silver.
Lin Fang didn't mention this at all. The Lin family also had a share in the workshop; the grandfather and grandson were skilled workers. Did they expect him to pay them wages?
With 20% of the profits coming from this, he was thrilled. He couldn't wait to open the workshop immediately and wade into the river to dredge mud to make money.
Yu Wanran took out three hundred taels of silver notes and handed them to Lin Fang.
“Grandpa Lin, I have some family matters to attend to and need to return to Huangshan County tomorrow. You are in charge of opening this workshop. I have already informed the county magistrate; you can simply go to the yamen to complete the registration.”
She looked at Lin Anzhi.
“Xiao An is literate and can read, so try making accounts. If that doesn’t work, we’ll hire an accountant.”
"He can do it!"
Lin Fang hurriedly said, "When his family sent him to school, they hoped he would learn more characters and basic arithmetic so he could become an accountant in the city."
Making inkstones is too hard work, and Lin Fang naturally hopes his grandson will be more successful in other fields.
Yu Wanran nodded with a smile.
Lin Anzhi used to be able to stand on his own and support several business lines for her. Lin Fang greatly underestimated his grandson! Lin Anzhi is no ordinary fish in a pond.
Lin Anzhi watched Song Lianghan write the contract. Seeing that the two had almost finished discussing the important matters, he quickly came over and asked, "Sister Yu, if other families have Chengni inkstones, would you buy them now?"
Lin Fang's face darkened, and he hurriedly called out to his grandson.
"We'll be producing Chengni inkstones ourselves from now on, so why are you making the landlord spend money to buy from others?"
No other person's inkstone can compare to the one he made himself!
The Lin family has a unique secret recipe; otherwise, they wouldn't be coveted by others.
Lin Anzhi sat back down in his original position, looking dejected.
Yu Wanran was worried because she hadn't been able to get any goods from Decheng this time, and she wouldn't be able to use samples to promote her products in the capital. Upon hearing this, she quickly said, "No matter whose Chengni inkstones they are, I happen to need some. I'll bring them to the capital to contact buyers."
"Grandpa Lin, Xiao An, can you help me get the goods?"
Knowing that Lin Fang didn't understand, she explained, "If even slightly inferior Chengni inkstones can find a market, wouldn't it be even more popular if we had better Chengni inkstones in the future?"
Lin Fang understood and then explained the whole story.
“Master, it was Ange who helped me get medicine from the pharmacy yesterday. On the way, he ran into a former villager from Linjia Village.”
"The family fled to the city to seek refuge with relatives, but they were penniless and wanted to get rid of the two boxes of Chengni inkstones they had brought with them. That's why they asked me if I had any connections?"
"How many Chengni inkstones are in those two boxes? Grandpa Lin, how much do you think it would cost to buy them back?"
"A box usually contains fifty or one hundred pieces."
Lin Fang's expression was slightly proud.
“The inkstones made by our Lin family can sell for a hundred coins each in the city’s bookstores. Other families’ inkstones sell for no more than thirty or fifty coins.”
The price surprised Yu Wanran!
It turned out she had overestimated the price of Chengni inkstones! A sense of anxiety rose in her heart. Could it be that the Chengni inkstones of today are far inferior in quality and design to those of the future, hence their low price and obscurity?
Therefore, investing in building a workshop would be a business that would result in long-term losses.
However, the unknown forces that used bandits to wipe out three villages were clearly eyeing the riverbed where clear mud could be extracted, which held a huge business opportunity.
For a moment, she was undecided.