Start with three days of hunger and nine meals, and become rich and tempting

Chapter 175: Planning for the Workshop

Lan Zi pinched the candy and his face turned even redder.

Liu Siyu's eyes turned slightly. Could it be that these two people have already developed a secret crush on each other?

I couldn't help but admire Gu Changxing. He was lively and bold, with a thick skin like a city wall. He was a master at picking up girls.

Liu Siyu was just about to make a joke when the sound of horse hooves was heard outside the house.

The hustle and bustle in the yard suddenly shifted outside the yard. The villagers rarely saw horses a few times a year, let alone the little kids.

Everyone was excited and nervous as they watched the horse getting closer. The adults were afraid that the children would get too curious and get hit by the horse, so they all held their children.

The people on the beams just took a look and started to get busy again. They had no time to appreciate this scene. They had to get the rafters and tiles all ready before dark.

Wang was fine dealing with the villagers, but she was helpless against Master Wu and his men.

Lai Xi acted as the host and, together with Liu Siyu, welcomed Master Wu and his party.

The new house has not been built yet, so there is no place to sit, let alone drink a cup of tea.

I could only smile and say, "It's too crowded here, why don't you three follow us to the workshop?"

Wu Chenyuan and Qin Feng looked at each other and smiled, of course there was no problem.

"Then why don't you leave? Wait here and drink ashes."

Li Dongyi covered his nose and mouth with a fan in disgust. He had a bit of a mysophobia to begin with, and looking at the noisy scene covered in dust, he already regretted joining in the fun.

When Liu Siyu saw Han Dongyi's look, she stopped with a bit of malicious intention.

"Look at my head," Liu Siyu said, deliberately patting her forehead.

"Since you three have come to congratulate me on the completion of my new home, you must come into the courtyard and take a look around. I will serve you a few bowls of tea to show my hospitality. This is the way to entertain guests."

"What, go to the yard to drink tea?" Han Dongyi screamed, as if he had heard something extremely ridiculous.

Liu Siyu's dark eyes flashed, and she said sincerely, "Yes, you came to congratulate my family on the completion of our new home, but you didn't even drink my saliva. I feel really bad about it."

Han Dongyi immediately raised his hand to stop him.

"Don't flatter yourself. I'm just here to join in the fun. Whoever wants to go in can go in. I will never go in."

Wu Chenyuan and Qin Feng smiled at each other and shook their heads helplessly.

Han Dongyi seems smart, but he always falls into Liu Siyu's hands and can make him jump up and down over a joke.

"Okay, let's go to the workshop and discuss the specific matters of the workshop."

Wu Chenyuan spoke up to help.

When discussing the matters of the workshop, Carpenter Tan was naturally indispensable. When everyone gathered together, no one spoke first, but all looked at Liu Siyu.

She was the one who took the lead in this matter, and several people wanted to hear her ideas.

Liu Siyu was no longer humble.

Her business model is different from others, so the apprenticeship system naturally needs to be changed.

"Here's what I think. First of all, the age of workshop apprentices should not be less than 12 years old."

Liu Siyu had told Carpenter Tan about this in advance, so he naturally had no objection at this moment.

The other three did not say anything and motioned for her to continue.

Liu Siyu said: "If a workshop wants to achieve success, it cannot be accomplished by one or two people. It requires the concerted efforts of the entire workshop. So I think the apprenticeship system must also be changed."

"How do you want to change it?"

Carpenter Tan was the first to raise the question.

Liu Siyu was very satisfied with his cooperation.

"We provide food and lodging for the first three months as a test for the little kids. After three months, we will give them 50 coins a month. These half-grown kids can actually do a lot of work. If we give them some money, they will learn more and be more motivated."

Carpenter Tan frowned. In his opinion, although teenagers could do some work, it was not easy to learn a craft in the Great Yan Dynasty.

Who would be willing to teach them if they don’t work for the master for a few years in vain?

But seeing that the others were silent, he swallowed the words back.

A large part of the furniture workshop depends on the sandalwood carpenter. As it is a joint business, Liu Siyu doesn't want him to keep any opinions to himself.

He said bluntly: "Uncle Tan, just say whatever you want to say."

Carpenter Tan was in deep thought.

In the Great Yan Dynasty, apprentices had their own rules, and no one would teach for free. Generally, they would help for three years, be apprentices for three years, and then become masters for another three years.

Don't even think about learning real skills without 10 years of hard work. During the apprenticeship period, the most you will get is food and drink. If you meet a good master, he will give you a new set of clothes every year.

But Liu Siyu meant to pay after three months. Doesn't this mean that he is teaching others skills for free and still has to pay for it?

How much does this cost?

After hesitating for a moment, he finally expressed his doubts.

Liu Siyu laughed after hearing this.

"Uncle Tan, you are talking about ordinary craftsmen, but we have built a workshop, so we are naturally doing big business. This big business emphasizes efficiency and profit."

"With such a large workshop here, you and Brother Fang Mu alone can make several pieces of furniture in a year."

Carpenter Tan was speechless, looking at the huge furniture workshop in front of him. He felt discouraged when he thought about the past when his two sons and he could not make many pieces of furniture even after working hard for a whole year.

"This……"

Seeing that he had loosened up a bit, Liu Siyu continued.

"After these children have worked for a full year, they can go to the second yard and be considered as middle workers, learning the skills of the middle workers, and their wages will be doubled."

"After two years of work, the monthly salary will be increased to 300 wen, and the monthly salary for the mid-level supervisor will be 350 wen."

The more Carpenter Tan listened, the deeper his frown grew.

Carpenter Tan could no longer sit still when Liu Siyu said that after working for three years, one's skills would be evaluated and those who learned well could be considered skilled workers, with their monthly wages increasing to 600 wen, and even those with poor comprehension would see their wages increase to 400 wen.

He stood up suddenly and asked, "Isn't this inappropriate?"

"If you work for two years, you can get 300 coins a month, which is three or four taels of silver a year. Not to mention the big workers, how much money will you spend in a year?"

Wu Chenyuan frowned slightly, thinking that Carpenter Tan was too petty and lacked the vision and courage of a businessman.

In a lukewarm voice, he said, "I think you should listen to what Miss Siyu has to say. Businessmen are concerned about profits. It's better not to pay too much attention to trivial matters."

This is what Qin Feng meant. He is not a person who sticks to the rules. As long as the money invested can be rewarded, there is nothing wrong with changing the rules.

Han Dongyi was not interested in these at all. He was just dragged into this by Wu Chenyuan. He didn't care whether he made a profit or a loss.

With Wu Chenyuan as a smart man around, it is not his turn to worry about these things at all.

He was just drinking tea leisurely. When Carpenter Tan looked at him, he turned around and slapped Carpenter Tan on the back of his head.

Carpenter Tan shut his mouth wisely.

Liu Siyu smiled faintly.

"Uncle, we run a workshop at Guyaju. Once we get our reputation out, we will produce at least a few hundred, if not thousands of finished products a year. If we rely on apprentices to grind year after year, I'm afraid we won't make any money and will lose everything."

Carpenter Tan was stunned when he heard this. Producing hundreds of products a year was something he had never dared to imagine before.