Xu Yin had no intention of selling the first batch of candies, so she had them packaged into small portions and distributed later as a New Year's benefit.
Seeing the rough oil paper used for packaging, Xu Yin couldn't help but think of sugarcane bagasse.
Bagasse after pith removal is a very good raw material for papermaking. It is easy to cook and bleach. It can be used to make cultural paper and household paper.
When Yan Kejin heard that bagasse had this function, what were she waiting for? Immediately send people to build a paper workshop.
As a result, what is most lacking is not raw materials or various auxiliary materials, but short-term workers.
The population of the Southern Barbarians is not as large as that of the Central Plains. Most of them are mountain farmers. No matter spring, summer, autumn or winter, they stay in the mountains and eat as much as they can grow.
Those who think of coming to the city to work part-time are usually more flexible-minded, or they just can't get by and need to find another breakthrough.
With the rise of various workshops, the wages of day laborers have risen again and again. After hearing about it, many people from remote villages rushed to Fucheng to find a way out.
Xu Yin seemed to see in them the migrant workers who went south to Shenzhen in the 1980s and 1990s.
Once the population moves, many businesses will emerge.
In places where there are many part-time workers, food stalls selling various types of food, house rentals, and travel and transportation are all following the trend.
After seeing the prosperity of Fucheng and witnessing the advent of high-yielding grain varieties, the day laborers brought various propaganda with them when they returned to their hometowns for the New Year.
Xu Yin believes that after the New Year, Fucheng will be even more lively.
On the one hand, people will come to inquire about the news about high-yielding grain seeds. If they see that it is true, they will naturally find ways to take it back to their hometown to grow it. Haven't the high-yielding grain seeds spread since then?
On the other hand, more people will come to the city to find work.
Workshops and mines all need manpower. To put it bluntly, labor force plays a decisive factor in the contribution of production value.
Xu Yin stepped on the tail of the twelfth lunar month and opened a labor market at the south gate of Fucheng.
Called a market, it was just a wooden work shed with various types of job recruitment information posted on the four wooden walls. A literate boy was assigned to stay there and interpret the recruitment information for the illiterate villagers.
The workshops under the Royal Palace will need to hire a lot of people in the coming year. She asked the directors of each workshop to list the requirements for the number of positions that needed to be added, copied them and posted them in the labor market.
Those who meet the requirements can go to the workshop for an interview. If you pass the interview, you can work in the Wangfu Workshop after the Chinese New Year, and you can receive monthly salary and enjoy benefits without signing a contract of sale.
Such treatment was unheard of before.
After hearing about it, the people of Dongxian came here to look for work with a dubious attitude.
"Oh, Daniel! Are you here too?"
"I came here last month. I found a mixing job in a sugar factory and have been paid for a month. This time I came with my cousin."
"Is this true? When the palace recruits people, there is really no need to sign a death contract?"
"No need! Just sign a living contract in case you don't work hard after receiving your monthly salary."
"Oh! Then I'll sign up too!"
"I'll sign up too!"
Many people have gone to Wangfu’s workshops to sign up.
Those who applied for the job were all smiles, as if they were lucky!
Everyone was happy and running to tell each other.
The reputation of the labor market in the south of the city has also become more and more famous.
During the Chinese New Year, everyone who comes to Fucheng, whether they are visiting relatives or friends, or desperate people who want to try their luck, can't help but go here.
Labor shortages in workshops have been alleviated.
Xu Yin believes that after construction starts next year, all businesses will be on track.
The Chinese New Year is coming soon, and she has been busy going to silkworm houses and carpentry workshops to give out red envelopes to the masters.
This year, only these two workshops have been in operation since their completion, and since they have only been open for less than half a year, the masters must be under great pressure.
In order to appease them, the housekeeper specially asked the housekeeper to prepare a batch of red envelopes with silver rewards, which was not only a New Year's welfare but also a reward for working together to complete the giant juicer. Each person was given twenty taels of silver rewards.
After receiving this heavy reward, the eyes of the master carpenters who followed Carpenter Cen and left their hometown to work in Baigui County were red-eyed.
If Xu Yin hadn't been able to dodge quickly, they would have knelt down to her in excitement.
"Old Cen, you are not kind. Before you came here, you didn't tell me that there was such a good thing! Now my father's illness can be cured with money! Wuwuwu..."
"With this silver reward, not to mention that my family's debt to the clan can be paid off, and I can also save some money to send my son to a private school."
Every family has its own difficulties, otherwise we wouldn't be so poor that we can't take the blame even in good times.
Carpenter Cen smiled and stroked his beard and said, "I didn't lie to you, did I? I just said that the owner I work with is very kind. As long as you do a good job, you will be rewarded with a lot of money."
"When did you say there was a silver reward?"
"...Uh, didn't I say that? Maybe I forgot."
No, he didn't say it on purpose.
At first, they were worried that if they spoke too early, their happiness would be in vain if they were not rewarded with silver. Now, wouldn't it be nice to have such a surprise during the Chinese New Year?
The carpenters: "..."
The honest old Cen has changed!
In any case, Carpenter Cen and his party thanked their host with gratitude and embarked on their journey home for the New Year with smiles on their faces.
The dusty journey along the way and the trepidation when crossing the strange mountain could not stop them from coming to Baigui County to work for the prince in the next spring.
In addition to craftsmen, other workers in workshops and mines also received a red envelope.
It’s just that the amount is not as high as that of craftsmen: those with outstanding performance can get two taels; those with average performance can get five or six hundred taels, which is equivalent to receiving an extra month’s wages.
Ordinary workers are equally happy to have a holiday during the Chinese New Year and receive an extra month's wages, with smiles on their faces.
The palace was cleaned and dusted inside and outside, festive red lanterns were hung, and all kinds of new year goods were fully prepared.
Xu Yin and her maids, after drinking the thick Laba porridge, grinded the bean juice and made a batch of tofu.
Before she discovered the gypsum mine, she had never thought of it.
Of course, if you like to eat old tofu, you can also order brine.
After simply refining the gypsum, the tender tofu is as white as jade and has a very tender texture. Whether served cold or boiled, tender tofu is also included.
After making the tofu, there was still a lot of soy milk. She mixed salty and sweet flavors, sent a portion to the study, and tasted it herself.
Mellow bean flavor, paired with pure white sugar, this is sweet soy milk.
Add a spoonful of soy sauce and a spoonful of vinegar, and add some chopped green onion and coriander. There are seaweed and shrimp skin from Qinbei in the house, and a little of each to enhance the flavor. Sprinkle the boiling hot soy milk into the bowl. When the soy milk meets the vinegar, It seemed like flowers were blooming. This is the salty soy milk popular in Haicheng in later generations.
Xu Yin liked this taste, but she didn't know what kind of taste the prince would like.
But based on her understanding of him, he probably likes salty soy milk.
Sure enough, after burning the incense, the boy waiting in the study came running back and said that the prince likes the salty bean juice very much and asked if there would be any in the morning?
Of course you have it if you want to eat it, but you can still make it if you don’t have it.
Making tofu is not easy, grinding soy juice and making soy milk is not easy?
