Chapter 59: A female partner chooses farming (8) (First order requested!)
At the same time, the convoy of the Jinnan Palace finally entered the territory of Baigui County before nightfall and stayed in a nearby small village called Yunshanzhai.
The houses here are all bamboo buildings.
Xu Yin has never lived in a bamboo house before, so this is quite novel.
There was no glass in this era. The windows of the inn where I stayed before were made of yellowed thick paper. The villages at the foot of the strange mountain and the bamboo buildings in front of me all used curtains, hand-woven straw curtains or bamboo curtains.
Perhaps it’s because the southern barbaric region is very humid, and the paper windows are prone to moisture and mildew.
Of course, it cannot be ruled out that the price of paper is too high, and the local people do not even have enough to eat, so naturally they cannot afford it.
Xu Yin rubbed the tip of her chin. She had a glass formula, which she anonymously presented to the emperor during her peasant girl days.
It’s just that the emperor of Yanhua doesn’t look very good.
Less than a year after the death of the first empress, she promoted the eldest prince’s biological mother, the favored concubine, to the rank of step-empress.
If the prince at that time had not won the hearts of the people and had military exploits, he might have been deposed ten years ago.
Although he still has a title and a fief, these are the illustrious military achievements he has accumulated over the years, so the emperor really can't find enough reason to kill him all at once.
After all, King Jinnan is also her nominal husband. If the emperor treats him like this, if her wife still offers the glass formula, it is not the same as being slapped on the left cheek and extending the right cheek to others. Continue to fan?
It would be better to find an opportunity to give it to King Jinnan, so that the rich water does not flow to outsiders' fields.
Xu Yin was thinking about it while leaning in front of the window and looking at the evening scene outside the bamboo building. Behind the buildings, the Zhushan Mountains turn into the sea, and further to the north, there are still the Nanling Mountains, which are more stretched than Baiyue County.
This bamboo forest is like a natural barrier, blocking the miasma that spreads wantonly in Nanling.
"Is it because it is far away from the strange mountain that the people here are relatively better? Because there is less fear?" Xu Yin asked Grandma Feng.
Mother Feng was about to speak but stopped.
“If you have anything to say, just say it.”
"I heard this from hearsay." Nanny Feng leaned into Xu Yin's ear and told the gossip she heard from the guards, "It is said that the taxes in Baiyue County are higher than those in other counties, and the people's lives are better than those in other counties." It’s tough in several counties.”
Xu Yin was surprised and said: "Aren't taxes unified?"
“The old slave also heard about it.”
Xu Yin said thoughtfully: "You have all heard about it, and King Jinnan must have heard about it too. I don't know what his reaction was. Maybe he is looking for local people to inquire about the tax situation..."
Yan Kejin was indeed as Xu Yin guessed, summoning the leader of Yunshan Village at the camp.
The leader of the village did not know Yan Kejin's identity. He only said that he was a nobleman from the Central Plains and wanted to go to the capital of Baigui County. When he asked about the situation in Baigui County, he naturally told him everything he knew.
After the village owner left, Yan Qi expressed his opinion: "The governor of Baigui County sounds like a good one."
Yan Kejin rubbed the clear white porcelain cup with her fingertips and chuckled: "Isn't it good if you don't eat and drink and increase taxes? Your requirements are a bit low."
Yan Qi lowered his head and admitted his mistake: "I have gone too far."
Yan Kejin waved her hand and asked casually: "How is she doing there? Is she settled well?"
The implication: Nothing happened, right?
Yan Qi: "Speaking of which, the princess seems quite satisfied with the house here. She took the maid upstairs with her as soon as she arrived and has not come down yet."
Xu Yin was more than satisfied. Before dinner time, she took a charcoal pen to list the uses of the bamboo forest and thought about the bamboo industry.
There is also bamboo fungus. The chicken soup made with bamboo fungus is so delicious. Bamboo itself is also widely used. In addition to building houses and making furniture, bamboo can also be used to make handicrafts and daily necessities.
Burned bamboo charcoal can also be made into activated carbon powder packets, handmade carbon soap, etc...
Listed like this, the entire bamboo mountain behind Yunshan Village is like a cornucopia.
Xu Yin was writing and painting in the painting room. The maids carried food boxes and earthen pots upstairs. It was dinner time.
“Girl, these dishes were made by the cook of the palace, and these dishes were sent by the host who is staying here. Do you think they suit your taste?”
Xu Yin was happy when she saw it.
In the earthen jar was not the bamboo fungus chicken soup that she had just been craving for.
Chicken is a domestic chicken raised in a bamboo forest. It is stewed with bamboo fungus and is super delicious.
There is another dish that is also a specialty of the village - bamboo tube fragrant rice.
The other meals are meals sent by the prince's people, all of which are dishes from Beijing.
Xu Yin couldn't help but have her taste buds tantalized, and immediately called for Grandma Feng and the maids to eat together.
After having eaten and drank enough, I asked Nanny Feng to pick out some pieces of cotton cloth and give them to the women in the village as a thank you gift.
“Also, mama, ask them for me if they are willing to take over the business.”
She wants to order a batch of bamboo products: bamboo plaques for sericulture, baskets for grain storage, mats for drying fruits and vegetables, dustpans, baskets, bamboo rakes and other agricultural tools.
There are a lot of them. If Yun Shanzhai is willing to take this job, they will not be mistreated financially.
After coming back, Grandma Feng reported back: "Girl, you are so kind! Everyone in Yunshan Village is happy to take this job. It's just that they don't want money, they just want some cloth, sugar, salt and other condiments in exchange. You see..."
"This is not an embarrassing thing. Just comply with them." Xu Yin felt no pressure when she heard that it was such a small request. She didn't want to stock up on too many fabrics and seasonings. "After signing the contract, which fabric and which material do you want?" Several condiments, let them choose.”
As for supplies, there is no need to divide the deposit or the balance payment. It can be paid in full at once, which can also reduce the burden on her huge team of mules and horses.
“Let them pick it up after signing the deed? Don’t you wait for delivery?” Grandma Feng asked in surprise. I was worried that my master would be deceived.
Xu Yin smiled: "Do you think they have the courage?"
Naturally there is no such thing.
Being able to do business with such a reasonable and noble person is a dream come true in Yunshan Village.
When the nobles are satisfied, they can give them some reward, which may be their income from a year of hard work.
Even if they don’t give a reward, the amount of this order is not small. The cloth, spices and other materials exchanged are enough for them to live a good year. Representatives were immediately elected to sign the deed.
After Yan Qi heard about it, he immediately reported it to King Jinnan.
Yan Kejin couldn't help but wonder about the deep meaning behind Xu Yin's move: "Why order so many bamboo products? Just for admiration because they look good?"
It looks so good, so why not order a batch of bamboo carvings? Aren't those more pleasing to the eye? What do you do with these daily necessities that are only available to farmers?
Suddenly, his heart moved.
Thinking about the grain, vegetables, spring silkworms and poultry she sent people to buy along the way, could she be preparing for these?
So, when she arrives in Fucheng, is she really going to let people plant and breed on a large scale?
King Jinnan guessed the direction roughly, but it was not comprehensive.
Xu Yin not only wants people below to cultivate and plant, she also wants to go to the fields herself. Otherwise, how could she mix the high-yielding and high-quality top-quality seeds produced by the system into the bag of exotic seeds bought from Hu Shang? What about trial planting?
(End of this chapter)