The Daily Life of a Rich Peasant's Boy in the Imperial Examination

Sun Dingnan quickly handed the account book to Sun Shan for review, then said, "We're producing enough guano fertilizer for summer farming. Master, do you want to stop production?"

Workers go to work every day and need to calculate their wages. They are already short of money and think that every penny they can save is a penny they can save.

Previously, because of his meritorious service in catching bandits, the bounty was temporarily transferred to the workshop, barely enough to support its operation.

If I continue to work so hard, with daily expenses and no income, I'm afraid it will be difficult to sustain myself.

It would be better to stop work first, wait until the summer harvest and summer plowing are over, and then come back to work to prepare fertilizer for next year's spring plowing.

Sun Shan carefully checked the account book. There were no accounts receivable, only expenditure accounts. Looking at the account book one by one, he couldn't help but feel distressed.

After a moment's thought, he asked, "Are you sure the fertilizer for summer plowing is ready? We need enough for the entire county. If the summer harvest is good, I'm sure the people will rush to use the fertilizer."

Sun Dingnan said confidently, "Master, after this month's work, the output will definitely guarantee the fertilizer use of the entire Yuanlu County. We will budget for more production, and after deducting the losses, we can ensure that all the people can use it."

Sun Shan finally decided to support this suggestion: "Okay, let's do it as you say. Determine the quantity and stop work at the end of the month."

It is now May, and in a month we will have the summer harvest, followed by summer plowing, and then we will wait for the autumn harvest.

During this period, the men in the workshop also have to work on the farmland at home. Giving them a holiday will not only reduce their income, but they will also not be idle at home with nothing to do.

Of course, the most important thing is to reduce expenses and save costs.

Sun Dingnan said again, "Master, can the fertilizer for Xia Geng still be bought on credit like before?"

Initially, the people had no money, so they were allowed to buy on credit. If the harvest was good in summer, the people could harvest a lot of food, and then they would have money.

In addition to paying off the fertilizer bills on credit, the fertilizer costs for summer plowing should be affordable.

If we continue to sell on credit, the workshop's cash flow will be very limited and we will still not be able to make money.

It will probably take one or two years before you start making money.

Without hesitation, Sun Shan said, "Continue to sell on credit. Those who have money will pay, and those who don't will buy on credit."

After a pause, he added, "The wealthy people on our blacklist cannot buy on credit, but the rest of the people can."

The so-called blacklist refers to the wealthy families in Yuanlu County who have money but do not pay, and follow the common people to buy on credit.

Sun Shan had no choice but to use threats and bribes to collect the debts in order to keep the workshop running.

Sun Dingnan put these people on the blacklist, and once he saw them trying to buy on credit, he would immediately trigger the mechanism, issue a warning, and refuse to sell on credit.

The bad members on the blacklist are none other than the well-known characters such as County Magistrate Wang, Inspector Liang, the three wealthy brothers, etc., who appear frequently.

Sun Shan was checking the accounts while chatting with Sun Dingnan. The conversation turned to Manager Wang.

He asked, "How capable is Manager Wang? Is he qualified for the position of manager?"

Sun Dingnan pointed at the account book and said, "Master, the account book you are looking at was written by Manager Wang. Perhaps because he lived, studied and worked in Chenzhou Prefecture, he is very organized in his work. He understands it immediately. His handwriting is even better than mine."

Sun Shan had long discovered that the account book was not written by Sun Dingnan. He took a look at Manager Wang's handwriting and found it was indeed neat and comfortable, much better than Sun Dingnan's.

Sun Dingnan's words implied his affirmation of Manager Wang.

Sun Shan nodded and said, "If you think he can do it, then after this month, when he returns from vacation, let him stay at the workshop alone, and you can return to the government office."

Everything that could be taught had been taught, and it was time for Sun Dingnan to leave.

Sun Dingnan hummed, "Just do as the master says."

Then he said, "Aside from being a bit spoiled, there's nothing wrong with Manager Wang. Our workshop isn't very large, so we can let Manager Wang manage it alone."

In a workshop, management and bookkeeping should be separated. Unfortunately, the workshop only serves Yuanlu, so it does not need too many departments.

In order to save costs, Manager Wang had to be responsible for all "office affairs".

Sun Shan asked again, "Has Manager Wang completed all his duties?"

To understand a workshop, you have to start from the bottom. You must have a good grasp of the guano fertilizer production process. This way you will be familiar with every step and be able to negotiate with people or suppliers to understand the workshop's needs.

If Manager Wang wants to become a qualified manager, even if he has not come from the grassroots level, he must go to the grassroots level to train.

Sun Dingnan said confidently, "Master, Manager Wang did every job, and I personally supervised it."

As soon as Wang Ganhua arrived at the workshop, he followed the villagers to the guano pit to transport guano.

For example, how to use a pulley to pull the bird droppings from the bottom of the mountain to the top, and then pull them down the mountain from the top of the mountain, or use a wheelbarrow to pull the bird droppings from the bottom of the mountain to the raw material warehouse of the workshop.

Then the workshop and workers carried out preliminary processing of the bird droppings, and then mixed the bird droppings with quicklime and other ingredients according to the proportion. The whole fermentation process was clearly visible.

Even the final packaging has to be done by myself so that I can know the price of the packaging sacks.

Which cheap and durable sack is best for packaging guano fertilizer?

Sun Dingnan led Wang Ganhua through everything in detail, and only after he was sure that Wang Ganhua understood it did he let him start to get involved in finance.

Take him to negotiate with suppliers of sacks, quicklime, etc.

Sun Dingnan continued, "Master, Manager Wang is even better at negotiating than I am. He even managed to get the price of quicklime down. I don't know how he negotiated, but after some time, the owner of the quicklime agreed to a price reduction."

Sun Dingnan felt inferior to this.

Sun Shan comforted him, "Don't be discouraged. Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses. We should not be discouraged."

Sun Dingnan smiled and said, "But Manager Wang isn't very good at heavy work. Haha, the villagers don't want to work with him because they think he slows them down.

"Master, have you noticed that Manager Wang has become thinner and darker? It's because he's been digging guano out of the guano pit. It's hard for him, a city boy, to do such a smelly job."

Sun Shan smiled faintly. "Who cares? As a manager, you have to learn how to do every job. Only if you can endure it, you can pass our assessment."

After a pause, he added, "Since you think he is capable of handling the management position, then let him do it alone. After his vacation, just let him return to the workshop alone."

Then he continued, "But you can't just sit back and do nothing. You have to come to the workshop from time to time to check on it. You have to keep abreast of the workshop's situation. I'm still worried about letting Manager Wang come alone."

Not only was Sun Shan worried, but Sun Dingnan was also worried.

The guano fertilizer workshop was the first workshop he managed from start to finish, from preparation to operation to sales to revenue collection, he did it all in detail.

If he were not a foreigner, Sun Dingnan would probably not have stayed in the workshop and continued working there.

Unfortunately, he was from Sunjia Village and would have to leave Yuanlu County sooner or later, so he had to let go.

Of course, the more important reason is that he is the master's man and must follow the master.