She and her second son and his wife were also busy. The rabbits on the back hill were increasing, and the pigs and sheep were getting bigger. There were also chickens, ducks and geese in the yard. They could only rest in the afternoon. But if there was money to be made, she couldn't bear to rest in the afternoon, no, she couldn't even rest at night!

The old village chief quickly came out, gesturing for Shui Qing not to get up, and sat down in the chair in front of her. "Is it about Ling Ran?"

Shui Qing shook her head: "No, he's just transporting some potatoes to plant, and it should be done by tomorrow."

I'm here to ask for your opinion on hiring for our toothbrush workshop.

Upon hearing that the toothbrush workshop was hiring, Wang Guifen stopped mixing the chicken feed and stood by the clear water, refusing to move.

The old village chief glanced at his eldest daughter-in-law, said nothing, and asked Shuiqing, "Everyone in the village wants to work at the toothbrush shop, so we're not worried about not being able to find people. Are you worried that it's unfair if some families have more workers than others?"

Whether there are more or fewer people, there's nothing that can be done. After all, some families have more people and some have fewer. But it's normal for Shuiqing to worry.

Shui Qing continued to shake her head, "No, the toothbrush workshop was originally for making medicinal herbs. The buildings and such were divided according to the medicinal herb processing techniques. Now, making toothbrushes is not only difficult because of the lack of hand skills, but also because it is a bit small."

Furthermore, making toothbrushes requires significantly more people than making medicinal herbs, and with the need to recruit more staff, there's simply not enough room for manpower.

Wang Guifen was getting anxious listening to this!

She had heard from her third sister-in-law and the head of the household that when they brought back bamboo, the dozen or so people were cramped even when they were spread out in the workshop courtyard, because many of the women there had to clean pig and rabbit hair.

The mountain spring water used to clean the medicinal herbs was originally drawn from the mountain, and the large space made it easy to work directly in the yard. Now, it's very inconvenient to do things like chopping bamboo.

The old village chief had also heard from his eldest son and youngest daughter-in-law that Shuiqing wanted to rebuild the toothbrush workshop or expand the herbal medicine workshop.

But the men in the village either went to Yuhang or cut bamboo for the toothbrush workshop. Even the donkeys and carts were all out there. Building the workshop would require at least the men from Yuhang to come back.

“What I’m thinking is that cutting bamboo, splitting it into strips, polishing it, and drilling holes in the front of the toothbrush can all be done in a workshop or at home, as long as the tools are provided. Since it can be done either way, why not do it at home?” Shui Qing said leisurely, expressing her thoughts.

It's basically about getting the goods from China and making them at home yourself. It's a kind of contract manufacturing, suitable for simple tasks that can be done at home, and the steps before making a toothbrush can be done perfectly well!

She doesn't need to build a factory; the entire herbal medicine workshop can be used for the most important steps: processing and binding the raw materials.

The old village chief suddenly raised his aged eyes.

Wang Guifen asked hesitantly, "What if I don't do it well?"

“If it’s not good, there’s no pay. Cutting bamboo and drilling holes are five steps. If five people work together, they can make more than 120 bamboo sticks a day after they become skilled. Each stick is worth one coin, so each person earns more than 24 coins a day, which is no less than working in a workshop.”

Once finished, the toothbrush will be sent to the toothbrush shop, where a specialist will inspect it. If it meets the requirements, payment will be made on the spot; otherwise, it will be returned.

Wang Guifen nodded unconsciously, thinking that this rule was excellent.

For the sake of money, they will naturally do their best, and they won't bring anything that's done poorly—it wouldn't pass inspection anyway.