Chapter Twenty-One: Assembly Line Production

The two walked from the front hall toward the eastern wing. Between the eastern wing and the surrounding wall lay a vast open space, which Steward Su had divided among several groups and turned into a food workshop. This area was far livelier than the backyard, with stone mills, steamers, wooden basins, drying racks, and other equipment arranged neatly. There were many things Yang Cheng himself didn’t know how to make, relying only on vague impressions to offer suggestions. Yet it must be said, the laborers possessed remarkable ingenuity; after many experiments, they finally managed to perfect the techniques.

“Young master is here! Come and see if our biscuits pass muster,” Aunt Wang of Group Five called out, spotting Yang Cheng immediately.

“Alright, let me try one.” He picked up a biscuit and took a bite. The biscuit was really just flour and sugar. “Aunt Bai, it’s still not crisp enough. You could try this—maybe build a baking chamber like this…”

“Yes, young master. I’ve been saying the drying is too slow, but couldn’t think of a solution. Luckily you gave us a tip, or our two groups would have fallen behind,” Aunt Wang said cheerfully.

“By the way, Aunt Wang, I asked you to look for milk from a wild animal to pair with these biscuits. Any luck?”

“I had Groups Five and Six ask their relatives and friends to scour for it. They brought some back, but it’s too pungent to drink. There were some good samples, but the yield was low. I’m thinking we should find an animal that produces palatable milk in large quantities.”

“That’s exactly the right idea, Aunt Wang. Keep searching, and let me know when you find something suitable. As long as the animal is easy to catch, it won’t be a problem. If you can find it, I’ll assign several times more people to your groups, so we can produce more products. I’ll set up a subsidiary food factory and appoint you as supervisor.”

“Alright, young master, just wait and see!” Though she had no idea what the role of supervisor entailed, Aunt Wang was delighted to be praised by the young master.

“Young master, hello!”

“Hello, everyone. Thank you for your hard work!”

“It’s not hard at all, young master.”

“In fact, this is no hardship at all. If you’d let us work overtime, I’d be happy to keep working tonight,” someone laughed.

The group responded with cheerful laughter.

“Unless there’s a special need, you don’t have to work overtime. If you really have nothing to do at night, study the product sketches I drew. Whoever manages to figure one out, I’ll assign them a team and make them leader. Or if you invent something new, tasty, and suitable for mass production, that counts too.”

“Alright, young master.”

Someone noticed the youth beside Yang Cheng and asked, “Is this Steward Su’s son? He’s quite handsome.”

“Of course. Steward Su is beautiful herself, so naturally her son is handsome.”

“Ah, I’ve heard about you for ages, but never saw you out and about.”

“Yes, you should come out more often. It’s lively here, much better than training all day.”

“Sister Wu, what are you saying? Young Master Mei practices the ways of immortals; he’s diligent…”

Seeing how warmly everyone greeted him, Mei Yuchen, usually stern-faced, couldn’t help but relax and smile back at them. Along the way, greetings rose from every corner.

To Mei Yuchen, these sincere smiles brought a warmth he could hardly describe.

Yang Cheng pointed to the equipment with pride. “Yuchen, let me introduce these items and tell you their uses, so you can broaden your horizons.”

In the distance, Su Yunxue was checking Group Two’s progress. She saw Young Master Yang with his arm around Mei Yuchen’s shoulders, the two walking side by side with easy camaraderie. A smile appeared on her face: she hoped the young master’s personality would help her son step out of his shadow, for he was still young and shouldn’t live forever in pain and hatred.

After touring the eastern wing, they moved to the open space by the western wing, where only Maozi and his carpentry group worked, knocking and hammering away in solitude.

At the moment, Maozi, disheveled and frustrated, was scratching his head over a particular item.

He was anxious. The servants in Yang Mansion respected him greatly; he was one of the earliest arrivals, and his own sister was the young master’s closest attendant. But for precisely these reasons, he wanted even more to achieve something on his own, so everyone would respect his abilities, not just his family ties.

The young master had said that if they could make these items, their accomplishments wouldn’t be inferior to the combined output of the six food groups. One would equal six—what a thought! But it was proving harder than expected; he was stuck.

“Maozi, how’s it going?”

“Young master, you’re here. We’ve made most of the designs, but this particular style is tricky.”

“I can’t help much here. I can only provide a rough sketch; I don’t know the specifics of its construction. You’ll have to figure it out yourselves. Use your imagination; I believe you can do it.”

“Yes, young master.”

“Let me see these samples.”

“Yes, this is how they are. But they’re still too rough, not meeting my standards. Your craftsmanship can be finer, like here, and here—these parts need more sanding. This and this should be shorter, to make the proportions more pleasing.”

Yang Cheng pointed to a design on the drawing. “You’ve already made this style; just refine your skills so it’s less rough. I’d like each style to have several finely crafted samples within two months. The workmanship must be good, comfortable to use. If you lack manpower, I’ll have Xiao Wu notify Steward Yang to recruit a hundred more people from the labor market. You’ll act as masters, each leading a group of apprentices. I’ll also give you an extra ten silver coins per month as compensation for teaching.”

Everyone was stunned, unable to understand why the young master valued these items so highly, willing to invest so much.

“Can you manage?” Seeing their silence.

“Yes!” Eight people agreed excitedly. Just starting out, they already had more manpower and higher wages; clearly, the young master valued the craftsmen highly. The western wing was quiet and isolated, while the eastern wing bustled with activity. At first, they felt a bit listless, like outcasts.

“Also, Maozi, don’t use the wood you’ve been experimenting with. I need these items made from the kind that gives off a light fragrance. I’m not sure which wood outside Wuzhou is suitable; you’ll have to solve this yourself. If you need money, go directly to Chief Steward Su.”

“There are some metal decorative parts and leather surfaces your carpentry group isn’t skilled at. Luckily, we’ve recently received recommendations for several blacksmiths and leather workers. How about I assign them to your group as well?”

Maozi’s excitement was palpable. “That’s great, young master! These little things have stumped us. As carpenters, we can absolutely meet your requirements for beauty and refinement with more effort. But we really aren’t good with leather and metal; we’d mess it up.”

Yang Cheng said, “That’s settled, then. Each craft has its specialists. I’ll assign the personnel, and if it’s not enough, you can find more yourself. I trust you.”

Maozi was overjoyed, repeating, “Thank you, young master, for your trust. I’ll make sure to show results and prove ourselves to those in the eastern wing.”

Yang Cheng thought for a moment and added, “This place will be important in the future. Right now, you’re honing your skills. Eventually, you’ll have more people, and not only must the quality be high, but I’ll also need mass production. If we expand to several hundred workers, not everyone will have the time to refine their skills as you do now.”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Yang Cheng continued, “When you teach apprentices, I’ll provide a method. For example, with this style, future workers will be divided so each only makes one part, then assemble them together. That way, each person only needs to refine their skill on a specific section, saving time and increasing production speed.”