Greta's Scheming

Princess Jade Hayes swept her gaze over the crowd, then put on a look of worry and frustration as she addressed everyone: "Ladies, you all saw it when you came in—the warehouse caught fire last night, and everything we prepared for delivery was burned to ashes! If we can't deliver this batch on time, the Textile Works won't survive. So, for the next few days, I need all of you to pull together and give it your all. We'll be working in shifts, day and night, to rush out the goods. The supervisors will organize you into teams, and each team will take turns according to schedule. The power looms will run around the clock until we finish this order!"

After Princess Jade Hayes finished speaking, the women began whispering among themselves. Everyone was anxious—if the Textile Works closed, they'd lose their jobs. So when she suggested working in three shifts, no one objected. As long as the factory stayed open, that was all that mattered.

But when it came to weaving at night, everyone felt uneasy.

Even though the power looms were automatic, they sometimes needed manual thread changes, especially with complex patterns. Mistakes could easily happen, and the shuttle had to be watched closely—if it went off track, someone had to fix it right away.

All these tasks required plenty of light. If there was a single mistake, the fabric would be ruined.

But working at night meant poor lighting. Lighting a bunch of candles and oil lamps was hard on the eyes, and with all those flames near flammable threads and fabric, it was a recipe for disaster.

Meanwhile, Aunt Lu and Mrs. Zeng were discussing the issue too.

Mrs. Zeng looked worried. "No matter how many candles we light at night, it's nothing compared to sunlight. Can this really work?"

Aunt Lu was just as anxious. "That's right. If Princess Jade Hayes wants us to rush the work, I have no objections. I'm just afraid it'll be too dark at night, and if we make a mistake, we'll ruin a whole bolt of fabric. That would be a real problem."

Greta pressed her lips together, secretly smirking. She thought to herself, 'Princess Jade Hayes must be out of tricks. That fire really cornered her, so now she's come up with this harebrained scheme to keep everyone working night shifts.'

Working at night meant more mistakes, and with the machines running nonstop, Greta hoped they'd break down sooner rather than later!

The women responded with relieved exclamations, no longer worried about the machines.

Greta scoffed inwardly, thinking these machines were truly odd—designed to run nonstop all day. What a pity, she'd been hoping they'd break down from overuse.

Still, Greta wasn't too worried. If the lighting problem wasn't solved, with so many candles around, she could always bump one over 'by accident' and set the whole factory ablaze, machines and all.

Just as Greta was scheming, Princess Jade Hayes climbed up to the second floor of the tall factory and pressed an unfamiliar switch.

In an instant, a series of round objects on the factory ceiling lit up, casting a bright yellow glow.

No one had ever seen such things before—they glowed steadily, bright yellow, nothing like fire.

Princess Jade Hayes smiled. "I forgot to mention, when the factory was designed, we installed electric light bulbs for night shifts. With all these bulbs, there's no need for candles—it's bright enough, isn't it?"

Greta stared at the electric bulbs, her face instantly turning the color of pig liver.

Princess Jade Hayes smiled. "I forgot to mention, when the factory was designed, we installed electric light bulbs for night shifts. With all these bulbs, there's no need for candles—it's bright enough, isn't it?"

Greta looked at the electric bulbs, her face instantly turning the color of pig liver.