The fact that the horse only cost thirty-five taels of silver shocked even Qin San Niang! You see, the previous mule cart cost ten taels of silver, and this horse was obviously much more valuable than a mule. Moreover, the carriage was in a completely different league from the mule cart!
Seeing her eldest daughter's jaw nearly drop in astonishment, Liu proudly recounted the process of buying the horse.
Several children were cheering and embellishing the story, saying that Grandma's bargaining skills were excellent and the horse they bought was perfect!
Although thirty-odd taels of silver is a large sum, compared to others, Grandma saved them money, so it was equivalent to making money!
Okay, so who did you kids learn math from? Anyway, you're all pretty good at it! When I was your age, I didn't even know what day it was!
With a horse-drawn carriage, they could carry more things, and some things could be put on a mule cart, which was spacious enough for only the Gu family father and daughter.
This time, Qin San Niang did not plan to buy grain in Guocheng. She only needed to buy some cotton, as there were still not enough quilts. She also needed to buy some cotton socks and cotton shoes or boots. If there were any fur boots, she would also buy a pair for A-Nan. This was a promise she had made, and Qin San Niang did not want to be a mother who broke her word.
"Don't bother buying these cotton shoes. I can make them myself, and they'll be ready in a few days. Why don't you just buy some cotton? We have enough fabric, so don't buy that either."
After weighing the options, Mrs. Wu said that there was really no need to buy these shoes, especially since they were farmers who rarely bought shoes from outside.
Wu's shoes were indeed excellent; the soles were thick and soft. The pair that Qin San Niang was wearing now was made by her, and they fit perfectly and were comfortable. Hearing her say this, she nodded in agreement.
Actually, there are many other shoes in the supermarket. High heels are obviously not suitable, and only sneakers are okay, but the styles are not very suitable. Take off the soles? That would be faster than Sister Chunhua making them!
Thinking of the hand warmers and small stoves they already had, Qin San Niang felt she had to buy more. This year, the weather turned cold early, and if there was heavy snow and a harsh winter, it would be troublesome. It was better to prepare early.
This is why she bought an extra car; the stove needs to burn charcoal, and if all else fails, she can put a charcoal brazier on it for warmth, which will make the car interior warmer.
She had already inspected it; the carriage was quite spacious. Even with a stove lit, several people could sit comfortably inside. At night, the seats could be removed, and three people could lie down comfortably. If all else failed, A-Zhi could go to their carriage, and the two boys could go to Gu Qingshan's carriage. Therefore, they not only needed to buy a stove, but also two.
With a stove comes charcoal. Although charcoal is made from wood, and Qin San Niang could figure out how to make it, she couldn't burn charcoal on the road; that would cause too much trouble.
Then I realized I still had so much to buy! I couldn't sit still any longer!
"Mother, you rest in the inn for a while. Fatty and I are going out to buy a stove and some charcoal."
Mrs. Liu nodded. She trusted her eldest daughter quite a bit, and now that Fatty was with her, she felt even more at ease.
Qin San Niang pretended to take out a bunch of food from her basket, including various side dishes and two roast chickens, enough for several people to eat. She then asked A Zhi to call her father over for dinner.
He then hurriedly took the chubby girl and left.
Knowing that Auntie San was busy, Fatty didn't dare to delay, even though she also wanted to eat those dishes.
"Fatty, chicken leg." Qin San Niang couldn't bear to let her go hungry, so she handed her a chicken leg as soon as she stepped out the door.
The chubby girl cheered excitedly, completely oblivious to how the chicken leg ended up in the basket, and just busy eating it heartily.
Seeing her enjoying her meal, Qin San Niang's appetite returned, and she grabbed a large meat bun and started munching on it. After Pang Ya finished the chicken leg and two meat buns, they walked and asked for directions until they reached the place selling hand warmers.
This time, the two didn't use a mule cart, mainly because the streets of Guocheng weren't very wide. However, the shops all offered delivery services; once a deposit was paid, the purchased items could be delivered to their lodgings, which was quite convenient.
Hand warmers should have been popular by this time; both the Liu and Wu families had heard of them, though they were more commonly used by wealthy families.
Guocheng is a wealthy city, and there are quite a few shops selling hand warmers. On the street that Qin Sanniang and her companions were strolling, there were at least seven or eight shops selling hand warmers.
Before long, she led the chubby girl to a shop with mediocre decor and a less-than-ideal location.
The reason, as you might ask, is simply that the shop's young waiter was outside shouting, "Hey everyone, come in and take a look! We've got our new hand warmers and foot warmers made by Old Zhang from the front door. Lots of discounts available, don't miss out!"
The slogans they used were almost identical to those of today! Qin Sanniang felt that if she didn't go in, she'd be letting down the young shop assistant's hard work. Besides, a shopkeeper like this wouldn't dare mistreat customers; the owner must be quite shrewd.
As expected, the shopkeeper did not disappoint Qin Sanniang. He introduced his products in great detail and knew that they were probably heading south, so they would definitely need to buy some heating equipment. He also mentioned that some maids and servants from wealthy families had come to purchase these items before.
Qin San Niang was dressed as a young married woman, and the fat girl behind her clearly didn't have the final say!
The shopkeeper then introduced his family's stove-making techniques to Qin Sanniang with a smile. It seemed that the Zhang family's stove-making skills were quite famous, but Qin Sanniang, as an outsider, was unaware of it.
"Madam, you are unaware of this, but the craftsmanship of Stove Zhang has been passed down from generation to generation. In good years, we send Stove Zhang's hand warmers and foot warmers to the capital. Even now, the high-ranking officials and nobles in our city prefer to use the stoves produced by his family."
Qin San Niang held the hand warmer and examined it with great interest. In her eyes, the craftsmanship was already exquisite, but the one used by high-ranking officials and nobles was probably not the same as the one sold in their shop.
Most of the stoves sold in this shop are undecorated bronze stoves, but the bronze walls are thick and the base is stable, making them very sturdy and practical for travelers like them.
As for those exquisitely carved incense burners, even if they were available in the shop, they probably wouldn't be displayed openly on the counter. After all, even if the ladies of wealthy families wanted to buy them, they would choose the items in a private room.
"Just how exquisite is the Zhang family's craftsmanship in making this stove?" She was already quite satisfied with the stove itself, but she asked out of curiosity.
The shopkeeper saw that this business was promising, so he became even more attentive and had his assistant bring two stools for Qin San Niang to sit on and choose at her leisure.
"Madam, take this hand warmer for example. Isn't it sturdy? Most importantly, it has two layers inside, with a middle layer where you can pour in hot water. Of course, if there's no water, charcoal is also excellent. No matter how big or small the charcoal is, our hand warmer can guarantee a constant temperature. It won't burn your hands or cool down easily, and the temperature can last all night."
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