Chapter 54: Needle and Thread Workshop
Luo Jin, the owner of Luo’s Cloth Shop, was a slender man in his thirties. Through Lu Zhang’s introduction, Yang Zhengshan had become acquainted with Luo Jin.
Yang Zhengshan got straight to the point, “Luo, I have a business proposal. If I can provide a batch of cloth shoes, can you sell them for me?”
In reality, he wanted to open a needle and thread workshop in Lin Guan Fortress. The first product he would introduce was cloth shoes. The women in the fortress were all skilled in needlework, so they could easily sew cloth shoes or simple clothes. Moreover, the soldiers from the Five Camps of the Prefectural Banner were stationed in Lin Guan Fortress, and they didn’t have family members to support them. Their clothing was mostly provided by the army or purchased by themselves. While ordinary civilians mostly made their own cloth shoes, the soldiers needed to buy them, which meant there was a market for cloth shoes in the fortress.
“It can be sold, but the profit might not be very high,” Luo Jin said hesitantly.
“If I sell them to you for twenty Wen per pair, are you willing to help me sell them?” Yang Zhengshan asked.
“I can try, but I can’t guarantee they’ll sell,” Luo Jin replied. Although he didn’t think much of this business, he was willing to give it a shot, partly because Yang Zhengshan was introduced by Lu Zhang, and partly because Yang Zhengshan was a Battalion Commander. Helping out wouldn’t be a bother, and his shop already sold ready-made clothes and received sewing orders. The profit from cloth shoes was just too low, which was why he didn’t look favorably on the idea.
Yang Zhengshan nodded, “I’d also like to ask you to help me collect old clothes, with a price of three Wen per catty. We can make use of wasted materials.”
Luo Jin’s eyes flickered as he immediately understood Yang Zhengshan’s plan.
After a brief moment of consideration, Luo Jin said, “Yang sir, collecting old clothes is no problem, but I have something to say that I’m not sure I should mention.”
“Please speak your mind, Luo,” Yang Zhengshan encouraged.
Luo Jin continued, “Collecting old clothes is easy, and sewing cloth shoes is also easy, but selling them might not be a difficult task. This business can be done, but the profit will likely be very low. You might not even earn a few Liang of silver in a month.”
Yang Zhengshan explained, “I’m not doing this business to make money, but to help the military dependents in Lin Guan Fortress find a way to earn a living.” For the women in the fortress, earning ten to twenty Wen per day was already a decent income, enough to help them survive the difficult year ahead. Moreover, this was just the beginning. If the business could be sustained, Yang Zhengshan could expand into other areas, such as making clothes, handkerchiefs, and embroidery.
Luo Jin looked at Yang Zhengshan with a mixture of surprise and admiration, “Originally, I didn’t think you were so kind-hearted, Yang sir.” He had seen many low-ranking military officers, but none had ever tried to help their subordinates like Yang Zhengshan.
Yang Zhengshan smiled, “This time, I need your help, Luo. If this business can be successful, I’ll owe you and Lu Zhang a favor.”
Luo Jin had already made up his mind to do the business as long as it didn’t lose money.
Yang Zhengshan also made an appointment with Luo Jin to collect the old clothes in five days and provide the first batch of cloth shoes in ten days. Before leaving, Yang Zhengshan gave Luo Jin three Liang of silver as funding for collecting old clothes.
…
The rebuilt Lin Guan Fortress in Zhongshan Pass didn’t attract much attention, not even from Zhou Lan, who seemed to have forgotten its existence. Yang Zhengshan hadn’t received any news from Zhou Lan for several days, but he didn’t mind. He focused on building houses and setting up the needle and thread workshop in Lin Guan Fortress.
Time flew by, and it was already early May. The half-month construction period had ended, and everything in Lin Guan Fortress had been renovated. The official residences behind the barracks were neatly arranged, and the training ground in front had been repaired, becoming flat and even.
The needle and thread workshop on the left side of the fortress gate had also been completed. Ten women sat in front of the workshop, each with a wooden basin, washing old clothes. The workshop had five rooms, each with six or seven women busily sewing cloth shoes.
Today, the first batch of cloth shoes had been delivered to Luo’s Cloth Shop. It remained to be seen whether this business would succeed in the coming days. However, Yang Zhengshan had handed this matter over to Old Li and Yang Minghao to handle. At the moment, Yang Zhengshan was busy training the soldiers.
He had been in Lin Guan Fortress for over half a month, and it was time to focus on military training. “Form up!” “Get in line!” “Stand up straight, feet together!” “Count off!” “One, two, three…” The training ground was filled with the sounds of chaotic counting, amidst strict reprimands.
The first formation exercise took an entire hour to complete. “Report, Left Vanguard has fifty-six men, all present!” Yang Zhongze, Yang Zhongxu, and the other ten small flag officers led the soldiers in formation, while Yang Zhengshan stood with his hands behind his back, inspecting them.
“Report, Right Vanguard has fifty-six men, all present!” Yang Mingzhi and Yang Mingwu came to report accordingly.
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