When Bai Manshan entered the village gate, some children had already come to inform Shuiqing. Shuiqing gave the children a handful of candy, and the children happily ran away. Shuiqing and Fan Jin stood at the gate of the courtyard waiting.
Seeing Bai Manshan and his group approaching slowly, the two went to greet them.
Bai Manshan ignored Fan Jin and praised Shang Shuiqing repeatedly: "Sister, your idea for a toothbrush workshop is brilliant! How come I never thought of that before!"
Shui Qing laughed and said, "Isn't it something we have no choice about? There are only a little over four hundred people in Shanshui Village. We have livestock, farmland, deliver goods, a medicine shop, and a toothbrush shop. We have to use everyone we can."
"Since you have so many people, you don't need to use all the women and girls, young and old."
"Don't laugh at me. It's not that I have too many people and don't need them; it's clearly that I have too few businesses." Bai Manshan smiled helplessly.
He originally thought that it would be good enough if the more than two hundred people in Baijiazhuang could grow enough grain from several hundred acres of land to supply the Baijia Rice Shop.
With limited grain production and relatively stable prices, the burden of providing food, clothing, shelter, and transportation for over two hundred people was substantial, making their lives not particularly comfortable—though they were quite well off compared to the unscrupulous landlords in other villages.
However, when he returned to Zhulin Village from Baijiazhuang, he discovered that in just over half a year, the difference had already become apparent!
Zhulin Village was relocated to a higher ground near Yubei Mountain, so that they would not have to worry about heavy rain and floods, and at least they could evacuate to the mountain during heavy rain.
The mud-brick houses they built had gray tile roofs, just like those in Shanshui Village. Needless to say, the money and idea came from the host family.
Sure enough, during the chat, I learned that eleven girls from Zhulin Village had married into the village!
They built a wall and also constructed separate livestock pens to house the animals. There were already cows and donkeys inside, not to mention the common chickens, ducks, and geese, but also rabbits! The rabbits, in large numbers, are now quite a sight.
The pigs and sheep will be ready for slaughter by the end of the year. I heard that there is no shortage of eggs now, so there will be no shortage of meat by the end of the year.
They harvest and store their potatoes early, and the new season is planted faster than in Baijiazhuang because they harvest in January and February, and then they plow the land, fertilize it, and plant something that looks like a bamboo pole.
They didn't explicitly say what it was for, but he knew in his heart that it wasn't that he didn't know, but that he couldn't say. At the same time, he felt that he hadn't made a mistake in choosing the right people—it was so important for a servant to keep his mouth shut!
Not revealing the affairs of one's master is a basic matter of good manners.
He originally thought the Bai family was quite good, with many shops, several estates, and a lot of farmland. Now, looking at Shui Qing, he sometimes felt a sense of pride that he had managed the Bai family well after taking over.
Not only did it not decline, it expanded. Compared to Shui Qing now, he is nothing.
If Shui Qing had taken over the Bai family, it would definitely not be the size it is now!
He needs to work even harder, but what other profitable businesses can he pursue...?
Shuiqing led the people into the house. After the three of them sat down in the tea room, she explained the cooperation plan she had previously thought of: "The potatoes in Zhulin Village will only be planted once next year. We will keep enough for the whole village to eat, and the rest will be transported to Beidu."
In my spare time, I'm thinking about growing sugarcane and making sugar.
Potatoes have a short maturation period, generally four months to harvest. If planted in October, they can be harvested in February. Sugarcane, on the other hand, is best planted in March or April and can be harvested gradually in September and October.
It's hard work, but we can take care of both food and cash crops.
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