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Chapter 1318: Our Costs Are High
🕑 Added 2023-08-19 07:29:58 +0000 UTCChapter 1318: Our Costs Are High
Churning sunflower seeds wasn't considered a highly skilled task. Other roasted snacks like peanuts, chestnuts, watermelon seeds, and so on had similar processes in their production. Therefore, there were no secret techniques to be hidden, and it didn't require avoiding people's gaze.
Especially for someone like Ren Huai, who came from a family that specialized in nuts and dried fruits.
However, the five-spice flavor that Shu Yu used was unique, and it hadn't been seen elsewhere. She used more ingredients and ample amounts, with proportions that had been carefully studied through experiments, resulting in the sunflower seeds having a delicious and aromatic taste.
Naturally, this was something they didn't want outsiders to know.
That's why Luo Chun put away the more private parts of the process when he saw Shu Yu bringing visitors in, allowing the workers to do regular tasks.
Ren Huai understood the situation, and he also knew that they had come mainly to observe the workshop's environment and the atmosphere of the workers.
Ren Huai intended to pick at some aspects, hoping to use that as an opportunity to negotiate lower prices. However, now, he found it hard to say anything.
He looked at the stuff on the workers' faces and asked curiously, "Why are they covering their mouths like this?"
Shu Yu smiled as she explained, "It's not exactly covering their faces; they're just blocking their mouths. When everyone is working, it's natural to talk. Sometimes, if they speak loudly and hastily, it's inevitable that there might be saliva. So, to prevent saliva from falling onto the sunflower seeds, they use something to cover their mouths."
Shu Yu didn't wear a mask herself because the weather wasn't too hot yet. Wearing a mask would be more comforting in colder weather. However, when the weather got hot, wearing a mask would be uncomfortable.
In the modern era, there were many places selling cooked food, and the staff would wear transparent plastic masks. Since there was no plastic in this era, Shu Yu had improvised with bamboo pieces. She would see if there was a better alternative in the future.
In reality, with the sunflower seeds having shells, it wasn't necessary to go to such lengths.
However, Shu Yu also sold shelled sunflower seeds. Although the soul of sunflower seeds was in the act of cracking them open, for some noble ladies and young misses, the act was not particularly elegant. So, shelled melon seeds were a good alternative.
Ren Huai hadn't expected Shu Yu to consider this aspect. He looked at the makeshift masks with a thoughtful expression.
But in the next moment, he heard Shu Yu sighing and saying, "Young Master Ren, as you can see, our shop's sunflower seeds are both clean and of high quality. But we have put in too much effort and incurred many expenses for this. Not to mention the sunflowers seeds themselves, just look at these shoe covers, masks, and clothing – they were all prepared by the workshop. To ensure the workers' comfort, we had to use good materials, and that increased our costs significantly."
Ren Huai's eyelids twitched at her words, and he quickly forced a wry smile, "Lu Xiangjun is a conscientious owner."
"Yes, I see that everyone works hard here, putting in their best effort. I, on the other hand, can't do much to help. I just want them to have a better life so that they can work without worries. But I can't directly raise their wages; if our wages are significantly higher than those of other workshops, it might upset people. After thinking about it, I can only occasionally give them some rewards and more goodies on festivals. But even then, it raises our costs," Shu Yu continued.
Ren Huai, "..."
Manager Xu, silently lowered his head. He had no chance to speak up to negotiate lower prices. What should he do?
He discreetly glanced at Ren Huai and saw that he seemed at a loss for words as well. Manager Xu secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
