Ye

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Ye (叶厂长)
Alias(es)	Factory Manager Ye; Factory Director Ye
Species/Race	Human
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Ye's Shoe Factory, southern Wenzhou
Occupation/Role	Shoe-factory director and manufacturer
Status	Active; his factory resumes operation with both production lines running 38
First Appearance	Chapter 18

Background / History

Ye operated an export-oriented shoe factory in southern Wenzhou. A Japanese trading company’s bankruptcy left the factory with a warehouse of unsold winter boots; the resulting financial crisis shut the factory down for roughly half a year. 17 18 32

Lin Fan, using the identity of “Manager Ma,” found Ye while searching for fur-cuff boots outside Lei Xiangdong’s locked-down supply network. Ye accepted Lin’s cash offer for 2,000 pairs at 10.5 yuan per pair, and the two documented the transaction with a handwritten receipt bearing both of their fingerprints. 18 21

Ye reserved the remaining 1,000 pairs for Lin after receiving a 2,000-yuan deposit, even as outsiders began asking local factories about fur-cuff boot stock. He withheld information about Lin’s purchase and later personally arranged shipment of the reserved goods on the Hangzhou direct line. 23 25 31

After Lin settled the outstanding 8,500 yuan payment, Ye was able to cover workers’ wages. Lin then proposed restarting Ye’s idle factory to manufacture a new line of large-size women’s boots rather than relying on clearance inventory. 29 30

Ye reopened the workshop, checked both production lines with returning veteran workers, and negotiated materials and processing with Lin and supplier Old Cai. He accepted a 3,000-pair order in sizes 39 and above, with the factory dedicated to Lin’s goods until the New Year. 32 33

When the first samples arrived, Ye accepted Lin’s quality feedback regarding an overly loose boot opening and had the pattern revised. The corrected samples were approved, production began, and the 3,000 pairs sold out within two days. 35 37 The factory subsequently operated both lines with more than forty workers for a 5,000-pair follow-up order. 38 39

Personality

Ye is straightforward and dependable in business. He is candid about his factory’s debts, lack of materials, and inability to obtain supplier credit, rather than concealing its financial condition from Lin. 32

He places long-term trust and product quality above immediate pressure. He held stock for Lin after a deposit, warned him about suspicious inquiries, extended credit on 1,000 pairs, and insisted on sample approval before mass production. 23 31 35

Abilities & Skills

Footwear Manufacturing

Ye has operated an export-shoe factory for over a decade and maintains production standards shaped by foreign inspection requirements.

• Oversees two production lines covering upper-making, sewing, and sole assembly. 32
• Produces boots with dense stitching, fleece connected directly to the lining, and durable soles. 31 35
• Retains complete sets of wooden shoe lasts, including multiple large-size sets suitable for sizes 39 and above. 32
• Can recall much of his skilled workforce to restart production when funding and orders are secured. 32

Quality Control

Ye treats sample approval as a necessary safeguard before committing factory resources to mass production.

• Selected sample pairs from both ends of the requested size range: size 39 and size 42. 35
• Worked with Old Chen to correct the export-pattern boot opening after Lin identified that it slipped during wear. 35 37
• Did not begin production of the revised boots until Lin approved the second sample. 35 37

Factory Operations

• Kept idle machinery oiled and maintained during the factory’s six-month shutdown. 31 32
• Had the lines tested before Lin’s visit, identifying only a slipping belt on an old sewing machine. 32
• Managed shipment of Lin’s stock through the Hangzhou direct freight route. 21 25 31

Equipment / Facilities

• Ye’s Shoe Factory — a southern Wenzhou factory with two shoe-production lines. 32
• Wooden shoe lasts — complete sets stored on iron racks, including large-size molds. 32
• Export boot patterns — long-used patterns that required adjustment for the domestic market’s preferred boot opening. 35 37

Relationships

• Lin Fan / “Manager Ma” — buyer and production partner. Ye knows him only by the “Manager Ma” identity, but repeatedly extends trust through reserved inventory, credit, and exclusive production arrangements. 23 31 32 33
• Old Chen — veteran factory worker responsible for machine maintenance and sample production; Ye calls on him when restarting the lines. 32 35
• Old Cai — materials supplier and creditor of Ye’s factory. Their outstanding debt initially prevents material purchases on credit, but Lin’s cash-backed order allows them to negotiate new supply terms. 32 33
• Factory workers — Ye estimates that 70–80% of more than forty skilled workers can return when production resumes. 32

Notable Quotes

“Pay whenever it's convenient. The goods are in my warehouse; they're not going anywhere.” 23

Trivia

• Ye’s factory staff consistently address Lin Fan as “Manager Ma”; none of them know Lin’s real surname. 32
• The handwritten receipt for Lin’s initial 2,000-pair purchase was Ye’s first experience seeing a buyer draft the receipt himself. 21
• Ye’s factory remained operationally maintained despite its shutdown; its major obstacle was cash for materials, not damaged machinery or unavailable labor. 32