Chapter 67 Winter in the Village
As autumn passed and winter came, the capital suddenly became cold.
Yan Xuanyu had a warm room rebuilt in Chengtian Hall. It was not difficult to build. It was similar to the kang that every household in the northern region had in his previous life, except that it was changed to an underground fire channel. The palace servants put charcoal in the charcoal mouth outside, and the warm room inside would become warm. It could also keep the air in the hall fresh, and compared with the charcoal stoves placed everywhere before, the amount of charcoal used was greatly reduced.
Not only that, the palace maids outside could also keep warm at the charcoal outlet when they were not on duty. When Li Zhongxian went to the side pavilion, he saw several palace maids gathered there whispering and gossiping, throwing chestnuts in to roast and eat. He turned a blind eye and pretended not to see it.
"Manager Li, why are you here?" The eunuch Xiao Zhuzi in the side pavilion exclaimed "Ouch" and hurried over.
Li Zhongxian said, "Nothing. It's getting cold today, so I came to see if there was any charcoal left."
The little beads responded in unison.
Even if Li Zhongxian didn't come, they wouldn't dare to do that! Tankou has never been short of people.
Xiao Zhuzi sent Li Zhongxian out and returned with a smile. The palace maid sitting by the charcoal in the side pavilion stuffed him with a few roasted chestnuts. He took them in his hands and poured them back and forth a few times, "Smells good!"
After laughing a few palace maids started chatting in low voices.
These chestnuts were also given to the palace maids by the Imperial Household Department this year. From time to time, they also distribute cakes and snacks. Isn't it true that everyone in the palace wants to live a better life? Before, they couldn't afford food or clothing, but now, as long as they do their duty, they have everything.
During this time, one of the palace maids mentioned that they were old enough to leave the palace. Another palace maid said, "Do any of you want to stay in the palace? If I leave, my family will marry me off to a widower for a dowry. It's better to stay in the palace and enjoy my freedom."
Several palace maids immediately echoed this statement. They were all sent to the palace because their families could no longer support them and they had nowhere else to go. Food and accommodation were getting better and better, and the palace maids were treated like "human beings." Even the laundry department, the most tiring job in the palace, now received hand oil distributed by the Imperial Household Department every month, something that other places didn't have.
...
In the warm room, Yan Xuanyu was reading the news from the military academy in the capital that had been delivered yesterday. He wasn't familiar with every city in the Great Zhou, and the contents of the official documents of the Great Zhou were not necessarily trustworthy. Although he had sent a number of people, the investigation would take a considerable amount of time. Through the detailed records of the examiners in the letter, Yan Xuanyu not only saw what the students had done, but also gained a general understanding of certain local conditions.
Hearing a slight noise, Yan Xuanyu knew that Li Zhongxian had returned. He put down the letter in his hand and listened to Li Zhongxian talk about the palace maids roasting chestnuts on the charcoal grill.
Yan Xuanyu said casually: "There's no need to restrain them, just let them roast and eat."
If we had sweet potatoes now, we could roast a few on a charcoal stove and eat them hot.
Unfortunately, he didn't have the manpower to search for the high-yield crops needed for the time travel, such as sweet potatoes, potatoes, and corn, that would enrich the people's dining tables. Yan Xuanyu had previously discovered that the Great Zhou was more like a fictional dynasty, a blend of several dynasties. He thought that as soon as he had manpower, he would send them out to find these crops. After all, they were so important!
Just as he was thinking about it, a young eunuch came in from outside the palace. Li Zhongxian went out for a while and came back to say, "Your Majesty, Wei Shi has returned from outside the palace."
"Let him in." Yan Xuanyu sat up straight.
Wei Shi was originally a craftsman in the palace. After Yan Xuanyu discovered that he was capable and honest, he observed him for a while before sending him out to do something.
Wei Shi had already changed into the clothes of a palace craftsman. He came in and saluted Yan Xuanyu first. Yan Xuanyu raised his hand and said, "No need to be polite. Tell me how the task you were asked to do is going."
Wei Shi quickly replied, "Your Majesty, what you said has been done. Now many people have learned the skill of making kangs."
The north of the Great Zhou Dynasty was cold, and in the past, many people froze to death every winter. In his previous life, he knew that in the coldest parts of the north, almost every household in the countryside had a kang, which showed how important it was to winter. Building a kang was not difficult at all. After Yan Xuanyu gave Wei Shi a general idea, he pondered it for a while and finally came up with a rough idea. Because it was intended for use in ordinary homes, the current kang was made of earth.
At the beginning, Yan Xuanyu asked Wei Shi to set the price at 600 wen. It is not difficult to make a brick bed. As long as you watch it a few times, you can figure it out by yourself. So he asked Wei Shi to accept many "apprentices" and allow them to make money with this craft, but the price cannot exceed 600 wen. The raw materials can be obtained with a little effort. As more and more people know how to make it, the price will inevitably drop, and finally it will become something that ordinary people can use in every household.
Yan Xuanyu also warned Wei Shi: "You must explain the pros and cons to them clearly and don't cut corners."
"Also, have those who have kangs keep an eye on them and fix anything if they find it's wrong."
Wei Shi nodded repeatedly. He knew all this, but hearing His Majesty repeat it, he felt a strange emotion in his heart. Even if he had a thousand or ten thousand courage, he would not associate His Majesty with "earthen bed." However, the fact was that His Majesty had roughly explained to him what an earthen bed was and how to use it. As he pondered it, he realized the cleverness of it and instantly understood His Majesty's intentions.
And now, His Majesty has specially summoned him to inquire in detail about the progress.
He thought of the people he saw in the village and the thick calluses on their hands, the muddy dirt roads, and what they had told him: the harvests had been good in the past two years, the government had reduced taxes by 10%, and their families actually had some food left over for the winter.
He remembered hearing their idle chatter while he was preparing the kang, saying that they should plant more next spring to save some food...
Wei Shi's family had a poor harvest that year and was on the verge of starvation. They could no longer afford to support themselves, so his father had to send him to the palace. Fortunately, he was noticed by a craftsman in the palace and was taken in as an apprentice.
At that time, no matter how hard they worked, they could not save much food in a year.
And now, looking at the people, although they still look haggard, their eyes clearly have a hint of brightness and expectation, my heart is filled with emotions.
...
Xiaoshi Village.
Dazhuang was the farmer who first followed Zhuangzi to work. Later he found out that the owner of the manor was not an ordinary person.
Those who were the first to follow Zhuangzi's method of applying fertilizer had better harvests this year than the first time they applied fertilizer last year. Especially since Da Zhou exempted 10% of taxes this year, Da Zhuang's family had so much grain in stock for the first time.
When did he begin to feel that life was becoming more and more promising? Dazhuang thought about it briefly during a break from the busy farming season, and his memory emerged of the sizzling sweetness of the coarse brown sugar he first tasted on the farm. It seemed as if the sweetness was rekindled on his tongue.
One day, he heard outside that a craftsman named Wei Shi came from a nearby village and was good at making kangs. The man asked Dazhuang if he knew what a kang was. Dazhuang answered him, of course I know, isn’t that a kang for sleeping at home?
The man had worked on the farm like Dazhuang and was a little familiar with him. After listening to what he said, he smiled and told him that if he put firewood under the earthen kang, the kang would be warm all night.
Dazhuang also started to think about it. Their family now had some food, and he had married a new wife this year. He couldn't just get by like in previous years.
In the evening, he talked about this with his parents.
Dazhuang's father was a little reluctant: "Dazhuang, this is all the food we have at home. If your wife gives birth to a child next year, it will cost money too."
Da Zhuang's mother stood beside him with her hands in her pockets. After a while, she said, "Dad, just follow Da Zhuang's idea and make a kang. Da Zhuang has his own ideas."
,
Da Zhuang was also hesitant. The next day, he asked around and came back to tell his family, "Dad, Mom, I heard that the craftsman has quite a few apprentices. It only costs four or five hundred coins to make a kang with them."
That's how it was settled.
The man who was making the kang came quickly. Dazhuang's house originally had a dirt kang. The man pushed a lot of broken stones in a cart and tinkered with it in the house for a while. Finally, he asked Dazhuang to try burning some firewood first.
The man who came to fix the kang was wearing a tattered jacket. He wiped the dirt off his hands but didn't rush to ask for money. "If it doesn't work, I'll fix it for you."
Dazhuang burned some dry branches as he was told. The man leaned over the kang and looked at it for a while, then touched it with his hands and said, "We need to add some more soil."
So he worked on the earthen kang for a long time before he finally finished it.
Dazhuang's mother brought him a bowl of tea: "Come, have some tea."
The man waved his hands repeatedly, "Auntie, I'm in a hurry to get to the next store."
After the apprentice who was working on the kang left, Da Zhuang's mother said to Da Zhuang's father, "Are these four hundred and fifty coins gone?"
The whole family still feels a little pain.
It wasn't until the family sat on the kang at night to warm themselves that they realized how useful this earthen kang really was! If they added more firewood before going to bed at night, the kang would stay warm for several hours.
After a while, the farm paid the wages, and Dazhuang found another person to build a kang in another room. This time, the money spent was even less, a total of three hundred coins.
Although they still had to eat sparingly, they had more food than in previous years. The firewood at home was limited, and Dazhuang's parents only lit the kang at night. However, this winter was not as hard as in previous years.
Compared to other people, Dazhuang's family was probably better off, and they were one of the first to build a kang. However, as more and more people learned about earthen kangs, more and more people knew how to build them. The price for building a kang was even lower than 300 coins. And if there was a relative or neighbor who knew how to build a kang, they would be willing to help if they brought a small gift and asked to sit down with him.
During the Chinese New Year this year, Dazhuang bought some cloth for his wife and younger brother, and made new clothes for each of them. He also went to the city to buy some pork and offal. He saved the pork for the New Year, and washed the offal to add some meat to the dishes at home.
Da Zhuang's mother didn't save money today. She steamed a pot of rice and served it hot. The whole family had a hearty meal on the kang.
This year, next year...and the years to come, they will definitely live a better life.
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