It only took two days to recruit all 680 female workers that the Yan family had recruited. Among these 680 female workers, almost half were from Yan'anbao Town, and the other half were from various villages and towns around Yan'anbao. Those villages and towns were not far from Yan'anbao, so it was convenient for the recruited female workers to come to Yan'anbao to work every day. All the recruited female workers were good at spinning and weaving at home.
After recruiting all these female workers, starting from April 12, these 680 female workers started working. They walked into the gate of Yan'an Town Woolen Mill and began to familiarize themselves with the brand new spinning machines, looms, and wool washing process in the workshop. This could be regarded as pre-job training. Those in charge of the training were the couples that Yan Liqiang had invited to his home before.
Washing wool is no more difficult than washing cotton. The whole process of washing wool has many similarities with washing cotton. The same is true for spinning and weaving. The operation process is basically the same. The only difference is that the spinning machines and looms in the wool spinning mill are brand new. You just need to adapt to it.
When the chattering 680 female workers walked into the spacious and bright workshop for the first time and looked at the brand new spinning machines and looms placed on the ground, everyone was shocked and stunned. The looms were somewhat different from the looms they used at home, especially the shuttles on the looms, which were pointed and slippery at both ends, and seemed to have pulleys underneath. Especially the spinning machine, the female workers had never seen such a large spinning machine with sixteen spindles placed vertically. Such weaving tools were far beyond their imagination.
"This new spinning machine and loom were made by Master Yan. You will work on them in the future. I will teach you how to use them in the next two days. If you learn well in the future, even if you don't work in this workshop, you can go back home and your family can pool money to buy a similar spinning machine or loom. One person can spin more yarn and weave more cloth in a day than ten people did in the past. We can support our whole family and live a good life!" An elderly woman with gray hair and neat clothes stroked the polished and varnished spinning machine beside her. She said to the women with full of emotion, "Master Yan said that he made these things so that women all over the world can make money with their own skills at home in the future, and they can make more money than men. As long as they can operate these things well, women can make money, stand up straight, have status at home, be respected by their parents-in-law and men at home, and will not be bullied. These things are treasures that support and aspire for women all over the world. We must operate them well in the future and don't let Master Yan down. We, 680 women, must set an example for women all over the world here..."
The mother-in-law's words touched the hearts of almost all the women at once. All the women were excited. Some women thought of their own situations at home, and when they heard these words, they couldn't help but have red eyes and shed tears.
When they were studying later, all the women naturally studied very hard.
That night, when these women returned home, they naturally told their families what they had seen and heard that day. It was impossible to keep secret what hundreds of women had seen, and Yan Liqiang did not intend to keep it secret any longer.
As a result, by the next day, almost everyone in Pingxi County knew that the Yan family had a new type of spinning and loom that could increase the efficiency of spinning and weaving by more than ten or twenty times. At the same time, the Yan family had mastered the technology of degreasing wool for weaving. According to the women who had seen wool textiles, the Yan family workshop already had a small amount of wool woven into several different specifications of cloth. Those cloths were soft and elastic, with a smooth surface, delicate texture, and especially warm in the hand, making people love them at first sight.
Until this time, everyone suddenly realized why the Yan family had been frantically buying wool and raising sheep in the past few months. It turned out that wool, a useless thing, was completely turned into treasure in the hands of the Yan family and could be used to weave cloth. Cloth trade was the most profitable business in the Han Empire besides salt. Many wealthy families made their fortunes from this business. If the Yan family really mastered this business, it would be difficult not to make money!
As the saying goes, money can move people's hearts. The whole Pingxi County was in an uproar, and the news spread quickly from Pingxi County to all directions.
Many savvy businessmen and big families in Pingxi County also reacted at this time and wanted to follow suit to buy wool. However, at this time, those who wanted to follow the trend looked around Pingxi County and found that the wool in Pingxi County had long been monopolized by the Yan family and the Lu family. There were not many scattered sheep left. Not only had the wool been collected, but there were not many sheep left. In addition to buying several large ranches in Pingxi County, the Yan family also bought a lot of land in several surrounding counties to use as ranches to raise sheep...
For a time, Yan'an Fort and the Manufacturing Bureau became lively again. Merchants who heard the news and were engaged in cloth business flocked to Yan'an Fort, and all the inns in Yan'an Fort were crowded at once. Those who wanted to get involved in this business all flocked to the Manufacturing Bureau, because they heard that the spinning and looms of the Yan family, which could increase the efficiency of spinning and weaving by dozens of times, were all produced by the Manufacturing Bureau under Yan Liqiang. If the Manufacturing Bureau could really produce such spinning and weaving machines, they would have to buy a few of them no matter what. When those people went to the Manufacturing Bureau to ask, they found out that the Manufacturing Bureau could indeed manufacture those spinning and weaving machines, and sell them to the outside world. The selling price was not as exaggerated as a four-wheeled carriage, but was just a little more expensive than ordinary spinning and weaving machines. The price was fair. If you want to buy, you can pay a deposit first, and then queue up...
In the following days, cloth merchants and big families from outside Pingxi County who heard the news swarmed in, not only making the manufacturing bureau crowded with people, but also making Yan'an Fort bustling. Countless visiting cards were sent to the Yan family, wanting to discuss business with the Yan family...
After seven days of on-the-job training, on April 19, the Yan's Woolen Mill in Yan'anbao officially started operations. Early in the morning, all the cloth merchants in Ganzhou who had heard the news flocked to Yan'anbao, almost crowding the entire street of Yanjiabao...
(End of this chapter)