The state of the factory

Aditya and Dipti left the office and headed toward the workshop.

Hot air and cotton fluff rushed at them together, the machines roaring without pause. By the time Aditya reached them, his whole body was numb from the vibration.

Ram spotted Aditya first. He came around from behind the third row of looms, wearing sandals, his short-sleeved shirt soaked with sweat.

He jogged up to Aditya, bent down onto his knees, pressed his palms together, and touched the tips of Aditya's shoes with his fingers.

"Boss, you're back." His voice was excited.

Abid came running over too. His hands were covered in machine oil, and two scraps of yarn fluff clung to his forearm. He rubbed both hands against his trousers before bending down onto his knees. His fingers paused just short of Aditya's shoes without actually touching them, as though he feared dirtying them.

Aditya neither moved away nor helped either man up. He was already used to it.

Once they had straightened up, he asked, "How are the machines?"

Abid spoke first. "All twenty-eight machines run during the day. We have to shut four down on the night shift. It's not a shortage of workers-the power becomes unstable in the second half of the night. The voltage keeps dropping, and the machines won't run evenly."

Ram picked up the thread. "We have enough workers. The people on the looms can now weave eighty to ninety-five meters a day. Everyone's paid by the piece, so they all want to do more. But we only have twenty-eight machines. One and a half workers per machine, rotating over two shifts-that's already the limit. Everyone wants to ask when you'll expand the textile factory, Boss."

"You two have done well," Aditya said. "Tell everyone not to worry. The new machines will be here soon."

Abid and Ram exchanged a happy look at that.

Dipti stepped up beside Aditya, opened the ledger, and said, "September's output was nine hundred and thirty-four thousand meters. The day shift averaged thirty-two hundred, and the night shift twenty-six hundred. The waste yarn rate has dropped two percentage points since we first started production. By October, both prices and efficiency had risen." She paused, then said, "Based on the current accounts, daily gross profit can reach two thousand rupees."

Aditya turned and leaned close to Dipti to ask, "Two thousand? That's double what it was before. Is it stable?"

Dipti raised her voice. "Uncle Madan negotiated with two new customers in Allahabad, to the north. These two orders pay us 8.6 rupees per meter, cash on delivery. That's a little higher than Lucknow. And with less waste yarn, we've saved quite a bit on raw materials. Electricity is still the same old problem, but Abid has done his best too, keeping as many machines running as possible. That's how the profit doubled."

Aditya said nothing. He knew Dipti would not report false figures. Two thousand in profit a day meant sixty thousand rupees a month. Old machines, old factory buildings-this was completely beyond his expectations. This two thousand in profit had been squeezed out entirely through people's efforts. The credit belonged to Dipti. She truly treated Diya as her everything.

He continued forward, and Paro and Usha came to meet them from the warehouse. Both had faces flushed red from the heat, each holding a notebook.

As soon as Paro saw Aditya, she wiped the sweat from her forehead and said, "Boss, we've finished checking the inventory. We currently have one thousand and thirty bundles of cotton yarn. At our current output, that will last another eleven or twelve days. We have seventy-six thousand meters of finished cloth sitting in stock, and two thousand meters of defective cloth piled up."

Usha continued, "The finished cloth can ship anytime. Uncle Madan said thirty thousand meters have to go out tomorrow for the Allahabad order. I worked it out-we'll need three trucks to haul it."

Aditya looked at Dipti. "Where's Uncle Madan?"

"He went out the day before yesterday," Dipti replied. "He said he was going to sound out prices with a few customers up north. He'll probably be back tonight. If he can secure another two orders, Diya will be on even steadier footing in October."

Aditya nodded. He had a clear picture now. Diya could now be considered on track, and he could begin advancing his subsequent plans one after another.

Aditya turned to Abid and Ram and instructed them, "Starting tomorrow, sort the people at the gate into the categories I told you last time. Pick out the experienced, skilled workers first. We want young people who can endure hardship. Make it clear to them: do well, and they stay. Do badly, and they get out."

"New arrivals aren't to touch the machines right away. Have them shadow a shift for five days first. They'll receive a daily wage while shadowing. Once they've passed that, they can operate the machines."

"Understood," Ram said, then asked, "But if there are too many people shadowing, won't the workshop become chaotic?"

"It won't," Aditya replied. "You two will keep an eye on things for me every day, and Paro and Usha will help with registration. I'll review the situation after five days."

After saying that, Aditya looked at Dipti. He thought for a moment, then said, "You keep an eye on it too. You decide how to pay the newcomers. Once you've decided, write it out and post it in the factory."

Dipti nodded. She planned to draw up the newcomers' wage schedule that very night.

Aditya led Dipti out of the workshop.

The sun was already low in the west, but the stifling heat in the air had not eased at all.

Many people were still squatting outside the factory gates. Raju sat at the foot of the wall, holding a wooden club.

Aditya called out, "Raju, get the people outside some drinking water. Don't let them get heatstroke."

"They're all Diya's assets!"

"Yes, young master."

Raju answered and hurried off with some men to fetch water.

Aditya turned and said to Paro and Usha, "Put up a recruitment notice at the factory gates in a while, and get the wooden recruitment tokens ready tonight. Red for the day shift, blue for the night shift, just like before. Ask Dipti if you're unsure about anything. Don't get it wrong."

Both nodded repeatedly.

Back in the office, Aditya had barely sat down when Madan pushed the door open and came in. He was drenched in sweat, cursing nonstop.

"Uncle, what happened? Why are you so angry?" Aditya rose with a smile and poured him a glass of water.

"Oh! Aditya, you're back so soon."

"Yes. Sit down, Uncle, and take your time telling me." Aditya handed him the water.

Madan took the water, drank a mouthful, and let out a long breath.

"That hit the spot."

Madan sat down, looked at Aditya, and took out a sheet of paper, placing it on the desk.

"Boss Suen in Allahabad has added another order for us. He wants a hundred thousand meters in total, delivered in two batches. He's offering us 8.65 rupees per meter. Cash on delivery, and we don't have to deliver it-he'll send his own trucks to collect it. I haven't agreed yet. I came back first to see whether we have enough stock."

"Why is he in such a hurry?" Aditya asked.

"He has an export order for the Middle East," Madan said. "The original factory is late delivering, and he's afraid of taking a loss. We have finished cloth, so he can take it off our hands, but he wants to collect all hundred thousand meters within five days."

Aditya looked at Dipti.

Dipti calculated for a moment, then said, "Seventy-six thousand in stock, and we can produce nearly thirty thousand in five days. We could delay the cloth for Lucknow a little, though it would be tight."

After hearing that, Aditya said, "Then take it. Let's swallow what we can first. Uncle Madan, go give him our answer tomorrow. At 8.65 per meter, cash on delivery, with the handover at our factory gates in five days."

Madan laughed. "You brat, your appetite is even wilder than mine."

Aditya stood up, looked at the two of them, and said, "Let's eat first. I have more to discuss with you tonight."

"Are you trying to work your uncle to death? I've only just come back. Can't you let me rest a little?" Madan slumped in his chair, speaking weakly.

Aditya said with a look of bitter reproach, "You're my own uncle! At your age, this is exactly when you should be charging ahead. You can't go getting slack and lazy."

"Oh, get lost. No respect for your elders." Madan picked up his bag and threw it at Aditya.

Aditya caught the bag casually and set it down, then said seriously, "There really is important business tonight. Hang in there for one more evening, Uncle."

"All right! Looks like these old bones of mine will fall apart in your hands," Madan sighed.

Outside, the sky slowly darkened, while the workshop's looms continued to rumble. The clamor of workers drifted in through the doorway. It was time for the shift change.

Aditya heard Raju berating someone for cutting in line. Paro and Usha seemed to be laughing loudly.

He stood up first and walked to the door, with Madan and Dipti following behind.

The night wrapped the entire textile factory like a sheet of black cloth. The few streetlights inside the factory shone, lighting the three of them on their way to the canteen.