Chapter 270 Blackboard
Chen An and Shen Yin boiled water and made hot tea for the guests, but Zeng Ziqian waved his hand to refuse and hurriedly said goodbye. His urgency to implement the composting and crop rotation methods was evident in his words.
Chen Lie personally saw them off, but after walking a few steps, Zeng Ziqian suddenly remembered something and stopped to ask Chen Lie and Sang Luo, "I want to bring two farmers who are familiar with composting to Beijing. I'm afraid I need to give them some practical guidance. Do you two have any recommendations?"
Going to Beijing?
The couple looked at each other.
Sang Luo asked: "When will we leave? How long will it take to get back?"
"We will leave tomorrow at the earliest, by sea, and will be back in about forty days. Food and lodging are up to us, and the government will give us a subsidy of eight hundred yuan for this trip."
Sang Luo understood: "Okay, I'll go ask them in a bit. If I find them, I'll send them to the state government office tomorrow morning."
"Can."
Only then can you leave.
Sang Luo waited for Chen Lie to come back and asked, "Ask Uncle Youtian and Zhou Cunzheng if they are willing to make this trip?"
Old Man Chen was originally a very good person, but he was over 60 years old and might not be able to withstand such a long period of travel. Chen Youtian was also an old hand at farming, and Zhou Cunzheng was not only good at farming but also literate. Sangluo would feel more at ease if the two of them were together.
Because Zeng Ziqian's schedule was urgent, the couple simply went to Chen's and Zhou's homes overnight.
"Going to Beijing?" Chen Youtian, who had not slept since knowing that Sang Luo was going to open a literacy class, and who was making desks and chairs with the lights on, and Old Man Chen who was helping her, almost dropped their jaws when they heard this.
"Yes." Sang Luo explained the situation and asked Chen Youtian if he was willing to make the trip.
Before Chen Youtian responded, Mrs. Chen had already agreed: "Go, of course! That's where the emperor stays! The government will provide food and lodging, and give you 800 yuan."
The Chen family is making a lot of money with Sang Luo now, but eight hundred yuan is still a lot of money for Mrs. Chen. The key is that she can go to the capital, where the emperor lives, a place that Mrs. Chen has never dared to dream of at her age.
"What a blessing this is!" Mrs. Chen was afraid that Chen Youtian would be too timid to respond.
She responded quickly. After Chen Youtian realized what was happening, he felt a little timid and asked Sang Luo, "You're just teaching me how to make compost?"
"Yes, and I'll probably tell you something about crop rotation."
Chen Youtian was originally taught by Sang Luo. He was an old farmer and he knew how to do this. He licked his lips which were a little dry due to nervousness, looked at his father, then at his mother, and then at Qin Fang's mother, all of them with their eyes shining with excitement.
"Okay, I'll go!"
Sang Luo smiled and said, "Don't be nervous, Uncle Youtian. I'll ask Zhou Cunzheng if he's free. You can find a companion and go by water. We'll be on the boat most of the time. Just follow the people from the government office."
When he heard that Zhou Cunzheng was also going, Chen Youtian's tense shoulders relaxed a little: "It's good to have a companion. I feel more at ease."
On the other side, the Zhou family also heard Chen Lie talk about going to Beijing, and they were equally nervous and excited. Zhou Cunzheng was not only nervous but also excited, and he felt a little dizzy.
"The highest official I've ever held in my life is Muramasa. I never thought that I could even go on a mission to the capital thanks to A-Luo's help."
He immediately went to Chen's house to meet Sang Luo and Chen Youtian. He asked Chen Lie about the weather in the north and packed two sets of clothes accordingly. That night, both families were so excited that they made pancakes on the bed and couldn't sleep.
At the Shen family's side, Shen An, Shen Ning and Shen Yin were also very excited. As soon as Shen Lie and Sang Luo went out, Shen Ning also stood up because he heard some noise. He asked who had come just now. Only after listening to Shen An did he know the whole story.
As soon as he finished listening, Shen Ning realized something: “Second brother, has the eldest sister-in-law made another contribution?”
"Great achievement." Shen An read and was already very clear about the significance of increased grain production to Da Qi and the people.
In addition to being happy, he also felt another different kind of pressure. It was only at this moment that he finally understood why his elder brother had been studying harder and harder since his elder sister-in-law was rewarded again and again, and why he had hardly any free time in the provincial school.
They were the two who were being carried away. The faster the sister-in-law achieved merit, the farther they fell, and the greater the pressure they felt.
"I'm going to take a shower." Then read for a while!
…
Chen Lie was indeed under pressure, but he would not show it too much in front of Sang Luo. After being away from home for a few days, the couple talked in low voices for a while before they rested.
Early the next morning, Chen Youtian and Zhou Cunzheng each carried a backpack and arrived at Shen's house, preparing to follow the Shen Lie brothers who were going to the provincial school into the city.
The Shen family had just finished breakfast, and there was a faint sweet fragrance in the yard. Sang Luo glanced at Chen Ning, who smiled and went back to the house to get out two small bamboo boxes, saying with a smile: "My sister-in-law just made a new dish this morning. Uncle Tian and Uncle Zhou can take it and eat it on the way."
Zhou Cunzheng exclaimed: "Youtian and I are in for a treat today."
He thanked Sang Luo and Shen Ning with a smile, took it and put it in the backpack behind him. Chen Youtian also took it with a smile. When the two of them were putting things in, Sang Luo saw that in addition to the baggage, there were also some cakes and water in the backpack.
Sang Luo also had to go to the city for something. Today was the Friday, and Chen Lie and Shen An had to deliver a batch of cakes and bread to the shop. They went out together. Chen Youtian and Zhou Cun were walking among them with baskets on their backs. They were not noticeable at all. Except for the excitement on their faces and the corners of their lips that could not be suppressed, they looked no different from usual when they went to the vermicelli workshop or to the mountains.
After entering the city, they first delivered the goods to the shop, checked the number with Xin Niang who was waiting there, and then made the handover. Chen Lie and Shen An personally sent Chen Youtian and Zhou Lizheng to the provincial government office, while Sang Luo went to the back office to see Concubine Fan.
Concubine Fan had heard about Sang Luo renting a farm to open a workshop a few days ago and was curious about it, but she didn't go to Daxing Farm because she was not feeling well and was afraid of passing the disease to Ayao and Qianbao. Last night, she heard that she had developed a composting method and a crop rotation method, which she had developed many years ago. The composting method alone can increase rice production by 40 kilograms per acre, and the crop rotation method eliminates the need for frequent fallow of fields.
Zeng Ziqian wrote a memorial overnight and went out early in the morning to hand over some matters in his hands to Governor He, indicating that he was going to the capital in person.
How could Concubine Fan not be excited? She was just thinking about it and the real person came.
She became more energetic and no longer leaned listlessly on the chaise longue. She stood up and went out to greet him.
"But you knew to come and see me. Tell me, I haven't seen you for only □ days. How could you have done so many great things?"
While asking people to serve tea and snacks, he pulled Sang Luo into the flower hall. However, she had a keen nose and smelled a pleasant sweet fragrance. Her eyes fell on the small basket in Sang Luo's hand.
"What good things did you bring me that smell so good?"
She had lost her appetite for several days.
"I just made these egg tarts. They're a new product that the shop is planning to launch. But we don't have the right utensils right now, so they won't look very good. Try them first to see if they taste good."
Yes, egg tarts.
The Daxingzhuang Specialty Shop hasn't had new products for a while. There are many sheep in the village now, and there is no shortage of goat milk. So Sang Luo is thinking of developing some new products.
It is not easy to make this thing. There is no ready-made egg tart crust, no tin foil, and no white sugar. The egg tart crust is okay, although there is no butter, it is also okay to use vegetable oil. White sugar is replaced by honey, and the egg tart tray uses a set of the smallest bowls that were sent by the Wang family as a gift when they moved to a new house.
After trying several times in a clay oven and ruining several batches, I finally made something decent for her, but... it was a bit too big.
When Concubine Fan heard about the smell, she felt a little greedy. She entered the flower hall, opened the basket, picked up one and tasted it. It was something she had never eaten before, and her eyes lit up for once, even though she didn't have a good appetite. "This is delicious!"
Nanny Zhong on the side breathed a sigh of relief.
Concubine Fan finished eating that one, wiped her hands, and then pulled Sang Luo to talk. She was curious about the composting method and crop rotation method, but with the curved plow and papermaking technology in her experience, she accepted it well. After a few words, the topic turned to the workshop. She said, "I wanted to ask you a few days ago. You opened a workshop to make vermicelli, and you hired people. Aren't you afraid that the recipe will be leaked?"
No matter what secret recipe a noble family holds, it will not be handed over to a loyal servant unless he is bound by a death pact.
Sang Luo said, "We signed a confidentiality agreement, and let the important processes be done by people we trust, and let the workshop workers do the other less important processes. In fact, this is not a long-term solution. If the business gets bigger, we will have to hire more people."
Concubine Fan really wanted to suggest buying some people, but when she thought about the current population of Da Qi, she shut up and asked if Sang Luo had anything to do in the city.
"Ayao and Qianbao are so young and need someone to take them with them. You can't have come here just to see me."
Sang Luo laughed when she heard it. "It's true. I'm going to order some ceramic molds for the egg tarts you ate, and then go buy some things."
He told Concubine Fan about the literacy class he had organized for the workers in the workshop, and said, "I came out to buy some teaching aids."
Fan Feiniang suspected that there was something wrong with her hearing: "Is it possible to hire a teacher to teach the women workers in the workshop and their children to read?"
Sang Luo smiled and said, "Don't be so surprised. If you teach him well, he might work for me in the future. It's better for a man to be able to read than not to be able to read."
Concubine Fan: "...You are really far-sighted. Aren't you afraid that he will find another job after learning it?"
"Then I have done what I wanted to do now." Sang Luo was very open-minded.
"Is it something you want to do?" Concubine Fan murmured and nodded: "That's right, but it's good for you to do this. If you treat people with sincerity, they will naturally be more loyal to you. What teaching aids do you want to buy? A ruler?"
Sang Luo smiled and shook her head: "In my place, whether to learn good or bad is entirely up to self-awareness, so there is no need for a ruler. I am going to go to the carpenter's shop to see if I can buy a piece of black painted board."
The literacy class includes both adults and children. It is not so bad for children, as it is easier for them to recite the Thousand Character Classic, but this is not necessarily the case for adults, as they will most likely feel dizzy while reading it.
Therefore, Sang Luo plans to make a slight distinction in teaching. Thousand Character Classic will also be taught, but teaching content that is simple, easy to learn, practical and interesting will be added, similar to the way children in later generations learn to recognize words with cards. The teaching method is to use the things that farmers are most exposed to, from simple to difficult.
She and Shen Ning secretly made a lot of paper in the backyard of their home. Of course, they could also use cards and pens and ink. Now the family is not so short of money, and they don’t feel bad about using ink like before. However, for on-site teaching, large cards that have been prepared for class are not as convenient as chalk blackboards that can be scribbled and drawn on at will.
Of course, Sang Luo was just a mortal, not a jack of all trades, nor that smart. He only knew that chalk seemed to be made of plaster powder, but as for how the blackboard was made, he had no idea at all.
Who has time to think about this?
In addition to ordering molds and buying plaster powder when she went to the city today, she planned to go to the furniture store to see if she could buy or order a piece of black-painted wood board.
You will know whether it can be successful or not just by trying it.
"A black painted board? What's the use of that?"
"I don't know if it will work if I use a white chalk to write on it. I have to prepare both and try it out."
This was the first time Concubine Fan heard about chalk, and she was a little surprised, but she didn't ask any more questions. Instead, she turned around and asked Nanny Zhong: "Is there a set of old black lacquer furniture in the storeroom at the back office?"
Nanny Zhong nodded: "Yes, maybe it was replaced by an official from the previous dynasty."
Concubine Fan called Sang Luo, "Don't go to the furniture store. It's not easy to wait for the paint to dry. Come with me to the warehouse. I remember there was a desk for office use. After disassembling it, it's just boards. See if you can use it."
Sang Luo hadn't thought of bringing some food to Concubine Fan, but she had such a good thing. Her eyes lit up and said, "This couldn't be better. I wouldn't dare to use the newly painted board until it's been thoroughly dried for ten days or half a month."
Nanny Zhong led the way and opened the door. The three of them entered the warehouse and there really was a desk.
"Is it the right size?" asked Concubine Fan.
"It's perfect, it couldn't be more perfect, I'm so lucky!"
Concubine Fan smiled and pulled Sang Luo out: "Go buy your things. I'll have someone dismantle the table and send the boards home for you."
Sang Luo was also not shy, so she smiled and said, "I know you have capable people under you, so can you help me modify the table legs and other boards that you removed to make a stable frame that can hold the boards vertically. As for the height, it doesn't need to be very high, so that a teenager can write on it easily with his hands raised, okay?"
"Why not? I'll take care of it. You just need to wait for it."
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