11 Chapter 011 - The First Manually Operated Washer

Emma quickly fixed her clothes and went to look for Yi-Hou. The Ding brothers waited for her to come back, but she didn't come back after a very long time. Knowing their cousin still keeping their wife from coming back, they are mad, but can't do anything about it. They need him to make that washer quick, so they can start using it. After he finishes making the washer, they will then kick him back to his own home! Little did they know, Yi-Hou is not going anywhere because he's here to stay for good.

The next morning, the Ding brothers still didn't see their wife back yet. They went to look for her at the workshop and was surprised to see a small version of the manually operated washer. The size of it can fit about three sets of clothes and some undergarment inside. The perfect size for home use! This is also a product that Emma wants to sell in the future. Not everyone can afford laundry home service and some people are uncomfortable having strangers washing their clothes. With this small size washer, people can do their laundry at home themselves or have their own servant use it to wash clothes.

Emma saw her husbands coming to look for her, she was very excited to see them and can't wait to explain this to them. Hearing Emma's explanation and knowing that they can also make this product to sell it to others, Jie-Jun is a little confused. If they sell this product to others, then no one will want their laundry service anymore. They can just buy the washer and do their own laundry.

"Emma, if we sell this manually operated washer to others, then people won't use our service anymore. They can just buy his washer and do their own laundry." Jie-Wai asked since he's also confused like his brother.

"We won't sell it yet, but will be selling it in the future," Emma said.

"Why not now?" The question is asked by Jie-Jun. He's getting more confused now, why does Emma want to sell this washer to others and if we already made the washer, why not sell it now?

"We have to focus on hotels and other stores as our main customers right now. They will need our services even if these washers are for sale because they still need people to hang it to dry and also to fold them. We are not selling these small size washers yet but can let our workers bring it with them when they do home services. It will make their job quicker and easier. That way, we don't have to hire more people but can still pick up more jobs.

I would say about a year after we started using this washer, people will start copying us and start making these machines too. This machine's design is simple, so it shouldn't take them long to find out how to make one. When that time comes, we will push out these small washers for sale. Once these washers are available, the home service business will go down. That doesn't matter, because selling one of this small washer will make us a lot more money than sending people to do home services many times. We can just cut the home service by then and even save paying the extra salaries."

"But by then, lots of people will lose their job. Most of the people that do home laundry services are women that want to make some extra money to help out their household expenses." Jie-Jun thinks it a good idea, but he's also worried about his employee's losing their jobs.

"You don't have to worry about that. Once we cut the home laundry services, the people that work for us won't get fired. I will hire all of them for my new skincare business. I will need a lot of people to help me make the skincare products. As our business grows bigger, we will only hire more people and creates more jobs for them." Emma said it with lots of confidence. She knows the businesses will only get bigger and better because she will not be satisfied with just doing well in this town. She wants to spread their businesses to other towns, even to other countries!

Hearing her explanations and that they don't have to fire anyone, the brother's breathes out a breath of relief. After taking their time to think about what Enma had just said, it starts to make sense to them. And from the way Emma is saying it right now, they have a feeling that she's thinking about something big.

Emma pulls her husbands in front of the small washer, it's just a prototype. But she wants them to see how it works. She took some clothes and throw it inside the washer and add water in it. She then asked Jie-Wai to spins it by holding the handle. About 20 spins into it, she unplugs an opening cap at the bottom side of the washer. The water starts to come out. She told Jie-Wai to continue spinning it faster, after a few minutes, she stops him. She then opened the washer and took out a piece of the clothing. That piece of clothing is clean and there's no water dripping from it. They don't even have to twist the fabric to get the water out. They can just take the clothes out and hang it up to dry directly!

"Wow, this is amazing! Not only can we save time by being able to wash multiple items at the same time but this washer is super easy to use. My arm is a little tired from spinning the machine, but I'm sure it's not as bad as to actually hand washing these clothes." Jie-Wai said. He is surprised by how easy it is to use.

"So, this is just the prototype. What's the one that we are going to use in the workplace be like?" Jie-Jun asked that because this smaller washer is good, but it's too small to use it to wash sheets for hotels.

"The actually one that we are going to build is going to be a lot bigger than this one. We are thinking about what better material that we can use to make the bigger washer more durable and easier to spin by the workers. This small one here is just an idea to show you how it works and what you can expect. The bigger one that we will use is going to be able to handle washing at least 10 sets of clothing or 5-6 sheets at a time. If it's used to wash a big comforter, then it shoulder be able to handle 2-3 at a time depending on the size.

I have done an experiment to see an estimate how much time we need to use when we wash with the manually operated washer and also by my hands. I spent at least 30 minutes just to wash the two sets of normal clothing. But with the small washer, I was able to get it washed in about 10 minutes. If I put fewer pieces of clothing inside the washer, it still takes about the same amount of time. But if I add extra clothes inside, it only takes 2-3 minutes longer to spin.

This will save lots of time and it will also make doing laundry a lot easier on the workers. The workers can take turns to spin the washer. If the first big washer that we make works successfully, then we can make a few more to speed up the washing process." Emma said it very excitingly.

"Emma, even if it washes very quickly, but it won't dry that quickly. It will take up lots of space to dry everything." Jie-Jun brought out his main concern.

"After we finished with making the washer, I'm planning to make a spin dryer and a closed-door heating place to dry clothes quicker. I also have in mind of a rotating hanger system, too." Emma suddenly lets out about her next new invention that she wants to make after the washer. The Ding brothers are surprised, but not as much as Yi-Hou!

Yi-Hou thought that after they finished with the washer, there won't be much for him to do here anymore. He plans to go back home afterward, but suddenly hearing Emma's new inventions, his eyes are sparkling with lights! He immediately ran up to Emma to ask her more about it. Of course, the brothers are also interested in the spin dryer and the other stuff that she had just mentioned. The three men bombed Emma with lots of questions. It gave her a headache especially since she didn't sleep all night.

"Quiet! All of you are giving me a headache. I'm very tired and sleepy right now, so I'm going to sleep for now. I'll draw a design of it later to show it to you all. So Jie-Jun and Jie-Wai should go to work now, and Yi-Hou, you go to sleep too." Emma turns to leave the workshop but suddenly turns back to look at Yi-Hou. "You better not come to my room to disturb my sleep! Otherwise, I don't think I can remember how to make the spin dryer." she knows she has to threaten him a little bit, otherwise she won't be able to get any rest.

That morning, Emma was able to get some good rest, while Yi-Hou didn't get any rest at all. After Emma went back to her room to sleep, the Ding brothers ate breakfast and left for work. Ding Yi-Hou was going to sleep a little bit too, but he can't fall asleep at all. He kept thinking about the spin dryer and the other stuff that Emma had mentioned. How is it going to be made? What is it like? Etc. He really wants to go find her and ask her more, but she had warned him before, so he doesn't dare. He's worried that she might really forget about everything or just wouldn't tell him about it all. This is the first time in his life that he thought about a woman so much. Well, actually thought about her 'inventions' so much.

Emma slept very well, she didn't wake up until early evening. She went to the kitchen to grab a snack to eat. It's going to be dinner time soon, she hopes her husband will be home again tonight to have dinner with her. She went back to her room and starts drawing out the design for the spin dryer first since it's very similar to the washer. Very soon, both of her husbands are back from work and dinner is ready.

Jie-Jun personally comes up to her room to get her to come down for dinner. Seeing her already woken up and is drawing seriously on her desk, he finds her very attractive. He didn't want to bother her when she is working so seriously, but he's also worried that she might be hungry. So he went over to her and suddenly hugs her from her back, which gave Emma a shock!

"Ah!" Emma was surprised by a suddenly hug from her back. But she also knows that it has to be Jie-Jun since he's the only one that will do that to her. Jie-Wai is too shy to suddenly hug her from behind like that.

She turns around and sees Jie-Jun, it's just as she thought. She rolls her eyes at him and slightly pushes him away.

"Don't do that anymore, you can scare me to death like that!" Emma pretends to be a little mad.

"Come on, my wife is braver than that." Jie-Jun had a smile on his face, he knows Emma is just pretending to be mad at him.

"I don't care, I don't want you to suddenly do that anymore." Emma continues her pretending.

"Okay, okay, I give up. I won't do it suddenly anymore. But I will do it purposely from now on, okay." Before Emma can say anything else, Jie-Jun sealed her mouth with his kiss. The two of them kisses a little bit before letting each other go. "Come on, they are waiting for us downstairs to have dinner together."

Emma and Jie-Jun walk to the dining room together. Jie-Wai and Yi-Hou are already there waiting for them. As soon as Yi-Hou sees Emma walking into the dining room, he immediately got up to go toward her. Jie-Jun stopped him in front of Emma, he told him to eat dinner first. Yi-Hou unwillingly goes back to his seat and looks at Emma with his puppy eyes. Emma pretends not to see it and quickly eats the food in front of her.

After dinner, the three of them plans to take a bath together. They feel that they might get some peace and quiet from Yi-Hou if they are in the bath. But that didn't stop Yi-Hou at all, he still bursts into the bathhouse to look for Emma. Of course, the brothers are really pissed this time. They throw him out of the bathhouse and warn him if he does that again, they will throw him out of the mansion.

Inside the bathhouse, it is once again peaceful. The three of them are relaxing inside the nice hot water.

"Emma, I think we should ask Yi-Hou to leave after we finished with the washer. As for the spin dryer you mentioned before, I think we should find someone else." Jie-Wai said it with an unhappy face. He can't stand Yi-Hou ruining his precious time with his wife anymore!

"Jie-Jun, do you feel the same way?" Emma also wants to know how Jie-Jun feels about time. She doesn't want her husbands to be unhappy.

"It's up to you, Emma. If he really could make the things that you want and you wanted him to stay, then I won't be against it." Jie-Jun also wants Yi-Hou to leave, but he also knows that Emma will need Yi-Hou if she's going make all these new inventions.

"I know Yi-Hou is a little annoying and don't know when to quit. But he's really good at making things and he easily understands what I tried to say when I explain things to him. I will talk to him and make him a schedule. The schedule will have his work hours and also hours that he can come to ask me questions. That way he won't keep suddenly coming in like this, I promised." Emma does find Yi-Hou a little annoying, but she had experience dealing with someone similar to him before. She just didn't have time to talk to him about the schedule yet since he just came here. She knows how to handle him and will make sure that he doesn't suddenly burst in here again like just now.

Hearing Emma's promised and that she will make a schedule for Yi-Hou, the brothers let the issue go for now. But what they didn't know is that she will also make a schedule for them to follow too! After the bath, they got dressed in pajamas and then went back to Emma's bedroom.

"You two should go back to your own room to sleep, you still have to go work early tomorrow." Emma is trying to get them to go back to their own room to sleep, she wants to start making the schedules.

Jie-Wai is very unwilling to go back to his own room, but since Emma has already said it, he gave her a good night kiss and went back to his own room. But on the other hand, Jie-Jun didn't leave. He told Emma that he had something to ask her, so he went inside her room.

"What do you want to ask?" Emma asked as she sits down on her bed and Jie-Jun also sits right next to her.

"Wife, you should lie down on the bed while we talk. I can also give you a little massage too. I know it's tiring dealing with Yi-Hou." Jie-Jun said it as he lays her down gently on the bed and starts massaging her arms. Emma didn't refuse since she is a little tired and who doesn't like a good massage.

"Hm….it feels good, a little hard, please." The massage feels good and Emma is really enjoying it.

"Wife, since the prototype for the small washer is a success. When will the big washer be made? I have already gotten a few more business contracts for our laundry service business, it will take effect in a month. Will we make it in time?" Jie-Jun is still massaging her arms, but his hands are slowly moving to her shoulders.

"Hm….yes...a little more to the neck area." Emma is enjoying her massage as she replies to her husbands' questions. "It shouldn't take long, I just need to talk to Yi-Hou about some adjustments to the washer. If everything is going well, we should have the first big washer ready in two weeks. If we have enough time, we can also make a prototype spin dryer to try it out too."

"The spin dryer that you are talking about, will it dry the clothes and fabric?" Jie-Jun is curious what the spin dryer is, it sounds like it can dry clothes. Of course, he hands are still massaging his wife as he asks her questions, but it's now down to massaging her pair of softies.

Emma is feeling more and more relaxed, her voice is getting lower and lower. "The spin dryer is similar to the washer, it will spin fast to take out the water in the fabrics. It….it won't...dry the fabric completely...but….but it will make the fabrics dry...quicker." Breathing sound is heard coming from Emma's mouth.

Jie-Jun looks down at his wife, her eyes are already closed. She looks like she's half asleep already. He shakes his head helplessly and covers her with a blanket. He knows she pretty tired seeing that she falls asleep so quickly while he was giving her massages. He thought that he can have Emma all to himself tonight, but turns out it's not going to happen now. After he covers her with a blanket, he didn't stay in her room. Since Jie-Wai went back to his room, he has to be fair too and go back to his own room to sleep. The night is quiet, Emma and her husbands all slept well. But there's a person that didn't sleep at all. And he won't be able to sleep well for a very long time to come.