Today, when I woke up, Selene was already about to leave the room. When I said good morning to her, she turned around in a somewhat artificial way and gave me a quick kiss. It surprised me quite a bit because she had plenty of time to get to the guild, but even so, she seemed rushed.
There is something she doesn't want to tell me, or she is going through something she doesn't want to say either. it's strange for her to be so distant. Since the first night, she always rests a foot on me it's her way of sleeping but instead, last night she curled up on her side of the bed and "forced" me to spoon her. Whereas usually, she loves sleeping face-to-face. I don't understand what is happening to her. But if she doesn't tell me soon, I'll have to ask her.
After breakfast, I headed to the company. On the way, I ran into Marte, who was rushing to run an errand. Since it looked like she was going to arrive a bit late, I taught the math class to the children first.The progress is great. last week they barely knew how to write numbers, and today they are already adding multi-digit numbers without problems. The little ones struggle more, especially with subtraction. And the older ones, who are already on multiplication tables, show off to the others, showing the table they have learned. some correct each other. Since there are always loners, I put them in groups so they each do their exercise and then compare it. I try to keep them from making fun of each other too much. But sometimes the atmosphere between them is so laid-back that even if they offend each other, they don't get upset because they have become close friends.
During the break between classes, and while we were waiting for Marte, a girl a carpenter's daughter approached me to tell me how the night before she helped her parents with some accounts, and it was thanks to her that they finished much earlier.
Following this girl's lead, and seeing that Marte wasn't arriving, I asked them where they have used math and language outside of "school." Most of them told me almost the same story. When they go shopping with their mothers, thanks to having a bit more mental sharpness regarding calculation, they were able to compare prices faster. And many of the mothers thank them and give them little kisses for helping. I could notice how, at every story, a murmur would start, where they confirmed and shared that it had happened to them too.
Seeing how happy the children are to help their parents filled me with joy and pride, but among the girls, there were some who said that other adults hit them for knowing how to count. They treated them badly for being girls. I felt so bad that I wanted to go after those scumbags.
Like when Marcos's son, one of my father's most important clients, started harassing my sisters, and I saw that scumbag's reaction, congratulating his son for treating them like that. that day I didn't hesitate, I decked him and his bodyguard too. The argument I had with my father was off the charts, besides paying the fine. In contrast, my mother never held it against me. Obviously, the business relationship was broken, and thank goodness, because shortly after it was on the news how that scumbag, besides being a corrupt politician, was reported by a dozen girls who were harassed by him.
And it was at that very moment, remembering my past, when I felt that same anger Neo had yesterday. Now it makes more sense to me that he is fed up with this society. It wasn't until after this whole mental flashback that I realized they were all wearing a sort of opinci instead of shoes. Some had them very worn out, others not so much, but I am sure those shoes don't protect anything.
Our sneakers wore out years ago, and with a lot of work, we managed to make ourselves the leather boots with wooden soles that we have now. Almost providentially, it dawned on me that the sap of the black arbumo is so hard and inelastic that it would be ideal for shoe soles. Since its nature is such that it is flexible but not elastic, it would be suitable for that.
The moment Marte arrived, I left the children and went straight to the courtyard where all the hustle and bustle of the glass jar manufacturing was taking place, with Emiliano orchestrating the whole production.
Neo, on the other hand, smelled like vinegar. According to what he was telling me, he had to go with Pudiente to buy vinegar, which isn't called that in this world, but after the explanation, Pudiente went with him. They went to a winemaker. this guy Kor was betrayed by his employees they ruined a whole barrel for him. According to Pudiente, this man paid little and also beat them often, and although one shouldn't wish ill on anyone, I think the gentleman had it coming.
Pudiente negotiated with him and they bought a bucket of about ten liters. Then they went and bought pickles. Being in spring, and after this winter, vegetable reserves in the warehouses are running low. So buying pickles or onions is becoming day by day a constant struggle against the nobles. Despite everything, Pudiente managed to buy about twenty kilos of pickles. they aren't the prettiest or the best preserved, but to pickle them, they will do.
I don't know what process Neo used to pickle them. according to him, it's a family secret, so he doesn't want to tell me. When I arrived at the courtyard, he was boiling the last jars. While Neo was cleaning up, Pudiente told me how they both went shopping, and how Neo got frustrated at only being able to use 16.5 kg of the total. Also, he tried to describe the process Neo used to choose the vinegar acidity. According to Pudiente's explanation, Neo mixed vinegar with stones and watched how they bubbled. And depending on the size of the bubbles, he mixed water with vinegar. He surely used limestone rocks which, when an acidic liquid is applied, react that way. His painstaking effort wasn't in vain since he managed to make about 35 jars of pickles that could be worth a lot.
■― Neo, what do you think if we make shoe soles with the black arbumo sap? ― Neo stopped what he was doing in a strange way. As if I had just revealed a secret to him.
●― Didn't your grandmother teach you how to sew? ―
■― Yes, why? ―
●― Alright then, get cracking on the sewing. I've got my hands full with the jars. ―
Putting my friend's hostility aside, I borrowed Varo and Dome from the glassware team. We went to the carpentry workshop where we met Fabia, and since he was there, I snagged him too. Talking to them, they told me there are three shoe sizes. While the boys prepared some cast iron, I told Fabián to accompany me and look for two boys from general staff to help him produce black arbumo sap.
While they were working, I went with Pudiente to buy shoes. the "little shoes" are sold individually, that is, you can buy just one shoe, keeping in mind that the right and left are identical. And thanks to massive hunting, leather is easy to come by.
A pair of "shoes," for lack of a better word, costs 3 iron coins. So a citizen could easily buy one a month without it being much of a problem.
In the shop, Pudiente haggled because medium and small-sized shoes cost a bit less. And since we took 10 pairs of each. We got a minimal discount of barely 2 iron bars per pair. That is, we paid 9 iron coins and 8 iron bars.
On the way, we ran into the people in charge of today's food. Talking to them, and since the courtyard is occupied. Pudiente and I decided to send everyone home to eat. We returned to the company and called Neo. The 3 of us decided to raise wages for these days. Pudiente and Neo decided to pay these 2 weeks in advance. Tomorrow we would pay the salary for 2 weeks plus half a week's salary. That is, in total about 2 silver coins, 5 copper coins. Which is equivalent to a bit more than the monthly salary they used to have.
I went down to the courtyard where the boys already had the black arbumo sap, liquid. I decided to add 2% of white arbumo sap to make it a bit more elastic, although in itself it is already flexible.
With the mixture, stirring at a constant temperature. I went to check how the blacksmiths were doing with the shoe sole patterns, and that's where I found Neo, who had been helping them while I was shopping. As it was already lunchtime, we told them the plan for the festival week.
I explained how tomorrow they would work only 4 hours and that after the workday they would be paid, one week of work plus the extra for today's and tomorrow's food. And I asked about next week's schedule. Since it is the festival and we wanted them to also enjoy the festivities, we decided to have a reduced schedule. In the end, our chat concluded that during the festival, we would work 6 hours instead of 8.
While the workers were heading home for lunch, many ran into each other on the way. others, on the contrary, as they always arrived just in time to eat, we told the mothers the plan and they went home. As fast as they could, since they only had a 2-hour break.
Neo, Pudiente, Levi, Antón, the guards, and I stayed to eat at the company. Pudiente and a guard went to get food from a nearby tavern, and thanks to today, we found out that on the first day they ripped us off and made us pay (exaggerating) about 10 times the price of the food.
After lunch, I set out alone to cut the insoles for the shoes. The process is easy once you have the mixture. In a wooden box that was large in dimension very wide and long, and quite short in height I poured the black arbumo sap. Then, with the die they made for me, I cut two small plates.
With the shoe half-sewn, the workers arrived, and I told them to make "rubber" plates and set them aside. When I finished sewing the shoe, I took it to Neo, who was with the production of glass jars.
●― What is that? How can it be so badly sewn? Weren't you supposed to know how to sew? ―
■― Don't make fun of me so much. I've never sewn by hand, only with a machine. ―
●― If you know how to sew with a machine, you ought to know how to sew without one, or so I'd think. ―
■― Don't push it, because if... ―
●― Jokes aside, that cannot be sold. It looks ugly. find someone who actually knows how to sew. ―
■― But do you really think it's that bad? ―
●― No, the idea is perfect, the execution not so much. ―
Following Neo's advice, I went out with Pudiente in search of an acquaintance of his—a seamstress who many years ago worked for Pudiente's father, Orlan. We crossed almost half the city to get to her house. We had the bad luck of not finding her. We decided to wait for her because she is an elderly woman supported by her children.
Waiting in front of the house, her youngest daughter, Cleo, arrived and told us that her mother is ill and cannot get out of bed. She received us instead. We explained the problem to her since, like her mother, she is also a seamstress. Or she was, until her mother fell ill 2 months ago.
After presenting the product, I told her how it should be sewn. And in almost 25 minutes, she sewed a shoe. The invention itself leaves much to be desired, but compared to my sewing, hers is perfect.
The girl, amazed by her own sewing, decided to go to her mother to show her. After some shouting that neither Pudiente, Levi, nor I wanted to hear, we had to hand over another shoe and another sole so that Ceci herself could sew the shoe.
When Cleo returned, her mother had taken the medium sole and the large shoe. the stitching was perfect, and the extra trim she gave it changed what it needed to look better—or so everyone said.
― Cleo ― Mr. Pudiente, is this perhaps your company's new product? ―
― Pudiente ― That's right, and as you can see, it's an improvement to shoes. You can keep the two that you and your mother have sewn. ―
The young woman took off her shoes with her back to us, removed the long rag she used as a sock, readjusted it, and put on the new shoes. We told her to walk around a bit.
― Cleo ― They feel very good. my foot doesn't suffer so much when walking. It's like when I was little and my father told me to step on his back to give him a massage. ―
■― That happened to me too when I was a kid. ―
― Cleo ― Is it just me, or am I a bit taller? ―
― Pudiente ― Yes, after all, it has that thickness under the shoe. ―
She kept walking for a while longer until her older sister arrived home. The oldest, Turi, offered us water freshly brought from the well in Tolmas's fourth square. It is a modest house with 3 rooms, so I didn't expect such hospitality. Turi also tried on the shoes and was just as amazed as her younger sister.
■― I see you like them. Would you sew shoes for one iron coin per sewn shoe? ―
― Turi ― One iron coin for each of these shoes we sew? ―
■― That's right. ―
― Turi ― I don't know how hard they are to sew. ―
■― I have more samples. if you want, I'll give you 2 for free if you sew them right now. ―
Turi asked her sister for help, and between the two of them, they sewed them in about twenty or twenty-three minutes. the design is simple, and they follow their mother's method.
According to a rough calculation, if they work 8 hours a day and sew at a speed of 20 minutes per shoe, it would be about 24 shoes per day, which comes out to 2 copper coins and 3 iron ones. Or what is the same, 5 silver coins, 7 copper, and 8 iron (578 iron coins). A salary that even exceeds that of our workers. And that's considering they only work 8 hours. If they get serious and overdo it with 14 hours a day, it would be one gold coin a month and eight iron coins. Which is a lot.
― Cleo ― I think we can do it. ―
■― Then it's a deal for every 2 shoes, 2 iron coins. But you have to deliver them in pairs. ―
― Cleo ― I understand. And how do we do it? Do we go to your company, do you bring us the material...? ―
― Pudiente ― You would have to come to the company to sew, but I warn you, we only work 8 hours a day. ―
― Turi ― Why? Isn't a merchant's goal supposed to be to make money? ―
■― As you wish. If tomorrow I bring you an order of the maximum number of shoes I can buy and the same amount of soles, can you assure me that you will have at least 20 pairs by tomorrow night? ―
― Turi ― I think we can do more than twenty. ―
■― Very well, this very afternoon a shipment of shoes will arrive, and tomorrow morning another of soles. Since it's a lot of product and it's out of my control and safe zone, a guard from my company will accompany you. Does that sound okay to you? ―
― Cleo ― The guard thing is a bit... ―
― Turi ― Make it two. ―
■― Fine. ―
As we left the house, Turi, the oldest, approached me to whisper something in my ear. she whispered quite indiscreetly. She asked if I could send 2 guards who weren't married. The little minx wanted company and security, but not in the way I originally thought.
Thanks exclusively to Pudiente, we bought about 100 pairs of shoes which cost us about 3 silver coins (300 iron). We stopped by the company, took 2 guards as the girls wanted, and delivered 50 pairs. We promised to pay the guards double that day.
When we arrived at the workshop, the hustle and bustle of the jar production was about to die down since it was almost time to go home. As I expected from the boys, I had a pile almost my height of rubber rectangles of roughly the same height. With the dies and a heavy rock, Neo and I spent the whole evening cutting large patterns for the medium shoes, which were the ones we bought for the girls to sew.
We had to stop because we couldn't see well anymore, but we cut more than 400 patterns, so the seamstresses would have more than enough to sew tomorrow.
When I got home, Selene hadn't arrived yet. just like yesterday, Sena was already home and almost ready for bed, same as Hamer and Lisa. I took a shower peacefully and had dinner. As I was going to sleep, Selene arrived. I went to greet her, she looked tired, and I walked with her. I warmed up her food while trying to get her to tell me about her day, but she answered with exhaustion and small talk. If she didn't want to talk, I wasn't going to push it. I didn't want her to get upset. She surely had a ton of work because of us the printing press and the organization of the festival, which starts in two days. She went to shower in the sub-dimension and, upon returning, lay down in bed without even hugging me and fell asleep.