Chapter 696 Improvement

Lin Yuesha thought that Wei Lan was taking the lead for the sake of her reputation. Perhaps Wei Lan did think so, but the Wei family's behind-the-scenes push had ulterior motives.

The money raised was for the soldiers in the Northwest to buy rations, medicine, and cotton clothing; it must not be embezzled by the Wei family.

Lin Yuesha knew what to do and would act accordingly. If she needed manpower, she would send maids and servants to Shuangfuji to deliver the message.

By getting engaged to the pockmarked man, he was now one of her own. Lin Yuesha was very attentive to military supplies.

"Where do Shuangfuji source their ducks from?"

Lin Yuesha wanted to get a few down jackets to test their effectiveness. There were some readily available, and the leftover duck down from Shuangfuji's ducks couldn't be wasted.

“I have already sent the land deed to a farm on the outskirts of Beijing as a betrothal gift.”

Aside from his black market business, Xiao Qi had nothing of value.

"good."

Lin Yuesha didn't mention that she wanted to make cotton-padded clothes, but instead brought up the food she was preparing for Madam Xu and Xu Da, asking for the pockmarked man's opinion.

Lin Yuesha was very cautious, as she was afraid that her good intentions might backfire. She brought many well-intentioned gifts, but they added to the burden of the trip.

"We rode at full speed, taking shortcuts, and it took three to five days to reach a post station. When we got tired, we would rest on our horses."

The carriage was too slow, the path was rugged, and only one person and one horse could travel. The worst part was the slippery, rainy days.

"Warm clothes are too heavy, just bring some dry food."

When traveling on horseback, too much luggage is cumbersome and unstable on the horse's back, causing it to sway and delay the journey.

When Lin Yuesha returned to the Lin residence, she added another package to the list. She wanted to make a backpack out of coarse cloth and carry it on her back, which would save her energy compared to carrying a bundle on her shoulder.

The Lin family had no shortage of fabric, so Lin Yuesha scoured the small storeroom where scraps and leftover materials were stored.

"Miss, what is this?"

Granny Fang and Bai Cha gathered around. Their young mistress wasn't sleeping; she was fiddling with something by the oil lamp. The two of them watched for a long time but couldn't figure it out.

"A bag that can be carried on both shoulders."

Lin Yuesha cut the fabric pieces, and to make them waterproof, she added a thick layer of tar paper inside the coarse cloth.

“Carrying it on your shoulders is very energy-saving, but if the opening is too big, you have to sew on several buttons. If the opening is too small, it is inconvenient to take things out.”

Bai Cha understood what her mistress meant and offered her suggestions.

Such a bundle is unnecessary. Although it saves effort, it is not practical. The long coat that the young lady mentioned is also inconvenient to put on and take off. If you are fighting on the battlefield and the enemy attacks, you can only put on the cotton coat to fight, and there is no time to fasten it.

"White tea, you're absolutely right, so it needs to be improved."

Lin Yuesha had already considered this problem. While frog buttons on women's clothes are aesthetically pleasing, they take up a lot of time when dressing. If zippers could be used, this problem could be solved perfectly.

To this end, she drew a sketch and planned to go to the blacksmith's shop to find someone.

Making a zipper isn't difficult; the zipper head is relatively easy to make, but you still need to make the zipper teeth.

"Such an exquisite thing, I'm afraid even a blacksmith couldn't make it."

Bai Cha was confused by the blueprints. As the young lady said, as long as the chain head was pulled up, the teeth on both sides would be misaligned and gathered together, thus simply replacing the button.

However, the zipper teeth are too numerous and densely packed, so it takes some effort to get them up.

"There's no such thing as a free lunch. If you want to save effort, you have to put in hard work."

Modern machines can complete the task in a second, but in Daqi it would take a whole day. However, Daqi has no shortage of manpower, so as long as the craftsmen can make the zipper, it is not difficult.

Embroidery is such a difficult task that even a woman could do it without any problem, let alone something as simple as a zipper.

“Miss, it’s too late today. Even if I find a craftsman, he won’t be able to get into the backyard of the Lin residence.”

The second gate of the Lin residence was already closed. Bringing people in would only cause more trouble if Lin Yue'e discovered it.

"Okay, then let's do it first thing tomorrow morning."

Lin Yuesha was anxious. She would go home tomorrow and make instant noodles and hot and sour rice noodles first.

The maids were very interested in the zipper, but they also raised a question: iron zippers rust too easily, and it would be best to plate the outer layer with silver, which would greatly increase the cost and make it impossible to use them widely.

The next morning, the jewelry craftsman was invited to the Lin residence. Lin Yuesha went to see the craftsman without even having breakfast.

"The smaller one you mentioned can be made, but it will take two days."

The required zipper is too delicate. If it is made of silver, the silver must first be melted into silver wire, which is an extremely complicated process and not very durable.

"For smaller ones, we could try mixing 80% silver and copper to enhance toughness."

The craftsman came up with a solution that Lin Yuesha thought was feasible and that there was enough time. If she couldn't make the zipper later, she would have to work on the buttons instead.

Two days before the banquet for fundraising at the Prince's Mansion, Lin Yuesha returned home to busy herself. The Lin family tacitly accepted her absence from the mansion. Lin Shusheng didn't care about his daughter at all and didn't bother to send anyone to inquire.

Old Madam Lin was even more eager for this. Lin Yuesha was a foodie, and she would drink bird's nest porridge every time she returned to the mansion. If she didn't return to the Lin mansion, she would wish to set off firecrackers to celebrate.

"Mother, I'll stay home and keep you company."

You can't get anything out of the Lin family. Old Mrs. Lin and Lin the scholar have become smarter and will only keep exploiting her.

"Your mother said she would bring you back a long time ago."

Madam Chen immediately agreed. After Madam Xu left in a few days, she would be bored in the mansion with no one to talk to. It would be better to have a daughter, a sweet and caring little girl.

"Only you think like that; everyone else would love to have a son."

Lin Yuesha scooped out the fried instant noodles and wrapped them in oil paper. These things don't take up much weight, but they do take up a lot of space.

"If it's really about continuing the family line, then find a son-in-law who will live with you. Sons are just here to collect debts; they're not as considerate as daughters."

Xiao Chenggui adored his daughter, and so did Chen Shi, who fantasized every day about turning her life around and having a daughter herself.

When Lin Yuesha gets married in the future, she will have her little daughter to accompany her. Then she can find a son-in-law who will live with her family, someone with good character. It would be great if the whole family could live together happily.

Lin Yuesha was surprised. The world generally favored sons over daughters, but her mother did the opposite.

"By the way, little girl, I'll do the rest of the work. Baozhu seems to have something to ask you."

Suddenly remembering the purpose of her visit to the kitchen, Ms. Chen urged her daughter to go there.

"Didn't Sister Baozhu go to the shop?"

After getting up, Lin Yuesha went to the Xu family's house, and upon returning home, she busied herself in the main kitchen. She wiped her hands with a cloth, and just as she stepped out, she bumped into Jiang Baozhu, who had found the main kitchen.

"Sister Yue Sha".

Jiang Baozhu twisted her fingers, looking preoccupied.

"Sister Baozhu, you could have just sent a message through the maid. Why did you come yourself?"

The shop was filled with the smell of cooking oil, and Jiang Baozhu did all the cooking herself, which made her cough from the smell. A few days ago, she was so sick that she couldn't sleep all night. She has been taking medicine to recuperate recently, and Lin Yuesha doesn't dare let her into the kitchen anymore.