The road to wealth of a peasant widow

Chapter 117 Progress

Shopkeeper Zhang found out that the workshop for processing canned fruits was located in the city near the city gate. He originally wanted to set it up outside the city, but considering that his master had female relatives and it would be inconvenient for them to travel in and out of the city for inspections, he chose to set it up in the city.

Although it is said to be in the city, it is actually very remote, close to the city gate. It has a large courtyard with two entrances. The front and back yards are very spacious, with a total of nearly three acres of land. It only cost forty-five taels to buy it, which can be said to be very affordable.

Manager Zhang sent all the people he had selected from the broker over and borrowed someone from his wife to teach them the rules. Then he came hurriedly to report on the progress.

Although Zhang Ruomei still felt uncomfortable today, she felt much better than the day before. She would definitely go and see such a big thing.

So Chen Cui followed her to the newly established canning workshop at the city gate.

This canning workshop was registered under the name of Baiguofang, so there were no additional procedures. All the people who bought food were considered Zhang Ruomei's slaves, and she had absolute control over them.

Shopkeeper Zhang bought six people in total, all young girls.

The youngest girl was twelve or thirteen years old, and the oldest was seventeen or eighteen years old, but they all had one thing in common, which was that they did not look good.

Either their facial features are not good to begin with, or they have birthmarks on their faces that affect their appearance, or they have strong bodies that do not conform to the current aesthetic standards. It can be said that they are all picked out.

Therefore, the value of these people is relatively cheap, only thirty taels in total.

According to Manager Zhang, the masters buy them to work, not to serve them, so what's the point of them looking good or not, as long as they have enough strength and can work hard.

These girls who were bought were not liked by their original families. After being sold by their families, they were picked and chosen by the buyers from the pawnshop. They had no where to go and were extremely worried.

Now that they learned that they had been bought by a kind-hearted lady to work in a workshop, they were very grateful.

When Chen Cui saw them, the five of them had already dressed neatly, wearing the same style of clothes bought from a clothing store. Although their faces looked a little sallow, they were in good spirits.

Zhang Ruomei was also very satisfied. Although she herself was beautiful and liked people with good looks, she could not make such demands on the female workers working in the workshop. She even thought that it was good the way it was.

After all, she is the one who pays the bills, so if it can save her money and do the job just the same, what else can she say?

After a quick look, she handed the rest of the matter over to Shopkeeper Zhang and Chen Cui, left the two maids who knew how to can food in the kitchen, and left.

After all, she is the boss and she only needs to take charge of the overall situation. Someone else will take care of the rest.

So, Chen Cui started a new round of teaching career.

But she didn't teach the five people directly. Instead, two maids taught them, and she supervised and guided them. This way, the two of them could become more standardized in their procedures and more skilled in their skills.

This was also what Zhang Ruomei meant. After all, Chen Cui was a free civilian, and such an important skill as canning had to be controlled by her people so that she could feel at ease.

The kitchen here has been specially renovated. There are four large pots, four small pots, and several stoves, on which are placed large ceramic pots.

Although the mud on the stove has not dried yet due to the rush, it does not affect its use.

Starting from boiling water to wash the fruits, Chen Cui watched them do it step by step, and corrected them promptly if there were any irregularities.

After the whole process was completed, more than a dozen jars of canned fruit were finished, and everyone was sweating profusely.

But no one looked impatient. The two maids in charge of teaching were originally only responsible for cleaning and tidying up, but now they were valued by their master and were sent to teach the workers. They were very proud.

The newly hired female workers had an indescribable sense of security. To them, they had a place to stay, work to do, food to eat, clothes to wear, and no one to beat or scold them. Compared with their previous lives, this was already heaven. What else could they ask for!

As for the rapid development of the canning workshop, Chen Cui is of course even happier.

After all, she is also a shareholder, and it is her wish to start production earlier and see profits sooner.

After all, this business is probably just a fresh attempt for Mrs. Zhang. Even if it fails and makes no money or even loses money, it doesn't matter to her.

For Chen Cui, this was an investment she had high hopes for, and it was a source of income for her future life. If it failed, she would lose not only the money, but also the relationship with the county magistrate's wife.

Therefore, this business is of vital importance to her, as it is related to her situation in Yinping County in the next few years and even the future of her children.

After all, the county magistrate was the one who set the questions for the county examination and decided the admission rankings. If she offended the county magistrate's wife because of the failure of her canned food business, it was hard to say whether her children would be disliked by the county magistrate.

It's not that she thinks too badly of people, but that's just how it is. Most people follow their hearts and act according to their likes and dislikes, and it's hard not to be affected by their emotions.

Chen Cui didn't want to gamble with her future, so she did her best to do what she was supposed to do and also put forward some suggestions for improvement.

For example, they were asked to wear headscarves to cover their hair to prevent it from falling into cans, and to wear masks to prevent saliva from splashing into the jars when they spoke.

The person in charge of lighting the fire will keep lighting the fire. Others must wash their hands and arms clean with soap before operating. They must wash their hands after each process. After completing the operation every day, the place must be cleaned and all utensils must be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected in boiling water.

This is the maximum hygiene standard she can follow in this day and age. Although it sounds cumbersome, the rules must be established for them from the beginning. Once they get used to it every day, they won't find it troublesome anymore.

Regarding the implementation of the system, each person takes turns to supervise and inspect each other every day. If anyone is lazy and fails to do the job properly, others can report it, and the person who reports will be rewarded.

As for how those who violate the system will be dealt with, let them imagine it for themselves.

However, Chen Cui saw that these girls were all very obedient. They did whatever they were told and acted very quickly. No one disobeyed at all.

In modern terms, it means strong execution without any compromise.

Perhaps it is their nature, simple and hardworking, or perhaps it is because they have just arrived in a new place and have not yet established themselves, so they perform so well.

But for now, these people's performance has exceeded Chen Cui's expectations and everything is going well.