Upon hearing this, everyone immediately widened their eyes and stared intently, afraid that they might miss the most exciting moment if they blinked.
As soon as she stepped on the machine, it started turning, and countless needle holes fell. As He Jiuniang dragged the strip of cloth, a serrated edge was completed.
"My God! That's so fast!"
Ms. Yu couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, clenching her fist and placing it near her mouth, her eyes almost bulging out.
The others weren't much better off; they all stared blankly at the sewing machine, speechless for a long time.
"This thing is amazing!"
Lu Guilan stepped forward and examined the sewing machine closely, but she couldn't understand how it worked. It was clearly just a vertical needle, so how could it produce such fine stitches?
Most importantly, all the stitches are exactly the same size, unlike hand-sewn stitches which sometimes have discrepancies.
"See? I told you it was amazing!"
He Jiuniang looked at everyone triumphantly, feeling that she had put on a very successful act.
Even the usually proud and arrogant Madam Sun nodded vigorously. With this thing, it would be no problem for one person to make ten pieces of clothing a day!
"Third sister-in-law, how do you even think of a brain? It's amazing!"
Lu Guilan immediately reached out and grabbed He Jiuniang's head, scrutinizing it closely.
He Jiuniang: ...There's absolutely no need for that!
Needless to say, Youyatou always idolized He Jiuniang. Upon seeing this, she immediately gave a thumbs up and shouted, "Third Aunt, you are my god!"
He Jiuniang: ...The little guy is keeping up with the trends!
After receiving another round of flattery, Sun stepped forward to speak.
“You all know that the Dong family's problems were resolved by the third son's wife before, and now she's come up with this thing—it's unique in this family! You'd better be aware of this and not think that everything is the third son's wife's duty. You yourselves also need to learn to grow up. The third son's wife can help you for a while, but she can't help you forever. It's only right that I treat the third branch of the family better on a regular basis, but if anyone dares to complain, I'll throw them out!”
Sun used to show favoritism in a subtle way, but now she's becoming blatant, since He Jiuniang's contributions to the family are undeniable.
“Mother, what are you saying? This is what we should do. Not only should you be good to your third sister-in-law and Gou'er, but we should also be good to them. She is my own sister!”
Yu immediately expressed her loyalty. She had long admired He Jiu Niang to the point of obsession, and she often kept Sun's words in mind and on her lips.
Qin Shi was quite naive. She nodded first, then said, "But Mother, you're not good to Third Brother's wife either! You even hit her! Third Brother's wife is so capable and has contributed so much to the family. Please don't lay a hand on her. It's not right for us to see her like that!"
Sun: ...The clown is actually myself?
"Hahahaha!" He Jiuniang burst into laughter, looking at Sun Shi with great smugness, and said with a sly smile, "Ms. Sun, did you hear that? Don't you dare lay a hand on me again!"
"You're getting all worked up over just a couple of compliments!"
Sun reached out to hit her again, but He Jiuniang ran away.
The first sewing machine was born. The next day, He Jiuniang stubbornly did not go to the clinic, but instead taught several women in her family how to use it at home. After all, it was a machine, and one could easily get injured if not careful. Employees still needed to be trained before they could start using it.
Fortunately, women in this era were very capable. After watching He Jiuniang do it a few times, the others were able to apply what they learned to other situations. In particular, Yu Shi had an excellent learning ability and could use it fluently in just one morning.
In the afternoon, the women in the family would go to teach the female workers in the workshop. Learning takes time, which would delay the progress of making clothes that day. There was no subsidy for this, and everyone was reluctant to hear this, feeling that it would delay their ability to earn money.
The most supportive were Cui'er and Qi Shi, who were the first to stand up and offer their support.
The sewing machine has been moved into the workshop, right at the entrance, where everyone can see it. But everyone is busy making clothes and doesn't have time to pay attention to it.
Yu first demonstrated it to Cui'er and Qi, and then, as she had hoped, heard their exclamations of surprise: "So fast?"
"Yes, but this thing is somewhat dangerous, so you must be careful."
As Ms. Yu spoke, she demonstrated twice more, explaining some details, before letting them try it themselves. The feedback they received was always pleasantly surprising.
"At this rate, I can make so many a day! It's so convenient, and it doesn't tire my hands at all!"
Feather garments are winter clothes, and they are quite thick. Some parts are difficult to sew, and your hands will be tired and sore after a day. But with this machine, you can just brush it and it's done. You only need to hold down both ends and control the speed and the lines!
Hearing the two exclaim in surprise, the others couldn't sit still either. They put down what they were doing and gathered around to see, and what they saw really made their jaws drop.
"How...how can there be something so powerful?"
"It was so fast! My eyes are blurry, and it was over before I could even react!"
"Let me try! Let me try!"
...
The crowd went from initial resistance to eagerness; if He Jiuniang and the others hadn't been there, they probably would have grabbed it.
He Jiuniang glanced at Yu Shi and asked her to speak as a representative.
Encouraged, Yu nodded and said, "Everyone has seen the power of this machine. From now on, our workshop will use this treasure. It won't be a problem for each person to make ten or so garments a day. As usual, this matter cannot be mentioned to outsiders. Tomorrow we will bring another contract for everyone to sign and seal. Anyone who leaks this matter will have to pay compensation and be kicked out of the workshop. They will never be hired again."
"Furthermore, with the machines, the speed of making clothes has increased, and the price can no longer be the same as before. The price has been reduced to two coins per piece. The more you make, the more money you make. Making ten pieces will earn you twenty coins, which is more than you earn now!"
"Currently, there's only one machine. Starting today, we'll begin learning in groups of five. In two weeks, each person will have their own machine, and we'll start using it officially. Everyone needs to learn. If you don't understand, we'll teach you individually. It's not difficult. As long as you're willing to learn, you're sure to make a lot of money!"
After saying that, Madam Yu waved her hand, and in addition to Cui'er and Madam Qi, she selected three more girls to learn together, which made up the five-person group for today.
Seeing that the workshop was being arranged in an orderly manner, He Jiuniang did not interfere further and turned to leave.
The group of embroiderers who were invited back lived in the dormitory next to the workshop. Knowing that the Lu family had such good things, they all expressed their willingness to spend their evenings learning.
During their time with the Lu family, they earned much more than they had in the workshops in the county town. More importantly, the Lu family members were easy to get along with and wouldn't deliberately make things difficult for them. They were willing to learn, since everyone wanted to earn more money to go home for the New Year.
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