Chapter 466 Large-scale chili pepper planting
Cheng Wanwan and six craftsmen spent half a day finalizing the blueprints for the residence.
The budget was 10,000 taels of silver, which included the cost of the land. However, if the land was to be built in Dahe Village, this amount would be negligible. Therefore, it was ultimately decided to build a large courtyard house with four courtyards.
The four-courtyard complex is quite large, covering more than 3,000 square meters. It includes the surrounding orchards, and features ponds, rockeries, pavilions, carved railings, and corridors. There is also a medium-sized garden and a play area for pets. The entire courtyard is enclosed by east and west wing rooms, a front hall, and a rear courtyard. There are more than 20 guest rooms alone.
The craftsmen were responsible for the overall layout and control, while the village head arranged for Zhao Anjiang to assist in purchasing materials such as bricks, stones, and timber. Most importantly, he was to recruit people to build the houses.
Building a four-courtyard house within half a month is no easy task.
However, the imperial court was willing to spend money, offering a daily wage of sixty coins. If skilled craftsmen such as carpenters, stonemasons, and bricklayers came, the daily wage would be one hundred coins.
Old Zhao and Afu also came to help, joining the carpentry team. There were more than thirty carpenters in total, using huanghuali wood to make the main furniture. The top carpenter from the imperial court was extremely strict in controlling the process, personally supervising the work of more than thirty people, demanding exquisite workmanship and speed. If the work was not finished during the day, they would have to stay at night to work overtime...
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Old Man Zhao learned many carpentry skills from the capital.
Cheng Wanwan offered two suggestions for the house: first, she wanted to forgo the canopy bed and continue building the heated kang (a traditional Chinese bed-stove), as she was sensitive to the cold and couldn't live without it. Second, she wanted the toilet to be built according to her blueprints, incorporating some modern design elements to make it cleaner and more convenient.
The craftsman in charge of this part, Yang, couldn't help but marvel: "The idea of the people of Sui'an is brilliant. In this way, the latrine will not have any odor without the need for incense, and it only needs to be cleaned once a day. If it were applied to the palace, the palace maids and eunuchs would have a much easier time."
At this point, craftsman Yang paused for a moment, then hesitated before speaking, "However, this is a method devised by the people of Sui'an, and it can only be applied to other places with their permission."
In ancient times, there may not have been intellectual property rights, but the skills they learned as craftsmen were passed down exclusively. Some unique skills were only passed down to their own descendants or disciples. Just because the people of Sui'an generously shared their blueprints, they could not take them for their own use.
"It's alright." Cheng Wanwan waved her hand. "If it can be promoted, it will be a good deed."
Yang, the craftsman, immediately realized that he had been judging others by his own petty standards, and said repeatedly, "The people of Sui'an are indeed different from us. I was too narrow-minded."
Cheng Wanwan couldn't stand such flattery, so she responded with a couple of words and quickly made an excuse to leave.
She went to inspect the two hundred acres of fertile land that the imperial court had bestowed upon her. The fields near Dahe Village had already been claimed by the villagers. The newly bestowed two hundred acres were quite far from her home, and it took her a while to walk there. The fertile land was not planted with crops, but was covered with weeds, and was full of greenery.
Cheng Wanwan had absolutely no idea what to plant on all these fields.
After the summer solstice, it's no longer possible to grow major grain crops. Instead, we can only grow some vegetables, such as bok choy, celery, and eggplant. Since the summer temperature is high, they can mature in one or two months after being planted.
But it's not realistic for her to use all 200 acres of land to grow vegetables.
Cheng Wanwan stood by the field, thinking it over and over, and finally decided to plant chili peppers.
We planted some chili peppers at home in the spring, and they've already sprouted. The Daheyan Restaurant needs chili peppers for some of its dishes, and those are picked from our own garden.
But actually, some dishes taste better with chili sauce. After the franchise stores opened up everywhere, the chili sauce became a secret recipe. Even if the recipe was spread, without the secret chili sauce, you couldn't make it taste the same.
Besides chili sauce, you can also make fermented bean paste, chili powder, chili oil, chili flakes, etc.
Thinking of this, Cheng Wanwan's mouth watered, and many spicy delicacies appeared in her mind.
She went to the cotton field to find Zhao Dashan and made arrangements for the matter.
The cotton plants are growing very well in the cotton field; the seedlings have grown quite tall, and about a third of them have flowered.
After cotton flowers, it enters the flowering and boll-forming stage. This is when pests begin to appear and continue until the boll-opening stage.
She bent down and peeled open a red flower. Good heavens, there were two larvae wriggling inside. Her scalp tingled, and she immediately closed the petals.
She knew that removing the insect eggs was not a complete solution; the insects would still be there.
"Mother, what brings you here?"
Zhao Dashan walked over from the field, carrying a bucket full of colorful insects. The bucket was filled with water, so the insects couldn't crawl out and were struggling and wriggling inside. This sight made Cheng Wanwan's throat tighten...
She quickly looked away: "How many acres of land can you find in a day?"
Zhao Dashan replied, "About three or four mu."
Currently, Zhao Dashan and ten farmhands are searching for insects. It will take them about four or five days to search all the cotton fields together.
Four or five days later, new insects had already hatched in the acre that was first inspected on the first day. In addition to finding insects, we also had to water and fertilize. Cotton has a huge demand for water and fertilizer at this stage, and water had to be carried over by hand. You can imagine how busy we were...
“I’ll handle finding the insects. You guys are mainly responsible for watering and fertilizing the cotton. Whether we have a good harvest depends entirely on this period. Also, I plan to plant chili peppers in the new fields. You can arrange that.” Cheng Wanwan said, “Give me this bucket of insects. Take it back as a sample.”
She picked up the wooden bucket with a hint of disgust, not daring to look at it even once, and quickly walked back.
The insects she collected during this period were used to feed the chickens and ducks. As soon as she returned to the yard, she was surrounded by chickens and ducks.
"Go away, all of you, get out of here!" she said irritably. "It's not mealtime yet, go find some food outside. Dahuang and Erhuang, you two take the little brats out of here!"
Dahuang and Erhuang were the first old hens we brought home, and they were the leaders among the chickens and ducks. Because they were getting old, these two laid fewer and fewer eggs. Perhaps fearing that they would be slaughtered, they were exceptionally obedient and immediately took their chicks out.
Cheng Wanwan asked Zhao Sidan to call all the children under six years old in the village.
Children over six years old are considered half-grown and can help with household chores, while those under six are considered little kids who spend their days playing around in the village, teasing cats and dogs.
Si Dan called out to the villagers for a while, and when they heard that it was Da Shan's mother calling the children because she had something to do, the adults in the family immediately told their children to hurry over.
Before long, forty or fifty little kids were standing in the yard.
"Four Eggs, give each of them a piece of candy."
Cheng Wanwan smiled and gave the order, and Zhao Sidan brought out a bag of candy, one piece for each of them.
After receiving instructions from their parents, the little ones politely thanked them before accepting the candy, eagerly stuffing it into their mouths and munching away.
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