Chapter 497: Deterrence
Adrian Hawthorne and Goldie Thorne were in the county town to pick up goods. The children’s clothing was selling unexpectedly well, with much higher profit margins than the raw fabric. Adrian was there to get more scrap fabric to take back; Phoebe Huxley and her group were so fast they could make around thirty pieces a day, and even more when it came to items like sleeve protectors and aprons.
"I’ll have to make another trip to Capria before the summer harvest."
Adrian Hawthorne filled two large bags. The fabric was selling faster than he’d anticipated. He had brought back twenty bags of fabric and five large bags of scraps on his last trip, but he estimated they wouldn’t last more than a few days.
"Why don’t you give Feng Ye a call and have him send a freight car? You could just receive the goods here," Goldie Thorne suggested. "A round trip takes several days. It’s too much of a delay."
Adrian Hawthorne shook his head. "No, I have to be there in person."
Feng Ye’s fabric patterns weren’t fixed; the designs were always changing. Plus, his stock of electronics was constantly being updated. Adrian Hawthorne needed to select his products based on the market, which was always in flux. If he kept ordering the same things over and over, he’d eventually box himself in.
He would rather put in the extra effort to ensure product diversity. That was the only way he could maintain a firm grip on the southeastern market.
Goldie Thorne didn’t press the issue. He couldn’t be bothered to overthink things. Adrian Hawthorne called the shots; Goldie just provided the muscle.
He had already come to wholeheartedly accept that he wasn’t as smart as the kid. There was no shame in it; his greatest strength was his self-awareness.
Winston Lowell and his guys also had their families making children’s clothes to sell. Winston was responsible for keeping the accounts, and the wages were the same as for Phoebe Huxley’s group. This arrangement was just more complicated and carried a risk of people lining their own pockets. However, Adrian Hawthorne didn’t have a better solution at the moment. If government policies relaxed a bit more, he could open a proper factory, expand his operations, and naturally earn a lot more money.
Adrian Hawthorne went over the accounts with Winston Lowell. For the most part, everything was in order, but there were some minor discrepancies. How much stock came in, how much was taken out, how much was sold, how much was given away—Adrian had a crystal-clear ledger in his mind for all of it.
Winston Lowell wasn’t particularly bold; he only dared to skim a little here and there, staying within the limits Adrian Hawthorne would tolerate. ’Water that’s too clear has no fish,’ and the same principle applied to managing people. It was impossible to expect them not to take a little for themselves.
But he had to make sure Winston Lowell knew where he drew the line.
Adrian Hawthorne’s fingers danced nimbly over the abacus, dazzling Winston Lowell and the others. Their respect for Adrian grew. It seemed there was nothing their boss couldn’t do—he was a man of both brains and brawn, and a savvy businessman on top of it all.
"The discrepancy between the blue fabric and the patterned fabric is a little large. We’re short about a hundred feet."
Adrian Hawthorne had spoken suddenly, and he didn’t miss the flicker in Winston Lowell’s eyes.
Winston Lowell explained guiltily, "Maybe they were a bit too generous with their cuts and used up a lot of extra fabric. I’ll have a word with them later and tell them not to be so liberal."
Adrian Hawthorne’s face was impassive. He said softly, "In business, you have to be generous on the surface but strict underneath. Giving a little extra is fine, but don’t overdo it. More importantly, don’t use my fabric to curry personal favors. I’ll let it slide this time. But if you’re ’generous’ again, I won’t be able to afford it."
Winston Lowell and the others felt their backs tense up, and a cold sweat broke out. They didn’t dare look Adrian Hawthorne in the eye, afraid of giving themselves away.
Even though Adrian Hawthorne was younger than all of them, they feared this boy more than they had ever feared their homeroom teacher. It felt as if their petty schemes were laid bare under his gaze, as if he had peeled their very skin back.
"The boss is right. I’ll definitely teach them a lesson. If the numbers are off by this much again, you won’t even have to say a word, Boss. I’ll kick them out myself!" Winston Lowell vowed, though inwardly he breathed a sigh of relief.