That day, after Xichun's pregnancy was stable, she went out with her maids and guards to check on Taozi and the business of the shop.
"Sister Xichun, what brings you here? Please sit down, please sit down. There's a fire burning in here, it'll be warmer." Taozi was discussing business matters with the shopkeeper when he saw Xichun come in, and he quickly invited her to sit down.
"Hehe, I was just bored at home, so I thought I'd come and see what you were doing, and also check on the shop's situation to see if there were any problems." Xi Chun walked over briskly, startling Tao Zi.
"Yes, there is, but I can handle it myself, so you don't need to worry about it. However, the local people have been squeezed dry by the Long family over the years, and they can't afford much money. Every household is tightening their belts to make ends meet."
"That's true. We'll take it slow. Once the people are wealthier, the business in the shops will be even better. By the way, I see that many of the Long family's old shops have reopened. Who opened them?"
"Oh, those are the other families. They bought some of the shops registered by the county government, and some rented them. Now that the Long family is gone, they dare to do business. It looks much more lively than before."
"In that case, I'll have to go and see if there's anything interesting here. The customs and culture here are quite different from ours."
"Okay, Sister Xichun, how about I have the shop assistants show you around? They're familiar with the local dialect and can understand what the vendors are saying."
"Okay, then arrange one for me. You all go ahead and do your work. I'll take a look and come back later."
The young man, named Xiao Hu, strolled slowly down the street with Xi Chun. He was a local and one of the other shopkeepers Tao Zi had hired after he had already hired the others.
"Madam, these are fabrics dyed by our locals. I don't know if you'll like them, but I'll take you inside to have a look." Xiao Hu knew that this lady was the wife of the county magistrate, and also their employer, so he naturally dared not be negligent and spoke very carefully.
"Then let's go in and take a look." Xi Chun was quite curious when she heard that they had dyed the fabric themselves and wanted to see what kind of fabric it was.
"Did you dye all of these yourselves? They look so beautiful. How much do you sell these fabrics for?" Xi Chun entered the shop and saw a lot of blue and white fabrics with colorful patterns, which had a unique charm.
“Madam, he said this is dyed in their own home. Many people in the area like to wear this kind of fabric in spring. It’s cheaper than the fabric sold outside. However, this is the only color they have right now. If you like it, Madam, we can charge you fifteen coins per foot.” Xiao Hu acted as the translator.
"Then ask him if it can be dyed in other colors and patterns. If so, I'd like to buy it too."
"He said if you want other patterns, you need to bring your own patterns. However, he's not sure if other colors will work right now, as they're all used to wearing these colors. If you need them, he'll have to go home and ask his wife."
"Okay, I'll bring the pattern over another day. It would be great if you could have more colors. Have him buy me a bolt of cloth first, and I'll take it back to make clothes." Xi Chun saw the business opportunity in it, since her family sold cloth, so she naturally had some knowledge about it.
Currently, the most popular embroidery techniques across the country are only those from a few renowned regions. As for such colors and patterns, very few people can replicate them, and selling them would bring in a considerable profit.
These days, Fu Changfeng has been worrying about how to improve the lives of the local people, and now batik has really become a breakthrough.
After buying the fabric, Xichun went to look at other things. Sure enough, the local people were quite good at handicrafts. The bamboo-woven items were unique and very suitable for the local natural environment. The baskets and hand baskets looked practical and exquisite. If they could be sold outside, I think there would be people willing to buy them.
Xichun had a fruitful trip. She noticed that Taozi was busy. With the weather getting colder, Taozi was planning to open a hot pot restaurant in the area, mainly targeting ordinary people. So he didn't have time to entertain Xichun. She asked about the restaurant's situation and gave some pointers before heading home.
When Fu Changfeng saw her directing the maids to make clothes, he assumed that Xichun wanted to make some loose clothes because she was in her late pregnancy, so he didn't ask any questions. However, after hearing about the bamboo weaving craft, Fu Changfeng went to the street to take a look.
Business is booming on the streets these days, and the government encourages everyone to set up stalls without charging stall fees. Naturally, people are doing everything they can to earn more money for the New Year.
The constables also began patrolling the streets, mainly to resolve disputes and check for potential safety hazards. This was all at Fu Changfeng's request, to ensure that those old houses that posed a danger were properly managed and that no one was injured.
When Xichun walked in front of Fu Changfeng wearing clothes that were different from her usual style, he was immediately struck by her beauty.
"Wow, I've rarely seen this color before. I've only seen some women wearing it here, but the style is different. Seeing you wearing it like this is truly refreshing," Fu Changfeng praised repeatedly.
"Right? I think it looks good too. Look, isn't this kind of craftsmanship different from other places? You could say it has its own unique characteristics. And I've tried it on, and the color won't fade. It doesn't look cheap when you wear it. It's also a local product of Shaoming County. If we could sell this color, wouldn't the local economy be boosted?"
“That makes perfect sense. I saw you having clothes made the other day, but I never thought of that. It turns out that you have always cared about me. I am truly touched.”
"You never forget to be witty. I was thinking that if we could make more colors and patterns, then next spring we could use the county government's name to open a dye house and cloth shop, hire local women to dye cloth, and sell this kind of cloth to other places. Wouldn't that allow them to make money too?"
At the same time, the government will have more funds, which will make it easier for you to handle cases. If there are impoverished people, you can also give them some subsidies, which will help appease the public.
"Yes, this is indeed a good thing. I will have someone assist you in this matter. If it can be started sooner, the people can live a better life sooner. I also plan to take charge of local education. Only by studying can one become wise. Only when there are more children who are able to study can the people in this place live a better life."
The two hit it off immediately. That winter, Fu Changfeng was in charge of arranging the daily affairs of the county government, while Xichun was in charge of this matter. The proprietress of that shop was also quite capable; she actually managed to dye other colors and the style that Xichun had originally chosen.
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