Not only that, but when she went out yesterday, she saw a whole cartload of brand-new goods that had just arrived at the cloth shop. Su Yujin was even thinking about whether she should give everyone some of their monthly wages in advance so they could go and choose some fabrics they liked to make new clothes for the New Year.

“It’s not that the cloth shop is out of stock, it’s just that this kind of fabric is only sold in one place,” Liu Mama replied with a smile.

“Is it some rare fabric?”

“No, it’s not,” Liu Mama said, “just ordinary fine cotton cloth, nothing special. It’s just that the quality of this cloth is good, but the price is much lower than elsewhere, so many people are rushing to buy it; it’s very popular.”

Cheap and good stuff!

Su Yujin nodded slightly, “It’s probably cloth that they weave themselves.”

She was only thinking about how hard she worked to earn more money, and when calculating costs, she didn’t consider her own labor, which is why she could sell it so cheaply.

“Yes, it’s the cloth they wove,” Liu Mama nodded. “She said that she and her sister take turns weaving day and night, and they weave the cloth faster than others, so they can sell it for a lower price.”

“But speaking of how fast they weave, I saw that she could bring out cloth to sell every day, so I was very curious and roughly calculated that even if the two of them worked day and night, they could weave more than an average skilled person could in ten days. This old servant really can’t figure out just how fast those two sisters can weave.”

Su Yujin put down her teacup. “Are they really that good?”

“Yes,” Liu Mama nodded again. “This old servant also thinks that these two sisters are not very old, but their weaving skills are really amazing, and they are not afraid of hardship or fatigue.”

“By the way, this old servant also heard that these two sisters lost their parents at a young age and were raised by their grandmother. Now, their grandmother is in poor health, and the cost of her medicine is quite high. They also have a young brother. It seems that their family is really poor, so they work very hard.”

“Probably so,” Su Yujin agreed, but her eyebrows rose.

But no matter how hard they work, they were still made of flesh and blood.

Even with skillful hands, the speed they could achieve was limited, and they could never do the work of ten people at once.

Unless…

Their tools were very handy, so handy that they could be several times faster than ordinary looms on the market.

The cloth in Qinghe County, whether it was ordinary fine cloth or various silks and satins, mostly came from Songjiang Prefecture, which was almost one of the cotton textile centers in the country with its exquisite weaving technology and fashionable patterns.

Even if the cloth was transported from Songjiang Prefecture thousands of miles away, and with some transportation costs, the price of the cloth was still more cost-effective than spinning and weaving it themselves.

Because of this, even though Qinghe and its surrounding areas were located in the north where cotton was suitable for cultivation, the textile industry had not developed. Instead, large quantities of locally produced cotton were sold to other places.

If the sisters’ looms were exceptionally good and had a high output, they could try to expand production and start a textile business.

Once this thought crossed Su Yujin’s mind, she became restless. “Where do these two sisters live? What are their names? Can I go to their house now?”

Seeing Su Yujin’s eagerness, Liu Mama quickly answered truthfully, “The two sisters’ surname is Hong. The elder sister is called Hong Qiuyan, and the younger sister is called Hong Qiuyue. They live not far from Huibinlou, just three alleys away.”

“Since it’s not far, I’ll go now. Since Liu Mama knows, I’ll have to trouble you to show me the way.”

With that, Su Yujin went to find her cloak.

While helping Su Yujin search for a cloak, warm sleeves, and wooden clogs to wear in the snow, Ai Cao advised, “Why are you in such a hurry, Miss? It’s the same if you look for them after the snow stops. The person isn’t going anywhere.”

It was freezing outside, and a fall could be quite serious.

Even if she didn’t fall, what if she got frostbite in this freezing weather?

“They can’t run away, but who knows if others will be as eager as I am to go looking for them? It’s better to do this sooner rather than later. Bad weather is even better; it shows my sincerity.”

Su Yujin carefully wrapped her cloak around herself. A fur trim was sewn around the brim of the cloak, providing warmth and wind protection. Su Yujin’s face was small, and the cloak covered most of her face, offering both wind protection and warmth without obstructing her vision.

After helping Su Yujin put on snow-walking wooden clogs, Ai Cao and Liu Mama also wrapped themselves in thick cotton coats and accompanied her out the door to the Hong Qiuyan sisters’ house.

The wind wasn’t too strong at this time; only goose-feather-like snowflakes drifted down from the sky. The snow on the ground was about two inches thick, crunching underfoot.

There were very few pedestrians on the road, and most of the snow hadn’t been stepped on, so the road wasn’t too slippery. Plus, all three were wearing wooden clogs, so walking wasn’t too strenuous.

The snow was heavy and difficult to traverse, and the three of them, fearing slippery feet, walked cautiously and slowly. It took them a full half-hour to walk from Shuanggui Lane to Liuhua Hutong, where Hong Qiuyan lived.

Liu Mama knew the way and led Su Yujin to her door. She picked up the doorknocker and knocked several times heavily.

A moment later, the door creaked underfoot in the snow, followed by a clear female voice, “Who is it?”

“Hello, Miss Hong,” Su Yujin replied loudly. “My surname is Su, and I live in Shuanggui Lane. I’ve come today to discuss a business deal with Miss Hong.”

“Today’s cloth is sold out. If you want some fabric, come back in a couple of days. The weather has been cold these past few days, and we’ve been weaving less,” Hong Qiuyan replied through the door.

“I’ve come to see Miss Hong not to buy cloth, but to discuss another business matter. I wonder if Miss Hong would be interested?”

Su Yujin’s words were met with a long silence.

After a long while, the door creaked open, and Hong Qiuyan, a short woman with a round face, stood behind it, looking at Su Yujin, the leader of the three. “It’s windy and snowy outside. Since we’re here to discuss business, please come in.”

Su Yujin and the other two followed Hong Qiuyan into the courtyard.

The Hong family’s courtyard wasn’t large, and the houses looked somewhat dilapidated due to their age; the roofs were even dented, clearly indicating years of neglect.

As they crossed the courtyard, Su Yujin noticed a creaking sound, like the sound of weaving, coming from the east wing.

The rhythm was brisk and light, much quicker than the usual sound of a loom.

Just as she had suspected, the Hong sisters were able to sell cloth at a low price because of their tools.

With her suspicions confirmed, Su Yujin felt even more confident.

Hong Qiuyan invited Su Yujin and the other two to the main room and poured them hot tea. “I wonder what business Miss Su wishes to discuss?” she asked.

“Miss Hong is a straightforward person,” Su Yujin replied, “so I’ll be frank. I see that your loom is extremely efficient, so I’d like to discuss a business deal with it.”

The sound of weaving in the east wing abruptly stopped.

(End of Chapter)

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