As for Qu Ye, in Zuo Mengeng's opinion, he is just a relatively pragmatic young man.
Unlike other scholars who focused on empty talk and did not care about popular things.
Although Qu Ye is not old, he is currently in charge of the Qu family's industry.
What Zuo Mengeng didn't know was that Qu Ye was Xu Ruolin's husband in the original history.
Qu Ye didn't know that his wife had been robbed, otherwise...
He was a weak scholar and seemed unable to do much.
"Brother Pan, Brother Zuo, you see, the entire Loutang is divided into four workshops according to different processes. This area is the cotton cleaning workshop, and that is the carding workshop. Various processes such as strip rolling and combing are available in the town. The people are skilled in craftsmanship. The whole town worked together to make Loutang Town famous for its cotton cloth."
Standing in the center of the town, Zuo Mengeng looked around.
I saw that all the houses in sight had their doors open, and people could not come in or out. You can even see the busy traffic and endless work in various yards.
There is an endless stream of people moving in and out of the house. It is said to be a common people's house, but in fact it is more like a family workshop.
"As the saying goes, education is in Jiading, food is in Loutang, and martial arts examinations are in the Xu family. Today, a distinguished guest from Zhongheng is coming from afar, and I should treat him warmly."
Qu Ye was very happy to learn about Zuo Mengeng's purpose.
They are all smart people, and they know that the future of cotton matters will depend on Zuo Mengeng’s face.
Just worried that there was no way to make good friends, Zuo Menggeng came to visit in person. If I don't seize such a good opportunity, I'm afraid I will regret it for the rest of my life.
"Brother Mansong is a landowner. Today we are all guests and do as the owner pleases."
It was still far away from the meal, so Qu Ye took Zuo Menggeng and Pan Xiaona to visit Loutang.
The history of Loutang is not far away. In the second year of Hongwu, Loutang was founded by Wang Xuan, a local.
However, the geographical location and transportation conditions here are really good, and it can be said to be uniquely endowed.
All nineteen streets in the town are built along the river, so there is a saying that "Loutang Street is crooked".
[Everywhere is accessible while doing business while the sound of the market is distant across the water]
It is the most appropriate description in poetry.
Here, as long as you take a boat, you can reach the door of any store. In this way, transportation costs are greatly reduced and cargo transportation volume is increased.
Not too far away, I saw a simple courtyard, standing very quietly beside the street. It was completely different from the bustle elsewhere and seemed out of place.
It seems very strange that there is such a place in Loutang, which has such a strong commercial atmosphere.
Zuo Mengeng didn't ask, so Qu Ye took the initiative to introduce him.
"This is the hometown of the Empress, Fengju, and it has been properly sealed to protect the prosperity of the country."
Zuo Mengeng understood that this was the hometown of Queen Zhou.
When a queen is born in the local area, the local people are naturally honored. Even the government does not dare to neglect, and will definitely provide it properly.
However, he didn't have a good impression of Chongzhen, let alone Queen Zhou.
He was more concerned about Songjiang's cotton textile industry.
During this trip to Loutang Town, Zuo Menggeng really gained a lot from Qu Ye’s explanation.
How big is Songjiang's cotton spinning industry?
There are 3,336 registered craftsmen households alone, and there are 110 people working in the Songjiang Prefecture Weaving and Dyeing Bureau alone.
In addition, Orihu accounted for 50% of the population of Matsue Prefecture. The rest also involve private households in various aspects such as silk reeling, printing and dyeing.
In other words, less than 2% of the people in Songjiang Prefecture actually make a living by farming.
Moreover, the cotton spinning in Songjiang Prefecture has a preliminary division of labor due to different types.
For example, Wunijing’s flagship product is fanbu.
Why is it called Fanbu?
Because Huang Daopo is from Wunijing.
The cloth produced here is the original variety brought back by Huang Daopo from Hainan, so it is called Fanbu.
Yaoban cloth from Qinglong Town, Sansuo cloth from Shagang Town, Dingcun cloth from Qianmentang, and fine yarn from Songzhai all have their own characteristics.
Not only do the types of cotton cloth have different divisions of labor, but the development of the cotton spinning industry has also promoted the development of related industries.
For example, the spindles used for weaving are generally produced in Jinze, Zhujing and other places, while the spinning wheels come from Luxiang, Qibao and other places.
Another example is that many families in Nanqiao Town, Fengxian, are engaged in sewing processing, mostly focusing on making finished products.
As for Zhujing, Zhujie Pavilion (Zhujiajiao) and Loutang, they are more of a distribution center for commodities and raw materials. Therefore, merchants from all over the world gathered and became increasingly prosperous.
"The weather is getting hotter and unbearable. I have no respect for you, so I hope Brother Zhongheng accepts these summer socks."
There is actually a finished shoe and sock shop in Loutang Town. When Zuo Menggeng walked in out of curiosity, Qu Ye specially selected some exquisite socks for him.
Zuo Mengeng picked it up and took a look and found that these socks were very thin, soft and comfortable, just right for wearing in the hot summer.
After asking, I found out that this kind of socks is made of a kind of fabric called "Youdun cloth". Because it is light and breathable, it is loved by people and used to wear in summer.
Youdunbu is actually not cotton, but cloud silk. Because they are delicate and light, they are popular as socks for summer wear because they are refreshing and comfortable.
Summer socks are sold to other places, and their accents have undergone great changes.
For example, in Chengdu, Youdunbu is also called oil lamp cloth. There is still Summer Sock Street in Chengdu today, which originated from this.
But seeing the summer socks made Zuo Menggeng feel confident.
He asked Fu Yusun to take out the stockings and give them to Pan Xiaona and Qu Ye to watch.
"Look, you two, these are silk stockings woven by me in Shandong. How do they compare with summer stockings?"
Pan Xiaona and Qu Ye were confused the first time they saw the stockings.
They were all experts, and they knew without Zuo Mengeng's detailed explanation that the summer socks that Songjiang people were proud of were completely incomparable to silk stockings.
"Is there such a wonderful thing in the world?"
"As thin as gauze, as transparent as mist, and as light as clouds, this kind of craftsmanship is really hard to imagine."
The shopkeeper of Summer Socks Shop also came over to take a look, and couldn't help it on the spot.
"Sir, I wonder where such ingenious things come from? How many are there? How many do we want for this company?"
Seeing Pan Xiaona taking off his shoes and trying to put stockings on his feet, Zuo Mengeng quickly stopped him.
"Oh, these socks are not for men. Those big feet of yours don't look good in them."
Pan Xiaona was stunned.
“Are socks also for men and women?”
You have quite a European masculine look.
Zuo Mengeng explained: "I improved this thing based on the men's tube socks from Oparo, but in terms of beauty, it is better for women to wear."
The shopkeeper was decisive and immediately ordered the waiter: "Go to the backyard and call Xiao Cui."
Not long after, a young and pretty maid was called to the front yard.
"Master, are you looking for me?"
The shopkeeper handed over the stockings and ordered: "Put them on your feet."
The maid was frightened.
In public, in front of a group of men, how can this be done?
Seeing that the maid's beauty had turned pale, Qu Ye quickly comforted her and said, "Don't panic. This is a new product. We are just waiting to see how effective it is."
After all, she was a girl from Jiangnan, unlike other places. After understanding what was going on, the maid didn't even hesitate.
After a while, a stocking was put on her foot.
When they saw the woman's slender and graceful ankles outlined in stockings, showing a breathtaking beauty, everyone present could hardly breathe.
They were sure that once this thing came out, women all over the world would flock to it.
No, I'm afraid men will also be fascinated by it.
Women want to please their own beauty, why don’t they buy this thing just for men?
But no matter what, the stockings will be very popular, everyone present is absolutely sure.
Qu Ye completely lost his grace and grabbed Zuo Mengeng's arm.
"Brother Zhongheng, I wonder how this product will be produced? If brother Zhongheng has any difficulty, I am willing to help you."
Pan Xiaona was so anxious that he even changed his title.
"Brother-in-law, my Pan family has more than 400 looms. If you leave this item to my Pan family for weaving, it will not be long before it can be sold all over the world."
The shopkeeper knew that he did not have the strength to compete with Pan and Qu, but he found another way: "The younger one has been selling summer socks for decades and has stores all over the south of the Yangtze River. If this product becomes popular, the younger one is willing to sell it on his behalf."
Facing the three pairs of burning eyes, Zuo Mengeng couldn't stop laughing.
"Let me tell you, even if I want to hand this thing over to you, do you have the weaving skills?"
As soon as these words came out, everyone calmed down.
Pan Xiaona and Qu Ye got together as if they had just sneaked into the senior sister's dormitory. They held the stockings inside and out and stared at them, and even put them up to their noses to smell them again and again.
In the end, everyone looked disappointed.
"My Pan family can't do it."
"No one in the entire Songjiang Mansion can do it."
This discovery shocked the two of them.
I have always thought that Songjiang Prefecture’s cotton spinning is unparalleled in the world. As a result, now it is discovered that there are fabrics in this world that Songjiang Prefecture cannot weave.
At the same time, this discovery also made the two of them wary.
It seems that Songjiang Mansion has been at the top for too long, and everyone from top to bottom has become slack and no longer wants to make progress.
Of course, this vigilance was fleeting.
The two of them looked at Zuo Mengeng at the same time.
The most urgent thing is to get a share of the stockings pie.
