Danger, the flood washes away misfortune. Winds and clouds change, the people who leave have no return. Danger, who points to the blue sky to reverse the tide? Autumn arrives, the crabs are full, the fish is fat.
While others were fixing the dam, Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan, who were free, began to research the items at home. Ever since they made the semi-automatic washing machine, the two realized that there were more comfortable things to make.
For example, the solar shower. It was the kind that placed a large water tank at a high place. It was made of aluminum and coated with a layer of black paint. When the sun was shining, it would start drying early in the morning. When it was sunny, it could be used to bathe the younger siblings in the afternoon. It was very practical.
Another example was the spray iron. First, it was enough to make a spray iron. Once it was sprayed, it would be ironed a few times. While making this, there was some unforeseen circumstances. There was no mist, only water jets. After some slight modification, it became a spray gun. The six little ones could each have a water fight.
After solving the daily games of the younger siblings, Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan finally had a new research direction. Building a biogas pool had many advantages. There could be biogas fertilizer, a biogas stove, and a biogas lamp.
The biogas stove was easy to make. They just needed to make a stove to light it up. As for the biogas lamp … they just needed to remove the stove and light it up directly. It was more convenient to use than an oil lamp and brighter than candles.
As for other things, they did not care. The two suspected judges had not been caught yet. There was no way to prove that they were the ones who dug the dam. Their families were still living under the supervision of the provincial government.
The interrogation officer only knew that there were people above, but he did not know who they were. They all had a fixed contact point in another province. Only when there was trouble, the people above would ask for the help of one or a few officials from the imperial court. The list of suspected officials who had helped had already been sent to the capital. This kind of thing should not involve Zhang Zhong.
They had already sent people to the other provinces. Needless to say, the place that used to be had long been deserted. If they wanted to find traces of the transportation of ores and marble, it would not be Shuzhou's problem anymore. Whoever owned the territory would be responsible for it.
The only thing that made Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan feel a little better was that the imperial court sent someone to deliver a decree, asking if Shuzhou needed any food aid from the imperial court. After all, a lot of places were flooded. Even if they had arranged for people to repair the dam, it was impossible to do it overnight. The water was still flowing.
More and more houses were destroyed, and the fields were also soaked. Fortunately, before the water came later, the people in the areas that could be flooded had already moved away, and no more people died.
Zhang Zhong did not even use Chang Pingcang. The people in the disaster area could not get back the money they owed. This time, he did not directly wipe it off. After all, there were other people who had also 'taken loans'. He only extended the repayment time and took out money to give them another loan.
This was conditional. Within ten years, the livestock and poultry produced by the people in Shuzhou who had taken loans had to be sold to the Sea Cloud Chamber of Commerce at a price slightly lower than the market price. It was considered a long-term investment.
Of course, the matters asked by the decree had to be rejected. Did the imperial court need to deal with such a small matter? The imperial court only needed to arrest those who should be arrested and kill those who should be killed. The problems of the people's livelihood were not a problem. As long as the officials were good and sincerely worked for the people, no one would cause trouble, and there was enough money for basic construction, it would be difficult for a place not to become prosperous.
Even the poorest place had its own advantages for development. It depended on officials and early development funds. Moreover, Shuzhou was not poor.
Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan did not need to go elsewhere to experiment. They could just build a methane pool in their own courtyard and collect the materials to produce methane from the prefectural city.
After not seeing Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan for two days, the three old men missed them. After searching for a while, they found two people who were directing people to work in a courtyard that the Zhang family usually used to store sundries.
"Xiao Bao, this is …?" Old Man Pi looked at the place and asked, not knowing what it was for.
He now admired the two masters of the Zhang family even more. He could not see them even once. Where were they hiding? Basically, everything had to be done by Xiao Bao and Cuckoo. The two children were exhausted. They could not cultivate talents like this. Since they were in Sanshui County, they had seen the two children busy. Only Xiao Bao and Cuckoo were sensible. If it were the other two children, they would have quit long ago.
Old Man Pi had told Old Man Chang about this before. At this time, Old Man Chang also sighed. He envied the people of the Zhang Family and Wang Family. Since they saw Xiao Bao and Cuckoo, they were always smiling when they saw them. They had not cried even once.
Thinking about it carefully, it seemed that the people in charge of the Zhang Family and Wang Family were the two of them. They were directing people in and out, and it did not affect their studies. How did they give birth to children?
Zhang Xiaobao was ordering people to make cement. When he heard Old Man Pi's words, he looked back and whispered to Wang Juan, "It's over. Cement can't be sold at a high price in the future. Later, help us cooperate. Let's earn money from the rich first."
Wang Juan and Weiwei were stunned. When they saw what the two were doing, they thought it through and nodded.
"Grandpa Bi, Grandpa Yao, Grandpa Zhang, how did the three of you have time to come here? Come, serve the three grandpas good tea and freshly boiled melon seeds. Grandpa Bi, you should rest first. Cuckoo and I have nothing to do, so we came here to play. "
Zhang Xiaobao's face instantly turned into a flower, making people feel that it was more pure than Xiao Bei's smile. If they did not believe him, then they would be struck by lightning.
Unfortunately, Old Man Pi seemed to have the means of a god. He was not afraid of being struck by lightning. He was indifferent to Zhang Xiaobao's words and did not go to the side to drink tea. The three old men firmly believed that tea and melon seeds were definitely not as important as what was in front of them.
"It's good to play blindly. Xiao Bao, tell us, what are you playing?" Old Man Pi continued to ask.
"Actually, it's nothing much. It's just putting feces, grass, and other things together. After fermenting it, it can be used to make fertilizer. There will be a burst of air coming out of it. That air can be lit with an open flame."
Zhang Xiaobao did not intend to lie to the three old men. If he did not want to say it, then he would not say it. Since he said it, then it was the truth.
Old Man Pi and Old Man Pi knew that this kind of thing would appear in swamps. They did not expect it to be man-made. They explained it to Old Man Chang, who was next to them. Old Man Pi moved forward and carefully looked at the others working.
Just as Zhang Xiaobao had said, Old Man Pi looked and indeed said, "Xiao Bao, this thing of yours is good. It can be used to boil water and cook, and it can also be used to light lamps. I don't think there's much here. It's just cement and copper pipes. The pipes should be used to release air.
In this way, as long as one followed the instructions, even the common folk would be able to save on oil lamps, let alone candles. Once the gas inside is almost used up, the excrement will ferment and truly can be used as fertilizer. Xiaobao, ah, the people of the Great Tang are suffering. "
After Wang Juan heard Old Man Pi's words, she immediately said, "Grandpa Bi, our family is also suffering. Now is the time of the man-made disaster, and we have to take out a lot of money. What should we do? Grandpa Bi, I've decided to do this. That, that … the rich usually use the most oil lamps and candles.
The more they use, the less other people can eat, especially candles. Why don't we start with the rich? Our family can provide after-sales service. For example, we can transport feces and grass to places designated by the rich. When the air is gone, we can help to clean it up. We won't charge more, we'll do it for free. We'll even help to transport the things that are cleaned up to places far away. "
Old Man Pi looked at Wang Juan's aggrieved expression and laughed. He said to Old Man Yao, "What do you think? Isn't it easier to talk to the two kids?"
Old Man Yao nodded. It was indeed easier to talk. There was no need to make things clear. The benefits that should be exchanged were all exchanged. It felt like he was not talking to the two kids, but communicating with people like himself. It was very interesting.
Old Man Chang knew how the cement was made. He had seen the process and estimated the price before. It was very, very cheap. The common people could also use it. He then asked, "Xiao Bao, Cuckoo, how much is your family preparing to sell it for?"
"I don't know yet. We're experimenting. We'll know later. I don't think it's too expensive. At least it won't exceed 30% of the oil lamps and candles used by the rich. Yes, it won't exceed 30%."
Zhang Xiaobao said very generously. However, the three old men did not feel that he was being generous at all. Was 30% too little? Cement was not valuable. If one had to say that it was valuable, it would be the technical costs that the two little guys had been emphasizing.
"In that case, we'll talk about it after the experiment is done. Xiao Bao, there's actually another reason why we're here today. The dam in Wangjiang County is being repaired, but many fields are flooded. We have to think of a way. Otherwise, this year's rent tax …"
Old Man Pi was reminding him out of goodwill this time. The tax was easy to deal with, but the rent could not be sent to the imperial court with money. The land was already flooded, and no one else could do anything. He believed that the Zhang family would have an idea.
Zhang Xiaobao had not considered such a thing in the past few days. At this time, when Old Man Pi mentioned it, he fell into deep thought. It was indeed so. He could not lose such a large area for nothing.
After thinking for a while, Zhang Xiaobao asked, "Did the fish, prawns, and crabs in the river rush into the fields?"
The three old men nodded.
Heaving a sigh of relief, Zhang Xiaobao said again, "Then let the people who escaped from the original area go back and raise prawns, crabs, and fish in the fields. When autumn comes, let other places exchange food for it. It's also part of the rent. We can't just leave it there. If the quantity is not enough, we can go to the river to fish again."
Zhang Xiaobao had no other choice. Originally, there was such a way to raise them. Now that the others had been washed away, he would directly raise them with water. The output was higher than when he was raising them in the fields. It was just that there was less food. When autumn came, he would think of a way to sell it.
After the three old men heard this, their eyes lit up, but they were a little uncertain. Old Man Yao asked, "It's feasible. If it really works, then there might be more people who will specially raise them in the future."
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