"Has Liu Er Leng Zi signed and stamped it?"
Fan Ze Hao took out a piece of paper from his chest, which was clearly written and had an imprinted handprint. "You keep this!"
"Ah, it's not really necessary. After the reform, I don't believe this Liu Er Leng Zi can cause any more trouble!"
Although Zhao Jia Qi knew this, people's hearts were unpredictable. Who knew!
She decided to keep it for now and throw it away later when it was no longer needed.
One person tended the fire, and the other cooked. It was a simple meal, just some noodles. This was the easiest dish to prepare.
One bowl per person. Fan Ze Hao ate two bowls by himself. The afternoon had more time than the midday.
These people were quite good at embroidery. Although slow, their work was very meticulous. Only Granny Li's hands were a little faster.
After she finished one, she directly handed it to Zhao Jia Qi. "You stuff the material inside, and I'll seal it when you're done!"
Zhao Jia Qi finally found a task suitable for her. She was happy to do it, stuffing the material carefully and meticulously into every corner and every part, striving to make it plump. It might not be perfect, but it wouldn't be bad.
When the monkey plush toy took shape, everyone put down their needles and threads. Seeing the monkey, they all fell in love with it.
"The colors on this monkey are excellent, so radiant and lifelike. The eyes are embroidered so beautifully."
Wang Zhang Shi exclaimed. Looking at the snake she had embroidered, which was also not bad, she immediately felt balanced.
However, Granny Li didn't care whether her embroidery was good or bad. She cared about how many copper coins each item would sell for!
"Mrs. Fan, I just measured it. The length and width are both over half a meter. How many copper coins will each sell for?"
This question stumped her.
"Let me calculate the cost first!" Zhao Jia Qi paused. "This bolt of silk can produce this many finished products..."
Granny Li glanced at the remaining material and quickly replied, "Three large ones and one small one will definitely be possible!"
"Oh, this silk bolt costs one tael and two hundred wen. The remaining scrap material, three bundles, cost twenty wen. Needle and thread wear and tear... let's say thirty wen. Excluding your wages, the cost alone is one tael and two hundred fifty wen!"
"If we calculate everyone's wages at twenty wen, then for four people, it would add eighty wen. So, the total would be one tael and three hundred forty wen!"
Hearing this, Liu Qin Shi realized something was wrong. Although her calculations weren't as fast, she could understand the number 'four' for wages.
"Your calculation is wrong. If we're calculating wages, there are at least five of us. Why did you exclude yourself?"
Wang Zhang Shi also reacted quickly. "Exactly. You came up with the design. If we're making money, it should be together. We can't be separated!"
Meng Sun Shi also stated her position. "That's right, but if we split it equally, we old folks are benefiting from you."
This remark was met with Granny Li's agreement. "That's true. Without your design and your money, we wouldn't be able to do it even if we wanted to. It's already good that you're not asking for a percentage of the profit. You can't exclude yourself!"
Seeing their passionate expressions, Zhao Jia Qi felt that her efforts were not in vain.
"Alright, we'll split it equally. Based on that, one tael and five hundred wen should be enough. I'm just not sure about the spending level in our town!"
When it came to this, Liu Qin Shi and Granny Li had the right to speak.
Both of them indicated that consumption was quite good. "Quite a few people eat at restaurants. Ordinary families can spend one to two hundred wen, some three to five hundred, and even some spend over ten or dozens of taels!"
So, the spending level should be quite high, but this was for a niche market, and ordinary people couldn't afford it.
"In that case, we are making a set of twelve now. We'll sell them for twelve taels per set. If sold individually, it will be one tael and five hundred wen each."
"For the smaller ones, a set will be seven taels, and sold individually, six hundred and sixty wen. No bargaining. What do you think of this pricing?"
After hearing her words, everyone felt uneasy. Sitting on the warm kang, they gasped.
"This is too expensive! What if they don't sell?"
"That's right. If they're stuck with us, that's a lot of money!"
"I think the price is a bit high, but we can try. Even if we go to a slightly farther county town or prefecture, I think this price would be more suitable!"
Granny Li remained silent for a moment, then said, "This silk cloth is inherently expensive, and the product is novel. As long as we make a good start, we won't have to worry about selling them!"
"This is only for those who can afford it. What about those who want to buy but can't afford it?"
Zhao Jia Qi understood her meaning. "Granny Li means that we should make some plush toys with inferior materials for the poor, and use good materials for the rich. This way, both sides can do business, right?"
"Yes, that's what I mean!" Granny Li paused. "However, for the cheaper ones, we don't need to be too meticulous. They just need to look passable. After all, their money is limited, don't you think?"
Her words were met with unanimous agreement from everyone. Zhao Jia Qi saw that they all agreed, so they would proceed as planned.
"Alright, tomorrow morning, we'll go buy more materials and make a complete set first!"
Granny Li, being cautious, added, "Once people see this, they'll surely covet it. As the saying goes, 'the common people should not fight with officials.' We are all poor folk. If someone covets this, our business might not be able to continue!"
"When an innocent man possesses a treasure, he incurs guilt." Why was it so difficult for ordinary people to do anything substantial, always fearing this and that.
Zhao Jia Qi, who preferred to avoid trouble, decided to be a little tougher. She was looking at things from the perspective of an ordinary person, not from the perspective of a princess.
"It's alright. If it really comes to that, I don't believe there's no place to seek justice in Qingzhou Prefecture!"
Seeing the child's stubbornness again, everyone tried to persuade her. "The yamen gate opens south, but without money, you can't come in, even if you're right. This is an old saying, why don't you listen? We old folks won't lie to you!"
Village Chief's wife, Liu Qin Shi, said earnestly, sighing.
"I know you aunties mean well, but I don't believe there are no good officials in this area. No matter what, I will try. What if it succeeds?"
"If it doesn't succeed, at worst, we start over!"
Fan Ze Hao, sitting in the corner, suddenly said, "This is my wife! I support you!"
Everyone was drawn by his voice and looked at him in the corner. Some of the older women thought he was not afraid of trouble.
Instead, Zhao Jia Qi felt that this person was truly pitiful, being pushed into the corner like that, looking so pathetic.
"Aunties, just listen to my wife. She usually has a plan when she does things. She hasn't done many things without a plan!"
The aunties exchanged glances, all of them doubtful. However, since he said so, what else could they do?
If a cow doesn't want to drink, you can't force it.
"Alright, we'll go buy materials first thing tomorrow morning, and then work quickly to make more before the 25th of the twelfth lunar month, so we can sell them at the market!"
As they were about to leave, Zhao Jia Qi gave Liu Qin Shi and Granny Li ten taels of silver each. "Buy plenty, don't go back and forth. These silver coins are for each of you separately. I don't want to put all our eggs in one basket. If it breaks, then everything is lost!"
Twenty taels of silver stunned all the old women on the spot.
"So much silver? Your family has prospered!"
Zhao Jia Qi felt a little embarrassed. "This is the money from selling deer. After these twenty taels, we don't have much left!"
The truth was that just buying the fabric and cotton cost seventy taels. This was even with her having sold a recipe book in the prefecture, otherwise, she couldn't have afforded new fabrics.