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“Really?” Liu Shi gave Jiang Youcheng a sidelong glance. “Since when have you become so thoughtful?”
Jiang Youcheng chuckled. “I just noticed how cold it’s getting this winter. With some rabbit fur, we can make anything to keep warm, especially if we make some insoles for shoes. They’ll definitely keep us warm.”
“I appreciate that you’re still thinking of the children,” Liu Shi smiled slightly. “Since we have quite a bit of this rabbit fur, the children won’t use it all. I’ll make you a neck collar and some insoles too.”
It seemed like his wife was still thinking of him after all.
“Alright,” Jiang Youcheng nodded eagerly.
The smile never left Jiang Youcheng’s face for the entire morning.
But the smile felt forced.
Jiang Banggu and the other two who were working with him had remained silent. Song Jingyun, however, became increasingly uneasy as he observed Jiang Youcheng. Finally, at lunchtime, he couldn’t help but quietly ask Jiang Mixia, “Why is Dad so happy today?”
“I think I heard Mom saying she’ll make Dad a neck collar and insoles. Maybe that’s why he’s so happy,” Jiang Mixia replied in a hushed tone.
“I see,” Song Jingyun mused thoughtfully.
Indeed, he was also quite happy to have new clothes and a neck collar made by his mother and Jiang Mixia.
It’s natural to be happy when you have new clothes to wear.
Besides, the clothes here are quite nice.
But thinking about it this way, it seemed that his father wasn’t that different from him after all. He was also happy because of new clothes…
Was his father really in a position to call him a child all the time? Song Jingyun shrugged to himself.
After finishing their lunch, a carriage arrived at Jiang Mixia’s house.
The visitors were Madam Zheng and Zheng Yuanhe.
Jiang Mixia was quite surprised by this unexpected visit. After the usual hospitality and exchange of pleasantries, she inquired, “Is Madam Zheng here to pick up the patterns early?”
“That’s part of the reason,” Madam Zheng replied with a smile. “The set of little tiger puppets from last time sold extremely well. We’ve sold over ten sets already, so we thought we’d strike while the iron is hot and make some new puppets.”
“So, we’ve come unannounced to see how the patterns are coming along here and to see if we could take them early,” added Zheng Yuanhe.
“The patterns are all drawn, and the puppets have been made, but they were just finished yesterday. The puppets haven’t completely dried yet. If you really want to take them, you can, but you should handle them with care. It would be better to let them thoroughly dry before using them as molds,” Jiang Mixia stated.
“In that case, I’ll take them with me and have my craftsmen carefully preserve them,” Madam Zheng proposed.
Since the buyer didn’t mind the inconvenience of taking them back before they were fully dried, Jiang Mixia naturally had no objections and readily agreed, “I’ll pack these items for Madam Zheng right away then?”
“Please don’t rush, Madam Jiang. It won’t be too late to take them when we’re ready to leave,” Madam Zheng said. “Today, besides picking up the patterns, I also have other matters to discuss with you.”
“This is my eldest brother, who runs a general store in the county town, selling various goods. He noticed the exquisite craftsmanship of the bamboo baskets and containers made in your home. He wanted to discuss potential business opportunities in this area with you,” Zheng Yuanhe added. “We came here together today, hoping to discuss this. Do you have any interest in this?”
“As you may have noticed, there are people working in the yard. My father and husband are teaching apprentices how to make woven bamboo baskets, and we also intend to expand this workshop to produce more goods on a daily basis,” Jiang Mixia explained. “If Manager Zheng is interested, I would be more than happy. However, I wonder about the quantity and the price you have in mind.”
“My general store isn’t the largest, but it’s not small either. We have a good daily turnover of items like woven bamboo products. Most of our business is in the city. I also plan to send the waterproof products made in your home to the city. As for the quantity and the price, you can rest assured…”
Zheng Yuanhe outlined his general plan to Jiang Mixia.
When ordering various bamboo products from Jiang Mixia, they would provide a 30% down payment at the time of the order, specifying the types, quantities, and weaving times. For custom-made items, they would provide patterns and measurements.
As for pricing, it would be determined on a case-by-case basis, with Jiang Mixia leading the pricing. If Zheng Yuanhe had any concerns, they would negotiate separately.
After a lengthy discussion that lasted for more than an hour, with tea being refilled two or three times, Jiang Mixia and Zheng Yuanhe essentially reached a cooperative agreement.
Both parties also agreed that in a few days, the manager from Zheng’s store would come to finalize the details of the order with Jiang Mixia.
“Madam Jiang, please wait a moment.”
“Take care.” After seeing off Zheng Yuanhe and madam Zheng as they boarded the carriage, Jiang Mixia returned to the yard and discussed the details of supplying goods to Zheng’s store with Jiang Youcheng and the others.
With a tea garden to the west and Zheng’s store in the county to the east, there was no need to worry about business in the future!
The entire family was delighted by this business deal. Jiang Youcheng even started considering whether to recruit a couple more apprentices to work at home.
“We should hire a few more,” Jiang Mixia said. “I spoke to both Manager Zhengs. It seems that the main focus of the general store is in the city, and they’re interested in ordering more waterproof items, baskets, and bamboo products. If we start taking orders, our current situation at home might be too exhausting.”
“Moreover, training apprentices takes time to get them up to speed. It’s better to be prepared in advance to avoid any last-minute rush.”
“Additionally, I’ve been thinking. Our yard isn’t very large, and although it can currently accommodate so many people working, the vacant rooms can also hold the products we make. However, once the business takes off, the space won’t be sufficient. After winter, we won’t be able to work in the yard, and the rooms won’t be enough,” Jiang Mixia continued.
“Why don’t we enclose an area and build a workshop there? This way, it will be spacious enough and appear more formal. When others come to discuss business in the future, it will present us as a legitimate workshop,” she suggested.
Given their previous experience, this time Jiang Youcheng didn’t hesitate at all and promptly nodded in agreement. “Yes, that’s true. But the workshop shouldn’t be too far from home. It seems there’s no readily available land nearby…”
“I think we could fill in the pit in front of our house,” Liu Shi proposed.
In front of Jiang Mixia’s house, there was a pit.
In the early days, the village was small, with just a central area containing a dozen or so households. When people built their houses, they excavated the soil from this area. Over time, it turned into a large pit.
As the village gradually expanded, it reached the edge of this pit, and ultimately, the pit was completely surrounded.
The location of the pit was actually quite suitable for building a house, but because it would require a lot of effort to fill it with soil for construction, no one wanted to undertake the task, so the pit had been left as it was.