After seeing Pang Yuan off, Pang Rou coughed a few times, slowly finished the medicine in her hand, then stood up and asked the maid to take her cloak and go out.
The maid followed closely and asked: "Miss, are you going to see the county lady?"
Pang Rou did not respond. She walked with her head down for a while, and only stopped when she reached the gate of Su Yao's courtyard.
Just then, Yan Cao came through the corridor holding a lot of flowers. When she saw Pang Rou, she hurried over to greet her.
The female students who had followed to Yunnan a few days ago had already been introduced to each other by Mrs. Liao. Pang Rou had also been coming over from time to time these days, so Yan Cao was no stranger to her. She smiled and greeted her, then asked, "Miss Pang, are you here to see our girl?"
Pang Rou nodded amiably: "Yes, is Miss Su in there?"
Yan Cao shook her head and said, "Young lady, you came at an unfortunate time. Our young lady just went out with Madam Yuan. There was something going on in the weaving field, so she went to take a look."
Pang Rou nodded and asked her, "Where is the weaving field? Is it far away?"
Yan Cao stopped, holding the flower and looked at her: "It's a bit far, it will take an hour by carriage, do you want to go, Miss Pang?"
"I want to go over and take a look." Pang Rou nodded. Seeing that Yan Cao seemed to have a hard time carrying the flowers, she asked a maid to help share some of the burden. After the maid helped to take the flowers in and came out, she asked the maid to ask the doorman to harness the carriage and go out.
Although they were living in the Mu Mansion temporarily, with the financial and human resources of the Pang family, they had already bought a house even though they had just arrived in Dali Prefecture. Unlike ordinary officials, the doormen of the Mu Mansion were now replaced by soldiers from the Great Zhou Dynasty. When they heard that the girl from the Duke Pingguo's Mansion was going out, they hurriedly prepared the carriage.
Sitting in the carriage, Pang Rou's maid saw that she had been deep in thought and didn't say anything, so she couldn't help but feel a little worried: "Miss, what are you thinking about?"
Pang Rou came back to her senses, shook her head and said nothing.
The maid didn't dare to ask any more questions and could only serve as carefully as possible.
When they arrived at the place, he hurriedly jumped out of the car and helped Pang Rou down.
The weaving mill of Dali Prefecture was built in the north of the city. It had many connected courtyards, all of which were bungalows and looked unremarkable.
But it was extremely lively here. As soon as Pang Rou got off the carriage, she almost thought she had arrived at Dongsi Hutong in the capital. It would not be an exaggeration to describe it as bustling with people.
Inside and outside the alleys, there are small vendors pushing carts, women carrying baskets selling snacks, and children running around. It looks like a lively scene.
As she watched, a smile appeared in her eyes: "Miss Su is really capable."
It is a rare ability to be able to make a place that has just experienced war recover so quickly, and everyone is fearless and thriving.
The girl was a little disapproving: "As soon as she opens her mouth, countless people will do things for her. She is naturally powerful. Anyone would be powerful too."
Pang Rou frowned and scolded in a low voice: "If you keep talking nonsense like this, don't follow me out anymore!"
The girl didn't expect that her words would offend her, and she dared not say anything more.
Pang Rou watched outside for a while, then turned around and went into the weaving mill.
When he heard that she came from the capital and reported her identity, the doorman quickly went in to report. After a while, he came out respectfully and led her in.
The weaving mill was very large, with several areas for dyeing cloth. After walking for a while, Pang Rou's forehead was already covered with sweat. By the time she reached the resting place where Su Yao and the others were, her face was flushed and she was out of breath.
Fortunately, Su Yao knew that she was not feeling well, so he asked her to sit down and asked someone to pour some water.
Pang Rou took a long time to recover, and thanked Su Yao a little embarrassedly: "I wanted to come and see you... but my body is really not doing well. I'm sorry to have caused you trouble."
Su Yao has always been a soft-hearted person. Pang Rou was gentle and kind after coming to Dali Prefecture. Su Yao was also more patient: "What's the matter? If you like, you can come over often, as long as your body can handle it."
Mrs. Yuan seemed to be hesitant to speak.
It’s not that she dislikes Pang Rou. In fact, Pang Rou is much more amiable than the average daughter of an official.
But at this critical moment, she always felt that the real purpose was not to drink.
Mrs. Yuan knew the relationship between Su Yao and Xiao Heng.
Pang Rou didn't pay attention. She was focused on Su Yao. When she heard Su Yao say that, her eyes lit up: "Really? Can I always follow you? I heard that many girls in the weaving mill are from native families and have a hard life..."
Mrs. Yuan was stunned.
Su Yao was also a little surprised, but she quickly reacted and nodded with a smile: "Yes, most of these girls have miserable backgrounds. Many of them have parents who are not around or have had accidents. If they can find work in the weaving field, it is the hope of the whole family."
Pang Rou listened attentively, and when she saw those skinny little girls, she was even more shocked.
It was not until the evening, when the children had finished their meal, that Pang Rou asked softly, "Sister Su, I heard that the weaving mill in Kunming has begun to produce some cloth, but even at their current pace, they can only maintain a balance between income and expenditure. What about the current Dali Prefecture..."
Su Yao knew what she wanted to ask and nodded affirmatively: "Now the weaving mill in Dali Prefecture is just maintaining operation. It is still in the investment stage and there is no surplus."
Pang Rou bit her lip and said, "So, do these girls get paid now?"
Su Yao shook her head truthfully: "Not yet. They are still learning skills and getting familiar with looms, fabrics, etc., so they don't get paid. It was the same in Kunming. They didn't get paid at the beginning."
However, most of the girls in Kunming are orphans, so all they need is food.
The situation here is indeed a little more complicated.
Pang Rou thought for a moment and asked softly, "Then, can I help?"
Seeing Su Yao looking at her, she hurriedly said, "My grandfather gave me a few shops, and I have some extra money, so I just want to see if there is anything I can help. Especially those poor little girls, their relatives at home..."
Su Yao didn't expect Pang Rou to come here for this. There was a little more warmth in his eyes and his tone became more intimate: "Of course, if you want to help, I'll let Madam Yuan give you a few names. They are all very lonely girls. However, giving money can only help temporarily, not forever. So if you want to help, you can give some appropriate silver, but not too much, for fear of not being able to provide enough."
Pang Rou quickly agreed.