Toothbrush handles are not used in large quantities like bamboo baskets. The amount of bamboo needed to make a bamboo basket is enough to make dozens of toothbrush handles, but the price of a single toothbrush is equivalent to that of dozens of bamboo baskets!

The price difference between these two scenarios is truly enormous.

Cutting down bamboo and transporting it to the herbal medicine shop are both physically demanding tasks, and splitting and trimming bamboo joints is also a strenuous job. Shuiqing selected more than a dozen men from her relatives' homes to be in charge of this task, paying them twenty-three coins a day.

Some of the women were responsible for picking the hair, which involved removing the hair from the fabric. They would then soak the animal hair in lime water for a period of time to remove the grease and fishy smell from the fabric, as well as to sterilize it. This step was also involved in the production of calligraphy brushes.

However, since toothbrushes are something that goes into the mouth, especially the mouths of the wealthy and powerful, this step must be done with utmost care to ensure there is absolutely no odor!

Another group of strong women were responsible for punching the same holes at one end of the bamboo board so that the brushes could be attached later. These holes had to be the same size and spaced evenly, not sparsely, otherwise the bamboo board would be ruined.

The girls' families divided into three teams. One team used fine cotton to polish the already smooth bamboo handles, ensuring that each one was free of any burrs.

One team used silk thread to fix the processed raw material in the drilled holes, ensuring that each clump of raw material was basically the same size, thickness, and softness.

The last group of girls was responsible for trimming the toothbrush heads, cutting them to a fixed length, and storing them in the warehouse.

At first, everyone was unfamiliar with the process and, as expected, they didn't do a good job. The substandard products were distributed to the employees for their own use. After two or three batches, they all did a decent job in all aspects.

Shui Qing spends every day at the toothbrush workshop, and Bai Manshan also comes over from time to time to offer suggestions.

He, along with Li Huyu, Qin Yilin, and others, were among the first to use the product. Paired with salt, they found it much more effective than the willow branches they had used before.

After more than a dozen batches, the toothbrushes produced were virtually flawless.

Bai Manshan looked at the toothbrush in his hand, which still had bamboo leaf or auspicious cloud patterns on the handle, and tried the brush heads made of pig bristles, rabbit hair, and sheep hair. He then said to Shui Qing, "Sister Shui Qing, sell me the ones in front of you!"

Shuiqing never expected that the person who was supposed to be interested would become a major customer, and asked, "What do you need so much for?"

"The Bai family's business also includes general stores. Although Nandu suffered a severe flood, the Bai family's stores are not only in Nandu, but also in Qiongzhou Prefecture, which is far away at the ends of the earth!"

"Once I get my hands on toothbrushes, I can stock them in those shops. Since only I have toothbrushes, it can also boost the sales of other goods." Bai Manshan became more and more excited as he spoke. If he hadn't only been here a few days ago, he would have wanted to start shipping them to shops all over the country right now.

Shui Qing smiled and said, "Great! With you as a big customer, my toothbrush workshop feels even more confident!"

As long as sales are good, we can hire more people to expand production at any time.

It's okay if there isn't enough fur; there's plenty of rabbit fur in the village. As for pig bristles and sheep wool, you can buy them in the prefectural city. A toothbrush doesn't need much fur, and you can use it for a long time after buying it once.

"By the way, Brother Bai, what price do you think I should set?"

The people asking for advice from Ding and Qin Yilin, who are professionals, were asking for their opinions on the medicinal herbs. For the toothbrush, we just happened to ask Bai Manshan for his opinion.

Bai Manshan did not try to lower the price just because his family bought goods from Shuiqing. Instead, he carefully explained the market situation: "The worst brush costs around 150 coins. Toothbrushes are similar to brushes. They are both made of bamboo bristles and the craftsmanship is similar."

Calligraphy brushes are used by scholars, who are generally well-off. Correspondingly, those who can afford toothbrushes are also relatively well-off. However, calligraphy brushes are a necessity for scholars, while toothbrushes are not yet. I think the key is to initially price them slightly lower to establish a sales channel.

Shui Qing approves.

The most important thing is to open up sales channels right away. People have a herd mentality. If everyone uses it, it will become a trend and people will follow suit and buy more and more, which will make sales better and better!