Chapter 334 Entrusted to Mother

Shi Lang was being called from inside the palace to inform Lin Changning that he had been injured and to come to the Lin residence. He immediately put down his work, picked up his medicine box, and ran out the door.

After rushing to Lin Changning's house, Lin's second brother led him to Lin's mother's room in the backyard. Lin's mother was sitting on the edge of the bed, and after the two of them opened the door, she waved to Shilang.

"Little Ten is here. Come quickly and take a look at your Sixth Brother. He got into a fight again today, and his wound reopened. But I took a look, and it's just that the scab underneath has separated from the flesh, leaving a lot of blood. I've already applied the medicine you gave me, and it's stopped bleeding now."

Shilang glanced at Lin Erge while carrying his medicine box. Lin Erge wisely closed the door. Lin Changning took off half of his clothes, revealing his thin arms and his bandaged shoulder.

"I feel like everything should be fine now."

Shi Lang looked at Lin Changning with annoyance: "I just told you a few days ago not to do any strenuous exercise these days, or the wound will reopen. This kind of wound is the hardest to heal. Sixth Brother, can't you listen to the doctor?"

Lin Changning touched his nose guiltily: "What happened today was an accident, I really didn't mean to."

Shiro rolled his eyes at her, then expertly tore open the wooden bandage on the spot, and breathed a sigh of relief after taking a look.

"The tear isn't too big. Just keep it bandaged for the next few days, avoid getting it wet, and don't do any strenuous exercise."

At this point, Shiro felt that the deterrent effect might not be strong enough. Back in Daxing, Lin Changning's wounds would sometimes reopen due to heavy training or sword practice.

At that time, they still wouldn't listen to anything I said.

Shi Du was somewhat used to it, so he ignored Lin Changning and turned to look at Lin's mother: "It would be best if you didn't let Sixth Brother go out these next few days. She doesn't have much self-control. Her wound has reopened a little, so it's not a big problem, but if it reopens again, it really won't heal so easily. Please keep an eye on her these next few days and don't let her go out."

Lin's mother nodded to indicate that she understood.

Lin Changning stared at Shilang with a big question mark on her small head. How did Shilang become so bad? Has he learned to use his elders to bully others?

After Shiro examined the wound, Lin Changning bandaged it again. After putting on her clothes, Lin Changning looked at Shiro with some resentment: "If you don't want to do strenuous exercise, then don't do strenuous exercise. Why won't you let me out the door? Shiro?"

Shilang sneered at Lin Changning's resentful gaze and snorted, "I couldn't control you when we were in Daxing. Fortunately, your aunt is here now. Don't go out these days. We'll talk about it after your wounds have healed."

He couldn't control Sixth Brother when he was in Daxing, but now that he's back home, this big boss is still there, so he doesn't believe it anymore.

Shilang walked to the octagonal table, packed up his medicine box, and looked at Lin's mother, saying, "Sixth Brother's wound has reopened. I need to change some medicine. I'm going to the pharmacy to get the medicine now. Aunt, please keep an eye on Sixth Brother. It would be best if he could stay in bed and rest these days!"

Lin Changning: "???"

Good, good, good, good Lin Shilang! Before, he only wouldn't let us go out, but now he doesn't even want us to get out of bed.

Lin Changning glanced at his mother with a look of utter despair: "Mother? I really..."

Lin's mother pressed Lin Changning back onto the bed, glanced at him sideways, and said, "Listen to your tenth brother; he's a doctor."

After saying that, he pressed Lin Changning down and tried to shove him onto the bed.

"Take off your shoes, you're sleeping in your mother's room tonight."

Shiro chuckled to himself, bowed to Lin's mother, and turned to leave the house with his medicine box on his back.

He made a point of giving instructions before leaving.

"Auntie, make sure Sixth Brother doesn't run around during this time. I'm going to get some medicine."

Lin's mother sighed from inside the house, "Alright, Auntie, I understand."

Lin Changning sighed, stood up helplessly, and said, "I'm not too sleepy yet. I happen to have some free time today, so I wanted to discuss the embroidery workshop with Mother. I'll be on duty soon and won't have much time to manage the workshop. The blueprints we've drawn are enough for us to use for half a year. I'd like to hand over the embroidery workshop to Mother."

Lin's mother hesitated for a moment: "Well, I'm illiterate and don't know anything about business. It's not really appropriate for me to entrust this to you. Why don't you continue to entrust it to your second brother?"

Lin Changning shook his head and said, "Running the embroidery workshop won't be too difficult. Mother, Second Brother is already burdened with the business with the He family. It would be difficult for him to manage the embroidery workshop as well. I'm entrusting this matter to you. You can take Second Sister-in-law or Eldest Sister-in-law with you. As for the manager, we can hire someone or select some suitable girls from the orphanage to train."

Lin Changning paused for a moment: "After I go back to work, I'll most likely be very busy for a long time, so I'll inevitably be unable to take care of things at home."

Mother, if there's anything you don't understand, you can ask Second Brother. But the embroidery workshop must be opened. Also, all the children from the orphanage—any girl who turns 12 years old—will be placed in our embroidery workshop.

"After two or three years, if you want to stay, you can remain here as an apprentice and teach the new girls. If not, we'll release you. What do you think, Mother?"

Lin's mother hesitated and said, "I think the purpose of opening an embroidery shop is to make money, right? We've gone to great lengths to teach people, but now we're going to let them go. Isn't that a losing proposition?"

Lin Changning pursed her lips: "Mother, to be honest, the reason I initially wanted to open an embroidery workshop was so that those young girls would have a livelihood after they grew up. At such a young age, they are weak and powerless, and have no skills to rely on. Their lives are mostly filled with hardship."

So I wanted to teach them a skill so that they would have the right to choose, and it would also be a guarantee for their future, instead of being married off before they reached marriageable age.

As for our designs, I will sign a contract with them, prohibiting them from using designs from our embroidery workshop outside of our workshop. If they violate this rule, we will take them to the authorities.

Lin's mother sighed: "Our embroidery workshop only needs seventy or eighty people at most, including the manager, waiters, and maids who serve tea and water. We don't need that many embroiderers at all. I know you mean well, but..."

Lin Changning was silent for a while: "This year there are only a few dozen 12-year-old girls. Mother, let's take them in for a while first. As for the future, I think I will open more embroidery workshops. Besides Taiyuan, I can open them in other places. There will always be room for people."

Seeing her child persist, Lin's mother sighed and stroked her daughter's hair.

"Good child, I understand what you mean. I will discuss it with your second brother and sister-in-law. Your second brother said your painting is very good, so I think you shouldn't lose money."

Lin Changning nodded. She had actually calculated the profits of the embroidery workshop. Not counting the initial investment, her designs were exquisite and beautiful, and the sales channels were sure to be good. If those few clothes could be sold to the homes of high-ranking officials and nobles, the monthly profit should be stable at several hundred to several thousand taels.

In the early stages, the wages for the shopkeeper and manager will definitely be higher. They also need to hire some skilled old embroiderers, and their wages will naturally be appropriate. In addition, there are the expenses for the girls they take in and the cost of materials. The monthly expenses are about 300 taels.

However, even their lowest-grade skirts only need to sell one or two pieces to make a profit of at least four hundred taels, but they would definitely not sell only four hundred taels a month.

Therefore, the profits are definitely substantial.

Lin Changning pondered for a moment and couldn't help but feel that he was being a bit ruthless...