After dinner, Wednesday hurriedly went into the kitchen to cook the glutinous rice balls that Lu Qiqi had brought back.
Seeing his impatient look, Lu Qiqi couldn't help but laugh.
She had already eaten a large bowl of glutinous rice balls while she was in the city. Having just finished dinner, she didn't plan to eat any more and went back to her room to sleep.
I plan to go and discuss the future plans for Tianxin Village with Lu Da tomorrow.
The next morning, Lu Qiqi got up early, ate a steamed bun, drank half a bowl of porridge, and went out.
When she arrived at Lu Da's courtyard gate, it was still tightly closed, and there was no sound coming from inside.
Could it be that he hasn't woken up yet?
Just as she was about to knock on the door, she heard Lu Da's voice behind her.
"The village head?"
Lu Qiqi turned her head and saw Lu Da. He looked like he had gone out for a morning exercise.
She said, "How do you walk so quietly?"
Lu Da stared at her blankly for a moment before asking, "What brings you here, Your Highness?"
Remembering that she had come to see Lu Da to discuss something important, Lu Qiqi said, "Let's go inside and talk."
Lu Da opened the courtyard gate and gestured for Lu Qiqi to enter.
The two sat down together in the main room, and Lu Qiqi got straight to the point, "I came here today because I've thought of a way to help Tianxin Village make money, and I'd like to discuss it with you to see if it's feasible."
When Lu Da heard that there was a way to change the plight of Tianxin Village, he was overjoyed and asked, "What is this way?"
"I remember there was a bamboo grove near the deep pool in Tianxin Village. Most of the bamboo there was moso bamboo, right?"
Lu Da nodded. "Not bad."
Lu Qiqi's eyes gleamed as she said, "I want to use these bamboos to make paper!"
papermaking?
Paper is precious and produced in very low quantities; it's something only wealthy families can afford.
Few villagers in Tianxin Village are literate, let alone know how to make paper.
Besides, can bamboo be used to make paper?
How come he had never heard of bamboo having such wonderful uses?
Seeing that Lu Da had no objections, Lu Qiqi assumed that Lu Da must agree with her idea.
So he said, "We'll call Zhao Xiaodong later, and then we'll split into three groups."
Send Zhao Xiaodong to collect as much urine as possible from the village's children.
Go to the narrow gorge and bring back the rocks you chiseled down that day. Then dig a kiln and put the rocks inside to burn lime.
As she spoke, Lu Qiqi took out a piece of paper and handed it to Lu Da, "These are the precautions and methods for burning lime. If you have any questions, you can come to me anytime."
The only thing to be careful about is that the calcination process of lime must not be stopped, otherwise the temperature will not be reached and lime will be difficult to form.
"Find another team to come with me to the deep pool to cut bamboo. It would be best to find a few skilled carpenters."
Lu Da took the prescription from Lu Qiqi without saying anything; after all, the task she asked him to do was nothing more than physical labor.
If it doesn't succeed, the villagers won't suffer much loss.
If successful, Tianxin Village will undergo tremendous changes.
Moreover, he has known Lu Qiqi for so long that she has never failed to do anything she set her mind to.
I wonder where Lu Qiqi studied under? She's incredibly skilled!
It was supposed to be a discussion, but Lu Qiqi made all the arrangements, and Lu Da didn't say anything wrong.
Lu Qiqi sat in Lu Da's room waiting, while Lu Da went to find someone.
While in the field, Zhao Xiaodong heard Lu Da telling him what to do and couldn't help but pick at his ear.
He probably didn't hear what his older brother said.
What did his older brother ask him to do?
Go find a boy's urine?
This is no joke!
Who would bother looking for that stuff? It's something you can't eat or drink, and it doesn't even smell good.
Lu Da told Zhao Xiaodong about Lu Qiqi's plan to make paper.
Zhao Xiaodong was shocked after hearing this, his eyes widening like copper bells, and asked, "Big brother, is what you said true?"
"If we can really make paper from bamboo, won't our village never have to worry about money again?"
Lu Da didn't reply to Zhao Xiaodong, but instead kicked Zhao Xiaodong in the butt, "Stop talking nonsense and get going!"
Zhao Xiaodong grinned so hard his eyes disappeared, then covered his backside and ran away.
Lu Qiqi waited in Lu Da's room for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn before a man in blue robes entered.
She looked up and saw Zhao Zhiwei.
Does he no longer need to go out to sell calligraphy and paintings?
As soon as Zhao Zhiwei entered the house, he bowed to Lu Qiqi and then said, "Brother Lu said that the village chief sent someone to cut bamboo. I often read in that bamboo forest."
I know better than anyone what the bamboo looks like there, so I've volunteered myself. I hope the local lord won't be offended.
How could Lu Qiqi blame him? Although she wanted to find a carpenter, it was because she wanted to teach him the papermaking technique so that she wouldn't have to stay in Tianxin Village forever.
It would be even better if Zhao Zhiwei was familiar with the bamboo forest, as this would save her a lot of time in finding usable bamboo.
Lu Qiqi said, "That would be perfect. Quickly call someone, let's go to the bamboo forest now."
The large group of people, with machetes at their waists, led an oxcart to the deep pool.
This time, the villagers went to the deep pool to cut bamboo, a completely different mindset from when they went to retrieve floating corpses.
Their steps were light and quick, and their voices were constantly joking and laughing.
“It’s just ahead,” Zhao Zhiwei said, pointing to the bamboo grove in front of him.
Everyone looked in the direction he pointed, including Lu Qiqi.
The bamboo stalks were covered in frost, which was exactly the moso bamboo that Lu Qiqi wanted.
She said, "There's no road ahead, the oxcart can't get in. Let's cut down the bamboo branches and drag it out."
After saying this, the villagers tied the oxcart to the bamboo by the roadside, each with a machete tucked into their waistband, and strode into the bamboo forest.
Lu Qiqi followed them into the bamboo forest.
There were many withered bamboo leaves in the bamboo forest, and they made a rustling sound when you stepped on them.
She reached out and touched a bamboo stalk. The bamboo was tall and straight, and its nodes could easily hold a porcelain jar of water.
Lu Qiqi had originally planned to brew bamboo wine using moso bamboo, but now the best time for brewing bamboo wine has passed.
In addition, the cost of brewing bamboo wine is extremely high, which is not suitable for the current situation of Tianxin Village, so they chose to give up.
However, she could consider having Li Qingshan brew some bamboo wine in the veterans' village so that she could enjoy a small cup at home in the future, which would be a good option.
As I was thinking this, I heard the sound of bamboo being chopped all around me.
Immediately afterwards, the sound of bamboo being felled could be heard.
Looking at the cut bamboo, Lu Qiqi decided that Lu Da should lead people to replant bamboo on this land, and then they could continue to cut it down in two years.
It took seventeen cartloads of bamboo, and two trips by oxcart, to transport all the bamboo back.
The villagers, carrying knives, headed home. Lu Qiqi walked away, then looked back at the bamboo forest that had just been cut down, as if she were seeing a sliver of sky.
To her surprise, the villagers cut down so much bamboo, but only managed to split a small opening in the bamboo forest.
A gentle breeze rustled through the bamboo grove, and the cracks that had just been split disappeared, as if nothing had ever happened.
Lu Qiqi sighed inwardly, realizing that the bamboo forest in Tianxin Village was much larger than she remembered.
The fact that the elders of Tianxin Village planted so many trees and bamboos undoubtedly demonstrates their wisdom and their careful planning for future generations.
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