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Holding the paper in his hands, Chu Feng’s first impression was its softness. “This paper…” He hesitated, then expressed his confusion, “This paper is so soft, it can’t be used for writing. I can’t think of any other use for it.”

Chu Qingzhi casually explained, “It’s for wiping hands, cleaning your mouth after meals, wiping sweat, cleaning dirty things, and even for toilet use…” Toilet use? Chu Feng’s eyes widened in shock. Paper, especially of such quality, was expensive. Using it for such purposes seemed wasteful!

He stuttered, “That’s… that’s too extravagant.”

Seeing Chu Feng’s reaction, Chu Qingzhi explained, “This paper isn’t expensive. It’s made from scraps and only requires some medicinal solutions.” “Are the solutions not costly?” Chu Feng questioned further.

Chu Qingzhi replied, “They’re made from common herbs. Overall, the cost is very low.”

“How much exactly?” Chu Feng persisted.

After a quick mental calculation, Chu Qingzhi responded, “The cost for a hundred sheets of paper is around fifty copper coins. If we sell them, it would be one hundred copper coins per hundred sheets if sold bare. If we add packaging, it could go for two copper coins per box, each containing a hundred sheets.”

Considering the potential of producing packaging paper on a large scale, the daily scraps alone could yield tens of thousands of sheets. Assuming fifty thousand sheets, that would equate to seventy-five taels of silver a month, more than enough to pay all the workers. If not utilized, these scraps would go to waste.

Chu Feng expressed his concern, “But at such a price, would anyone buy it?”

“Trust me, they will,” Chu Qingzhi confidently assured. Familiar with the extravagance of the upper society, she was certain her paper would not only sell well but might also be in high demand. “Let’s go home.”

“You go ahead. I still need to notify everyone to finish up, check the tools, and lockup.”

At the gate, a seemingly impoverished middle-aged couple sneakily peeked inside the workshop, their actions and shifty eyes betraying ill intent.

Upon reaching the gate, Chu Qingzhi recognized them as Xiao Zongchao’s parents, whom she had seen in an alley when visiting Li Changjiang.

“What are you doing here?”

Chu Qingzhi’s tone was cold and unwelcoming, her presence intimidating enough to make the couple reconsider their intentions, though they were reluctant to leave without achieving their goal.

Xiao’s mother defensively said, “We’re here to see Xiao Zongchao, our son. I don’t think that’s any of your business.”

Chu Qingzhi smiled. They had come at the right time. After settling the problem, Xiao Zongchao could work in peace. “You’ll soon find out if I have a say in this.”

She said to the old man guarding the door, “Please call Xiao Zongchao out.”

“Okay.” The old man walked quickly into the workshop.

The couple watched Chu Qingzhi warily, uncertain of her intentions.

When Xiao Zongchao heard his parents were looking for him, his heart sank.

He really didn’t want to face his parents, but thinking that Chu Qingzhi was still at the door, he mustered his courage and went to the door.

Meekly, he greeted, “Father, Mother.”

His mother, seizing the opportunity, pulled him aside, “We haven’t come to bother you for a month. You must have saved up quite a bit by now. Give it to us; we’re struggling to make ends meet at home.”

Xiao Zongchao felt sad. He quickly looked at Chu Qingzhi. “Mother, I don’t have any money…”

Before Xiao Zongchao could finish speaking, his mother erupted in anger, twisting his ear forcefully, “What do you mean you have no money?! Have you been working for nothing over a month?”

Chu Qingzhi, seeing Xiao Zongchao in pain, stepped forward to intervene, “Indeed, he has been working for nothing these past months. In fact, he’ll continue to work for nothing.” She then instructed Xiao Zongchao, “Show them the deed of sale.”

His mother’s voice became shrill, “What deed of sale? We never agreed to this. Who allowed him to sell himself?”

Chu Qingzhi looked at Xiao’s mother with annoyance, “When he was gravely ill and had no money for treatment, he sold himself to me for ten taels of silver, which was used for his medical expenses.”

His mother scolded him, “Ten taels of silver! You used it all for treatment? Is your body made of gold? You should have sent the money to us. Why bother with treatment? Better dead!”

She then became belligerent, shouting at Chu Qingzhi, “We don’t care. We didn’t agree to this, so the deed doesn’t count.”

Chu Qingzhi calmly replied, “If it doesn’t count, then return the ten taels of silver to me. It wouldn’t be fair to let me suffer the loss.”

“Don’t even think about it. Selling himself without our consent is unreasonable to begin with. We definitely won’t pay you back.”

“Then don’t think about taking him away. Moreover, now that he has sold himself, any silver he earns is mine, so forget about getting anything.”

“You’re up to no good!” Xiao’s father suddenly picked up a wooden stick from the roadside and charged at Chu Qingzhi.

Xiao Zongchao, already distressed by his parents’ words, was frightened and instinctively ran to protect Chu Qingzhi.

Chu Qingzhi was surprised by Xiao Zongchao’s act of bravery, given his usually timid and self-deprecating nature.

As Xiao’s father was about to strike, Chu Qingzhi grabbed Xiao Zongchao’s wrist, pulling him aside, and then kicked.

Xiao’s father was sent flying, hitting Xiao’s mother with the stick, which was too forceful and caused her to fall backward, sprawling on the ground.

Xiao’s father also fell, unable to get up from the pain that felt like his body had fallen apart.

Xiao Zongchao, coming to his senses, realized he had lost all hope in his parents. His primary concern was Chu Qingzhi, “Father didn’t hit you, did he?”

Chu Qingzhi’s mood was completely ruined, “No, I’m fine.”

Chu Feng, along with villagers from Chu Village, rushed out, shouting, “Assaulting someone unprovoked, take them to the officials.”

Hearing this, Xiao’s father was infuriated to the point of nearly fainting, “You…”

His protests were drowned out by the crowd’s condemnation, and they were taken to the county government.

The charge of assaulting a commoner was serious, and the county magistrate sentenced them to seven years in prison.

Chu Qingzhi hadn’t expected the matter to be resolved so easily.

Xiao Zongchao felt as if a nightmare had faded away with this news.

His parents had been a psychological shadow over him, and now he could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

In the Chu Village.

Chu Qingzhi took the salted duck egg whites given to her by Xu Wenlin to the workshop.

Her idea was to incorporate the egg whites into the sausage mix.

Considering that salt was already a necessary ingredient for sausages, replacing it with salted duck egg whites could save a significant amount on salt expenses, which was as costly as iron.

Furthermore, adding salted duck egg whites could enhance the texture and flavor of the sausages, making it a win-win situation.

The challenge now was to determine the appropriate amount of salted duck egg whites to use, and Chu Qingzhi’s taskwas to experiment to find the optimal ratio.