Because the Cao family and the Zhao family were discussing the marriage in a low-key manner, Cao Yingying did not come in person this time. Manager Sun came with someone.
The two hundred acres of land in the village have long been measured out, and the land deed has been written. The land is slightly on the edge of the village, and two hundred acres of trees are planted there, like a natural barrier fence in Dahe Village.
Mulberry trees are different from fruit trees. They can be planted more densely. At least a thousand trees can be planted in one acre of land. However, planting too densely will often require pruning branches and leaves, which increases manual labor. So Manager Sun limited one acre of land to 500 trees. Two hundred acres of land equals one hundred thousand trees, and it takes some effort to plant these trees.
"Planting trees will trouble Zhao Lizheng." Manager Sun said with a cup of his hands. "In addition to planting trees, we also need to build several rows of houses for raising silkworms next year. We also need to build shelters for the female workers who raise silkworms, as well as spinning and weaving. I’ve brought all the drawings and drawings from the workshop.”
Li Zheng scratched his head: "It's not a big problem to plant trees, but it's winter and I'm afraid building a house won't work. The main reason is that the soil is too hard and the weather is too cold. The adobe cannot be hammered out and is easily brittle, so the house will not be built." firm……"
"It's not an adobe house, it's a blue brick house." Manager Sun said, "The weaving workshop needs to be moisture-proof and waterproof, so it must be a blue brick house. Someone will send blue bricks in two days. Zhao Lizheng will receive it. It can be used at any time. Let's start construction. Here is a total of five hundred taels of silver, part of which is the wages for planting trees, and part of which is the wages for building the house."
A heavy burden was handed into Li Zheng's hands.
Li Zheng silently lamented in his heart that a workshop used blue bricks for work. The Cao family is really rich...
However, the Cao family spent the money on their Dahe Village, which was a blessing for Dahe Village.
He patted his chest and responded: "Don't worry, Manager Sun. I will definitely handle this matter for the Cao family. It will be completed before the Chinese New Year."
Manager Sun finished the things assigned by the eldest lady and then left the village.
As soon as he stepped forward and straightened up, he summoned people to work.
It’s just that most of the men in the village now have work to do. Some work at Cheng Wanwan’s house, some are hired as special patrol members, some are repairing canals in the mountains to prepare for irrigation and drainage in the coming year, and some are providing water for the next year. Shopkeeper Yan's family is building a house, and they will gather people to plant mulberry trees for Cao's family. Only more than forty people will have time to come.
Planting trees is hard work, especially in winter, when the soil is frozen hard, and digging a hole takes a lot of effort and time. After digging the hole, you have to pick out the gravel, grass roots and other objects in the hole by hand. In order to ensure The saplings do not need to be moved. They have to slowly put the roots in with both hands. To plant a tree, one pair of hands has to dig into the ground several times... In winter, one person can plant about 20 or 100,000 trees a day. , one person needs five thousand days, and more than forty people need about a hundred days.
Li Zheng was a little worried. He boasted in front of Miss Cao that he could plant all the trees in Haikou in one month. Wasn't this a slap in the face?
If the time for planting trees is delayed, building a house will be delayed even more. It will definitely not be completed before the Chinese New Year.
"Do you have any relatives or something? You can introduce them to work. No matter who you are, you will be given two cents for planting a tree. Twenty trees a day is forty cents. The more you plant, the more money you will get. If you can't afford it, Capped." Li Zheng said loudly, "Of course, if the tree planted by someone dies in the next year, the money must be returned. Therefore, you cannot be careless when planting trees, you must be careful not to toss the saplings to death... "
The thoughts of the villagers suddenly became vivid.
There is often work to do in their village, and the building of houses has never stopped. Either Dashan Niang's house, or shopkeeper Yan, and now Miss Cao. This Miss Cao is building a spinning and weaving workshop. She will definitely build a spinning and weaving workshop in the future. If you want to recruit female weavers, you can call your relatives over to work and make them look familiar. You might be able to be recruited by the Cao family in the future.
As soon as the meeting here ended, many people in the village immediately went to their relatives' houses to call for help.
In winter, most farmers are idle at home. With such a call, hundreds of men from nearby villages came to sign up to plant trees.
Li Zheng's smiling eyes narrowed, and he sat under a tree on the edge of the wasteland, responsible for registration. Originally, the registration task was always left to Zhao Tiezhu, but Tiezhu was in class at the moment, and Li Zheng had to do it by himself.
Those who come to register first register their names and residences, and then go to the edge to collect saplings. Twenty trees are collected at a time. After planting, a designated person will check and record the row and column of the tree planted by the person. This is how The purpose is to prevent the person responsible from being found after the tree dies next year.
Of course, the death of one or two trees will not really cause trouble to anyone, because a small amount of saplings will die during the winter, but if a large number of trees planted by one person die, it is obvious that there is something wrong with the person who planted the trees. The breeder must ask him to refund his money.
At the same time, the Cao family's green bricks were also delivered. Tens of thousands of green bricks were piled on the wasteland, which was particularly eye-catching.
Li Zheng has no free time every day. Not only does he have to plant trees, but he also has to mobilize people to start building houses... Basically everyone in the village has work to do, and some boys in their early teens will also be called. Responsible for tasks such as delivering bricks and concrete on the construction site...
In the past few days, the roadblocks outside the village have been completed quietly. Only the patrol team knows where the roadblocks are located. The villagers are still busy with their lives in an orderly manner as before...
The weather is getting colder and colder. It is now the middle of winter. In another half month, it will be the twelfth lunar month. In one month, it will be the Chinese New Year.
Cheng Wanwan has already begun to burn the kang. She is naturally afraid of cold. When the wind blows outside, she feels cold all over when she hears the wind.
After Wu Huiniang was born, Wen went back to live with Zhao's family. She simply asked Wu Huiniang and her granddaughter to come and sleep with her on the earthen kang. The weather was too cold and she was afraid that her granddaughter would catch a cold.
As for the boys, if it's cold, they can also burn the kang in Zhao Si's room. But obviously, the boys are not afraid of the cold and are not interested in burning the kang.
Cheng Wanwan bought a few quilts from the mall and gave them to each of the boys: "These are the quilts I asked someone to buy from other places. They keep you warm. If you feel cold, take them out and cover them."
Countless merchants visit the house every day, and they all come in large carriages. It is normal to buy some strange things for the house.
"The quilt is so warm!" Zhao Sidan narrowed his eyes happily, "It's so soft and comfortable to lie on. Mom, what is this quilt made of?"
Cheng Zhao said slowly: "There is a saying in the book: grass is actually like a cocoon, and the silk in the cocoon is like fine silk. It is called Baidiezi. Is this the thing?"
Shen Zheng was shocked: "How come you know everything?"
"It is said that this thing grows on the southern islands. When mature, it can be made into warm and cold clothing. However, the southern islands do not have cold weather, so this white folding seed has not been popularized. It is only found in a small amount in some books in the south. Record." Cheng Zhao said, "If Bai Diezi could be grown and produced in large quantities, how many people would be saved from freezing to death..."
Cheng Wanwan couldn't help but sigh, Zhao'er will definitely become a good official who loves the people as his son.
She said: "I asked someone to buy Baidiezi seeds from the south, and I will try to grow them next spring."
Zhao Dashan patted his chest and said, "Leave it to me to grow Bai Diazi. I will definitely be able to do it."
The family was talking when a hearty voice came from the door: "Da Shan Niang, the matter is done!"
Cheng Wanwan looked up and saw Matchmaker Zhao.
The children in the family immediately looked at Zhao Ergou. Although Cheng Wanwan was very low-key in his work, they all lived under the same roof. The children were not fools, so they naturally knew what was going on.
Zhao Ergou blushed hard, coughed and said, "Auntie, come in and sit down. I'll pour tea."
After saying that, he quickly slipped away and asked Chunhua to bring in the tea.
Matchmaker Zhao held a document in her hand and said with a smile: "This is the maiden name and birthday of the eldest lady of the Cao family..."
