Transmigration: Flirted with My Childhood Sweetheart
Chapter 320 - 319: Honey, We Recommend You Start a Factory

Chapter 320: Chapter 319: Honey, We Recommend You Start a Factory

The match factory’s Factory Director’s surname was Tian, named Tian Qingyuan. Of course, it was not possible for Lin Nianhe to have any leverage over him, as he had never even met Lin Nianhe.

So, when Lin Nianhe proposed with an expression that seemed to say "you can’t refuse me," suggesting "you should set up a branch in Ten Miles Team," Tian Qingyuan spent a brief ten seconds going over every unscrupulous thing he had done in the past fifty or so years.

None of those things should be known by this girl!

Tian Qingyuan turned his head to look at Zheng Lirong and asked, "Great-Niece, is this little friend of yours..." crazy in the head?

Zheng Lirong didn’t expect Lin Nianhe to say such a thing; her mouth corners trembled twice, and her smile was somewhat stiff: "Uncle Tian, Nianhe wouldn’t speak rashly; please listen patiently."

Having said this, she promptly tugged Lin Nianhe’s hand, signaling her to speak quickly, and not to scare the old man.

Lin Nianhe’s face bore a perfectly calibrated smile. She said, "Uncle Tian, don’t be anxious, listen to my analysis."

Tian Qingyuan: "..."

Analysis? Seeing that the girl was only about sixteen or seventeen, what could she analyze?

He took a sip of water and, giving face to Zheng Lirong, still nodded slightly: "Go ahead."

Lin Nianhe cleared her throat and said, "Our Ten Miles Team is one of the richest teams in the commune, almost always receiving accolades each year. This is inseparably related to the diligence and simplicity of the local people. You’ve been in the provincial city and are very knowledgeable; you must be aware that many production teams’ low productivity is not due to objective reasons like poor land, but fundamentally because the members don’t consider the collective, becoming idle and reluctant to work seriously."

Lin Nianhe’s tone was measured, standing tall without an ounce of subservience typical when asking a favor.

Her bearing and words made Tian Qingyuan regard her more highly.

Tian Qingyuan nodded, indicating Lin Nianhe to continue.

"As far as I know, Hei Province has only your match factory under your leadership. A single factory is responsible for supplying matches throughout the province, both production and transport require your overall planning." Lin Nianhe said with a light smile, "Our winters here are full of strong winds and heavy snows - the transportation difficulties must be quite severe, right?"

This statement struck right at Tian Qingyuan’s pain point.

Indeed, wasn’t the transportation difficulty his main problem!

Hei Province’s winters were long and cold; during the bitter cold, snow could fall from October through to April or May of the following year. Sometimes the snow would bury the train tracks, and the trains would have to cease operations.

And matches particularly fear damp and moisture; come snowy weather, it always caused him headaches.

Seeing his expression, Lin Nianhe knew she hadn’t spoken incorrectly and didn’t wait for Tian Qingyuan to complain; she continued, "This is why I suggest you establish a branch factory - to spread out the production sites to the southeast, northwest, and other directions, which would greatly reduce transportation difficulties. Not only can it ensure stability in the people’s use of matches, but it can also save a considerable sum in transportation costs for the factory."

Upon hearing this, Tian Qingyuan first thought it made a lot of sense, but then he immediately waved his hand, "Where would the money come from to set up a branch? Do production lines and factory buildings come for free?"

Lin Nianhe’s smile deepened.

She licked her lips and continued saying, "Don’t be hasty, just listen to me."

Tian Qingyuan hadn’t expected she had more to say; feeling curious, he shut his mouth and waited for Lin Nianhe to speak.

Having piqued Tian Qingyuan’s curiosity, Lin Nianhe’s smile grew even more brilliant, "There’s no need to move the production line into every branch. The main factory can be responsible for making matches and matchboxes, and the branches can manage pasting matchboxes and packaging; it’s essentially outsourcing these miscellaneous tasks."

Tian Qingyuan frowned, "Won’t this back-and-forth transport still not resolve the transportation problem in winter?"

"If you outsource the miscellaneous tasks, a portion of the workers in your factory will certainly be freed up, right? The workers can be put on a shift system; people rest, but the machinery does not stop. Soon, production will catch up, allowing you to send supplies to the branches before winter arrives."

"Shipping from the local subsidiary factories to nearby Cooperative Societies is much closer and easier than sending from the provincial city, isn’t it? Take our Ten Miles Team for example, two bicycles would be enough to deliver goods to the county town."

Lin Nianhe intended to say that even a bullock cart would be sufficient. But thinking of Old Huang’s busy schedule in the team, he didn’t bring it up.

Lin Nianhe was growing a bit tired from talking so ambitiously and stopped to drink some water and catch his breath before saying, "If the subsidiary factories only handle odd jobs, there’s no need to build new workshops at all. A warehouse would be enough, and this is something you could discuss with the commune. Most communes have vacant rooms that could serve as warehouses, don’t they?"

"Besides, a box of matches is never packed full. Transporting the sticks and cardboard separately takes up less space than transporting the finished boxes of matches, allowing the truck to hold more, which can also save on transportation costs."

Tian Qingyuan’s eyes lit up.

He had misjudged her. This young lady wasn’t foolish at all; her suggestions were quite good!

But borrowing a room from the commune to use as a warehouse wouldn’t be easy.

And they didn’t have plans to start a subsidiary factory. Bringing it up out of the blue, the leaders most likely wouldn’t approve.

Tian Qingyuan frowned and pondered.

Seeing his expression, Zheng Lirong breathed a sigh of relief.

Thank goodness Uncle Tian listened and didn’t take Lin Nianhe for a simpleton. This way, the job of gluing matchboxes for Ten Miles Team wouldn’t fall through.

Lin Nianhe pursed her lips, leisurely sipped half a glass of water, and after keeping Tian Qingyuan in suspense for a moment, she said, "I know it won’t be easy to talk to the commune, that’s why I suggest starting a pilot subsidiary factory at Ten Miles Team first, for two reasons—"

"One, our team’s village school is newly built and can be used to store goods. Plus, the team leader of our team is enlightened and responsible. He won’t cause you trouble and will definitely ensure the quality of production;"

"Two, even if the final results of the experiment show that this has limited benefit to the match factory, the loss to the factory would be negligible. On the contrary, if you find it very effective, then using our team as an example, you could easily gain the leader’s support. With the leaders on board, it will be much easier to negotiate with the commune."

Tian Qingyuan’s eyes shone brighter and brighter, and he couldn’t help but smile.

Originally, they needed to deliver goods to Lan County, so whether they transported finished matches or semi-finished products didn’t make a huge difference. The truck’s fuel cost had to be paid regardless.

And Lin Nianhe’s plan didn’t require building a factory, and they had the endorsement of an advanced team, he would only need to send two accountants over to keep the books.

This pilot point was virtually no cost at all!

After pondering for a while, Tian Qingyuan nodded, "I personally think it’s feasible, but I still need to wait for a meeting at the factory tomorrow to decide. Comrade Xiao Lin, don’t worry, I’ll make sure to explain the pros and cons clearly. I believe the comrades at our factory will also think it’s a good approach!"

Lin Nianhe smiled and nodded, "Great, I’ll wait for your news."

Saying this, she took out a piece of paper with her phone number on it from her bag and handed it to Tian Qingyuan with both hands, "Uncle Tian, I’m staying at the railway guesthouse. You can call me when you have a result."

Tian Qingyuan, just like Zheng Lirong, was somewhat puzzled when he heard "railway guesthouse," but he didn’t ask further and simply received the note, "Alright, I’ll call you right after the meeting."

"Uh..."

Lin Nianhe looked hesitant, furrowing her brows as if unsure how to begin.

Tian Qingyuan casually asked, "What’s the matter? Do you have something else to do tomorrow?"

Lin Nianhe gave an awkward smile and said, "I need to visit the provincial military district tomorrow morning. An elder in my family asked me to visit an uncle... Could you call me in the afternoon instead?"

Tian Qingyuan: "...!"