Chapter 230 The purpose of food is to keep people alive
When she entered the city the next day, Sang Zhixia had a white jade hairpin in her hair.
In the embroidery shop, Aunt Xu saw the smile in her eyes, picked up the hooded cloak that she had prepared long ago, shook it out, and motioned Sang Zhixia to come closer and put it on her.
"When winter comes, the wind is like a knife, biting you hard. You're always running here and there, and you can't withstand it if you don't wear enough."
"Do the shoes I made for you a few days ago fit you well?"
Sang Zhixia nodded with a smile: "It fits perfectly, and it's warm too."
"As long as it fits."
Aunt Xu gestured and nodded with satisfaction: "It is true that a person with good looks looks good in everything he wears. This material looks even more noble on you."
"That's Second Aunt's noble craftsmanship, what does it have to do with me?"
Sang Zhixia's words made Second Aunt Xu laugh out loud. She pulled Second Aunt Xu to sit down and said, "Second Aunt, did you find someone to do what I told you before?"
The work of clearing and tilling the land in winter is bound to be delayed. It cannot be done due to the heavy snow and the frozen ground, and there is no need for so many people in the greenhouse.
So as soon as the first thin layer of snow fell this winter, the people who were clearing the land on the farm went home. Before leaving, Sang Zhixia settled the wages and distributed the land deeds as promised.
All the people who raised poultry and livestock on the farm stayed, but Sang Zhixia was not only eyeing the gradually increasing number of chicken, duck and goose eggs.
She wanted to make handmade soap.
The pigs on the farm have only been raised for a few months. Even if they are fed with pig grass cooked with wine dregs every day, it is impossible for them to grow very big overnight like a balloon.
There is no hope of slaughtering pigs this year, but if there is no fat from my own pigpen, can't I still spend money to buy it?
After winter comes, there are so many pigs slaughtered everywhere. As long as you put enough effort into it, you can buy them.
Even Sang Zhixia, the handmade soap maker, has thought it through and the dozen or so people living at the foot of Dongshan Mountain are suitable.
Since it's trustworthy, there's no need to worry about the secret recipe being leaked, nor do you have to worry about anything going wrong internally. It also gives you something to do during the long winter, so it's all good.
But before she could do anything, she was still missing something.
A sufficiently delicate and beautiful model.
Sang Zhixia first asked several nearby carpenters, but they all just shook their heads and said they couldn't do it.
The carpenters in the village only make large pieces that are durable, resistant to breaking and can't be made with very delicate patterns.
But the most important thing that Sang Zhixia wanted in a mold was its exquisiteness.
The handmade soap molded out does not have to be very large, but it must be exquisite and beautiful, the more fancy the better.
Sang Zhixia was at a loss, so she asked Xu Minghui to show the model to Aunt Xu, hoping that Aunt Xu could help her think of a solution.
The embroidery shop does delicate business, and there are many craftsmen here, so maybe there is a chance for you.
Aunt Xu found her anxious and amused: "Are you anxious?"
"You won't get much more in a short time if you're anxious."
Second Aunt Xu walked behind the counter and took out a large box. She opened it and took out several molds that were not much bigger than a palm. She said, "Minghui asked me to do it, so I'm looking for someone to make it."
"These were made by three different people. I'm just showing you a comparison. If you like the craftsmanship of one, you can go back and find someone else to compare it with."
I have to say that the craftsmanship of the person Aunt Xu found is much better than that of the carpenter in the village.
Sang Zhixia fiddled with it and looked at it carefully, her eyes shining. "Can this person make other flowers? Things like plum, orchid, bamboo, chrysanthemum, wind, peony, and so on? Can he make them?"
Aunt Xu took a look and nodded: "Okay."
"This man was originally a goldsmith who made jewelry. He's absolutely skillful. As long as you tell him, he can make any design you can't imagine. It just depends on how much you want."
Sang Zhixia took out the list she had made in advance, and Aunt Xu unfolded it and looked at it and said, "Okay, I'll go find it and get it for you later."
"You really want to make that soap?"
"Second Aunt, it's handmade soap."
The name of soap is common but not very appealing. Sang Zhixia couldn't think of a suitable replacement for it at the moment, so she just talked about its general usage and functions.
Aunt Xu pondered for a moment and said with a smile, "If it really could have a scent and could be used for washing hair, face, and bathing, then it would be a very exquisite thing. I wouldn't have to worry about anyone being willing to spend money on it."
Since lard is used as the base, the price of handmade soap cannot be low.
The buyers that Sang Zhixia initially targeted were not the working class, but the wealthy people who wore gold and jade.
Aunt Xu knew very well what these well-off people were thinking about while sitting in the inner courtyard. She added, "Don't worry about no one buying it if it's too expensive. For rare things like this, the more expensive it is, the more people will come."
What rich people lack is not money, but the sense of rarity that they have and others do not. As long as the product is made, there are ways to make money.
Sang Zhixia rolled her eyes and made up her mind. She leaned against the counter and raised an eyebrow at Second Aunt Xu: "Second Aunt, handmade soap is a new thing. If we suddenly show it out, I'm afraid no one will be interested. Don't you have many wealthy ladies who come here to order clothes? Can you help me arrange it?"
There is a ready-made opportunity, so why not use it?
Sang Zhixia didn't bother to be polite with Aunt Xu at all and told her roughly what she was thinking. Aunt Xu pondered for a while and slowly shook her head.
"Second Aunt, do you think it's inappropriate?"
"I think you gave too much."
Second Aunt Xu picked up a mold that Sang Zhixia had chosen, measured its size, and shrunk it inwards a full circle, leaving only an arc in the middle that was not much larger than a Yuanxiao. She said, "This size is enough."
"According to you, the first batch of goods is intended to be sent to customers along with the new year's clothes. Why make them so big? Isn't it enough to have something presentable?"
The size of Yuanxiao and the thickness of sesame cakes.
This thin little piece not only saves money but also lets people know about this novel thing, killing two birds with one stone.
Aunt Xu has been a master of business ever since she took over the embroidery shop. She's always got her own secrets: "You were planning to use lard as the base, but the cost is quite high. It's a good deal when you can get it for free, so why give so much at once?"
"It would be best if the size of this mold could be reduced a bit. When it's finished, each piece will be one price, and different patterns can be combined into a box, for four, six, or eight dollars. Depending on the material of the box, the price can be adjusted in many ways. It would be suitable for both gifts and personal use, which would be great."
Aunt Xu couldn't help laughing as she spoke, and urged, "It's no use just talking about it. We still have to make the product first."
"I've prepared a list of orders that can be delivered all at once, and I'm just waiting for you to pick up the goods!"
Sang Zhixia left the embroidery shop with a box of molds and went to the granary to check.
Xue Liu had already arrived at the place and was checking the grain displayed in the store under the guidance of the granary manager.
It would not be possible for such a large granary to only sell the products produced by the Xu family's land.
There were sorghum, millet, various beans collected from other places, as well as white flour and miscellaneous grains of different qualities. As long as someone could tell what they wanted in the shop, they would definitely have it.
Sang Zhixia came today, firstly to do a routine check of the accounts, and secondly to remind the store manager.
"The harvests in many places this autumn haven't been very good. It's a good thing that business has increased since winter, but there's one rule we can't break: we can't raise prices."
These grains were collected during the autumn harvest. There are a lot of them piled up in the granary, so there is no problem finding something to sell them.
It’s just that the purchase price was not high at that time, and the only profit from displaying it in the store is some gross profit. As long as there can be some profit, there is no reason to raise the price arbitrarily when the timing is unfavorable.
The manager of the granary was familiar with Sang Zhixia. He smiled and nodded after hearing this: "Don't worry, boss. Everyone knows the rules. It's just..."
"It's just that after winter, the prices of grains sold in various places in the county have increased a bit. Is it appropriate for our family not to raise any price at all?"
In autumn, the business of grain stores is usually bleak, and they often have to wait until the beginning of winter and the beginning of spring when there is a shortage of food before they can make money.
Just let it go like that?
"What's inappropriate?"
Sang Zhixia flipped through the account book in her hand and said calmly, "The purpose of food is to keep people alive, not to raise the price unnecessarily high and make people spend more money just to buy their lives."
"Maintaining the current grain price, the grain store won't lose money."
Sang Zhixia said sternly, "There are many places where you can make money. Don't mess around with this one."
Rich families don't bother to come to ordinary grain stores to make purchases. Most of those who can set foot here are poor people who survive on porridge and coarse grain steamed buns.
No matter how much extra money you have, you cannot earn it against your conscience.
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