Before he could finish his words, he ran away, and the last sentence floated back to him on the wind.
Chen Shi came again with the bag on his back, and hesitated when he saw Ling Ran.
"Come in! Ling Ran is here to help too." Zhou Xiang called him.
Chen Shi slowly walked into the yard and saw the drastic changes in the yard. He wanted to ask Ling Ran something but didn't dare to.
"Can you please stop being so cowardly? Zhou Xiangxiang hired a bricklayer to renovate the yard, and I helped as well." He said with full pride.
Zhou Xiang took out a beam scale, and Ling Ran took it and weighed it. "Four pounds and six ounces."
Zhou wanted to hand him some money, but he refused to take it. "My mom said we don't charge any money this time. It's just for using the sewing machine and learning how to wash duck feathers."
Ling Ran took the money and stuffed it into his cotton-padded jacket pocket. "Let's put things in perspective. Your mother's words don't count. Only Zhou Xiangxiang's words count."
Chen Shi was startled by his action.
Zhou Xiang also nodded. "Ling Ran is right. I have already explained the method of washing duck feathers to everyone in the classroom. If she feels embarrassed about using the sewing machine, she can just bring sewing thread."
Chen Shi nodded.
"Let's start!" As soon as Zhou Xiang said that, Ling Ran immediately went to the stove in the south room and scooped out hot water. Zhou Xiang took the soapy water to the bathroom.
Ling Ran gave the stunned Chen Shi a light kick, "What are you staring at? Aren't you supposed to be learning how to wash duck feathers? Let's go."
I took the hot water and went to the bathroom.
Chen Shi came in, then left embarrassedly, then thought something was wrong and came back in.
Ling Ran glared at him and said, "Don't dilly-dally."
After Chen Shi came in, Zhou Xiang pointed to the squat toilet at the back and said, "Are you embarrassed to see this? This is called a bathroom in my house. It's for both men and women, and you can take a shower in it. The open space where we are standing is the shower area.
Duck feathers are smelly, so it’s better to wash them here, and it’s brighter here too.”
Upon hearing this, Chen Shi carefully inspected the bathroom. There was a squat toilet at the back, which looked similar to a toilet, but it didn't seem to have any odor.
Opposite the squat toilet is a water tank, next to it is an old plastic bucket, and a basket hanging on the wall.
The area where the three people were standing was at least seven or eight square meters, with three large plastic basins placed on it.
"Sit down and start washing."
Chen Shi obediently sat down on the small stool.
It’s no wonder that Chen Shi can learn the cleaning skills that Ling Ran can’t learn in no time.
Zhou wanted to take this opportunity to wash all the duck and goose feathers. The ones collected by the school plus the ones sent by Chen Shi this time totaled nearly 30 kilograms.
Ling Ran carried water back and forth. Chen Shi washed better than Zhou Xiang, and he controlled the strength of the rubbing and washing just right.
After washing, Ling Ran moved her to the south room. The new kang on the west side had been heated up, so he spread a torn sheet on it, squeezed dry duck feathers, and spread them evenly on top.
"You have a kang at home, which is very convenient. You don't have to rely on the sun to get dry." Chen Shi was very envious when he saw the kang.
"The materials for this kang cost nearly two hundred yuan. I don't think your family would be willing to spend that much. Wash a small amount first. You can wash it in the summer and dry it in the sun for use in the winter.
After it dries, we sew some cloth bags, put it in the pot, and steam it like steamed buns for more than half an hour. Then we pour it out of the cloth bags and dry it in the sun. If there is no fishy smell, it means the down is successful.
After Chen Shi went through this first procedure, he only heard about the second procedure, and he understood it in his heart.
We often have hot water at home and a big pot, which is very convenient.
"Chen Shi, I have enough down here. If you wash the duck feathers yourself, I think you can wash and sell the down. You can sell it for at least ten yuan per pound."
Zhou Xiang looked at Chen Shi's unbelieving expression and explained to him, "Let's not talk about the time you wasted. Let's talk about the down. An ordinary cotton-padded jacket only needs half a pound of down at most, which costs five yuan. It's about the same as buying cotton. But down is warm, light and good-looking. It also has a great name... uh, nice.
In the city, a down jacket costs 40 to 50 yuan, and they only sell down jackets, not down. Go back and explain this to your parents and see if they understand what I mean."
Zhou Xiang also saw that he was honest and filial. His family's business was a hard-earned income, and he no longer needed down. Why not teach him? He could also teach him a few business tips that would be known to future generations. Whether he could learn it or not was up to him.
Ling Ran looked at Chen Shi with jealousy. Why was the little girl so nice to him, yet he couldn't bring any benefits to the little girl.
Seeing the jealousy on Ling Ran's face, Zhou Xiang quickly comforted him, "Ling Ran, this time we'll have about 20 kilograms of down jackets. Bring a few kilograms back for your aunt, and you'll soon have a down jacket to wear."
Ling Ran nodded. Although he wanted to ask the little girl to do it for him, even if he was not afraid of her getting angry, he was reluctant to let her suffer!
Chen Shi carefully analyzed Zhou Xiang's words and felt that ten yuan per pound of down was not expensive. Zhou Xiang wanted to charge two yuan per pound for it. There was also loss when washing, and loss when drying twice, and the firewood and manpower used in the process were taken into account.
"Zhou Xiang, what if it's sold at fifteen yuan a pound?"
Zhou Xiang nodded with satisfaction. This Chen Shi was a natural businessman. "Try selling it for twelve or thirteen first. Then tell them that there's a lot of wear and tear on the down, so give them some at a friendly price."
Once your mother learns how to make down jackets, and then explains how to make them to others, people who have used them will understand the benefits of down jackets and will automatically brag about their own down jackets. Gradually, your down jackets will become easier to sell. This will take time.”
Chen Shi nodded excitedly. His family had a large amount of duck and goose feathers every day, which were thrown away in the past. Now they can be sold at a high price after processing, and it does not require too much capital, so there is no need to worry too much.
"Remember, dried down can only be packed in cloth bags, not plastic bags. It's the same as cotton. You have to include a little fabric in your cost."
Chen Shi left happily, but Ling Ran was not happy. "Why are you so nice to him?"
Zhou Xiang was puzzled. "Really? I thought since I've taught him, I should teach him completely! Besides, I feel a little guilty about not accepting duck feathers anymore. After all, his family didn't know that duck feathers could make money before. They've just been happy for a few days, and now I'm not accepting them anymore. I feel bad."
Seeing that the little girl really had no other intentions, Ling Ran let go of his jealousy.
Chen Shi returned home, found his parents, and repeated to them everything Zhou Xiang had said to him.
Mother Chen was a little hesitant.
Chen's father agreed. "It won't cost much. Hasn't my son learned it yet? I'll wash some first, make some at home, and wear them. Once I see the results, I'll know how to promote it to others."
If we can sell down, it'll be like having two sources of income for the family. During the summer, when the weather is nice, you and your son can wash it all at once and sell it slowly over the winter. It should work. The key is that it doesn't have a smell, right? Son."
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