Chapter 106: The Republican-Era Young Lady Stops Making a Fuss 17 – I Have a Plan

Song Xuange would never admit that she was delicate.

She was clearly very easy to take care of.

At that, He Dusheng strongly agreed.

“Yes, that’s exactly what I think too. Everything Madam says is right.”

Song Xuange was not comforted at all. “You’re just humoring me. Now you’ve even learned to tease me with backhanded compliments.”

He Dusheng immediately cried injustice and coaxed her gently, “At least with me, making sure you live comfortably is an extremely easy thing.”

Song Xuange thought of all the little details of her likes and habits that he had memorized, and she was soothed at once. Her heart even felt sweet.

After He Dusheng recovered from his illness, he became busy again.

As Song Xuange’s belly grew larger and it became inconvenient for her to move around, she had Lu Changgeng follow He Dusheng instead.

She did not instruct Lu Changgeng directly. She had someone pass the message along.

Then one day, Ruixin told her that after receiving the order, Lu Changgeng had come to see her early that morning. But at the time, she had not yet changed clothes and it was inconvenient for her to receive anyone, and Lu Changgeng had not had anyone announce him either. He had simply kowtowed outside her room before going off to work.

When she heard about it later, she had no idea what it meant.

A few days later, He Dusheng came back and told her, “That kid wants to work for you.”

“Ah?”

Shouldn’t Lu Changgeng have been utterly loyal to him?

He Dusheng smiled and lightly flicked her nose. “You saved his sister. He’s grateful to you and wants to offer you his loyalty. There’s nothing strange about that.”

Then he added, “I’ve watched him for a few days. That kid is fairly upright, and he’s quick-witted too. Keep him around to run errands for you. He’ll be useful.”

Song Xuange had not expected that by solving Lu Changgeng’s difficulties ahead of time, she would also change the object of loyalty for one of He Dusheng’s originally devoted servants.

Now, Lu Changxin, Lu Changgeng’s sister, had recovered from her illness and was also working at Song Mansion.

After thinking it over, Song Xuange did not insist on keeping him by He Dusheng’s side. She only warned He Dusheng and A-Xiang to be especially careful about their safety.

The revised mechanical blueprints for the machines that Lu Zhu had drawn had long since been completed and sent to Jiangnan Machinery Factory for parts production.

Lu Zhu had inspected those parts herself, and according to her, they were passable.

She picked out the best one among them and told them to use that as the standard for subsequent batches.

After being fitted with the new parts, the steel mill and spinning machines were tested, and their average efficiency increased by 20 percent.

Lu Zhu was still dissatisfied and gazed at the sky in melancholy. “This is basically the highest efficiency you can get just by replacing parts under the current conditions. If you want to improve it further, you’d need major changes.”

Even the current results had exceeded He Dusheng’s expectations. “So it really can go even faster.”

“Of course.”

“Fine. If you can really pull it off, I’ll give you a share of the profits from all of Fenglong’s factories.”

Lu Zhu clapped her hands at once. “Deal.”

By now, He Dusheng had already raised Lu Zhu’s monthly salary to one hundred and twenty yuan, which absolutely put her among the highest earners. Raising it further did not mean much. It was better to use profit sharing to win her over as one of their own and make her part of Fenglong’s community of interests.

Lu Zhu also said, “Actually, these techniques of mine aren’t all that sophisticated. Anyone who’s studied them can learn them. I’m just standing on the shoulders of giants¹.”

So Song Xuange went to her and asked, “If I were to find some people to learn these skills from you, would you be willing to teach them?”

She asked cautiously. Lu Zhu herself might say her craft was nothing remarkable, but at present, it was truly one of a kind.

In a situation like this, most people would keep their best broom for themselves² to preserve their exceptional status.

Yet Lu Zhu’s reaction was unexpectedly enthusiastic. “Take apprentices? Sure! If I train people who are actually useful, my workload will get lighter. Learn, learn, learn. As long as someone’s willing to learn, I’ll teach them all. Our country should have thousands upon thousands of people who know these skills. That’s the only way to revive our national industry. I don’t think any compatriot who came back… would disagree with that.”

Her openness and breadth of mind made Song Xuange admire her.

This girl sometimes looked even more naive and childish than she was, but her innocent words were often stirring, and what she did put most men to shame.

Song Xuange solemnly bowed to her. “Master Lu, your righteousness is admirable.”

With her belly so large, the bow looked rather awkward when she did it, and even she found it a little ridiculous.

Lu Zhu did not laugh. She cupped her face, looking inexplicably thrilled, and muttered to herself, “Oh my god, oh my god, Ms. Song bowed to me!!! That’s Ms. Song!!! Mom, I’ve made it. My family’s genealogy can write a whole section just for me.”

Song Xuange: “…”

She’s gone crazy again.

Forget it. She left Lu Zhu to her own devices and went with He Dusheng to the study.

Only after personally confirming Lu Zhu’s real abilities and also making sure of her willingness did Song Xuange feel ready to show He Dusheng the plan she had been writing on and off during this period.

It was a plan for managing and developing the factories effectively over the long term.

It had grown into a thick stack because she had crammed in every detail she could think of. But if she were to summarize it, it was actually very simple.

Her plan was divided into two major parts.

One was developing education.

The other was factory logistics.

First, education.

The current chaotic and disorderly foreman management system had to be reformed. Otherwise, no matter how much they did, it would all be for nothing. Those parasites could rot the factories clean from the inside. By then, there would be no need for foreign capital to strike them down. They would decay to death on their own.

If they got rid of the foremen, then how were the lower-level workers supposed to be managed?

Song Xuange had worked out a solution: skilled workers.

They would be selected from among the workers themselves.

Song Xuange planned to establish a Factory School.

On one hand, the school would provide general education for the children of factory workers. They could continue their studies like students at other schools, or they could start as factory apprentices from a young age. Those who learned poorly would become workers, while those who learned well could become the factory’s reserve technical talent.

On the other hand, the school would provide basic training for all factory workers, requiring them to operate according to standards. This would not only allow the machines improved by Lu Zhu to maximize their efficiency, but also prevent injuries and disabilities caused by improper operation due to lack of knowledge.

At present, all workers had to study. Not only study, but also be assessed after learning. And those assessments would be tied directly to wages.

At present, factory wages were also graded, but for the most part they depended on personal connections or length of service.

Song Xuange wanted to change this chaotic wage system so that pay level would be determined by technical rank.

All current Fenglong workers were to take part in the training and assessment, whether they were from the original factories or workers brought in from newly acquired plants.

Those who passed would be awarded the title of Level One Worker and receive a raise on top of their current pay. Those who performed exceptionally well would take a second round of testing and be awarded Level Two Worker status, allowing them to temporarily take on worker management duties.

If the foremen wanted to keep their jobs, that was possible too. They would also take part in the assessment, and as long as they passed, they could stay.

Those who failed would not be dismissed on the spot either. They would simply remain at their original low wage. They would be given a set period to study and retake the exam, and as long as they passed within that time, it would be fine.

This was also one of Song Xuange’s indirect ways of raising wages.

At present, workers’ pay was far too low. If even basic food and shelter could not be guaranteed, how could output possibly be guaranteed?

But wages could not simply be raised across the board without thought. Increases should go only to those who could create greater output.

Considering that most workers were illiterate, there was no need for the exam to be written.

That would be far too detached from reality.

The assessment would be divided into two parts: an oral exam and a practical skills test.

As long as they followed instructions and studied seriously, passing generally would not be too difficult.

For the Factory School to become reality, the core figure was Lu Zhu, and fortunately, she was willing.

If Lu Zhu could train outstanding apprentices, then just as she had said, not only would she no longer need to handle everything personally, those people could also become the teachers for the next stage of factory education.

That covered the factory education side.

Next came factory logistics.

To put it plainly, worker welfare.

Song Xuange not only wanted to make sure her own workers would not follow the trend and rise up in strikes and resistance, she also wanted all workers to aspire to become Fenglong workers.

Letting workers’ children attend the Factory School was one such method, and both sides would benefit from it.

Raising workers’ wages was another. Pay grades would also be set according to skilled worker levels. Of course, for this part, especially the classification and standards for skilled worker grades, the details still had to be discussed with Lu Zhu.

Then there were workers’ food, lodging, and medical care.

The factories were all in the outskirts, where land was cheap. Building housing to serve as dormitories and cafeterias would not cost much, and hiring a few doctors would not be difficult either, yet it could solve most of the workers’ daily problems.

Song Xuange was not acting out of pure kindness either. In her view, only by solving their problems in life could they work better for the factory.

These were all plans she had worked out over this period after visiting foreigners, meeting with workers, having long talks with that reporter who was stubbornly committed to reporting on workers’ living conditions, and then adding her own understanding.

She spoke to He Dusheng at length, and at first he still wore the amused smile of someone indulging her in a childish game.

But after hearing her out, his expression gradually turned serious.

From time to time, he asked her about certain details. Song Xuange had already gone over these matters in her mind for a long time, and she had prepared solutions for many of the difficulties she could foresee, so answering him was not hard.

“I know some of these plans are unrealistic to a degree, and actually putting them into practice will definitely be difficult. Leaving aside everything else, just worker training assessments and reforming the foremen alone would be enough to cause major upheaval in the current factory operations. At best it could affect production, at worst it could bring operations to a standstill. But these are the plans as I envision them. However difficult they may be, if we treat them as goals and work toward them little by little, we’ll get there eventually.”

She kept talking, at times excited, at times emotional, at times troubled.

And when she looked at He Dusheng again, his eyes were full of admiration and amazement.

“All right, we’ll do it this way.” He Dusheng pressed a hand over that stack of documents. “You’ve worked hard. I haven’t done well enough. I’ve made you worry.”

He agreed to her proposal, and Song Xuange was delighted that her work had been acknowledged and that she could truly help him.

But because he had agreed so readily, she found herself a little dissatisfied instead.

“You can’t just decide things on a whim like that. At least offer some suggestions. I’ve never been involved in business matters before, so there are bound to be places where I haven’t thought things through.”

“I’m not just saying this to please you. This is good,” He Dusheng told her. “You say the reforms are sudden, and you’re afraid the workers won’t accept them, but I think now is actually the best time. We’ve just merged many factories in, so this is exactly the moment to make sweeping changes. I’ll assign a few reliable people to you, and you can simply instruct them on what to do. It’ll just mean more trouble for you.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of myself,” Song Xuange said. She caressed her rounded belly and joked, “This little one has already started using its brain along with Mommy while still in the womb. It must be born clever.”

He Dusheng placed his hand over hers, and together they felt the child.

“I don’t ask for this child to be clever. As long as it’s healthy and obedient and doesn’t make its mother worry, that’s enough.”

“Ah…” Song Xuange cried out.

She clearly felt the child move inside her belly. It was right on the right side of her stomach, very distinctly.

“It moved, it moved.”

He Dusheng’s hand was pressed so close, so naturally he felt it too.

He was very pleased. “Looks like the child is responding to me. A good, obedient child.”

Song Xuange disagreed. “Not at all. I think it’s arguing with you. It’s saying, we’re very smart, thank you very much.”

He Dusheng sighed. “Why is it just like its mother? It hasn’t even been born yet, and it’s already making me worry.”

That earned him a round of playful hitting from Song Xuange.

After the two of them lingered together affectionately for a while, He Dusheng picked up his pen and added one more section to the very end of Song Xuange’s proposal.

Three, State-Run Machinery Factory.

Song Xuange was stunned.

She knew he was ambitious, but she had not expected that by this time he was already thinking on such a bold scale.

“You want to build a machinery factory yourself and produce the machines yourself?”

Tapping those few words, He Dusheng said, “This is the real way to break free from the control of foreign capital. We can’t depend forever on foreign technology and cross the seas to buy machines from them.”

Song Xuange knew what kind of man he was. Whatever he said aloud, he would surely carry through to the end.

The fact that he had now added this line to the proposal meant it was not a sudden impulse. He must have thought it over for a long time already, and it had likely been part of his plans for the future from the start.

She understood his determination.

“I’ll help you.”

“Good.” He Dusheng pulled her into his arms. “I know this can’t be accomplished in a single day. But now, with the school for workers’ children, we’ve at least taken the first step.”

At this moment, their hearts felt closer than they had ever been before, so close it was as if they were engraving themselves into each other’s souls.

Compared to this moment, all those past times of eating, drinking, pleasure, and amusement suddenly felt like nothing more than that.

When husband and wife were of one mind, striving forward together with all their strength, this was what it felt like.

Thinking about the so-called love she had pursued in her previous life, it was nothing but a joke.

To put Song Xuange’s plans into action, there was an enormous amount to do, and the sooner they started, the better.

After careful consideration, He Dusheng selected several people to follow up and take charge of these matters.

Each of them had their own responsibilities. Some were in charge of choosing locations, negotiating for land, and constructing buildings. Some were responsible for gathering a group of people with technical foundations to compile teaching materials under Lu Zhu’s direction. Others drew up worker welfare tiers according to Song Xuange’s overall framework…

Lu Changgeng was also assigned to this group to help out. He was the one who understood the workers best.

As time went on, his capabilities became all the more apparent.

Song Xuange found him increasingly useful. Having first kept him merely as an attendant had truly been a waste.

As for Lu Zhu, when Song Xuange found her and told her about the Factory School plan, along with the important role she would play in it, Lu Zhu was momentarily at a loss.

“So I, too, am a participant in history?”

Translator’s Notes