eldest son of Ming dynasty

Chapter 914: Many Types of Work, Not Many Suitable
The next day, Lin Qingyun walked out of the pavilion with a pot of herbal tea and walked along the river path into an uninhabited hut.

Here she met Song Jiuniang, who had helped her silently but without saying a word.

"Excuse me, sir. I am here to thank you for your help."

"No need." Jiu Niang had a slender waist and a fair face.

In addition, she was a woman dressed as a man, so before she spoke, everyone thought she was a gigolo.

Hearing the voice now, Lin Qingyun was stunned, but she was of low status and did not dare to offend. "If I remember correctly, I did not know you in the past. I wonder why you helped me?"

"It's my order."

"By whose order?"

Jiu Niang was a little annoyed. She was a member of the Imperial Guard and had her own style and reasons for doing things. She couldn't explain too much to others, and her superiors didn't tell her anything, so she could tell others.

"Miss Lin, please go back."

At this moment, Jiang Yin also came over from behind Lin Qingyun with graceful steps, "Your Excellency should be a member of the Imperial Guard, right?"

Jiu Niang said, "You don't need to ask too much about my identity. Just believe that I will do you no harm. If you really don't believe it, then don't believe it."

Lin Qingyun and Jiang Yin looked at each other, but there was no good solution.

After putting down the tea, he went back on his own.

Jiu Niang could only sigh. The Jinyiwei had its own rules and she couldn't break them.

After Lin Qingyun and Jiang Yin left the entertainment industry, their source of income was cut off. Fortunately, they still had some savings to support them for a while, but they couldn't let their lives go on in vain, otherwise their livelihood would become a problem in the future.

After the two of them settled down completely, they no longer had any security concerns because they were secretly protected by the Jinyiwei, so they began to think about how to make a living.

This is not easy.

However, Lin Qingyun looked at Jiang Yin's worried face and comforted her, "No matter what, it is a prosperous time now, and Yangzhou City is one of the most prosperous places in the world. It won't starve us two people who are willing to work."

"That being said, you and I are not capable of hard work like farming and road construction. We don't have the skills to work in salt factories, shipyards, and glass factories. Although most people have jobs now, most of them are suitable for men. There are very few jobs that women can do."

Lin Qingyun said: "I've heard people mention it in the capital before. I think we can help people pick cotton seeds."

"But that's not much money. Not even enough to make ends meet."

Picking cotton actually requires manpower. Nowadays, large cotton growers in Huaiyang and Jiangnan areas have hired a lot of people. Because the demand for cotton is very strong, various factories are scrambling to harvest cotton.

The root cause was that the cotton textiles exported by the Ming Dynasty were "conquering cities and territories". Not only was there a strong demand in Southeast Asia, but many people in the Ming Dynasty had also abandoned all kinds of clothing made of hemp, leather and other raw materials.

Cotton products are not as expensive as silk, but after the price was lowered, they became commodities that the middle and lower classes of the mainstream society could afford, so naturally there was a constant demand.

If traditional cloth merchants transform in time, they can still make some money; if they stay where they are, they will not be able to do well in the next few years.

Lin Qingyun heard a lot of news in the place where she was originally, and when she returned to Yangzhou, she saw with her own eyes the planting of cotton and the opening of some factories, so she thought about it in this direction.

But just as Jiang Yin said, those are jobs that don't make much money.

How much effort does it take to pick cotton and get the cotton seeds out? Ordinary farmers would rather spend a few more nights than let others make money. Most of the farmers with larger areas hire the elderly and children at very low prices.

There is no labor law these days.
Children and the elderly from ordinary families who can go out to find work and earn some money cannot stay at home.

"Sister, according to what you said, there are not many jobs we can do outside now. It is not easy to earn money by doing work for others."

"What should I do?"

Lin Qingyun thought, "Maybe... we can start some business ourselves."

"That won't do. If you lose money in business, that's a big deal!" Jiang Yin shook his head like a rattle. "No, no. I'd rather set up a stall on the street and write letters for people."

“But I want to do business.”

"How could you come up with such an idea?"

"I don't know either. I just suddenly miss it." Lin Qingyun frowned and suddenly seemed to remember something. "Sister, let me take a look at the original book."

"what book?"

"It happened several years ago. At that time, I had been thinking about how to redeem myself and how to live after redeeming myself. I wanted to ask some important people at that time, and I wrote it down myself after asking. Later, in order to kill Wan Haiying, I thought I might not survive, so I just left it alone."

She thought that maybe she could see some good solutions from what she had asked before.

So she went back to the house, rummaged through the boxes and cabinets, and finally found it. She muttered a few words to herself, "This...maybe it can be used."

In the following days, she would always go to see Song Jiuniang, and then say some insignificant polite words, and then would not stay long, for fear of disturbing her too much.

There were one or two times when Song Jiuniang was not at home. After all, she couldn't live in that shabby house all the time. It was inconvenient, especially for a girl who liked cleanliness.

Lin Qingyun realized it later and thought of inviting her to the waterside pavilion where she lived.

Since I'm 'looking' at her anyway, wouldn't it be better to see her closer?

As the two walked side by side, Lin Qingyun said, "These few days, I have discussed with Sister Jiang Yin about finding some work to make a living. If I do business, do you think it's okay?"

Song Jiuniang was surprised. "I'm not an expert on this kind of thing. Sorry."

Lin Qingyun knew she couldn't say anything, but she still talked to herself, "I've been in the capital for a few years and have seen many people who have made a fortune by doing sea trade or running cotton-padded clothes and quilt factories. I don't know how to fluff cotton, but my sister and I both have a pair of skillful hands and can embroider high-quality clothes and quilts.

If this doesn't work, I have also secretly asked someone for a way to make money. Have you ever heard of pepper?"

Pepper was introduced to China quite early and is widely cultivated in Southeast Asia. Earlier, it was a luxury item used by the upper class aristocrats.

During the Yongle period, because the Ming Dynasty's treasure notes depreciated too much, the court used pepper to make up the difference when paying officials' salaries.

During the middle period of Hongzhi and Zhengde, especially during the Zhengde period, a large amount of Southeast Asian pepper was introduced into the inland area, and the inland area became the main consumer of pepper.

So when she asked this, Song Jiuniang, who was a captain of the Jinyiwei, naturally nodded and said, "I've heard of it."

"Does your Excellency know that when pepper is sold to the West, the profit per ship can be increased tenfold, just like silk twenty years ago?"

"How do you know?"

"I've heard people talk about it. Silk and porcelain are commodities with very high entry barriers. Most of them are controlled by Nanyang Company. Private merchants can only look for other ways. Later, they found that pepper is also something that Westerners are obsessed with."

Song Jiuniang was puzzled, "Are you still going to do this kind of business?"

Lin Qingyun shook her head, "This is a big business. We have too little capital, but... I've thought about planting it."

"Then it's planted."

"Your Excellency has great magical powers. If you are willing to help find out, you will definitely be able to find out who in the Ming Dynasty is doing this kind of business. If you can, we are willing to sell him at a discount."

It turns out he was waiting here.

I want her to help me find a businessman in this field.

This is indeed not difficult for Song Jiuniang, but she is a little skeptical and worried, "Can I make money?"

"Yes, a few years ago, the man I was asking told me that the market was booming, and he said it was called the spice trade."

"Then I'll help you find out."

"Thank you."

"It's okay. Many women now choose to start small businesses. I originally thought you would do the same."

Farming is still hard work, especially for some widows. They don’t have enough physical strength, but what should they do if there is no man in the family?
In order to make a living, many people have to go out into the world and make a living, which is better than starving to death.

Among them, some people are employed in factories, while those with good family conditions and some capital go out to do business.

The officialdom is not open to women, and in fact they have very few choices.

Song Jiuniang said that nowadays people are doing small businesses, which is indeed a trend in places like Yangzhou.
The key is that the time is good now. In the eyes of the people of the Ming Dynasty, some Western countries may be too poor and have nothing, so the Ming Dynasty has everything for sale.

Year after year, more and more people are making money, and the rest of the people must be jealous.

Song Jiuniang's promise gave Lin Qingyun great encouragement.

Another day passed, and she could no longer bear it, so she left the pavilion and walked along the river bank.

(End of this chapter)