NOVPUBSeeing Song Bing’s reluctant expression, Tang Hao said with a smile, "We’re not asking you to become a carpenter. We want you to learn the trade so you can become a factory manager in the future. Just think, if the manager of a wood carving factory doesn’t understand anything about wood carving, wouldn’t that be ridiculous?" Song Bing still looked unwilling.
"I didn’t say I’d want to be the manager of this factory in the future, did I? I’ve told you many times, I’m still in university. After I graduate, I want to make my own way for a few years. In any case, I absolutely won’t consider coming back to take over the family business before I turn thirty."
The viewers in the live broadcast room became restless upon hearing Song Bing’s words.
"Is this what they call a rich second generation? He speaks so arrogantly. If I had such a family business, why would I even bother with university? I wouldn’t need anyone to pressure me; I’d take over the family business on my own initiative!"
"It shows that these rich second generations haven’t experienced enough hardship. Make them suffer a bit longer, and they won’t act like this. Right now, they are disdainful of the family business because they haven’t had to live through truly hard times; they don’t know what hard times really are."
"I think it depends on the person. I have a friend from a well-off family, and we’re pretty close. I often visit his house. I can only say that in this life, whatever you want to gain, you will definitely lose something else. When you take over the family business, in reality, you give up your independence. From then on you have to listen to whatever your family says, even when it comes to whom you marry."
Everyone decries feudalism, but with life and work pressures so immense these days, everyone wishes someone could just take care of everything in their life for them, otherwise there wouldn’t be so many people aiming for civil service exams.
The salary for civil servants isn’t high, so why do so many people spend time and energy trying to get in?
The reason is simple; they’re all just looking for stability.
People nowadays don’t want to strive. If they can lie down and live a mediocre life to the end, that’s already their biggest desire.
Tang Hao patted Song Bing on the shoulder and said, "I understand where you’re coming from, after all, I was young once too. We’re not saying you can’t go out and make your mark. We agreed from the start that before you turn thirty, you can go start your own business, work somewhere, or even pick up trash on the streets and we wouldn’t interfere. But if you haven’t saved up five million by the time you turn thirty, then you should honestly come back and take over the family business."
"Since there’s a possibility that you might come back to take over the business, and it’s a relatively high possibility at that, wouldn’t it be appropriate for you to learn a bit about wood carving now? You can’t just start learning everything from scratch after you turn thirty, right?"
What Tang Hao said made sense, and most importantly, Song Bing was very clear about the character of his family.
Now Tang Hao was willing to discuss the matter, which was already quite polite. At least there was still a negotiation.
If Song Bing didn’t even agree to such a simple request, it wouldn’t be a negotiation anymore, but enforcement.
By then, not only would he be required to learn wood carving from others, but also the possibility of freely starting his own business before turning thirty would no longer exist.
As they spoke, the group had already arrived at another workshop.
As soon as they entered, they saw a man wearing a mask and work clothes carving a piece of wood with his tools.
The wood and the area around the man were covered in a large amount of wood shavings, indicating that the carving work had been going on for some time.
Yao Lin walked at the forefront and said with a smile, "Master Wan, Factory Manager Tang has brought Young Master Song to see your work. Stop what you’re doing for a moment and stand up."
The wood carver, Wan Xiu, didn’t stand up. He just glanced at the group faintly and then frowned.
"Didn’t I say outsiders aren’t allowed in this place? Are my words worthless?"
Yao Lin was startled by Wan Xiu’s words.
"What are you talking about, Master Wan? This is Factory Manager Tang, Young Master Song, and his friends. How could they be outsiders?"
Worried that Wan Xiu would offend Tang Hao, Yao Lin nudged him and whispered, "Old Wan, I know you have a temper, but you should at least choose the right time and person to unleash it on. Factory Manager Tang is our current boss, and Young Master Song is our future boss. If you offend both, how are we supposed to do our jobs?"
Wan Xiu gave Yao Lin a look and said indifferently, "Are you saying that you don’t plan to let me work anymore? If so, that’s fine. Just settle my wages; I’ll clock out now."
Yao Lin didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
What on earth was going on!
Was this what he meant?
Seeing Wan Xiu had misunderstood, and just as Yao Lin was about to explain, Tang Hao, who was standing nearby, said, "Master Wan, don’t misunderstand. I’m the one who’s made a mistake here. We have no intention of firing you."
"My main thought was that you haven’t yet met Song Bing, so I figured you two should meet and get to know one another. But since you’re busy, Master Wan, we won’t disturb you any longer. We’ll leave now."
The viewers in the live stream were baffled by what they saw.
"Isn’t Factory Manager Tang being a bit too soft? He’s still a factory manager, how could he let a woodworker have the upper hand?"
"Brother, you can tell you’ve never been a leader. In the workplace, skilled technicians can have a higher status than the factory manager. Especially in a wood carving factory like this one. Do you think just anybody can do wood carving? What do you think people see in your factory that makes them want to cooperate? Isn’t it the carving skills? So, such skilled woodworkers are indeed the most formidable."
"True story. There’s also a wood carving factory in my hometown. The boss was a gambler, and workers hadn’t been paid for months. One of the master wood carvers started taking private commissions on the side and, using his skills, opened a new factory and even managed to get that gambling boss jailed. Now, isn’t that the mark of a skilled worker?"
"Anyone who’s run a restaurant knows you never want to offend the head chef. Even the owner has to serve the head chef with negotiable tones. Otherwise, if the head chef jumps ship, the restaurant will immediately go out of business."
As Tang Hao was about to lead them out, Wu Bin, who had been standing on the side, suddenly said, "Master Wan, you’re carving a Maitreya Buddha, right? It’s really impressive; captures the essence very well."
At Wu Bin’s words, everyone around was taken aback.
Right now, the wood in front of Wan Xiu was full of wood shavings—how could you tell it was Maitreya Buddha?
That’s far-fetched!
