The First National Preceptor of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 53

After hesitating for a moment, he said, "My lords, I have something to say. A few days ago, I overheard the head of the household mentioning that you were looking for someone to take charge of the factory."

But there's no suitable candidate yet. I've been thinking about it for a few days and I'd like to recommend myself. Do you think I'm suitable? What's my past like?

"You're going to the factory?" Xu Tian was very surprised, not expecting Song Liang to want to work at the factory.

“I did complain a bit before, but I didn’t expect you to take it to heart,” Wang Anping said from the side.

"Song Liang, come, sit down and let's talk. Let me hear your thoughts first. Why do you want to manage the factory?" Xu Tian asked.

"I have been at Huazilou for half a year now, and I have learned a lot here. I am very grateful to the two gentlemen. Now that things at Huazilou are quite stable and I am familiar with most of the affairs, I would like to learn about some new things."

"Since the workshop needs manpower, it's a good opportunity for me. I think the workshop must be very different from the shop in many ways, but with the guidance of these two gentlemen, I'm confident I can master it quickly," Song Liang explained.

“It’s not that we don’t trust you, but you are different from others. You represent the Lin family and need to supervise the store’s accounts.”

"If I were to assign him to do something completely unrelated, it would go against the original intention and be very inappropriate. If things were to be investigated later, it would be even more difficult to explain to Madam Lin." Xu Tian shook his head as he spoke.

"Besides, you're not an employee of the shop, you're just staying here temporarily. You might suddenly go back to Suzhou one day, and it wouldn't be good to give up halfway."

"Yes, you live thousands of miles away from home. You didn't go back last year, but you will definitely go back for the New Year this year. Whether you will come back after the New Year is uncertain, as there are too many variables."

"Besides, you're not married yet. Marriage is a big deal, and you'll definitely be getting married back home in the next year or two," Wang Anping chimed in.

"Regarding the accounts, no problems have been found in the past six months. Given the character of the two gentlemen and the store's accounting methods, the possibility of problems arising in the future is extremely small."

I can explain this to Sister Lin, and I think she will listen to my opinion. As for the latter, I am still young and can guarantee that I will not leave Dingxiang City for the next two years.

"When I leave in the future, I will definitely make sure all related matters are settled first," Song Liang said confidently, almost as if he were swearing an oath to the heavens.

His firm attitude, however, made Xu Tian somewhat puzzled and curious.

"Song Liang, you've been here for so long, but to be honest, we haven't had a proper chat yet, and we don't know much about your situation. We previously thought these were your private matters, and it wasn't appropriate for outsiders like us to interfere. But since we have time today, let's have a proper talk."

"Young Master Xu, please feel free to ask."

"Is Madam Lin really your cousin?" I asked that question first.

“It’s absolutely true. Sister Lin’s mother and my mother were sisters. It’s just that my aunt passed away a long time ago. The two families lived not far apart and still kept in touch.”

“Well, in her first letter she said that you had no intention of taking the imperial examination route, but I see that you have a solid foundation in culture. People are generally very enthusiastic about this. You are still so young, why don’t you want to develop in this direction?” Xu Tian had wanted to ask this question for a long time.