Chapter 6

Like his peers born in the late 20th century, Chen Ke had participated in many entrepreneurial activities. Faced with one failure after another, Chen Ke had to start summarizing the reasons. One of the key conclusions he reached was that the number of people engaged in production within an organization must be as close to 100% as possible. This dyeing project was also a new commercial attempt. As the investor and a key laborer, Chen Ke not only personally participated in all the work but also observed his current companions.

Hua Xiongmao, a Qing dynasty martial arts scholar, truly lived up to his title. Whether it was moving cloth, stoking the fire, or drying, as long as Chen Ke personally instructed and led, Hua Xiongmao worked tirelessly. You Gou, a chemistry graduate, fully demonstrated the characteristics of her major. She was creative, disciplined, and meticulous in temperature control, time management, and recording experimental data during the dyeing process. Her performance was outstanding.

Chen Ke had positioned this business as low-cost and high-volume. The colored cloth, using cheap foreign dyes, brought the cost of this batch of cloth to a level that ordinary dyeing shops could not match. Chen Ke, Hua Xiongmao, You Gou, and Zhou Yuanxiao all worked for free, making the labor costs even lower than what other dyeing shops could imagine. Through casual conversations, Chen Ke confirmed that the educational level of these four workers, including himself, was far beyond what ordinary Chinese people could achieve in 1905.

Perhaps I really have the legendary "aura of a king"? As the project leader, Chen Ke arranged tasks based on each person's strengths. The other three, with their high social status and education, showed no resistance. They worked on removing impurities and dyeing the cloth together. You Gou, a girl, came to work at 8 a.m. and left at 5 p.m. every day. The other three were on shifts, ensuring the workshop operated 24/7. They finished dyeing the forty bolts of cloth in less than three days.

After dyeing, the cloth needed to be washed. Zhou Yuanxiao's skills were truly excellent; the cloth did not lose much color after washing. Zhou Yuanxiao was not talkative, speaking only when necessary. This kind of expert puzzled Chen Ke.

On the afternoon of the third day, Chen Ke sent Hua Xiongmao back to their residence to arrange a meeting with Xu Xilin and Qiu Jin. The next day, Chen Ke and Hua Xiongmao returned to the residence, where Xu Xilin and Qiu Jin were already waiting in Xu Xilin's room. Hua Xiongmao placed a bolt of cloth on the table in front of Xu Xilin, startling him.

"Is this the cloth you mentioned?" Xu Xilin patted the cloth, finding the texture satisfactory. He pulled out a few feet of the deep blue fabric and examined it in the light. The fabric was finer and smoother than ordinary coarse cloth, though thinner. The color, however, was far superior to that of local cloth, with a uniform deep blue that was perfect for summer clothing.

Qiu Jin, being a woman, had more expertise in fabrics. After examining the cloth, she smiled and said, "Bosun, the cloth Wenqing made is truly impressive."

"Bosun, I mentioned before that I wanted the Guangfuhui's friends in Shanghai to help sell the cloth. I brought this newly dyed bolt for you to inspect," Chen Ke said, his voice clearer now that he had a product.

"I will certainly help with that," Xu Xilin replied. Chen Ke could tell that Xu Xilin was not particularly interested in selling cloth.

"I've been busy with dyeing lately. How are things going for you in Shanghai, Bosun?"

"It's a long story," Xu Xilin sighed, his face filled with depression, far less spirited than Chen Ke and Hua Xiongmao.

Lunch was a somber affair. Qiu Jin was silent, and Xu Xilin ate quietly. Chen Ke and Hua Xiongmao did not dare to say much. After starting the dyeing business, Chen Ke no longer thought about revolution. Revolution was not about starving to death; a revolutionary who could starve himself was certainly unqualified. After finishing lunch, Chen Ke and Hua Xiongmao got up to leave.

As soon as they stepped out, Chen Ke wanted to visit the street with many fabric shops. He had specifically gone there a few days ago to find buyers once the cloth was dyed.

After walking for a while, Hua Xiongmao said, "Wenqing, I actually have a friend in Shanghai who does fabric business. If you don't mind, I can see if he can buy these cloths."

Chen Ke looked at Hua Xiongmao in surprise, "Why didn't you mention this earlier, Zhenglan?"

Hua Xiongmao smiled confidently, "You hadn't dyed the cloth yet. How could I bring it up? I didn't know how you and my aunt and uncle discussed it. Now that the cloth is dyed, I think relying on my uncle to handle this won't work. And you never asked me, so how could I recommend myself?"

"Can that person buy so much cloth? I need at least 1.5 taels of silver per bolt," Chen Ke said.

"Why don't we go see him now?" Hua Xiongmao said confidently.

Chen Ke and Hua Xiongmao went to meet the friend who did fabric business. He was originally from Wenzhou and had a large fabric business. After examining Chen Ke's cloth, they agreed on a price of 1.6 taels of silver per bolt, and the man bought the entire batch. Upon learning that Chen Ke would continue to supply, the Wenzhou merchant promised to buy all the cloth. The only condition he set was that he wanted 100 bolts of red cloth.

The cloth in Zhou Yuanxiao's workshop was completely moved out, and 62 taels of silver were placed on the table. Chen Ke, Hua Xiongmao, You Gou, and Zhou Yuanxiao each occupied a side of the table. Chen Ke believed in clear accounting among close friends. After receiving the first payment, it was time to have a serious talk.

"Zhou, you've worked hard these past few days. We agreed that using your workshop to dye 1,200 bolts of cloth would cost 30 taels. I haven't forgotten that, right?" Chen Ke said with a smile.

These past few days were very tiring. Zhou Yuanxiao, half exhausted and half indifferent, replied listlessly, "That's right."

You Gou, upon hearing Chen Ke's words, frowned and her eyes sparkled, but she did not say anything.

"Before, I didn't know about your skills. Now that I've seen them, I want to ask, how much do you plan to charge per bolt?" Chen Ke continued.

"Whatever you think is fair," Zhou Yuanxiao replied, still listless.

"That's not right. Giving one tael is giving, and giving five taels is also giving. You must have a stance, Zhou," Chen Ke said seriously. They were about to dye a large batch of cloth, and if Zhou Yuanxiao was not satisfied, any minor mistake could cause significant losses for Chen Ke.

Zhou Yuanxiao looked at Chen Ke, smiled bitterly, and said, "Brother Chen, you're worried I'll sabotage the work. When I first returned to Shanghai, I wanted to start a dyeing factory. I wasted at least 7,000 to 8,000 taels of silver. Now, only this inherited workshop remains. I see that you and Brother Hua come from wealthy families but don't feel ashamed to do manual labor. I'm very moved. And when I was in trouble, You Gou helped me a lot. For the people she introduces, I will do my best. I don't care about the money, but you can't let You Gou down."

Hearing this, You Gou grabbed Zhou Yuanxiao's wrist and said loudly, "Zhou, I introduced this business to you to help you get back on your feet. With your skills, you will surely restore your family's business one day. Don't worry about how I make money; I won't let myself down. What you're doing is wrong."

Zhou Yuanxiao shook his head but said nothing.

Faced with this situation, Hua Xiongmao was moved by his friend's loyalty, but Chen Ke showed no signs of being moved. Chen Ke had done similar things before, but the failures had cooled his enthusiasm. He said seriously, "Clear accounting among close friends. Miss You, since Zhou has spoken, you should give him some face. What do you think?"

You Gou, hearing Chen Ke's words, looked at the dejected Zhou Yuanxiao and said, "If I say you should give Zhou six tenths of a tael per bolt."

Hearing You Gou's high demand, Hua Xiongmao frowned, and Chen Ke shook his head, "That won't work. Let's not talk about the six tenths of a tael. Miss You, besides the money for Zhou, how much do you want?"

You Gou, hearing Chen Ke's rejection, pouted and said, "I don't want anything, okay?"

"That's not acceptable. Absolutely not," Chen Ke immediately rejected You Gou's words.

"Why not?"

Chen Ke said seriously, "I don't care about your past failures. Now, we're doing business, and we must follow the current rules. We're partners, and the accounts must be clear. Zhou provides the workshop and leads us in dyeing, so he shouldn't be shortchanged. Miss You, me, and Brother Hua all work hard, so we should get our share. The principle is more work, more gain; no work, no gain. And your calculation is wrong. We need to calculate the cost of dyeing, not the selling price. Although it sounds harsh, if we don't do the accounts this way, we'll always lose money."

You Gou, hearing Chen Ke's words, pouted and said nothing. Zhou Yuanxiao, who had been listless, suddenly looked up and stared at Chen Ke sharply. "Then, Mr. Chen, what's your plan for the distribution?" Zhou Yuanxiao asked.

"This is our first collaboration. Let's not talk about future profits. We have four people. For each bolt, I'll give six tenths of a tael, with Zhou getting three and a half tenths, me and You Gou one tenth each, and Brother Hua five tenths of a tael," Chen Ke proposed.

"Oh, so you're taking the biggest share," You Gou said mockingly.

"I paid for the cloth and the dye. Your words are unfair to me."

You Gou looked at Zhou Yuanxiao, and Chen Ke also looked at him. After a moment, Zhou Yuanxiao nodded, "I think it's fair. Mr. Chen's distribution is reasonable."

With this settled, Chen Ke declared that the 62 taels of silver would not be divided yet but would be used to buy more cloth and dye. Everyone agreed, as they were not short of food money.

Leaving Zhou Yuanxiao's place, Hua Xiongmao laughed, "I never thought I could earn 50 wen per bolt, enough for a day's food."

"Are you feeling shortchanged, Zhenglan? I was about to tell you that for each bolt sold, I'll give you one tenth of a tael. Rest assured."

"Wenqing, that's not what I meant. I just wonder why you're trying to win them over."

"Those two are very useful. If we work together well, we'll make more than just this."

Hearing this, Hua Xiongmao could only shake his head and say nothing.

With the money, Chen Ke bought another 100 bolts of cloth. The workshop was bustling again. With the experience from the last batch, they finished dyeing the 100 bolts in four days. Of these, 80 were blue and 20 were red.

After selling the cloth, they divided the money for the previous 40 bolts. Chen Ke announced a day off, as everyone had worked hard and needed rest. You Gou, being a woman, was physically weaker than the three men. She suggested hiring two workers.

Chen Ke firmly opposed this idea. The reason was simple: hiring workers meant higher wages, which would reduce their profits. Lower wages would mean the workers wouldn't work hard. For the most labor-intensive tasks, such as moving and drying, Chen Ke suggested using small machines.

You Gou mocked Chen Ke's plan as more expensive, and Zhou Yuanxiao remained silent. Hua Xiongmao, who knew nothing about machines, wanted to support Chen Ke but didn't know how. Chen Ke then firmly declared the meeting over. Everyone was too tired to argue, so they dispersed.

Back at their residence, Chen Ke and Hua Xiongmao slept for a whole day.

The next day, Chen Ke brought a carpenter to Zhou Yuanxiao's workshop, where Zhou Yuanxiao and You Gou were already waiting. In Zhou Yuanxiao's yard, ten square wooden beams were set up. Chen Ke had observed for a long time and instructed the carpenter to nail several rows of tracks on these smooth beams and install pulleys that could be moved. After the carpenter left, Chen Ke and the others made several pulley systems. This small mechanical device could easily lift the cloth and the bamboo poles used for drying, and it could also move the poles freely.

It must be noted that this device was less effective than the previous manual method for positioning the cloth for drying, but it greatly reduced the workload and increased efficiency by several times. Most importantly, it cost only two taels of silver. Hiring two workers would have been much more expensive. Seeing Chen Ke's creation, Zhou Yuanxiao was interested, and You Gou, though silent, did not object. Hua Xiongmao, who had been doing the heaviest work, was the most enthusiastic, praising the device.

Although Zhou Yuanxiao's workshop was not small, with nearly 400 bolts of cloth, the drying space was limited. After dyeing 50 bolts, the entire workshop was filled with hanging cloth.

"Hey, move the cloth a bit more inside!" You Gou shouted at Hua Xiongmao.

"Any closer and they'll touch. Didn't Wenqing say to pay attention to the evaporation rate?" Hua Xiongmao said, pulling the rope while looking up.

"What's evaporation? It's called evaporation!" You Gou, too tired to mock Hua Xiongmao, explained seriously.

The use of the small machine brought an unexpected problem: the arrangement of the production process. Previously, Zhou Yuanxiao had been in charge of drying the cloth. This time, with a larger batch and the use of pulleys, the workload decreased, and efficiency increased. You Gou showed great interest in how to use the space more effectively. Chen Ke was a novice in this area, and Zhou Yuanxiao had no better ideas. So, You Gou and Hua Xiongmao, who had learned a lot from the work, started a new discussion.

Chen Ke ignored the new discussion, pulling the rope to lift the last bolt of cloth from the large vat. This was the last bolt that needed drying. Zhou Yuanxiao moved the horizontal rope to position the cloth over the washing trough. Chen Ke loosened the rope, and Zhou Yuanxiao untied the knots. A task that previously required three people and a lot of effort was now done by two people in a few minutes.

Enduring the soreness in his arms, Chen Ke washed the cloth with all his effort. If only there were washing machines, he thought, though he knew it was a silly idea.

Improving the production process meant increasing labor efficiency. With the same amount of effort, they could now do more work. But this required a more effective workforce. Dyeing 40 bolts in three days had been manageable for Chen Ke. Later, 25 bolts a day had been full capacity. Now, 50 bolts in 36 hours had left him numb.

Fortunately, this was his own blood and sweat. Chen Ke finally understood the term "sweatshop." If he were working for a capitalist, putting in such effort day and night while maintaining quality, he would probably have joined a workers' movement.

Zhou Yuanxiao also washed the cloth silently, his face pale and dark circles under his eyes. Thanks to You Gou's help, they had optimized the washing process. Chen Ke and Zhou Yuanxiao's "professional spirit" ensured the quality of the work, even though they were nearly exhausted. If it were ordinary workers, Chen Ke wouldn't trust the quality of their work at all.

As a self-proclaimed materialist communist, Chen Ke never thought there was anything wrong with capitalists using machines to produce, leading to mass unemployment. Compared to machines, workers were unreliable. This arduous dyeing work had thoroughly proven this. Not just workers, even Chen Ke, the investor, couldn't guarantee the quality of his work. The four people in the dyeing workshop had high qualities and were passionate about their work. Even with such a team, they couldn't guarantee the results, let alone with ordinary workers. Chen Ke was not optimistic about efficiency and quality.

While lost in thought, Chen Ke's hands were still quick, and the cloth was washed quickly. You Gou and Hua Xiongmao adjusted the space for the last bolt and came to help. After finishing the work, they hung the cloth to dry. The four of them, rubbing their sore necks and arms, sat around the table.

Everyone was exhausted and silent, resting quietly. You Gou brought a pillow from home. A few days ago, she had complained about the dye smell on the pillow, but now she didn't care. She placed the pillow on the table and fell asleep.

Chen Ke also rested on the table, half asleep. Thoughts of revolution and saving the country had long flown away. The only thought in his mind was that this large batch of cloth needed a day to dry, and the colleagues, including himself, needed a day to rest.

He didn't know if he was asleep or not, and he didn't know how long it had been when he heard someone shouting outside, "Is anyone inside?" in the local Shanghai dialect.

No one in the yard responded, and the person outside shouted again, then started knocking on the door. Being disturbed in his sleep was the most annoying thing. Chen Ke sat up, seeing Hua Xiongmao, who was half asleep, looking up groggily. Zhou Yuanxiao, who was opposite Chen Ke, had also sat up and looked grim. You Gou, hearing the noise, turned her head like a cat, buried her face in the pillow, and covered her ears with her arms, continuing to sleep.

Chen Ke pulled Hua Xiongmao up, and the three men went to the door. Chen Ke rubbed his face to wake up and then opened the door.

Outside were a tall and a short man. The short one was clearly a local, about 40 years old, short and thin. Chen Ke, Hua Xiongmao, and Zhou Yuanxiao's gazes moved from the short man to the tall one. The tall man looked to be under 30, standing on the stone steps at the door, his head almost touching the lintel. Besides his towering height, he was also very muscular, his broad shoulders almost blocking the door. Chen Ke looked up at him, estimating his height to be about 1.95 meters and his weight at least 190 pounds. The tall man had a round, chubby face with a half-smiling, half-serious expression, looking down at them with authority.

"Which one is the boss?" the short man asked.

Hearing the question, everyone's gaze returned to the short man. Chen Ke suddenly had a strange association: if the short man had a rope around his neck, with the other end held by the tall man, it would look like a strong bear leading a monkey.

Chen Ke and Zhou Yuanxiao stepped forward simultaneously, "I'm the boss," Chen Ke said quickly.

"Boss, I want to talk business with you," the short man said.

"We have no business to discuss. Please leave," Chen Ke firmly rejected them. Dealing with thugs required not giving them any chance. Once you let them in, they would never leave. Thinking of this, Chen Ke stepped forward to block the door, "There's really no business to discuss."

The short man, seeing Chen Ke blocking the door, became anxious and shouted in the local dialect, but his speech was too fast and heavily accented, making it incomprehensible to Chen Ke.

"I don't understand what you're saying. Please leave," Chen Ke said.

"I'm sure you'll understand what I'm saying," the tall man suddenly said in a Hebei accent.

Chen Ke was taken aback. He had used Mandarin, and it was inappropriate not to understand the tall man's Hebei accent. Chen Ke had to respond, "What do you want to say, brother?"

"I just want to make money with you. Seeing your dyeing business thriving, in these chaotic times, don't you want some people to help protect it? In case of a fire or troublemakers, having help would be