How did a street urchin from the film crew end up in a Northern Song Dynasty drama called "The

Jin Shuai thought for a moment and replied, "Silly, why don't we have them organize the neighbors to do it together? We can keep a record of who did how much and how many they did, and then collect the money later. Nowadays, women basically have nothing to do at home. If there was a job that could earn money from home, would you do it?"

"My lord, I think I understand now. May my wife try it first?" Li Wei asked with a smile. He secretly thought this business seemed promising; it could not only help his wife earn money but also solve the family's financial problems. Thinking of this, he couldn't help but smile.

Jin Shuai nodded in agreement: "Of course, but you need to guarantee quality and on-time delivery. If you do well, you'll get more orders in the future. You and Aunt Liu can discuss the specifics!" Jin Shuai said. He handed over the operational details to Aunt Liu, trusting her to handle things well. For Jin Shuai, as long as the result met his requirements, that was all that mattered.

"How do you calculate the labor fee, sir?" Li Wei asked.

"Butler, how is the normal pay for needlework calculated?" Jin Shuai asked. He wanted to know the market rate so he could give a suitable price.

"Twenty to thirty coins a day," the steward replied. He was very familiar with the market and gave a relatively accurate figure. This wage was considered above average at the time and could attract some experienced female workers to join.

"Aunt Liu, how many can our female workers make a day?" Jin Shuai wanted to know about the production efficiency.

“The slower ones can do 10, the more skilled ones can do 15-20,” said Aunt Liu. She had a clear understanding of the female workers’ abilities, knowing who was more skilled and who needed further training.

"Everyone, what's your suggestion on how much to price each?" Jin Shuai asked with a smile. He encouraged everyone to share their opinions and discuss how to develop a reasonable pricing strategy. He believed that by pooling their wisdom, they could find the best solution.

“I think two coins each is reasonable. Unlike female factory workers who can produce so much in a day, even five women can earn ten coins, which would amount to 100 coins in ten days, and 300 coins a month, enough to buy a bushel of rice,” the steward suggested. This price would ensure the female factory workers’ basic needs without making production costs too high, while also guaranteeing product quality and delivery time.

“I think the same as the steward. I only earn 700 coins a month at the brokerage, which is almost half of my salary,” Li Wei said.

"If we pay too low a price, efficiency will suffer. We need to incentivize female workers. Let's start with 4 wen per woman, and then raise the price as production increases. Do we have a clear understanding of the numbers? How many women are there in the entire Song Dynasty? Each woman typically has two sets of underwear. In the capital city of Bianjing alone, there are at least 2 million residents. Even if there are 100 women and each has two sets, that's 30 sets. If we earn 60 wen per set, that's 6 guan. And that's just for ordinary underwear. Imagine how many women there are in the whole country! If we have the time, we can open a processing plant when there are more soldiers and their families, and manage it uniformly."

"Hiss, with all that money, what if someone copies it?" Li Wei asked.

"That's asking for trouble. This is a project initiated by Her Majesty the Empress to show compassion for soldiers' families. Local governments will also share the profits and strictly regulate it. Officials who want to curry favor and make money are all hoping you'll produce counterfeits. Besides, if you were a local franchisee, would you let anyone steal your business?" Jin Shuai said with a smile.