NOVEL FROG Chapter 102: Affairs of the Association
At the right moment, Old Master Jin pushed a freshly brewed cup of tea over.
Ling Yi stood up, thanked him, and accepted the tea with both hands. He inhaled the fragrant steam and took a careful sip of the hot, refreshing tea.
Placing the teacup down, Ling Yi lightly patted the ledger and documents spread out on the table before him, and began to speak:
“Master, I've reviewed the association's accounts and expenditures for the past three months—”
Hearing this, Old Master Jin, who was fiddling with his little teapot, turned his gaze from the ledger and documents to Ling Yi's clear eyes and asked with some expectation, “Tell me, how is it?”
For the past three months, with Ling Yi away, Old Master Jin had been handling these tasks alone, and it was nearly driving him into depression.
An old man who had spent his life wielding a hammer was now forced to deal with these bureaucratic matters — it was truly a hardship for him!
Previously, Ling Yi would pass through 'Wooden City' every few months to help him sort out the association's various affairs, set development directions, and make action plans. All Old Master Jin needed to do was follow the guidelines.
Additionally, the presence of Li Qiang in 'Wooden City' for occasional support had prevented the fledgling [Blacksmith Association - Waterwood Principality Chapter] from falling into confusion regarding responsibilities and roles.
However, when Ling Yi is not around, Old Master Jin finds himself overwhelmed and feeling powerless when dealing with matters.
He considered hiring more help, selecting seven or eight individuals, ranging from astute blacksmiths within the association to seasoned hands like Li Qiang, Fu Shan, and those from vice presidents' families like Long Yin and Qingqiu Xin. He even sought assistance from the younger and older generations in his own Jin family to help manage the association's affairs.
Yet, upon arriving at the association, these people were dumbfounded by the myriad of tasks.
Within the entire [Shuimu Principality], there are three major cities, hundreds of towns, seventy to eighty senior blacksmiths, and nearly seven hundred blacksmith shops.
Including mid-level and junior blacksmiths, along with apprentices, the numbers swell to two to three thousand!
Every day, when a customer orders ironware from the association, coordination among these nearly seven hundred blacksmith shops is essential.
For example, whether the client orders directly from a blacksmith shop or through the association, the volume of the order, whether large or small, and the quality requirements; whether the blacksmiths are free or busy, whether their skills meet the standards or exceed them...
Additionally, there are scenarios where products crafted by blacksmiths during idle times are directly purchased by visiting customers...
The share of raw materials from unified association procurement that each blacksmith shop, categorized by the level of its masters, can claim is determined by their previous consumption and whether the current consumption exceeds or falls short of the previous quantity...
Innumerable similar situations arose, so numerous that anyone who witnessed these circumstances would be moved to tears on the spot.
In any case, not a single person could stay by Old Master Jin’s side for a full three days.
Either they resigned on their own, or they were dismissed by Old Master Jin or those backing him.
Fortunately, every time Ling Yi passed through, he not only perfectly resolved the Association’s accumulated matters but also left behind a general framework and standard that could guide its operations moving forward, allowing everyone to carry out their duties accordingly.
The current Association seemed like a reorganized version of the past system, and saying it followed the 'Ling rules, Jin follows' method was not exaggerated.
Old Master Jin felt his happiest moments were whenever Ling Yi returned to the Association’s premises, assisting him with various ledgers and documents that seemed like reading an astronomical book to him.
Under the eager gaze of the old master, Ling Yi always maintained a respectful and humble demeanor, raising his hand to point at the ledgers and documents spread out before him, speaking gently:
“Master, here... here... and here are over twenty establishments. The materials they last subscribed to, excluding what they used for association orders and their own leisure, should still have over half remaining... Yet, I see their recent subscription applications have increased their share by around ten to thirty percent compared to last time, which seems wasteful—”
Looking at the names of the various blacksmith shops Ling Yi pointed out, and hearing the words resonating nearby, Old Master Jin’s expression turned solemn. He carefully matched Ling Yi’s words with his own memories, nodding occasionally.
“Additionally~”
After discussing the matters regarding the subscription of raw materials, the sale of finished iron goods, and the allocation of orders, Ling Yi drew a few sheets of pale yellow letter paper from beneath a pile of documents and continued:
“Master Yuan from Qingshan Town has applied for an advanced blacksmith assessment. If he passes, he hopes to transfer his blacksmith shop in Qingshan Town to the association and have someone appointed by the association to take over. He personally wishes to open a new blacksmith shop in 'Azure City'...
Likewise, Master Zhu from Hedong Market under Daihewan Town has applied for a mid-level blacksmith assessment. If he passes, Master Liu from Daihewan Town hopes to recruit Master Zhu into his own blacksmith shop, merging the blacksmith shop in Hedong Market under Master Liu's name...”
After mentioning four or five cases, Ling Yi paused and said to the Old Master Jin, “Master, for these assessments, it's best to have one of the senior brothers go down with Uncle Li Qiang and Uncle Fu Shan to conduct a unified assessment. Don't just send a single person for formality like the previous times. This avoids gossip and potential issues—”
Hearing this, Old Master Jin nodded and said, “Alright, I'll note this down and mention it to Xiao Li and Xiao Fu afterward~”
Seeing Old Master Jin nod in agreement, Ling Yi continued, “Master, I reviewed all the account books and compared them. Our allocation work still needs improvement. Sometimes we need to consider whether the distances between each blacksmith's shop make the final transaction feasible...”
“Additionally~” Ling Yi paused, took a deep breath, his brows slightly furrowing as he spoke in a steady tone after Old Master Jin's expression turned solemn: “I found that last month's unified procurement of raw materials cost nearly twenty percent more than when we first started purchasing.
However, upon reviewing the data you collected, Master, the price of iron goods sold within the [Heavenly Dou Empire] did not show any significant upward trend.”
"This indicates that the raw materials within Tian Dou territory don't seem to be experiencing shortages or price increases..."
"Could there be an issue with the supply channels for raw materials?"
As Ling Yi voiced his last question, an expression of complex emotions surfaced on Old Master Jin's face. There was anger, despondency, and helplessness...
Seeing this, Ling Yi chose not to press further. After glancing at the military files provided by Fu Shan, he shifted the topic, saying, "Master, later on, you should discuss with Uncle Fu Shan that we will be collaborating with the principality's military..."
"Collaboration? What kind of collaboration?" Old Master Jin was taken aback by Ling Yi's sudden change of topic.
"For all future orders from the principality's military, if they pay with raw materials, they can receive a ten percent discount off the original price!"
"Ten percent?!" Old Master Jin's eyes widened, staring at Ling Yi in astonishment, "Ah Yi, if we reduce the selling price by ten percent, wouldn't that make the profits similar to if raw material costs increased by twenty percent?"
Ling Yi nodded in confirmation, "Exactly."
Old Master Jin was puzzled, "So—"
"Master~," Ling Yi shook his head, "Anyway, our profits are going to be cut. Does it matter who ends up with the earnings?"
"It'd be better for the five marquises of the Military Division to earn it than for those raw material suppliers within the borders of the Tiandou Empire to take it."
(End of Chapter)
