Sister-in-law Lu's mobility was so strong and fast that it exceeded Li Xiaonan's expectations.
Wan Qing had just sent over ten 10-tael silver notes, and Ah Wu rushed back all the way. Sister-in-law Lu had already bought a four-heddle loom from Majia Loom Shop in the east of the city.
With the capital in hand, Li Xiaonan became more confident and energetic. She immediately followed A Wu to the Majia loom shop and asked Sister-in-law Gu to find out. A daughter-in-law named Lu in Guoxiang Hejia Village had indeed bought a four-heddle loom.
loom and was about to deliver the goods, Li Xiaonan threw out a banknote and bought a four-heddle loom, and asked Sister-in-law Gu to deliver the two looms to Hejia Village to Sister-in-law Lu.
The next day, Li Xiaonan, A Wu, and Wang Yuting inspected all the major grocery stores and rushed to Hejia Village.
Acun raised his voice and asked, and a large group of people at the head of the village rushed to answer. A group of people ran in front to lead the way for the three of them.
Sister-in-law Lu's house is at the east end of the village. She has a large yard with two camphor trees planted with lush branches. The yard is clean and busy with people coming in and out.
Awu tied up his horse, stretched his head to look into the yard, and stood at the gate of the yard with his hands behind his back.
There is either a young lady or a young daughter-in-law in the yard. It is not good for her to squeeze in.
There were four or five daughters-in-law crowded at the door of the hall. Wang Yuting stood outside the daughters-in-law, stood on tiptoe and shouted: "Sister-in-law Lu!"
"Who is it?" Sister-in-law Lu answered from inside the room, but did not come out.
"It's me." Li Xiaonan responded, squeezed in among the daughters-in-law, stood at the end, and looked into the main room.
The main room has been cleared, and two brand-new four-heddle looms are placed in the east and west. Between the two looms, there is a high shelf, one horizontal and two vertical. The shelf is so high that it almost touches the roof beams. Sister-in-law Lu is standing
On the high stool, both hands were quickly arranging a row of extremely fine cotton threads in front of them.
"Sit down for a while, I'm busy." Sister-in-law Lu stared at the thread in her hand, not daring to be distracted.
Li Xiaonan stood at the very back, while Wang Yuting stood on tiptoe, lying behind four or five wives, craning his neck to look in at Sister-in-law Lu's quick work of dividing the line.
After waiting for more than an hour, Sister-in-law Lu arranged the threads and shouted. The two daughters-in-law came forward and each used a thin wooden stick to hold up a neat row of warp threads. Sister-in-law Lu held the warp beam and carefully
He put the warp beam on the loom and watched the two daughters-in-law put the thread on the loom. He breathed a long sigh of relief and waved, "Stay away and don't mess up. I'll take a rest and then continue to thread." Sister-in-law Lu came out of the main room and closed the door. Several daughters-in-law diligently handed tea and small bamboo chairs.
"Auntie, have a cup of tea."
"Sister-in-law, please sit down and have a rest."
"Who was looking for me just now?" Sister-in-law Lu asked after taking the tea.
"It's me." Li Xiaonan squeezed out from among several wives.
"It's the little shopkeeper, this is our boss." Sister-in-law Lu stood up hurriedly, introduced, and handed the small bamboo chair that the little daughter-in-law handed to her to Li Xiaonan. "I have made you wait for so long. I really don't dare to tell you when it comes online.
Heart."
"Sister-in-law Lu is really good at her craftsmanship, it dazzled me." Li Xiaonan sat down and praised her.
"Thank you, little shopkeeper. The loom was delivered before lunch yesterday. After lunch, we started to adjust the loom. Today, we will tighten the thread so that we can thread the loom well. Once the thread is threaded, we will try to weave.
If you want to weave, I'm afraid you'll have to waste half of the cloth. None of us have knitted fine cloth for several years."
Sister-in-law Lu’s hair on her forehead was all wet with sweat, but she was full of energy and spoke in a high-pitched tone.
"I remember you said that six of you can weave jacquard muslin?" Li Xiaonan looked at the wives surrounding her.
"Yes, me, her, her, and her." Sister-in-law Lu pointed at five people.
"Aren't two looms a bit too little? How about I give you two more? Two at most." Li Xiaonan said with a smile.
If you have more than five looms, you have to take care of the weaving workshop.
"Little shopkeeper, wait a minute." Sister-in-law Lu laughed, "There must be a place to put this loom."
Sister-in-law Lu said, turning to look at the wives surrounding her, and said with a smile: "What time is it? Why don't you go back and cook quickly? Come here as soon as you have eaten."
The wives around them greeted each other and left the courtyard in groups.
The yard became quiet, and in the kitchen, a teenage girl poked her head out and asked, "Auntie, how many people can you cook?"
"You..."
"We won't eat here. After we finish talking, we have to leave quickly. There are still many things to do." Li Xiaonan said with a smile.
The little girl shrank her head and went back without waiting for Sister-in-law Lu to speak.
"There were so many people just now that it was inconvenient to talk." Sister-in-law Lu pointed to the main room, "This jacquard machine takes up space and is delicate. In our rural area, it can only be placed in the main room. If there are elderly people at home, they have to move to the side room.
.
"Those threads are also very delicate. Just buying the threads to start these two looms cost nine hundred copper coins. Even if the looms are given by the shopkeeper, you have to pay for the threads yourself. Besides, the money for the looms always costs a lot."
"Here, I won't be able to make any money for a long time in the beginning. They are all unworthy of the family." Sister-in-law Lu sighed.
"Sister-in-law's home?" Li Xiaonan asked vaguely, turning around to look around.
"One passed away the year before last, and one passed away last year." Sister-in-law Lu answered clearly, "There are no elders at the top, and our head is incompetent. Fortunately, he has a good temper."
"Well, if my sister-in-law is short of copper when buying thread or something, I can lend her one or two and a half taels of silver to my sister-in-law without charging interest. I will help my sister-in-law to support the weaving business, and it will also help me start my own business.
"Li Xiaonan lowered her voice.
"No, my house is fine. The shopkeeper is a businessman. We can't rush this matter." Sister-in-law Lu pointed to the main room, "When we weave the fine cloth and see the copper coins, we will have to vacate the house and buy the copper coins.
It’s easy to talk about the line. Now, whether it’s a loss or a profit, I don’t dare to talk about it. The little shopkeeper said, right?”
"Well, sister-in-law is really thoughtful. She is someone who can do great things. Let's go first. If sister-in-law needs anything, just leave a message at the grocery store and I will ask Awu to go there every day."
Li Xiaonan stood up as she spoke.
Sister-in-law Lu stood up and sent Li Xiaonan to the door of the courtyard. She watched the three people get on their horses and leave. She stood at the door of the courtyard in a daze for a while before turning around and going in.
………………………………
Gu Yan hurriedly entered the Qingshen Courtyard where he lived daily.
After entering the Qingshen Hall, Gu Yan immediately turned his eyes and looked inside the room when he saw Ming Jing, the chamberlain guard beside the prince, greeting him at the door.
"Greetings to the Crown Prince, I haven't seen the Crown Prince for a while, and the Crown Prince has become even more charming." The old chamberlain in the room bowed slightly to Gu Yan.
"Why are you here? Is the Emperor well?" Gu Yan asked eagerly.
"Holy Lord, I have your will." The old eunuch straightened his back.
Gu Yan heard the sound and knelt down.
"This is a secret decree. Your Majesty, please observe it yourself." The old eunuch took out a tightly sealed scroll from his arms and held it to Gu Yan with both hands.
Gu Yan knelt on the ground, took the cutting knife from Ming Jing, and opened the scroll.
