After the wheat harvest, the 1,000 acres of cotton fields planted in Runan were blessed with a bumper harvest. The yield per mu was more than 200 kilograms. The total harvest from the 1,000 acres of cotton fields was more than 240,000 kilograms.
According to Yang Anxuan's instructions, Yin Dun organized people to expose the collected cotton to the sun, dry it and transport it to the workshop in the south of Xinxi City. There were two nephews behind the cotton business, and Yin Dun was involved in everything, fearing that something might be overlooked.
As early as May, Yang Qiu sent a steward and dozens of people to Runan to take care of cotton. According to Yang Anxuan's arrangement, workers were recruited to build a large workshop on the bank of the Huaihe River in the south of Xinxi City.
Most of the people who came to work were the families of military officers and generals. First, they removed the cotton seeds and exchanged one pound of cotton seeds for ten pounds of grain. Men, women, and children could do this work. The workshop also provided lunch, and more than five thousand people came to work. , even children as old as seven or eight came to pick cotton seeds in exchange for food.
After removing the seeds, the cotton is sent to the bombing workshop, and the monotonous "bang bang" sound is heard from morning to night; the elastic cotton is handed over to the sewing workshop, where more than 300 women thread the needle and thread to incorporate the cotton into the pre-cut Ge shirt. , calculated by piece, each set of clothes can earn three kilograms of food, and a woman with skillful hands can sew four or five sets of clothes a day.
Mrs. Wu is a sewing girl and works in the sewing workshop with her sister-in-law. My husband, Wu Xiong, is stationed in Xingyang. It will be two years by the end of the year, and he will be able to return to Xinxi to serve as a county soldier.
In the past, I only became a soldier when I couldn't survive. After the arrival of Lord Dayong, I became a good errand in the army. Wu Xiong was promoted to corps commander last year, and his monthly salary increased from two dan to three dan. It was never less, and he occasionally asked someone to bring back some cloth and small items. During the New Year, the government would also send people to send some money and food to express condolences, and the families of those soldiers who were disabled or killed in battle would give even more.
Wu was naturally worried because her husband was away in the army, but her family was still peaceful. She had 200 acres of land, which her father-in-law and brother-in-law cultivated. She, her mother-in-law and sister-in-law raised silkworms, grew vegetables, and raised a pair of children. They lived a happy life.
My brother-in-law arranged to get married in March and is planning to get married at the end of the year. The family has to provide gifts and build a new house. My son will go to school this fall to become literate. Although I don’t have many gifts for my husband, I still have to buy books, pens, paper and other things. Although my family has Although he is not considered rich, he cannot afford to lose his son.
When she learned that when the government was recruiting workers, the family members of the military would be given priority, Wu and her sister-in-law came to work together. The sewing workshop employs all women. The three women perform a show, chattering and laughing while working. Time flies faster than at home.
Knowing in advance that these clothes and trousers are for the soldiers at the front, no one dares to do anything perfunctory. Maybe these clothes and trousers will be worn by their own relatives. They would rather have one less piece of sewing and the stitching should be more precise.
When the work was over at the end of Shen Dynasty, Mrs. Wu sewed four pieces of clothes and pants, and her sister-in-law sewed three pieces. A total of twenty-one kilograms of corn was obtained. Farm girls, twenty-one pounds couldn't hold them back. Mrs. Wu put the corn on her shoulders, and the aunt and sister walked home talking and laughing. Their shoulders were heavy, but their hearts were warm.
Unfortunately, there was so little work to do, and it was completed in nine days. Mrs. Wu already knew that the thing that was as white as clouds was called cotton. It was brought by Yonggong from the distant Liang Kingdom to try to grow it. In winter, it can be covered with clothes and quilts, so it will not get cold.
Many people have tried it when sewing clothes. It is really soft and warm. It is many times more comfortable than reed catkins and straw. Even the stiff leather cannot compare.
Someone asked Manager Yang if he could grow this thing in his own family. Even if it was only three or two acres, the family would not have to worry about clothing and bedding for the winter.
After being informed in advance, Manager Yang told everyone with a smile that cotton was still in the trial planting stage. Only a thousand acres were planted this year. Yonggong intended to expand the planting area next year, at least to more than 20,000 acres. If you are interested in planting, you can pay attention to the government. notify.
Manager Yang carefully calculated the accounts with everyone, and everyone's eyes showed excitement. According to Manager Yang, the income from growing cotton was at least three times higher than growing grain, and the government guaranteed the income. Yong Gong's reputation was there, absolutely I won’t lie to everyone, which makes those who work hard.
Mrs. Wu also made some calculations in her mind. If she could plant 20 acres of cotton next year, it would be enough to pay the government taxes. The harvest of the remaining 180 acres of land, as well as the income from sericulture and vegetable planting, would be enough. At the end of a year, the family will be able to bring in at least two hundred more kilo of corn, so the brother-in-law won't have to worry about the expenses for getting married and building a house.
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Tens of thousands of sets of cotton-padded clothes and 300 quilts were shipped to Xiangyang. Yang Qiu was the person in charge, so the Shen Mansion naturally needed cotton-padded clothes and quilts for trial use. Lying in the soft quilt, it is really light and warm, and it is closer to the body than Jinqiu.
Yang Qiu Mei calculated with a smile that when 20,000 acres are planted next year, it will be twenty times this year's output. The army officers and soldiers will not need so much, so they can sell it to the private sector.
For such a good product, after excluding the cost, it should not be a problem to earn 200 gold per quilt and 180 gold per set of cotton-padded clothes. There should be at least 200 to 300 gold in profit.
I heard from the third brother that this cotton can also be spun into thread and woven into clothes, and the income will increase by another step. When the planting area reaches 100,000 acres, the money will be much faster than opening a noodle shop.
Yang Qiu stretched out his hand from the quilt and exposed the head of his daughter Shen Sheng, who was hunched under the quilt. Shen Sheng's face was red and she was actually sweating slightly in the cold weather.
"Don't move around, be careful of getting cold," Yang Qiu scolded. The third brother gave 10% of the cotton dividend to Sheng'er. When the little girl grows up, the dowry will definitely exceed a thousand gold.
Yang Qiu squinted her eyes and looked at her family fortune. The noodle shop business was not very profitable now. She was no longer interested in it, so she simply asked her eldest brother to go and give it to the clan. She learned from Shen Lang that the third brother was using the noodle shop as a pretext. What to do is beyond her control.
There is a profit of one share of the cotton to Sheng'er, which is the money given to Sheng'er by the third brother. Two nephews, Yang Yi and Yang Rui, each hold two shares. The family manages to get two shares, and the remaining three shares belong to sister-in-law Kong. Her six shops in the West Market brought in at least two hundred taels of gold a year, and there were hundreds of hectares of farmland in three farms. She really didn't care about Shen Lang's official salary.
There is also camellia oil. The oil pressing workshop has already produced oil. The pressed oil is very fragrant for tea. It is delicious to eat during this period. Yang Qiu touched his lower abdomen under the quilt and seemed to have gained some weight.
The oil pressing workshop is located in the village of Baizhang Mountain. No one can enter, but you can smell the rich fragrance from a long distance away. It smells really good. The third brother asked him to deliver the squeezed oil to the nobles in the city first and tell them how to use it. After a few days, those nobles came to buy it one after another.
I asked Yuan He to open an oil shop in the grain market in Xishi, specializing in selling "camellia oil" at two thousand yuan per catty. The supply was still in short supply. Hu merchants and Nanyang tourists who came from afar often bought hundreds of catties. , really rich.
However, the collected Camellia oleifera seeds were soon used up. The third brother came up with an idea to let the wealthy nobles exchange Camellia oleifera seeds for ten pounds of Camellia oleifera seeds for one pound of oil.
I heard from the manager that camellia seeds are grown on trees in the mountains of Jiangnan. They used to cost only 100 yuan per catty, but now they cost 200 yuan per catty. A pound of tea seeds can produce three ounces of oil, so this business is a sure profit.
Those wealthy people learned that camellia oil was produced from Camellia oleifera seeds and tried their best to extract the oil. However, they did not have a press and could not extract even one tael of oil from a pound of Camellia oleifera seeds. Yang Qiu smiled proudly, these people also want to compete with the third brother, it is really a dream.
The gold ingots in the box under my bed already exceed 3,000 taels, and there are also rare jewelry that I got from my third brother. Counting the shop and fields, it must not be less than 5,000 taels.
Reaching out to push Shen Sheng back into the quilt, Yang Qiu pouted. He had so much money and still had no heir. The third brother had already given the little girl enough money. It would be right if he didn't take it from her. She must leave the money to her son.
Yang Qiu touched his belly, feeling resentful. Shen Lang had been away fighting for most of the year. When he came back from Jingling this time, he must ask his sister-in-law to tell his third brother that Shen Lang should stay in Xiangyang for a year and wait until he was pregnant. Go to your son and let him go.
I heard Zhao Xuan talk about it in a casual chat. The battle in Jingling seemed to be not going well. The swords and guns were blind. The Buddha kept Shen Lang and the third brother safe. He made an appointment with Zhao Xuan and Zhang Lan to burn incense at Tanxi Temple tomorrow.
The new quilt was really warm. Yang Qiu felt hot all over, his cheeks turned red, and his eyes became watery.
Yang Qiu didn't know that the two things she thought would make a fortune, cotton and oil, were transported upstream from the Han River to Mianzhu City on two cargo ships. There were several craftsmen on the ship who went to experiment with the idea of improving cotton and oil into gunpowder.
Perhaps it won't be long before the gunpowder used by Yong's army will leave behind the elixir developed by Liu Yu.
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After learning that the governor had summoned him, Guo Chengzhi hurried to the lobby.
Guo Chengzhi took over Yin Ji as the Northern Yongzhou Biejia. He was recommended by Xin He, the chief historian of Yonggong Mansion and Yongzhou Biejia. Before leaving, Xin He held a farewell banquet for him. During the dinner, Xin He asked him to assist the king's governor and act in accordance with the law. , if there is anything difficult to resolve, you may wish to report it directly to the Lord.
After twenty years of ups and downs in the officialdom, Guo Chengzhi naturally understood the meaning of Xin He's words. After taking office, he repeatedly advised the governor Wang to suppress evil and restrain his clan brothers, and punished a group of officials who committed crimes and committed crimes, so that the officials of Northern Yongzhou could rule. Gradually it becomes clear.
Naturally, Guo Chengzhi offended many people. Although Wang Zhene restrained himself, he was extremely cold towards him, and the two rarely interacted with him except for official matters.
For some time in Chang'an, Guo Chengzhi knew that Wang Zhen'e's influence was intricately connected through his brothers, clansmen and cronies, forming a tight network that covered several counties including Chang'an.
Guo Chengzhi was secretly heartbroken, and secretly reported to Yang Anxuan about Wang Zhene and what the Wang family had done in Chang'an City. Yang Anxuan wrote back and asked him to argue with reason, obey orders, and watch with cold eyes.
Arguing with reason is just advice; if the king suppresses evil and refuses to listen, then obey orders first to save yourself; but keep it in mind, listen to his words and watch his actions. Guo Chengzhi acted according to the twelve words given by Yang Anxuan, and his relationship with Wang Zhene improved slightly.
When they came to the lobby to meet Wang Zhen'e and Cen Minghu, Wang Zhen'e said: "Farewell Guo, can the eight thousand sets of cotton-padded clothes sent by the lord be distributed?"
Wang Zhene and Cen Minghu were confident that they could drive away the Qin soldiers because of the eight thousand sets of cotton clothes and trousers sent from Xiangyang.
Guo Chengzhi said: "It has been loaded into the truck and will be distributed in the next two days."
Yang Anxuan sent 9,000 sets of cotton-padded clothes and dozens of cotton-padded quilts to Chang'an City and handed them over to Wang Zhen'e for distribution. Wang Zhen'e took out the quilts and 500 sets of cotton-padded clothes and distributed them to government officials for trial use. After using them, Wang Zhen'e was very interested in the cotton clothes. The thermal insulation effect is very satisfactory. With this good clothing, there is no need to worry about wind and snow, so he and Cen Minghu are confident that they can march and fight in winter.
It was initially agreed that out of the 9,000 sets of cotton-padded clothes, 8,000 would be distributed among them, leaving 2,000 in Chang'an City, 3,000 for Meng Long Fu, and 3,000 for the army attacking Qiu Chi.
Wang Zhen said evilly: "The Qin army has made a rebellion and has captured Tianshui County. Now it is attacking Linwei City. Yu is going to let Cen Zhizhong lead his army to rescue him. The army is marching in winter. These cotton-padded clothes should be kept close to Cen Zhizhong first."
Emergencies are unpredictable. Guo Chengzhi pondered for a moment and said, "That's the governor Wang."
Some people died, but not completely...
