Chapter 82: Chapter 82: Night Talk
Everyone was preoccupied with their own thoughts, and dinner ended hastily.
In the courtyard, the workers were watching the video, 'Once Upon a Time in China,' which is considered one of Tsui Hark's masterpieces. Not to mention Jet Li, but Rosamund Kwan was so beautiful at this time that it would not be an exaggeration to describe her as 'the most beautiful woman in the world.'
This was the golden age of Hong Kong cinema, with high production and high standards. Many of the films produced at the time are still classics even after 20 years. I don't know if it's because of the film stock or the technology, but at this time, many classic martial arts films, such as the Wong Fei Hung series, the Swordsman series, and many others such as Ashes of Time and New Dragon Inn, all have an overall dark yellow tone, like the colour of the clouds in the distance at sunset.
The disc covers are mostly in this colour tone, so this is Feng Yiping's most intuitive impression of these classic martial arts films.
Feng Yiping is troubled, and his brother-in-law doesn't seem to be in a good mood either. Although it is a martial arts film, there are many funny parts. Feng Yiping sits and watches for a while, and realises that he doesn't fit in with the happy crowd around him. Seeing that Mei Yilong also doesn't seem to be enjoying the film, he asks him to take him for a walk along the river.
At the moment, they were not yet so wealthy as to be able to afford a 'brightness project'. The lighting on the riverside was acceptable, but it was far from being a scenic spot. At this time, the river breeze brought a cool breeze after the summer heat, with a slight smell of fish from the river. However, the people by the river were used to this smell, so there were still quite a few people walking on the sidewalk.
The waves of the river were crashing. In front of Feng Yiping, Mei Yiliang, who was usually optimistic and talkative, was silent. He was slightly bent over, with his hands in his pockets, and slowly pacing along the road.
'Brother-in-law, is there something on your mind?' Feng Yiping asked, tilting his head.
Mei Yiliang stopped and held the railing along the riverbank. 'Yiping, help me think. Should I stay in the factory or not?'
This is a problem. The furniture factory is not big, and there are already two sons fighting over it. It relies on the current mode of operation, and it is not a matter of one or two days to grow and expand. Even if it develops, and even if by then his brother-in-law has married Cai Hong, his position in the factory will still be very awkward. He can't possibly go above the heads of those two.
Besides, if he keeps working in the factory as he has been, he won't be able to save much money, so what will he use to marry Cai Hong?
'What do you think?'
'I think that if I stay in the factory like this, I won't be able to learn any skills, and I won't be able to earn much money in a year. How will I make Cai Hong your sister-in-law then?' Mei Yiliang doesn't seem to think of Feng Yiping as a child when he speaks now. 'You have many ideas, help me think!'
Feng Yiping really thought about it, so he imitated Zhuge Liang, stroked his non-existent long beard, waved his non-existent goose feather fan, and said in a pretentious manner, 'I have three strategies for this matter: the top, middle, and bottom strategies.'
Mei Yiliang was finally amused and slapped him on the head, laughing, 'Tell me.'
'If I can't learn any more skills at the factory, I think I should go too,' Feng Yiping said. "There's just one more factor to consider: if you leave the factory, will your relationship with Cai Hong be affected?'
'There's no need to consider that, it won't be affected," Mei Yiliang said without hesitation.
Feng Yiping guessed that Mei Yiliang had either already discussed it with Cai Hong or they had already had sex and made the decision irreversible.
Fine, I don't want to ask too many questions. 'That's good, then let's go! After leaving the factory, there are two options. You have good skills now, and you can do what your master can do, so you can consider setting up your own business. For the location, you can choose in the province or in the county, each with its pros and cons. What do you think?'
It's not difficult to set up a small furniture factory nowadays. If you have a lot of money, you can do it in a big way; if you have little money, there are also ways to do it, using less machinery and more labour.
'Well...' This time, Mei Yiliang pondered for a longer period of time.
'I have also thought about doing this, but I feel that I would be letting the master down, and I am also afraid that Cai Hong would have an opinion about it. What's more, I am worried that her two brothers would not agree to Cai Hong and I getting together because I am also in this line of work.'
Mei Yiliang's worries were not without reason. The Cai family could accept other furniture factories taking business away from them, but they really could not necessarily accept Mei Yiliang also setting up a furniture factory to compete with them.
'Then we won't be in the provincial capital, but back in the county?' Feng Yiping asked again.
'But how much business can there be in the county? Many people still hire carpenters to make furniture for them.' It seemed that Mei Yiliang had already thought about this problem.
Feng Yiping had wanted to tell him that buying ready-made furniture was the trend of the near future, but then he thought about it, and realised that it might be difficult to achieve anything during this period of 'near future'.
What about joining forces with the Cai family? You could go back to the county and set up a workshop there. Land is cheap there, and Cai could hand over all the work he can't handle. But Cai would still be relying on him, and there's no guarantee that Cai's business will stay good forever.
That leaves just one option.
'Then you'll stay in the provincial capital, but you'll have to change industries.'
'Change industries? I've thought about it, but this is the only thing I'm good at.'
'Just listen to me for a moment. Most of the people who come to the factory to order furniture now are moving to a new home!' Feng Yiping asked him.
'Yes, there are more people moving to new homes than buying new furniture,' Mei Yiliang said.
'So think about it. When they move to a new home, what else do they need to do apart from buying furniture? Feng Yiping inspired him.
'What else? There's a lot more to do, just tell me!' Mei Yiliang looked at him and knew that he had an idea.
'Moving to a new home means you have to decorate first! It's not like the old days when you could just move into a new house with bare walls. You have to decorate first, put up ceilings, lay floor tiles, put up wallpaper, and so on and so forth. Some people don't necessarily buy new furniture when they move to a new home, but at least they will decorate it. Now that more and more high-rises are being built, this is such a good business!'
'Decorating?' After some thought, Mei Yiliang realised that this was indeed the case. Nowadays, people have high expectations and love to follow trends, so they are willing to spend money on decorating.
'And, have you thought about it? If you get a decorating business, you can also recommend your master's furniture to them. This is complementary. In the future, if you become bigger, you can set up your own furniture factory if you want. By then, your master won't be able to say anything, right!'
This is the advantage of capturing end customers, with a wide range of choices.
At this point, Mei Yiliang did not say that he knew nothing about decoration. He could learn if he didn't know. He had also come into contact with it when delivering furniture to customers. Nowadays, there are all kinds of decoration companies, many of them shoddy, and the barrier to entry is low.
For himself, he is a professional carpenter, so it is not difficult to enter the industry.
He could first find a renovation team to learn from for six months, and then recruit people from his family, such as his third brother, a mason who helps people build houses in the county. As long as there is work to do and money to be made, there are plenty of people like him in his hometown.
And as his nephew said, if he gets any business in the future, he can definitely recommend Master Furniture to them. The stuff is good and the prices are affordable, so it will help Master get some business, which will be a bonus!
He is also quick-witted, and figured out the gist of the matter in no time. 'Hey, Yiping, that's a good idea. It's not too late, let's go back!'
'Uncle, when we get rich, don't forget me when you marry your wife!'
'Don't worry, I won't forget you. I'll buy you whatever you want. Let's go home!' Mei Yiliang put his hands on Feng Yiping's shoulders and pushed him from behind.
At this moment, he was full of spirit, and compared to the listlessness when he first came out, he was practically two different people.