As for Qu Ye, in Zuo Mengeng's view, 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 is a weak scholar and can't seem to do much.
"Brother Pan, Brother Zuo, you see, the whole 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 all 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 within sight had their doors open, and people were not allowed to come in and out. You could even see busy people going about and working non-stop in each yard.
There is an endless stream of people moving in and out carrying goods. 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.
I was worried that I couldn't make good friends, so Zuo Menggeng came to visit me personally. If I didn't seize such a good opportunity, I would regret it for the rest of my life.
"Brother Mansong is a landowner, so today we are just guests and doing as we please."
It was still far away from the meal, so Qu Ye took Zuo Mengeng and Pan Xiaona to visit Loutang.
The history of Loutang is not far back. In the second year of Hongwu, Loutang was founded by Wang Xuan, a native of Li.
However, the geographical location and transportation conditions here are really good, and it can be said to be uniquely blessed.
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 city 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. This greatly reduces transportation costs and increases the volume of cargo transportation.
Not too far away, I saw a simple little 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.
When Zuo Mengeng asked, Qu Ye took the initiative to introduce him.
"This is the hometown of 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.
If a queen is born in the local area, the local people will naturally be honored. Even the government will not dare to neglect her and will definitely provide for her well.
However, he didn't have a good impression of Chongzhen, let alone Empress 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, weaving households account for 50% of the population of Songjiang Prefecture. The rest include 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 in 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, they have gathered merchants from all over the world and become 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, making them suitable for wearing in hot summer weather.
After asking, I found out that this kind of socks is woven from a kind of fabric called "Youdun cloth". Because it is light and breathable, it is loved by people and used to wear in summer.
Youdun cloth is actually not cotton, but cloud silk. Because it is delicate and light, it is very popular for being used to make socks for summer wear that are refreshing and comfortable.
Summer socks are exported to other places, and their accents have undergone great changes.
For example, in Chengdu, Youdunbu is also called oil lamp cloth. There is still Shu Sock Street in Chengdu today, which originated from this.
But seeing the summer socks gave Zuo Menggeng a sense of confidence.
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 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 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 need 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 quite have the style of a European man.
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.
Showing your feet in front of a group of men in public, how can this happen?
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 trying to see how it works."
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 very 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.
If a woman wants to please her own appearance, isn’t it just for a man to buy this thing?
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 won't 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, holding the stockings inside and out and looking 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 Prefecture can do it."
This discovery shocked both of them.
I have always thought that Songjiang Prefecture’s cotton spinning is unparalleled in the world. But now I have discovered that there are fabrics in the 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 only 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 market.