It's hard for my elder sister. I rely on the mountains to farm and pay off my debts.

While the Qian family servants were signing a cement ordering contract with the Song clan leader, Qian Zixu did not forget to pull Song Zhi aside to continue the unfinished topic.

"Miss Song, I have an idea. What do you think?"

"Mr. Qian, please speak."

Qian Zixu coughed twice and calmly suggested, "Well, this woolen hat is very good both in terms of warmth and style. The only drawback is that it's a bit monotonous."

"If we could dye the fabric in different colors, the hats we woven would definitely be more popular."

"How about this? You give me the yarn to dye, and when you finish knitting the hat, you can give me a certain amount of goods."

Qian Zixu thought that even if he couldn't get the deal exclusively, they could still cooperate.

Helping them with dyeing is both profitable and allows them to get the goods in time.

Based on his keen intuition, this woolen hat will definitely be sold out once it comes on the market.

Now he must make this cooperation come true.

Song Zhi looked at Qian Zixu in surprise. She didn't expect him to be so perceptive.

In fact, she had been thinking about doing plant dyeing from the beginning. For example, the leaves of isatis root and chrysanthemums can be used to dye wool.

However, these dyes are hard to find, and it takes a lot of time and energy to do this, so she didn't rush to act.

When she heard Qian Zixu's proposal for cooperation, she subconsciously asked, "Do you also have a dyeing workshop in the county?"

To facilitate this cooperation, Qian Zixu puffed out his chest and said confidently, "Have you heard of the weaving and dyeing shop? It's very famous in the capital."

"Whether it's the weaving process, the dyeing technique, or even the pattern of the fabric, they are all unique."

He continued with a bit of arrogance: "This cloth shop is my family's property!"

Song Zhi shook her head lightly and said indifferently: "I haven't heard of it!"

Qian Zixu just felt like he had punched cotton, without causing any ripples.

But he was not discouraged and continued to lobby: "If you are willing to cooperate, I can open a cloth shop in this county and invite those skilled dyeing masters. What do you think of this proposal?"

This shows her sincerity. With an experienced master to help her dye her clothes, she doesn't have to spend time and energy on dyeing.

Song Zhi was very excited, but she didn't show it on her face. "Then how much does it cost to dye it?"

Qian Zixu said, "Don't worry about this. Some common plant dyes, such as persimmon leaves, holly leaves, and chestnut shells, are very cheap plant dye materials. We only charge a labor fee and the cost of the dye. How about that?"

"As long as Miss Song leaves me 30% of the hats you draw, or 20% is fine too!"

Qian Zixu has invested a lot of money and is determined to make this cooperation a success.

The other party had already offered such generous conditions that Song Zhi couldn't think of any reason to refuse, so she smiled heartily and said, "Okay, then I'll wait for your textile business to open!"

Qian Zixu grinned and nodded repeatedly, saying, "Don't worry, Miss Song. I will select a location and prepare the business after I return. The cloth shop will be open within ten days."

When Qian Zixu thought about the popularity of this woolen hat in Beijing, and how he could stand up straight in front of his elder brother, he couldn't stay any longer.

Seeing that his attendant had already signed a contract to order cement, he stood up and said to Song Zhi, "Then it's settled. Well, we're going back first!"

Song Zhi and the Song clan leader and his entourage sent Qian Zixu out the door. After he rode away on horseback, the Song clan leader excitedly said goodbye to Song Zhi and left.

Patriarch Song was very excited at this moment. This was a good start for the cement workshop in the village.

The county magistrate hadn't even brought anyone to visit yet, but they had already sold ten taels of silver worth of cement.

If cement is promoted in the county, how much money can they make!

When he thought of this, Patriarch Song couldn't help but feel excited, and he wanted to go back immediately to tell everyone the good news.

Song Zhi stopped the Song clan leader who was about to leave excitedly and told her a piece of good news. "Grandpa clan leader, I may need some help crocheting hats. Can you please ask the aunts and sisters in the village if anyone is willing to come to my house to help?"

"I will pay them fifteen cents a day as wages. If they do a good job, there will be additional rewards later. I will discuss the specific details with the aunts when I meet them."

"Of course, I also have minimum requirements. If someone still can't figure it out after studying for a while, or if they're just slacking off, I won't hire them anymore!"

Chief Song didn't pay any attention to Song Zhi's last words. All he could hear in his mind was that the kid wanted to hire villagers to do work for him, and he could earn fifteen cents a day.

You have to know that an adult man can only earn fifteen cents a day from a job, not to mention any extra rewards!

He was surprised and asked uncertainly, "You mean, you hire half-grown children too?"

Song Zhi nodded repeatedly. "As long as they can crochet a woolen hat, no matter how old they are, I will accept them. But Grandpa, the clan leader, let me be frank. If you come to crochet a woolen hat with me, you must not pass on the techniques I learn here."

"My small business is still in its infancy. If those wealthy families learn from me, they'll be able to throw money and people at me! How can I compete with them? Don't you agree?"

In fact, she has a safer way, which is to buy people directly. She holds the indentures of the people she buys in her hands, and they will never dare to betray their master.

In this way, what she worried about would not happen.

But Song Zhi still wanted to seek some benefits for the villagers first.

If even she, who had been cared for by her neighbors, was unwilling to lend a hand to her fellow villagers, how could outsiders help them?

Clan leader Song heard Song Zhi's concerns and repeatedly assured her, "That's right, that's right. Don't worry about this matter. You have provided us with an opportunity to make money. We, the Song clan, will never allow such ungrateful people to appear!"

Song Zhi saw that the Song clan leader had a serious face and a very solemn expression.

She smiled and said, "Thank you, Grandpa Clan Leader, for understanding. I was just being frank."

"But I'm not completely uncaring about everyone. Anyone who comes here to help with hat-making can stay with me for five years."

"After five years, the skill of crocheting woolen hats will belong to the villagers. I will no longer interfere whether you crochet hats to sell or teach others!"

"It's like learning a craft from a master. You have to help the master for a few years, and when you become a master, you can take on jobs freely. I call this the five-year service period. After the period is up, I will not ask about the wishes of the villagers anymore!"

However, Patriarch Song knew clearly in his heart that this was nothing like learning skills from a master.

Not to mention that there is no salary at all when learning a skill from an apprentice, one often has to do chores in the master's household, working from sunrise to sunset, and the hardship involved is self-evident.

What's worse, some masters will keep their unique skills to themselves and not pass them on easily, for fear that their apprentices will surpass them and lose their jobs.

The Song clan leader looked at Song Zhi deeply and said with emotion, "Good child, you are thoughtful!"