"The cloth won’t be a problem. I’ve been at Shili Cloth Shop for many years and have some rapport with the current shopkeeper. I can put in a word, so getting the goods you need shouldn’t be difficult."
"But Brother Huo, you should carefully consider the risks of going north."
Huo Shu said, "I know the Northern Frontier well. No place in this world is truly peaceful, there’s no need to worry too much."
Seeing Huo Shu’s confidence, Wu Lianhe didn’t press further.
"Then let’s go to the cloth merchant to look at the goods. I’m free today anyway."
"Great!"
Ji Taoyu was excited. Even though they weren’t buying fabric for themselves, being able to browse all kinds of cloth was still a pleasure.
Wu Lianhe took the two to Shili Cloth Shop and went straight to the sample room to inspect the goods.
The main hall displayed fabrics popular in Jiangnan that season, as well as the latest styles.
Tongzhou had many cloth merchants and a wide variety of fabrics. The locals had discerning tastes, they either wanted durable materials or the latest fashions.
The selection on display was limited and not very suitable for selling elsewhere.
Huo Shu’s group would depart at the earliest in February, or perhaps early March. Either way, the plan was to reach the Northern Frontier’s capital by May.
By then, it would be early summer, so they needed to stock summer fabrics, though winter materials could also be taken.
"The cloth shop has the widest variety of summer fabrics. You can take your pick."
Wu Lianhe brought out stacks of sample fabrics, making several trips: "These are all styles from previous years, within the last five years. They’re not too outdated or old-fashioned."
Huo Shu said, "If we’re sending them to the Northern Frontier, even ten-year-old fabrics would still be acceptable."
In the past five years, Jiangnan's fabrics had already become quite fashionable.
Ji Taoyu had never traveled far, but after hearing Huo Shu's words at the temple fair last time, he also noticed the difference between the fabrics from the north and those in Tongzhou.
Wu Lianhe said, "For merchants selling in the counties under Tongzhou and the nearest neighboring prefectural cities, they must carry the latest seasonal goods to have any market. For areas a bit further out, fabrics from within the past year will do, and for even more remote places, fabrics from within three years are acceptable. As for the northern frontier prefectural cities, fabrics from within the past five years are still usable."
In truth, even fabrics three to five years old would still find buyers in distant places like the northern frontier. The difference lay in cost, the more outdated the style, the more room there was to negotiate on price.
"We have all kinds of fabrics: ramie, hemp, silk, damask, satin, and brocade. Brother Huo, which would you like to take?"
Different fabrics had a base price, with fluctuations depending on style and craftsmanship.
For example, ramie was widely cultivated and not expensive, currently priced at one hundred copper coins per bolt.
Hemp was also inexpensive, being a common fabric, priced at two hundred copper coins per bolt. Higher-grade fire-hemp cloth was considerably more expensive, at four hundred copper coins per bolt.
[Fire Hemp Cloth: textile woven from hemp (cannabis sativa, 火麻) fibers, historically prized in China for its durability and coolness.]
Damask, satin, and brocade were much pricier, costing at least several taels of silver per bolt.
Plain damask cost two taels per bolt, plain gauze six taels, plain silk four taels, and plain satin five taels.
These were just rough estimates for mid-grade goods in the market. High-end fabrics could double in price, while low-grade or substandard ones could be much cheaper.
If prices were fixed at these rates, only a rare few could afford such fabrics.
However, the love for beauty was universal. To cater to both lower-class commoners and the wealthy, cloth merchants produced different grades of the same fabric to expand their customer base.
Thus, the people of Tongzhou dressed brightly and beautifully, silk and satin were not exclusive to the rich and extravagant.
Moreover, prices varied between cloth merchants. Damask, satin, and brocade came in countless patterns, allowing for endless styles, and fashion trends mostly revolved around these fabrics.
As for hemp and ramie, they had inherent limitations, but their coarse textures and dull natural colors restricted pattern possibilities. Intricate floral designs were nearly impossible to achieve on these fabrics
Additionally, these fabrics were cheap, and weavers were reluctant to spend effort on them. Even if the patterns were novel, the price couldn't be raised much, since buyers only had so much to spare.
Huo Shu looked at Ji Taoyu: "Pick the ones you like."
Ji Taoyu didn’t hold back. If left to Huo Shu, he’d probably wear hemp cloth from the first to the fifteenth of the month and switch to ramie for the second half.
The man rotated between these two coarse fabrics daily, perfecting his performance as a penniless wanderer so thoroughly it became instinctive. Were it not for his stubborn shred of conscience, Ji Taoyu would have swindled him out of every last bit of his savings.
"We can skip hemp and ramie. Those fabrics are available everywhere. Transporting them over long distances isn’t worth the cost, they won’t sell for much."
Ji Taoyu went straight to discussing with Wu Lianhe.
"Exactly, merchants rarely take those fabrics on trade routes. Only peddlers might carry some fire-hemp cloth to sell in county towns. But for the northern frontier, even fire-hemp cloth can be skipped."
Wu Lianhe treated this as if it were her own business.
"The best choice would be from damask, satin, and brocade."
The two of them selected three or four patterns per fabric, prioritizing the most affordable designs. For example, gauze, being the most expensive, was limited to just three choices.
Considering costs, they mostly chose mid-to-low-grade satin and brocade, with a few high-end pieces as premium stock.
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