My sister became the empress, but I'm still growing vegetables and raising chickens

The woman who was speaking was Zhang Mazi's wife from the south of the village. Zhang Mazi loved to drink, and he would get drunk every day. He did nothing about the housework or the farm work, leaving it to Zhang's wife and their children to do all the work.

Moreover, when the men in the village are not busy with farming, they will go to the county town to find hard work. They can earn thirty or forty cents a day as temporary workers, which can also supplement their family income.

Zhang Mazi doesn't do that.

So Zhang Mazi's family lived a very difficult life, just like those families in the village who had no strong laborers. In order to provide Zhang Mazi with alcohol, the family might not even have enough food to eat.

Seeing that the village head's wife didn't say anything, Mrs. Zhang secretly curled her lips. If she didn't want to say anything, then so be it. After she was done with her work, she would go to the county town to see if the porridge business was doing well.

After selling porridge the next day, Si Muyan asked his younger brother to clean up and asked his younger sister to buy what he needed for the day. He then went to the rain gear shop and showed the drawn drawings to the shopkeeper.

"I want to make a awning like this that can be folded up when not in use and is easy to carry."

The shopkeeper scratched his head and said, "My family has never made anything before. Will this work?"

"If it can be made, it will definitely be useful. The principle is actually the same as an umbrella, which can be opened and closed. The only thing to note is that the joints must be solid, otherwise it will leak."

The shopkeeper understood the blueprint and was silent for a moment before saying, "I can have someone try to make it, but I can't guarantee it will work."

Si Muyan smiled and nodded: "Since I designed it, as long as you follow the steps, it will definitely work. How long will it take and how much will it cost?"

"One and a half taels of silver. Pay half a tael as a deposit first, and you can pick it up in three days."

This price is a bit expensive.

But Si Muyan also understood the store owner's hesitation. After all, it was a new thing that needed to be tried, and both labor and materials had to be taken into consideration.

"Okay, but I have a request."

The shopkeeper was stunned and asked, "What's the request?"

Si Muyan said, "I designed the blueprints, so the things are naturally mine. You are not allowed to make this kind of awning from now on, and you are not allowed to give or sell the blueprints to anyone else."

The shopkeeper didn't think such a troublesome rain gear was a big deal, so he agreed immediately: "Don't worry, my family is a century-old brand, and the craftsmen are all our own. We will never pass on our skills to others."

Si Muyan said: "Words are not enough, I need written evidence."

The shopkeeper looked at Si Muyan curiously: "Can you read?"

"of course."

The shopkeeper smiled, took the pen and ink, and wrote the contract by hand according to Si Muyan's instructions, one copy for each person.

When she went to get the awning three days later, Si Muyan was greeted not only by the shopkeeper but also by an older middle-aged man.

The man's face was full of wrinkles, and his hands were rough and cracked. It was estimated that his hands looked like this because he had been working without rest for many years.

The shopkeeper introduced: "Our surname is Wu, and this is my eldest brother. All the rain gear in our shop is supervised by my eldest brother, and the craftsmen are also our nephews, brought up by my eldest brother."

Craftsmen's homes like this adhere to a principle of inheritance, keeping their craftsmanship secret. Although it's just a simple rain gear, it's filled with profound meaning, and ordinary people can't see the ingenuity at all.

Si Muyan smiled and said, "Hello, Uncle Wu, you helped build my awning, right?"

Uncle Wu nodded and said, "Yes, it's done. Please check it first."

After saying that, he and Shopkeeper Wu opened the awning.

It was much more perfect than Si Muyan had imagined. She had originally thought that the ancient craftsmanship must not be so good, and the awning would definitely not be so smooth when folding and opening.

Unexpectedly, it is not only incredibly smooth, but also has a switch buckle at the joint. Once opened, just press it and it will not move easily. There are even six wheels at the bottom, making it even more convenient to move.

Si Muyan was overjoyed. After trying a few times, she nodded. "Great, great! Uncle Wu's craftsmanship is truly excellent. This wheel isn't in my drawings. Do I have to pay extra?"

Uncle Wu waved his hand: "No, I installed it because I thought it would be more convenient for you. It's not worth it."

Si Muyan smiled and took out a tael of silver and handed it over.

But Shopkeeper Wu didn't take it, instead he looked at Uncle Wu.

Uncle Wu was a craftsman and not good at speaking, but he still said, "Miss, let's talk about the money later. I came here today to talk about other things."

"Oh?"

Si Muyan raised an eyebrow.

She guessed it.

This kind of awning is infinitely better than the bulky and inconvenient ones on the market. After she uses it, many people will surely imitate it.

It's not that no one could figure it out, but without blueprints, it would definitely be much more troublesome, and the number of trial and error steps would increase significantly.

The only place that can make it directly is this rain gear shop.

This is also why, when Si Muyan made the decision, he asked Manager Wu to sign such a contract.

She had originally thought it would take a while, with many people asking about her awnings, before Shopkeeper Wu would come to her to buy the blueprints. Unexpectedly, Uncle Wu, a craftsman rather than a businessman, was even more perceptive than Shopkeeper Wu.

Uncle Wu wasn't very good at speaking, so it was Shopkeeper Wu who took the initiative to speak.

"Miss, my brother is very interested in your drawings, but we signed a contract not to build them anymore. Today, I want to ask, if we want to build a awning like that, what are your conditions?"

Si Muyan curved her eyebrows and said, "Five taels of silver."

"What?" Shopkeeper Wu was surprised. Firstly, he didn't expect the girl to be so straightforward, and secondly, he didn't expect it to cost only five taels of silver.

In fact, when a new item comes out, some people buy more than ten or twenty taels of it in order to seize the opportunity.

Their plan was that as long as the girl didn't ask for too much, they would be willing to give her fifteen taels at most.

Si Muyan said, "I drew it myself, originally for my own convenience. But I didn't expect that Uncle Wu would make such reasonable changes based on my design, which shows that the master craftsman is really good. So, of course, I can't charge too much for the drawings, five taels of silver is enough. However, Uncle Wu, Shopkeeper Wu, I'm in a hurry, so please sign the contract quickly."

Rewriting the contract means that Si Muyan's blueprint can only be used by their family and cannot be given to anyone else.

"Oh, okay." Shopkeeper Wu hurried to write.

Uncle Wu asked Si Muyan, "Miss, how could you come up with such a wonderful idea? In fact, if possible, you can draw some more rain gear for me. If they are reasonable, we can buy them."

Si Muyan shook her head and said, "I draw pictures to make it easier for myself. I don't actually have any natural talent for this. In comparison, Uncle Wu has a truly remarkable eye. He can tell what needs to be changed at a glance."

How could she have such ability? She had only seen something similar in modern times.