Chapter 136: Start Breeding
"Our Wang family conducts business with integrity and honesty. We have never bullied the people, let alone exploited the market. Whether it's building bridges and roads, setting up stalls and distributing porridge, our Wang family has never been absent. Most people praise our Wang family. How could they take advantage of this opportunity to speak ill of us and jeopardize our situation?"
Wang Yin frowned, his tone meaningful, "That's because you don't understand human nature. People hate those who have and laugh at those who don't, they despise those who are poor and fear those who are rich. Our Wang family has been entrenched in Lan County for so long, and our business is so big, it's not just one or two days that we've been envied."
The servant was so frightened that he broke out in a cold sweat.
"That new king settled all five thousand refugees in one day. Listen to the streets, there's not a sound at all. How does it sound like a newly conquered city? Chen Zhangyi and the others have underestimated this mountain king. Sooner or later, they'll suffer a great loss." Wang Yin let out a faint, inexplicable laugh. "Let's go back first. This road... isn't peaceful."
In the evening, Zhao brought a dozen women who were proficient in animal husbandry to the county government office.
Following Xu Qingying's rules, Feng'er moved all the chairs in the backyard to the main hall to facilitate future meetings.
Sun Qingchen watched coldly, but was secretly so angry at this incongruous arrangement that he almost vomited blood.
Only the county magistrate always sat in the main seat, and the others sat on both sides.
But that girl called Feng'er just randomly placed the stools and chairs downstairs in a row and asked people to sit in rows. How could they have a face-to-face meeting like this?
The women all came in.
Xu Yinxi divided Lan County into two parts, north and south, with the refugees occupying only one side. She also ordered the empty houses left behind by the refugees in the city to be vacated, and those who couldn't accommodate them to rent out restaurants or simply move the people in the north to live with relatives.
Although the people complained, Xu Yinxi gave them a few cents of rent every day and repeatedly promised that the refugees would move out after a few days and would never take the opportunity to occupy their houses. After receiving the guarantee, they moved out reluctantly.
After finally settling these 5,000 refugees, Xu Yinxi adhered to the principle of "never let the refugees be idle, as they will definitely cause trouble if they are idle", and kept finding things for the refugees to do.
For example, according to Xu Qingying's instructions, all refugees must bathe and wash their hair.
They were like an assembly line, with one group responsible for finding firewood, one group for boiling water, one group for queuing up to get numbers, and one group for washing and drying clothes.
Not to mention, after such a busy afternoon, by the evening, the refugees were no longer unkempt, they were clean and washed white, and there was no smell of bad smell anymore. How could you tell that they had been fleeing for a long time?
The refugees did not cooperate at first, thinking that it was a waste of firewood and water.
Xu Yinxi then brought up Xu Zhenying's name, saying that it was the city lord's request that people who did not wash would easily spread the plague. For the safety of more people, those who refused to wash their hair and bathe would be driven out of the city.
Having just enjoyed the shelter of a roof over their heads for less than half a day, the refugees no longer wanted to go back to the days of fleeing everywhere. After Xu Yinxi's blow, everyone rushed to clean themselves up.
Not to mention, after washing clean, he seemed to feel much better and more confident. He no longer felt hesitant when seeing the people in the city.
We were all born by our mothers and raised by our parents, so what's the big deal?
Miao sent people to open the granary and asked the team leaders to register to receive the distribution. Every household was grinning with joy after receiving the food. The city was filled with curling smoke and was bustling with activity.
After dinner, several waves of people arrived. Those who were strong were selected to guard the city, those who could raise pigs and chickens were picked by Zhao, and those who could write and calculate were registered by Xu Huiming. The abilities of others, the number of people in their families, and their situations were all remembered clearly.
It was strictly forbidden to go out or visit anyone at night. The women were talking in low voices, coaxing their children to sleep, and from time to time they heard someone shouting outside, and then they were pulled away by the team leader.
So, Captain Zhao selected a dozen capable women and said they were going to meet the city lord.
The lights in the lobby of the county government office were still on. Xu Qingying had been busy until evening and only now had time to eat a hot meal.
Xu Yinxi and Feng'er could only take advantage of this gap to eat a mouthful of rice.
Xu Yinxi had been busy all day and couldn't even speak at the moment. If Lian hadn't brought the meal, she would have been so busy that she would have forgotten about dinner.
Although busy, she felt more energetic. Xu Yinxi's eyes were shining. This time, she didn't care about the rule of not talking while eating or sleeping. While eating the hot rice, she met with Feng'er and reported to each other on their work. Zhao came with the dozen or so women, and Xu Yinxi put down her bowl and chopsticks and went out to greet them.
Xu Qingying has a requirement that her secretary must be available at any time. Wherever she is, the secretary must be there.
Moreover, the secretary's job is very demanding on both physical and mental strength. Every task assigned by Xu Qingying must be remembered firmly and then passed on to the corresponding person in charge.
There are countless people waiting to see Xu Qingying, and she has to make arrangements so as not to delay important matters.
On such a day, Xu Yinxi felt like her brain was about to explode, her limbs were weak and sore, and she couldn't walk.
But when the dozen or so women walked in with awkward smiles on their faces, Xu Yinxi still had her signature gentle smile on her face and said repeatedly, "Everyone, please sit down. The city lord is still having dinner in the backyard and will be here soon."
These women had changed their appearance after washing and dressing up, and Xu Yinxi almost couldn't recognize them. Now, after taking a closer look under the light, she found that they were all familiar faces.
The brave woman immediately responded, "The city lord is so busy that he's only eating now. He must be very tired. Why don't we wait outside?"
The women had never been to the county government office before. They used to avoid it when they saw it. But now they were invited in openly, which made them nervous and they didn't dare to go in.
Feng'er also hurriedly took a couple of bites of rice, then enthusiastically pulled them inside, pressed them to sit, and said affectionately, "Aunts, what are you afraid of? Although this used to be the county government office, it's now the office of our city lord. You've met the city lord before, so why are you still afraid of him?"
"Oh, no, no, we'll just stand and wait."
"Yes, yes, Miss Feng'er, you hurry up and eat yours. We're fine, so we'll just stand there and wait."
"You asked us to sit down. I feel uncomfortable. It feels like there are needles in my butt. Good girl, we will stand here. Please leave us alone..."
"Don't be so polite, ladies. Please sit down and talk." The women only heard a commotion behind them. When they turned around, they found that it was Xu Zhenying who came in with his men. He was very young, and he smiled as soon as he entered the room. He spoke slowly and leisurely, which made people feel good. "There are still many things to discuss tonight. There is no etiquette here. Let's just treat it as a small talk in the village. Be casual."
Zhao on the side also quickly took the lead and sat down: "The city lord has spoken, everyone should be relaxed and sit down."
Only then did the women sit down obediently.
The county government office, which was not big to begin with, was suddenly packed.
Xu Zhenying sat in the main seat, with a long table in front of him serving as a desk. Behind him stood Xu Yinxi, Feng'er, and Sun Qingchen.
"Aunts, let me get straight to the point. My fourth aunt told me that you are all experts in raising pigs and chickens. You must have done a lot of farming work back home."
The women thought they had to be polite at first and seemed a little reserved, but Xu Zhenying started talking about raising pigs and chickens. This immediately made the women feel less nervous and they started talking.
"Which country woman hasn't raised pigs and chickens? I'm not bragging, the chickens I raise are bigger than others, and they lay eggs very often."
"Yes, yes, raising chickens requires diligence. You have to clean and tidy up frequently, otherwise the smell will be unbearable."
As they were talking, Xu Huiming came in with a few people.
These people were even thinner, but they were in good spirits and looked gentle and refined, like scholars.
Those people were like lost lambs, still confused, and were pulled into a meeting by Xu Huiming.
At this moment they were standing in the hall, somewhat at a loss, not even knowing where to put their hands.
Feng Er quickly said, "Please find a seat wherever you like, don't stand in the middle."
Xu Huiming quickly gestured for a few people to take a seat. They looked as if they had no idea what to do and just sat down when they saw an empty seat.
Some brave ones have already noticed it, but they are still confused. Wasn’t it supposed to be a meeting? Why are there a group of peasant women here?
I thought the city lord wanted to summon this group of scholars alone.
Several scholars exchanged glances with each other.
"As everyone knows, we just arrived in the city and there are still many things that need to be arranged. Since everyone is here, I will be brief." Xu Zhenying knocked on the table, and Xu Yinxi immediately took out a booklet and began to write. Seeing this, the scholars looked at each other, wondering why he started writing? No one had told them to bring pen and ink before.
This... has anyone told them... what to do?
"Tomorrow I'll send someone to gather all the chickens in the city and gather them in one place for centralized breeding. Then I'll find a craftsman to come and build a standardized chicken coop. It'll be divided into two floors, each divided into small compartments, just enough space for one chicken. Everyone, take a look. The chicken coop will probably look something like this..."
Xu Zhenying spread out a piece of paper and used charcoal to draw the general appearance of the chicken coop.
The women were embarrassed to come in at first, but since Xu Zhenying didn't seem to mind, they also poked their heads out to look.
"It's like putting all the cages together, but the space is so small, how can the chicken move around? Just let it curl up like this, and it will grow meat in a few days."
"We need to keep the chickens from moving around; they'll grow faster if they don't move. Use bamboo to carve a trough in front of the coop and put millet, wheat, distiller's grains, soybeans, and so on. Don't eat the eggs just yet..." Xu Zhenying summoned the scholars. "Please remember this: these aunts will be in charge of the breeding, and you will be in charge of the chicken farming project. I'll give you a target: you must ensure that all the children in the city have eggs to eat as soon as possible!"
Those scholars were heartbroken and never expected that Xu Zhenying called them here to raise chickens!
It's simply disgraceful!
They were scholars, how could they be allowed to spend their days with chickens? Why did Xu Zhenying humiliate them like this? They had previously thought Xu Zhenying was also a scholar, never realizing that this Xu Zhenying was no different from a bandit!
Someone immediately left the table in anger, but was caught by his companions.
"Remember, the first batch of eggs hatched require certain conditions to hatch into chicks. Since you can read and write, you should divide into groups and conduct experiments to see which conditions will make the chicks hatch faster. When the time comes, place the eggs in one place and have craftsmen arrange them into rows. Keep the temperature inside the room higher than outside, and keep the firewood burning continuously. The temperature should be higher in the front and lower in the back. As for how high, you need to figure it out. Maintain a certain humidity level in the room. Water it regularly to prevent it from getting too dry. Also, ventilate the room. To prevent the embryo from sticking to the egg membrane, turn the eggs regularly."
The women nodded frequently as they listened. They had never expected that there was so much knowledge involved in the process of hatching chicks from eggs. They were shocked and amazed.
Only one scholar stood up and asked loudly, "Did the city lord make me wait here just to raise chickens?"
Xu Zhenying raised her eyelids and finally glanced at them. She smiled slightly, "What else do you think you can do?"
The young man's face flushed. "Teaching people to read, write, do accounting, copy, or even defending the city, there are always places where we can be of use. How can the city lord humiliate us like this, forcing us to keep company with these animals and women?"
Oh, here comes a troublemaker.
Feng Er immediately retorted, "You still look down on women? If you have the guts, don't get out of your mother's womb. Being able to read and write is great, there are many people in our team who can write and calculate. Now everyone can't even get enough to eat, so what's the use of you being able to write and calculate? Can you conjure up food?"
"You!" the young man's face flushed with anger. "You are so vulgar!"
Xu Zhenying tapped the table with his fingers, signaling for silence, before addressing the scholars, "As you can probably see, there's not much food in Lan County's granaries. We must find a way to feed everyone first, otherwise our people won't survive the winter. Raising chickens isn't as elegant as reciting poetry, but it's something we desperately need to do right now. Raising all the city's chickens in one place will maximize resource utilization, save firewood, and allow chickens to be slaughtered quickly and hatched faster, saving the city's people from starvation. I need you to humble yourself and work closely with these experienced women. One has experience, the other will keep records. Let's research how to hatch chicks from eggs. Accomplishing this will solve our food crisis, and isn't that a meritorious deed? Why are you resisting? Do you think it's not decent enough, or do you think it's beneath your status as scholars?"
The young man blushed at these words, but he couldn't find a reason to refute them. He felt that it was not dignified enough, but Xu Zhenying was right. They were currently short of food. If they could really solve the food crisis, they would definitely have a bright future.
The scholar spoke for a long time before saying, "City Lord, the saying that the chicken and the egg came first is a paradox. It's a matter of probability, and it's absolutely beyond human power to predict or change. All we're doing is in vain!"
"That's why I want you to explore!" Xu Zhenying pretended not to see the resistance on the young men's faces and continued to persuade them patiently. "Every time, there are always a few eggs that can hatch into chicks. That must require certain conditions to be met, and these conditions must be discovered by your wisdom. You can write, right? Record the incubation conditions for each batch of eggs, compare and find the optimal conditions. If you can do this, you will be the great heroes who saved the five thousand refugees! Young people, you must gain more experience. Don't complain about the hardship. You can endure the hardships of studying, so how can you not endure the hardships of raising chickens?"
Naturally, those young people did not want to be labeled as "unable to endure hardship", so they could only agree reluctantly with tears in their eyes.
"City Lord, we are willing to give it a try."
Xu Zhenying said to the aunts, "Aunts, please pay more attention. We must start this centralized breeding. Only by doing so can we increase the production of chickens. We must make sure these chickens lay more eggs. When the time comes, the eggs will be eaten by the children in the city to nourish their bodies."
The women suddenly became very motivated!
The scholars, on the other hand, were in a gloomy mood.
Before leaving, Xu Huiming did not forget to comfort them, "Don't worry, everyone. I have a directory with the names of all the scholars. Don't worry, the city lord has made all the arrangements for them. Their work is no easier than yours."
Now that they had someone to share the burden with, the group suddenly felt much more cheerful. Some even asked, "Excuse me, Master Xu, what other work is there?"
Xu Huiming carefully recalled the Lan County development plan he and Xu Zhenying had drawn up before moving to the city. Seeing the other person's bright, expectant eyes, he slowly said, "Raise pigs! Raise rabbits! Grow vegetables! Carry manure!"
The young men's expressions eased slightly when they thought of what had happened to others.
Whether your life is happy or not does not depend on your own efforts, but on the comparison with your peers!
"Looking at it this way, raising chickens isn't such a bad idea. At least they don't have to be exposed to the wind and sun."
"Brother Gongtai is right. It's better than raising pigs. I heard that pigs have a strong odor that makes people sick."
"That's right. Since the City Lord has given us the order, we must first figure out the chicken and egg problem. We must not be outdone by other groups. Otherwise, where will our dignity be?"
After dinner, Xu Zhenying called Fang Xun back and asked about the news about the rich family today.
Fang Xun answered truthfully, "At first, the people didn't trust us and refused to tell us the truth. But those families have been in Lan County for so many years, and they've offended many people. Many of them want to use us to eliminate them. So, some people have been tipping us off since this afternoon. We're still collecting more evidence."
"Very good. We must ensure that the evidence is clear. We promised not to kill anyone when we entered the city, but now we are going on a killing spree, so we need a convincing excuse. Fang Xun, have someone build a high platform at the city gate, and have someone bring out the dog-head chopper from the backyard of the county government office. Notice to all the citizens in the city that there will be a great event in Lan County tomorrow."
Fang Xun immediately understood Xu Zhenying's intention and asked, "Are those wealthy families in the city still unwilling to pay grain?"
Xu Zhenying sneered, "It's just a last-ditch effort. If the whole family is killed, they'll still have to send me food and fodder. What's the point? Since some people don't understand the current situation, you can't blame me for being ruthless. The road to revolution always requires bloodshed. Tomorrow, I'll start with those families!"
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