Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Leave the demolition of the house to Zhang Sanyou and the others. With Zhang Dafuku around, Liu Qingxi is not worried about safety issues.
To be honest, Zhang Dafuku is too honest, but honesty has its advantages. At least when most people are eager for quick results, he can remain rational and offer advice, which is rare.
During the construction process, safety issues are the most concerning, and it is essential to have a steady person like him supervising.
As for Zhang Wuliang? He is best suited for going out to negotiate business. His main focus at work is coordinating various relationships and making business connections.
“Qingxi, what are we going to do?”
“Village Chief, we've been busy since yesterday and I haven't had a chance to talk to you. Come with me to buy materials: Azure Brick, Glazed Tile, beams, rafters, purlins, door frames, and so on. We need to buy or custom order all of them.”
“Hmm, I know a bit about that. The nearest Brick Factory is about ten miles south of Biqi Town. Let's go check it out.”
Zhang Wuliang knows the way; he drives the Ox Cart south toward the Brick Factory. On the way, he shares his experience in building houses: “For the wood we need for the house and door frames, we can just buy from that Ox Cart family.
They have good materials and fine craftsmanship, but we need to prepare in advance. Fortunately, since we're also demolishing several houses and clearing debris while digging the foundation, we have time.”
Liu Qingxi nods. Although she has always worked in design in her previous life and hasn't done construction professionally, she has been to many construction sites and understands the processes; she just hasn't participated in a complete project from start to finish.
Moreover, having built so many Earthen Houses recently, it's essentially the same principle: “Yes, I've been busy building houses in the Village recently. With no manpower here, I couldn't keep up. Now that our Village's houses are built well, I'm eager to get started.”
As for arranging manpower during each phase of construction, Liu Qingxi has a rough plan in mind. She aims for a continuous flow of construction to minimize downtime and improve personnel utilization and work efficiency.
“You girl really surprises me with how perceptive you are; you understand things better than many who have lived half their lives. Is there anything you don't know?”
“Village Chief, there’s plenty I don’t know; I still need your guidance.”
Liu Qingxi playfully tugged at Zhang Wuliang's arm, shaking it back and forth.
"Yes, yes, yes, but no one can outsmart you, hahaha." Zhang Wuliang enjoyed Liu Qingxi's trust.
While they were chatting, the Ox Cart drove out of Biqi Town. Once they left the town, Zhang Wuliang cracked the whip, and the Ox Cart moved forward. The ten-mile distance was covered in just over two quarters of an hour.
Gradually, a large Brick Factory appeared before Liu Qingxi. It stood against the mountain, making full use of the terrain for construction. At the foot of the mountain, there was a steep cliff with a row of kilns arranged in an orderly manner.
In front was an open space of about ten acres, well-maintained and divided into several areas: a shaping area, a drying area, and transportation pathways.
At a glance, Liu Qingxi fell in love with this place. No wonder this Brick Factory was so famous; with such scale and orderly arrangements, it was rare for anyone to achieve this.
Zhang Wuliang parked the Ox Cart to the side and patted Old Workhorse on the head, allowing it to graze nearby.
Then he led Liu Qingxi to a building next to the open space.
Inside sat a lean man in his forties behind a desk. Upon seeing guests, he slightly stood up and asked, "What do you need?"
"Boss, how much do you sell your bricks for?" Zhang Wuliang stated his purpose. To be honest, although he was the village chief and his family lived relatively better than others, he had never bought bricks before since they used Mud Bricks.
This was indeed his first visit, and he wasn't very familiar with prices; he only knew they were expensive.
"Currently, Azure Bricks are two coins each. How many do you need?"
Zhang Wuliang gasped at the price. Two coins per brick was quite expensive. Just for building a two-story house of two hundred square meters would require around one hundred thousand bricks.
Liu Qingxi plans to build six stories this time, so two hundred square meters would cost three hundred thousand. This does not even account for the design area of the restaurant, which is more than two hundred square meters.
What would that amount to in numbers?
Zhang Wuliang estimates in his mind, roughly calculating that it would cost several hundred taels of silver. However, Liu Qingxi knows exactly how large the area of the building he designed is; it is definitely more than two hundred square meters, with a single floor occupying six hundred square meters.
Calculating this way, approximately Ninety Thousand Azure Brick would be needed, with each brick costing two wen, totaling one thousand eight hundred taels of silver.
Indeed, building an Azure Brick House in ancient times is no small feat; ordinary families simply cannot afford it.
For a typical house, including the Main House and the east and west wing rooms, at least thirty to fifty thousand bricks are required. Even if we estimate it at thirty thousand bricks, that would still amount to sixty taels of silver. For an ordinary Farmer, sixty taels is an unattainable height.
Fortunately, the restaurant has made quite a bit of money in the early stages, and since he is collaborating with Yang Yichen, they are investing according to a three-seven split, which is within an acceptable range.
But Zhang Wuliang does not think so; that much silver is too expensive: “Qingxi, isn’t this too costly?”
After expressing his concerns, he approached the Boss: “We need a lot of bricks; can you give us a discount?”
The middle-aged man smiled and shook his head: “Sir, I really can’t lower the price. You don’t know; after the earthquake, so many people have come here to buy bricks that our Brick Factory simply cannot keep up with production.”
“Those you see? They are all made by our workers who are working overtime and burning the midnight oil. Even if you want more, we don’t have it here. If you want them now, you can only take away part of what we have; the rest will be delivered once they are finished firing.”
This Boss, whose surname is Hu, inherited this Brick Factory from his ancestors. Under his management, it has undergone large-scale restructuring and now appears orderly.
Facing the large order from Zhang Wuliang and Liu Qingxi, he doesn’t mind at all. Why? Because within a hundred miles, he is the only one with Azure Brick. If someone wants to buy them, they can only come here; going to farther places wouldn’t be cost-effective.
The exclusive business naturally thrives, as those who build houses have no room for choice.
Especially after this earthquake, which has dealt a devastating blow to people, with severe damage to homes and enormous losses incurred.
Among these businesspeople, some are most afraid of death. Once the earthquake passes, they hurriedly rush to rebuild houses, demolishing all the old and dilapidated structures.
This has led to a continuous stream of business for Boss Hu, who naturally does not need to lower prices.
Of course, he also does not maliciously raise prices, as that would be unethical. Although he could make a quick profit in the short term, it would ruin the Hu family's century-old reputation.
Therefore, he treats everyone with the same attitude.
The advantage of an exclusive business is that although Boss Hu operates uniquely, he is not overly arrogant and maintains a relatively warm demeanor.
Liu Qingxi understands the principle that rarity increases value; in this situation, bargaining is basically impossible.
She accepts this calmly, as she aims to transform the restaurant into a comprehensive service that combines dining and entertainment.
"Boss, I need about ninety thousand. Can you prepare it as soon as possible?"
"Pfft~~~" The tea that Boss Hu had just sipped was sprayed out.
Comment 0 Comment Count