There were 31 pieces of good cloth in total, 25 pieces of coarse cotton, and 6 pieces of fine cotton; there were 66 pieces of cloth with good quality but with bad color, 52 pieces of coarse cloth, and 14 pieces of fine cloth; there were 13 pieces of cloth with partial quality problems, 9 pieces of coarse cloth, and 4 pieces of fine cloth; finally, there was no cloth that was completely unusable.
Chunxiao asked Xingfu to find a few men to set up a few more wooden poles and hemp ropes outside the yard where clothes were hung, and asked the women to help wash the cloth. They first washed out 25 pieces of coarse cotton cloth that was not discolored but of good quality. The remaining cloth was placed in batches in the large cabinet in the warehouse next to the yard.
"For these cloths, you should arrange for people to wash some and dry them every day. After the good cloths are washed and dried, put them in the cloth boxes in my main courtyard. After the bad-colored ones are washed, put them in the boxes in my warehouse. Those with quality problems should also be washed and placed here after washing."
"I see, Miss. So, are these things you asked them to wash today for making quilts?"
Chun Xiao nodded and said, "It's windy here, so they can wash and dry them in the sun today and tomorrow. Ask them to catch up on it during these few days. They can make as many as they want. If that doesn't work, wait until I buy people back and they can make some more themselves.
After thinking for a while, he said, "After I buy the people, I will go back to Qingzhou. Xingfu, you and Meiman, remember to keep them under control and don't let them cause any trouble. If you can't, ask Zhao Shitou, Chunliu and other men for help, or go to my eldest brother."
Happiness pursed her lips, "Miss, how long will you be gone?"
"The journey will take more than ten days, and I will have to stay for a few days. Don't worry, I will definitely come back in a hurry. I have to come back to look after my cotton fields. During my absence, we can't neglect the pruning and insect catching. The pavilion chief has promised to help me collect eggshells, and you can also make leaf fertilizer. If the quantity is insufficient, just buy more eggs, as a supplement for everyone. We can't lose our big money because of these small amounts, understand? We also have to keep up with the fertilizer."
"I understand, Miss."
That night, many colorful cloths fluttered outside the yard. Although they were not for the people in the yard, they were also very happy. They heard that the manor was going to have new residents, and they thought that this place would become more and more lively in the future.
Shuwen would come over to check on her every two days. When he saw how much cloth she had hung out to dry, he realized that they had bought the cloth through connections with the township government.
"Aunt, you should have bought the cloth earlier. We used to buy good cloth and spent about 20 taels of silver. If you had bought it earlier, we could have saved this money."
Chun Xiao sighed, "I didn't think too much about it before. I don't have much money now, so I thought I'd save as much as possible. That's why I thought of asking the township government for help. I regret not doing it sooner. If you guys are short of cloth, remember to ask me for it, or you can take a few pieces and leave. The people in the village should be making spring clothes."
"Okay, then Auntie, please give me 10 horses. I'll keep them at the farm. My father recently promoted two stewards, one male and one female. He said this would make it easier to arrange things."
"Your father is right. You should learn to write as well."
When Shuwen left, Chunxiao gave him 10 pieces of cloth and asked him to make preparations, saying that they would be returning to Qingzhou in two days, so if there was anything he wanted to buy and take back, he should hurry up.
Happiness and Meiman have been busy cleaning and tidying up Courtyard No. 2 and Courtyard No. 3 these two days. The distance between the courtyards is about an incense stick's length. The carpenters have also been divided into two groups to work in the two courtyards respectively.
The cloths were washed and dried one after another. After the women finished their work and had their meals, they started to make quilts in the room.
On the afternoon of the 20th, the headman sent 20 cows over. Chunxiao then asked Xingfu and Meiman to take the ox cart to the town to retrieve all the mattresses.
The next morning, at daybreak, she drove a horse-drawn carriage to pick up Yan Bangfa and set off for the county town. This time, she planned to hire 90 to 100 people at once.
They arrived at the county town again around 2 pm, and they went straight to the dental clinic with a clear destination.
When the broker saw that they were all smiling, he knew that they were going to buy a hundred or so people this time, so he hurriedly called the manager of the brokerage shop over to accompany them.
Among those selected, most were still women. This time, the person in charge offered Chunxiao the discount of giving her a few children without her having to say anything, leaving Chunxiao at a loss as to what to do.
In fact, after the last incident of buying people, many servants in the pawnshop knew about them. Some kind-hearted ones would inadvertently remind those poor people who brought their daughters. However, the pawnshop had a fast turnover, and many people did not have such good luck. Today, many women were so happy that they cried when they heard about the buyers, and came to apply for the selection very actively.
Chunxiao and Yan Dashan both noticed something strange. Last time they came to buy people, everyone was worried and distressed, unlike today, when some people were looking at them and smiling. This time, they would choose 18 men, and the rest would be women. Following their previous selection criteria, they looked at hands and faces, and finally picked out 76 women.
Seeing many women looking at her with burning eyes, she finally understood why they were looking at her and smiling. She sighed and said, "Which of you have children and want to take them with you? Stand out and let me see."
The women seemed to have been waiting for this moment for a long time. One by one, they pulled their children out from behind and stood up, looking happy and nervous.
Chunxiao took a look and saw that there were more than ten children this time, some of whom looked only five or six years old. She looked at the manager helplessly.
The manager was stunned. "Girl, this, this won't do. Let's do it the same as last time. I'll give you 6. How about you pick six?"
When the women with children in the yard heard this, they immediately pulled their children to their knees. None of them said a word, but just knelt there with their heads lowered.
Chun Xiao looked at Yan Dashan with some embarrassment, "Brother, what should we do?"
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