Transmigrated as the Villain Boss's Precious Darling

Chapter 454: Chapter 454: Setting Up a Factory Isn’t Hard

Adrian Hawthorne’s eyes flickered, but he didn’t say a word, just looked at Preston Thorne. He had approached Preston Thorne’s family for the simple reason that Preston was the village chief. As long as he was on board, the higher-ups would have no way of knowing if they were engaging in speculation or profiteering.

Shane Thorne scoffed. "If you don’t talk, and I don’t talk, how the hell would the higher-ups know? Even if they investigate, it’ll be fine. We’ll just insist we’re making clothes for our own family. Who can tell us otherwise!"

Preston Thorne still looked hesitant. As the village chief, he had to consider every angle. If things went wrong, losing his position would be a small matter; he was more afraid it would implicate the entire Thorne family.

Shane Thorne spoke again. "Don’t you worry. I went into the city a few days ago, and things aren’t as strict as they used to be. The streets are full of vendors. I even heard a village in Wraven started a plastics factory. They opened before the New Year and are already in production. Business is booming."

Preston Thorne’s eyes lit up. "They really started a factory?"

"Would I lie to you? What was that village called again... Right, I think it was Emberfall Village. If you don’t believe me, go ask around. There are national policies in place now. I reckon in another two years, there will only be more and more factories. We here at Millstone Peak need to get ahead of the curve. I think starting a clothing factory would be a great idea."

The more Shane Thorne spoke, the more excited he became. Although he hadn’t specialized in economics and wasn’t as perceptive as Old Master Tate, his political sensitivity was far greater. After listening to the radio, reading newspapers, and taking a few trips out and about these past few days, he’d arrived at a bold conclusion—

A bright new day was dawning.

’The higher-ups are definitely about to make a big move. Maybe they already have, and common folk like me just don’t know about it yet.’

An idea sparked in Adrian Hawthorne’s mind. Shane Thorne’s words were a reminder that Millstone Peak really could start a clothing factory. However, he wasn’t particularly interested in the idea for himself. For one, his ambitions lay beyond Millstone Peak. For another, even if they did start a factory, he wouldn’t be qualified to be the manager.

He would absolutely never do the hard work only for someone else to reap the benefits; he wasn’t some gullible fool.

But if the Thorne family was interested, he wouldn’t mind helping out.

Preston Thorne’s mind started racing, too. Starting a factory... He’d never considered such a grand goal before, but now, he was tempted.

’I’m sixty-two this year and will be retiring in a few more years. I already have a successor in mind for the village chief position: my second son, who’s due to be discharged from the military and return home next year. I’ll let him train at home for a couple of years, then he can take over my post and strive to lead Millstone Peak to a better future.’

’But I have to lay a good foundation for him first. Starting a factory is indeed a pretty good idea.’

"Shane’s not wrong," Adrian Hawthorne said. "It’s not just Emberfall Village in Wraven that has opened a factory. Several other villages have too. There are canneries, electronics plants, and hardware factories. They’re all set up according to government documents, so they aren’t violating any policies."

He had already looked into it. It wasn’t just Wraven; places like Wynton and Aurelia had also opened factories one after another. For now, they were just small workshops. Perhaps in a few years, these little workshops would either be rendered obsolete, expand, or transform into a different kind of business model.

Preston Thorne finally made up his mind. "In a few days, I’ll go to town and ask around. Even if we really can start a factory, we can’t get one up and running right now. First, there are the raw materials, and second, sales. Both of these problems need to be solved."

"There’s one more problem. The clothes we make have to be attractive. If they’re ugly and poor quality, no one will buy them."

Adrian Hawthorne had added this point, and in his mind, it was the most critical one of all. Raw materials and sales weren’t the real issue; he could guarantee both. The absolute prerequisite was an assurance of product quality.