Chapter 1041 Busy Winter Days

Winter came exceptionally early to Yingcheng this year; it was only the beginning of the tenth lunar month when a heavy snow fell overnight.

After waking up early, the snow covered the sand and the seaside was a pure white expanse.

The craftsmen got up early to work, wearing thick coats, and slept on the heated brick bed at night. The room was dry and warm, which was very comfortable.

To keep warm and protect against the wind, straw curtains were placed over the outside of the cabin, and tarpaulin curtains were installed at the windows.

During the day, when the craftsmen are not at home, a designated person is responsible for adding firewood and maintaining the temperature inside the house.

"Young Madam, a letter has arrived from the Northwest."

If we were to ask who was the most imposing figure in the fishing village, it would undoubtedly be Sun Tzu.

From afar, Sun Wu led his main force straight to Lin Yuesha's courtyard. He sent his most capable subordinate, a parrot, to deliver a message in advance.

"where?"

Lin Yuesha opened the window, and a blast of cold air hit her. The parrot immediately flew in from outside, chattering incessantly, "It's so cold! It's so cold!"

"If birds have feathers, are they afraid of the cold?"

There was no letterbox on the parrot, so the letter should still be with Sun Tzu.

Lin Yuesha stood up to go out, only to see the parrot give her a disdainful look and angrily say, "Don't people feel cold when they wear clothes?"

Feeling the disdain from the parrot, Lin Yuesha felt ashamed, but she couldn't stoop to the level of an animal.

She covered her face; the bird beside Sun Tzu had come to life.

A short while later, Sun Wu arrived at the entrance of the courtyard, where hundreds of birds were perched on the courtyard wall waiting.

"Young Madam, this is a letter from the Northwest."

Sun Tzu was not good at communicating with people, so after delivering the letter, he took his leave.

As soon as he left, a whole flock of black birds flew away.

Lin Yuesha took the letter and looked at the bird droppings left on the courtyard wall, which were particularly noticeable against the white snow. She couldn't help but smile bitterly.

Now she finally understood why the villagers were willing to pool their money to recommend Sun Wu, and why they wept with joy when Sun Wu left.

The letter was written by Jiang Baozhu. Ever since Helian Cheng lost Jinyu Pass and was driven back to his old lair, he had suffered heavy losses and was constantly worried that the soldiers of Daqi would cause trouble again.

After the war, the northwestern border of the Great Qi is rapidly recovering and rebuilding. Merchants have already opened up routes to the northwest, and everything is returning to normal.

This year, the weather turned cold early, and the business of down jackets and other items is booming. Jiang Baozhu has already opened dozens of workshops with different divisions of labor. Some workshops collect down, some are responsible for washing and drying it, and others make finished garments. Finally, according to Lin Yuesha's requirements, a group of people were specially hired to do the inspection to prevent anyone from cutting corners.

In the fishing village, everyone has a down jacket, but the craftsmen are reluctant to wear them when they are at work.

In winter, the wind is strong and fishermen go out to sea less often. The workshops that used to make seafood have been converted by female workers to make down jackets, and the results are beginning to show.

The soldiers of the Northern Qi Dynasty urgently needed a batch of down jackets to keep warm, but Lin Yuesha's workshop was not large enough, so she introduced the concept of OEM manufacturing.

She provided the fabric and down jackets; the other workshops only needed to make the clothes according to the measurements. She paid the processing fee and delivered the goods on the agreed date, thus completing the transaction.

Based on this calculation, the cost of producing a down jacket is much lower than that of producing cotton-padded jackets in previous years, and it is also warmer.

"Sister Yue Sha, it's almost noon!"

Since arriving in Yingcheng, Zhang Qing'er has been particularly carefree, wandering around every day. She is most eager to come and call Lin Yuesha when it's time to eat.

What are we having for lunch today?

Lin Yuesha rubbed her sore eyes, closed the ledger, and asked.

Zhang Qing'er didn't mention the disagreement between Zhang Qing'er and Prince Luo, as if it had never happened.

However, the two disliked each other and immediately turned their backs to each other upon seeing each other.

Seeing that arranging the marriage would be very difficult, Xu Da stopped mentioning it.

"We eat dumplings, along with braised chicken, pickled vegetables, and an egg drop soup."

The canteen's communal meals were made with high-quality ingredients, and Lin Yuesha was very impressed with how well Zhao's family could make them taste good.

Big Plate Chicken is a specialty of Northwest China, and it was the dish Yan Yan requested. Zhao is a natural-born chef; he grasped the concept immediately and made it after a little thought. The cafeteria had made it once before, and the feedback was positive.

"Cabbage and pork, celery and pork, mackerel dumplings, and chive and egg dumplings."

Zhang Qing'er is very particular about food, and she makes sure to go to the greenhouse every day to check on how the vegetables are growing.

Eating fresh vegetables in winter, though in small quantities, is something most ordinary people can only dream of.

After this dumpling feast, there shouldn't be any vegetable picking for a while. There are still about two months until the end of the year, and the craftsmen are already eagerly anticipating it.

Lin Yuesha and Zhang Qing'er arrived early, before the craftsmen had finished work.

While chatting with the cook, Zhao kept working, and in almost a breath, she had wrapped a new dumpling.

Moreover, the dumplings on the table come in shapes like ingots and leaves, and everyone has their own style.

After washing her hands, Lin Yuesha joined in and chatted with the others.

"As soon as it gets cold, we start preparing to make steamed buns with red bean paste. After we make them, we freeze them in the storeroom in the backyard."

The warehouse was unused by firewood, making it a natural cold storage facility. During this period, the Zhao family began storing fish, shrimp, and other items.

After the fishermen catch the seafood, they place it on the deck. Because of the cold weather, the seafood freezes to death, preserving its original freshness.

The warehouse was cleared of boards and had hanging baskets for storing cured meat and fish to keep out rats.

Zhao not only makes steamed buns and other similar items, but also sticky rice cakes and glutinous rice balls with brown sugar. The glutinous rice balls are fried until golden brown on both sides, then sprinkled with some white sugar, which the children enjoy.

At the end of the year, more ingredients need to be purchased from the warehouse. Zhao is in charge of bulk purchases to get a more reasonable price.

Lin Yuesha originally wanted to merge it with the military supplies, but she later stopped herself from doing so.

Public and private matters should be kept separate. Small workshops should purchase separately to avoid confusion and future auditing problems.

There were many people eating in the canteen, and Zhao was worried that there wouldn't be enough food, so she prepared extra.

The time was about right, the water was boiling, and the women on the stove started to busy themselves making dumplings.

Besides the braised chicken, Zhao prepared several kinds of pickled vegetables and egg drop soup. The egg drop soup was topped with a layer of finely chopped green onions and drizzled with sesame oil, which glistened and looked very appetizing.

When the time came, the craftsmen rushed in, and the canteen was packed with people.

Everyone beamed with joy upon hearing that dumplings would be served at noon.

"Why hasn't Sister Yan arrived yet?"

Lin Yuesha had already eaten her fill, but still hadn't seen Yan Yan. She asked Zhao Shi to save a portion of chive and egg dumplings for Yan Yan.

Because some of the craftsmen were wounded and suffered from various ailments in the winter, and the women in the workshop occasionally suffered from minor ailments such as menstrual cramps and typhoid fever, Yan Yan led Lian Qiao to prepare to form a medical team.

After arriving in Yingcheng, Lianqiao liked life in the north and wanted to stay.

Previously, when someone fell ill, the village's guards would run errands to the city to fetch a doctor. It would be much more convenient if they had their own doctor.