"Dad, where will our factory be built?" Xu Nian’an asked.
"I think building it in the village is pretty good. I remember Xu Song apprenticed with Dad, right? It’ll be convenient in the village."
Xu Song is the son of Uncle Xu Yuchun.
Xu Nianhua’s gaze, much like Xu Qinghe’s, settled on the open space next to their house.
Although their old house was a bit old and off-center, it had its advantages—for example, the space was vast!
There was open space next to the old house, and not far from there were their fields. Although the fields weren’t very fertile, at least they were close.
"Exactly, let’s build it in the village. The village is so close to the county, it will be convenient to deliver furniture later on," Xu Nianji also agreed enthusiastically.
The family chatted excitedly. Even though they temporarily couldn’t build a new house next year, which was a bit disappointing, if the furniture factory really made money, wouldn’t they have plenty for building a house later on?
"By the way, Dad, are you planning to run the factory alone, or are you thinking of finding a partner?" Xu Nianhua suddenly asked.
Xu Qinghe was taken aback for a moment. He had not thought that far ahead. After pondering, he said, "Xiaosong has been by my side for several years now, and of all the people who apprenticed with me, none are as close as Xiaosong."
"Partnering up..." Xu Qinghe honestly didn’t really want to get involved with others. He preferred doing his own thing.
"Dad, Uncle is the village accountant, right?" Xu Nian’an suddenly spoke up.
Xu Yuchun had been the village accountant for many years and had a very good reputation in the village.
With their family already standing out—with their father and sister-in-law working in the factory, and the eldest brother selling bean sprouts—if they really set up a furniture factory in the village, it would certainly turn more people green with envy.
If Xiaosong was brought into the picture, saying he and Dad were partnering in the factory, that would make a difference.
"What, start a furniture factory together?" Xu Song was about the same age as Xu Nianji but with a baby face which made him look particularly young.
"It’s my dad. He wants to make furniture and then sell it to others. So, I wanted to ask if you’d like to join my dad in this venture?" Xu Nianji explained carefully and asked.
Xiong Xihua’s eyes lit up, and without a second thought, she said, "Xiaosong has been with Qinghe for several years now. It would be great if you could involve Xiaosong in setting up the factory. But how much money is needed to start it up?"
Xiong Xihua, who had been working in the factory with Ji Ying, had tasted success. She had a hunch that Ji Ying must be doing more than just overseeing things, and as for the chili sauce—they had made so much of it, Xiong Xihua didn’t believe they weren’t making a profit.
"We’re planning to build a simple house and enclose it with a wall right on that empty land next to our house. Basically, something to keep out the wind and rain will do. Plus, for the lumber, if we were making a few pieces of furniture, we could just chop wood from the mountain. But for a furniture factory, we’d need a lot of wood; if we chop it all down from the mountain, people will definitely have objections," Xu Nianji said.
These things were all discussed with Xu Qinghe beforehand, so Xu Nianji explained them very clearly now.
After Xu Song understood, he and his mother quickly agreed.
When Xu Yuchun found out, he bulged his eyes and said, "I must have heard wrong, right?"
Such a big matter as setting up a factory with Xu Qinghe was decided, and he was the last to know?
"You didn’t hear wrong. I think that partnering with Xu Qinghe’s family will definitely make money," Xiong Xihua was ready with a basketful of arguments to present to Xu Yuchun when he said, "I know it can make money, but clearly, Qinghe wants to give us a leg up."