With a large number of silkworm cocoons, Qin Xiaozhou recruited more weavers, and this time even more people applied.
The textile factory was packed with people. Not only did women come to participate in the selection of embroiderers, but men also took the opportunity to look at the women. Some people quickly discovered a business opportunity and set up stalls on the south side of the embroidery building, selling all kinds of food and sweet drinks.
Qin Xiaozhou selected one hundred weavers and twenty young girls as apprentices.
"My lord, Fenggu County is truly bustling." Ren Ju stood on the deck, seeing the grand scene at the entrance of the embroidered tower from afar. "I wonder what festival it is?"
Song Qiao, an official in the Ministry of Personnel in the capital, stroked his beard and said, “For a small county town to build such an imposing building, I wonder how many villagers it has exploited. Let’s keep a low profile and thoroughly investigate the county magistrate here.”
Ren Ju was Song Qiao's student and quickly understood his mentor's meaning: "The magistrate here is Sun Xinzhi, the illegitimate son of Lord Sun, the Imperial Censor of the Capital."
Song Qiao narrowed his eyes slightly, "I don't care whose illegitimate son he is. I only care about his political achievements and whether he works for the benefit of the people."
The boat slowly approached and docked at the pier. Before anyone could disembark, someone asked, "Where are you from? What business are you here for?"
Ren Ju suddenly had a flash of inspiration, "They're from Jizhou, and they brought some medicinal herbs."
"Medicinal herbs, my friend, there are already medicinal herb merchants in the county town's trading market."
A trading market? What's that? Song Qiao muttered to himself, "Sounds like a place for buying and selling." He then raised his voice and asked, "Where is this place? What are they doing here?"
Amidst the chatter of voices in the crowd, Ren Ju quickly pieced together the useful information: "Young master, it's the Embroidery Pavilion recruiting weavers."
Song Qiao became interested and said, "Let's go take a look."
Ren Ju stopped him, saying, "Young master, you can rest on the boat. I'll be right back. There are too many people down there; it's not safe."
"Well, no one knows our true identities now. As businessmen, we should naturally go and visit people around. Let's go."
The two weaved through the crowd, encountering people from other counties. They chatted haphazardly, quickly piecing together the owner and background of the embroidered pavilion: "The owner of this embroidered pavilion is a woman?"
A scholar replied, “Although Manager Qin is a woman, she is upright, ambitious, and intelligent. My family is a farmer in the mountains, and I need to study. My family is even poorer. It was Manager Qin who took pity on me and took my mother and sister into the embroidery shop. My mother earns eight hundred coins a month for cooking, and my sister is an apprentice. We don’t have to worry about food and clothing. If it weren’t for Manager Qin, I would probably have gone back to farming and wouldn’t have been able to study.”
Are there really such people?
Song Qiao became increasingly curious about Qin Xiaozhou, and Ren Ju asked, "Is Manager Qin here today?"
The person next to him shook his head, "Manager Qin is busy. The selection of weavers is handled by the managers of the embroidery workshop."
The person who was described by outsiders as extremely busy was actually irritable and frantic under the pomegranate tree in the backyard of a seemingly smooth-sailing place. The stone table was covered with scraps of paper, all of which she had drawn on in a mess.
"Big sister, have some pear soup." Qin Jinxiu carefully placed the cup on the corner of the table and then carefully gathered up the scrap paper. "Winter is coming soon, the weather is dry, and it's easy to get internal heat. The doctor sister said that drinking more pear soup can reduce internal heat."
Qin Xiaozhou reached out and pinched her cheek. "Even you say I'm short-tempered?"
She couldn't draw any new clothing designs, and these past two days she'd been on the verge of exploding like a volcano. Lu Yan, that little devil, was keeping her far away, and had gone to Hua Xiangrong's shop early this morning, saying she wanted to check the accounts. Only Qin Jinxiu, that honest person, stood foolishly by her side, genuinely thinking that her irritability was just due to the hot weather.
Qin Jinxiu obediently shook her head, "Big sister has a good temper, big sister is the best person in the world."
"Tsk." Qin Xiaozhou rubbed her little head, then suddenly had a flash of inspiration. She grabbed a piece of paper and wrote with great skill. Soon, a well-behaved and cute little girl appeared on the paper. Her clothes were gorgeous, and she was cute and a little playful. "Jinxiu, look at these clothes. You will definitely look good in them. You are such a lucky star."
After saying that, she quickly drew several more pictures. "Come on, I'll treat you to something delicious, but I won't take Xiaoyan with me."
This was the first time the two sisters had gone out together. They first sold two skewers of candied hawthorns at the entrance of the alley. Qin Jinxiu smiled quietly with her lips pursed. Following Qin Xiaozhou was the best life she had ever had. She could eat delicious food every day.
The two strolled to the market, bought a bag of hawthorn snowballs and roasted chestnuts, sat down at a noodle stall, slurped up a bowl of cold noodles, and then leisurely walked back.
On the second floor of a teahouse by the street, the window was wide open. Song Qiao looked down at the woman below and thought, "I never expected that such a young woman could own such a magnificent boudoir."
Ren Ju retrieved Qin Xiaozhou's information from his subordinates. "Sir, this woman is truly remarkable. Before she turned eighteen, she was a butcher with a pork shop in the village. Her mother died early, and her father remarried. She was jilted twice. At eighteen, she was married to Lu Yunfeng from Wangjia Village. The couple then opened shops together and now they own a dessert shop, a clothing store, an embroidery building, a textile factory, and a barbecue stall."
In just ten months, a person can turn the tide so dramatically.
Ren Ju was incredulous. "Manager Qin has a very good reputation in the county town. From wealthy families to rural women, everyone speaks highly of her. In particular, poor families want to send their daughters to work for her. I heard that the embroiderers in the embroidery shop earn two taels of silver a month."
"Two taels?" Song Qiao was surprised. Two taels of silver was the wage in a small county town. No wonder the textile factory was so lively today when they were selecting weavers. "Hahaha, this county town is full of surprises. Has Magistrate Sun found anything?"
Ren Ju respectfully replied, "After Sun Xinzhi passed the imperial examination ten years ago, he was assigned to Jizhou as a county magistrate. Five years ago, he was transferred to Fenggu County. In previous years, his political achievements were mediocre. He acted in a conventional manner, without making any mistakes or achieving any merits. It was as if he was just going through the motions. However, since half a year ago, he has suddenly been advocating for mulberry planting and silkworm breeding, opening up conditions for entering the county town, and actively accepting outside merchants. He seems to have the momentum to make a big splash."
Song Qiao quickly figured out the key point: "Song Xinzhi is the illegitimate son of Lord Sun of Yujing. I'm afraid he's not favored by his mistress. His ranking in the palace examination was not outstanding, at the very bottom. Over the years, he has only been able to serve as a county magistrate in various places. His years of enthusiasm have only resulted in nothing but mediocrity. I didn't expect that Qin Xiaozhou would suddenly appear in Fenggu County. I'm afraid he saw the hope of promotion and that's why he thought of making a big splash."
Ren Ju couldn't help but tease, "I never thought that a peasant girl would become the magistrate's benefactor. However, Magistrate Sun is very cautious and has no clear dealings with Manager Qin. It's impossible to find evidence of collusion between officials and businessmen. On the other hand, Miss Sun and Manager Qin have a very good relationship. However, Manager Qin's dessert shop in the county town is very popular among the women in the county. This alone is not enough to explain their relationship."
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