Lin He, together with Zi Qing and Zi Yu, tallied the number of people in the household. She then summoned Chang Geng and instructed him to take a few stable hands with the cart to purchase all the necessary materials for winter clothes—cotton cloth, needles, and thread. After clearly laying out the instructions, Chang Geng departed with the stable hands and the carriage.

Seeing Chen Er sitting idly to one side, Lin He remarked, "Chen Er, older sister didn't call you over just to sit here. These trivial matters are precisely what I need to teach you. You must listen carefully, and if you don't understand, ask. Do you hear me?"

Chen Er nodded, pondered for a moment, and then brought up a few points of confusion to ask Lin He. Lin He explained with great patience why things were done a certain way and what the benefits were. Indeed, Chen Er had matured somewhat during this time; Lin He was quite pleased. It seemed her younger sister was finally beginning to grow up. Since the Mid-Autumn Festival, she no longer played as carelessly as before, and she conscientiously carried out the tasks assigned to her. Although her results were only average, the fact that she was applying herself was what mattered most.

While Lin He was imparting these lessons to Chen Er at home, someone arrived from Wen Shu's establishment to collect goods. For the past few years, the carriers had always been a few young men from Cai Die Xuan, Wen Shu's shop. One of them, Yu Mi, was quite familiar with Lin He. He pulled the carriage to a stop by the main gate, then walked into the courtyard, bowed to Lin He and Chen Er, and Lin He instructed Zi Qing and Zi Yu to arrange for the goods to be brought out. Lin He asked Yu Mi, "How has the stock been selling at the shop recently? Has anything gone wrong?"

"Nothing at all, Miss He'er. Your goods sell the best at our shop. Every day, many women come to purchase them, especially that facial mask you requested be reserved in advance—quite a few people are placing orders for it, and we're actually running short. This time, the shopkeeper asked me to relay a message to you: see if there is any way to produce more of it daily. Some of our other branches also wish to sell it, but they are quite far from here, which might complicate storage. The shopkeeper wondered if you had a solution?" Yu Mi explained.

"Facial masks are indeed tricky to preserve. Please go back and tell Uncle Wen that I will think about it. I will go to town in a few days and discuss the specifics with him," Lin He replied.

"That would be best. I will inform the shopkeeper immediately upon my return," Yu Mi said with a smile.

Lin He nodded and inquired further about the shop's affairs. Meanwhile, Zi Qing and Zi Yu had already arranged for the goods to be loaded onto the carriage. Yu Mi exchanged final pleasantries with Lin He and then departed with his team.

Standing in the courtyard, Lin He mulled over Yu Mi's words. Uncle Wen's concerns were valid. Among all the products, the facial mask yielded the highest profit margin. Initially, she had thought the higher price might hinder sales compared to other items, but when the monthly accounts were settled, the mask segment brought in the most revenue. Although the quantity sold was less than that of soap and similar items, the profit multiplication was immense. This was clearly a high-end product, and naturally, any astute merchant would seek to expand production in this lucrative area. Uncle Wen's considerations were entirely sound.

Lin He had also considered that maintaining the mask production under the current system could become problematic, with limitations on quantity and the fact that it was currently only sold at Cai Die Xuan in Tianxin Town, nowhere else. If Uncle Wen wished to expand sales to other locations using the existing model, it would become increasingly complicated.

Her home was relatively close to Tianxin Town, but distant from other areas. Some places required several days just for the carriage journey; a county like Qinghe would take five or six days for transit alone. If they had to custom-make the masks, customers might not receive their orders for ten days or half a month. In that scenario, no matter how excellent the product, the customer's eagerness to buy would likely fade over time.

Furthermore, transporting these goods to such distant locations was not cost-effective. Lin He felt the only way to resolve these issues was to establish factories in intermediate locations not far from those markets. This would save on shipping costs and be more beneficial in the long run. The small factory at home was already straining under the current demands; the space was limited, and with many auxiliary people around, producing these goods was already taxing. They could hire more staff, but there was simply no more room. If they were to expand, they would need to build a new facility anyway. Since a new construction was inevitable, perhaps finding an entirely different location would be more convenient.

This notion had already taken root in her mind. There were pros and cons. The advantage was obvious: convenience. In the future, for replenishment, they could simply direct shipments to the nearest factory. The disadvantage lay in staffing. Opening new factories required trustworthy managers. While many maids in the household handled such tasks over the years, few possessed the acumen to manage affairs in a town setting. Counting on her fingers, there were only a handful of capable individuals, and critically, there was no suitable candidate ready for training. This was why the matter had been deferred. Likely, Uncle Wen now felt the inconvenience acutely, which prompted him to bring it up.

After weighing these points, Lin He decided she would travel to town in a couple of days to discuss the matter with Uncle Wen and finalize a course of action based on his perspective.

After contemplating the situation at home for a few days, Lin He took Zi Yu and a few others to town. This time, she bypassed the pastry shop and went directly to Cai Die Xuan. When Lin He and her entourage arrived, the shop was not yet crowded; the peak business hours had not begun. Lin He had deliberately timed her visit to avoid the rush. The shop assistant saw Lin He arrive, bowed with a smile, and said, "The manager and the others are in the private room. The manager expected Miss He'er to arrive these last couple of days and has been waiting." With that, he led the way, guiding Lin He to the private room.

Upon entering, indeed, Uncle Wen was already there, and he was not alone. Wen Ningxuan was also present. Lin He raised an eyebrow—no wonder the assistant mentioned them. Uncle Wen saw Lin He approach and said with a smile, "He'er, you've finally arrived. I've been waiting for you for several days."

"I apologize for keeping Uncle Wen waiting for so long," Lin He replied with a smile.

"Hehe, waiting for He'er is always worthwhile. I asked you here today to discuss the distribution of goods. Xuan'er's place has the same issue, so he came along as well," Uncle Wen stated with a chuckle.

Lin He nodded and said, "I have also thought over the issues Uncle Wen raised. I actually have an idea myself. Shall I present it to you both and see what you think?"

Uncle Wen nodded, signaling for her to continue. Lin He glanced at Wen Ningxuan, who was watching her with a faint smile. Lin He then proceeded to elaborate on her plan to find a suitable location to build a new factory.

Uncle Wen and Wen Ningxuan listened, considering the proposal. Uncle Wen then turned to Wen Ningxuan and asked, "Xuan'er, what is your opinion?"

"The idea is genuinely excellent. Relying on a single distribution point for so many shops is overly cumbersome. Building new factories is an eventuality. If it can be arranged properly, sooner is certainly better than later," Wen Ningxuan analyzed with measured agreement. (To be continued)