Chapter 180 The Lei Family’s Return Gift
When Feng Mengjiang and a group of men heard that they were going to the mountains to hunt, they widened their eyes in disbelief.
"Is it really possible?"
Hunting is a way for hunters to make a living. Aren’t you afraid of teaching them a lesson by taking a group of outsiders with you?
"What's wrong with that?" Lei Qigui asked when he didn't understand.
Lei Erfu knew the reason and simply said, "The mountain is so big, there are countless prey inside, it will be safer if we go in a team."
This is not a small mountain range, so having more people is better than having fewer people in terms of both harvest and safety.
However, the men from the plains have farming and animal husbandry ingrained in their bones for generations. Unlike the hunters who have made a living by hunting for generations, they probably don't want to go a second time after going once.
The people of the Cao family are just like this. When they first arrived, they were very happy to hear that they could go hunting in the mountains, but after going once, they never wanted to go again.
Hearing that there would be no harm in their going and that there would even be benefits, Feng Meng, Zheng Hu and other outgoing men jumped up and wished they could go down the mountain and build their own houses overnight!
You can go hunting in the mountains with us tomorrow!
Feng Xing and Feng Tao were chatting with the girls from the Lei family. They were a few years older than the girls from the Lei family and were all lively and active. They started chatting soon.
They talked about the wooden comb sent by Guan the carpenter and the cloth sent by Shen Qing. They also learned that the two of them had earned a lot of money working for Shen Qing, and they all looked at each other with envy.
"Can you girls also work and earn wages?" My parents said that it was extremely difficult for men in Jincheng to find a job. Even if a woman wanted to take a job as a washer, she could only barely support herself by washing from morning to night.
If life outside was better, their family wouldn't have stayed in the mountains all the time, letting their father and brothers do the dangerous work of hunting in the mountains - their father and brothers thought it was natural for men to go into the mountains, but how could they not feel distressed and worried.
"It's not our place, it's only my aunt's place!" Feng Xing emphasized.
"That's right, but it won't be there in the future." Feng Tao sighed and said gloomily.
"Why?"
"That job requires thin bamboo, uh, about the thickness of a finger, but the further north you go, the more you realize that bamboo doesn't grow in places that are too cold, so there won't be any bamboo left," Feng Tao explained.
The Lei family girl tilted her head and instinctively asked, "We have plenty of wood in the mountains. Can't we use wood as thick as a finger?"
They are about the same thickness anyway. There is plenty of wood everywhere in the mountains. It doesn't cost money, so you can use as much as you want.
Feng Xing and Feng Tao were stunned. Is this possible? Probably not.
That's the brush used by scholars, and it has always been made of bamboo joints. Can it be replaced with wood?
But what if it can be changed? But Auntie didn't expect that they should tell Auntie.
On the way back, the sack that was full when I came was even fuller.
Inside were the woolen materials that the Lei family gave as return gifts to each household.
Feng Xing and Feng Tao were still walking on Shen Qing's left and right sides.
The two of them didn't hesitate for long before asking tentatively, "Aunt, have you ever thought about using something else to replace the brush holder?"
Shen Qing is now omnipotent in the eyes of the villagers, especially in making money!
Could it be that what the little girl from the Lei family could think of, my aunt really didn’t think of?
Shen Qing thought the two girls were sad about losing their brush business, so he comforted them, "Don't worry, I'll wait until I find a replacement for the wood, and then we can resume our brush business!"
The mall has opened books on tools. She has carefully read the history of the development of brushes. In the south, most brushes are made of bamboo, but in the north where the extremely cold weather is not suitable for bamboo growth, there is a workaround, which is to use wood instead.
However, the replacement wood also has its own requirements, that is, the density and strength vary. She told Carpenter Guan her requirements in advance and asked him to let her know when he found a suitable one.
It would be best if you could find precious wood!
After all, polishing wood is much more time-consuming and labor-intensive than polishing bamboo. Using precious wood can increase the factory price and labor costs.
There are cheap brushes made of ordinary wood that are sold at low prices and in large quantities, as well as high-end and exquisite brushes made of precious wood, which help to open up new markets and expand the market.
When Feng Xing and Feng Tao heard this, they were surprised but also felt it made sense.
They said, how could my aunt not think of it!
Auntie is omnipotent!
Shen Qing asked curiously, "Why did you two suddenly think of this?"
The brush work had been stopped for about a month, and the two of them hadn't asked about it along the way, so why did they ask about it on the way back after visiting Lei's house?
Feng Xing and Feng Tao repeated what the little girl from the Lei family said about wood substitution.
The smile on Shen Qing's face deepened.
The little girl from the Lei family is not only kind-hearted, but also smart.
It seems that if there is a shortage of manpower in the future, they will also be strong candidates...
The people of Qili Village didn’t expect there would be a return gift!
They all gathered around and praised the leather materials taken out of the sack.
"Oh my god, this soft fur is so comfortable to touch. It must be so warm in winter."
“Definitely warmer than cotton!”
"Especially since there's a layer of leather inside, wouldn't it be more windproof than linen?"
"The leather is so soft! No wonder those rich men in the city wear woolen coats in winter. I used to think they would be very tight, but it turns out they're not tight at all. In fact, they're even softer than the linen we wear!"
I really broadened my horizons.
Unexpectedly, they can now own several pieces of the raw materials that they could only see in the city before.
Zhou Sanshan took out some rabbit skin and explained: "This is a whole piece of rabbit skin. One piece can make a snow hat, and three or four pieces can make a padded jacket.
That's squirrel skin. It takes four or five pieces to make a snow hat, and three or five pieces to make a snow collar. Uncle Lei said it can only be used to make small items, like cloaks, capes, and windproof curtains, which require sheepskin.
"Oh, Uncle Lei said it's cold here in the winter, and even colder in the mountains. We have to have curtains to block the wind, and they have to be thick!"
Qin Dazhu added: "It would be best if every door had a curtain to block the wind, otherwise the cold wind would blow in and it would be very cold!"
The women gathered around were amazed: "We haven't even gotten anything yet, and the door is being used first?"
"No, no, the door is not suitable."
"Even if we could get married, we don't have the money.
But it's okay, there's plenty of hay here, we can weave a few more mats and sew them together, wouldn't it be thicker?"
There is definitely no better material for windshields than leather. Everyone wants to use the best, but when they don’t have money, they can only make compromises.
Men also know this.
The first thing that came to mind with a sigh was hunting.
There is not much water here, so we can't rely on water for our livelihood, we can only rely on the mountains for our livelihood.
While straw curtains can be used to block the wind at the door, people cannot wear straw curtains to keep warm.
A large family needs cloth and cotton for winter clothing, and leather jackets, snow hats, and leather boots to keep out the wind and snow when going out...
To eat, you need vegetables, grains, and preferably some meat and oil...
Housing is of utmost importance!
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