After speaking, Tang Jingyuan tilted his head back and drank a glass of wine in one gulp. Without even taking a napkin, he simply wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, appearing quite carefree and unrestrained.
Chu Xiaoxin and Song Tianyao also took a sip of wine. With the Spring Festival approaching and being fellow townsmen from Chiu Chow, they could easily come up with dozens of topics for toasting and urging each other to drink. Tang Wenbao didn't rush to bring up the topic of today's meal, so Song Tianyao and Chu Xiaoxin were in no hurry either, and chatted with each other about all sorts of things.
In truth, Song Tianyao felt that Tang Wenbao's roundabout approach was unnecessary. Since he had already come to eat at Tang Wenbao's restaurant, it made his stance clear. Chu Xiaoxin had also come along, and after a couple of drinks, they got straight to the point. Holding a banquet at Chiu Chow Restaurant and constantly mentioning their shared hometown, there was really no need for such a roundabout approach. No wonder Tang Wenbao's family business wasn't very large; one could tell from the dinner table that Tang Wenbao was overly cautious and lacked decisiveness.
Even after two bottles of ten-year-aged Double-Steamed Wine were empty, Tang Wenbao was still chatting with Chu Xiaoxin about the Chiu Chow Chamber of Commerce's lion dance parade preparations for this year's Spring Festival. Meanwhile, Tang Jingyuan, unable to contain himself any longer, spoke to Song Tianyao in a somewhat embarrassed tone while his father and Chu Xiaoxin were talking, "A-Yao, Brother Qi should have met you before. You know about our affairs. To be honest, I'm no Young Master Shun, and my family's business is far superior to the Chu Family's. So, seeing that there's potential in the wig business, and I could make some money, I decided to..."
"Billy Zai did see me, and he mentioned that you and he wanted to start a wig business together, Young Master Yuan. I've already expressed my opinion, and I've already placed an order for the machines with a United States company. They should arrive in Hong Kong in two or three months after the Spring Festival. The wig business isn't just mine alone. You and Uncle Bao Brother Yuan to do it, and we're all from the same hometown, so of course I'll help if I can." Song Tianyao peeled a piece of shrimp, smiling as he interrupted Tang Jingyuan, saying, "Besides the machines, is there anything else you need my help with? Just say the word, I don't mind. If the Tang family doesn't do it, others will see that wigs can make money and will do it too. Of course, we have to take care of our fellow townsmen first."
"A-Yao, you..." Tang Jingyuan, whether from drinking too much or feigning it, looked at Song Tianyao with a somewhat agitated expression. "Actually, I was a bit clueless about the whole thing. When you went to United States, I secretly told Brother Qi to find out what kind of business you were in, hoping to make some money behind you. Now it seems I was being petty and judging others by my own standards. A-Yao, I really didn't expect that when Brother Qi went to see you, you would actually take the initiative to help order the machine. If I had known you would... Sigh, anyway, I was a bit petty. I'll drink a penalty shot."
Tang Jingyuan grabbed his wine glass and downed it in one gulp.
Although Tang Wenbao was chatting idly with Chu Xiaoxin, he was listening intently to the conversation between Tang Boqi and Song Tianyao, clearly very satisfied with what his son had just said and the attitude he had expressed.
After Song Tianyao finished his drink, Song Tang Jingyuan said, "I heard from Billy Zai that the Tang family's factory has been built and the machines have been ordered. Is there anything else I can help with?"
"A-Yao, since you've already brought it up, I might as well tell you everything. Besides the factory and the machines, the Tang family is now even preparing to recruit workers. However, in all of Hong Kong, only your factory has workers who know how to produce wigs, and you also have the raw materials." Tang Jingyuan said while keeping an eye on Song Tianyao's expression.
Song Tianyao frowned slightly, and Tang Jingyuan immediately explained, "Don't misunderstand, I'm not trying to poach your workers. I'm wondering if the workers recruited by the Tang family could help out at your factory for a few months, learning how to operate the machines from your workers. That way, once the machines arrive in Hong Kong and are put into production, they can come back and start working immediately. I can cover all the salaries of your factory workers for these few months."
Chu Xiaoxin, listening from the side, frowned slightly. Was this Tang Jingyuan's idea, or Tang Wenbao's?
Whoever came up with the idea was to first train the workers using Song Tianyao's machines, so that once the Tang family's equipment arrived in Hong Kong, they could immediately put it into production proficiently, saving a lot of time.
However, Chu Xiaoxin was also worried that Song Tianyao would be angry. In Chu Xiaoxin's view, he thought that by paying Song Tianyao's salary for a few months, he could get a group of skilled workers for free and compete with Song Tianyao for business? Song Tianyao was already being generous by helping them order machines. Competitors are enemies, and having one more competitor means having one more person stealing his business.
Unexpectedly, after pondering seriously for several minutes while holding his wine glass, Song Tianyao looked at the uneasy Tang Jingyuan and said, "Brother Yuan, I've been thinking about it. If I do this, there will be others. To be honest with you and Uncle Bao, Chairman Chu has already spoken to me. You're not the only one interested in starting a fake hair business. As far as I know, there are already nine companies, four of which are from Chiu Chow. They all saw that my factory got an order from a Britain department store and are planning to take out the money they've deposited in the bank to build a factory and earn some extra income. If my factory trains your workers for a few months, and others do the same, will I still need to produce? Novices operating machines have a very high scrap rate. If workers from each factory work for my factory for a few months, it will take me a year to train workers from three or four factories, right? I can't let teaching others delay my own business."
Tang Jingyuan was about to explain when Song Tianyao waved his hand, "Let me finish. I'll definitely help. How about we set a time for everyone to train together? My factory has four sets of equipment. I'll give up one set each day for all the owners of wig factories who want to make wigs to bring their workers for a tour. My workers will teach everyone, so it's fair and impartial. That way, I won't have to put myself in a difficult position in front of others. What do you think?"
"The factories were established at different times. My workers and machines are ready, but the others don't have them yet. Are we just going to have to wait?" Getting to the point, Tang Jingyuan seemed to have forgotten his drunken state when he was intoxicated and boasting about himself. He asked eagerly.
Tang Wenbao frowned slightly and, when Chu Xiaoxin and Song Tianyao weren't looking, gently nudged his son's leg with the tip of his shoe under the table.
Song Tianyao seemed oblivious to Tang Jingyuan's inconsistent behavior and earnestly explained, "The machines and factory can be built gradually, but we can recruit four or five loyal and reliable workers first. After these workers learn, we can teach the others. Moreover, these workers who learn first can also become foremen in the factory, making management easier."