180: Chapter 180 Blue Silver Grass Entanglement

Zhang Han said, "If the purchase price of wool rises, the cost cannot be compressed this low."

After hearing this, Zhao Fusu nodded in understanding.

If he were to mass-produce sweaters, the purchase price of wool would definitely increase.

He also had to consider the transportation costs of bringing the wool back from the Xiongnu.

Without trains, transportation costs would certainly not be low.

In addition, the cost of dyeing had to be considered.

For the sake of variety, it certainly couldn't be just white; other colors were needed as well.

Factoring in marketing costs, Zhao Fusu judged that the cost of a sweater would be between three and ten coins.

To verify his judgment, Zhao Fusu decided to personally oversee the production of the sweaters.

Starting from the purchase of wool.

One catty of wool cost one coin.

Once the wool was purchased, it needed to be processed.

Wool contains a lot of grease, which needs to be removed using an alkaline solution.

The material used for this was low-cost Lime.

By boiling the wool with Lime in a large pot, the grease could be removed and the wool could be bleached to make it whiter.

After the wool was processed, it could be put into the Steam Textile Machine for drawing to obtain wool yarn.

Once a large amount of wool yarn was obtained, it was loaded one by one into the Steam Power Looms.

With one weft thread and two hundred warp threads, a flying shuttle would then weave through the warp threads, pushing and pulling them tight to weave the wool fabric.

Zhao Fusu touched the finished wool fabric; although it felt quite supple, there was inevitably some prickliness.

This was because the outer scales of the wool were relatively coarse, which could create a stinging sensation when in contact with the skin.

Sweaters were not suitable for wearing directly against the skin.

However, his target customers were the commoners of Great Qin.

The hemp clothes they wore had not undergone any fine processing and were inherently coarse, much more prickly than a sweater.

As for the Kapok transported from the south, its yield was limited and the price was relatively expensive.

It was still necessary to take over the Western Regions Kingdoms and have them plant cotton!

Zhao Fusu was itching to immediately raise an army and march toward the Western Regions Kingdoms.

However, he suppressed his inner impulse and instead introduced the sweaters first for a debut in Xianyang to see the level of acceptance among the commoners.

If the commoners of Xianyang didn't like the sweaters, then his business of going to the Xiongnu to exchange grain for wool would be a loss.

In that case, he might have to adjust his policy, not using grain to exchange for wool, but instead cooperating with the Western Regions Kingdoms and focusing more grain on trade with them.

Switching to using grain to exchange for cotton.

The yield of cotton is much higher than that of wool, which means the cost of the clothes produced would be even lower.

Cotton is also softer than hemp.

Because flax fibers are coarser than cotton fibers.

Cotton is a relatively smooth fabric, while hemp has a coarser texture due to its loose weave.

Lower price and a softer feel meant that clothes made of cotton were destined to be more popular among commoners than those made of wool or hemp.

"Make a sample first for me to see."

Zhao Fusu said to Zhang Han.

"Understood!"

Zhang Han took the order and withdrew.

He called for a Tailor who specialized in making clothes.

He possessed exquisite cutting skills and rich sewing experience, capable of making well-fitting and beautiful clothes according to different fabrics and style requirements.

After Zhang Han gave the sweater's design blueprint to the Tailor, the man nodded.

He then took out scissors to cut the fabric and used needles and thread to sew it together.

In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, he had produced a sweater.

Zhao Fusu looked at the finished garment and gave a few pointers.

The Tailor made adjustments according to Zhao Fusu's requirements.

Soon, a new version of the sweater was produced; Zhao Fusu looked it over repeatedly and nodded in satisfaction.

He felt the texture of the sweater again.

Overall, it was relatively soft and smooth.

After all, the wool had been processed.

Zhao Fusu tried it on himself.

It was a bit prickly when worn against the skin, but not much, and it wasn't unbearable.

For the common people at the bottom, they all wore coarsely made hemp clothes; they had never tasted such 'fine grain' before.

If the price was low enough, it could cover up many deficiencies.

"Good, good, good."

Zhao Fusu was very satisfied.

"Zhang Han."

Zhao Fusu asked Zhang Han, "What dyeing processes do we have now?"

After the Contention of a Hundred Schools of Thought, the minds of the commoners were initially liberated, and they had a certain demand for personalization.

Unlike the post-90s generation's pursuit of non-mainstream styles, the people of Great Qin pursued colors.

Especially the Great Qin nobility.

The colors of the ceremonial robes for emperors and high officials were 'Black Tops and Crimson Bottoms.'

The colors of the large sashes for emperors and officials included yellow, white, red, black, light blue, and green—six colors in total.

The small pendants came in three colors: white, black, and green.

Three jade rings, a black silk ribbon, a pair of white jade pendants, a sword, vermilion socks, and red shoes made up a complete set of attire.

The colors of the dyed fabrics unearthed from the Mawangdui Han Tomb No. 1 reached as many as twenty types.

Compared to the colorful attire of the upper-class nobility, the clothing colors of the commoners were generally singular, mainly the natural white and black of hemp fibers, followed by blue and green.

The raw materials for these colors were easy to obtain and the coloring process was simple; sometimes no coloring process was used at all, using the natural color of the fibers directly.

In addition, the ancient social and dress systems also restricted people's clothing and colors.

Different classes and different occasions required clothing colors to conform to ethical and moral standards and must not be used haphazardly.

In Han Dynasty literature, there is the term 'Baiyi' (White Clothes).

White clothes referred to the common clothing color of ordinary people.

Historical records state that during an incognito visit, Emperor Cheng of Han wore the 'white clothes' of the commoners to avoid attracting attention.

Lü Meng's crossing of the river in white was also a military action carried out by wearing the 'white clothes' of commoners.

Although people at this time were not averse to white,

Zhao Fusu believed that if they had a choice in clothing color, they would certainly choose bright ones.

For instance, Rebus's SU7 had many color schemes: Lava Orange, Meteor Blue, Gulf Blue, Olive Green, Elegant Gray, Sunset Purple, Cambrian Gray, Pearl White, and Diamond Black.

The SU7 sold so well largely because of its color schemes.

Most people are fans of aesthetics.

A striking color scheme is a huge boost to product appeal!

Therefore, Zhao Fusu wanted to put more effort into the color schemes.

Facing Zhao Fusu's question about dyeing processes, Zhang Han, who was in charge of managing the textile workshop, was very familiar with it.

He replied, "Our color dyes mainly include Indigo..."

"Blue Silver Grass Binding?"

"Hmm?"

Zhang Han was stunned.

"Continue."

Seeing that Zhang Han didn't understand the meme, Zhao Fusu told him to continue.