The reason for using a Kang cabinet was that the Kang was not only for sleeping at night but also for sitting and warming up during the day when there was nothing to do. When guests arrived, they would also sit on the Kang.
Therefore, after getting up each day, all the quilts had to be folded and placed in the Kang cabinet, leaving only the Kang mat on the Kang, or perhaps a few soft cushions were placed there.
Besides the Kang cabinet, there was also a Kang table, which was a square table with very short legs. There was nothing that needed to be changed about this.
Shen Xiaoyan then drew a Kang chest cabinet, about 50 centimeters high, to be placed against the window on the Kang, exactly level with the windowsill.
The Kang chest cabinet was long and narrow, divided into small drawers or small cabinets for placing small items that were frequently used.
The room also needed a large, modular wardrobe, which was essential. This was because whether in the original body's memories or what she had seen at Wu Dagang's house, people here stored their clothes in chests and boxes, making it very difficult to find an outfit.
Apart from this, there was no need for any further innovation. After all, Shen Xiaoyan was quite fond of ancient-style furniture.
Moreover, in a traditional courtyard house of this era, placing sofas and the like would look completely out of place. She did not want to be too unconventional, otherwise Zheng Wei would be the first to suspect her.
The drawn diagrams needed to dry, which was one of the inconveniences of ancient times. Ink did not dry as quickly as fountain pen ink or ballpoint pen ink.
Shen Xiaoyan walked to the area where the wild ginseng was planted and watered the more than ten ginseng plants. Seeing them growing well, her mood improved by a third.
This was all solid cash! Once they grew well, she would find an opportunity to go to the mountains and could then take them out to sell.
At lunchtime, Shen Xiaoyan showed the drawings to Zheng Wei.
After looking at them, Zheng Wei said nothing and directly took the drawings to find two old craftsmen.
These two men often built houses for people and must have had acquainted craftsmen. Asking them to recommend a couple would save a lot of trouble.
Indeed, as soon as the two old craftsmen heard that someone was looking for people to make furniture, they immediately agreed, saying that they would go back to town that day to find familiar craftsmen and bring them the next day to discuss the specifics.
The next morning, Shen Xiaoyan met the craftsman.
The craftsman's surname was Wang, and he was about fifty years old. He had a goatee and was thin, but he looked very spirited.
Craftsman Wang had already carefully examined the drawings the previous evening. After meeting Shen Xiaoyan, they discussed them in detail.
Finally, the number of furniture pieces to be made was confirmed: two Kang cabinets, two Kang chest cabinets, two large modular wardrobes...
Several lounge chairs, several small tables, two bookshelves, two desks, one dining table, and eight matching wooden chairs.
In addition, there were large tubs for bathing, basins for washing, a cabinet for the kitchen, and many small items, which would not be listed one by one.
After Shen Xiaoyan finalized all the furniture with Craftsman Wang, she asked him to calculate the cost.
Craftsman Wang worked with his abacus for a while before finally telling Shen Xiaoyan, "88 taels of silver."
Shen Xiaoyan was surprised, "How much?"
Craftsman Wang saw Shen Xiaoyan's disbelief and repeated, "According to your requirements, the wood needs to be of good quality, plus the labor cost, this is not expensive."
After hearing Craftsman Wang's explanation, Shen Xiaoyan finally breathed a sigh of relief. This price was much cheaper than she had imagined.
Shen Xiaoyan then took Craftsman Wang to tour the rooms under construction, confirming the exact dimensions.
Although the rooms were not yet fully built, their general outlines were already visible, and their sizes had been determined, so the dimensions of the furniture could also be confirmed.
Shen Xiaoyan gave Craftsman Wang 50 taels of silver as a deposit. Once Craftsman Wang had made all the items and delivered them, Shen Xiaoyan would pay him the remaining amount.
After seeing Craftsman Wang off, Shen Xiaoyan felt that another task was completed, and her mood improved by another third.
Next were the doors and windows. The doors would naturally be carved doors.
However, for the windows, Shen Xiaoyan wanted to use crystal glass, which was what she called crystal glass in her previous life.
Shen Xiaoyan had never understood that the Great Chu Kingdom not only had various grains and vegetables from her previous life but also imported pipes and crystal glass from overseas. According to Lu Taobao, the Great Chu Kingdom had already mastered the method of making crystal glass, but it had not yet been mass-produced, and the price was relatively high.
After much thought, Shen Xiaoyan still decided to use crystal glass windows because it would be much more convenient. If a window could not be seen through when closed, what was the difference from having no window at all?
Half a month later, when Lu Taobao led people to collect the last batch of striped watermelons, Shen Xiaoyan told him about her desire for crystal glass windows.
The final batch of striped watermelons weighed 13,000 jin, which amounted to 195 taels of silver.
When Lu Taobao handed the money to Shen Xiaoyan, she did not accept it. Instead, she said, "I discussed it with your Elder Brother Zheng, and we want to use crystal glass windows. We would like you to help us procure them."
Lu Taobao smiled and said, "Alright. I was actually planning to mention it to you and your elder brother. Crystal glass windows are not only beautiful but also very warm."
Shen Xiaoyan said, "In that case, take this money and help us get this done."
Lu Taobao pondered for a moment and then asked, "Sister-in-law, how many do you want?"
Shen Xiaoyan and Zheng Wei had already discussed this, so she immediately said, "My home has a total of 32 windows, and each window requires 4 pieces of crystal glass. Each piece of crystal glass costs 2 taels of silver, totaling 256 taels. The previous striped watermelons were 195 taels of silver. Sister-in-law, I will give you another 100 taels, which includes labor costs and the cost of the window frames."
Lu Taobao heard Shen Xiaoyan speak so clearly and could not help but smile wryly, "Sister-in-law, why are you so clear with me? I'll take the money for the striped watermelons, but this 100 taels is not necessary."
Saying that, Lu Taobao handed Shen Xiaoyan's purse back to her.
Shen Xiaoyan immediately put on a stern face, "This is where you are wrong. We must keep things separate. If you continue like this, your elder brother will not only scold me but will probably also stop asking you to do things for him in the future."
Seeing that Shen Xiaoyan was genuinely angry, Lu Taobao had no choice but to take the purse back, thinking to himself that he must get the job done well.
With the window issue resolved, Shen Xiaoyan was truly relieved, and her current state was one of being lighthearted.
However, her happiness was only temporary. When Shen Xiaoyan looked at the completely empty money box, her eyebrows furrowed tightly again.
She had previously had 250 taels. 88 taels were spent on furniture, and then another 100 taels were given to Lu Taobao. In addition, over the past half month, she had spent over 10 taels on rice, flour, vegetables, and the wages of Pan Shi and others. Therefore, less than 100 taels of silver remained.
Normally, 100 taels of silver was a considerable amount. For ordinary farmers, unless they had major expenses, their annual living expenses were only 3 taels of silver.
But it was different for Shen Xiaoyan and the other two. They had not yet paid the wages of the craftsmen who were working, and there were various items that still needed to be purchased. This 100 taels of silver was truly not enough.