Chapter 326 Construction of the Embroidery Workshop
Having confirmed that the male lead was temporarily unable to cause trouble, Lin Changning was finally able to get her hands dirty with her own affairs. After consulting with her mother and two sisters-in-law, Lin Changning led her people to her newly purchased courtyard early in the morning.
The courtyard I just bought used to be a cloth shop. There were seven or eight large dyeing pools in the big courtyard, and there were even quite a few dyeing vats left in the courtyard.
Lin Changning brought four or five carpenters through his mother's introduction. When they arrived at the courtyard, he talked about his plans. His newly purchased courtyard had three sections. He needed a well-lit embroidery workshop, a drawing room for painters, and a quality inspection room. The three different workshops would be in three separate rooms, and the shop in front would be used to display dresses and embroidery.
In addition, there needs to be a large warehouse to store various silk threads and fabrics, and it cannot be too damp.
They still needed to buy a lot of tools for the embroiderers, but his mother said that instead of buying those tools, it would be better to hire some carpenters, which would be a little cheaper.
Lin Changning brought people here this time to see what else needed to be added so that the carpenter could make it. Embroidery frames and sheds were essential, and the quantity couldn't be too small.
Lin Changning and her team need some experienced craftsmen, a few veteran painters, and a few embroiderers. She plans to select the rest from the girls at the orphanage.
Once they turn 12, they are paid wages and hired to work in their embroidery workshop. Several rooms in the three-courtyard house are set up with beds to serve as staff dormitories.
After touring the courtyard and planning the layout, Lin Changming pointed to each room and began to instruct the carpenter on what tools were needed, how many to make, and that a lot of new tables, chairs, benches, and beds would also need to be added.
The three rooms with the best natural light had their middle windows opened up and used as the painter's and embroiderer's workrooms. The last room, with its excellent natural light, was used by the master craftsmen for quality inspection and selection.
Aside from the warehouses in front, there are also well-lit, interconnected rooms. The inner courtyard has about seven rooms, which should be enough for the embroiderers and the girls to live in.
Lin Changning asked about all these various things, and the master craftsman leading the group asked, "Could you calculate how long it will take to make all these tables, chairs, benches, embroidery frames, and embroidery hoop? And how much money will it cost?"
The head craftsman nodded and began to calculate: "Young master, do you have any preferences regarding these types of wood? Different types of wood have different prices. Please let me know, and I will calculate it for you."
Lin Changning runs an embroidery workshop, not a charity, so naturally the lowest grade of pine wood will suffice. After glancing at the master craftsman, Lin Changning said, "Pine wood will do."
The master craftsman nodded: "In Taiyuan, a typical embroidery shop would charge around two taels of silver and three hundred copper coins for a complete set of these items. However, given the scale of your operation, it will cost at least double. We are not the type to overcharge. Since you are ordering a large quantity, we will give you a discount, only four taels of silver. However, you will need to pay a deposit, as we still need to purchase pine wood."
Lin Changning didn't waste any words: "How much deposit?"
The master chef bent over and held up one finger: "One tael of silver."
Lin Changning nodded, took out seven gold melon seeds from his pocket, weighed them in his hand, and his eyes widened in astonishment at the master chef in front of him and the apprentices behind him.
One gold melon seed weighs about one or two grams. It can be exchanged for 5 to 8 gold melon seeds to make one tael of silver. Lin Changning estimated the weight and took out another gold melon seed from his small purse.
Eight golden melon seeds should be worth one tael of silver, and there might even be a surplus. It's not good to hire someone to do the work, as they might shortchange you. After thinking for a moment, Lin Changning took two more seeds from his purse and poured them into the master chef's hands.
"Ten gold melon seeds in total, which should be more than enough to exchange for one tael of silver. Consider it a deposit. When will it be ready?"
The master chef smiled, holding 10 gold melon seeds in one hand, and said, "Young master, don't worry, we are all experienced. We can finish making all of these for you in a month at most."
Lin Changning frowned: "A month?"
He only had a two-week vacation and was hoping to get all the work done before the vacation ended.
Seeing Lin Changning's furrowed brows, the head chef said somewhat nervously, "Young Master, there are only a few of us. Even at the fastest, it will take at least eighteen or nineteen days."
If it's a month later, some of the girls from those orphanages might be married off. Lin Changning thought for a moment and then took out a dozen or so gold melon seeds from his pocket: "I'd appreciate it if you could find four or five more carpenters to help me finish the work within half a month. I have some urgent matters to attend to."
The carpenter took the gold melon seeds, thought for a moment, and then held them and assured him, "Alright, you've given me too much money. I know quite a few carpenters, and with six more people to keep it safe, we can finish the job for you in less than half a month."
Lin Changning nodded, indicating that he understood.
The carpenter and his team walked around the yard, surveying the materials needed for the house and calculating how much stuff they would need to build.
Lin Changning left his personal servant behind to watch over the workers, and to lock up the shop and courtyard after the carpenter finished.
He turned and went out the door. Just then, Lin Changning thought that it was better to bring the girls out of Ciyoutang as soon as possible, because if it was delayed for a few days, some girls might be forced to marry or end up on the streets.
Thinking of this, Lin Changning immediately set up the carriage outside, asked the people by the roadside where the Ciyoutang was, and then drove the carriage directly towards the west of the city.
In the bustling city, the carriage could not travel very fast. Lin Changning drove the carriage straight through the western part of the city. When they reached a more and more secluded section of the road, a child suddenly darted out from a nearby courtyard.
Startled, Lin Changning quickly reined in his horse. After the carriage stopped, Lin Changning got off and was about to check if the child was hurt when he saw a child holding a wooden ball looking at him with some fear before quickly darting into a nearby courtyard.
Lin Changning breathed a sigh of relief. The car wasn't going fast, but the child had suddenly appeared. However, judging from the situation just now, he should be alright.
After letting out a sigh of relief, Lin Changning looked around. There were many people in the western part of the city, mostly ordinary people and peddlers.
Lin Changning casually grabbed an old man selling vegetables with a load on his shoulder: "Father-in-law, how do I get to the orphanage?"
The father-in-law looked Lin Changning up and down, and after sizing her up, he muttered, "Judging from your clothes, your family must be very wealthy. Why would someone so young want to take a concubine at an orphanage?"
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