Chapter 54 Needlework Workshop

The shopkeeper of Luo's Cloth Shop is also the owner, named Luo Shang, a thin man in his thirties.

After the introduction of Shopkeeper Lu, Yang Zhengshan and Luo Shang got to know each other.

Yang Zhengshan was too lazy to be polite and directly told the business he wanted to do.

"Shopkeeper Luo, I want to ask, if I can provide a batch of cloth shoes, can you sell them here?"

That's right, he is going to open a needlework workshop in Linguanbao.

The first product launched is cloth shoes.

The women in Linguanbao can do some needlework, so it is no problem for them to sew cloth shoes or simple clothes.

There are soldiers from the five battalions of the town flag in Linguanbao. These soldiers are recruited. They have no parents, wives and children around them. Most of the clothes they wear are issued by the army or bought by themselves.

Most ordinary people sew cloth shoes by themselves, but these soldiers need to buy them, which means that there is a market for cloth shoes in Guancheng.

"It can be sold, but the profit may not be very high!" Luo Shang hesitated and said.

"If I sell it to you at a price of 20 wen per pair, are you willing to help me sell it?" Yang Zhengshan asked.

"You can try, but I can't guarantee that it can be sold!" Luo Shang did not refuse, first because Yang Zhengshan was introduced by Shopkeeper Lu, and second because Yang Zhengshan was a centurion.

Although he was not optimistic about this business, he was still willing to give it a try, not for making money, but just to avoid offending Shopkeeper Lu and Yang Zhengshan.

Anyway, it's not a big deal to help sell it.

His shop originally sold ready-made clothes, and would also accept some orders for sewing clothes, but the profit of cloth shoes was too low, so he didn't look down on it.

"Well!" Yang Zhengshan nodded, and then said: "I also want to ask Shopkeeper Luo to help buy worn-out clothes, by jin, three wen per jin!"

Ordinary people sew cloth shoes with worn-out clothes at home, and Yang Zhengshan also plans to use worn-out clothes to save material costs.

He doesn't have enough worn-out clothes, so he buys them.

This can also be regarded as waste utilization.

"This~~"

Luo Shang's eyes moved slightly, and he immediately understood Yang Zhengshan's idea.

He hesitated for a moment and said, "Sir Yang, there is no problem with buying worn-out clothes, but there is something I don't know whether I should say or not."

"Please speak, Shopkeeper Luo, don't hesitate!" Yang Zhengshan said.

"Then I'll say it directly. It's easy to buy worn-out clothes, it's easy to sew cloth shoes, and it's not difficult to sell cloth shoes. This is a business, but the profit is estimated to be very low."

"Sir Yang may be busy for a month, but he may not be able to make a few taels of silver!"

Luo Shang said sincerely.

He already understood Yang Zhengshan's idea, but he still didn't agree with Yang Zhengshan doing such a business.

The profit was too low, even he didn't look down on it, and he didn't think Yang Zhengshan would look down on it.

For ordinary people, making a few taels of silver a month is not a small amount, but for shopkeepers like them, such a business is too wasteful.

If he had that time, he might as well take a few more orders for sewing clothes.

Some wealthy families would purchase clothes for their servants. Such clothes do not need to be too high-end and are relatively simple to sew, but the profit is not low.

So small cloth shops like them would rather take such orders than do troublesome business like cloth shoes.

But Yang Zhengshan saw this point.

Low profit means less competition.

Others look down on it, but he does.

"I do this business not to make money, but to help the military households in Linguanbao find a livelihood to make money!" Yang Zhengshan explained.

For the women in Linguanbao, earning more than ten or twenty coins a day is already a good income.

Such an income can help them survive the most difficult year in the future.

And this is just the beginning. If this business can be maintained in the future, Yang Zhengshan can also extend it to other businesses.

For example, making ready-made clothes, handkerchiefs, silk flowers, embroidery, etc.

Of course, the latter ones require certain skills, and whether they can be done depends on whether the women's skills are qualified.

"So that's how it is. Lord Yang really has good intentions!" Luo Shang looked at Yang Zhengshan with some admiration.

He had seen many low-level military officers in the army, but to be honest, no one wanted Yang Zhengshan to help his military households to make a living.

It was good enough for those low-level military officers not to oppress their military households, not to mention that they took great pains to help those poor military households.

"At this time, I still need Manager Luo's help. If this matter can be done, I will accept the favor of the two managers!" Yang Zhengshan said politely.

Hearing him say this, both Luo Shang and Manager Lu took this matter to heart.

Favors are much more expensive than silver.

Luo Shang has decided that as long as he does not lose money, he will continue this business.

Although this Lord Yang is only a trial centurion, for someone with a shallow background like him, one more friend means one more guarantee.

Afterwards, Yang Zhengshan agreed with Luo Shang to come to pick up the worn-out clothes in five days and provide the first batch of cloth shoes in ten days.

Before leaving, Yang Zhengshan gave Luo Shang three taels of silver as funds to buy worn-out clothes.

…

Linguanbao, a rebuilt garrison, did not attract much attention in Chongshanguan, or even any attention at all.

Even Zhou Lan seemed to have forgotten the existence of Linguanbao. For several days, Yang Zhengshan did not receive any news from Zhou Lan.

Yang Zhengshan didn't care about this. He stayed in Linguanbao honestly to build houses and set up a needlework workshop.

Time passed quickly, and it was already the beginning of May in the blink of an eye.

After half a month of construction, everything in Linguanbao was brand new.

Behind the government office, adobe thatched houses were neatly arranged, and the training ground in front of the government office was also repaired and became extremely flat.

The needlework workshop on the left side of the Tunbao gate was also built.

A dozen women sat in front of the workshop, each guarding a wooden basin and washing worn-out clothes.

The workshop has five rooms, and in each room there are six or seven women bowing their heads to sew cloth shoes.

Today, the first batch of cloth shoes has been delivered to Luo's Cloth Shop.

Whether this business can be done depends on the next few days.

However, these things were left to Lao Li and Yang Minghao by Yang Zhengshan, who was busy training soldiers at this time.

He had been in Linguanbao for more than half a month, and it was time to put the training on the agenda.

"Line up!"

"Stand up straight!"

"Hold your head, chest out, legs together!"

"Count up!"

"One, two, three..."

In the training ground, Yang Chengze, Yang Chengxu and ten other small flag officers were leading the soldiers to line up.

Chaotic counting sounds came one after another, and impolite scoldings were endless.

The first line up took a full quarter of an hour to finish.

"Report, the Linguan Left Banner should have 56 people, and the actual number is 56. All are present!"

In front of the government office, Yang Zhengshan stood with his hands behind his back, and Yang Mingzhi walked in front of him with a standard pace and reported.

"Report, the Linguan Right Banner should have 56 people, and the actual number is 56. All are present!"

Later, Yang Mingwu also came to report.