Chapter 324

Shuiqing was also aware of the matter regarding winter clothes.

She had heard the workers at the herb shop mention it.

In fact, the ability to make winter clothes was also driven by this group of people at the herb shop. They needed to work during the winter, and thin clothes wouldn’t suffice. Plus, now that they were earning money, their voices at home carried more weight. Their suggestions were taken seriously, so after considering everything, they decided that since they were paying out wages, everyone in the family would get a new set of winter clothes.

A set of winter clothes could be worn for many years, patched up for another three years, and even after that, they could be torn apart and remade for the children to wear. It wasn’t a waste of money.

Shuiqing also knew that most families in the village used hemp fabric. The hemp fabric sold in the capital was vastly different from the rough, uncomfortable, but durable hemp fabric used locally. The cost-effectiveness won over all its drawbacks—poor people couldn’t be picky, and those with money knew to buy better quality.

Thinking about hemp fabric, Shuiqing realized that just making winter clothes wouldn’t be enough.

In the past, Shanshui Village had been too poor and too hard-pressed. Most people only had hemp clothes. Cotton fabric for the herb shop’s winter clothes wasn’t useful, as winter clothes were worn over undergarments. People in the village didn’t have undergarments; they would wear summer clothes underneath, and the only warmth they had was from the two or three layers of clothes they piled on in winter.

Even if they made cotton winter clothes, wearing hemp undergarments would still be uncomfortable.

She looked at Fan Jin and added, “Since we’re making winter clothes, let’s make a complete set—two sets of undergarments and two sets of winter clothes. Use fine cotton for the undergarments and coarse cotton for the winter clothes.”

Fan Jin immediately understood Shuiqing’s intention.

If they only made winter clothes, the women working at the herb shop would still be uncomfortable wearing them. Fine cotton was soft and comfortable against the skin, while coarse cotton was durable and suitable for outerwear. Shuiqing was genuinely thinking about their well-being.

“Alright, but with clothes for thirty-five people, who will you get to make them? What about the color selection—uniform or each person chooses differently?”

Shuiqing was very pleased that Fan Jin didn’t dampen her enthusiasm and responded positively. She continued with more ideas cheerfully, “It’s already late October. Winter will be here in a few days. Four sets of clothes for each of thirty-five people—no matter who makes them, it won’t be done quickly. Why don’t we just give them the fabric and let them make it themselves? As for the colors, it’s better to be uniform. Consider it the ‘work uniform’ for the herb shop. When we start the sugar refinery and brush-making shop in the future, we’ll also need workers and uniforms with different colors to make it simple and clear.”

Everyone in the village made their own clothes; some were skilled, and some were not, but almost no one cared. Just having clothes was good enough, and who cared about anything else? Besides, if she paid someone to make clothes for them, not only would it cost money, but the wait would be long, and if the fit wasn’t right, altering them would be inconvenient.

Allowing them to make their own clothes would consume their own time, but there was a benefit: leftover scraps of fabric from making clothes could be used to make a few pairs of cloth shoes. If she hired someone else to make these scraps, they wouldn’t get any, which could also be considered a form of subsidy.

Shuiqing was focused on who would make the clothes, while Fan Jin was visibly stunned upon hearing about the brush-making shop.

He knew about the sugar refinery; Shuiqing had mentioned it before. Buying sugarcane seeds from the market and making red and white sugar was feasible. He wasn’t worried; they could learn the planting and processing techniques from books bought at the market.

They had originally planned to start planting in autumn, but after buying books, they learned that sugarcane should be planted in spring. Therefore, the sugar refinery was postponed until the harvest next autumn.

However, “A brush-making shop? Shuiqing, when did you start planning this?”

Listening to Fan Jin’s slightly pleased tone, Shuiqing naturally said, “I’ve been planning this for a while. Remember when we sold brushes before? The profit margins were very high. Although the current situation is unstable, sooner or later, it will stabilize and prosper. At that time, brushes will be essential as one of the ‘Four Treasures of the Study.’ There’s no worry about sales.

We can learn the techniques from the market and have all the raw materials ready.”

Fan Jin’s eyes, gleaming with confusion, showed it all. When did they have all the raw materials? Since Shuiqing wanted to turn their market business into something long-term and tangible, the raw materials shouldn’t depend too much on the shopping market. However, if they didn’t depend on the market, how did they get all the raw materials?

“The materials for brushes are mostly made from sheep hair, rabbit hair, and pig hair, all of which we have locally. I’ve also inquired about rabbit skins in the village, which are priced between fifteen to twenty wen each. If we don’t have enough, we can purchase them from others.

As for pigs, Guifeng has already planned to buy piglets from our family to raise. Once she starts, many others in the village will likely follow suit, and we can collect all the pig hair for brush materials.

With rabbits and pigs being raised, why not sheep too? Once we secure the main materials, horsehair will be easy to obtain as well. We can buy two horses with our money to raise; it’s not a problem. As for wolf hair, we won’t be involved in that, focusing instead on developing materials in larger quantities.”

Leaving aside whether Shanshui Village has wolves, even if they do, such social and ferocious animals wouldn’t be easy to capture.

She only wants to earn money, not risk her life!

Fan Jin didn’t expect Shuiqing to think so far ahead. He thought that exchanging rabbits and selling piglets to villagers was simply because they had too many to benefit both villagers and themselves, a mutually beneficial arrangement.

He didn’t expect it to eventually benefit their own household.

Shuiqing saw surprise, admiration, and appreciation in Fan Jin’s darkened eyes, her mouth lifting as she continued, “As for brush handles, we can’t let the bamboo on that mountain go to waste, can we? It’s perfect for making handles!”

She also considered how to maximize the value of this bamboo mountain. Making bamboo crafts was certainly not feasible these days; bamboo and crafts weren’t valuable anymore. Weaving bamboo baskets and such took time and couldn’t fetch a good price. Transporting them took space, and even if they were sent elsewhere, what place didn’t have bamboo baskets and such?

Profit was low, and transporting them back and forth was simply unrealistic.

But brushes were different. They took up little space and had high profits. It wasn’t easy to obtain raw materials—not every place was like their village, where a large number of animals were raised and sold in batches, with hides and fur all gathered together.

Craftsmanship was also difficult, with skills not widely known outside. She had a shopping mall where she could buy learning materials; otherwise, even knowing about high profits would leave one helpless.

Fan Jin couldn’t calm down for a long time in his heart, finally summarizing, “Shuiqing, you’re really amazing.”

Ming Dynasty had too many restrictions on women. If she were a man, she would definitely achieve much more, instead of being confined to the small Shanshui Village.

He should prepare for the imperial examination. Shuiqing couldn’t leave as a woman, but as his wife, she could. The better he did on the exam, the faster he could rise in rank, and the bigger her world would be…