The skilled widow is busy farming

Chapter 121
After Xiu Niang settled down her family studies and weaving workshop, she came to the capital with her son and a boatload of gifts. Relatives from all over the place had to go around and bring gifts to people.

Li Heng was not at home, and he and his wife had gone on a field trip. The Zhang family had found the opportunity, and the couple had already taken up their posts.

Xiuniang arrived in the capital, and Brother Rui and the others came to pick her up.

"Uncle Er Qing, second brother and third brother..."

Brother Chun saw Li Qing and rushed towards him happily. Li Qing lifted him up, spun him around, and held him in his arms.

"I've gained weight, I've grown taller, and I heard that I won the No. 1 spot among children. You're good at it."

Li Qing played with Brother Chun in circles and talked to him.

"My brother and uncle are both No. [-] picks. I can't let them compete with each other. I also want to compete for No. [-] picks and earn a phoenix crown for my mother. Not only my third brother can earn it, but I can too."

Brother Chun slapped his chest with a sullen look on his face, which made a group of people very happy.

"See what you can get. Come down quickly. Your uncle is too old to behave like a monkey."

Xiuniang quickly tore Brother Chun off Erqing.

"Is everything okay at home?"

"Well, we have accepted a few apprentices this year, and they are all children of landlords. The apprenticeship fee required by Brother Yan is very high, and they gave the money without any trouble. I was shocked."

Xiuniang told Li Qing about the situation in the weaving workshop.

"My silly sister, you don't know your own worth. Do you know how many people have heard about my visit and want to learn skills from you?"

"Ah, don't lie to me. I'm not that valuable."

Xiuniang couldn't help but laugh. She didn't think anyone could bear this pain. Besides, the Li family really didn't suffer that much.

"Mom, it's true. Many classmates from the official school have come to ask me whether you will accept any more apprentices. They are willing to pay any amount of tuition fees."

The group of brothers also moved their heads over, and Brother Chun got on his back again.

"Is it worth sending him to study all the way? This thing can't be done in a year or two."

Xiu Niang feels that if you can learn something nearby, it is not necessary if it is too far away.

"Auntie, it can be said that you built the weaving workshop with your own hands and feet. It was you who sent the work to the palace and won the favor of the Queen Mother. With this ability, you can open one in the capital. Many officials have Let me ask you, there is no airtight wall in the world. Many people are looking forward to our weaving workshop."

"Is that so, I'm famous?"

Xiu Niang tilted her head and winked at the children.

"Yes, since you are famous, everyone wants you to become a disciple. You have the final say on the price."

"No wonder Brother Yan dares to charge such an expensive apprenticeship fee. I was still wondering if it was too expensive, but everyone told me it wasn't expensive."

Xiu Niang shook her head.

Li Yan has recruited a few children with good qualifications to teach embroidery and brocade. This extra charge is different. The embroidery is 100 taels a year without any bargaining. Aunt Ma is responsible for teaching. This is someone who has embroidered dragon robes and phoenix robes. She can teach you enough. Qualified.

The prices of Yun brocade and Kesi are also different. Yun brocade costs 200 taels per year and Kesi 500 taels per year. This price is very high.

But many people still came to sign up, but Li Yan had to take the exam. He had been in Jiangnan for many years. He didn't know how to embroider but he could read. He had a high vision. To sign up as an apprentice, he had to take an exam. First, he had to embroider something on a piece of cloth and then weave the cloth. Let me give you a chance to play with it and take a look.Whether you can understand the longitude and latitude lines of tapestry and whether you can tell one, two or three are all tested. If you fail the test, you will not be able to get in.

If you pass the exam, you have to pay. Those who don't pay are the children from poor families, but they have to stay and work in the weaving workshop. It takes five years from apprenticeship to apprenticeship, and another five years to work for the master, which is at least ten years. This is a contract.

Before you start a job, you don’t have enough money to buy food and accommodation. After you start a job, the salary will increase from [-] cents per month. You can go up according to your skills. For example, Yingzi and Qing’er have basically left the job. What they lack is experience and experience. .

As shown in the small picture, works like Kangping can already be purchased for 200 taels, going up to 200 taels, and will not be less than [-] taels.

If you can sell it for this amount, I will give you a price increase, 100 taels per level, an increase of [-] cents.

This is the treatment for children from poor families. You can pay more freely. After five years of apprenticeship, you can leave as a apprentice. When you become an apprentice, you have to hand in a piece of work to the weaving workshop and the master. The money you sell for this picture has nothing to do with you and belongs to the master. The weaving workshop is also the final assessment and appearance.

The rules of the weaving workshop are all based on the old rules of the Jiangnan Embroidery House. Some changes have been made based on the villagers of the village. They are very strict with outsiders. The weaving workshop is a place to make money, not a shelter.

Even poor people who don't have money to pay apprenticeship fees still have to work for the weaving workshop to make money. The first five years are for nothing, and the second five years although they have money, it is hard money and not much.

But even if the requirements are so high and the apprenticeship fee is so expensive, people are still flocking to it. Many landowners come to learn with a lot of money and are willing to pay more to learn. Money doesn't matter as long as they can come in and learn.

Why, if I have 500 taels, why should I learn any craft? I can’t do anything else.

That's right, a family with 500 taels is really not short of money, nor is it short of small business.What is lacking is culture and education, as well as craftsmanship.

The village of Lijia Village has all the things that women should pay attention to, be virtuous, and look good at work. They hired the nuns in the palace to teach them. Xiu Niang herself even donated the number one scholar, and her niece was also paid by everyone. Her works were sent to the Queen Mother's Palace. Received praise.

Just these few items are enough to make many people jealous and willing to pay any amount of money.

"Brother Yan, you have taken in two children from poor families and signed a contract to work for more than ten years. You have taken in five rich families as apprentices. Now that you are back in the capital, I have a lot of money in my hands. I want to buy some more for Qing'er. industry."

"Auntie, my sister has us. You can keep it for yourself."

Brother Rui shook his head in disapproval.

"It doesn't matter, I have money."

Xiu Niang shook her head proudly to show off to her nephew.

She and the weaving workshop have separate accounts, and so does the apprenticeship fee. She gets [-]% of the big end, and the weaving workshop gets [-]% of the small end, [-]% on both sides. In the future, the money from the apprentice's work will go to the weaving workshop, and then recalculate. The profit share of the weaving workshop is divided into [-]%, which is the general ledger.

Apprenticeship fees are divided per door, and for a big business like a weaving workshop and embroidery building, the fees are divided very carefully.The inheritance of master and apprentice is very important.

Yunjin Kesi is double money, but it is not a good thing to learn two things with one money. The weaving workshop is controlled by Li Yan, Li Qing and the clan elders. Everything must be accounted for and inspected regularly. This is not a one-person business. There is also a branch of the Zhou family inside.

These people both wanted to learn Yun Brocade and Kesi. They were given double amounts of money, settled annually, and were given for five years in one go. They would then decide whether to give it or not based on the results in the next five years. They were allowed to regret it at any time and take it back to their families, but No money will be returned.

This time Xiuniang made a lot of money again, which was much faster than weaving tapestry silk.

The Zhou family was very satisfied when they saw that the Li family protected Xiu Niang in this way. As a thank you, they selected three sons to learn filigree inlay skills and sent three or four children to learn Kesi and Yun brocade. They also gave money, but they gave The Li family had to give money to send the Zhou family to be apprentices, but the money they gave was not much. This was a resource exchange.

"Second brother, it doesn't matter. I'm just a biological sister. No matter what I give you, it's not too much."

Brother Qun is not stingy this time, he also treats Qing'er like a ball in his eyes.

Li Rui didn't say anything else, thinking he would leave some for Brother Chun.

(End of this chapter)