Chapter 117: Getting Started
Sister-in-law Lu’s efficiency and speed exceeded Li Xiaonan’s expectations.
As soon as Wan Jing delivered ten ten-tael silver notes, A Wu rushed back. Sister-in-law Lu had already bought a four-harness loom from the Ma Family Loom Shop in the East City.
With capital in hand, Li Xiaonan’s confidence soared. She immediately followed A Wu to the Ma Family Loom Shop and confirmed with Sister-in-law Gu that a woman surnamed Lu in Hejia Village, Guo Lane, had indeed bought a four-harness loom and was preparing for delivery. Li Xiaonan handed over a silver note, purchased a four-harness loom, and asked Sister-in-law Gu to deliver both looms to Sister-in-law Lu in Hejia Village.
The next day, Li Xiaonan, A Wu, and Wang Yuting inspected various grocery stores before heading to Hejia Village.
A Wu called out, and a large group of children at the village entrance eagerly responded. A crowd of people ran ahead to guide the three.
Sister-in-law Lu’s home was at the east end of the village. The courtyard was large, with two camphor trees providing lush shade. The courtyard was clean and bustling with activity.
A Wu tied up the horse and peered into the courtyard, standing with his hands behind his back at the courtyard gate.
The courtyard was filled with young ladies and wives; it would be inconvenient for him to enter.
Four or five wives were gathered at the entrance of the main hall. Wang Yuting stood outside the group of wives, tiptoeing and calling out, “Sister-in-law Lu!”
“Who is it?” Sister-in-law Lu replied from inside but did not come out.
“It’s me,” Li Xiaonan responded, squeezing through the wives and standing at the very back, looking into the main hall.
The main hall had been cleared. Two brand-new four-harness looms were placed on the east and west sides. Between the two looms stood a frame, one horizontal and two vertical beams, reaching almost to the roof beams. Sister-in-law Lu was standing on a high stool, her hands rapidly arranging a row of very fine cotton threads.
“Sit for a while first; I’m busy,” Sister-in-law Lu said, her eyes fixed on the threads in her hands, not daring to be distracted.
Li Xiaonan stood at the back, while Wang Yuting tiptoed, leaning behind the four or five wives, craning his neck to watch Sister-in-law Lu quickly threading the lines.
They waited for over an hour. Once Sister-in-law Lu had arranged the threads, she called out. Two wives stepped forward, each using a thin wooden stick to support a neatly arranged row of warp threads. Sister-in-law Lu held the warp beam and carefully placed it onto the loom. She then watched the two wives place the threads onto the loom, letting out a long sigh of relief. She waved her hand, signaling, “Step back, don’t mess it up. I’ll rest for a bit before continuing with the threading.”
Sister-in-law Lu came out of the main hall, closed the door, and several wives solicitously offered tea and small bamboo chairs.
“Auntie, have some tea.”
“Sister-in-law, please sit down and rest.”
“Who was looking for me just now?” Sister-in-law Lu asked, accepting the tea.
“It was me,” Li Xiaonan said, emerging from between the wives.
“It’s the young shopkeeper, and this is our owner,” Sister-in-law Lu quickly stood up and introduced them, then offered the small bamboo chair that a young wife had handed her to Li Xiaonan. “I apologize for making you wait so long; I really couldn’t be distracted while threading.”
“Sister-in-law Lu, your craftsmanship is truly amazing; it dazzled me,” Li Xiaonan said as she sat down.
“Young shopkeeper, you flatter me. The looms were delivered before lunch yesterday. After lunch, a few of us started adjusting the machines. Today, we’ve managed to get the threads onto this machine. Once the threads are on, we’ll try weaving. I’m afraid we’ll waste half a bolt of cloth; it’s been many years since any of us have woven fine cloth.”
Sister-in-law Lu’s hair at her temples was damp with sweat, but she was radiant and spoke with enthusiasm.
“I recall you mentioning that six of you can weave jacquard fine cloth?” Li Xiaonan observed the wives gathered around.
“Yes, me, her, her, and her,” Sister-in-law Lu pointed to five women.
“Are two looms a bit few? How about I give you two more? That’s the maximum, though,” Li Xiaonan said with a smile.
Five looms or more would require it to be considered a weaving workshop.
“Young shopkeeper, please wait a moment,” Sister-in-law Lu smiled. “These looms need a place to be set up.”
As Sister-in-law Lu spoke, she turned to the surrounding wives and smiled, “What time is it? Why aren’t you all hurrying back to cook? Come back quickly after you’ve eaten.”
The surrounding wives said their goodbyes and left the courtyard in small groups.
The courtyard quieted down. From the kitchen, a girl about ten years old poked her head out and asked, “Mother, how many people should I cook for?”
“You all…”
“We won’t be eating here. We need to leave quickly after we finish talking; we still have a lot to do,” Li Xiaonan said with a smile.
Before Sister-in-law Lu could reply, the little girl withdrew her head.
“It was inconvenient to talk with so many people around earlier,” Sister-in-law Lu said, gesturing towards the main hall. “These jacquard machines take up space and are delicate. In our village, we can only place them in the main hall. If there were elderly family members, they would have to move to the side rooms.”
“Those threads are also delicate. Just the threads to start these two looms cost nine hundred copper coins. Even though the looms were provided by the young shopkeeper, we still have to pay for the threads. Besides, the looms themselves need to be paid for. We won’t be making money for a long time at the beginning; that’s not how a household manager operates,” Sister-in-law Lu sighed.
“Your family, Sister-in-law?” Li Xiaonan asked vaguely, looking around.
“One left the year before last, and one left last year,” Sister-in-law Lu replied, understanding. “There are no elders above us. My husband isn’t very capable, but thankfully, he has a good temper.”
“Mmm, if you need copper coins for buying threads or anything else, Sister-in-law, I can lend you one or two taels of silver without interest. Helping you get the weaving business started is also helping me get my own business going,” Li Xiaonan said in a low voice.
“No need, my family is doing alright. You are indeed a businesswoman, young shopkeeper. This matter cannot be rushed,” Sister-in-law Lu said, pointing to the main hall. “Once we weave fine cloth and start earning money, then we can talk about making space and buying threads with copper coins. It will be much easier then. Right now, we can’t say if we’ll profit or lose, can we, young shopkeeper?”
“Mmm, Sister-in-law, you’ve thought of everything. You are someone who can accomplish great things. We’ll be going now. If you need anything, just leave a message at the grocery store, and I’ll have A Wu come by every day.”
Li Xiaonan said this as she stood up.
Sister-in-law Lu also stood up and escorted Li Xiaonan to the courtyard gate. She watched the three mount their horses and leave, standing at the courtyard entrance in a daze for a while before turning back inside.
………………………………
Gu Yan hurried into Qingshen Courtyard, his usual residence.
Upon entering Qingshen Hall, he saw Ming Jing, the head eunuch attending the Crown Prince, waiting at the entrance. Gu Yan immediately turned his gaze towards the interior.
“Greetings to Young Lord. It has been a while since we last saw you, Young Lord. Your demeanor has become even more distinguished,” an old eunuch inside said, bowing slightly to Gu Yan.
“Why have you come? Is His Majesty well?” Gu Yan asked anxiously.
“His Majesty is in good health. I have an imperial decree,” the old eunuch replied, straightening his back.
Upon hearing this, Gu Yan knelt down.
“It is a secret decree. Young Lord, please examine it yourself,” the old eunuch said, taking out a tightly sealed scroll from his robes and presenting it to Gu Yan with both hands.
Gu Yan, kneeling on the ground, took the cutting knife handed to him by Ming Jing and opened the scroll.
Still owe 2 chapters
