A blessed wife leads her husband to wealth and prosperity!

"I'd like to know how much this suitcase you mentioned cost?" Cao looked at Lin He'er standing in front of the shelf, talking to her confidently, and for a moment she began to believe that she could really make what she wanted.

One hundred and fifty taels of silver each.

How much? Even though Cao's family had some savings, she was still taken aback by Lin He'er's price. This thing called a suitcase—was it made of gold?

Shopkeeper, you're not just taking advantage of my desire to charge an exorbitant price, are you?

Madam, this price is absolutely fair. The cost of materials and the craftsmen's wages alone would be a considerable expense. I dare say that only our shop can make what you want.

How about this, I'll show you the blueprints for this suitcase first, and then you can decide whether you want it made or not, okay?

Alright, hearing that she could see the blueprints first, Cao felt that this was more reliable. If she paid the money first and then didn't like the finished product, the loss would be enormous.

Madam, please wait a moment while I go to the backyard to get the blueprints.

After Lin He'er finished speaking, she turned around and went back to her room in the backyard.

After entering the room, Lin He'er took the paper and pen she needed and began to draw on the paper.

Before long, the shape of a suitcase appeared on the paper.

Once the blueprints were finished, they were taken directly to the shop in front.

Madam, thank you for waiting. Here are the blueprints for the suitcase.

Cao took the paper and looked down at what was on it.

There are two drawings on this paper. One is a rectangular box. The other seems to be what the inside of the box looks like when it's opened.

Shopkeeper, I don't quite understand this picture. Could you explain it to me?

"Yes, Madam." Lin He'er leaned closer to the counter, closer to Madam Cao.

Pointing to the first picture, he said:

This is a full view of the suitcase. It's a long and wide wooden box.

This box is made entirely of wood, with the surface coated with waterproof tung oil. It's resistant to wind and rain when you're out and about.

Here, on top of the suitcase, there's a pull handle. When traveling, you can simply pull the suitcase up and drag it along the ground.

The box will have four wheels at the bottom, like a horse-drawn carriage, pulling it along the ground. This way, it requires absolutely no effort for a person to pull it.

Then there's the side of the box, where there's a long strip-shaped thing. I call this a zipper, meaning to unzip and connect.

There is also a lock on the side of the box to lock it, so that no one other than yourself can open the box from the outside.

After hearing Lin He'er describe the exterior of the box, Cao was stunned. This box was truly something out of the blue; it had wheels and a lock. Where had she ever heard of such a thing?

Taking a breather, Lin He'er pointed to the second picture and said:

This is what the box looks like inside after it's been opened. See how spacious it is? There's definitely enough room for personal items, books, or other things.

There is also a compartment in the upper lid of the box, which can be used to store banknotes, letters and other paper items.

The bottom of the box has a rope. After you put your things in, you can tie the ropes together to keep the contents from getting messy because the box is upright.

What do you think of this box?

Good, really good! Cao couldn't find any fault with this suitcase at all.

If there's anything wrong with it, it's that the price isn't cheap. But if it can really be made like the one in the drawings, then 150 taels would be well worth the money!

Madam, you've seen the blueprints. You can consider it; after all, this box isn't cheap. When we make custom-made items like this, we always ask the customer if they can accept the time and cost constraints.

How long will it take to make this box? When Cao heard that there was a time requirement, she didn't know how long she would have to wait.

It will take more than a month to make this suitcase.

Can you afford to wait? After all, to protect our reputation, we'll take our time and do a good job for you!

A month would be just right. It seems we need to finalize this matter as soon as possible.

Shopkeeper, I've made this suitcase. Just tell me the deposit amount, and I'll pay it right away.

Madam, you're very generous. You can give me a deposit of 70 taels, and I'll pay the balance when you come to the shop to pick up the box.

Okay. Chun'er, get the money.

Lin He'er accepted the money, went to the backyard to have Wen Yuning write a receipt, and gave it to Cao Shi, agreeing on a pickup time. She then politely saw the person out of the shop.

"Madam, I truly admire you." Cao'er, who had witnessed Lin He'er earn a large sum of money for the shop in such a short time, was now gazing at Lin He'er with starry eyes.

Hehe, Grass is great too. Lin He'er felt a little embarrassed to be stared at so admiringly.

It took quite a while to do business with this lady. Lin He'er smiled and encouraged Cao'er again before hurriedly leaving the shop to go to the carriage shop to send a letter.

After returning from the carriage shop and having a hearty lunch, Lin He'er began to think about how to make the suitcase.

To make this suitcase, we had to break it down and make it piece by piece. After all, even suitcases from my previous life required the body and parts to be made separately and then assembled together.

There's someone in the family who can make the suitcase. If I hadn't seen how excellent Meng Xing's carpentry was this morning, I really wouldn't have dared to mention the suitcase to Cao Shi.

Once the box body is made of wood according to the drawings and then coated with a layer of waterproof tung oil, it should be completed quickly.

Secondly, there's the zipper. I wonder which blacksmith in town has the skill to make it. I imagine such a large county must have some skilled craftsmen.

The box body should be built quickly, but the metal parts like the zippers will take longer. The reason I told Cao that it would take a month was because I didn't know exactly how long it would take to make the zippers.

We can only try to set the time as long as possible.

Mengxing, you don't need to make too many beads and buttons; these are enough.

When Lin He'er came out of her room after finishing her meal, she saw that the man had taken his tools and started working again.

It seems that he didn't join the army out of passion; carpentry was his true calling.

"Madam, are you done?" Meng Xing still felt somewhat unsatisfied when Lin He'er called out to him.

It's not that we're not doing it anymore, it's that we're going to do something else.

I didn't have a chance to tell you earlier, but the shop got a big job. If it's done well, we'll get 150 taels of silver. That'll be enough for our living expenses for a long time to come.

One hundred and fifty taels. When Meng Xing heard that Lin He'er had actually accepted such a large order at noon, he admired his wife from the bottom of his heart.

No wonder she's my benefactor's wife; she's not only beautiful but also a great earner. My benefactor is truly blessed to have married a woman like her.

However, we need your help with this job that our shop has taken on. I will hire you at the carpenter's rate, how about that?

No need, madam. I'm just idling around anyway, so leave the heavy lifting to me.