I don't actively check work messages on weekends. But sometimes my phone buzzes, I glance at it, and if it's a client asking something, I reply.
Last Sunday around noon, my phone buzzed. It was someone who'd messaged me months ago about our minimum order. She said: "Shen Yunzhi, I'm back. You said 50 pairs last time. I've been thinking about it for a long time. I want to actually do it now."
I scrolled back through our chat history. It had been over six months. She actually came back. I thought she was just asking casually back then, didn't expect her to sit on it that long. I replied: "Send me your details. I'll start the process on Monday."
She said: "Sorry to bother you on the weekend." I said: "I'm not really working. Just happened to see your message."
That's the truth. On weekdays, I'm rarely in the group chats. Gu Qichi handles client messages. Old Zhang runs the workshop. Old Zheng keeps an eye on sampling. Cheng Yuewei does the designs. Tang Wanlan manages brand work. I just walk by, glance in, and keep going—everyone does their thing, no need for me to step in.
Weekends are different. Everyone's off. I usually hit the market or cook at home. Phone sits on the counter. If a message comes in, I look. If it's a client, I reply. I don't go looking for work, but if it finds me, I'll take it.
Monday morning I came in and Old Zhang said: "I saw that client you talked to. She sent her specs to the group. I took a look while I was in the workshop." I said: "Good, you got it." He said: "Can you not work on weekends? Makes the rest of us look bad."
I thought about it. Fair enough.