Fifteen hundred camels and horses are not the same thing as fifteen hundred horses. Even though the Northwest is vast and sparsely populated, a horse farm is actually just a straw hut, which is not very difficult to accommodate so many camels and horses.
When Xu Bin learned that the camel and horse were related to the soldiers' winter clothes, he did not dare to take it lightly and was a little worried.
"There's enough space, but not enough straw huts. If it snows, we'll freeze to death." Xu Bin told Qiao Ruichen about the difficulties. "Also, there aren't enough feeding troughs. There are rocks everywhere, and it's too late to chisel them."
Qiao Ruichen had already asked the camel and horse officer about this, and he just said that it was okay, "Camels and horses are not afraid of the cold, and they are not afraid of snow even when they stay outdoors. As long as you sweep the snow diligently and don't let it bury them, they will be fine.
As for feeding, just allocate ten feeding troughs, and feed ten camels and horses at a time. Let them eat and drink plenty, and you don't need to feed them for three to five days. You can rotate a few hundred horses a day, and that's enough. It just requires the soldiers to work harder."
Xu Bin's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he waved his hand. "What's there to be afraid of about hardship? The men in our army are most afraid of hardship. But is what the general said true? Not only are you not afraid of the cold, but you can also endure hunger?"
If camels and horses are really that good, they would be very suitable for patrolling the border.
Soldiers patrolling the border do not need to flee, and scouts cannot ride horses. If they discover the enemy situation, they must either avoid it from a distance of eight hundred miles to avoid conflict, or fight if they encounter it. They are guarding the border, and the people are behind them, so they have no way to escape.
However, the places where the Xifan people appeared and the northern Mongolian border were all quite high in altitude. If there was no snow all year round, it would be freezing cold. Northern Mongolia was relatively better. In previous years, many soldiers who were on duty at the Xifan border had frozen to death.
If they could sleep with camels and horses to keep warm, many fewer people would freeze to death, and the soldiers would not be invaded by the cold and have their lifespans affected.
Qiao Ruichen knew what Xu Bin was thinking, and he had considered this as well. Xining Town was not like the county town. If they encountered the Xiban people at the foot of the Goddess Peak, they could still escape, after all, the main force was there.
In Xining Town, it would be a life-and-death fight, so most of the horses in the military camp are short-legged horses. They can't run fast but are cold-resistant.
"It's a shame to leave so many camels and horses idle. My wife will send someone to teach the soldiers how to shear the camels. After shearing, send 300 to the West Camp and leave 300 in the North Camp. Then, not only can the soldiers ride the camels and horses, but they can also pull heavy objects. We can then deduct the cost price from the winter clothing and other supplies."
When Xu Bin learned that the camel horse only cost three taels of silver each, which was cheaper than many other mules, he was naturally happy.
Originally, when Qin Mao was the garrison commander, he was not given enough supplies, and the food and fodder had to be discounted. He was very grateful that Qiao Ruichen could deduct it according to the cost.
But he was only worried: "If the hair is sheared, the camel will freeze to death, right?"
Qiao Ruichen was also puzzled when he said, "My wife said no..."
The two exchanged glances, their eyes filled with the same surprise and bewilderment. These camels were superior to horses in every way except for their slowness, so why were they sold so cheaply? And it didn't seem like the Western Regions valued them much.
The Qiao family was also puzzled. Miao Wan guessed and explained, "Because most people think camels can only travel in the desert, these camels can survive without food and water for up to ten days after eating and drinking. They are also heat-resistant. They are a breed that came from the desert and have adapted to extreme cold and heat. Maybe these camels can't survive elsewhere and can't run fast, so they are not taken seriously."
She seemed to have heard Sister Chenxi say in her previous life that camels were indeed more common in the desert and the northwest. She didn't know if it was because of the different terrain or something else, but camels lived well in arid and rainy areas, but they didn't live long in other places.
Maybe some people have tried it, but later found that it didn't work, so they only used it to transport goods in the arid and rainy northwest, and didn't sell it to other places.
But camel hair is indeed famous throughout the country. A camel can produce one kilogram of camel hair every year. If you want it to not affect your walking in winter, you can only take a maximum of 500 grams.
However, 500 grams of duck down can make three down jackets, and 500 grams of camel hair can make five cotton jackets.
One thousand five hundred camels can make seven thousand five hundred cotton coats. The northwest is too cold in winter, so making three thousand sets of shirts and trousers is no problem. Finally, the winter clothes can be distributed in full.
These days, both Sun and Ruan Jialin's wife Li have been busy leading the women in the town to make cotton clothes. They work in two shifts and all the winter clothes can be stored in the warehouse in three days at most.
The wood from Anyong County is taller, stronger and rounder than that from Xining Town. It is top-quality beam wood and the time required for processing can be shortened a lot. You just need to dry out the moisture, brush it with copper seed oil and then you can put up the beams immediately.
Houses are of utmost importance to common people. The commercial streets have only leveled the land and laid floor tiles. The minds of the young and old are all on the houses in the southern area. It should not be a problem to complete the roof within three days. A few houses can be squeezed together to make it spacious for living.
Miao Wan had no way of shearing camel hair. To be honest, even if she had the skills, she had never handled duck down and cashmere before, and was a complete novice. So she handed the matter over to the professional Yang.
Originally, the pigs in the family were under her care. In addition to the cashmere brought by the northern Mongolians, she was also responsible for shearing the sheep in the family. Therefore, she was asked to take Donkey Egg with her to the North Camp to teach the soldiers how to shear camel wool and also to keep an eye on the camels.
When Yang heard what Miao Wan said, her legs went weak immediately. If Ma Twelve's donkey egg hadn't supported her, she would have slipped off the chair.
"I, I...teaching the soldiers?" She felt as if her brain was dizzy and she was in a daze, as if she was going to ascend to heaven. No one in her Yang family had done such a decent thing in eight generations.
By now, Jing Zhuzi and other soldiers have a good relationship with the common people, and few people dare to approach them.
Most people were busy working. When the soldiers told them to go east, they didn't dare to go west. They would tremble in their hearts if they looked at the swords hanging on the soldiers' waists for a second.
Yang Ada led a group of blacksmiths and was responsible for the secret weapons to be used in Miao Wan's newly built alkali factory. It was considered a decent job, but when he started cursing among those men, his saliva flew everywhere.
But if any soldier came to help, he would be like a little wife, covering half of his mouth for fear that his saliva would fly into the soldier's face.
This alone is enough to make everyone envious, and Yang's mother has boasted about it many times.
Unexpectedly, the men of the Yang family dared not even fart in front of the soldiers. As a married woman, she was going to be a teacher to the soldiers?
Miao Wan smiled and reassured her, "Why not? Every profession has its own specializations, and every profession has its own top talents. As long as no one can do a better job of raising livestock than you, my second sister-in-law, then you'll be the master of the farming industry, and everyone else will have to listen to you, right?"
The more excited she was, the more steadily Yang stood. When Miao Wan finished speaking, Yang's face flushed and her neck became thick, and she looked like she was about to rush out and run 800 meters.
Donkey Egg was also a little excited. He whispered to Miao Wan in a hoarse voice, "Auntie, can I learn farming too? I'm much better at butchering pigs than Ada. The pigs love the food I feed them."
Miao Wan thought, if you feed the pigs with good noodles, how can they not like it?
She hasn't figured out how to close the door and give the children a good scolding...ahem, but she still has to affirm the children's ambitions.
"Okay, but you still have to study hard. Books are the golden house, and there must be ways to better raise them. If you read more, you will be able to take over your mother's job."
Donkey Egg didn't think so. He couldn't keep up with others in his studies, but his mother was good at breeding. Couldn't he just learn from her?
But he didn't dare say that in front of Miao Wan, so he just agreed with a smile and begged Miao Wan to go with Yang.
Miao Wan felt that it was not a bad thing for boys to yearn for the military camp, so she asked Qiao Ruichen if it was okay for a few older boys to go over and take a look.
Of course, these children were not sent there to cause trouble. She was not good at scolding and could not bring herself to hit them, but the habit of wasting food could not be tolerated.
"If you can go then, you must eat the same thing as the soldiers."
Donkey Egg thought, isn't it just buns? He happily agreed, thinking that he would definitely be able to go.
When Yang and Donkey Egg returned to the Zhang family and said this, the others were also shocked, especially Yang Am, who came to visit and show off. She jumped up and ran out at a speed that was not in line with her age.
"Mother-in-law, what are you doing?" Butcher Zhang startled Yang Am and asked in a hoarse voice.
Yang Am shouted, "I have to go check on our Yang family's ancestral grave. There must be smoke coming out, but the smoke is a little crooked and it doesn't float towards my little boy."
Yang felt a pang of sadness in her heart. Her mother was just like that. She always thought about her sons first when it came to good things, and treated her daughters like grass.
Mrs. Zhang was already getting impatient listening to Yang's repetitive nagging, and now she was so angry that she yelled, "Bullshit! If there's any smoke coming out, it should be from our Zhang family's ancestral graves. You don't care about anything when you're at home, but you come to our house to complain when there's something wrong. After she gets married, your daughter is still your daughter, but her ancestors are not your ancestors anymore!"
Yang Am: “…” Damn, this is true but not unreasonable.
She said a few embarrassed words and went back with a downcast look on her face.
Yang didn't expect her mother to say anything good. After hearing that Donkey Egg and Grandma could go to the military camp and mentioned Miao Wan's conditions, she stood up and ran back to the house.
"No, I have to go pick out some nice clothes. I remember I just bought some silk. I'll make some clothes right away. I can't bring shame to our Zhang family."
Madam Zhang felt something was wrong with what Donkey Egg said, and perhaps she was addicted to scolding him. She stared at the door. Although she couldn't see anyone, her aura was still there.
"You're wearing silk clothes to shave a horse. Are you scared? Are you afraid that others won't know how much money you've saved? Your bones are so light, they weigh only three or two pounds. If the scissors cut and reveal the small clothes underneath, you'll hit the camel head-on and kill it?"
Everyone: “…”
Yang touched her nose and said, "Then I'll go find some old clothes and wear them."
After saying that, she quickly slipped away. Although her mother-in-law was half blind, she was still her mother-in-law.
Because Miao Wan treated the Zhang family better and better, and was more considerate than before, she helped raise the children, made proper arrangements for the adults, and even the women in the family took the lead in all the work. The family members were somewhat flattered.
Mrs. Zhang took the opportunity and called her over, twisting her ears and scolding her even though she couldn't see. Because they were close, none of her saliva was wasted and it all sprayed on the faces of her family members. Even Zhang Dazhuang, who had lost a leg, was not spared.
Both adults and children were scolded and became much more obedient. They tiptoed around and went about their business as usual.
Butcher Zhang then rubbed his belly and sat aside with a smile, "My lady, you are really amazing."
Madam Zhang sighed. "Awan feels like our family is at a disadvantage this time, and no one else is as miserable as we are. She's desperate to compensate us, but doesn't her family know their own business? Is it wrong for her to bring us along to make money?
When the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law came to town with their child, we had no feelings for them. At that time, we shamelessly took advantage of them for the sake of our family. I was also shameless, but people are all made of flesh and blood. Awan and her family have been very kind to us in the past two years. If we are still ignorant and push our luck, when Awan loses her heart, we will have no place to cry."
Butcher Zhang also knew this was the case, so when he saw Donkey Egg and the others rushing to pick up the best things before the Ruan children, even choosing higher ones for riding camels and horses, Butcher Zhang always felt uneasy.
He can proudly say that his family members have some minor flaws but no major flaws, and they are all good children. However, good children can easily go astray if they are not taught well.
Madam Zhang didn't tell her husband, but she heard from Aunt Geng and others that most of the soldiers in the military camp still eat black steamed buns. Miao Wan's reminder must have made the children in the family feel proud.
Later, Donkey Egg and Gou Egg took Changshou and the two older children of the Ruan family and went to the North Camp with Yang. Madam Zhang specially asked Zhang the Butcher to help her out.
"Going to the barracks to teach the soldiers is no joke. Although Awan's husband and Awan are good to you, you also have to be sensible. When you get back, work hard and take as much food as you can. I'll send someone to the stove shed to get a few fire sticks. Your grandfather will go with you and keep an eye on them. If I find out who is causing trouble in the barracks, we won't stop until we have a stick to beat them."
Donkey Egg and Dog Egg shrank their necks, and their excitement had mostly subsided.
After they lay in front of the camel with a pair of scissors and cut the camel's hair for a long time despite its stinky saliva, they finally understood why grandma went to pick up the fire sticks when they were eating.
Goudan took a bite of the black steamed bun and almost cried. He stretched out his hand and spat out a tooth with his mouth full of blood.
The children were so scared that their eyes turned red. "Is this so hard?"
While he was talking, the soldier who was shearing the wool with him took a big bite of the black steamed bun and swallowed it, "No, it's mixed with highland barley flour, it tastes much better than before."
He looked at the children and chuckled, "It's probably time for them to change their teeth. It has nothing to do with the black buns. This is our offer. Don't be disgusted. I'll get you some hot water."
Donkey Egg held the black steamed bun that he couldn't even hold, looked at his grandfather who was staring at him hungrily, and tears fell from his eyes.
But he felt a little uncomfortable, and he didn't know why. "I, I'm not disgusted, but I heard that the meal was the same as the soldiers, and I thought it was steamed buns."
The other soldiers laughed when they heard this. "Where do we get all those vegetables? We only have pickled cabbage dumplings. I heard that steamed buns are delicious, and the dough is made of barley flour and sorghum flour. You can just eat the steamed bun wrappers with the pickled cabbage."
Donkey Egg felt even more upset, but he lost his usual loud voice and only whispered, "No, no, it's not. Although it's made of the same flour, it's soft and fluffy, and there's meat inside."
Several soldiers: "What?! There's meat???"
Goudan covered his mouth and bit the piece of cloth handed to him by Second Aunt, frowning and nodding, "Yeah! The buns are always one meat and one vegetable. The dough is too soft, not as chewy as Ga noodles."
So the children were a little tired of eating it, secretly ate the filling, and fed the dough to the pigs.
The soldiers who were listening around were so shocked that their eyes turned green. No wonder those soldiers who were out on duty got up so early, and it was a bit strange that they came back looking so miserable.
They thought these bastards were tired, and felt sorry for them for keeping hot water. It seemed like they were eating meat under the covers, and they were secretly very happy.
They were so angry that their teeth were chattering, as if they wanted to eat someone.
Donkey Egg whispered to them, "Don't you eat meat?" The pickled cabbage was so salty that it almost made his throat sticky.
A young man who looked not much older than Donkey Egg had red eyes, and it was unclear whether he was angry or aggrieved.
"What kind of meat do we eat? It's good to have pickled vegetables fried in meat oil once a month. In the middle of winter, if I can find a piece of meat among the cabbage, I will be happy for several days."
As a result, some people go out to eat meat every day and encourage them to oppose the work points and field work system. These bastards have no conscience!
Donkey Egg chewed the black steamed bun that Fei Ya had eaten, and it stung his throat so much that it hurt. He lowered his head and swallowed it silently without saying a word.
When the hot water came back, he helped Goudan soak the black steamed bun and asked him to eat it. Goudan looked at the soldiers around him with red and green eyes, and did not dare to say a word, and ate it obediently.
Changshou and the two children from the Ruan family couldn't eat in the first place, but they were inexplicably frightened by the atmosphere and they ate a black bun with difficulty. They felt uncomfortable in their stomachs and intestines, both physically and mentally.
They were afraid that the arrival of the children would cause delays. The youngest, Goudan, was almost eight years old, and the oldest, Donkey Egg, was almost twelve. In that era, they were no longer just children, and they vaguely realized how precious food was to the soldiers.
What they ate was not even as good as what the pigs ate. Looking at Butcher Zhang gnawing on the black bun with great enthusiasm, the children felt a little uneasy.
After two days of teaching, the leading soldiers had all learned how to do it. Only one centurion was needed to lead 1,500 camels and horses. One centurion sheared the hair of seven or eight camels and horses every day. In two days, all the hair below the camels' necks and half of their bellies was sheared.
When they returned to the garrison, it was time for dinner. Donkey Egg and Dog Egg saw the children throwing away their bun wrappers. Seeing Aunt Geng and the others frowning, they ate the bun wrappers silently.
Miao Wan was dizzy from counting the bills with Sun Yaozu and Ruan Jialin, so she came over to get something to fill her stomach. She happened to see her daughter munching on a bun with half a bun skin next to it.
Just as she was about to take the donkey egg and eat it, she raised her eyebrows, feeling that it was time.
"Donkey Egg, Dog Egg, are the soldiers' meals delicious?"
Donkey Egg and Gou Dan froze for a moment. Gou Dan covered his mouth with his hands and lowered his head without saying a word. Donkey Egg steeled himself and looked at Miao Wan with a pleading look, "Aunt, we know we were wrong."
"What's wrong? Why don't you tell everyone what you ate, what it tasted like, and what the soldiers eat every day." Miao Wan smiled and sat aside, holding Taotao in her arms to prevent her from running away.
Donkey Egg lowered his head, tugged at his clothes, and whispered what he had seen.
Cui Ya's face was filled with disbelief. She was older and soft-hearted, and her eyes were red. "Impossible! Aren't they eating buns?"
Miao Wan snorted. "I came up with the idea of steamed buns. What did they eat before? And steamed buns also require grain, vegetables, oil, and meat. Do you think everyone can afford these?"
Tiedan looked up innocently, "Then why don't they eat egg custard?"
Doesn’t every household have eggs?
Tiedan vaguely remembered that when his family was still poor, he, Tiezhu and Maodan could eat egg custard every day.
Miao Wan didn't blame the children for not eating meat. "The soldiers have to chase away the bad guys for us. Killing the enemies requires skills. They also have to practice martial arts every day and run around so hard. How can they have time to raise chickens?"
Tiedan was stunned for a moment, stammering and unable to speak.
Taotao licked the vegetable residue on his hands, leaned forward and pushed his plate, "Taotao, send it!"
Yes! Maodan also put his bun wrapper on Taotao's plate, "Give mine to the soldiers too!"
When Yang came in from outside, she heard her son and nephew saying such things. She was so angry that she turned around and looked for a fire poker.
The children covered their buttocks and screamed as they ran away.
"Uncle Geng! Close the door!" Miao Wan said immediately.
Aunt Geng was still protecting the children, but Uncle Geng listened more to Miao Wan and subconsciously closed the door.
Aunt Geng looked at the bun skins on the plate and couldn't bear it, so she turned her back and stopped looking.
In the afternoon, Jing Zhuzi and the others limped back from outside, glaring at Zhou Ding and the others, so angry that they didn't want to speak.
The people in the North Camp were furious when they learned that those who were on duty outside were eating good food every day. Some of them who were delivering letters to the West Camp reported the matter to them that very day.
When they returned that day, according to incomplete statistics, more than 600 people from six teams were pinned down and beaten by people who outnumbered them by at least three times their number, until they agreed to take turns.
At this moment, Zhou Ding's face was bruised and swollen, and he was not in good condition. Everyone knew that he deserved the beating after eating alone for so long. However, it was worth it as he could eat good food for more than a month.
The rotation was arranged later, and they didn’t know how long they would have to eat, so the more they ate, the better. Everyone came to line up very actively.
But they didn't expect that when they were eating buns and soup with gritted teeth, a dozen little kids in the garrison came over crookedly, all holding their buttocks, with red and swollen eyes.
Everyone: "..." What? You guys are eating alone too?
Tiedan was beaten the hardest. Second Aunt beat him up, and when his mother heard the news, she came over and beat him up too.
His buttocks were swollen like buns, and he had to come out to find out the truth. Otherwise, according to his mother, he would be beaten by his grandmother when he returned.
Wuuuuu…his butt is so miserable.
Goudan and others also felt the same way. Although they were only beaten by their mother/second aunt, they still had their grandmother and mother/eldest aunt waiting for them when they returned, not to mention Ada.
This is a weight that their butts cannot bear. In comparison, they are still young, so they don’t need it on their small faces.
So when he came up to him, Tiedan suddenly handed over a steamed bun and said loudly, "Uncle! I'll treat you to a steamed bun! Please tell me, what do the uncles in the barracks eat?"
Maodan also stretched out his hands, holding a white and plump bun in both hands, and said the same sentence.
But when I thought about where these little guys put their hands before they came, the plump white buns suddenly didn’t smell so good anymore.
Jing Zhuzi refused with a twitch of his lips, "No, no, why do you want to know this question?"
Goudan forced the bun into his hand, feeling the pain on his butt. He closed his eyes and shouted, "Because we're wasting food, we eat the buns and not the skins. We suggested the soldiers eat egg custard, and we want to give the bun skins to the uncles!"
Everyone: “…”
I get it, it's a good play, and it makes my palms itch just by listening to it.
Zhou Ding took the bun from Tiedan's hand. They had all eaten the black steamed bun that fell on the ground, so a bun covered on a child's butt was nothing to them.
He swallowed a few mouthfuls, glanced at the adults watching the fun, and said in a neither-too-loud nor too-soft voice, "We eat wheat bran cakes in the spring because we've almost eaten up all the food in the winter and there are no more pickled vegetables. We can occasionally find some wild vegetables to supplement our meals."
Jing Zhuzi added, "The food is better in the summer. There's plenty of black steamed buns, boiled cabbage, boiled shepherd's purse, boiled radish, and during festivals, we stir-fry some oil residue and cabbage with animal oil."
The common people were stunned when they heard this. They thought the soldiers ate well in the barracks. After all, the common people had to hand over so much grain from their farmland. They didn't expect that the soldiers' food was not as good as the common people's. It was too miserable.
Some soldiers recalled the bitterness of the past, and the last bit of resentment they had for last night's meal disappeared. Instead, they felt a little guilty and said, "The food in autumn is not bad. Sometimes we can have multi-grain noodles, and we can eat fried dough sticks once a month."
"It's best to eat it in winter, otherwise the soldiers won't be able to endure patrolling the border in extremely cold places. Soldiers on duty can eat coarse grain dumplings, and have a meal of mutton soup every few days." But the mutton soup was so fishy that it was really hard to swallow.
"Those who are not on duty still eat black steamed buns with pickled cabbage, which is more flavorful than boiled vegetables."
The people's eyes turned red when they heard this, and some even gnashed their teeth and asked, "Where did all the food we handed over go?"
Everyone fell silent after he asked. Was there any need to ask where they were going?
Why were Qin Mao and several of his close associates beheaded?
Donkey Egg also burst into tears after hearing this. He wiped his tears vigorously and shouted, "When my aunt and uncle become officials in the future, they will definitely not let us eat this anymore!"
Jing Zhuzi and others curled their lips inwardly, aren’t the soldiers still eating black buns now?
But there was no need to tell the children this. He just smiled and said, "Oh, young master, are you planning to let us eat the bun skins? That's fine, it tastes better than the black buns."
Everyone laughed, and Donkey Egg, Dog Egg and several other children who had been to the military camp were so embarrassed that their faces turned red.
Even a shy and quiet guy like Changshou shouted at the top of his lungs, "I'm not asking you to eat the bun skins! We don't want to eat the buns anymore, we're leaving them for the uncles!"
If it weren't for these uncles, he and his parents would have been killed by bandits on the way to Xining Town. He would rather not eat the buns himself than let his saviors eat them.
No, that's not enough.
Changshou is a smart child who has been praised many times by the teacher. He learns to read and write faster than others, and knows better than Donkey and others why the soldiers eat so poorly.
The passion made Xiao Xiao's hands tremble with excitement. He shouted in a shrill voice, "Not only do I want to give the buns to the uncles, I want to study hard and learn to read. I want to become a high-ranking official! I want to make sure all the uncles can afford to eat buns!"
Goudan nodded fiercely, "I want to be a high-ranking official too... Never mind, you're smart enough to be the one, and I'll be your thug! I'll beat up anyone who doesn't let the uncles eat well!"
The adults were amused by the children's kindness and even the soldiers grinned and praised the children.
There were more than a dozen children, the older ones were so excited by the praise that they swore to save buns every day to give to the respectable and lovely people.
I don’t know if the younger ones were beaten or were also infected, but they had eaten enough buns and started swearing too.
Miao Wan was the one who said "respectable and lovable people", and the children remembered it. The little ones didn't know fear, so they naturally had a sense of admiration for the soldiers. The words were crisp and not very feasible, but they made people feel warm and comfortable.
Qiao Ruichen stood aside holding Taotao, who was also crying miserably. Taotao didn't really understand what was being said, but was infected by the atmosphere and stopped crying for some reason.
He gently wiped away the tears on Taotao's face and whispered, "Taotao, remember, food is hard-earned. Don't waste it, or you'll never have anything delicious to eat again."
Taotao understood the last sentence, which was extremely powerful. His trembling little face was extremely serious. He tapped it several times, and his flesh made several duangduang sounds, which almost made Uncle Geng laugh.
Butcher Zhang was also in the crowd. He watched the children vaguely understand something, and went home to report to his wife with relief so that they could be beaten less.
As for why they couldn't be spared from being beaten, it was, of course, to scare the monkeys.
When the adults are all floating, how can the children not be floating?
Adults have to consider their face and not hit their children easily. Children's buttocks are very elastic and can serve as a good face for their parents. A few hard hits will teach the whole family a lesson.
Miao Wan didn't come to see her. She knew her own problems and was more soft-hearted than anyone else.
Otherwise, he should have done this the first time he found out that the children were wasting food, and he wouldn't have had to take several steps to give them a good beating.
She was afraid that seeing the children cry would make her unable to resist begging for mercy when they were taken home for another beating, so she simply beat her daughter and sister-in-law and went to the factory.
Master Gu said that the frosted glass was almost transparent after being fired. When she went to take a look, it was indeed a bit similar to the glass of later generations.
I don't know why, it was originally a dark brown, but now that it's more transparent, it has some bluish spots.
But Miao Wan remembered that the cut glass was light green, right?
"Is this glass non-toxic?" she asked Master Gu. She always felt that blue and dark colors were very powerful, especially in terms of being poisonous and deadly.
Master Gu rolled his eyes. "I thought the glass wasn't pure in color, and alum would have a precipitating effect, so I added some. I also added some transparent minerals that the soldiers brought down from Goddess Peak, and that's how it became this color. If they were going to be poisoned, they would have been poisoned long ago. Why would they have waited until now?"
Miao Wan thought so too. Could the transparent mineral be barite?
"By the way, I also added some of your alkali. I also saw it, but I didn't expect it to be so useful." Master Gu remembered and explained.
Adding or not adding alkali makes a difference in transparency.
Miao Wan didn't know how glass was made, but seeing that Master Gu suggested that transparent things should be added with more transparent crystals, there seemed to be nothing wrong with that.
"You can also try adding more opaque white." Miao Wan seemed to remember seeing white in the ingredients on Baidu, and the quartz stone was also light in color. But she also added, "But you must remember not to get too close when burning. Pay attention to safety."
It’s okay if the product can’t be made, but don’t let the kiln explode and hurt people. Talents are the most important at this time.
This refers to the six female workers in the alkali factory and the three guys who used to work under Uncle Zhang and Uncle Wu.
These three strong young men were not good at working in the restaurant, but unexpectedly they worked very hard in the alkali factory. With ten jobs that were not needed in the restaurant, a total of less than twenty people, they were able to run the alkali factory.
It is called an alkali factory, but in fact it produces not only pure alkali, but also the most profitable things, essential oils and auxiliary hydrosols, as well as beet sugar and chili water.
The alkali factory was built according to the previous layout of the Qiao family. The main house was used as a warehouse, the east row of houses were used to produce pure alkali and essential oil hydrosols, and the west row of houses were used to produce beet sugar and chili water.
The iron cauldrons used to make pure alkali and essential oil hydrosols are similar in style, that is, there is a large cylinder at the bottom and some tubes to allow water vapor to escape.
Then it encounters the iron block wrapped in the casing and condenses into water, which stays in the small cylinder in the middle. A thick herringbone-shaped tube is made on it according to the water level.
The person in charge of the production only needs to watch the water dripping into the bucket from the taller thick tube. As soon as it is almost full, he will immediately open the bottom tube to release the essential oil that has sunk.
This is the oldest method of making essential oils, and it's much more efficient than the big pot method of making rose water. Although there has to be a little mixing of essential oils and hydrosols, it's not a big problem.
Another method of making essential oils is the immersion method. Two iron cauldrons are made upside down, with a pipe extending from one side. This is also used to make essential oils. However, this method cannot produce pure dew, but it can produce essential oils in large quantities.
Put apricot oil and various flowers together, boil them and let them cool. Simply crank the handle to turn the iron pot over, pour it into a clean and dried glass jar, seal it with oil paper and wet mud, and place it in a cool place for about two weeks to make a variety of flower essential oils with visible petals.
The person who drew the picture for the Wuliangha clan only saw these two combinations and thought that there were only these two types of ironware, but in fact there were many more that were not assembled.
The ironware used in the immersion method can also be used to make chili water and beet sugar, and it can also prevent someone from choking and unable to open their eyes. You only need to connect a filter gauze under the leaking pipe.
The iron trough inside the cylindrical iron cauldron can be fitted with a grate, which is used to filter the water used to boil wood ash after boiling. The filtered light yellow liquid is then boiled in the iron cauldron again, and the light yellow crystals obtained are pure plant alkali.
The ironware used to make essential oils has a pipe added to it to boil wood ash, which can evaporate to obtain a transparent alkaline liquid, and after boiling, white crystals can be obtained.
Both of them can be ground into powder with a medicine twister. The light yellow powder can be used to make various household items, and the white rice powder can be used to make food and shower gel, etc. It is considered an edible alkali, equivalent to the effect of baking soda.
Of course, now there is an additional function, which is to make glass.
When Miao Wan came over, the leading female worker, A Yuan, came over to report, "Boss, we have 100 catties of gold alkali and 100 catties of silver alkali, but we asked Master Gu to take out 10 catties. Do you still want to continue working?"
"Keep going. This is far from enough. Don't they burn a lot of wood ash every day? Try to consume it all." Miao Wan ordered.
A Yuan nodded, but was a little embarrassed. "But the Jufu Inn will be ready soon. I heard from Manager Zhang who came back from the county town that the inn needs at least 20 people working there, preferably in two shifts. If all thirteen of them had to go back, it wouldn't be enough. We only have six of us here, which is definitely not enough. Can you bring some more people back?"
Huh? Brother Zhang is back?
During this period, Zhang Sanzhuang was thinking about opening an inn. He asked Mrs. Zhang for money and went to work in the inn in the county town alone.
He started as a clerk and had to run back and forth to supervise the progress of the inn. He was so busy that he couldn't even go home. How could he have time to come to the alkali factory?
She thought for a moment and said, "Okay, after we calculate your work points and release the contracts that need to be signed, we'll re-establish the contract, calculate how many people we need to buy, and then go to the county town together to complete it."
She had just finished watching the workshop where pepper spray was being made. When she said this, the guys who were standing nearby happened to hear it and immediately let out a scream.
Miao Wan wondered if this exciting movement was a little too creepy.
"Ahhh! Don't let go! It hurts!" One of the guys inside got so excited that he dropped the wooden barrel in his hand, hitting his companion's feet, and the pepper water splashed out and got into his eyes.
"Wow, wow, wow... I'm going blind, can I still release the deed?"
The young man who dropped the bucket was in a panic, and was afraid that his boss would think he was impatient, so he apologized repeatedly. He wanted to say that if he went blind, he would take care of him for the rest of his life, but when he got nervous -
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. If you go blind, you'll have to support me for the rest of my life!"
Miao Wan: “…” Inexplicable, totally baffled.
The servant covered his face and wailed: "...Bah! Do you think I'm cheap?"
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