Chapter Five: Father and Son Heart-to-Heart

  Qiao's family reached a consensus, and Bai Kuan was also delighted in his heart. The pressure of running the factory alone was really too great, even if his family had ample resources, it was still unbearable. Now that he had Qiao's help, things naturally became easier. Both sides discussed many details, and Old Lady Qiao and Qiao Guangyuan were both advanced in age, so they drank a few more cups in excitement before going to rest first. Qiao Yu was also tired from the journey, so he went to rest as well.

  The next day, Qiao Yu got up early and organized his thoughts. He wanted to set up the factory himself and make it successful, so that he could attract more people to work in the factory and expand his own interests. In another year, it would be the Xinhai Revolution, and time was not waiting for anyone.

  Running a textile mill is just about dealing with raw materials, production and sales. Sichuan has no shortage of raw materials, and Qiao and Bai have sufficient channels for this. Sales are also not a concern, as both families have many fabric shops and silk warehouses that can be integrated into sales points. Moreover, nowadays Chinese people still prefer domestic goods, so as long as the quality of the fabric is acceptable, it will sell well.

  What's left is to get the factory up and running, the address has already been selected, and the funds are almost ready. First, build the factory building, and once the machines arrive, production can begin. Ah, yes! There also needs to be enough technicians, which is a widespread shortage throughout China. It seems that for now, we have no choice but to temporarily hire foreign technicians, and then train our own workers later on.

  The next day, Qiao Yu and Bai Kuan discussed it again, and after roughly settling on a plan, they spent three days organizing the factory's plans, which naturally included many new ideas for future generations. After reading it, Bai Kuan was overjoyed, especially with regards to the part about managing the factory, he couldn't help but praise it repeatedly.

  Currently, many factories in China have serious management problems, with most relying on personal relationships and family-style operations. In the production workshops, a foreman system is used, where unskilled and inexperienced foremen are put in charge of supervising workers. These foremen often have triad backgrounds, which allows them to intimidate workers and exploit them for their own gain. This approach not only fails to boost worker morale but also exacerbates the conflict between factory owners and workers. As a result, workers are oppressed, and product quality is not guaranteed. In his plan, Qiao Yu completely eliminated the foreman link and instead used skilled technicians to manage production. He established a detailed reward and punishment system, where hard work was rewarded with bonuses on top of basic wages, effectively improving labor efficiency.

  At the management level, adopt a policy of selecting truly capable people for production management while implementing strict financial systems to prevent corruption and waste.

  Bai Kuan was also a seasoned businessman, and he immediately grasped the benefits of this system. He became increasingly optimistic about the factory's prospects and decided to return to Chongqing to build one. Qiao Yu naturally wanted to follow him, but his father, Qiao Guangyuan, called him into his own room. Qiao Yu was still very respectful in front of his father, whom he admired greatly for being able to rise to the position of Right Servant of the Ministry of Revenue. However, today his father seemed somewhat downcast and said after a long pause:

  "Third son, your father is old now and just wants to live out the rest of his life in peace and quiet, nothing more. Do you understand my thoughts?"

  The old man's words were hinting at something, and Qiao Yu scratched his head in confusion, thinking that he didn't have any weaknesses, except for not having a braid, but the old man also knew that he studied military affairs, so if he had a big braid it would be even more strange.

  "Third son, I know that those who have returned from studying abroad all think about overthrowing the Qing dynasty and establishing a new country. I've been a loyal minister of the Qing court for my whole life, so no one knows more about this imperial court than me. But I don't want us to produce rebels!"

  Qiao Yu listened carefully to the old man's words, and gradually he also understood the old man's mind. The accumulated prestige of the Qing Dynasty for hundreds of years had already penetrated deep into people's hearts. If it weren't for this, the foundation of the Qing Dynasty would have been empty after the Sino-Japanese War, how could it still be maintained? His own father had read books all his life, and in the end, he was willing to ruin the name of loyalty and filial piety. This was the thinking of many old-fashioned figures in this era.

  "Father, to be honest, I've become very disillusioned with the Qing government's politics. That's why I don't want to take office or join the military, but instead start a business. However, having seen the revolutionary party abroad, I won't join them either. All I can do is try my best to protect our family."

  "Alas! I'm delighted to hear you say that. With all the uprisings in recent years, my heart has been churning nonstop. Nowadays, there are no more capable officials like Li Hongzhang, Liu Kunyi, or Zhang Zhidong; they're all a bunch of incompetent people. If some foolish official makes a slight mistake and allows the revolutionaries to succeed in one or two places, I fear that the whole country will be thrown into chaos!"

  Qiao Yu was shocked by the old man's words, and it seemed that he couldn't underestimate the political wisdom of this generation. Although his father had never been prominent in official circles, his foresight was truly astonishing, and it coincided with the trend of historical development, which was really incredible.

  "Father, what do you think I should do?"

  "What else can be done, haven't you already thought of a way yourself? Running a factory, grasping for money, your second brother is in the army, grasping for guns. With these two things, no one will dare to look down on our family. Throughout history, changes in dynasties have always been extremely bloody. The old man just hopes that before I die, the Qing dynasty won't fall. Third son, if that day really comes, you must promise me not to be the first person to oppose the Qing dynasty, even if it means I've devoted my life to loyalty to the Emperor!"

  Qiao Yu didn't want to be the first to take action, so he nodded in agreement without hesitation. The old man seemed to have also let out a sigh of relief, picked up his tea cup and took a light sip.

  Qiao Yu bowed his head in thought, the old man had shown him the way. In a chaotic world, it was nothing more than holding onto one's purse with one hand and a gun with the other. It seemed that if there was an opportunity, he should ask his father for advice more often. Although he had gained experience over a hundred years, when it came to handling specific matters, he still needed to rely on the experiences of people from this era.

  "Dad, I'm going to Chongqing with Uncle, and Big Brother is still at home raising funds. I couldn't possibly go alone, could I? You should assign a few helpers for me, or else you'll be watching me make a fool of myself!"

  The old man listened, stroked his goat beard lightly, and smiled: "I've already arranged it. Housekeeper Qian Tai is a trustworthy person who has followed me for many years and is good at managing finances. Let him be your assistant. Besides, the world is not peaceful now, and it's hard to guarantee that someone won't be jealous of your big factory. It's easy to avoid open attacks, but difficult to guard against hidden arrows. I'll assign five bodyguards to you. They were originally under Nie Shicheng's command during the war with Japan in the year of Gengzi, and later scattered after Nie Shicheng died in battle when the Eight-Nation Alliance entered Beijing. I took them in afterwards, and they became my bodyguards. They are all people who have truly seen bloodshed. If you use them well, they can be of great help!"

  Qiao Yu was overjoyed, he currently lacked military talent the most, and his old man had given him five veteran soldiers, truly thoughtful! He hastily thanked his father, chatted for a while, then left his father's room. Qiao Guang gazed at Qiao Yu's back, feeling a pang of emotion in his heart. He could sense a strong ambition from his son, the nature of father and son. Although Qiao Yu had an additional new soul, he was still influenced by his original consciousness deep down. The worldly-wise Qiao Guang naturally could guess some of Qiao Yu's thoughts.

  "Shun Qing, the rise and fall of our family's fortune are all on your shoulders now!" The old man let out a long sigh, then picked up the Spring and Autumn Annals again, carefully flipping through it as if nothing had happened.

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