Chapter 43: The New House 3/3

Inside, there was no bathtub, only a water tub, with a few bricks placed on the ground.

Jin Xiaoye carried half a bucket of hot water inside, used a ladle to mix some cold water from the tub to adjust the temperature, and then used the ladle to scoop warm water to bathe the two children standing on the bricks.

The leftover warm water was allowed to flow outside.

After Li Damao and Li Ermao finished bathing, Jin Xiaoye asked Li Qingzhi to bathe next.

Li Qingzhi suggested, “Will you help me fetch water?”

Jin Xiaoye looked at him speechlessly and said, “How old are you?”

The plan to bathe together with Jin Xiaoye was ruined… Li Qingzhi quietly began to bathe.

After Li Qingzhi finished bathing, Jin Xiaoye went to bathe, washed her clothes afterward, and hung them in the bathroom to dry overnight.

Using a cloth towel to dry her hair, Jin Xiaoye went to the room next door where she and Li Qingzhi stayed. Unable to resist, she said, “Having a bathroom is quite convenient. We don’t need to go outside to wash vegetables on rainy days; we can do it inside.”

It really is… Li Qingzhi also felt that the bathroom was not bad.

However, if possible, he wanted to live in a more comfortable house.

Life conditions for ordinary farmers in this era were very poor, but it was different in the city. In the city, the best baths cost several taels of silver, and it was said that the edge of the bathing pool was filled with flowers, and one could also eat various things while bathing.

It was already dark outside, so Li Qingzhi lit a lamp.

It couldn’t be considered a lamp, in fact, it was just a small dish filled with oil, with a cotton wick inserted, and then ignited with a fire starter.

The light produced by this lamp was actually very dim, and it wouldn’t be very bright in the room, but it was enough to see the surroundings somewhat clearly.

In this dim light, Jin Xiaoye looked particularly beautiful.

Jin Xiaoye’s facial features were very well-defined, but her skin was dark from being exposed to the sun for a long time, and her face was a bit round. However, in the darkness, only her lively and spirited eyes and eyebrows could be seen.

“Xiaoye, let me dry your hair for you,” Li Qingzhi said. Jin Xiaoye often went to bed with wet hair, which wasn’t good for her health.

“Okay,” Jin Xiaoye said, handing a dry towel to Li Qingzhi, “Qing, I want to talk to you about something.”

“What is it?” Li Qingzhi asked.

“Ah Qing, I want to use the fifty taels of silver you brought back as capital to start a small business,” Jin Xiaoye said, expressing her thoughts.

Previously, Jin Xiaoye’s endeavors, such as making headpieces, were just small ventures, and she didn’t earn much from them.

She went to nearby villages to sell various small items, but at most, she would earn a silver coin in a day. When she sold headpieces to traveling merchants… those people saw that she was running a small business, and since she was a woman, they would try to negotiate lower prices.

Moreover, making headpieces was easy to learn, and now there are others doing the same!

“Since the money has already been given to you, feel free to use it,” Li Qingzhi said without hesitation.

Although Li Qingzhi agreed readily, Jin Xiaoye still felt somewhat apprehensive. “Ah Qing, I don’t know if my business will succeed…”

“What do you want to do?” Li Qingzhi asked.

“I want to make gloves,” Jin Xiaoye explained her idea to Li Qingzhi.

Miaoqian Village was located in the south of the Yangtze River, and it didn’t get too cold in winter; vegetables still grew in the fields. But there were still some days when the water in the village’s ditches would freeze over early in the morning.

Some very poor families might even freeze to death in the winter, and elderly people in the village often died in the winter.

But feeling cold in winter was only a concern for the poor; wealthy people in the county had many ways to keep warm.

For example, they would place burning charcoal on a copper stove. These copper stoves could be large enough to warm the feet when stood upon or small enough to hold in the hands with cotton covers. Before bed, they would even have servants use the copper stove to warm the bedcovers.

In the list of dowry items prepared by Ding Xi for her daughter, there were various styles of copper stoves.

In any case, everyone was afraid of the cold, and seeing that the weather was getting colder, Jin Xiaoye wanted to make gloves.

Listening to her description, Li Qingzhi confirmed that she wanted to make gloves, as well as hand warmers. In short, she wanted to make small warming items.

Items like gloves weren’t uncommon in Daqi, but there was no one selling them; usually, people made them for themselves.

Li Qingzhi thought Jin Xiaoye could find an embroiderer in the county to make these items and sell them. As long as she controlled the costs well, she wouldn’t lose money no matter what, even if she ended up making items that couldn’t be sold.

But in this era, making things wasn’t done with machines but with manual labor, so not much could be produced in a day. Even if the items couldn’t be sold, she could just stop making them; it wouldn’t lead to a large amount of unsold inventory.

Li Qingzhi expressed his support for Jin Xiaoye and, after thinking for a moment, also discussed various glove styles he had seen, such as fingerless gloves or gloves that could be worn with or without exposing the fingers, as well as hand warmers. Li Qingzhi thought they could be made cute, with various patterns.

Jin Xiaoye noted down each suggestion.

Li Qingzhi mentioned some things that already existed, but he had many ideas that Jin Xiaoye didn’t know about or hadn’t thought of.

He also suggested making attractive sleeve covers for children, which was indeed a good business idea.

In any case, these miscellaneous items were worth trying out. After making them, the more expensive ones could be sold in clothing stores, and the cheaper ones could be sold on boats.

The two of them talked for a long time, and although Jin Xiaoye’s hair wasn’t completely dry, it was almost there.

Li Qingzhi said, “Let’s go to bed.”

“Okay,” Jin Xiaoye agreed, and he blew out the oil lamp placed at the bedside.

This bed was newly bought, with bedposts on all four sides for hanging mosquito nets.

Li Qingzhi liked this bed very much, but he had never slept on it before. This was his first time.

Lying on the bed, he reached his hand under Jin Xiaoye’s neck, wanting to pull her into his arms.

However, as soon as his hand reached under Jin Xiaoye’s neck, she lifted her head and carefully took his hand out, saying, “Don’t put your arm under my neck. I’m quite heavy; what if I accidentally break your arm?”

 Li Qingzhi was speechless—Jin Xiaoye was so thin, where did she get the idea that she was heavy!

But Jin Xiaoye was also caring for him… Li Qingzhi leaned over and kissed Jin Xiaoye’s cheek, then moved to kiss her lips, saying, “Xiaoye…”

Jin Xiaoye froze for a moment, then pushed Li Qingzhi away.

Immediately afterward, she covered Li Qingzhi with a thin cotton blanket, and then wrapped her arm around his neck to hold him tight, saying, “Let’s sleep, let’s sleep. You’re lighter than me now, so stop thinking about random stuff!”

Well, when Li Qingzhi kissed her, she felt all tingly and started thinking about random things!

But Li Qingzhi’s body wasn’t fully recovered yet, so she needed to restrain herself.

However, both being kissed and being the one to kiss felt pretty good… After hugging Li Qingzhi tightly, Jin Xiaoye planted a few more kisses on his face.

Lately, since she had been making money, her mood had been exceptionally good.

She wanted to earn more money to fatten Li Qingzhi up!

Patting Li Qingzhi’s body with her hand, Jin Xiaoye said, “Let’s sleep!”

Struggling a bit, Li Qingzhi found himself unable to break free. “…I shouldn’t have unlocked my brain first!” he thought.