Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
In just two days, the Yan Clan managed to recruit 680 female workers. About half of them were from town, while the other half were from other villages around the Yan Fortress. Since those villages were nearby, it was quite convenient for those workers to come work at the Yan Fortress. All the women were skillful spinners and weavers at home.
All the female workers officially started working on the 12th day of the fourth lunar month. They walked through the main entrance of the Yan Fortress’ woolen mill and started familiarizing themselves with the newly-designed spinning frames and looms, as well as the process of scouring wool. It could be said that they were undertaking a pre-job training, conducted by the couples that Yan Liqiang hired before.
Scouring wool wasn’t much harder than washing cotton. In fact, the processes had a lot of similarities. The concepts of spinning and weaving were pretty much the same too. The only difference operation-wise was that the spinning frames and looms in the woolen mill were new, so the workers would need to familiarize themselves with the devices.
When the chattering 680 female workers walked into the spacious and brightly-lit workroom for the very first time, everyone was stunned by the sight of the brand-new spinning frames and looms in the room. Those devices were a little different than the ones they had at home, especially the weaving shuttles on the loom. They were smooth, sharp on both ends, and seemed to have some sort of pulleys underneath them. The women had never seen such a huge spinning frame that could accommodate sixteen spindles either. Such weaving tools were simply beyond their imagination.
“Lord Yan invented the new spinning frames and looms. All of you will be working with these devices in the future, so I will be teaching you how to operate them over these two days. Once you have mastered how to operate these, consider raising enough money to purchase a similar spinning frame and loom like these ones even if you no longer work here. With these, even one person would be able to weave more than the amount of textile that ten people could in the past. You will be able to feed your entire family alone and live a good life!”
A neatly-dressed old woman with graying hair caressed the well-polished and painted spinning frame beside her as she continued her emotional speech to the other women. “Lord Yan said that he invented these to allow women to earn a living through their crafts at home and also enable them to earn more money than men. As long as a woman can operate these, they can earn money as well as respect from their in-laws and husband. Having certain position at home means we won’t be mistreated. Hence, these objects are actually treasures that support women and help us grow a backbone. We must study well and not let Lord Yan’s goodwill go to waste! All the 680 women here shall become the role models of all women in the nation…!”
The old woman’s words seemed to resonate with all the women gathered here. They were all worked up. Some women were moved to tears as they recalled the treatment that they received at home.
Needless to say, all of them were very focused on their studies afterwards.
When the women returned home at night, they shared their experiences with their family. Although it was no longer possible to make several hundred women keep a secret, Yan Liqiang didn’t expect things to remain a secret either.
By the next day, almost everyone in Pingxi Prefecture knew the Yan Residence owned brand new spinning frames and looms that could improve weaving efficiency by ten or twentyfold and at the same time, they also mastered the spinning and weaving techniques for degreased wool. According to the women who had seen the wool products, the workshop at the Yan Residence had weaved different types of textiles that incorporated small amounts of wool. The material of these fabrics were soft, elastic, and smooth. They also had a delicate texture that was very warm to the hands and pleasant to touch.
It was only then that everyone finally understood why the Yan Clan had been buying wool like crazy over the past few months and building sheep enclosures. It turned out that the Yan Clan could actually turn the useless wool into valuable objects by spinning and weaving them. Aside from salt, textile was another extremely profitable business within the Great Han Empire. Many influential clans prospered through this industry. If the Yan Clan managed this business well, they would surely thrive.
The entire Pingxi Prefecture erupted as news about this spread like wildfire in all directions.
Many shrewd businessmen and influential clans in Pingxi Prefecture reacted quickly and tried to purchase wool. However, the trend followers soon realized that there wasn’t much wool left in Pingxi Prefecture as they had all been bought by the Yan and Lu Clans. Not only the wool, but there weren’t even many sheep left to buy. Aside from buying a few big ranches in Pingxi Prefecture, the Yan Clan also bought many lands in the neighboring prefectures to set up their own ranches.
For now, things were lively again in the Yan Fortress and the manufacturing bureau. The cloth merchants who heard the news immediately flocked to the Yan Fortress, causing the local inns to be fully packed. Those who wished to set foot in this line of business rushed to the manufacturing bureau because they heard that the spinning frames and looms that could raise work efficiency by more than tenfold were manufactured there. If Yan Liqiang’s manufacturing bureau was really producing these spinning frames and looms, then they had to their hands on a few of them.
Upon reaching the manufacturing bureau, they found out that the place was indeed producing and selling the items at an affordable price. The prices were not as crazy as the four-wheeled carriages. They were only slightly more expensive than the ordinary spinning frames and looms. Those who wished to place orders were requested to pay the deposit and wait their turn.
Over the next few days, the other cloth merchants and influential clans outside of Pingxi Prefecture also flocked to the Yan Fortress after hearing the news. Not only was the manufacturing bureau crowded, but the entire fortress was bustling with people. Countless greeting cards were sent to the Yan Residence, requesting for a business meeting with the Yan Clan.
After a week of training, the woolen mill in the Yan Fortress officially began work on the 19th day of the fourth lunar month. The cloth merchants in Gan Province also rushed to the Yan Fortress, further crowding the town…