"How big of a workshop does Godfather plan to open, and how much money will he invest?" Jiayin's eyes were shining.
It wasn't that there was any profit to be made in this matter, but rather that she had always wanted to help her godfather, and now she had finally gotten her chance!
Seeing her so enthusiastic, everyone couldn't help but laugh.
Grandma Li ruffled her granddaughter's hair and joked, "Hongying, think about it carefully another day. When this child was born, were we holding silver in our hands? Were we too busy to see it?!"
"This guy is a reincarnation of a money-grubber. He's indifferent to everything else, but his eyes light up whenever the word 'money' is mentioned."
Tao Hongying also chimed in with a smile, "I think this child was born with a rice bowl in his hand; he's been a glutton since he was little!"
Jiayin wasn't angry at being teased by her grandma and mother. She grinned and said, "Grandma and Mom are right. I was born holding a rice bowl, and there was a big silver ingot in the bowl!"
"Pah, pah, that's a beggar!" Old Mrs. Li glared at her granddaughter, and everyone laughed even harder.
Jiayin then sat down opposite her godfather and pressed for details, "Godfather hasn't said yet how big of a workshop we need, or how much money we'll need to invest?"
After thinking for a moment, the Marquis said, "Of the wounded soldiers brought back from this expedition, those who chose to return home or were settled in our village are still more than two hundred. Among them, more than eighty are seriously injured and have difficulty moving around."
"They can handle the best workshop jobs, and the wages they earn are enough to make a living. As for the investment... less than a thousand taels is fine!"
Jiayin's face lit up with a smile. "Godfather, I really have two ideas. Please wait a moment."
She got up and ran back to the backyard, quickly bringing back two things: a large folded piece of paper and a handful of dried noodles.
Everyone was curious. Jiayin handed the dried noodles to the Marquis and said, "Father, you should know about these noodles, right? The family always sends a lot to the docks. You and Father took them with you when you went to war. As long as you have water and a pot, you can just boil them and eat them. If you have meat sauce with them, they'll be even more delicious, won't they?"
The Marquis nodded and guessed, "These noodles don't spoil easily and are indeed convenient to eat. Are you thinking of opening a noodle workshop?"
"Yes, Godfather, making these noodles is quite complicated. From fermenting the dough to drying it, it takes at least three days. It requires a lot of manpower, and you don't need to move around much; you can just sit and work."
"Besides, the sales will definitely be good. After all, there are many people traveling between Xindu and the southern prefectures every day. Even ordinary families would bring two catties of dried noodles as a good gift when giving gifts during festivals or visiting the elderly or women who have given birth."
Old Mrs. Li couldn't help but interject, "Fu Niu'er is right. Life isn't easy for ordinary people; they can barely afford a bowl of noodles on a regular day. If you're visiting someone, bringing two pounds of dried noodles is a really good gift. You can just boil them and eat them; you don't have to make the noodles yourself. It's convenient and affordable!"
Tao Hongying also said, "These dried noodles are best sold with meat sauce. That would require opening a farmhouse sauce workshop, which would also need manpower."
Jiayin smiled and praised her grandma and mom, "Grandma and mom are amazing, just like that."
Tao Hongying said, "My lord, leave this matter to me and my mother. We'll make dried noodles tomorrow, see how many dried noodles can be made from one pound of flour, calculate the cost, and then calculate how many people are needed for each process. Finally, we'll tell you the real answer."
“That girl Fu Niu’er has only watched us do things, but she’s never tried them herself. She can’t do any of these things.”
"Mom, you're kicking me while I'm down! I came up with a great idea, but you've shunned me and even look down on me!"
Jiayin pouted and complained, but her mother smacked her, saying, "You're my child, so what if I dislike you? You have a problem with that?"
"No, whatever makes you happy."
Jiayin shrank back and quickly hid next to her godfather, which made everyone laugh.
The Marquis opened the large sheet of paper and asked, "Fu Niu'er, is this a map?"
“Yes, it’s a map, a simple map!” Jiayin perked up again and said excitedly, “Godfather, look, this map only shows the route along the canal to Quanzhou. The prefectural cities, county towns and small towns on both sides are simply marked by my brother and his family.”
She pointed to several places marked with steamed buns, "My uncle's fleet always makes purchases when they come to these places. Last time, I saw someone ask my uncle to take a package to one of these places for his brother-in-law. He even had to treat my uncle to drinks to thank him for his help!"
"Father, what if people who don't know Uncle have letters or things to carry? Do they have to find other caravans? If they can't find any, does that mean they can't communicate?"
"If we send our veterans to settle in Xindu and these docks, mark the packages and letters collected from various places, and send them out, and then deliver the letters and packages sent from various places to the recipients, it will definitely require quite a few people."
"Besides, this job can be done even by people with missing hands or feet. If you travel far, you can even buy a donkey cart. Once the word gets around, people might come to your door without you having to collect mail everywhere..."
Jiayin spoke excitedly, then pointed to the southwest of the map, "Also, Godfather, if anyone doesn't want to sit in the workshop or deliver packages and letters, then go on an adventure."
"For example, there's a medicinal herb here called Panax notoginseng, which I've always wanted, but my uncle's fleet only goes as far as Quanzhou and never goes here. There are also many delicious fruits here, which I also want!"
After saying that, she pointed to the location of Jiangbei and said, "Godfather, Jiangbei is the place these veterans are most familiar with."
"If it were a wealthy family in Xindu, wanting to retrieve something valuable, rescue someone, or, like the Guo family, want to exhume the remains of their children or grandchildren, they would probably be willing to spend a lot of money to hire people..."
Before Jiayin could speak, the Marquis suddenly picked her up and spun her around several times.
"Fu Niu'er is amazing! You've solved a huge problem for your godfather!"
Jiayin was spinning around until she was dizzy, but seeing her godfather so happy made her chuckle along.
Li Lao Er was also grinning from ear to ear, "It still takes Fu Niu'er's help! The Marquis has been frowning all day, and he even chased away that young lady from the Wu family earlier..."
"Who is Miss Wu?" Old Mrs. Li asked first.
The gossip-loving crowd was immediately ignited. Even Jiayin grabbed her godfather by the collar and quickly joined the gossip session, asking, "Godfather, who is Miss Wu? Is she my future godmother?"
"No, don't listen to your second uncle's nonsense!" The Marquis coughed and put Jiayin down, saying, "You all sit down, I'll go write down what Fu Niu'er said and organize it."
After saying that, he strode back to the next room.
Seeing him like this, everyone couldn't help but chuckle, and finally pulled Li Lao Er aside to inquire more closely.
Li Lao Er didn't know much either, so he could only say: "In the afternoon, I was supposed to have dinner with the Marquis at the Marquis's residence to discuss the resettlement of the wounded soldiers, but I was stopped by a young lady as soon as I arrived at the gate of the Marquis's residence."
"The girl said she was from the Marquis of Jiangning's mansion, and that she had liked the Marquis since she was a child. She asked why the Marquis was unwilling to marry her?"
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