Yesterday, she bought gloves and earmuffs, thinking she'd show them to her young mistress and have some fun.
As for whether she would even be interested in these crude items in the market, she wasn't sure. She was only drawn to the exquisite craftsmanship of this particular item, which was unique to He County! A fine piece from the capital!
Unexpectedly, her young mistress was overjoyed after seeing it! She kept saying that she wanted to take it with her when she went out to burn incense during festivals, so she wouldn't be afraid of the cold! Afterwards, she was coaxed by the young mistress of the house. Her young mistress always doted on her younger siblings and thought that this thing was really good, so she ordered her to come and buy a few more sets today, and to give one set to each of the masters in the house.
The plump woman readily agreed. After serving her mistress breakfast early this morning, she hurriedly turned into the market through the back door.
"Oh, you've come again today! That's wonderful!"
The plump woman patted her heaving chest with one hand as she spoke, looking genuinely anxious.
"I've brought you a big deal today! These gloves and earmuffs have caught my master's eye. Give me thirty pairs!"
Thirty sets?! This stunned Wu Chunhua and her group!
Qin San Niang immediately realized that it was probably a gift her master used to save face. Wealthy families had many children in each branch, and thirty or forty wives were not uncommon! In large families, there were probably hundreds of masters alone!
Qin San Niang smiled and thought, "I wish we could have more of these big deals!"
"Auntie, what kind of pattern do you want? We got a lot of new patterns yesterday. This one with plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo, and chrysanthemums is suitable for the young master or master. This one with printed flowers and red bean beads is best for the young lady or lady!" Qin San Niang introduced them to her in detail. This was a big customer and deserved VIP treatment.
"Wow, this is really nice! It's even prettier than the one I bought yesterday!" The plump woman was overwhelmed by the sights!
Today's gloves and earmuffs are even more finely crafted, with added decorations and more delicate and meticulous edging.
Since they had more time, Liao Hongying and Wu Chunhua worked together yesterday to embroider several plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo, and chrysanthemums on blue cotton cloth to make gloves or earmuffs that men could wear.
The plump woman happily selected twenty pairs, knowing that the men's gloves embroidered with plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo, and chrysanthemums would cost ten coins more, but she did not haggle.
This was clearly the result of a lot of work, and as someone used to being in charge, how could she not know? Besides, something this good would probably cost more than a tael of silver in a traditional embroidery shop! So, she actually got a good deal, and the young lady had given her a lot of tips yesterday, so this little bit of money was nothing!
"By the way, where did you buy the pastries you gave me yesterday? I thought they were so delicious!" Suddenly remembering the donkey rolls from yesterday, the plump woman's mouth watered again; she hadn't had anything so delicious in a long time.
Those sweet and cloying pastries, even she herself had had enough of them, let alone the young lady!
"Oh dear, Auntie, I'm so sorry, I don't have any of those pastries left today." The woman had bought so many things, and Qin San Niang had already given her a discount, rounding down the price. As for pastries, she really didn't have any! But it was a small favor to give Si Ji Pastry Shop some free advertising.
"If you think it's delicious, Auntie, you can go to Siji Pastry Shop on the next street to buy some. I heard they have several kinds of pastries that we don't have in He County! They all look very pretty, and they should taste delicious too. You can go and try them! They also offer samples there!"
Upon hearing what Qin San Niang said, the plump woman quickly thanked her. She turned and handed the basket full of gloves and earmuffs to the maid beside her, then hurried off towards the clerk's direction!
The customers around them who were still picking out gloves and earmuffs were all delighted to hear that Siji Cake Shop offered free samples and said they wanted to try them. After all, the woman from the county magistrate's office was from there, and if she liked something, it couldn't be bad!
The girls chose their gloves and earmuffs, paid for them, and then happily went off to buy some snacks together!
For the entire hour, people kept coming to Qin San Niang's stall! Before long, all one hundred sets of gloves and earmuffs were sold out!
Hearing the clinking and jingling of the money box, Wu Chunhua couldn't stop smiling! And Liao Hongying, for the first time, found doing business to be so interesting, even a little addictive, and didn't feel tired at all!
Seeing their happy faces, Qin San Niang was even happier than if she had received five hundred taels of silver for nothing, and she couldn't help but smile along with them!
"Sister Chunhua, and Hongying, let's tidy up a bit later and go buy some food and couplets. Mother told us that tonight is the Little New Year, and we need to worship the Kitchen God!"
She remembered Liu's words, which she could not forget. In her mind, the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month was a big day. For farmers like her, only by properly worshipping the Kitchen God could they ensure good weather and a bountiful harvest in the coming year!
"Yes, of course, this is a big deal!" Hearing her say this, Wu Chunhua quickly nodded and had no objection.
As for Liao Hongying, she also sped up her work. There were quite a few things she wanted to buy, but now that they had earned money, they didn't care about a few small amounts of money!
"Haven't you slaughtered your pigs for the New Year?" the woman selling eggs asked hurriedly when she heard them talking. Several families in her village were slaughtering pigs for the New Year today, and she was in a hurry to get back to eat the pig-slaughtering feast and drink the soup!
Not every family can afford to slaughter a pig for the New Year; it's reserved for those with good financial means who can afford to raise one! They typically slaughter their pig on the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month and invite friends and family over for a "pig-slaughtering feast." Of course, most of the better cuts of pork are sold for money; only a small portion is kept. Some is used to add to New Year's dishes, while the rest, along with offal, lungs, and heart, is stewed together to make a "pig-slaughtering feast" for everyone to enjoy. After all, the pig raised all year is waiting to be slaughtered and sold for money! The money is then used to buy spring planting materials and repair farm tools…
The eldest child shook his head and replied, "Grandma, my family just moved here and we don't raise pigs or chickens."
Back in their hometown, their family used to slaughter pigs for the New Year, so Da Wa had some recollection of it, though it was many years ago. Grandma wouldn't allow anyone to take advantage of her, not even pig offal!
Qin San Niang nodded in agreement, "Next year, our family will catch some chicks and piglets to raise. We can slaughter the New Year's pig on the eve of the Lunar New Year, and then Da Wa can have a braised pork knuckle whenever he wants!"
"Thank you, Mom, let's eat together!" Da Wa felt very warm inside to receive his mother's love. Although he always felt like an adult, in front of his mother, no matter how old you are, you are still a child!
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