Chapter 262: Assembly Line Production
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Su Wenzhe and his wife fell silent upon hearing Su Binglan’s words. Even Su Fengmao and his wife thought deeply because they knew how delicious, nutritious, and cheap tofu was. Most people could afford it too.
In addition, the family also made dried tofu, tofu skewers, tofu pudding, etc. However, they would need to grind a fixed amount of soybeans daily, and the number of tofu products they could make was limited.
The family could earn a lot of money if they made tofu all day. Still, they could not handle it if that were the case, mainly because there were many steps to making tofu.
Su Binglan and her family were the only ones who knew how to make tofu, but what if they hired people and taught them?
Everyone gave it some thought, but Shen Qiuhua voiced her doubts, “Binglan, that’s a good idea, but we can’t handle that much work. I know we can hire people, but I fear they will leak our tofu-making methods and start making it for themselves.’
Shen Qiuhua knew hiring someone would not cost much, but she did not want others to steal her family’s business.
Su Binglan said, “There are many steps to making tofu, so we can start an assembly line production if we hire people.”
“W-What’s ‘assembly line production?”‘ Liu Yinyin asked, resembling a curious child. She discovered a new term from her sister-in-law, but she asked about it since she did not understand it.
Su Binglan patiently explained, “It kind of means a person can only learn and master one step from the many of making tofu. For example, we must wash, cut, fry, and add seasoning when we cook, right?
“We can hire some people for washing, some for cutting, while the others are responsible for the first cooking process, and the remaining people will do the second.
“That means certain people are only responsible for one thing while not knowing the other processes of making our tofu. For instance, the person in charge of cutting tofu won’t know how to cook it even if we ask them to.”
Su Wenzhe quickly understood what his sister meant. He smiled and slapped his thigh. “Aha! Why didn’t I think of that?! We can hire a few people to soak the soybeans and some to grind them. Everyone will be limited to mastering one step but won’t know or see the other steps.”
Su Binglan said smilingly, “Yes, then the core methods will still be in our hands. Hence, we need reliable people to do only one step.”
Su Fengmao thought about it, looked at Su Binglan, and then said, “There’s a place in town where one can sell or purchase enslaved people. We won’t have to worry about them betraying us if we have a contract, but they must be expensive. One person could cost more than a dozen silver taels.”
Su Binglan looked into her father’s eyes and suddenly remembered that her family had purchased Luo Jin’an from the town. However, he was not expensive because he had a scar on his face.
Su Binglan fell silent when she heard her father’s words and decided she did not want to purchase enslaved people. Still, this was how things were in this prn
She said, “We can just hire the village. Then they can earn extra money and have a better Chinese New Year. If so, they also need to sign a confidentiality agreement.”
Unbeknownst to the other family members, Su Binglan knew this method was not as safe as she said. She felt others would figure out how to make tofu in a few years. After all, people could learn things, and she thought the Su family could not be the only ones to run a tofu business.
Shen Qiuhua nodded and said, “All right, we’ll do whatever you suggest, Binglan. ”
Su Wenzhe and Liu Yinyin also nodded.
Liu Yinyin said thoughtfully, “I think what Binglan said makes sense. If we think about it from a broader perspective, we can open up the tofu factory and hire more people to make our products indefinitely, and then we might earn a year’s worth of money in a month.
“That way, we don’t have to be afraid of others learning our trade. We can earn more than we need if the tofu factory is big enough. Also, we can relax a little and do something else since your parents can find the time.”
Su Binglan looked at Liu Yinyin admiringly. She knew her sister-in-law was intelligent since Liu Yinyin always thought long-term.
Su Wenzhe also had a sudden realization as his eyes lit up. “Yeah, it’s better that way! Then let’s hurry up and open a tofu factory!”
Shen Qiuhua knew the family had a lot of work to do if they genuinely wanted to open a tofu factory. “Hmm, where should we open the factory? How big should it be?”
Su Binglan said, “We’ll open it in the village. Didn’t we buy a large plot of land in the back? We can’t fill up that much land to build another house, even if it has a massive courtyard.
“I initially planned to enclose some of that land, but now I feel it’s just suitable for building a large tofu factory. We can hire the villagers because it’ll be more convenient for them to go to work and go home to rest.”
Shen Qiuhua sighed and said, “Everyone will be thrilled when they find out about this.”
Su Fengmao added, “That’s right. Since the autumn harvest is over, the villagers have ample free time. It’s already hard to find a job in town, but everyone will be delighted if we can provide jobs in the village.”
He could even imagine what it would be like after opening the factory. Su Wenxiu grinned and said, “You’re always helping others, Binglan.”
Su Binglan said, “It’s called a win-win situation. I only thought of opening a tofu factory in the village because it’s close by, making it more convenient for the villagers. Father and Mother won’t have to go to town since they can keep an eye on the factory.
“Then Big Brother and Sister-in-law can set up their shop without worry, and if anyone needs tofu products, we can send them to town.”
Su Wenzhe said happily, “That’s a good relationship to have. In the past, Drunken Cloud’s owner wanted to order tofu from us, but we didn’t have enough. If we open a big tofu factory, we can finally supply some to Drunken
Cloud. ”
Liu Yinyin nodded. “That’s right. Many people tried making a deal with us about getting more tofu, but we had no choice but to disagree. The factory idea is perfect since we can make more and sell them to whoever wants to strike a deal with us.”
Shen Qiuhua looked at Su Wenzhe and Liu Yinyin, saying, “You two won’t have to worry about spending silver since you made a lot of money in the past. I saved it, so you can open a big tofu factory.”
Su Wenzhe’s blood immediately started boiling as he could not wait to open the factory as quickly as possible.
“Little Sister, can you help me draw the blueprints? I want to know what you think is the best way to build a tofu factory.” Su Wenzhe trusted his sister the most.
Su Binglan said, “Okay, I’ll come up with the blueprints, but you can ask Uncle
Zhengde and his construction team to help build it.”
Su Zhengde had many people working for him currently, and most had some experience building houses. After all, many wanted to work for Su Zhengde. He even had two or three teams under him now.
Su Fengmao thought of something and said, “Don’t get ahead of yourselves, everyone. We need to move into the big house tomorrow..”
