Chapter 101 Chapter 101-Erhe must make a quilt
The eldest uncle frowned slightly when he heard this, only to hear the second aunt say, "I feel Chuntao's personality is still very similar to Ah Xiu's. Even if I gave her something, she would still feel it was not enough. Besides, she must have been thinking about you all the time after you paid it back."
Lin Chuntao did have such an idea. Her uncle and aunt were both good people. The villagers could pay to hire someone, and then pay them after the work was done, and both sides would be clear. But if her uncle and aunt did not give Lin Chuntao anything, she would feel bad about it, and if they gave her too much, it would be inconvenient at the moment. If she accepted the money from her uncle and aunt, and waited until the house was built and they had enough money, she would still think of them.
After hearing what the second aunt said, the eldest uncle fell silent.
After thinking for a long time, he said, "Chun Tao got married, but there was no wedding banquet. We didn't go, and we didn't buy her anything. The tables and chairs in the house are still her mother's. Why don't we take a look at them and make something for her when she moves into her new home?"
My aunt said, "Although the tables and chairs were left by Ah Xiu, they're still new and can be used when we move them home. I heard her and that Yu lady talking about a bed the other day. It seems they asked the Sun family to make a new one, and it's quite large. We can go make her a new quilt."
The second and third aunts also nodded slightly: "That's fine too. Let's go to the county town together someday to ask for advice."
In this way, the little money they brought back was arranged.
After everyone left, Lin Chunxing and the others packed up their things and then sat in the yard to soak their feet. Suddenly, Lin Chunxing said to Lin Chuntao, "Sister, can you sell the braised pork offal you made a few days ago?"
"You want to sell?"
"Um."
Lin Chuntao said, "It's not difficult to make, but you already sell braised eggs and noodles. The braised pork offal doesn't taste good in noodles. If you want to sell braised goods, you might as well sell braised pig's feet, braised pig's head, and large intestines. People like these and those who don't like them will just stay away. We have a fixed consumer group. Our soup noodles are aimed at almost everyone, young and old, men and women, and there will be people who like them. So my suggestion is to add more things to sell, and try to sell things that people won't reject."
After listening to Lin Chuntao's words, Lin Chunxing felt that it made a lot of sense.
She just thought the pig lung was delicious and she missed it a little. She nodded and said, "Then let's braise another one?"
Lin Chuntao burst out laughing.
"You want to eat it yourself, right?"
Lin Chunxing smiled and said, "The pig lungs taste delicious. I feel like eating some."
Lin Chuntao turned around and said to Pei Ying, "Bring back a pair of diving gear tomorrow."
Pei Ying: "Can both be braised in one pot?"
Lin Chunxing glanced at Pei Ying in surprise, then laughed. She looked at Lin Chunhe and Lin Duoer next to her, who were also listening attentively.
Lin Chuntao has been busy making sauces and cooking recently.
They had been wanting to eat for many days, but because Lin Chuntao was busy and cooked for the workers every day, sometimes she arranged the dishes in advance, and they couldn't help much, so they thought they shouldn't cause any trouble for Lin Chuntao.
Lin Chuntao looked at them like this and said with a smile, "Then buy two sets. I see the workers like it very much. 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 into the house to lie down.
The house is now crammed with so many things that it's a bit crowded to go in and out. Fortunately, Sun Hu and his team are making rapid progress. Many walls have been erected, and it is estimated that the roof beams will be ready in a few days.
The house is almost completed, so we choose an auspicious day to move in. The tables and chairs are all ready, and the bed has been custom-made, but the mats, quilts, sheets, quilt covers, pillows and other things have not been made yet. We have to order them quickly, otherwise when the moving time comes, if the bedding is not ready yet, what will we use when we move in?
And this sauce will be ready after a few days of drying. I have to go find Chai Xingyu. I wonder if he has found any other sauces and when he will open for business?
Once the sauce goes on sale, everyone can buy it to make noodle soup, and the business of their noodle soup stall will be affected. Lin Chuntao thought that she would have to arrange new flavors of noodle soup in the next few days.
The whole jar of pickled vegetables she made last time is now delicious, and she can make a new jar.
After thinking for a while, Lin Chuntao said, "I'll go to the county town with you guys tomorrow. I'll get ready in the morning and ask my aunt and the others to cook some food."
Without waiting for Pei Ying to ask, Lin Chuntao continued, "I'm going to order a few quilts for when I move. Then I'll go find Chai Xingyu to see if he's set a date for the opening. It'll be ready in three or four days."
Pei Ying looked at her busy days and asked, "Can you take a break after the sauce is ready?"
Lin Chuntao smiled.
"We'll move in once the house is built. By then, we'll be able to see how well the sauce business is doing. If it's good, I'll hire some more people so I don't have to do everything myself and can take a break."
The two of them lay down and chatted 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 some instructions, 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 people will be able to make the noodle soup in our shop too. Maybe a lot of noodle soup stalls will pop up all of a sudden."
"Well, we haven't used the pickles in that jar yet. I'll go back and make some new flavors tonight."
Lin Chunxing turned around and asked, "Will it taste better?"
"Of course."
Lin Chunxing thought of the activities Lin Chuntao did when she sold braised eggs last time. She pursed her lips and an idea flashed through her mind.
"Sister, since we have new things, can we also do an event?"
Listening to Lin Chunxing's words, Lin Chuntao showed a hint of appreciation in her eyes. Lin Chunxing could figure out a way by herself, and it wouldn't be long before she could let go. She felt a kind of joy that her child had grown up.
"Sure, think about it when you have some free time. I'll also think about it after I'm done with my work to see if there's any good solution."
They didn't go to pick mushrooms. After arriving at the market, Lin Chuntao and Lin Chunxing moved the things out. Lin Chunxing lit the fire while she went to the noodle shop to get some noodles.
After everything was ready, it was still dark. Lin Chuntao had nothing to do, so when it was almost dawn, she thought the cloth shop should be open, so she said goodbye to Lin Chunxing and left.
When she arrived at the cloth shop, it had just opened. Zhang Qingqing was counting the cloth on the shelf with a notebook. Behind her, a man in a gray-black long gown was muttering that he didn't have time to eat breakfast at home today.
Zhang Qingqing was about to reply when she turned around and saw Lin Chuntao coming in.
She looked carefully and recognized Lin Chuntao.
"Sister Chuntao, is that you? Why are you 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 said with a smile, "I'm not busy. I just opened the door and wanted to take a count."
Lin Chuntao smiled and asked directly, "Does your cloth shop still make cotton quilts?"
Zhang Qingqing's eyes sparkled as she asked with a smile, "Sister, do you want to make a quilt? We have cotton fluffers in our cloth shop who are very skilled. We can make any size you want, even with as many kilograms of cotton as you want."
"Shall I take you to see the cotton?"
Lin Chuntao nodded. Zhang Qingqing led the way and took her upstairs. Their cotton was packed in large sacks. The renovation technology was not so good at that time, and the cotton was still new. Lin Chuntao took a look and felt it was not bad, so she asked about the price.
The price of cotton is 63 wen per pound. Lin Chuntao wants to make a lot of quilts, so she will definitely bargain for a lower price.
"Girl, can the price of cotton be cheaper?"
Zhang Qingqing smiled and said, "It's okay to be a little cheaper, but not by much. Our cotton is all shipped in from outside, and the cost is high. The shop doesn't make much money on this stuff. It's mainly to make money from the workers' 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."
After Lin Chuntao finished speaking, Zhang Qingqing quickly estimated that one quilt weighed at least four or five kilograms of cotton, and five quilts would weigh twenty or thirty kilograms.
"Sister, do you still need to make quilt covers?"
Lin Chuntao nodded. "Yes, I made some for moving to a new house. I need five sets of pillows, quilts, and cushions. If the price is right, I'll make them all in your shop."
Zhang Qingqing pondered for a moment and said, "Sister, give me a number. How big is a quilt? How many kilograms of cotton does it take? I'll go find the owner and ask for a cheaper price."
"Make five beds. Each bed will have six pounds of cotton. One bed should be six feet wide and seven feet long. The other four beds should be five feet four feet wide and six feet long."
After Lin Chuntao finished speaking, Zhang Qingqing nodded. She poured Lin Chuntao a glass of water and asked her to wait for a moment before leaving.
After a while she came back, but her face did not look very good.
Lin Chuntao raised her eyebrows slightly, and Zhang Qingqing said to Lin Chuntao, "Sister, I found a dealer, and the price of cotton is as low as sixty cents per catty. If I use cotton cloth, I can give you a discount of fifteen cents per piece."
The discount is too low. It feels like Zhang Qingqing could offer this preferential price herself, but after going to the dealer, the price became higher.
Cotton cost 60 wen per pound, a quilt cost 360 wen, and five quilts cost less than two strings of cash. She could accept this amount of money.
"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. Five beds would cost six or seven hundred coins? Her brows furrowed. She knew the price of cloth last time. A piece of dyed cotton cloth cost seven hundred coins. A discount of fifteen coins was a bit too stingy.
She was wondering whether she should just buy cloth in the shop to make sheets and quilt covers, or directly exchange a few quilts from the system?
Seeing Lin Chuntao was silent, Zhang Qingqing said, "Sis, if you make more, the labor cost for that bed can be reduced by ten cents."
She really wanted to say that Pei Ying had made a red quilt here last time and that it was already finished with excellent workmanship, but from her observation, Lin Chuntao didn't seem to know that Pei Ying had come here to make a red quilt, so she didn't say much.
An idea flashed through her mind, and she said to Lin Chuntao, "Sister, we have some ready-made quilts in our shop. Do you want to take a look?"
Lin Chuntao heard this and asked, "Is there anything ready?"
Zhang Qingqing shook her head. "It was custom-made for another customer. They haven't picked it up yet, so you can see it now."
Lin Chuntao: "Then let's go and take a look."
Zhang Qingqing took Lin Chuntao to see the quilts. After seeing them, Lin Chuntao gave up the idea of exchanging the quilts from the system. It was not that the craftsmanship of the master was amazing, but the difference between this purely handmade product and the mechanized production exchanged from the system was quite large, and it would be easy to be exposed, so she gave up.
After thinking about it, I realized that the cotton cloth of this store is really good. These five sets of sheets and quilt covers will require several pieces of cloth, so I'll just take the price as cheap as possible. A quilt can last for quite a long time.
Lin Chuntao did not hesitate any longer and called Zhang Qingqing to weigh the cotton and two pieces of cloth and make an order.
Zhang Qingqing was a little surprised when she heard her words, but she turned into joy in an instant and led Lin Chuntao upstairs.
As she walked, she said, "Don't worry, sister. The quilts we make in our shop can be sent back for free refurbishment when they become worn out."
Lin Chuntao nodded when she heard that.
There was no one in the shop at that time. Lin Chuntao asked quietly, "How many years have you been working in the cloth shop?"
Zhang Qingqing uttered an "ah" and then replied, "Not long ago, I just started working in the shop this year. Before, we worked at the boss's house."
"Are you from the boss's house?" Lin Chuntao asked.
Zhang Qingqing gave a bitter smile, "When I was little, my family was poor, so my parents sold me to my boss's house to be a maid."
“How much silver was it then?”
Lin Chuntao asked directly, but Zhang Qingqing didn't hear any contempt in her tone. It seemed like a normal chat. Zhang Qingqing said, "Back then, my cousin and I each had five taels of silver."
As she spoke, she sighed, and Lin Chuntao's eyes moved slightly, "What about now?"
Zhang Qingqing said, "Now it's more than that. If we want to redeem our indenture, it will cost thirty taels."
She lowered her eyes as she spoke, and twitched the corners of her mouth in self-mockery: "I can't save up thirty taels in my lifetime."
Lin Chuntao frowned slightly and asked softly, "Miss, do you want to redeem yourself?"
Zhang Qingqing said, "I'm not young anymore. If I don't redeem myself, I might be assigned to one of the master's servants after serving him for another two years. Once slaves like us get married, there will be no hope of redeeming ourselves."
Lin Chuntao nodded slightly. She had an idea, but it was hard to say it now.
She saw that Zhang Qingqing was able to read and write, and that she was very smart in receiving guests. Lin Chuntao would need help in the future, and it would be nice to keep someone she liked.
She stopped talking, and Zhang Qingqing concentrated on weighing the cotton for her.
After the cotton was weighed, the two went to choose cloth together to make a quilt cover. White was not good-looking, so Lin Chuntao chose lotus root pink, which was not too bright nor too dull.
After everything was done, I counted the money. Five quilts and quilt covers cost five strings of cash and three hundred and thirty coins.
Lin Chuntao paid for the cotton and cloth and received the receipt.
She said to Zhang Qingqing, "I'll probably come to pick it up in twenty days. Please help me keep an eye on it and urge the master. Also, please help me collect the leftover fabrics."
Zhang Qingqing nodded.
"Don't worry, sister. I'll watch over it and make sure you get what you want when you come to get it."
Fortunately, the house can be moved into as soon as it is built, and the cabinets and beds can be made by cutting down trees ourselves to offset the cost of materials.
Otherwise, this quilt cost her so much money. If she couldn't cut down the tree, she would have made so many beds and cabinets, and it would probably take another twenty taels to complete them.
She roughly calculated that she had spent fourteen or fifteen strings of cash on buying pigs and meat, digging yellow clay for several days, and digging the well, and that was not all.
No wonder people say that when decorating a house, plans can never keep up with changes, and the budget is just a base number, which will always be exceeded in the end.
This is going to go away so fast.
She had to count the money when she got home. The beans would soon be off the market. If she made this sauce frequently, she would have to take advantage of this time to buy more beans and stockpile them.
When she came out of the cloth shop, it was already dawn. She planned to go to the shop rented by Chai Xingyu to look for her.
Unexpectedly, when she reached the shop, she met Guo Jixiang and Chai Jiao. The mother and daughter were arm in arm, looking very affectionate.
When they met face to face, both sides were a little surprised.
When they saw Lin Chuntao, they thought of Chai Xingyu, who had been so busy recently that they had not been seen much.
"Mrs. Lin, good morning! Where are you going?" Guo Jixiang spoke first. Lin Chuntao looked over with a smile. "I was just about to go look for Young Master Chai. Are the Madam and the eldest daughter coming out for breakfast?"
Guo Jixiang said, "Well, there's a new restaurant over there that makes hot and sour noodle soup. It's quite delicious. Let's go."
Lin Chuntao refused, "No, Madam, I'm a little busy today. I have to go home after I finish talking to Master Chai."
"Ayu said you guys are building a house recently, so it won't take long. Let's go together. The restaurant is run by a newly signed Central Plains person. Let's go and try it."
Chai Jiao doesn't like her, and she doesn't like Chai Jiao either. Sitting down to eat with someone you don't like is a waste of time.
Lin Chuntao was about to say no, but Chai Jiao said quietly, "Ayu has been leaving early and coming back late lately. Madam Lin, you probably won't be able to find her now. Let's go have breakfast together. When we get back, she'll probably be in her empty shop."
Chai Jiao said that Chai Xingyu went out early and came back late, but Guo Jixiang looked calm.
Lin Chuntao took a deep breath and went with him.
Not long after, 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 seemed to be from the Central Plains.
Qin Suyun was just about to go to the market, but as soon as she went out, she saw Lin Chuntao standing at the door.
She has been busy with this restaurant recently. She went to the soup noodle stall twice but didn't see Lin Chuntao. She asked Lin Chunxing and she said they were building a house. Lin Chuntao was too busy to come to the county town recently. She had originally planned to invite Lin Chuntao to dinner when the restaurant opened.
When Qin Suyun suddenly saw this, her eyes lit up instantly.
"Chun Tao, are you done?"
Lin Chuntao was also surprised when she saw Qin Suyun. She pointed at the restaurant and asked, "Is this yours?"
Qin Suyun smiled and nodded, "Yes and no, it's run by the family."
Lin Chuntao smiled when she heard that. "When did you open? Why didn't you let me know? I'd come and support you."
Qin Suyun said: "I asked my second sister, and she said that you have been very busy recently. I am sorry to bother you. Wait until I open a branch!"
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Then it's a deal."
The two chatted and laughed as they were about to go inside. After they had taken a step, Lin Chuntao remembered Guo Jixiang and Chai Jiao and introduced them to Qin Suyun: "This is Mrs. Guo from the Chai family's sauce factory, and this is the second young lady of the Chai family."
Qin Suyun looked at the two of them and greeted them with a smile, "Madam, Miss, please come in."
After saying that, Qin Suyun still held Lin Chuntao's arm. The relationship between the two seemed like they had known each other for many years, so familiar that it was a little confusing.
Chai Jiao looked at Lin Chuntao's back and frowned. Last time she met He Changyu in the restaurant, and this time she met the female shopkeeper. Lin Chuntao was a peasant girl from the countryside. Why did she know these people?
After entering the house, Qin Suyun took Lin Chuntao and the others to the private room.
"Haven't you had breakfast yet?" Qin Suyun asked Lin Chuntao. Lin Chuntao nodded and said, "No, I just ran into Mrs. Guo. She said she wanted to come to your restaurant for hot and sour noodle soup and asked me to come along."
Guo Jixiang looked at Qin Suyun and said, "Shopkeeper Qin's cooking skills are excellent. Jiao'er is pregnant recently and likes spicy and sour food. The noodle soup in your restaurant saved her life."
Qin Suyun smiled and said, "It's my honor to be liked by the Second Miss and Madam. You guys take a seat first. I'll get the waiter to come up."
After she finished speaking, Qin Suyun hurried out, but a moment later she came back 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 if she drinks milk, and she has to be even more careful now that she is pregnant. 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 also poured herself a glass.
After a while, the waiter came in with a tray containing four bowls of hot and sour noodle soup. The taste was a bit like Hu La Tang, but Qin Suyun had changed it a little. People in Yizhou tend to have a heavier taste, so she made it a little spicier. People from the Central Plains would still be accustomed to it, and people from Yizhou would probably be able to accept it after trying it.
After bringing in the soup, Qin Suyun asked the waiter to bring the dumplings as well.
Halfway through the meal, Chai Jiao couldn't help herself and asked Lin Chuntao how they met.
Qin Suyun smiled and said, "I once bought some mushrooms from Madam Lin and ate some noodle soup she made. I liked her cooking and it felt like we were old friends right away."
Lin Chuntao pursed her lips when she heard that.
Chai Jiao was a little bit unconvinced after hearing this. She looked at Lin Chuntao and Qin Suyun. They were so familiar with each other, as if they had known each other for many years. However, Qin Suyun and her friends had just moved here this year, and Lin Chuntao was a peasant girl who had never left the county. They had never had the chance to meet before.
In addition to the fact that Chai Jiao was pregnant and vomited everything she ate, and was craving for the hot and sour noodle soup, it was also because this was a newly opened restaurant and they would definitely need to use sauces for a long time in the future.
Guo Jixiang originally planned to get to know Qin Suyun and have a chat with her.
She never expected that she would sit at the same table with Qin Suyun through Lin Chuntao, and Lin Chuntao also made sauce.
Guo Jixiang took a deep breath and felt that Lin Chuntao was a little too complicated for their Chai family.
Chai Xingyu has been busy outside these days, and many people have told Chai Song about it. They feel that Chai Xingyu has grown up after this incident and knows how to be busy.
After being praised several times, Chai Songchuan felt much more relaxed both physically and mentally. In their hearts, they had already joined Chai Xingyu in the struggle, and it was just a matter of seeing what he could accomplish.
They also knew in their hearts that it was all thanks to Lin Chuntao that Chai Xingyu could be so successful.
Guo Jixiang sometimes thought helplessly that as long as Chai Xingyu was fine, everything would be fine with her too, so forget it.
Now that this had happened, Guo Jixiang didn't think about any more twists and turns and asked directly if Qin Suyun's restaurant needed sauces. If so, they could go to their sauce factory to have a look.
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