Gasp! She's a Time Traveler Using Modern Tech to Improve Ancient Life-Chapter 446 - 444: Cotton Cloth Is More Expensive Than Silk

In Xiao Chong’s County Government, the only ones who could be considered his elder brother were his clan cousin Xiao Ce and his cousin Dugu Di.

However, regarding Dugu Di, Lin Wanwan heard during her inspection in Little Creek Town that he had already left. How come Xiao Chong now mentioned two elder brothers?

Lin Wanwan curiously asked, "Cousin, I heard a few days ago that cousin Dugu had left. Has he returned now?"

Xiao Chong replied, "Xiwen hasn’t left, he’s gone out to catch dirt on certain people. Thanks to his efforts, although we didn’t catch the big fish in the tooth man incident, we did nab quite a few of the shrimps and crabs guarding the big fish."

"The big fish? So these tooth men really had protection. Cousin, after we split up in Hongjia Tang Town last time, you never wrote to me. Why did that group kidnap Qingyu? Have they confessed?"

Lin Wanwan thought about it later; there were so many people in the workshop at that time, yet the tooth man clearly aimed only at Qingyu, which was intentional.

After taking a sip of wine, Xiao Chong said, "They confessed, which is why I’m here this time. Do you remember the Yu Family?"

"Yu Family?" Lin Wanwan frowned and thought for a bit, "Is it the Yuye Yu Family who sold me the house in Little Creek Town, or the Yu Family who married the Wang lady as the first wife’s daughter-in-law?"

"It’s the Yu Family who married the Wang lady," Xiao Chong replied, "These two Yu Families are from the same sect, just five generations apart, not considered relatives."

"So the matter with Qingyu is the fault of this Yu Family? I recall you sentenced Lady Wang to exile?"

"Yes, she hired murderers to kill a court official. Exile was lenient, but this matter ultimately offended the Yu Family," Xiao Chong’s tiger eyes gleamed coldly. "Yu Family’s two sons by the eldest wife are both Wang’s biological sons. Knowing they couldn’t deal with me, they turned their bad intentions toward you.

Unfortunately, we only caught an old servant from their house this time. No matter how much I tortured him, he refused to confess, insisting out of hatred that he incited the tooth man to kidnap during the chaos, unrelated to his masters, all his own doing."

Lin Wanwan angrily said, "This old servant must be keeping quiet to protect his family. Can’t cousin catch his family too?"

Xiao Chong laughed, "Does cousin think I wrote the Tang Law?"

Lin Wanwan was also confused by anger and sighed, "I just can’t accept it."

Immediately, her eyes gleamed fiercely, and she said seriously, "Yu Family thinks I’m easy to bully like a sick cat. One day, I’ll let them know who’s truly the sick cat."

Xiao Chong returned to his usual calm demeanor, ignoring Lin Wanwan’s harsh words and focusing on eating heartily.

After getting used to the chili’s spicy flavor, the occasional spice in the dish was particularly invigorating, like the pickled fish in front of him.

Lin Wanwan still wanted to ask more about the tooth man issue, but Xiao Chong avoided it again.

Anyway, since she wasn’t in a position to govern, as long as the main culprit who directly kidnapped Qingyu was executed, the rest doesn’t concern her, so she didn’t probe further.

Xiao Chong wasn’t someone to be trifled with; he didn’t hesitate when it was time to be ruthless. Lin Wanwan was confident of this.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have sentenced the over-40-year-old woman Wang, who married into Yu Family’s eldest house, to three years of exile.

In the Great Tang, nobles had significant privileges; most crimes could be reduced by paying copper. Toppling a wife without a husband falling was no easy task.

The Great Tang nobles often sent wrongdoers to family temples or Daoist Temples to "cultivate" to maintain the family’s reputation. Household women directly sentenced by County Government was rare, occurring once in years. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

Like Wang’s natal family, her mother, sister-in-law, and sisters survived by selling family assets and paying copper fines; they’re still living well.

Although they couldn’t be noblewomen anymore, they lived much better than ordinary folks, with the lifestyle of affluent farmers.

Wang herself, though an outsider married, was backed by the Yu Family and unaffected, yet irrationally believed she could avenge her father and brothers alone, and directly sent assassins against Xiao Chong and Lin Wanwan.

This was akin to plucking whiskers off a tiger’s face—searching for death! Sentenced to three years of exile was already a result of the Yu Family pulling strings.

After sending Xiao Chong off, Lin Wanwan met with Sun Chuyao to inquire about today’s cotton cloth sales progress.

"Madam, the cotton cloth sold for a good price; one bolt sold for one string of money, even higher than silk!" Sun Chuyao excitedly reported the success to Lin Wanwan.

Lin Wanwan didn’t find it impressive; this was the first batch of cotton cloth, a scarce commodity across the entire Great Tang market. Selling for only one string per bolt was admittedly not high, as it fell toward the lower end of the price range Lin Wanwan set.

Pure cotton cloth is more comfortable than silk for close wear, given its softness and sweat-absorbing qualities. For children, soft cotton yarn is very suitable as close-fitting clothing.

In the Chang’an market, cotton cloth from Western Regions was pricier than silk. However, due to its rarity, it didn’t circulate like currency, thus valuing less than silk in terms of circulation.

Until cotton production increased, Lin Wanwan aimed to sell cotton cloth as a luxury item. The current price was still a bit away from the luxury price Lin Wanwan imagined.

After sending Sun Chuyao off, Lin Wanwan sat on the mat, contemplating how to maximize profit.

The batch of fans made by third uncle were sold through Red Face Smile, earning a substantial profit.

Afterwards, clever Tang craftsmen began imitating them, making it hard for Lin Wanwan to ask high prices, so she ceased production, focusing Red Face Smile mainly on beauty services.

Unlike the fans, cotton cloth, also new to the market, Lin Wanwan didn’t fear imitation.

Firstly, nobles didn’t have cotton on hand. Secondly, even if they pulled cotton from somewhere, without the necessary mechanical support, they would struggle to weave it into cloth.

Even if they succeeded in weaving, the manpower and resources expended were several times more than those of Lin Family Manor’s workshops; selling at one string per bolt might lead to losses.

Thus, Lin Wanwan wasn’t afraid of cotton cloth’s price being suppressed by the market; with demand exceeding supply, there’d be a few years of profit.

"One string per bolt, such a loss," Lin Wanwan murmured, "Perhaps I should tailor the cotton cloth into clothing and sell it in my own clothing shop?"

Raw materials certainly don’t yield higher profits than finished goods. She could copy modern styles for improved undergarments, sketch them, then make and sell them in the Great Tang, surely attracting buyers.