It's late spring again, and several reservoirs have been built in Daqi, all located in the middle of high mountains and dense forests.
The people downstream were initially reluctant, but when they heard that food and lodging would be provided, they were all willing to go: they couldn't even get enough to eat at home, so who wouldn't be happy to go out to work and get a full meal?
So everyone went.
The reservoir was completed just in time for the flood season.
In the past, whenever there was a heavy rain, the villagers living by the river would complain endlessly. But this time, everyone was shocked to find that the reservoir had actually held back many of the raging floodwaters! Houses that used to be easily flooded were saved this year!
In the past, the land was so devastated that not one in ten survived, but this year only one or two households were damaged!
This is a big step forward!
After the flood season, there was no rain for many days, the rivers were drying up, and the fields began to crack.
The people looked on in despair: Without rain, this season's rice harvest is doomed!
At this moment, the irrigation canal that everyone had been asked to build suddenly started flowing with water; it turned out that the newly built reservoir upstream had released water!
Seeing that their fields only needed to be dug through the irrigation ditch to get water, the villagers finally realized that the reservoir was really useful!
It can save lives during the flood season and also provide water to save seedlings during the drought!
When the news spread, people from all around began to look forward to the reservoir!
If there were a reservoir, I think we could keep our families from starving!
At this time, the government began to issue proclamations: the new reservoir will be built before winter, and every household should provide manpower to build the reservoir, with meals and lodging provided.
At the same time, a notice was issued in a new village below the newly built reservoir.
There are hundreds of acres of fertile land below the reservoir that need to be reclaimed and cultivated. Anyone willing to reclaim and cultivate the land can do so for free for three years. After three years, if they wish to continue farming, they only need to pay 20% of the rent each year.
If you want to buy these fields, you can buy them directly with money at the same price as the market price.
That's right below the reservoir! Those are fertile fields with water!
Who wouldn't want such a good thing?
Many people immediately went to inquire, and after they finished inquiring, they learned that the fertile land actually belonged to Lord Qi and Princess Qingyu, who were in charge of building the reservoir. They immediately felt a surge of security!
Would someone who can organize everyone to build a reservoir deceive everyone?
That must be credible!
So those who lived on higher ground and who originally struggled to cultivate their land all signed up.
Half of the hundred acres of fertile land were sold in just three days. The rest were rented to villagers who were willing to farm the land. It was agreed that they would be allowed to cultivate the land for free for three years, and then they would decide whether to buy it or pay rent after three years.
With the first reservoir serving as a model, the construction of the second reservoir proceeded very smoothly, both in terms of its progress and the subsequent leasing and sale of fertile land.
The construction of the reservoir thus entered a virtuous cycle.
The road construction was handled in a simpler and more direct manner.
Because those places already had roads, but they were in poor condition; now all that's needed is to widen, level, and pave them.
After spreading sand, the top layer was covered with transported bluestone slabs, and a stone-paved road that could allow two horse-drawn carriages to travel side by side was completed.
The villagers who were responsible for the project were overjoyed to see the dirt road leading from the town to the prefectural city transformed into a bluestone road!
How wonderful it would be if there were roads like this to walk on when you went out!
So the villagers who lived near the roadside started to think: Could they simply move their dilapidated houses to the roadside?
Upon inquiring, the villagers learned that the imperial court had given the nearly ten-zhang-wide width of the road on both sides to Lord Qi, who was in charge of road construction!
However, Lord Qi was very generous: any local villagers who wanted to build roads along the roadside could buy land along the roadside, which was much cheaper than in the prefectural city, but of course much more expensive than the wasteland in the village.
Many far-sighted people figured: if they built houses by the roadside, they could do some business, and maybe they could eventually leave the farm and become merchants. Wouldn't that be much easier than farming?
So some people were actually willing to buy it.
One person inspired a group of people, and soon, rows of houses were built along the roadside outside the city.
However, the land along the two-mile stretch closest to the prefectural city was not sold; instead, the land was used to construct uniform brick and tile houses.
Rows of blue brick and tile houses, all two stories high, with shops in the front and courtyards in the back...
Just thinking about it makes me feel comfortable living there!
After the repairs were completed, these houses were put up for sale. The prices weren't cheap, but they were still considerably lower than those in the city center…
If they don't sell immediately, then rent them out—as inns, restaurants, shops, etc.
In no time, the names of Lord Qi and Shen Qingyu spread throughout the entire Great Qi.
Putting everything else aside, this couple is really good at making money!
Meanwhile, Princess Qingyu, the largest real estate developer in Daqi, was touring Daqi with her children.
The five children, including Erbao, were already traveling between various prefectures with the Mad Taoist. Now that their mother was willing to bring her older sister, younger brother, and younger sister along, Erbao was overjoyed!
"Mom, I've been to this city before. There's a kind of glutinous rice cake here that's especially delicious..." Erbao said, swallowing hard, and led everyone there with practiced ease.
"Mom, why is that hat like this?" Da Bao looked at the bamboo hat worn by the villagers by the boiler in shock.
The bamboo hats she had seen before all faced downwards, but these were woven very wide, with only a slight bulge in the middle to make them easy to place on the head; the rest was a large, round disc!
Xiao Bao exclaimed in shock, "Mom, that person is eating something wrapped in leaves! Is that edible?"
Shen Qingyu smiled as she watched the children's bewildered expressions, babbling in agreement, and felt glad that she had chosen to take them on this long journey.
Only by seeing different worlds can one know how wonderful life is.
In this era, due to inconvenient transportation, people in different places have different living habits, eating habits, languages, and clothing.
Of the triplets, the second child has seen a lot of the world, while the eldest and youngest have only been to Beijing and the seaside.
The two younger ones grew up on the island and are tanned like black mudfish.
Shen Qingyu chose to take her five children on a trip this time because she wanted them to interact with different people.
The group traveled light, with only three horse-drawn carriages, which was quite conspicuous in some remote and impoverished towns.
At first, the children were only curious about the various foods and strange clothes. But as they stayed in more inns and saw more and more things, they began to be curious about the tables, chairs, bowls, plates, and even various farm tools from different places.
Shen Qingyu ignored them completely and let them explore on their own.
This worried and anxious Zhao Yuzhu: These things are dirty, how can we let them touch them?
What if I get injured?
What if they don't know any better and end up eating it?
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