NOVPUB
Chapter 648: 638
Then, Shen Yunfang gave Zhang Bin the dimensions and specifications for each house to be built and asked him to go back and prepare a budget. If possible, they should sign the contract as soon as possible.
She was in a hurry. It was already August, and if she wanted to harvest off-season vegetables before the new year, some crops would need to be planted in September or October. Therefore, she planned to have Zhang Bin start building greenhouses as soon as the contract was signed.
By then, they would build and plant one at a time, ensuring some produce ready before the new year.
Two days later, Zhang Bin brought her a budget.
The clear specifications were laid out: dimensions for the farm buildings with each costing three thousand. He had measured; aside from the area reserved for the biogas digester behind the dormitory, thirty such buildings could be built. Each warehouse would cost five thousand, and the Drying Yard was simply leveling with cement, requiring no special skills, so he charged only five hundred for materials. As for the vegetable greenhouses, which Zhang Bin had never constructed, he could not estimate the cost readily. However, he gave an estimate of two thousand based on the building materials provided by Shen Yunfang.
Shen Yunfang was satisfied with Zhang Bin’s pricing. After paying the final installment for their last collaboration, she drafted another contract.
Both parties preferred to sign a separate contract for each project. Shen Yunfang urgently needed the greenhouses, so the contract they signed again was for the construction of the greenhouses.
Shen Yunfang had no objections to the price, but her only requirement was speed. The contract explicitly mentioned that they needed to complete at least ten greenhouses within a month and a half. If Zhang Bin’s construction team failed to meet the task, he would have to pay Shen Yunfang three times the compensation.
Zhang Bin hesitated when he got the contract because this was different from regular house building. Usually, he could rush the workers, but he had never built a greenhouse and felt uncertain.
In the end, Zhang Bin signed the contract at hand—it was a gamble. If it worked out, his construction team would gain a new skill, ranking among the top in the entire provincial city, if not the first.
After signing the contract, and with the deadline so tight, he immediately requested Shen Yunfang’s guidance to begin work while he himself went out to source materials.
After giving the workers a dose of her intense training lessons, they grew rapidly as a group. Shen Yunfang only needed to explain once, and they grasped her meaning, giving her a great sense of achievement.
During the breaks in teaching, she went to the city to find Master Yang, the furniture maker, to make some furniture for the dormitory. After all, it couldn’t house anyone when it was empty.
Upon her next visit to Master Yang’s home, it was distinctly different—while the courtyard wasn’t bustling, it showed signs of a thriving scene. 𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙥𝒖𝒃.𝒄𝒐𝒎
As she entered, she saw at least four carpenters working away—planing, sanding, painting—each one seemingly busy with their tasks.
"Oh, comrade, you’re here to order furniture, huh? Come and take a look. We can make anything, and I guarantee it’s the most fashionable in our provincial city," a man in his thirties quickly put down his sandpaper to greet her as Shen Yunfang entered the yard.
Once inside the courtyard, Shen Yunfang scanned the overall situation. Inside the rooms were mostly the same styles of furniture she had initially made, with bunk beds being the most common.
"Is Master Yang here? I want to discuss some business with him," Shen Yunfang straightforwardly asked for the familiar face.
With a discreet glance, the man eyed Shen Yunfang, who didn’t appear to be causing trouble. His mouth immediately sought out the boss, signaling he wasn’t here on a whim but was perhaps a returning customer. "Master Yang? Yes, he’s in, working on furniture inside. If you know our boss, that’s just wonderful. Please hold on a moment, I’ll fetch him for you."
It wasn’t long before Master Yang came out, but his appearance left something to be desired—it was clear he had been hard at work, dressed in his workshop overalls with wood shavings clinging to his hair and clothes.
Master Yang recognized her at once and hurriedly plastered on a smile, "Yo, Xiaoshen is here, what a rare visitor! Please come inside quickly. Qiangzi, hurry and get your aunt to bring some hot water over."
The person who had just been attending to Shen Yunfang vanished in a flash, as if he had turned into smoke.
"Master Yang, there’s no need for all this trouble. I’m just here today to ask you to make a few things for me," said Shen Yunfang, even as she followed Master Yang inside.
Hearing this, Master Yang’s eyes lit up immediately. Having made furniture for this Comrade Shen before, his own furniture factory had expanded substantially, accepting loads of orders and earning a handsome profit. And now, Xiaoshen was saying she needed furniture again. How could he not be excited? Perhaps this was another opportunity.
"What trouble? All you have to do is sit down and have some hot water. And you’ve seen for yourself, thanks to you, business at the old man’s place has improved a lot. I’ve been meaning to thank you properly, but I couldn’t find you after your last visit. Now that you’ve finally come by, the least I can do is pour you a cup of water," Master Yang insisted.
Shen Yunfang laughed and accepted the gesture. Once they were both seated, she revealed the purpose of her visit.
"That sounds simple. Just double beds, single beds, and big wardrobes, right? No need for any special styles?" Master Yang asked.
"No need, regular styles are fine. I don’t care much for the quality of the wood, but it has to be sturdy and durable," Shen Yunfang replied. She was looking to furnish a dormitory uniformly; nothing too fancy, as long as it was functional.
Master Yang nodded, "Since we know each other, I’ll give you a straight price. One hundred and ten for a double bed, sixty for a single bed, one hundred and twenty for a two-door wardrobe, one hundred and forty for a three-door, and one hundred and sixty for a four-door." He offered her a fair quote.
"And the tables? The regular kind, just to fill space," Shen Yunfang continued.
"Ten yuan each," said Master Yang.
After pondering for a moment, Shen Yunfang said, "Alright, I’ll take it at the price you’ve said. Twenty double beds, forty singles, twenty four-door wardrobes, forty three-door ones, and sixty tables. But for each table, you’ll need to include six stools. I’ll give you twenty yuan for a set, how does that sound?"
Master Yang was stunned by the quantity she requested, "You want so many?"
"Yes, Master Yang, I need these items as soon as possible. The weather is turning cooler, and my workers are waiting to move into their rooms. Can you finish them on time? If not, I’ll have to look elsewhere and place some orders with other shops," said Shen Yunfang in an amiable tone. Yet, it was essentially her way of pressuring him. Ordinarily, people wouldn’t say they couldn’t do it; it’s better to find a subcontractor among peers than to have the customer go elsewhere. This way, customers are more inclined to choose his service in the future, effectively securing their loyalty. Plus, subcontracting to peers would definitely be at the lowest cost, allowing him to earn a little extra from the margin.
Indeed, Master Yang was no fool and immediately grasped her strategy, planning to act on it. "Heh, Xiaoshen, do you think I can’t handle it or something? Sure, the job’s a bit big, but we have a lot of people in our factory. If we hurry, it can be done. No need for you to go looking elsewhere. You just place your order with me, and rest easy," he said.
