"Little girl, what are we making now? It's so dark, why can't we light a lamp? "
Pomegranate put some powder into the paper and put in the small strips made by the two young masters. She rolled the paper according to the method taught by Wang Juan. She had made nearly a thousand strips in the morning, and she was still doing it, which made Pomegranate puzzled.
"It's used to replace firecrackers during the Spring Festival. You don't need to throw it into the fire. Just light it and it will make a crackling sound. Pomegranate, you buy these things. Don't tell others. These things will burn in an instant when they come into contact with a little fire. If we light a lamp, we will all be burned to death."
Wang Juan made another strip and gently put it aside. She explained to Pomegranate. She knew more about the Fire Powder than Zhang Xiaobao. If she wanted, she could make a powerful bomb.
Pomegranate knew something, but she still didn't fully understand it. She had never touched it before. She nodded and promised, "Little girl, don't worry. I will never tell others, not even my family. This thing is louder than a firecracker."
"Louder, louder than a firecracker with salt thrown into the fire. If this thing is big enough, it can kill people." Zhang Xiaobao also made a strip and put it together with Wang Juan's. His face, head, and clothes were stained with the Fire Powder, but he didn't dare to reach out to pat it, let alone scratch his head with his hand.
"Xiao Bao, do all the farmers send cucumbers? Will they tell others? " Wang Juan also felt that this work was too boring. Only she and Zhang Xiaobao would do it. If it were other children, they wouldn't do the same thing for the whole morning.
"Of course, they have to send it. They already know what is planted there. It's the Spring Festival, and they all want to eat something fresh. If they really tell others, how can they wait until now? I think they are all good people. We can use the hearts of the people. Next year, we will work hard together to make their lives better. "
Zhang Xiaobao was now very envious of the people of this era. Those farmers were really too honest. If they were given a little benefit, they would remember it. If there was a little hope in life, they would do their best to do it. The two Zhuangzi's households did not lock their doors. He really did not know how the two Zhuangzi's people chose before coming here.
When Wang Juan saw that she was almost done with the twists, she also stopped to rest. Thinking that there were so many people in the two families, but there was no disagreement, she felt that this was a blessing.
"Xiao Bao, we've already confirmed that the curved plow hasn't been found yet. Are you counting on this thing to increase production efficiency? Think about it some more. Do you have a better idea? "
"Yes." Zhang Xiaobao thought for a while and finally spat out a word. Then he said, "We can ask them to keep the seeds of the single plants that have good yields. This way, after a few generations, there will be high-yielding varieties, which are not stable.
Another way is to wait until after the Spring Festival and ask Erniu to take two people to Shandong, which is the Henan Province, to buy some stones and put them in the fields. We can also use them for drinking water and bathing. We can also use them for livestock, such as cows and horses. I just don't know if Erniu can find them. "
"What stones? They can be put in the fields and eaten. "Wang Juan really did not know what stones had so many functions.
"I remember three places where Mai Fan Stone came from, but I can't remember the other places. They are Shandong, Liaoning, and Mongolia. This thing is like normal saline. Don't underestimate the small proportion, but the effect is not small."
"I know this. So it's this kind of stone. In the past, we used to have this kind of stone for bathing. Also, there are mineral water places. Don't go to Mongolia, it's too dangerous. The Turks occupy it. Let's go to Shandong, what is it called? Henan Province, what's the specific location? "
Wang Juan heard this name and found it familiar. It was indeed used in many places, so she agreed.
"I don't know, who knows the specific location. I didn't think of this at first, but I occasionally learned about it. When I was outside, I drank natural soda water, but it didn't taste good. It was not as good as the water in the river behind the orphanage before it was polluted."
Zhang Xiaobao helplessly curled his lips. Thinking of that river, he felt a little uncomfortable. It was polluted, and later the factory was closed.
"Well, it's fine if you don't know. Pomegranate, stop for a while and eat. Today, make more cucumbers, dip them in sauce, and don't forget the meat soup."
Wang Juan did not want to continue thinking about these things. After giving the order, she walked out with Zhang Xiaobao. Pomegranate put down the work in her hands and went out last. She locked the door and arranged for people to wash the two young masters. Then she went to the kitchen to arrange things.
*****
"Cucumbers, cucumbers in winter. I'm auspicious. Everyone, come quickly and go back to eat. It's the New Year, eat some fresh cucumbers."
In Sanshui County, at the entrance of the yamen, the yamen runners were still taking turns to shout. At first, no one bought it. The people who came to watch the fun were not rich. When they heard that it was 30 copper coins for a kilogram of cucumbers, they were scared. It was too expensive. In summer, one copper coin could buy three kilograms of cucumbers. One egg could be exchanged for a lot.
County Magistrate Cheng and the others were not in a hurry. They did not expect the people to buy it. They just wanted to gather around. When the time came, some servants would naturally know the news.
Sure enough, after shouting for an hour, two people came over. From their clothes, it could be seen that they were servants of a rich family.
The two squeezed closer and looked at the cucumbers. They nodded and shook their heads. One of them said, "It's okay. The flowers and thorns are not missing. It's just that it doesn't look so green. 30 copper coins for a kilogram is a bit expensive."
As he spoke, he raised his head and looked at the yamen runner who bought the cucumbers. There was something different in his eyes. The yamen runner understood at once. He wanted him to lower the price so that he could keep the money. The yamen runner also had this kind of gaze.
Without turning back to ask the county magistrate, the yamen runner said directly, "30 copper coins. You can only buy five kilograms at a time. It's auspicious. How can you bargain?"
The yamen runner did not care about this person's arrogance at all. The others around him were the same. Another yamen runner chimed in, "This kind of thing is not something that ordinary people can afford. It's auspicious. Can ordinary people bear it?"
These words were deliberately belittling the identity of the two people. Sure enough, when the two people heard these words, their faces changed. It was as if they were being scolded.
The person who had not spoken until now spoke, "Don't think that you are the yamen. Do you know who we are?"
"Who are you? If he couldn't afford Auspicious Sign, who else could he be? This county magistrate has already sent a list of auspicious signs. Not to mention you, anyone can pay the same price. You can only buy five kilograms at a time. If you want more, line up. "
If it was a normal day, the yamen runner would be a little worried. However, there was no need to think about it today. Who would dare to cause trouble at this time? Not to mention other things, the higher-ups would eventually find out. In the second year of the Kaiyuan Era, the current emperor was waiting for good news.
County Magistrate Cheng did not go in. He just stood outside. It was not that it was not cold outside. Since it was auspicious, he had to set an example. At this time, he also spoke.
"How can you bargain with such auspicious signs? It's really obscene. Today, no matter how much money you pay, it won't work. "
Seeing that the county magistrate did not even ask about their identity, the two people were completely discouraged. They originally wanted to get some benefits, but they did not expect it to turn out like this. The two of them were not people who specially came out to buy. They just happened to encounter it. When the people in the manor came and bought it back, the master in the manor would definitely reward them.
He couldn't let the opportunity slip by so easily. The attitude of the person who spoke first changed, and a smile appeared on his face. "Auspicious, it's indeed auspicious. Just now, the two of us were just teasing everyone. How could we bargain? Thirty copper coins for five catties. Please, please, give us five catties first."
Hearing that, the yamen runner did not know whether to sell it or not. He turned back to look at the county magistrate.
County Magistrate Cheng Lingxiang also thought about it. Just now, he had already said it. It was not good to sell it directly. If he did not sell it, he would really offend people. Moreover, the two people were the first to buy it.
After thinking for a while, he said, "Well, since the two of you sincerely want to buy it, then stand aside and wait for others to buy it. I'll see if the two of you are sincere under the snow. We'll talk about it then."
When the two men heard this, they finally breathed a sigh of relief. They also understood that since they had already made up their minds, they naturally couldn't change it immediately. Letting the two of them stand in the snow was the best way for them and Auspicious Sign to deal with this matter.
They did not dare to say anything more. It was better to be the second to buy it than to give the opportunity to others. They stood aside obediently and let the snow fall on them.
Now that someone wanted to buy it, the surrounding people were unwilling to leave. They wanted to see how many people would buy such expensive things, or in other words, please.
Just now, there were two people who wanted to buy it. Later, someone came to ask for the price. It should be a servant girl. She was actually wearing satin clothes. When she squeezed in, she saw that there was a cucumber for sale. When she heard the price, she threw one tael of silver without saying anything.
"Okay, auspicious signs are good. I'll buy twenty kilograms first. That's all."
The surrounding people were amazed. She was really too rich. She actually bought twenty kilograms with one tael of silver.
The yamen runner hesitated again. He did not know whether to sell it or not. The county magistrate, Cheng Lingxiang, had a way. "Miss, this auspicious sign can only be bought five kilograms at a time. Miss, you can buy five kilograms first. After the others in line have bought it, you can buy it."
As he spoke, the yamen runner had already weighed five kilograms. He also weighed five kilograms for the two people. When the two people left, he weighed five kilograms for the girl. He also asked if there was anyone else who wanted to buy it. The surrounding people did not answer. This was easy. He continuously weighed five kilograms for the girl. She was considered to be in line.
After taking the cucumber, the girl, Weiwei, smiled. "Thank you. There are still cucumbers in winter. The county magistrate is really capable. I'll go back and tell Master Yu."
At this time, the surrounding people no longer said that the price was too high. There were really people who wanted to buy it. There were even people who paid more.
The county magistrate, Cheng Lingxiang, gave the yamen runner a look. The yamen runner shouted again, "Auspicious signs, auspicious signs in winter, auspicious signs in summer."
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
