Chapter 240: Soap Business Must Start
It just arrived this year, and it came late, so it is completely too late to make a large number of rabbit hair brushes if you want to raise rabbits.
She had read in a tool book she bought at the mall that the most common raw materials for making brushes are wool, rabbit hair, and wolf hair - this one is weasel hair.
Wolf hair brushes are made from the hair on the tail of a weasel. The tip of the brush is strong and upright. Calligraphers and painters like to use it. The only source of this brush is from the Lei family.
The tip of the rabbit hair brush is pointed, sharp and elastic, stronger than wolf hair. The rabbit hair currently available in the Lei family is far from enough for the workshop's needs, but Cuihua said that Lei Dafu will help hunt rabbits tomorrow. He has good skills and hopes to supply as much as possible.
Brushes made of wool are soft and absorb a lot of ink, and have the same wide range of uses as rabbit hair. Since rabbit hair is out of supply this year, we can only use wool.
Pig hair is also acceptable. The only downside is that it is disliked by scholars and is at the bottom of the contempt chain. It cannot be sold at a high price, and the profit is too low to be worth it.
Jiang Xiangdong agreed: "Raising sheep is good. Sheep eat grass and it's free. Unlike chickens, ducks and geese, you have to add some grains or dig up earthworms and catch insects to feed them from time to time in order to lay more eggs.
All we need to do is cut the grass for fodder. Then, when the weather warms up next spring and we have some free time, we can just take the sheep out to graze. We won’t even have to cut the grass for fodder!
In the past, people could mostly catch some wild fish and shrimp in the waters of Qili Village. If that didn't work, they could smash snails and clams to take the meat and feed it to chickens, ducks, and geese for laying eggs. But there are so few waters in the mountains that even people can't get the meat, let alone feed it to chickens, ducks, and geese.
You can only dig up some earthworms when turning the soil, or catch the big caterpillars on the vegetables and feed them, which is much more time-consuming and laborious.
Besides, you raise chickens, ducks and geese just for your own consumption, so it’s better to raise sheep so you can make brushes and earn money!
In his mother's long speech, Jiang Xiangnan focused on hearing "mutton is a winter tonic". This sentence was enough.
"Mom, how many do you want to raise? I'll ship them back overnight!"
Jincheng is cold, and many people like to eat goose stewed in an iron pot in winter, and there are also many people who like to eat mutton soup. If you eat more, you will naturally raise more. Doesn't it just take some time?
He would never lose anything because of his mouth!
Before Shen Qing could say anything, Jiang Xiangbei, who was thinking beside her, suggested, "Mom, we don't have to raise all the lambs ourselves. We can buy some lambs first and then buy a lot of sheepskins when the workshop is almost finished.
Firstly, it does not require manpower to collect too much fodder, thus saving energy and time for other things;
Secondly, there is no need to purchase mutton, which reduces money expenditure."
Jiang Xiangnan: ...The sky is falling!
He looked at his mother pleadingly, silently telling her not to listen to his fourth brother.
Woo~ But how is that possible? What fourth brother said is reasonable and legal. He knows that this is the best way. How could mother not agree?
Shen Qing raised the corners of his lips, and first gave affirmation and praise: "You have thought very well and comprehensively. We must purchase a large number of sheepskins."
Then he changed the subject and said, "But I think another reason why we raise sheep is for their milk and fat."
The four brothers all looked confused. Jiang Xiangnan asked first, "Is it delicious?"
Goat milk and goat fat, it sounds delicious!
Jiang Xiangdong thought that money should not be wasted too much just for food. There is a whole family to support, and it is enough to have enough to eat meat occasionally. Isn't it a waste to get these foods specially?
But just eat whatever you want. If someone stops me from eating what I want even though I can’t make money, I’ll probably want to kill him!
Jiang Xiangbei heard that it was for food, but based on his understanding of his mother, it was definitely not just for food.
He suddenly thought of making soap with lard. If lard can be used to make soap, then sheep fat can also be used...
Jiang Xiangxi said calmly: "I listen to my mother and do whatever she says."
Shen Qing rolled his eyes at the third brother and explained to the four people: "The pig-raising cycle is too long, and we can only make money from the pig fat from a pig.
Pork fat has always been a hot commodity, and every household wants it. Especially now that so many disaster victims have poured in, the supply is even greater than the demand. It is even more difficult to go to the city from here. If you can't grab a few pounds on a round trip, it's not enough.
I'm thinking of buying more sheep. We can keep the ewes for milk and lambing, and the wool, fat, and skins from the others can all be converted into silver!"
Wool is thick and fine, more abundant than pig hair, and sheep are small in size, so one sheep cannot feed more than a few meals. By the time the workshop is officially established, how can factory workers skip lunch?
Lamb can be put to great use. Stewing a pot of it and serving it with pancakes makes a simple yet sophisticated meal.
Any extra can be sold to the villagers, so that everyone can eat well and grow strong. Later, whether it is reclaiming wasteland for farming, collecting herbs in the mountains, making brushes, selling goods outside, or even fighting against the enemy, the village will definitely have the advantage!
In the era of human power, a strong and healthy body is the greatest asset!
"Okay, okay!" Jiang Xiangnan nodded like a chick pecking at rice.
He really didn't expect that his mother's reasons were more convincing and her considerations were more thorough than his fourth brother's.
He was just saying, how could it be possible that fourth brother thought of something but mother didn’t?
It turns out that my mother has other uses.
After hearing this, Jiang Xiangbei asked curiously, "Mom, are you planning to start a soap business?"
The other three finally realized that this was about making soap. It was already a great business for the family to have one, but they didn't expect that their mother would arrange a second one as well.
Shen Qing nodded: "I see that your second grandfather, third grandfather, and fifth grandfather have built a house together. They should be planning to do the malt sugar business together. But after deducting the three of them, there are still hundreds of people in the village. There are at least fifty or sixty people who can be used, which is more than enough to make brushes.
We can free up our hands to make soap. We use sesame oil, sheep fat, and lard throughout the winter, and by the time spring comes, it's saponified. We can then form a team to transport the soap, brushes, and malt sugar to sell outside. Even though we can't go out in the winter, the days are not wasted."
There are people who buy medicinal herbs in Jincheng, but there may not be people who buy brushes and soaps. After all, these two things are high-end and precious goods, so you can only go out and find sales channels yourself.
As for maltose, Jincheng may not be able to eat such a large amount.
Fortunately, Xie Qingshan used to be a bodyguard and had traveled all over the country for several years. There were quite a few men in the village. Together with the men from the Lei family, these people should be stronger after a winter of nourishment, and it would be much safer for them to deliver goods.
The four of them were stunned when they heard this.
Did the second, third, and fifth uncles build a house together? How come they didn't notice it?
However, the purpose of building the house together must be for the malt sugar business. Now that they are far away from the city, the tofu business of the third uncle's family can no longer be done, but the price of sugar is high, so the three families think it would be a good idea to do it together.
The more ways to make money in the village and the wider the sources, the better.
Just like what my mother always says: Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.
If one doesn't make money, there's still another, and we can always make ends meet.
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