"Master, many of the fields in our village are close to the Wei River, but some of them are on very high ground. The river flows underneath, but they cannot be irrigated. Master, it is getting late, and you are also tired from traveling and horseback riding. It's time to eat. Rest."
The old housekeeper said softly.
In his mind, the dandy young master must have done something wrong when he came to the village this time and was punished by the Marquis or his wife.
And it is certain that the dandy young master is acting recklessly, so it would be better to let him rest early. Then go and inform the girls in the village not to go out casually. If the young master takes a fancy to you, your innocence will be at stake!
"You don't need to prepare lunch, just boil some hot water. Master, bring some dry food. After eating, Master will go to the farm to take a good look."
Chu Feng said, untying the cloak on his body, and Shuang'er took it neatly.
"You are so anxious to patrol the village? Master, to tell you the truth, none of the girls in our village are good-looking, they are all too thin!"
Uncle Wu, the old butler, finally spoke out. I want to persuade the young master not to harm the women of the village.
Chu Feng's expression changed and he said in his heart: "This old man really thinks of me as a bully and a bully!"
"Uncle Wu, the young master just wants to see how Zhuangzi is doing, not any other girl. And with Shuang'er and the others, how could I fall in love with another girl?"
Chu Feng said with a chuckle, and looked around at the three Shuang'er sisters next to him.
"Ah, with Shuang'er and the others here, I feel relieved. I will ask someone to boil water."
As Uncle Wu spoke, he glanced at the two middle-aged women next to him. The women tacitly agreed to greet Chu Feng, and then went to boil water.
Soon, Chu Feng, led by Uncle Wu, rode on horseback and began to inspect Zhuangzi.
Zhuangzi is indeed very large, with the stone house occupying less than one-third. Most of them are simple wooden and thatched houses, and there are even shacks. If there is heavy snow in winter, they will definitely collapse and even kill people!
The road on the village made Chu Feng frown even more. Even if it didn't rain, it was still so bumpy! Moreover, the roadside was still dirty and the smell was very unpleasant. I thought Zhuangzi was a farmhouse with a beautiful environment! The result is that it's so shabby that you don't want to stay any longer!
Facing the sullen Chu Feng, no one dared to say anything. Uncle Wu was very confused: "Why is the young master so crazy? He actually cares about people's livelihood. This is the countryside, not the bustling and bright capital!"
"Doesn't the village have any sideline business? No one is doing business?"
Chu Feng was riding on the horse and couldn't help but asked in a low voice.
"Master Qi, Zhuangzi still has some side businesses. To the west of Zhuangzi, there is a stone-burning kiln, which can make some pottery pots and bowls. In addition to being used by farmers, they also occasionally sell some. In addition, there is a blacksmith shop. . And a carpentry workshop. However, there is no medicine shop on the village. If you get sick, you have to go to the capital to get medicine."
Uncle Wu briefly introduced the situation in the village.
"Where do the children study? Where is the private school?"
Chu Feng asked again in a deep voice.
This time not only Uncle Wu was in a daze, but Shuang'er and the others were also in a daze. The young master seemed to be really not just looking around, he actually thought about the school!
"Master, there is no school in the village, there is only a private school teacher. In fact, not many of the children in the village are studying! Most of them have to help the adults with work, so how can they have time to study? If it hadn't been for the words of the Marquis, no Those who are literate will not be allowed to join the army! No one can read."
Uncle Wu said very sincerely.
Chu Feng also thought of the disabled old people in the village, and was moved in his heart. It turned out that the villagers were also so patriotic!
Afterwards, Chu Feng didn't say much, but went to check out the so-called stone-burning kiln. The scale was really small. The stone kiln was only more than ten square meters!
The pottery pots and bowls produced are also very rough. Even the clay pots used in his palace were not made here!
As for the blacksmith shop, Chu Feng was even more disappointed. It was not even half as big as the blacksmith workshop in the Hou Mansion!
There are also very few blacksmiths. It seems to be run by three generations, a big family of seven or eight people.
As for the carpenter's workshop, it's pretty good, with seven or eight craftsmen.
Finally, when inspecting the fields, Chu Feng discovered that it was exactly as Uncle Wu said. Although Zhuangzi had many fields, some of which were close to the tributaries of the Wei River, they were dry land that relied on the sky for food.
Because the water level is too low and the slope of the bank is very steep, it is impossible to use river water for irrigation! what to do? It seems like there was something called a waterwheel in the previous life!
But I've only seen that thing on TV, and it seems a bit difficult to actually build it.
However, I can roughly draw that thing, and then work with the carpenters to study it, and maybe we can build it!
As for the idea of installing a water mill a few days ago, Chu Feng also quietly found two or three more suitable places by the tributaries of the Wei River, close to his own farmland in Zhuangzi.
"Uncle Wu, our life in Zhuangzi is hard, but why not raise more chickens and ducks? Even if we raise more pigs, we can eat more meat and supplement our living expenses."
When Chu Feng returned home, he asked in confusion.
At this time, Uncle Wu felt a little relieved in his heart: "Young master, it seems that you have really changed your gender, and you really understand these people's livelihood! It's my wife who taught me better!"
"Well, people are still hungry. How can they have the energy to raise those livestock? If you raise too many, you will be looked down upon and will be stolen by people from other villages. Especially the pigs, not only eat too much, but they also run around like crazy. It is also easy to be captured secretly. Rather than being saddened by being stolen, it is better to save some energy and bask in the sun."
Uncle Wu said helplessly.
Chu Feng was speechless for a while, sighing in his heart, the environment is not good, it is really not good!
Back at the old house, Chu Feng did not laugh with Shuang'er and the others for the first time. He lay on the clean bed, thinking about how to make Zhuangzi rich quickly.
This made the three Shuang'er sisters, who were still somewhat resentful, feel at a loss. In the end, Shuang'er took the dry food and knocked on Chu Feng's door: "Master, you have been tired for a long time, it's time to eat something."
"Come in." Chu Feng said weakly. But he didn't sit up from the bed.
After Shuang'er came in, she saw Chu Feng's laziness, put the dry food on the table, then turned around and wanted to leave.
"Oh, I didn't expect our villagers' life to be so hard. Shuang'er, do you have any way to make them rich quickly?"
Chu Feng said and sat up.
Shuang'er also stopped and said softly: "What can I do, my slave? Madam is already kind enough. Aren't all the people in the world like this? Is it possible that I can still live as comfortably as the official?"
But in my heart, I remembered that when I was a child, my family was in a miserable situation and I was so hungry that I was skin and bones. If my wife hadn't bought me, I would have definitely starved to death!
"Who says people can't live a good life? I'm here to keep them fed and clothed. However, Shuang'er, you've always been angry with the young master, doesn't it seem right?"
"How can I dare to be angry with the young master?" Shuang'er said, turning her face away again.
"Then why do you seem to hate the young master so much that you are not even willing to take a step closer? Come and sit down, and the young master will tell you how to make our banker rich."
Chu Feng chuckled and patted the bedside.
Shuang'er originally wanted to leave, but she still hoped in her heart that the young master really had a way to make the banker rich. After all, the young master had met the old god in his dream!
He was not shy at all. He walked to Chu Feng's bed but did not sit down. He whispered: "Master, I really want to know the method."
