Chapter 017
"Didn't the manager say that week, how can it be called a big item if it is used for picking tea leaves in the tea garden?"
Jiang Michia explained, "The mouth is big enough, so it is easy to pick tea leaves and throw them in. The neck is a little stuck, so if the basket falls over, it will not be easy to scatter out. The belly is big enough, and it can hold enough tea leaves. This is more practical."
It seems to make some sense.
Jiang Youcheng nodded, but then scratched his head, "But I've never seen this style before, and it's not that easy to edit. I'm afraid that if the manager doesn't recognize the goods that week, we won't make much money if we put in the effort."
"How about we make up both of them and show them to others to see which one they want, and we can make up whichever one they want."
Jiang Michia said, "There's nothing to be afraid of if it takes a lot of effort. Let's raise the price. Tea gardens aren't considered a small industry. As long as the things are easy to use and easy to use, I'm willing to buy them."
"No matter how expensive it is, it's still a piece of bamboo basket. If it costs a few cents, it won't add up to much even if it's fifty. I guess people won't even notice it."
"Well, just make two." Jiang Youcheng felt that what Jiang Michia said made sense, so he followed the pattern she drew on the ground and started to use bamboo pieces to lay the foundation.
Jiang Michia, Song Jingyun and Mr. Liu were helping with the bamboo strips.
The two bamboo baskets were completed when the sun went down.
"Dad's craftsmanship is truly unparalleled." Jiang Michia looked at the two bamboo baskets and couldn't help but admire them.
The bamboo strips are thin enough, the bamboo strips are strong enough, the weaving is detailed, and the edges are tight and flat enough. It is light when you carry it and looks very delicate.
Especially compared with the large bamboo basket used in the house next to it, it looks even more compact and beautiful.
Jiang Youcheng smiled innocently after being praised by his daughter.
Dinner was braised pork soup, stewed with some potatoes and wild vegetables, and served as a side dish. I also fried tofu and ate it with sweet potato noodles, stick noodles, and steamed buns.
The family was very satisfied with the meal.
Especially Song Jingyun, so he worked extra hard when eating bamboo strips after dinner.
Jiang Youcheng is also good at weaving bamboo baskets and baskets.
The business in the tea plantation is uncertain. If it doesn't work, you have to prepare the things you want to sell when you go to the market, so as not to delay making money when the time comes.
The whole family was busy working until it got really late, and then they went to have a rest.
On the second day, after breakfast, Jiang Youcheng and Jiang Michia were going to deliver bamboo baskets to the tea garden.
Jiang Youcheng specifically sought out Jiang Chunshi to accompany him.
Jiang Chunshi can read and write. Although he is not as good as a scholar or even a real accountant, he can still read a written receipt. It is much more convenient with his presence.
Furthermore, Jiang Chunshi was feeling depressed because he quit his job as a carpenter's apprentice. Jiang Youcheng also wanted to take his eldest nephew to relax, show his face, and see if he could find a good job.
Jiang Michia took Song Jingyun with her.
The reason is very simple, because she has an old mother's heart, which makes her uneasy about leaving her son-in-law alone with others.
The four of them went to find Jiang San and asked him to drive an ox cart to take them to the tea garden.
Jiang San asked for five cents for the fare this time, but said he would pay it when he came back.
"It's not easy for this tea garden to have a new owner." On the way, Jiang San smacked his lips.
"What do you mean?" Jiang Youcheng was surprised, "What else is going on here?"
"I also heard other people's gossip before, saying that it was originally a serious tea garden. Most of the hillside was covered with tea trees, covering an area of more than 100 acres. They are all three or four years old, and the tea production is not low."
Jiang San swung the whip in his hand and said, "But later, the master's nephew was not a thing. He was worried that the master had no sons, so he wanted to take over the tea garden in his own hands. The old man was shrewd and saw that something was wrong, so he wanted to take care of his nephew.
Drive them away."
"When my nephew saw that he could not make anything, and his reputation was ruined, he became cruel and poisoned the well. He poisoned his uncle's family, including the workers in the tea garden, and then released them.
A fire burned down the house in the tea garden."
"When others found out, half of the tea garden had been burned down. Several villagers nearby helped put out the fire and reported it to the officials. The nephew probably knew that he would die badly and took the poison. The yamen officials arrived.
By the time, everyone was already dead."
"The tea garden lost its owner, so it was turned into a public property. The county government wanted to sell the tea garden to get money to build the river embankment, but they disliked the fact that so many people died in the tea garden there. It was very unlucky, and the tea trees were also destroyed.
After destroying so many, no one has ever bought it.”
"Some time ago, I heard that a merchant came from Fucheng. I guess he was young and inexperienced. He thought the tea garden was cheap and didn't care about the good or bad luck, so he bought it with his money."
"Since you said it was the steward of the tea garden who came to buy the bamboo baskets, he must have been the steward sent by the new owner's family. He even handles such small things personally. If things go wrong, there won't even be a clerk here.
"
That's true.
Jiang Michia nodded thoughtfully.
At first, she was still wondering that the steward had to do the buying of bamboo baskets by herself this week, and she was also wondering why a tea garden suddenly had to buy so many new items. It turned out that there was such a reason.
The oxcart was swaying for two hours, and it took two hours to reach the west hillside. After asking around again, I found this tea garden.
Sure enough, as Jiang San said, the walls can be described as ruins, and even scorch marks can be seen. Even the houses are in a dark and collapsed state at this time.
There are a few workers here and there who are rolling up their sleeves and clearing away the remains of the houses.
The gate has been cleared out, and a gate was built with bamboo poles. A plaque was hung on it with four eye-catching characters - Shao Ji Tea Garden.
Not seeing Zhou Xing, Jiang Michia looked for the laborer and asked him.
The clerk had obviously given instructions and just asked Jiang Michia and others to wait here for a while, and then went to look for the person.
After a while, Zhou Xing walked over quickly, cupped his hands, and said, "I'm neglecting you all."
"Why, Manager Zhou is so polite." Jiang Michia took out the two bamboo baskets, "These are the two bamboo baskets made at home. Manager Zhou, take a look, which one is suitable?"
Zhou Xing looked at the two bamboo baskets, each looked at them carefully, and finally took the big one and said, "This one looks good. The tea leaves are not easy to spill out. The mouth is big enough, so it is easy to throw."
As he spoke, he hung the basket on his body, made a few movements of picking tea leaves, and nodded affirmatively, "Well, yes, it's better than that one. You father and daughter have unique ideas in making baskets.
Being able to keep in mind what I am used for can be regarded as adapting to local conditions."
“Excellent.”
At the end, Zhou Xing praised again.
"Manager Zhou is overly praised, so why should there be fifty like this?" Jiang Michia asked.
"Well, that's it." Zhou Xing nodded.
Chapter completed!