A simple "don't overthink it," a practical production plan, plus a big promise, made Li Yanning settle down and stop overthinking.
It seemed simple, but in reality, it required a bit of skill.
This had a lot to do with the impression the boss usually gave.
If it were Zhang Xupeng, although Li Yanning would listen to him, the effect might not be as good.
As for why Tan Jincheng called Li Jinglan over, he had his own considerations.
For the past six months or so, Li Jinglan's work was sometimes busy, but more often than not, she wasn't busy, just slacking off.
Her main tasks usually involved packing, sending express deliveries, and answering questions from some Taobao customers.
When she was free, Li Jinglan would follow her sister to learn some order-following skills, and occasionally, when Zhang Xupeng was too busy, she would take her to the factory.
Currently, the sales of Jinshang Yidu's Taobao store were increasing day by day.
The previously mentioned commission of one yuan per item was no longer appropriate.
If Li Jinglan's monthly income easily exceeded ten thousand yuan, even higher than her sister's salary for a position requiring some technical skill, then Li Yanning and other employees would certainly feel unbalanced psychologically.
This was an oversight by Tan Jincheng.
If his mother hadn't called a few days ago in Yangcheng, mentioning that the Taobao store's business was getting better and better and that she was a bit flustered and scared by the money, Tan Jincheng would have forgotten about this store.
In an era where children playing on computers was still seen as not doing proper work, as parents, it was hard to imagine that one could make money online.
And Tan Jincheng hadn't expected that a small Taobao store, which had just launched Alipay and hadn't even obtained its mobile payment license, could earn so much money in a month.
After all, he hadn't run a Taobao store in his previous life, and Tan Jincheng had overlooked the power of his novel store design, free shipping in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai, plus innovative styles.
In fact, Jinshang Yidu had already gained considerable fame among Taobao women's clothing stores.
Some merchants running stores, whether for clothing or other categories, were already imitating and learning Jinshang Yidu's operating model, all of which were beyond Tan Jincheng's expectations.
He hadn't thought too much about it initially and gave a commission of one yuan per item.
Now that the store was just starting to take off, lowering the commission felt a bit embarrassing.
However, there were other ways to arrange Li Jinglan's work so that her income wouldn't inflate too much.
"Boss, why did you call me?"
"Oh, how are you doing with learning order-following from your sister? Did your sister tell you that the company has taken on a lot of business and is going to start expanding recruitment?"
"She did, but what does that have to do with me? I'm just an office clerk; as for how I'm learning order-following, what can you learn in half a year?"
Li Jinglan replied indifferently.
When her sister went out earlier, she was indeed full of excitement and said that the boss had received many orders, enough to last a year, so they could work steadily.
But what did that have to do with her?
The Taobao store business was quite good now, her income wasn't low, and it was great to steadily send express packages, reply to messages, and surf the internet at the company.
Anyway, the trade company only needed her help when it was too busy; otherwise, she was dispensable.
Rather than saying she was an office clerk for Jinpeng Trade, it was more fitting to consider her staff for the Jinshang Yidu Taobao store.
Tan Jincheng got up, poured Li Jinglan a glass of water, and earnestly lectured (and coaxed):
"You're not even 20 years old, and you want to lie around like this your whole life? Your sister teaches you skills, but you don't learn seriously. You should know that anyone can do your job. Only technical positions are irreplaceable."
"Huh? What do you mean, Boss? Are you going to fire me?"
Li Jinglan blurted out, surprised.
I thought this dog-like boss was suddenly being so nice, even pouring me water, turns out he wants to fire me!
"What are you saying? Why would I fire you? To be honest, I'm planning to give you more responsibilities."
"More responsibilities? What kind of responsibilities? I don't understand."
"Look, the company is short-staffed now and needs to hire new employees, but it might take a while to find them. You and your sister have been learning for half a year. No matter how much you've learned, you definitely understand a little. First, help your sister out, next month's order volume will be very large."
"Oh, Boss, you mean that. You should have said so earlier, you scared me. I thought you were going to fire me."
Li Jinglan breathed a sigh of relief, then added,
"No problem, I've been helping before, how can this be called adding responsibilities?"
"You don't understand what I mean. My meaning is that you'll be working with your sister from now on. Also, in a couple of days, I'll be going to Yangcheng again, and you and your sister will also need to keep an eye on the progress at the factory. It will be very busy then."
"That's going to be so tiring, plus neither of us can drive, so we'll have to take the bus back and forth to the factory,"
Li Jinglan pouted, sounding a bit unwilling.
"It will be tiring, but the salary will be high. As the order volume increases, the commission you and your sister receive will also increase, and your income will definitely not be less than now."
"Also, if you can't drive, go learn! Both you and your sister should go learn. The company will subsidize half of the cost of getting your driver's license. How about that?"
"Really?"
"Of course, my word is my bond. Tell your sister the same thing later. Having a driver's license will also make work more convenient this year."
Hmm, with a driver's license, I can occasionally act as a driver.
Subsidizing half the cost of getting a driver's license isn't a loss.
Li Jinglan's eyes darted around as she stared at Tan Jincheng without speaking, seemingly weighing the pros and cons.
But then, Tan Jincheng's next sentence completely swayed her:
"You don't want to be like your sister, with not much money, and being pressured to marry every year when you go home, do you?"
Killer blow, Tan Jincheng's words completely broke Li Jinglan's defenses.
In previous years, her cousin's job wasn't going well, and she didn't have much money when she returned home each year.
During Chinese New Year, she would go on blind dates every day, but because her job was unstable, better-off men didn't like her, and her cousin didn't like the less well-off ones.
Back and forth, so many years passed, and blind dates were always a topic her cousin couldn't avoid.
It wasn't until last year, after some words from Boss Tan, that her cousin resolved her inner conflict.
"Regardless of gender, only with one's own strength can one have enough confidence. If you save enough money now and buy a house in a big city, and the person you're on a blind date with is a very excellent local man, even if they feel you two aren't suitable, they wouldn't dare to look down on you. Besides, by then, you wouldn't need to care too much about others' opinions."
Yes, only by being excellent enough can one be confident enough to disregard how others view them.
"So what about the Taobao store after I follow my sister?"
Li Jinglan was a little moved.
"Just hire another office clerk. Clerks are easier to recruit than order-followers. Besides, the four of us are pretty much starting a business together, I wouldn't lie to you, would I?"
"Alright then, I'll go discuss it with my sister and ask for her opinion."
"Go ahead, your sister will definitely agree, don't worry, your future salary will only be higher than now, I can guarantee that."
With more and more orders, salary levels were also increasing, so Tan Jincheng wasn't misleading Li Jinglan on this point.
As for the newly hired office clerk, to increase work enthusiasm, commissions would definitely be given, but certainly not the same treatment as Li Jinglan.
This motivated Li Jinglan, solved the historical issue caused by his previous misjudgment, and saved expenses; it was a triple win.
As for whether Li Yanning would support Li Jinglan becoming an order-follower with her, she would certainly support it.
Sisters helping each other was much better than fighting alone.
Indeed, in less than ten minutes, Li Jinglan came back to the office and agreed to Tan Jincheng's request for a job transfer.
"Okay, you go get busy. I won't be back at noon, nor this afternoon. Tomorrow, you and your sister get ready, I'll take you to the factory to familiarize yourselves. When I leave, if you don't understand anything, just call me directly."
"Okay."
Seeing Boss Tan smiling so happily, Li Jinglan felt something was off, but she couldn't pinpoint what it was, just a strange feeling.
"Uncle, let's go, we're going to eat. I'll take you to the construction site this afternoon."
"Hmm, let's go," Zhang Qingliang said helplessly.
This big nephew said he would take him for a ride, but he only came to the company and left him here, calling in two employees separately for talks.
One looked excited, the other suspicious, and he had no idea what was said.
But he did have quite the style, playing the role of a boss very well, full of presence.
His sister even told him to keep an eye on this kid when he had time, but with this demeanor, how could he keep an eye on him?
"The renovation will take some time, Uncle, can you bring Auntie over? After that, we'll renovate this apartment of mine here."
"No, your mother said to renovate the old house first, so we can live there when we go back for Chinese New Year. I'll go back to my hometown after I finish here, and then come back in the second half of the year."
"Alright then, let me know when you leave. If I have time, I'll drive you back. If not, bring me some things."
"No need for you to drive, the shuttle bus is quite convenient, it goes straight to the city. You go do your work, I see you're very busy."
"We'll see about that, but these few days are busy. I have several clients to meet this afternoon, and I'm going to Yangcheng in a couple of days, so I won't have much time to drink with you, Uncle."
"Even if you're busy, you should pay attention to your health. You'll be 20 in a few months, it's time to find a girlfriend and get married early."
"Uncle, why are you just like my mom? You're a man, you shouldn't be saying things like that."
"Why can't a man say that? Uncle has been there, done that. I can't earn as much as you, but you can listen to me on this aspect, it's good to get married early."
Tan Jincheng pursed his lips and said nothing.
Is it good to get married early?
Perhaps.
What kind of life would it have been if he had married early in his previous life?
Lunch was simple.
Zhang Qingliang wanted to have a couple of drinks to celebrate his big nephew's new car, but he was sternly refused by his nephew.
Not only couldn't he drink, but Zhang Qingliang wasn't allowed to either.
No drinking at night, strictly no drinking during working hours—these were his nephew's demands on himself and the workers when the renovation first started.
Speaking of which, this nephew was good in every way.
He was polite to him, and after he came, his living arrangements, rent, and finances were all perfectly taken care of.
He was also very considerate when he worked for him, with no special requirements for the construction period and good treatment.
But he was too strict about safety.
Even though he was so busy, he would occasionally call to remind him, making him too embarrassed to even sneak a couple of drinks at noon.
He wasn't like this before.
When he was a child, he was wild, climbing trees and catching fish in the river.
Why is he so afraid of death now?
Could it be that something happened at sea that left a deep impression on him?
Hmm, he'll have to ask him sometime how he spent over a year at sea.
"Uncle, I'm leaving now. I have clients to meet this afternoon, and I'm not sure when I'll be back tonight, so I won't be looking for you."
"Go on and be busy."
It was time to talk to Zhang Haiping.
Only by completely settling with contract manufacturers like Zhang Haiping could he confidently pursue his electric two-wheeler business.
"Where to start?"
The fastest way would be to acquire an auto parts factory.
Currently, large-scale motorcycle bans were about to begin in major cities, so some auto parts factories would likely seek to transform to other businesses, and surely some factory owners would consider selling their factories.
This wasn't a bad opportunity.
With a formal factory, the start-up phase would save a lot of time.
With existing equipment and workers, only some technical investment would be needed to quickly achieve transformation.
However, acquiring an operating factory wasn't cheap.
If only there were factories facing broken capital chains and on the verge of bankruptcy.
In his previous life, he once acquired equipment from such a factory, over a dozen small machines, for only more than 30,000 yuan, a huge bargain.
Even the scrap copper and waste pulled from that factory sold for over 2,000 yuan.
Later, some of this equipment was not used, he found someone to repair it casually, and even made a small profit.
At that time, he was quite proud of this, bragging about it from time to time.
"First, go find Zhang Haiping. He got so many second-hand flatbed trucks before Chinese New Year, maybe he has other connections."
It's another ten thousand words today, let's see how many days I can keep up this pace.
(End of chapter)
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