Ruling the Historical Romance Novel as the Female Supporting Character-Chapter 362: Wanting Su Yijia to Be the Factory Director
Later, sisters Mi Baoqian and Mi Baoxin came by to give Su Yijia some notebooks and exam papers they had arranged to get. Su Yijia didn’t like being in debt to anyone, so she picked the easiest exam set from her own for them. While life seemed dull on the surface, without any interruptions, they were quite carefree in their space. Su Yijia even felt her stamina improving, confident that she could eventually take Qin Kaize down during training.
After Qin Kaize finished his seventh Detoxification Pill, visitors finally arrived. However, Xia Weiguo had discussed this with Su Yijia two days prior and only brought them over after receiving her consent. Among the newcomers were two plainly dressed islanders and another in uniform, along with two city dwellers who exuded a calming aura.
The two islanders immediately smiled at Su Yijia, which made her feel a bit bittersweet. "Hello, Comrade Su. I’m really sorry to disturb you today," said the older man from the city, apologizing.
Su Yijia shook her head. "It’s fine; I don’t have anything pressing at the moment."
"We learned that you’ve made some shell accessories and grass slippers. Some female comrades wore them in the city and received positive feedback, so we wanted to ask if we could mass-produce your designs," he said, growing serious.
Su Yijia bit her lip, hesitating. The man continued, "We understand these items may seem simple to make, but your ideas are crucial. To profit from them, we need your approval. You’ve been here long enough to see that the nearby islands aren’t suitable for crop cultivation. Seafood doesn’t fetch a good price locally, and transporting it elsewhere compromises freshness. Therefore, we want to have each household on these nearby islands select someone to produce the slippers and accessories for sale through the national supply and marketing cooperative. If you agree, we’d like you to be the factory director. You could earn eighty-five yuan per month, plus a twenty-yuan bonus if the factory performs well, and double employee tickets."
They had deliberated this proposal extensively before coming.
"So, are you planning to use machines?" Su Yijia was shocked at the mention of a factory.
The man shook his head quickly. "No machines exist in the country that can make grass slippers or shell accessories. There are five large islands and twelve small ones around here, totaling seven hundred sixty households. Even with all handcrafting, that’s a decent-sized factory."
"Have you already discussed this with the national supply and marketing cooperative? Will they display your slippers and accessories prominently?" Su Yijia asked, curious.
The group fell silent for a moment, looking confused before quickly shaking their heads. "We’ve only applied to sell to the cooperative; we didn’t think about display placement."
Realizing the importance of good placement, the man quickly assured her, "Comrade Su, rest assured! We’ll pursue that with them. At least for the first few months after the initial shipment, we’ll ensure our items are displayed prominently."
If the products didn’t sell well after three months, it would just mean the market wasn’t receptive, which was understandable. But if sales were good, the cooperative would naturally showcase them well without needing further requests.
Su Yijia appreciated his proactive attitude, her serious expression softening. It seemed that the current officials genuinely wanted to do good work for their community. However, she knew this would be a complex undertaking, and her sympathy for the locals made her cautious.
"It’s already late September; we can’t make the slippers in time. You’ll need to grow and harvest the grass first. We can start with the shell accessories, but hiring seven hundred sixty workers all at once is too much. Let’s start with a few, sell some products to other city cooperatives, and if sales are good, we can expand hiring."
Su Yijia thought her accessories were beautiful, but she couldn’t guarantee their sales.
"How about we initially select one hundred people? Each would earn twenty-five yuan monthly, based on other city factory worker wages?" Pang Jingling asked uncertainly, as they had bank guarantees for their funds.
Su Yijia glanced at the two earnest islanders, biting her lip in contemplation. Ultimately, she decided not to shoulder a burden she might not be able to carry.
"Let’s start with fifty. If sales go well, we can hire more in the third month. However, I have one crucial stipulation: I can’t be the factory director, but the director must be someone I appoint. This way, I can ensure new designs are regularly provided," she said firmly, leaving no room for negotiation.
"Do you think the salary is too low? We can discuss that," Pang Jingling replied hastily.
Although Su Yijia would still oversee design matters through her appointed director, the intermediary made them uneasy.
Su Yijia shrugged helplessly. "The salary you mentioned can definitely be renegotiated. But Uncle Xia has likely told you I’m preparing for this year’s National College Entrance Examination, so I won’t have time to manage the factory."
For most, going to college meant securing better job prospects, but for Su Yijia, it was essential. She needed to attend Jingdu City’s prestigious university to claim her rewards and confront the original owner’s enemies. No matter how powerful they were, she had to seek justice for the original owner. Having inherited her body, she owed it to her to exact revenge.
