Dong Shulan's arrival gave Fu Xiaoguan an unexpected surprise.
He was really happy, this was the first woman he had ever fallen in love with since he came to this world. He had planned to go to Beijing to see her by the end of the year when everything in Xishan was on track, but he had never expected that she would actually come.
The three of them chatted a lot, and the shyness or reserve when they first met gradually faded away, returning to the state they were in when they were writing letters.
Just like old friends who haven't seen each other for many years, casual and comfortable.
Yu Wenjun's personality is more open than Dong Shulan's. She understands Dong Shulan's position in Fu Xiaoguan's heart better, and she knows how to deal with it better. She has never revealed her identity as a princess.
Only in this way can we coexist peacefully, and only in this way can we live in harmony and grow old together.
The atmosphere was warm and harmonious, with occasional cheerful whispers. At this moment, Fu Xiaoguan felt that this was the second peak of his life - the highest peak was of course the wedding night.
After dinner, Dong Shulan and Yu Wenyun went to clean up, said goodbye to Fu Xiaoguan, and went to their room to rest.
Fu Xiaoguan called Zhang Ce and the two chatted for a long time.
Cement is being produced continuously in the back mountain of Xishan. Three more water wheels have been added, and the iron rollers custom-made in Yao County have also been installed. They are more effective than the previous stone rollers, but they need a few more oxen to help pull them, otherwise they will turn too slowly.
There was a problem with the brick kiln that bricklayer Tang Lin was in charge of. The heavy rain damaged many of the unfired bricks and tiles. Later, Tang Lin recruited some more bricklayers, and now they can basically supply the construction needs of Wangjia Village and Xishan.
Construction in Xishan and Wangjia Village stopped yesterday because the rice is ripe and needs to be stored in the warehouse as soon as possible, which is estimated to take three to five days.
The flower seeds that the young master had distributed were growing very well. Except for Wangjia Village, other places were about to bloom. Wangjia Village was replanted later, and it will be a few days later.
The first workshop in Xishan has been built, and even the floor is paved with cement as instructed by the young master. Now everyone knows that cement is a magical and easy-to-use thing.
There is no good way to increase the output of the winery at the moment. We can only wait for the new winery to be built. The masters are doing various technical experiments, and the stability of the wine yield and alcohol content has improved. I just don’t know what the wine stored in the young master’s cellar at the foot of the West Mountain is used for.
In addition, Feng Laosi sent people to bring back the news that an iron ore deposit was found in Fenglin Mountain. He and many stonemasons and blacksmiths analyzed that the deposit was very large, but there was a problem. Fenglin Mountain was a group of mountains, and the deposit was among the mountains, buried in a mountain called Broken Soul Mountain. It would be very troublesome to mine. They did not come back, saying that they needed to think of a solution.
In addition, Feng Laosi also said in the letter that if the young master really wants to mine the ore here, it is best to recruit some people from the foundry. They are very good at smelting ore and making iron. If a smelting plant is directly built at the foot of Broken Soul Mountain, it will save a lot of labor. If the ore is transported out from there, it will be a hundred times more difficult than the back mountain of West Mountain.
Fu Xiaoguan listened very carefully, occasionally writing down something with a charcoal pen on a piece of paper. After Zhang Ce finished speaking, he frowned and thought for a long time.
He was mainly thinking about the iron ore. Looking at the map on the table, he roughly knew how difficult it was to mine this mine.
First of all, transportation. There is no road into the mountains, so we have to open a road.
Secondly, he had originally planned to transport the ore for processing. Now it seemed that Feng Laosi's suggestion was correct. So what was the terrain like in that place? Was it suitable for building a factory? If so, he wanted to place both the smelting and manufacturing plants inside the mountain.
The third is people. This requires a lot of people, and the labor force in Linjiang Prefecture is basically limited to farmland. If they are asked to give up the farmland and move into the mountains, it will probably be difficult for them who have been farming for generations to accept.
This is because technology has not developed. Farmers rely on their own hands to farm, and even oxen are not yet popular in every household. Production efficiency is extremely low and labor cannot be released.
After thinking for a long time, I decided to wait until Feng Laosi comes back, but the recruitment of personnel can start now.
"Butler Zhang, after the busy farming season is over, gather all the clan leaders to meet at West Mountain."
"good."
Zhang Ce left the inner courtyard. Fu Xiaoguan was still looking at the map of Fenglin Mountain. Dong Shulan and Yu Wenjun came out.
Chunxiu brought tea and made it for them. Looking at the two girls, she thought that the young master was really capable. Two such beautiful girls came to Xishan for him. She wondered which one would be the future mistress of the Fu Mansion.
"Didn't you take a break for a while?" Yu Wenjun asked lazily as he stretched.
Fu Xiaoguan's gaze fell on Yu Wenjun, especially the moment when he stretched out, he seemed even prouder than Dong Shulan.
Yu Wenjun seemed to feel the heat of that gaze and immediately blushed. Fu Xiaoguan chuckled and said, "I was quite sleepy, but with you here, I feel refreshed."
Dong Shulan rolled her eyes at him again. This guy was becoming more and more presumptuous.
She casually picked up the map on the stone table, looked at it, and asked, "What is this for?"
"There's an iron ore deposit here, and I'm wondering how to dig it out."
Yu Wenjun looked at Fu Xiaoguan in astonishment: "Mining? Have you got the permit?"
"I have the approval documents. The problem now is that I need a large number of workers. I also need to find a way to recruit some craftsmen from the foundry."
"oh……"
"What good will you get out of mining this iron ore? Look at the map. The terrain is very complex. If we want to build a road into the mountains, it will be a huge project. And mining a mine, including the initial excavation and digging, is also very time-consuming. So, the profit won't be much."
Dong Shulan quickly analyzed the economic benefits of this place. Fu Xiaoguan smiled and said, "Mining is just the first step. It's definitely not going to make money. But if we smelt this iron ore and forge various tools, it will be valuable."
"You'll need more professional talent, and the government generally has them. Civilian blacksmiths can make farm tools and kitchen knives, but they don't sell well. Unless you can produce armor and weapons better than the foundry—isn't that what you're thinking?"
Fu Xiaoguan indeed thought so.
Not only did he have to forge armor and weapons for the soldiers, he also had to forge armor for the war horses. He remembered very clearly how terrifying the combat effectiveness of the heavy armored cavalry in the past world was!
As for the Lancers, that will take longer.
"How about... I help you find some craftsmen?" Yu Wenjun asked cautiously.
"Can you get it?"
"I'll try."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
