Chapter Thirty-Three: Grand Construction

The leaders of each group also reported on their production progress. Aunt Li said, "Everyone is very enthusiastic. Right now, all the workers are spending their evenings studying the product diagrams you gave us, young master. We've already succeeded with several types of pastries and candies—the taste and appearance both meet your standards. All that's left is for you to inspect them when you have time. Especially impressive is Lu the Immortal’s apprentice, Hua’s second sister, Er Ya. She’s so clever and skillful. By experimenting with various ingredients, she managed to make both the mooncakes and chrysanthemum pastries you described, all by herself."

Aunt Wang from the fifth group added, "Young master, I found the kind of beast milk you asked for. Thirty miles outside the city, in Baixi Village, they have hereditary beast-taming methods and raise a type of animal called the Spotted Beast, mainly for its meat. They say it produces a lot of milk, but there’s no market demand—only villagers use it occasionally. I managed to buy some, and its flavor is very similar to the cow’s milk you described."

Mao, though his carpentry group hadn’t yet generated income and had used up quite a bit of material, still spoke with pride. "All the furniture styles you assigned us are finished, young master. We even worked overtime to make samples of the other designs. They should meet your requirements for attractive appearance and comfort. However, the leather-upholstered styles are beyond our current woodworking skills to make them truly refined."

When everyone had finished their reports, Yang Cheng pondered for a moment and then said, "First, Steward Su, go to the government offices in the southern district. Starting from both sides of the compound walls, measure out eight hundred paces to the east and west, and from the roadside to the foothills to the north and south. Purchase the land deeds for all the vacant land on both sides of the Yang estate; we’re going to expand.

"On the eastern side, we’ll build a large food factory and increase the staff to two hundred people. Steward Su will temporarily serve as factory director. All of you current heads of the food groups will become supervisors for your respective product lines, responsible for production and development. Your monthly pay will be doubled."

"In addition, we’ll reorganize the teams. The group leaders will be recommended by you supervisors, then reviewed and appointed by Steward Su. Anyone who demonstrates outstanding research ability, like Hua’s second sister Er Ya, will be rewarded with fifty spirit coins and promoted to group leader. I want to encourage everyone to put in the same effort and help us diversify our products."

"Over the next few days, I’ll provide ideas for more than twenty new products, with Mr. Luo helping to draw diagrams and annotate instructions. If you don’t recognize any characters, you can consult him. Continue encouraging everyone in the food groups to use their spare time to experiment. I’ll cover the costs of all ingredients and spices used in research, so everyone has a chance for rewards like Er Ya’s. I suggest small teams collaborate—it’s easier to pool wisdom and solve problems quickly that way." Everyone nodded in agreement; this method would certainly stimulate creativity.

"Also, aside from the ideas I provide, you’re free to invent new snacks and side dishes. Side dishes might not fill you up as main courses do; they're just for enjoyment, like the instant noodles I mentioned—good for both snacking and staving off hunger. Or take spicy strips, for example—they’re just addictive treats. Don’t worry if these things aren’t immediately useful. Once our factory is up and running for mass production, all these innovations will find their market."

Everyone was highly motivated. This so-called food factory was bound to be a huge success. They couldn’t wait to spread the news and inspire even more enthusiasm.

Yang Cheng knew he couldn’t possibly remember all the details of every food process, so he could only sketch out the product designs and annotate the flavors as thoroughly as possible based on his memory. Since the ingredients in this world weren’t identical to those he knew, he’d given his people the right direction. He trusted that the wisdom of the workers would always find suitable substitutes—even partial success was good enough.

Yang Cheng continued, "The more franchisees we have, the heavier our production burden. Last time, I saw someone make some simple tools that sped up the process. Such innovations will also be rewarded, just like product development. I want everyone to use both their hands and minds to invent tools that improve efficiency."

"When the factory is built, we’ll add a dedicated dairy section, with Aunt Wang as supervisor." The other food group leaders looked at Aunt Wang with envy, silently vowing to pay close attention to the young master’s words in the future and seize every opportunity.

"On the western plot, we’ll build a woodworking factory. Steward Su will again act as interim director, with Mao as technical supervisor in charge of both technique and production. We’ll add blacksmiths, leatherworkers, and some skilled seamstresses, expanding the staff to two hundred."

"For the construction of both factories, I’ll have Mr. Luo draw up blueprints for Manager Yang. All department heads will help him with the building. Behind both factories, near the foothills, we’ll build a residential district, which I’ll plan out as well. First, we’ll construct communal dormitories for the workers, then more beautiful family cottages where families can live together. Any worker who makes a major contribution will be given a cottage for their family to live in permanently. Anyone working for the Yang family for over three years will also receive a cottage."

"This is wonderful!" The crowd was ecstatic. Many of them lived in remote, run-down homes akin to shantytowns. Most couldn’t even keep a roof over their heads, let alone repair their homes. Now, with the chance for a new residence, they were eager to rush back and share the good news.

"In the coming days, we’ll be undertaking major construction and will need to hire a lot of temporary labor for the factories and housing. Once the factories are built, we’ll need to recruit nearly four hundred workers. There will be endless tasks, and since I have other matters to attend to, Manager Yang will bear the heaviest burden. Recruitment must be handled with the utmost care."

Old Yang nodded vigorously. He had some cultivation, so even with so many tasks, he didn’t feel tired. But when it came to hiring, he would never allow anyone lazy or unreliable to enter the Yang family and jeopardize the young master’s plans.

"Also, everyone needs to set aside time to discuss and draft factory rules. I do not want our recipes and techniques leaking out," Yang Cheng said sternly. These methods might not be highly sophisticated, but he needed his products to remain exclusive for a while to earn spirit coins from the upper classes and get a head start. Once these things became widespread, he wouldn’t need to rely on them for income.

Aunt Wang replied, "Rest assured, young master. Discussing family secrets is considered treasonous here in the Kingdom of Flowing Clouds—no one dares cross that line. Even if you hadn’t mentioned it, we would have enforced this ourselves. We’ll also strengthen these restrictions among the workers or divide up the production process as you designed in the assembly line. That way, there’s a double layer of protection."