Farm Girl's Manor
Chapter 1192 - 377: A Bamboo Basket Sparks a Business Opportunity_3

Chapter 1192: Chapter 377: A Bamboo Basket Sparks a Business Opportunity_3

However, what was of little value to others, Aunt Tong’s woven bamboo baskets, were of great use to Mo Yan. The winery was soon to start production, but the selection of containers for the wine had given her quite a headache. Just the thought of using those large-bellied pottery wine jars, the smallest of which could hold at least five kilos of wine, to bottle red wine caused her great distress.

The winery would feature red wine as its main product, while other fruit wines were to be made as well. Without clear, variously shaped glass bottles at her disposal, she had to improvise and design a brand-new set of small pottery wine jars.

These jars had a capacity similar to modern wine bottles and, based on the type of wine, had different shapes designed for them. They would be given to the pottery masters for mass production.

Mo Yan had always intended to produce high-end wines, so attention to detail was of the utmost importance. She had been wondering what to use to hold the filled bottles, and then Aunt Tong gave her such a wonderful surprise. With a bit of variation in shape and pattern, wouldn’t these beautiful bamboo baskets be the perfect containers?

In this way, she not only solved her own problem but could also lend Aunt Tong a hand. She didn’t need just one or two baskets, but thousands upon thousands. As long as the winery stayed in business, these baskets would continue to be used until they became a symbol of the wine itself. Upon seeing such a basket, people would immediately think of her winery and the fine wines it produced.

Upon this realization, Mo Yan’s gaze towards Mrs. Hou became extremely fervent, as if she had discovered an unknown treasure.

Mrs. Hou was startled and instinctively took two steps back, asking cautiously, "Little Divine Doctor, what’s wrong?"

Realizing she had frightened Mrs. Hou, and amidst Xuetuan’s mocking laughter, Mo Yan reverted to her usual demeanor. She cleared her throat and declared, "Mrs. Hou, I need a lot of these baskets. I will take as many as you have and will require even more in the future. Can you help me with this? Of course, I will give you fifteen cents for each basket."

In the marketplace, such bamboo baskets were inexpensive, with a quality one generally costing between five and six Wen Money. Even if Mrs. Hou’s baskets were labor-intensive to weave, fifteen cents already represented a fair price.

Mrs. Hou was stunned; she had never imagined that her painstakingly crafted bamboo baskets could one day sell for fifteen cents each. Initially, when she sold these baskets in the market, they could fetch at most Six Wen Money. Now the price had more than doubled. How could she not be shocked?

Seeing Mo Yan’s sincere expression, Mrs. Hou finally confirmed that her hearing was fine; she hadn’t misheard.

Although she did not know why Mo Yan was willing to pay a high price for her bamboo baskets, this kind-hearted old lady did not want to take advantage of the situation and immediately advised, "Little Divine Doctor, these baskets are not of much use and are not valuable. If you find them pretty, I’ll just give them to you; you don’t need to pay me any silver."

Upon hearing this, Mo Yan thought to herself that she hadn’t misjudged the person. Being able to help such a kind and honest person brought her joy. Looking at Mrs. Hou, she explained, "These baskets are very useful to me, and I will need a lot of them in the future; I may even have to trouble you to find others to help weave them. How could I not pay you silver for them?"

Mrs. Hou really did not know what to say. After pondering for a while, she finally agreed, "If Little Divine Doctor finds them of great use, this old lady promises you, but fifteen cents is too much. Just give me Five Wen Money for each."

At this point, Mrs. Hou felt somewhat embarrassed. The bamboo from the mountain didn’t cost money, and neither did her craftsmanship, so the Five Wen Money would be all profit. However, if she indeed needed to find help for weaving, she would have to pay wages, and anything less than five cents would make it hard to find willing workers.

Mo Yan, looking earnestly at Mrs. Hou, said, "Auntie, I said fifteen cents and I meant fifteen cents. Your weaving skills are worth that much. Besides, I’m going to redesign several patterns and shapes for you, which will likely be more complicated to make than the ones you’ve created. Fifteen cents is not too much."

She had carefully considered the price of fifteen cents. Baskets with unique shapes and patterns take a long time and a lot of effort to weave. Mrs. Hou, in her spare time, could only make one. If she worked all day, excluding time for meals and sleep, she could probably make only two to three baskets.

Considering all the circumstances, fifteen cents was not too high. It was just like the clothes sold in ready-to-wear stores; even though they were made out of the same material, the difference in workmanship and style created a huge disparity in prices.