Chapter 48: Selecting the Workshop Supervisor

Lin Miaomiao glanced at Li Yanhe, then looked up and said to him, “Why aren’t you called Li Qi?” Li Yanhe replied, “There are few people in the Lin family; this way, we can also strengthen the Lin family.” He set down his brush and continued, “Besides, the surname Li is a royal one—only the emperor has the right to grant it.”

Hearing this, Lin Miaomiao nodded. She had forgotten that in this dynasty, the social hierarchy was rigid and distinctions in status were clear-cut. She could already guess Li Yanhe’s identity, and also surmised that Anqi was connected to him. Suddenly, Lin Miaomiao realized she herself was now a person with a large family and flourishing enterprise, yet every day she was busy from dawn till dusk, and with the body of a child, it was easy to tire.

As the days grew shorter and autumn approached, Lin Miaomiao’s landholdings in Da’ankou were considerable, and her food processing factory was not small either. Perhaps because hotpot was selling so well in the capital, many merchants had heard of Lin Miaomiao’s factory and traveled from afar to do business with her. Naturally, Lin Miaomiao was delighted. The Dayong Dynasty enjoyed excellent public order, the official roads were well developed, and there were post stations along the way. So highway robbery was not a wise choice, and the dynasty punished bandits harshly—anyone caught would bring calamity upon nine generations of their family.

Thus, many came to buy hotpot seasoning from Lin Miaomiao’s factory, and she would launch new varieties regularly. The hotpot restaurant in the capital was earning handsomely. Lin Ji Wang was quickly mastering his trade, so Lin Miaomiao sent him to the capital. When he left, the three women—Ruoyu and the others—were all envious. But Lin Miaomiao was generous, teaching them bookkeeping as well.

Cuiliu was older now, and her ability to learn had waned, but Ruoyu and Lanzhi picked things up quickly. So Lin Miaomiao appointed Cuiliu as housekeeper, while Ruoyu and Lanzhi learned characters and accounting. In this era, women could not share a room with men, so Lin Miaomiao personally taught Ruoyu and Lanzhi, while Anqi, as general manager, was busy running back and forth every day.

Lin Miaomiao knew nothing of architecture in the modern world, so she could only draw up a basic factory layout based on what she remembered. Anqi managed the work tirelessly according to her plans. The hotpot seasoning factory was soon completed, and for the next few days, Lin Miaomiao took Ruoyu and Lanzhi there every day.

Eventually, Lanzhi became the head of the pastry processing plant. Lin Miaomiao recruited two young men from a nearby village—both had some schooling—to keep track of the workers’ clocking in and out. Every day, the workers had to punch in with them at the start and end of their shifts. Lin Miaomiao provided them with uniforms, hats, and masks.

Being so young, Lin Miaomiao knew that if she managed the workers directly, they would not listen to her; but as the young mistress of the house, they occasionally showed her some respect. After the workers finished their shift, Lin Miaomiao stood atop the platform and addressed them: “Everyone, as our business grows, it’s thanks to all of your efforts.”

“So I’ve decided to select three supervisors from among you, each responsible for a production line. Supervisors will earn a bit more than the others.”

She had raised her voice to be heard, and now her throat felt dry. She swallowed before continuing, “We’ll choose supervisors by vote. Each production line will select the person they feel is most responsible, approachable, and best at their job.”

Lin Miaomiao then took the attendance records from the men at the gate, along with some reports on individual workers’ performance. She cleared her throat and went on, “I see that some of you are very skilled at your work, but I don't know much about your character. A supervisor must serve everyone, so pick someone both capable and kind.”

She glanced at the men and women in the factory. “I don’t care whether the supervisor is a man or a woman—as long as they’re good people and good at their job, that’s what matters.”

“I’ve already written down the most capable candidates.” As she finished speaking, Ruoyu took the list and posted the names on the factory wall.

When designing the factory, Lin Miaomiao had deliberately reserved a wall for public commendations. Every payday, she would also post the wages of these outstanding workers, ranked from highest to lowest, so that any payroll discrepancies could be easily traced. If a worker found an error, they would come to her, and she could quickly identify where the problem had occurred.

Ruoyu posted the names of the top performers and addressed the crowd, “These are the outstanding workers chosen from each production line. When selecting supervisors, we want the very best. This is fair, and I hope everyone will work hard—maybe one day, you’ll be supervisors too.”

Lin Miaomiao added, “If you think someone isn’t the most skilled, but is well liked and commands your respect, you can talk to Xiao Sun or Xiao Li.”

“Xiao Sun and Xiao Li are the clerks I hired. Both attended school and are honest and upright. They record everyone’s attendance meticulously, so I’ve promoted them to finance managers.”

Since their duties differed, both held the title of finance manager. Lin Miaomiao turned to them with a smile, “Managers Sun and Li, you’ll be in charge of this.”

“If you want to recommend someone with strong management skills, who commands your respect, you may do so—but their votes must be high.” She smiled at the workers. “After all, if their technical ability is lacking, only superior management and coordination skills can win them the position.”

Lin Miaomiao then posted the list and announced, “The election will close before the Mid-Autumn Festival. After the festival, the supervisors will be finalized.”

She now had two factories: one for pastries, and one for hotpot seasoning. She visited the seasoning factory and explained the process there as well, also informing their finance department. The workers then began voting for the outstanding candidates. Some with technical ability but weaker business skills were also nominated.

Madam Zhao was industrious and thorough, and soon stood out from the rest. When Lin Miaomiao next visited the factory, Madam Zhao stood before everyone, a little shy.

Seeing her, Lin Miaomiao smiled, “Very good—I hadn’t expected you to be so outstanding.”

As she finished, Madam Zhao’s face turned crimson. Lin Miaomiao called the three selected candidates to the front and had Ruoyu take their measurements. The next day, she handed them new uniforms, with “Supervisor” embroidered on the sleeves, and convened a meeting with all four supervisors.

She outlined their duties and entrusted them with distributing the wages to their production lines. If she managed wages personally, with so many workers, it would be exhausting. Instead, she delivered the total wage amount to the supervisors, who were responsible for distributing it in full to the workers.

It was her custom to post all the wage amounts on the white wall outside the factory, so every worker knew their pay in advance. If there were any discrepancies when they received their wages, they would approach Ruoyu, who now managed the food processing plant. Ruoyu would check the payroll with the workers; if someone had taken leave and forgotten, Ruoyu could point out the dates.

Lin Miaomiao stipulated that any wage discrepancies must be settled within seven days. Though young, Ruoyu had suffered much in the past and now managed the factory with utmost dedication.

After payroll, Lin Miaomiao would check the accounts and deposit all the silver at the money house, ensuring the finances matched up. Lanzhi managed the hotpot seasoning factory in the same way. Though the factory was newly built, Lin Miaomiao’s approach to managing workers immediately set a clear structure, with transparency in both management and wages.

These days, Lin Miaomiao was indeed very busy. Around Mid-Autumn, she finally finished organizing the factory workshops. Now, she only needed to monitor the supervisors for any issues.

Before long, a problem arose in the food processing plant: some workers were dissatisfied with the chosen supervisors, feeling that since they were from the same village, there was no reason for one to be in charge of the others.

Observing these disgruntled villagers, Lin Miaomiao stood before their production line and addressed them, “Most people agreed that he is suitable for supervisor, which is why I chose him. If you feel otherwise, that’s fine—but your own abilities must be outstanding. If you can’t excel yourselves, how can you manage others?”

Hearing this, the workers’ faces flushed with embarrassment. Lin Miaomiao smiled and added, “A worker who doesn’t aspire to be a supervisor isn’t a good worker. Our production line supervisors welcome competition—if you can outshine your supervisor, you can become the next one.”

Motivated by her words, the workers threw themselves into their tasks with renewed enthusiasm, and even the supervisors worked harder than before. Lin Miaomiao understood that every enterprise needs some competition, but it must be properly managed, or it would become destructive.