Chapter 240: Working Outside
Zhou Houfang and Qian Zhenniang were once worried that most of the women who went out to work were relatives of officials and would give others a chance to gossip. However, Xu Zhenying said that the first group of people were there to open up the situation and the people were happy to follow suit. Only when the first group of people earned money and returned safely, would other women have the opportunity to work outside.
Before leaving, Xu Zhenying also told Lian the key points, asking her to lead the team well and protect their personal safety, and never let the women suffer from rumors when they come back from working outside.
However, Lian felt that Xu Zhenying was worrying too much.
Look at these women, not only do they have ruddy faces and loud voices, but they are also carefree and aggressive. They are clearly the local bosses in the village, and they don't feel uneasy at all about working outside.
They were seen carrying their own small bags and holding each other's arms. Sometimes they talked about which widow in the village was having an affair with a strange man, sometimes they talked about which child in the family was the most promising, and some were even bold enough to climb up the trees to pick fruits during their breaks.
How could this be a group of country women who had never seen the world? They were clearly bandits leaving the village.
Lian held her forehead with her hand, feeling that the burden on her shoulders was a bit heavy.
When they arrived at Xingyuan Prefecture, they immediately noticed the difference between Xingyuan Prefecture and Jinzhou Prefecture.
As soon as they entered Xingyuan Mansion, this group of women traveling alone immediately attracted the attention of the people in the city. They hid quietly in the corners, pointing and talking from afar.
The women, who had been chatting and laughing in high spirits all the way, somehow became less happy when they arrived at Xingyuan Prefecture.
Lian, on the other hand, kept encouraging them: "Don't be afraid, everyone. We're here to work, and we're no less capable than anyone else. Remember what the city lord said before we set out? She said that in Jinzhou Prefecture, the rules outside are different from ours. If we're ever accused of being immoral or violating moral standards, just think of our children. They can become officials and soldiers. We won't starve or freeze, and we earn money with our own hands. That's a hundred times more glorious than theirs!"
Aunt Ma also said, "Sisters, why are you all keeping your heads down? Stand up straight! Don't forget the city lord's instructions. We are women of Jinzhou Prefecture. Women of Jinzhou Prefecture are fearless!"
Feng'er was already waiting for everyone at the city gate, waving to Lian from afar.
Lian almost didn't recognize Feng'er!
After not seeing her for so long, Feng'er had grown taller and fatter, her skin had become paler, and more importantly, she exuded an air of luxury. She wore a sky-blue jacket over a matching bra with white trim and gold embroidery. Her steps seemed to blossom with each step. The emerald green hairpin with flowered ornaments on her head added a touch of elegance and opulence.
Lian was stunned. Is this the Feng'er who used to be covered in dust and dirt?
This... she's not bad at all, considering she's a wealthy lady from Bianjing City...
How can you tell that he was still someone's slave a year ago?
Feng Er quickly ran to Lian, bowed slightly, and said dignifiedly, calmly, and gracefully, "How are you, Madam Xu San?"
Lian looked at Feng'er in front of her and felt a little complicated for a moment.
When Feng'er left, she was just a little maid and housekeeper beside Xu Zhenying, but now Xu Zhenying is at the peak of his career. After Feng'er returns, she will definitely take over the Ministry of Commerce and will be Xu Yinxi's colleague in the future.
Even though Feng'er was once a slave, Lian Qiuzhi didn't dare to act pretentiously in front of her. She quickly gave her a fake hand and said affectionately, "Miss Feng'er, it's been a long time since we last met. You look much prettier than before. How have you been in Shouzhou this year?"
"Thanks to the City Lord, everything is fine." Feng'er exchanged a few pleasantries with Lian and naturally noticed the two hundred working women behind Lian. Seeing that they were all looking at her with some fear, Feng'er smiled slightly, "Don't worry, sisters and aunts. I am the Minister of Commerce of Jinzhou Prefecture. You can call me Minister Xu or Feng'er. Since we have all come to Xingyuan Prefecture and are unfamiliar with the place, we must gather together, think in the same direction, work together, earn money happily, and then go home in glory. Don't you agree?!"
Seeing that Feng'er was polite and easy to talk to, the women felt relieved. They thought that with such a strong and bold girl leading the team, and that the girl was already a department head at such a young age, she must be very capable.
The women felt relieved and echoed loudly a few times. Feng Er then took Lian Shi away and said, "Second Miss Qi is waiting at the farm. Let's go there first."
On the way, Feng'er asked again about the changes in Lian's Lan County. When she learned about Xu Zhenying's many achievements in Jinzhou Prefecture, she was both frightened and excited. "Alas, it's a pity that Xu Huiming has already left. Otherwise, I would have rushed back day and night to see our Jinzhou Prefecture."
"That's right," Lian said, also picking out the best ones. "After we plant the sweet potatoes this year, at least the people of Jinzhou Prefecture won't go hungry in the winter. And if we make these cotton-padded clothes, they won't be cold anymore."
"Speaking of sweet potatoes, I also found the potatoes the City Lord has been longing for on a ship arriving at the port over there. Xu Huiming has already shipped them back. They say the yield is very high, so we in Jinzhou Prefecture won't have to worry about them this winter."
Although Lian had never seen what potatoes looked like, the things that made Xu Zhenying worried were not simple, such as cement and cowpox, which were all extraordinary things.
"Yes, look at how the people of Jinzhou Prefecture live. I didn't realize it before, but now that I've come to Xingyuan Prefecture, I realize it's truly a paradise!" Lian said this with emotion. She looked at the skinny people on the streets of Xingyuan Prefecture, with no life in their eyes. From this, she could get a glimpse of what life is like for people outside. "Feng'er, if you go back, you'll be surprised. The cement roads in Jinzhou Prefecture are almost reaching Qianzhou."
"Cement road? I've heard the City Lord mention it many times, but I've never seen what it looks like." Feng'er was also a little annoyed. She had been away for so long, and now she had returned to her base, only to find herself a country bumpkin. "I noticed from the City Lord's letter that Jinzhou Prefecture must have changed a lot, but I can't guess how it has changed."
Lian smiled slightly, but kept it a secret, "You'll know when you get back."
The two hadn't seen each other for a long time and chatted about family matters. Feng'er talked about the scenery and experiences of Shouzhou, while Lian talked about the changes in Jinzhou Prefecture.
However, the women behind them followed them and kept looking at them all the way.
"That Minister Xu... God, he's too young. He looks about the same age as my youngest daughter!"
"Who among our city lord's people isn't young? Being young is good. Young people have goals and energy, are willing to work hard, and don't have the airs of an official."
"But I've never heard of this Ministry of Commerce. What does it manage?"
"Hey, you're falling behind! Let me tell you, my daughter, who works as a publicist in the next village, told me that the city lord recently made major adjustments to many departments. The rules are completely different from those of the Great Zhou Dynasty. There are so many tricks involved, like the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Finance, and the Ministry of Propaganda. Ordinary people like us wouldn't even be able to find the way in when we go to get things done!"
"So what does the Ministry of Commerce do? Ministry of Commerce, why does it sound like it's about business? Why, these days, they have a department specifically for those ruthless businessmen? Doesn't that mean there's collusion between officials and businessmen?"
"I'm afraid not. Look, aren't we being brought out to work this time by the Propaganda Department and the Ministry of Commerce? And the Ministry of Commerce doesn't care about the rich. Instead, it helps us make some small money! Well, in my opinion, the Ministry of Commerce's job is to allow ordinary people like us to engage in business, to do some small business, and to make money for the common people. Isn't that the Ministry of Commerce's job?"
The eldest son of this woman's family ranked at the top in the civil service examination this year. He said that he was going to be the county magistrate in a certain county. Naturally, everyone thought she was more informed. As soon as she spoke, everyone thought it made sense and nodded.
"Sister Liu is right. Her son is the county magistrate in Xiaoshan County. Her information must be accurate!"
Sister Liu waved her hands quickly. Although she looked pleased, she still said seriously, "Don't say it, don't say it. My son has to keep a low profile, otherwise the higher-ups will blame us!"
"Oh, what are you afraid of? Aren't you the real mother of the county magistrate? I should call you old lady!"
When Sister Liu heard the word "Old Madam", she felt extremely comfortable and felt as if she was floating from head to toe. Wasn't that the Old Madam?
But when she thought of her son's earnest instructions before he took office, and that Xu Zhenying's office was strict, demotions and dismissals were common, and it was not certain whether he would be able to hold on to his position, she was afraid that it would bring trouble to her son, so she said with a stern face: "Who is the old lady? Have you ever seen an old lady who has to work so hard for such a few copper coins? As for me, I am just a country woman. Even if my son becomes a county magistrate, I still have to feed pigs and cook -"
Someone laughed and said, "You're saving that for your daughter's dowry!"
"If you call me Old Madam again, I will also call you Madam, Madam Ma, Madam Zhao, or Madam Liao."
The women were laughing so hard that their bodies were shaking. "God, please forgive me, I can't be a lady. When you say the word 'madam', I get goose bumps all over the floor—"
Sister Liu finally breathed a sigh of relief, thinking to herself: If her son hadn't called on family members of officials to set an example, she wouldn't have come.
But it was good that she came. She had never left the county in her life. She walked such a long way and chatted with her old sisters all the way. She was happy.
I just don’t know what the procedures are for making cotton-padded clothes?
Feng'er and Lian took the women out of the city in a carriage. After about half a quarter of an hour's walk, they arrived at a hilltop in the suburbs. Looking around, the whole mountain was as white as clouds, with heavy cotton weighing on the branches, making it look like the entire mountain was covered with kapok trees in full bloom.
"Oh my God, what was I thinking? It turns out to be the kapok tree from my hometown! Can this thing be used to make clothes?" A woman who got off the car first shouted immediately.
"Why is the city lord planting so many kapok trees? Can cotton-padded clothes really keep you warm?"
"Hey, why are you talking so much? Now that we're here, let's just make the best of it and listen to what Sister Lian and Minister Xu have to say first."
"Hey, look, why are there so many women over there?"
The women looked in the direction the man pointed and found that there was a large yard in front of them. It was extremely busy inside, with women coming in and out, obviously working very well.
I saw Miss Qi Er walking out from inside. She was wearing a light blue jacket, with an exquisite hairstyle and a white magnolia jade hairpin in her hair, which made her look very graceful.
She had never met Lian before, but when Feng'er mentioned that the person leading the team this time was Xu Zhenying's aunt, she immediately stepped forward to pay her respects.
However, Lian knew the second Miss Qi.
It was this Second Miss Qi who helped the Third Branch of the Xu Family earn their first pot of gold. Lian was not unfamiliar with her, but she did not expect that the Second Miss Qi was younger than she had imagined.
However, Lian was very sharp-eyed and could see that Second Miss Qi clearly respected Feng'er very much.
I think the cotton business should undoubtedly belong to Xu Zhenying.
However, Xu Zhenying was just an exiled prisoner at the time, but he was able to win over a figure like Miss Qi, which shows his ability and ambition.
Feng Er got the hint and spoke first: "Sisters and aunts, we have planted nearly ten thousand acres of cotton and are in urgent need of manpower, so they have also recruited five or six hundred people from Jinzhou Prefecture. This is Miss Qi Er, you can just call her Miss Qi Er."
Miss Qi smiled and nodded slightly to everyone.
Feng Er continued, "We've already harvested more than half of the cotton, and the rest needs to be made into cotton clothes. Including the 500 people who have already arrived, we have over 700 people in total. We'll be divided into groups to work along the assembly line: one group will cut the fabric, one group will stuff the cotton, and one group will sew. The basic wage is 30 wen per day, and the more you do, the more you'll earn. If you have no questions, we can get started now!"
Of course I have questions!
Sister Liu asked first, "How's the division of labor? Are the commissions for cutting, stuffing, and sewing the same?"
"It depends on everyone's specialties. Those who are good at women's work will sew, those who can endure hardship will stuff cotton, and those who can make clothes will tailor. Sewing takes the longest time, so the commission is two cents per piece, and the others are one cent."
"What does that cotton-padded jacket look like? Can it really keep you warm?"
The second Miss Qi then ordered several ready-made garments to be displayed for everyone to see. "Please look, everyone. Our cotton-padded jackets are divided into three grades. The first grade is for ordinary people, just to keep out the cold. There are no specific requirements for this style, just enough cotton. The second grade is suitable for those with a certain amount of wealth. Not only must there be enough cotton, but the stitching must also be fine and dense. The third grade is for ladies of high status. It needs just the right amount of cotton. Ladies are particular about their clothes, and too much bulk will lose its beauty. Therefore, there's no need to stuff too much cotton, but the stitching should be dense and the pattern should be beautiful. If anyone can draw patterns or is good at needlework and embroidery, please volunteer. The wages are negotiable."
Miss Qi Er had explained it clearly. The women were clever and skillful. They knew what the cotton-padded jacket and trousers were as soon as they saw the sample. From time to time, they would touch and lift the sample and then say, "This is simple, but exquisite. Who would have thought that cotton could be made into clothes! This thing will definitely sell well. Our Jinzhou Prefecture is very cold in the winter. Even I have to spend money to buy some cotton-padded clothes to take back!"
"That's not true!" Someone couldn't wait to try it on, and then received constant praise from his companions. "You know what, apart from being a little bulky, it looks pretty good. It must be warm if you wear it next to your skin!"
"Warm! Warm! Incredibly warm! Come and feel it! It's such a wonderful thing. Um... Minister Xu, how much are these cotton-padded jackets for sale? If we working girls buy a lot, can we get a discount?"
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