Chapter 101 - Two pieces must be combined to make a quilt
The eldest uncle frowned slightly upon hearing this, and then the second aunt said, "I feel that Chun Tao's personality is still very much like Ah Xiu's. Even if you give her something, she will still feel it's not enough. Let alone the fact that you've returned it, she will definitely keep thinking about it."
Lin Chuntao did indeed have such thoughts. Her uncle and aunt were both decent people. Villagers could pay people to do the work, and once it was done, the debt would be settled. But if her uncle and aunt didn't give her any money, she would feel guilty. However, giving them too much money wouldn't be convenient right now. If her uncle and aunt accepted the money, she would still remember them once the house was built and they had more money.
After hearing his second aunt's words, the eldest uncle fell silent.
After thinking for a long time, he said, "Speaking of which, Chun Tao got married, but there was no banquet, and we didn't go. We didn't buy her anything either. The tables and chairs in her house are still left by her mother. Why don't we see what we can do for her when she moves to her new house?"
The eldest aunt said, "Although the tables and chairs were left by Ah Xiu, they are still very new and can be used when we move them into the house. I heard her talking to that Yu lady the other day about beds. It seems they asked the Sun family to make a new bed, which is quite big. We can go and make her a new quilt."
The second and third aunts nodded slightly: "That's fine too. We'll go to the county town together another day to ask about it."
And so, the little money they brought back was put to use.
After everyone left, Lin Chunxing and the others packed up their things and then sat in the courtyard soaking their feet. Suddenly, Lin Chunxing said to Lin Chuntao, "Sister, can we sell the braised pork offal you made the other day?"
"You want to sell?"
"Um."
Lin Chuntao said, "It's not difficult to make, but you're already selling braised eggs and rice noodles. The braised pork offal doesn't taste good in rice noodles. If you want to sell braised food, you might as well sell braised pig's trotters, braised pig's head meat, and large intestines. People who like these will love them, and those who don't will just walk away. You'll have a fixed customer base. Our soup rice noodles are for almost everyone. People of all ages and genders will like them. So I suggest that you add other items to sell, and try to sell things that people won't reject."
Lin Chunxing found Lin Chuntao's words quite reasonable.
She just thought the pig lung was delicious and missed it a bit, so she nodded and said, "Then let's braise another one and eat it?"
Lin Chuntao burst out laughing.
"You just wanted to eat it yourself, didn't you?"
Lin Chunxing smiled and said, "That pig lung looks delicious. I'm tempted to eat it."
Lin Chuntao turned to Pei Ying and said, "Bring back a pair of swimsuits tomorrow."
Pei Ying: "Can two of them be braised in one pot?"
Lin Chunxing glanced at Pei Ying in surprise, then laughed. She looked at Lin Chunhe and Lin Duo'er beside her, who were also listening intently.
Lin Chuntao has been busy lately making sauces and cooking.
They had been craving this for days, but because Lin Chuntao was busy and cooked for the workers every day, sometimes even arranging the dishes in advance, they couldn't help much and thought they shouldn't cause Lin Chuntao any trouble.
Seeing their reaction, Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Then let's buy two sets. I see the workers really like it. We'll buy them tomorrow, wash them, and braise them. We'll eat them tomorrow night."
Pei Ying nodded.
After washing up, Lin Chuntao and the others went inside to lie down.
The house is crammed with stuff, making it a bit crowded to go in and out. Fortunately, Sun Hu and his team are making pretty good progress. Many walls have already been erected, and they estimate that the roof beams will be ready in a few days.
The house is almost finished. We'll choose an auspicious day to move in after it's completed. The tables and chairs are all ready, and the bed has been ordered. But we haven't made any straw mats, quilts, sheets, pillowcases, or anything else. We need to order those as soon as possible. Otherwise, when the moving day comes, what will we use if the bedding isn't ready?
The sauce will be ready in a few more days of sun-drying. I need to go find Chai Xingyu to see if he has found any other sauces and when he plans to open.
Once the sauce goes on sale, everyone can buy it to make soup noodles, which will affect their soup noodle stall's business. Lin Chuntao thought she should also arrange to make the new flavor of soup noodles in the next few days.
The whole jar of pickled vegetables she made last time tastes just right now, so she can make another new jar.
After thinking for a moment, Lin Chuntao said, "I'll go to the county town with you tomorrow. Let's get ready in the morning and have my aunt and uncle cook some dishes."
Before Pei Ying could ask, Lin Chuntao continued, "I'll order a few quilts to use when we move. I'll also go find Chai Xingyu to see if he's set a date for his opening. The sauce should be available in three or four days."
Seeing that she had been busy for so many days, Pei Ying asked, "Can you take a break once the sauce is ready?"
Lin Chuntao smiled.
"Once the house is built, we'll move in. We'll be able to tell how well the sauce business is going. If business is good, I'll hire some more people so I don't have to do everything myself and can finally take a break."
The two lay there chatting for a while before falling asleep.
The next day, Lin Chuntao and the others got up early. She prepared the meat and vegetables, woke up Lin Chunhe and gave her instructions, and then went to the county town with Pei Ying and the others.
When Lin Chunxing learned that Lin Chuntao was going to talk to Chai Xingyu about the sauce, she said, "Sister, if everyone can buy the sauce, other shops will be able to make our soup noodles too, and maybe a lot of soup noodle stalls will suddenly appear."
"Hmm, we haven't used the pickled vegetables in that jar yet. I'll make a new flavor when I get back tonight."
Lin Chunxing turned around and asked, "Will it taste even better?"
"Definitely."
Lin Chunxing thought of the activity Lin Chuntao had done when she sold braised eggs last time. She pursed her lips, and an idea flashed through her mind.
"Sis, could we also do a promotion for our new products?"
Hearing Lin Chunxing's words, Lin Chuntao's eyes revealed a hint of appreciation. Lin Chunxing was already figuring out her own methods, and it wouldn't be long before she could let go. A sense of joy, like that of a child growing up, welled up in her heart.
"Sure, think about it when you have time. I'll also think about it after I'm done with my work to see if there's any good idea."
Instead of picking mushrooms, Lin Chuntao and Lin Chunxing carried the things out after arriving at the market. Lin Chunxing started a fire while Lin Chunxing went to the noodle shop to get the noodles.
After finishing her business, it was still dark. Lin Chuntao had nothing to do, so as dawn approached, she thought the cloth shop should be opening soon. She said goodbye to Lin Chunxing and left.
When she arrived at the fabric shop, it must have just opened. Zhang Qingqing was counting the fabrics on the shelves with a notebook, while a man in a gray-black long coat behind her was muttering that he hadn't had time to eat breakfast at home that day.
Just as Zhang Qingqing was about to reply, she turned her head and saw Lin Chuntao entering the room.
She looked closely and recognized Lin Chuntao.
"Sister Chuntao, it's you? Why are you here so early today?"
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "I came early on purpose. Are you busy?"
Zhang Qingqing closed the notebook in her hand and smiled, "No rush, we just opened the door, let's count the items."
Lin Chuntao smiled and asked directly, "Does your fabric shop also make cotton quilts?"
Zhang Qingqing's eyes were bright and she asked with a smile, "Sister, do you want a quilt made? Our fabric shop makes them. We have cotton carders who are very skilled. You can make any size and any amount of cotton you need."
"Shall I take you to see the cotton?"
Lin Chuntao nodded, and Zhang Qingqing led the way to the second floor. Their cotton was packed in large sacks. At that time, the refurbishment technology was not very good, and the cotton was still new. Lin Chuntao looked at it and felt it was pretty good, and asked about the price.
The price of cotton is 63 wen per jin. Lin Chuntao is making a lot of quilts, so she will definitely try to bargain.
"Hey girl, can you lower the price of cotton?"
Zhang Qingqing said with a smile, "It's possible to lower the price a bit, but not by much. Our cotton is all transported from outside, so the cost is high. The shop doesn't make much profit on this stuff; we mainly make money on the laborer's wages."
Lin Chuntao looked at the large bag of cotton in front of her and said, "I need to make four or five beds, this price is a bit expensive."
As soon as Lin Chuntao finished speaking, Zhang Qingqing quickly estimated that each quilt would weigh at least four or five jin of cotton, and five quilts would weigh twenty or thirty jin.
"Sister, do you still need to make duvet covers and such?"
Lin Chuntao nodded, "Yes, I've ordered five sets of household items for moving: pillows, blankets, and mattresses. If the price is right, I'll have them all made at your shop."
After thinking for a moment, Zhang Qingqing said, "Sister, give me a number. How big is a quilt? How many kilograms of cotton do you need? I'll go find the supplier and ask them for a cheaper price for you."
"Make five beds, each with six catties of cotton. One bed should be six feet wide and seven feet long, and the other four beds should be five feet four inches wide and six feet long."
After Lin Chuntao finished speaking, Zhang Qingqing nodded, poured Lin Chuntao a glass of water, and asked her to wait a moment before leaving.
She ran back after a while, but her complexion was not very good.
Lin Chuntao raised her eyebrows slightly, and Zhang Qingqing said to Lin Chuntao, "Sister, I found a supplier. The price of cotton is at least sixty coins per jin. If you want to use cotton cloth, I can give you a discount of fifteen coins per bolt."
This discount is too low; it gives the impression that Zhang Qingqing herself could offer this price, but after going to the supplier, the price actually increased.
Cotton costs sixty wen per jin, a quilt costs three hundred and sixty wen, and five quilts would cost less than two guan, which she could accept.
"How much do you charge for making a quilt?" Lin Chuntao asked.
Zhang Qingqing replied, "It's one hundred and fifty coins."
Lin Chuntao took a deep breath. Those five beds would cost six or seven hundred coins? She frowned. She already knew the price of the cloth last time. A bolt of dyed cotton cloth cost seven hundred coins. Cheating by fifteen coins was too stingy.
She was wondering whether she should just buy fabric from the shop to make bed sheets and duvet covers, and then exchange it for several quilts directly from the system.
Seeing Lin Chuntao remain silent, Zhang Qingqing said, "Sister, since you make more, the labor cost for that bed can be reduced by ten coins."
She really wanted to say that Pei Ying had made the quilt here last time, and that the workmanship was excellent, but from what she observed, Lin Chuntao didn't seem to know that Pei Ying had made the red quilt, so she didn't say anything more.
A thought flashed through her mind, and she said to Lin Chuntao, "Sister, we have some finished cotton quilts in our shop, would you like to take a look?"
Upon hearing this, Lin Chuntao asked, "Is there one readily available?"
Zhang Qingqing shook her head, "It was ordered by another customer and hasn't been picked up yet, but you can see it now."
Lin Chuntao: "Then let's go take a look."
Zhang Qingqing led Lin Chuntao to look at the quilts. After seeing them, Lin Chuntao gave up the idea of exchanging for quilts from the system. It wasn't that the craftsman's skills were amazing, but the difference between handmade items and the machine-made ones exchanged from the system was quite significant, and it would be easy to spot the difference. So she decided against it.
After thinking about it, I realized that the cotton fabric from this store is indeed quite good. These five sets of sheets and duvet covers will require several bolts of fabric, so I'll try to save as much money as possible. A duvet can also last quite a while.
Lin Chuntao didn't hesitate any longer. She called Zhang Qingqing to weigh the cotton and two pieces of cloth, and then wrote an order to order custom-made items.
Zhang Qingqing was somewhat surprised to hear her words, but her joy quickly turned into delight as she led Lin Chuntao upstairs.
As she walked, she said, "Don't worry, sister. The quilts made in our shop can be sent back for free refurbishment when they get old."
Lin Chuntao nodded upon hearing this.
There was no one in the shop at the moment, so Lin Chuntao asked quietly, "How many years have you been working in the cloth shop, sister?"
Zhang Qingqing exclaimed "Ah!" and then replied, "Not long ago, I only started working at the shop this year. Before, we worked at the employer's house."
"Are you from the master's household?" Lin Chuntao asked.
Zhang Qingqing gave a bitter smile. "When I was little, my family was poor, and my parents sold me to work as a maid in the landlord's mansion."
How much silver was it back then?
Lin Chuntao asked directly, but Zhang Qingqing didn't hear any disdain in her tone. It sounded like a very casual conversation. Zhang Qingqing said, "Back then, my cousin and I each had five taels of silver."
She sighed, and Lin Chuntao's eyes flickered slightly. "And now?"
Zhang Qingqing said, "Now it's not just that. If we want to redeem our indenture, it will cost thirty taels."
As she spoke, she lowered her eyes and gave a self-deprecating smile: "I could never save up thirty taels in my entire life."
Lin Chuntao frowned slightly and asked softly, "Does the young lady wish to redeem herself?"
Zhang Qingqing said, "I'm not young anymore. If I don't redeem myself, I might serve my master for another two years before being assigned to one of his servants. Once servants like us get married, we'll never have a chance to redeem ourselves again."
Lin Chuntao nodded slightly. She had an idea, but it was too early to say anything.
She noticed that Zhang Qingqing could read, and that she was quick-witted in serving guests. Lin Chuntao would need more people in the future, and it seemed like a good idea to keep those she liked.
She didn't say anything, and Zhang Qingqing focused on weighing the cotton for her.
After weighing the cotton, the two went to choose fabric to make a duvet cover. White didn't look good, so Lin Chuntao chose a light pink color, which wasn't too bright or too bland.
After everything was finished, the money was calculated. The total for the five quilts and their covers was five strings of cash and three hundred and thirty coins.
Lin Chuntao paid for the cotton and cloth and received a written receipt.
She said to Zhang Qingqing, "I might come to pick it up in twenty days. Could you please keep an eye on it and urge the craftsman? Also, could you please keep the leftover fabric for me?"
Zhang Qingqing nodded.
"Don't worry, sis, I'll keep an eye on things and make sure you get your things when you come to pick them up."
Fortunately, the house can be moved into as soon as it is built, and the cost of materials such as cabinets and beds can be offset by cutting down trees.
Otherwise, if she hadn't been able to cut down trees, she probably would have spent another twenty taels to make all those beds and cabinets.
She roughly calculated that the wages for buying pigs and meat, digging yellow clay for the past few days, and digging the well all added up to fourteen or fifteen strings of cash, and it wasn't even all done yet.
No wonder people say that when decorating a house, plans can never keep up with changes, and the budget is just a baseline; in the end, it will always be exceeded.
These flowers are blooming too quickly.
She still needs to calculate the cost when she gets back. The soybeans will soon be out of season, and since she makes this sauce often, she needs to buy more soybeans to stock up.
When she left the fabric shop, it was already broad daylight. She planned to go to the shop that Chai Xingyu had rented to look for her.
Before she even reached the shop, she ran into Guo Jixiang and Chai Jiao, the mother and daughter holding hands intimately.
They met face to face, and both were somewhat surprised.
Seeing Lin Chuntao reminded them of Chai Xingyu, who had been so busy lately that he was rarely seen.
"Good morning, Madam Lin! Where are you headed?" Guo Jixiang spoke first. Lin Chuntao smiled and looked over. "I was just about to go find Young Master Chai. Are Madam and Miss out for breakfast?"
Guo Jixiang said, "Yes, a new restaurant opened over there that makes hot and sour noodle soup. It's pretty good. Let's go together."
Lin Chuntao declined, saying, "No, Madam. I'm quite busy today. I need to go home after I finish talking to Young Master Chai."
“Ah Yu said you’re building a house recently, it won’t take long, let’s go together. That restaurant is run by a newly signed man from the Central Plains, let’s go try it.”
Chai Jiao disliked her, and she disliked Chai Jiao; sitting down to eat with someone she didn't like was a waste of time.
Just as Lin Chuntao was about to say no, Chai Jiao said quietly, "Ayu has been leaving early and returning late lately. You probably won't be able to find him now, Madam Lin. Let's go have breakfast together. When we get back, he'll probably be in his empty shop."
Chai Jiao said that Chai Xingyu left early and returned late, but Guo Jixiang's expression remained calm.
Lin Chuntao took a deep breath and went along.
Before long, Lin Chuntao stood in front of the restaurant that Guo Jixiang and her daughter had mentioned.
There were quite a few people queuing up to buy noodle soup, but most of them looked to be from the Central Plains.
Qin Suyun was just about to go to the market when she saw Lin Chuntao standing at the door.
She's been busy with this restaurant lately, and she went to the noodle stall twice but couldn't find Lin Chuntao. When she asked Lin Chunxing, she was told that they were building a house and Lin Chuntao was too busy to come to the county town. She had originally planned to invite Lin Chuntao to eat at the restaurant's opening.
Upon seeing this, Qin Suyun's eyes lit up instantly.
"Chuntao, are you done with your work?"
Lin Chuntao was also surprised to see Qin Suyun, and pointed to the restaurant, "You own this?"
Qin Suyun smiled and nodded, "Yes and no, it's run by the family."
Lin Chuntao smiled upon hearing this, "When did you open? Why didn't you let me know? I would have come to support you."
Qin Suyun said, "I asked my second sister, and she said you've been very busy lately, so I'll bother you now. I'll wait until I open a branch!"
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Then it's a deal."
The two chatted and laughed as they headed into the house. But after taking a step, Lin Chuntao remembered Guo Jixiang and Chai Jiao and introduced them to Qin Suyun: "This is Madam Guo of Chai's Sauce Shop, and this is the second young lady of the Chai family."
Qin Suyun smiled and greeted the two of them, "Madam, Miss, please come in."
After speaking, Qin Suyun still held Lin Chuntao's arm. The two seemed to have known each other for many years, so familiar that it was a bit hard to understand.
Chai Jiao scrutinized Lin Chuntao's retreating figure, her brows furrowing. The last time she met He Changyu at the restaurant, and this time she met this female manager. How did Lin Chuntao, a country girl, come to know these people?
Once inside, Qin Suyun led Lin Chuntao and the others to a private room.
"You haven't had breakfast yet?" Qin Suyun asked Lin Chuntao. Lin Chuntao nodded. "No, I just ran into Madam Guo. She said she was coming to your restaurant for hot and sour noodle soup and invited me to come with her."
Guo Jixiang looked at Qin Suyun and said, "Manager Qin's cooking is excellent. Jiao'er is pregnant recently and craves sour and spicy food. The noodle soup from your restaurant saved her life."
Qin Suyun smiled and said, "It is my honor to be liked by the Second Miss and Madam. Please have a seat, and I will go and ask the waiter to serve you."
After saying that, Qin Suyun hurriedly went out, and a moment later she came back in carrying two pots and a few cups.
"I made some soy milk and milk this morning. What would you like to drink, Madam and Miss?"
Guo Jixiang said, "Soy milk, please."
Chai Jiao gets diarrhea from drinking milk, and now that she's pregnant, she has to be even more careful. Qin Suyun poured two cups of soy milk for Guo Jixiang and Chai Jiao.
After Qin Suyun finished pouring, she looked at Lin Chuntao.
"Milk." Lin Chuntao smiled. Qin Suyun poured her a glass and then poured one for herself as well.
A moment later, the waiter came in with a tray containing four bowls of steaming hot and sour noodle soup. The taste was somewhat similar to Hu spicy soup, but Qin Suyun had modified it slightly. People from Yizhou prefer strong flavors, so she made it a little spicier. People from the Central Plains could still get used to it, and people from Yizhou should be able to accept it after trying it.
After bringing in the soup, Qin Suyun asked the waiter to bring up the steamed buns as well.
Halfway through the meal, Chai Jiao finally couldn't help but ask Lin Chuntao and the others how they met.
Qin Suyun smiled and said, "I once bought some mushrooms from Lin Niangzi and ate the soup noodles she made. I liked her cooking skills and we hit it off immediately."
Lin Chuntao pursed her lips upon hearing this.
Upon hearing this, Chai Jiao was somewhat incredulous. She looked at Lin Chuntao and Qin Suyun, and their familiarity with each other was as if they had known each other for many years. However, Qin Suyun and Qin Suyun had only moved here this year, while Lin Chuntao was a peasant girl who had never even left the county. They had never had the chance to meet before.
Besides the fact that Chai Jiao is pregnant and vomits everything she eats, and is craving hot and sour noodle soup, it's also because this is a newly opened restaurant, and she will definitely need to use sauces and such for a long time in the future.
Guo Jixiang's original plan was also to get to know Qin Suyun and have a chat.
She never expected that she would end up having dinner at the same table as Qin Suyun through Lin Chuntao, and coincidentally, Lin Chuntao was also making sauce.
Guo Jixiang took a deep breath, feeling that Lin Chuntao was a bit too complicated for their Chai family.
These days, Chai Xingyu has been busy outside. Many people have told Chai Song that they feel Chai Xingyu has grown up after this incident and knows how to take care of things.
After being praised a few times, Chai Songchuan felt much more at ease. They were already following Chai Xingyu's lead and were just waiting to see what he would achieve.
They knew in their hearts that Chai Xingyu's ability to cause so much trouble was all thanks to Lin Chuntao.
Sometimes Guo Jixiang thought helplessly, "If Chai Xingyu is doing well, then everything is fine with me too. Oh well, never mind."
Now that this has happened again, Guo Jixiang doesn't bother with any complicated details and directly asks Qin Suyun if her restaurant needs any sauces. If so, she suggests that they visit their sauce shop.
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