After confirming that the clothes were indeed comfortable to wear, the Lu family was no longer in a hurry to make their own clothes.
Sun's idea was to produce a batch first and sell it. If the response was good, then they could mass-produce it.
So, Cui'er, Qi Shi, and even the Liu sisters were called in to help make clothes, and the Lu family paid them ten coins a day.
Everyone was overjoyed, especially the Liu sisters, who immediately knelt down to thank Madam Sun.
During this time, with the help of the Lu family, the two sisters built a thatched house, but they didn't have time to buy many things for the house. They had very little money left, so they dared not waste food and relied on wild vegetables to fill their stomachs every day, fearing that they would not survive the winter.
Now things are much better. I can help make clothes for the Lu family and earn an income every day. As long as I don't slack off, I can save money.
He Jiuniang also personally promised them that if they worked diligently and carefully, everyone who came to help would be given a feather coat after winter.
They make these feather coats every day, and they know exactly what they're made of. They're incredibly warm; if you could wear one, you'd have no problem getting through the winter!
As a result, the workmanship became much more meticulous.
During this time, He Jiuniang went to town again and negotiated a small business deal with Boss Yu of Fengchenfang. From now on, the Lu family will purchase goods from Fengchenfang, and Fengchenfang will give them a good wholesale price, which is much more cost-effective than retail.
After seven or eight days of hard work, the group finally made twenty garments, including men's, women's, and children's clothes. The styles weren't particularly attractive, but they were excellent at keeping warm, and the fragrance on the clothes didn't dissipate easily.
To make it easier to display the clothes, He Jiuniang also asked Old Man Lu to make a few wooden clothes racks, and then took Lianhua and Lu Guilan and her husband to town to set up a stall to sell clothes.
Once outside the village, He Jiuniang couldn't help but exclaim, "Finally, I don't have to cook today!"
These past few days everyone has been busy making clothes, so He Jiuniang, who knows nothing about needlework, could only cook. Cooking for such a large family was no easy task, and it took a long time. In the end, she was only able to finish cooking with Lianhua's help.
Even so, because I am really not good at cooking, the dishes I make can hardly be seen to be normal in color.
Fortunately, my family was very understanding and didn't say anything, so I finished my meal in silence.
However, everyone looked at Ms. Yu with longing, wondering when she would be able to cook.
Lu Guilan covered her mouth and laughed: "As long as business is good today, Mother will definitely hire someone from the village to make clothes, and then Sister-in-law can cook!"
Lotus clapped her hands, saying, "It'll definitely sell!"
He Jiuniang nodded and said, "Let's check the market first, there's no rush."
She wasn't worried about selling the clothes, but she was concerned that the clothes she was making were mainly for warmth and didn't have much appeal. She figured that wealthy families might not be interested in them. If she wanted to sell them for a good price, she would have to design some new styles.
The group had set off early, and there weren't many people in town yet. They found an open space on the main street with the busiest traffic, tied up their horses, and Zhang Song started setting up the clothes racks.
He Jiuniang and the other two took out their clothes and hung them up, waiting for the person to arrive.
"Why are these ready-made clothes still being sold outside?"
"Who knows? Probably because they can't afford to rent a shop!"
"These days, fewer people buy ready-made clothes. Who doesn't buy fabric and make their own? You can even keep the scraps to make shoe uppers!"
...
There were indeed many onlookers, but no one seemed interested in buying anything.
He Jiuniang took out a bamboo megaphone, put it to her mouth, and started shouting: "Fellow villagers passing by, come and take a look! The latest style of feather coat, one piece is enough to get through the winter!"
"It's lighter and warmer than a cotton-padded coat, and it's also much cheaper! Don't miss it when you pass by!"
"Limited quantity, only twenty pieces available, first come, first served, while supplies last!"
Lu Guilan and the others stared at He Jiuniang in disbelief, completely unaware of where this thing came from.
However, it must be said that He Jiuniang's voice was indeed amplified considerably.
Zhang Song and Lu Guilan used to hawk their wares when they sold pork, but now that they're selling clothes, they're doing the same.
At first, Lianhua was a little embarrassed, but she gradually got used to it. She even put on a piece of clothing like He Jiuniang so that the onlookers could see her more clearly.
The stall was quickly surrounded by people, not for any other reason than that they found the vendors' calls to customers very interesting.
What is a feather garment?
"Is it really warmer than a cotton-padded coat?"
How much is it per piece?
...
This time, without He Jiuniang's reply, Lianhua and Lu Guilan began to enthusiastically promote the garment: "Yes, our clothes are stuffed with feathers, making them light, convenient, and warm. More importantly, they don't smell bad at all; in fact, they smell nice. They can be worn for several years without any problem!"
"Yes, uncles and aunts, look at what I'm wearing. I've only been wearing it for a short while and I'm already sweating. The sun hasn't even come out yet! I won't be able to wear it when the sun comes out!"
Some people asked, some answered, and many others came up to touch and look at it. Finally, someone couldn't help but ask, "How much is it?"
"Oh, this auntie has such good taste! There aren't many of these patterned fabrics available; there are only two today! You're so beautiful, auntie. If you wore these clothes, wouldn't you look ten years younger? And these clothes aren't expensive either, only ninety-nine coins!"
Ninety-nine coins and they still say it's not expensive!
Upon hearing the price, many people hesitated.
An adult male could earn at most twenty coins a day's work, so this piece of clothing would require five days' work to afford; it was truly not something an ordinary family could buy.
However, it is indeed cheaper than cotton-padded clothes. You would spend more than that if you bought cotton and made your own, let alone ready-made clothes.
The woman who asked the price felt a pang of regret, but she really liked it so much that she couldn't help but ask again, "Can't you make it cheaper?"
He Jiuniang immediately understood, and shook her head with a smile: "Auntie, we're just a small business, we don't haggle. These feathers are extremely troublesome to process, and we have to spend a lot of money to buy spices to remove the smell. Besides, the fabric of this garment is also of excellent quality, you can tell for yourself when you touch it!"
The woman didn't believe it, so she bent down and sniffed carefully. It was indeed only fragrant, with no other strange smell.
"Don't think I don't know, this scented powder only works for now. It'll definitely smell again after washing! These feathers are cheap, so you should give me a discount!"
Zhang Song and the others looked rather grim. The clothes were all new and hadn't been washed at home; they really didn't know if they would smell bad.
Seeing their expressions, everyone realized that the woman had guessed correctly, and those who were initially interested lost interest.
He Jiuniang smiled calmly and said to Zhang Song, "Brother-in-law, could you please go and borrow a bucket from around here and fetch a bucket of water?"
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