She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 290 - 289 Expansion

Chapter 290: Chapter 289 Expansion

Jiang Yifan was rather concerned about the manpower of Qi Family Construction Business, although Qi Younian and his brother, together with Wong Qiao, were all craftsmen of exquisite skills, with Wong Qiao being even more outstanding. But to undertake large projects, relying solely on a few skilled craftsmen was definitely not enough. The Qi Family Construction Business had been in operation for too short a time, and it was feared they could not gather enough people.

If the manpower was insufficient, they would need to think of solutions early on, so as not to delay the construction period due to a lack of workers.

Qi Younian replied, "There’s no problem with the manpower. Since the start of the Dairy Products Store’s construction, I have employed several good craftsmen at high wages, and they all have permanent helpers under them. We’ve signed contracts for three years. After the Dairy Products Store closes, I inquired through middlemen about other construction businesses nearby and selected a few with good reputations. The plan is to temporarily bring them in and parcel out portions of the Sixth Master’s garden to them. We will provide the materials and construction plans, and their work will be overseen by Ah Qiao, who will lead the supervision. We will manage their food and lodging on a daily basis and settle the wages after the completion of the project."

Was it possible to do this with civilian projects? Jiang Yifan’s gaze flickered, and he subconsciously glanced at Ye Xinyan before saying, "That’s a good idea. Have you already talked to people?"

Because the project was enormous, the practice of gathering multiple construction businesses for completion typically took place with government office-initiated projects. Civilians usually undertook projects according to their capabilities and sought their craftsmen as needed. However, there wasn’t a practice as Qi Younian described where a small civilian construction business divided the project and subcontracted it to other construction businesses.

Qi Younian answered, "Some craftsmen went home to rest, and I’ve already hinted at some of my thoughts. I didn’t specify what kind of project, just that it was a large one that one firm couldn’t handle alone and wanted to subcontract in parts. Ye Zi said it’s best not to be too eager in asking about this; just leak the information to a few relevant people and let them come to us. That way, when it’s time to discuss, we can take the initiative."

Jinrong chuckled, "Our Ye Zi is indeed resourceful, turning even a trivial matter into several twists and turns. However, with so many construction businesses involved in the project, have you thought about how to manage and restrain them?"

Qi Younian gave a bow to Jinrong and said, "We truly do need Sixth Master’s help with this. Management and restraint are not troublesome matters. These days, Wong Qiao is sorting out the materials in sections, and Ye Zi is drafting the subcontracting terms. Once these things are ready, it will be fairly simple to restrain them according to the terms. The trouble lies in supervision and inspection. Our construction business has only been established for a short time and might not be taken seriously, which is why I would ask for Sixth Master’s support, to allow the two gentlemen who once managed the rail transport to come and inspect from time to time. Those gentlemen are thoroughly familiar with the court’s construction regulations and can deter the other construction businesses."

"Certainly, that’s easy," Jinrong readily agreed. "I still have some clerks from the Ministry of Works at my disposal; feel free to ask for them whenever needed. There are also officials from Yuyuan Prefecture’s Yamen in charge of engineering who can frequently come to inspect. They can all coordinate with you."

Jiang Yifan reminded, "Ninety percent of Sixth Master’s house in the capital can start construction, depending on whether the plans you provide match Sixth Master’s vision. Various powers are entrenched in the capital, and it might not be possible to operate the same way you do here. The elder will still need to cultivate his own team to make things more convenient."

Qi Younian nodded eagerly, "Thank you for the reminder, Lord Jiang. Our current manpower is indeed insufficient. I have already asked the middlemen to keep an eye out for skilled craftsmen of all sorts, to specifically recruit some at the work site when doing the Sixth Master’s courtyard project. After the completion of Sixth Master’s project, there should be no shortage here. As for the temporary laborers and assistants, they’re easy to hire."

Jinrong laughed, "The projects carried out by Qi Family Construction Business are well done, both quick and exquisite. I believe once the courtyard project in Yuyuan Prefecture is completed, there will be no shortage of people entrusting projects to the elder."

When it came to this topic, Qi Younian was also proud, chuckling as he said, "The Dairy Products Store isn’t even finished, and people are already inquiring about next year’s projects. Some say they want to build houses in the spring, and others need house renovations. The prospects look good."

Jinrong waved his hand and said, "The Qi Family Construction Business was established by taking on large projects, those small jobs of building a few residential houses or repairing old ones, old man, you shouldn’t take them anymore, we’re not in that line of work. I’m afraid next year we might need to build another cattle shed, and I plan to turn the entire area of gravel land that spans the counties to the north into a cattle breeding ground."

"Sixth Master speaks sense, indeed we’re too busy to manage," Qi Younian replied cheerfully.

When he decided to return to his old trade and start the construction business again, he never expected things to pick up so quickly. In less than half a year, he had landed so many projects that he could even take on a royal mansion’s courtyard. You should know, even in their brothers’ heyday, they had never landed such a big, exquisite project.

Looking at Ye Zi and Ah Qiao again, there was truth in the old saying, each generation is stronger than the last. Without Ye Zi and Ah Qiao, he and Cheung Wusi simply couldn’t have handled such projects. Ye Zi’s ideas were indeed ingenious, but without Ah Qiao’s implementation, it would not have been so easy. This must be a chance given by heaven, to have such a turn of events in his old age.

Jinrong turned to Ye Xinyan and asked, "How long will it take for the draft cattle you’re breeding here to be put to use? Yuanfan said that Clear Water Village had the smoothest harvest in the entire county, and the involvement of draft cattle played a crucial role."

Ye Xinyan replied, "It takes about one to one and a half years for a calf to reach maturity. The earliest batch of calves from the cattle farm, if we want to put them into full use, we’ll probably have to wait until next year’s harvest. But if they’re just for supplementary labor, we can consider using the underage calves and some cows for next spring’s planting."

Jiang Yifan thought for a moment and said, "I’ve asked Cui Chengxi; calves are weaned at about half a year. We might as well sell the weaned calves. The cattle farm is just for breeding draft cattle and producing cow’s milk, spending time and energy to raise a calf to maturity is not cost-effective for anyone. With lower selling prices, the calves are more affordable for farming families, and by freeing up space in our cattle sheds, we can also cycle through more quickly."

"Alright, I’ll discuss this with Fan Zhengyuan," Ye Xinyan hadn’t expected Jiang Yifan, with his background as a scholar from ancient times, to possess such a business mind, something so straightforward that she hadn’t even considered.

Wong Qiao, seeing that the construction discussion was concluded, exchanged glances with Qi Younian. Qi Younian didn’t understand much about cattle farming and dairy product stores. Taking advantage of the gap in Ye Xinyan’s speech, he and Wong Qiao took their leave.

Watching Qi Younian leave, Jinrong sighed, "There are many things I hadn’t anticipated, and now I’m a bit stretched thin." He had never felt so frustrated with not being able to implement his many ideas.

Jiang Yifan smiled and said, "What kind of talk is that?"

Jinrong explained, "The surrounding counties no longer have any buffalo to buy. If we go further, the journey is too long. Driving the cattle over long distances is not only troublesome in terms of feeding and care but also causes too much disturbance to the public. I was thinking of finding a barren land outside Yuyuan City to build another cattle farm and dairy workshop. I was going to give the job to the Qi family, but now it seems, the old man might not have the capacity to take it on."