The Wealthy Eldest Sister Rules Supreme

This attitude gives Zhuang Qingning some cause for concern.

She worries that the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment. If the workshop couldn’t be successfully established, not only would Feng Yongfu fail to understand, but he may even become angry out of disappointment.

It’s not out of the question that he may resent being given hope only to be let down in such a way.

Although Zhuang Qingning doesn’t mind doing good deeds, she doesn’t want her kindness to be perceived as an entitlement nor to arouse insatiable greed.

“Village Chief Feng,” Zhuang Qingning interrupted Feng Yongfu, “The workshop matter, we are also just trying it out. Whether it can be successful, we need to look at the actual situation.”

“I don’t know if you’re well informed about the sweet potato glass noodles workshop in Miao Village…”

“I’m aware, I’m aware. Master Ding already mentioned this to me.”

Feng Yongfu’s face was still full of smiles, “Miao Village was not much better off to begin with. It was slightly better off than Feng Village, but only slightly. However, after Manager Zhuang opened a glass noodles workshop in Miao Village, their lives improved considerably.”

“I’ve heard that the people of Miao Village now eat white steamed buns every day. Isn’t this thanks to Manager Zhuang and her workshop? That’s why I’ve been saying, if Manager Zhuang is willing to open a workshop here, surely the lives of the people in Feng Village will also improve a lot…”

Zhuang Qingning was suddenly at a loss for words.

Why is speaking with Feng Yongfu so frustrating?

You try to discuss with him about the risks, yet he only focuses on the rewards, not mentioning what might happen if the workshop can’t get off the ground, and instead brings up irrelevant examples as “proof”, leaving you at a loss for an appropriate rebuttal.

With a sigh of resignation, Zhuang Qingning said truthfully, “Yes, Village Chief Feng, you are correct. If this workshop could thrive like the one in Miao Village, Feng Village would naturally reap substantial benefits.”

“I’ll outline the general model of this workshop…”

“Like in Miao Village, this workshop will be a collective effort. Everyone will invest money according to their capacity and hold corresponding silver stocks to ensure successful preparation of the workshop. In Miao Village, each household invested in the form of sweet potatoes, while I provided the prescription in exchange for silver stock participation. Wages are paid to the workers in the workshop on a monthly basis, while those holding silver stocks settle accounts once every three months and divide the profit.”

“If we want to establish this dried noodles workshop in Feng Village, because most households in Feng Village are hunters and may not have sufficient wheat or flour to invest, each household will have to invest money to get this workshop up and running. Meanwhile, I will continue to hold a certain silver stock by providing the recipe for the dried noodles.”

Village Chief Feng nodded, “Master Ding discussed this with me. I asked in detail about the sweet potato workshop in Miao Village. I understand the system of silver stock clearly, it’s just that…”

“Manager Zhuang, to tell you the truth, the people in Feng Village are extremely poor. If you ask each household to invest money in building a dried noodles workshop, I’m afraid that besides me, no one else in the whole village would be willing.”

“If really necessary, would this be acceptable? Manager Zhuang, you’re a businesswoman; on one hand, you have some money, on the other, you’re very experienced in establishing workshops. Why don’t you provide the funds to start the workshop here?”

“After it’s up and running, when it comes to the villagers’ wages from working in the workshop, you don’t have to pay the full amount. Just pay half, and reserve the other half as the villagers’ purchase of the workshop’s silver stock. Gradually, each household will own more and more silver stock until it’s like Miao Village.”

“Manager Zhuang, what do you think about this idea?”

Not good.

Zhuang Qingning frowned, almost blurting out the line.

The silver stock system was designed to be co-owned like a collective property, not for the sake of being collective, but because no single household in the village could establish such a large workshop. Therefore, they could only gather all resources over time, accumulating little by little to get the workshop up and running.

Feng Yongfu…God, he proposed upfront that she fund the whole workshop.

Bluntly speaking, if she were to set up her own workshop, whether in Enji Village or nearby villages, she could do it anytime, without having to travel so far for something so troublesome.

As for Feng Yongfu’s suggestion that villagers slowly exchange their wages for silver stock, it is somewhat absurd.

Basically, they don’t need to spend any money, nor worry about finding work elsewhere. They can directly earn wages from working in the dried noodles workshop, and at the same time, cunningly accumulate the workshop’s silver stock bit by bit.

To put it bluntly, she would be the initial investor, painstakingly developing the workshop, only for others to benefit in the end.

Moreover, it’s quite clear that the one who would benefit doesn’t appreciate her effort.

If earlier Feng Yongfu’s words showed that he was a bit naive due to the extreme poverty in the village, Zhuang Qingning felt she had definitely misjudged him.

Feng Yongfu was an extremely smart man, who had calculated everything very meticulously.

Zhuang Qingning raised her eyebrows, her tone not as gentle as before, “Village Chief Feng, your proposal is indeed very good for Feng Village.”

“Well, as the village chief, I have to think about creating opportunities for everyone in the village, don’t I?” Feng Yongfu replied with a smile, “Manager Zhuang and Master Ding, aren’t you both also hoping to help Feng Village prosper?”

“When Master Ding came, he couldn’t stop singing praises for you, Manager Zhuang. He only said that although Manager Zhuang was a businesswoman, she was truly a good person.”

“At that time, I said that meeting Manager Zhuang was really a fortunate thing for Feng Village…”

Listening to these compliments, Zhuang Qingning held back her discontent, managing only a faint smile, “Since Village Chief Feng knows I am a businesswoman, then this will make our discussion easier.”

“As businesspeople, we look at how much money has been spent, how much has been earned, how much profit can be made, whether a deal is profitable or not. If it’s a deal that incurs losses, naturally nobody would be willing to engage in it.”

Her words seemed to hint at something; Feng Yongfu understood, but only chuckled lightly, “Well, whether it is profitable or not depends not just on the present, but on the long term.”