Shuiqing also knew about the winter clothes.
She had heard it mentioned by the people working at the herbal medicine shop.
In fact, the idea of making winter clothes was started by the people from the herbal medicine shop. They had to work in the winter, and thin clothes wouldn't do. Plus, they had more say at home now that they were earning money, and their opinions were taken seriously. So they decided to make a new set of winter clothes for everyone in the family while they were getting their wages.
A set of winter clothes can be worn for many years, patched and mended for another three years, and even when it's worn out, it can be disassembled and altered for the children to wear, so it's not a waste of money.
Shuiqing also knew that the people in the village made linen fabric. The linen sold in the city was completely different from the light, breathable, soft and comfortable linen in China. It was so rough that it scratched the skin, but its cheap and durable cost-effectiveness made up for all its shortcomings. Poor people couldn't choose, and who wouldn't buy the good stuff if they had money?
Thinking of linen, Shuiqing realized that winter clothes alone were not enough.
Shanshui Village used to be so poor and miserable. Most people only had hemp clothing. Even the cotton fabric used for winter clothes at the herbal medicine shop was not very useful, since winter clothes were not worn close to the skin and people still had to wear an inner garment underneath.
The villagers didn't have inner garments, so they would wear their summer clothes underneath. The two or three pieces of clothing they had stacked together were all the warm clothes they had for winter.
Even though they were made of cotton for winter, they still wore linen underneath that irritated their skin and was still uncomfortable.
She looked at Fan Jin and added, "Since we're making winter clothes, let's make a whole set: two sets of inner garments and two sets of winter clothes. The inner garments should be made of fine cotton, and the winter clothes should be made of coarse cotton."
Upon hearing this, Fan Jin immediately understood Shui Qing's intentions.
If it were just winter clothes, the women working in the herbal medicine shop would still not be comfortable to wear. Fine cotton is soft and delicate, comfortable to wear next to the skin, while coarse cotton is durable, washable, and not easily damaged, making it suitable as outerwear. Shuiqing is truly thinking of their needs.
"Alright, but who are you going to hire to make the clothes for thirty-five people? And what about the colors? Should we use the same color or should each person choose a different one?"
Shui Qing was very satisfied that Fan Jin did not pour cold water on her enthusiasm and responded positively. In a good mood, she shared more of her thoughts: "It's already the end of October, and the winter month will be here in a few days. Thirty-five people, each with four sets of clothes, will not be able to make them quickly no matter who we ask. Why don't we just give them the fabric and let them make them themselves?"
As for the color, it's best to keep it uniform. Let's use it as the 'work uniform' for the herbal medicine workshop. We'll also be opening a sugar workshop and a calligraphy brush workshop in the future, and we'll need to hire people, who will also have work uniforms. Using color to distinguish them will be simple and clear.
In the village, everyone makes their own clothes. Some are skilled, some are not, but they are not particular. They are lucky if they have something to wear. Who cares about anything else? Besides, if she hires someone to make clothes for them, not only will it cost money, but the waiting time will also be long, and it will be inconvenient to alter them if they don't fit.
Making them do it themselves takes up their own time, but there's an advantage to it: making clothes always leaves some scraps, which can easily make a few pairs of cloth shoe uppers. If they hire someone to make these scraps, they won't get them, so it's a kind of indirect compensation.
Shui Qing was focused on who would make the clothes, while Fan Jin was clearly stunned when he heard about the brush workshop.
He knew about the sugar workshop. Shuiqing had told him before that he could buy sugarcane from the mall to grow and then make brown and white sugar. If he didn't know how, it didn't matter; he could buy books on planting and production techniques from the mall to learn.
Originally, we planned to start planting in the fall, but after buying a book, we learned that sugarcane is planted in the spring, so the sugar mill will be postponed until after the autumn and winter harvest next year.
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