For a time, it was not Luoyang paper that was expensive, but Xuancheng paper that was expensive.
Not only is the newly produced carved silk rice paper expensive, but the other jade plates, powder paper, gold sprinkled paper... and other higher-grade rice papers have all increased in price. Even the tracing books and notebooks produced by Chen Ji a long time ago have followed suit.
In just two months, the Xuan paper from Xuancheng Prefecture achieved a new breakthrough after a ten-year period of stable price.
Government offices, paper shops, banks, and upstream and downstream industries in the paper-making industry all had a good year with bulging pockets and were very happy to see this happen.
But...paper is expensive and the workmanship is cheap, so people who need to use rice paper for work and rely on paper for writing and painting are naturally affected innocently.
If it were in other places, the situation might not be so difficult. If the price of Xuan paper goes up, then buy other papers. There are cheap and convenient bamboo paper, rough-edged paper, and quickly assembled mulberry paper. Even if you are short of money, there is a kind of paper that suits you - but this is Xuancheng, and other papers have no way to survive here. For example, the dozens of stacks of bamboo paper that Chen Laoliu had secretly made in the workshop in Jingxian County, if they had not been cut and processed by Xianjin for sale, they would probably still be lying in the warehouse gathering dust.
People who need paper are not limited to wealthy families, gentry and landlords, but also ordinary people like Mr. Huahe who make a living by using these two pieces of paper and their craft.
As soon as the leading young man said this, the owner of a small rice paper workshop who was watching the fun nearby was the first to object, "Hey, hey, hey! What you said is unreasonable! If you can't afford the paper, find out the reason yourself! If you can't afford it, don't buy it! Why are you blaming Boss He for anything!"
No, that's not the case.
Xianjin took a deep breath and suddenly felt deeply sinful - she seemed to have raised the price of a necessity to a level that ordinary people could not afford.
Just like sanitary napkins in later generations.
The technology used is getting better and better, the materials used are getting more advanced and novel, at the same time, the price is getting more and more expensive, and there are more and more categories, such as night pants, liquid, low-sensitivity, super long, ultra-thin...
Manufacturers are racking their brains to update and iterate their products, but no one is making the most common and affordable products anymore.
What should women do if they can’t afford sanitary napkins from big supermarket brands?
Online shopping only.
Buy them retail by one, two, or three.
There is no brand, no quality assurance, and some are even "three-no" products...
Who can be blamed for this?
Enterprises seek profits, and the quality is worthy of the price, not floating high;
Manufacturers seek innovation, meet better expectations with better products, and bring customers a better product experience;
Everyone is right.
Are the poor people wrong?
This conclusion is too...vicious.
Xianjin raised her chin slightly, her throat feeling dry and sour: She sold the rice paper and tracing books needed by the official schools, private schools, charity schools, and academies in the nine towns and twenty-four villages in Jing County at cost price without making any profit, but she forgot that there were many ordinary people who needed paper, and some of them even had requirements for paper due to some needs.
Two years ago, she was still able to
The young man stubbornly stretched his neck and yelled, "No, no, I don't blame Boss He!"
Someone in the crowd stood up for Xianjin and said, "Then why did you pick your master and block someone's door so early in the morning?"
The young man pursed his lips and cried, "I, we, want to return the paper in grandpa's arms, give, give, give grandpa money to see a doctor..."
But because the old man held the cowhide package tightly and could not be pulled out easily, he could only be picked to "float white".
Xianjin sighed softly and waved his hand, "No matter what the situation is, go in first and talk about it later."
I looked up at the sky.
At the end of the sky, it was gloomy, as if a layer of cloth was covering the sun, or as if many layers of transparent tape were stuck to the sky.
It's going to snow.
"There's a charcoal fire burning inside, and the doctor will be here soon. Once your grandfather's hands and feet are warm, it will be easier to pull out the cowhide package. After counting the amount of paper, I will refund you as much money as I should." Xianjin pursed his lips and said softly, "Do you think this will work?"
The leading young man turned back hesitantly to seek the opinions of his companions.
His companion gave him an equally hesitant nod in response.
Xianjin then stepped aside.
Among the onlookers was the shopkeeper of Baiweitang, who was on good terms with Chen Fu. He shouted, "Only Shopkeeper He can talk to you nicely! Let's see if Bai Yan will pay any attention to you. It would be good if he doesn't skin you alive!"
Bai Yan is the head of Baiji.
Xianjin lowered his head, bowed and thanked everyone for their support, but he lowered his eyes in shame and walked in.
Suo'er had already served hot tea and cakes to these four or five young men.
The hot tea was smoking, and the young men had long since given up the arrogance and urgency they had shown outside the store. Against the backdrop of the smooth blue bricks and the sturdy, heavy solid wood square table, the leading young man hid his feet uncomfortably in the corners of the chairs and stools - his cloth shoes had already opened, and the opened uppers looked like a funny frog, looking shabby and out of place on the blue bricks that were uniform in length and width.
On Tuesday the dog carried the old man to a recliner next to the charcoal brazier.
The old man drank a large bowl of sugar and salt water, and was roasted by the warm charcoal fire, and his face gradually became rosy.
It turned out to be hypoglycemia, fortunately it was hypoglycemia.
Are you hungry?
Eating three steamed buns in ten days and drinking well water when thirsty, who can stand it?
Xianjin, who was born under the red flag and grew up in a well-off society, had never experienced the plight of people not having enough food to eat. But now that he had seen it with his own eyes, Xianjin felt sad and bitter. He lowered his voice and asked the visitor, "Are you all disciples of Grandpa Zhang?"
The leading young man stammered, "Yes... yes, we are all Grandpa Zhang's apprentices. Our home is deep in the mountains. Grandpa teaches us to paint for free to make money. During the New Year, we all go home. The day before yesterday, we returned to the village, and found that Grandpa was shaking all the time..."
The remaining young men all looked blushing.
Xianjin pursed his lips, "Why didn't you come to return the money yesterday?"
The young man shook his head. "No, no, I didn't expect it. But, today, when we were entering the city with a pallet truck, Master Bai, who was queuing at the city gate, reminded us..."
Master Bai?
"Master of Baiji?" Xianjin asked.
The young man nodded, "Yes, we went towards that city, towards the east of the city."
White note...
Xianjin pursed his lips tightly and handed a few dozen coins to the young man from his pocket, "Your master has been unwell recently, and he needs money for medical treatment and medicine - take some money to take care of your brothers' food and drink in the next few days."
The young man waved his hands and stepped back, "No, no! We, we have hands and feet, we can find a job..."
It’s not the future. Nowadays, you either work on the farm or study. It’s not easy to find a job.
Many healthy people can't find jobs, let alone a few deaf and mute people.
Xianjin persuaded tactfully.
The young man was shocked. "You, you, you, how do you know that they are deaf and dumb?"
Xianjin said helplessly, "You have to stammer and come out to negotiate. The situation of others will only get worse."
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