Chapter 157

Pingxiang, Qingquan County.

The golden autumn brings a cool breeze. Lin Shuge stretched his sore waist and walked on the edge of the field leisurely.

The people of Pingxiang are already harvesting the second crop of potatoes. They picked up their hoes and dug up the withered potato vines. After a short while, they had dug up a ridge of land. A few people followed behind and picked out potatoes one by one from the turned over wet red soil and threw them into the basket. The potatoes on the open space nearby had already piled up into a small hill.

Lin Shuge also squatted down and picked up a round potato. The yield of potatoes planted this year was much better than last year, and the size was uniform. The one in Lin Shuge's hand was looking even better.

"Greetings, His Excellency the County Magistrate." The woman was digging potatoes in the soil with her head down. When she looked up, she inadvertently saw Lin Shuge and quickly greeted him.

"No need to be so polite. I'll come over and take a look. You guys continue working." Lin Shuge said with a smile, and helped her clear out the potatoes on the field in front of her.

"Oh, sir, this is not allowed. How can I let you work?" The woman stretched out her hand to stop him, but saw that her hands were covered with mud, so she put it down awkwardly.

"Of course I can do it. To understand the people's sentiments, I have to work personally and know their sufferings. Madam, don't worry about me. It's not a hard job." Lin Shuge rubbed the mud on his hands and said nonchalantly.

When Chu Xu and the others who were following behind her saw this situation, they felt it was not appropriate to stop Lin Shuge from working, so they all started to help. After a while, they helped the woman catch up with the farmer who was digging potatoes in front.

The farmer turned around, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and looked at Lin Shuge and others with confusion. After seeing Lin Shuge's face clearly, he was shocked, dropped his hoe and ran over.

"Sir, you...I...let me do it." The farmer snatched the basket full of potatoes from Lin Shuge's hand and refused to let him work no matter what.

"It's not heavy, what are you afraid of? I'm not made of paper." Lin Shuge sighed with a smile, and Chu Xu and others who were working behind him also laughed.

The farmer was embarrassed by the laughter. He put down the potatoes and said, "Your Excellency is a noble man. How can you do such work..."

Lin Shuge interrupted him and asked about the grain production this year. The farmer smiled and said, "We planted millet, wheat and potatoes this year. We harvested millet a few days ago. We harvested more than ten small bags. They look fuller than in previous years. We haven't weighed them yet, but I think they are more than in previous years. We have curved plows in the past two years, and the township leaders have taught us how to make compost. The yield must have increased."

The woman also laughed and said, "There are also potatoes. Last year, I saw my neighbor plant a few acres of potatoes. If they saved a little, they would have potatoes to eat all year round. We were so envious. So this year, we hurried to plant a crop. My family is small and we have little land, so we can't compare to others who planted two crops. But this crop has a high yield and is filling. People in Pingxiang used to go hungry. If we could have more crops like this before, at least the whole family wouldn't have to tighten their belts to make ends meet."

Chu Xu and others were all from ordinary villages. They had experienced what the woman said, and most of them felt sympathetic when they heard this.

"Look at me, why am I saying all this to you, thanks to you. By the way, we also planted cotton this year, in the west area. We will harvest cotton after the potatoes are harvested. Although cotton is indeed precious and not as easy to care for as potatoes, we also learned from the adults in the county for a long time before we dared to plant it. When we were planting, we were afraid of being burned and pests. We were trembling with fear every day, afraid that we would wake up the next day and find a large area of ​​dead cotton. But everyone knows that it is a good thing. Last year, someone planted a quilt and made it. I touched it. It was really thick and warm."

The woman had an excited look on her face and talked to Lin Shuge for a long time. Lin Shuge listened with a smile and asked a few questions from time to time. They chatted for most of the day.

"I have talked so much with you," the woman looked up at the sun, "it's almost noon, would you like to come to my house for dinner?"

Before Lin Shuge could say anything, the farmer who couldn't get a word in finally found an opportunity and said, "Yes, yes, yes, everyone, please come to my house for a simple meal. My wife's noodles are amazing."

Lin Shuge smiled and shook his head, "Thank you for your kindness. We still have to go find Madam Chen, so we won't disturb you anymore." After saying that, he left with Chu Xu and the others.

The couple watched Lin Shuge and the others leave. "Have you heard? You can earn this much for a day working in Madam Chen's textile factory?" The woman pointed with her fingers. "Remember the poor and wealthy family in our village? Madam Lan can weave cloth, and was hired by Madam Chen. It's only been a year, and the family is renovating and building a brick house. When there's time, I'll send someone to ask if they're still hiring. If you can get a job, we can renovate the west room in a few months, and we'll find a spouse for our Atong in a few years."

The farmer also said: "After we finish harvesting cotton, I will go and help them. There are so many fields in Moshui Township, they will definitely not be able to harvest all the fields and will need to hire people. I can make some money then."

The couple smiled at each other, their eyes full of longing and hope for their future life.

The sounds of looms could be heard incessantly in the textile factory. As soon as Lin Shuge arrived at the door, he saw that the factory, which used to consist of only a few houses, had been expanded a lot, almost twice its original size. There was also a yard next to it, which was full of flowers and lush greenery, and the sound of women's laughter could be heard from time to time.

"Lord Lin," Chen Jin walked over from the side of the courtyard and bowed to Lin Shuge.

The courtyard immediately fell silent. "Ms. Chen, there's no need to be polite. I'm just passing by today and wanted to discuss a business deal with you."

"Sir, please come this way," Chen Jin was dressed in gorgeous clothes and had exquisite makeup. Ah Li, who followed behind him, had a proper smile on her face. She was no longer as immature as she was in the past. It seemed that she was reborn this year. Both the master and the servant were living well.

"I haven't seen you for a long time, sir. You are still as elegant as ever." Chen Jin praised sincerely. Today, Lin Shuge was wearing a light blue straight-hem dress with a plain Zen robe on the outside. He had a handsome face and an extraordinary temperament, and he didn't seem like an ordinary person.

Lin Shuge smiled and said, "Mrs. Chen is getting better at talking."

His expression became even more gloomy when he smiled. From the house not far away came some women's exclamations and laughter.

Before Lin Shuge could react, Chu Xu immediately drew his sword to protect him, "Who is here?"

Chen Jin stepped forward and said, "Sir, calm down. There are too many people in the workshop and it's noisy, so I set up a courtyard here for all the ladies to come and try on clothes. I didn't expect to disturb you today. It's my fault."

"It's okay. I just came at an inopportune time and disturbed the female guest. Madam Chen, how about we talk somewhere else?"

"No, no, this courtyard is far away, and the ladies are just... just..." Chen Jin had practiced his eloquence very well these days, but it was a little difficult for him to speak at this moment. He couldn't say that those brave ladies saw that the master was so handsome and happened to run into him, and screamed in surprise.

At this moment, a woman walked over slowly, bowed and saluted, "Greetings, Master Lin, we were rude just now."

At Lin Shuge's side, if you look up, you can see a few pieces of clothing between the beams and pillars in the distance. "It's okay, Madam Chen, let's go and discuss the matter first." The sun was a little hot, and Lin Shuge was hungry, so he just wanted to finish the matter quickly. Xie Chen happened to be in Pingxiang today, so he could also go to the military camp to have a meal.

Chen Jin said "Oh", winked at A Li, and took Lin Shuge to a room on the side.

Ah Li behind them understood and waited for them to leave before saying, "Ladies are too brave. It's a good thing that Lord Lin has a good temper. If it was Lord Wei, they would be scared to death."

"Oh, sisters, we have heard of Lord Lin's reputation for a long time. Today we finally get to see him, so we have to get closer to take a good look. If it weren't for the fierce and ferocious faces of those lords behind us, I would have thrown the handkerchief in my hand at him."

Seeing that there were no outsiders around, Ah Li blushed and said, "I wonder what kind of lady Lord Lin would like?"

"Ali, you don't know either?" someone asked.

"Madam Li, you scared me to death." Ali touched her chest and looked at the young ladies around her.

"Hurry, hurry, let's go over there and talk." Everyone walked towards a pavilion while playing.

There were several ladies in luxurious clothes sitting in the pavilion. When they saw them coming over, "Sister Yun, how is it? How is it?" the ladies asked in unison.

Yun Qiang coughed lightly, "Why are you in such a hurry? I saw who pushed me out just now."

In an instant, two ladies blushed, and one of them said anxiously, "Let's talk about this later. Ah Qiang, please tell me, how is Lord Lin?"

"Of course it is beautiful. This is the first time I have seen Lord Lin up close. He is really gentle and polite. However, he seemed to be busy and ignored me and left with Madam Chen."

"Oh, if I had known earlier, I would have gone out with you. I didn't expect that I would have such an opportunity to try on clothes today."

Several ladies echoed: "That's right, that's right."

At this time, someone saw Ah Li standing nearby and asked, "Ah Li, your wife has had a lot of contact with Lord Lin. Have you ever heard that he has a favorite woman?"

"Look at you, if you ask Ali she definitely won't tell you. Isn't it said that Lord Lin likes Lord Chen from their family?" someone asked.

Ah Li was shocked and frightened. "My lady, there are some things you can't say carelessly. Our Lord Chen is highly skilled in martial arts and is smart and capable. Lord Lin appreciates him. That's called having a keen eye for talent. Do you know who is in charge of those vicious Qiang people in Moshui? It's Lord Chen who is in charge. Anyone who talks nonsense without any evidence will be punished, not to mention Lord Lin, but Lord Chen's whip will really whip you."

The people around were frightened by her words. The girl also nodded in agreement and whispered, "It's not just me who said that."

Ah Li sighed again, "You ladies are all well-known figures in the county. Don't you know that the mouth can cause trouble? Lord Lin is lenient to others, but when it comes to reputation, you can't say anything careless."

Yun Qiang said hurriedly, "Indeed, how can you bring up such groundless things? Let's not talk about it anymore. Good Ah Li, go and get your new dresses. The sisters should all try them on. If the style I want is suitable, I will take them all."

The others also helped to change the topic and started talking about new dress styles, and the atmosphere eased.

Lin Shuge was having a great chat with Chen Jin. The two were talking about Chen Jin's new ideas for development recently. "Last year, my small workshop only wove cloth. When things got better, I made some cotton clothes and cotton boots. I earned all my money through hard work. Later, a lady who was an excellent female worker suggested that I could make ready-made clothes. So I built this small yard. After the cotton cloth is woven, it can be used directly to make ready-made clothes. Whatever style the ladies like, just tell us and we can make it."

"The ladies you just met are regular customers here. Their clothes for all seasons are made by us."

No wonder this courtyard is so quiet and peaceful, it turns out it is for distinguished guests only. It is equivalent to a place in later generations that specializes in designing clothes for the rich. It undertakes everything from weaving to making clothes, and it is privately customized. It is really amazing, Lin Shuge sighed in his heart.