Chapter 91 Rapid Growth
While Su Zhizhi was practicing martial arts in the academy, everything in Black Bandit Mountain was still progressing in full swing.
Cotton spinning workshops became more and more efficient.
After the first batch of cotton cloth was produced, part of it was delivered to Wu Fugui's caravan to be sold to other places according to the order quantity, and the other part was tested in the fabric stores in Baiyun County.
It is now late autumn and early winter, and the weather in Xunzhou is about to turn colder. It is the time when everyone needs cloth to make winter clothes.
As soon as the cotton cloth was launched on the market, it sold like hot cakes.
Many people were surprised that cotton could be spun into cloth, and that the cloth was strong and soft, much softer and more comfortable than linen.
Although it is more expensive than linen, it is cheaper than silk cotton.
When people asked where the cloth was produced, they heard that it was Black Mountain cloth.
The inexpensive and high-quality Black Mountain Ink has already become a very popular ink stick among scholars. Now that Black Mountain cloth has come out, everyone inexplicably feels a sense of trust when they hear the word "Black Mountain".
The owners of fabric stores and tailor shops in Baiyun County rushed to the Heishan Restaurant to order more Heishan cloth.
Seeing that cotton cloth is so popular, some other villages in Baiyun County are thinking about planting some cotton next year?
But I was also worried that cotton would be difficult to grow and the harvest would be poor, which would be a waste of effort and the land would be occupied in vain.
And even if you grow cotton, it will be useless if you don’t know how to spin it into cloth.
Just as these villages were hesitating, Liangmin Village entrusted County Magistrate Song to spread the word:
"Liangmin Village has been purchasing cotton for a long time. If other villages have cotton, they can send it to Liangmin Village or Heishan Restaurant. If they plant cotton next year, they can also sell their harvest there.
If there are villages that don’t know how to plant crops, they can ask the people in Liangmin Village for guidance.”
County Magistrate Song was an upright official, and his words were very prestigious among the people, so many villages in Baiyun County planned to plant cotton next spring.
Wu Fugui's caravan brought back a batch of cotton seeds and ready-made cotton from other places in time, making another profit.
Just like he had given Black Mountain ink before, Hao Ren gave two pieces of Black Mountain cloth to County Magistrate Song and Governor Gu.
When Governor Gu heard that Liangmin Village was purchasing cotton, he thought it was a great thing and that it might inspire other counties as well.
He had previously witnessed the chaos in Qianzhong Road and the scattering of refugees, and felt that if he wanted to maintain long-term peace and stability in his jurisdiction, not only one village had to be prosperous, but the majority of people had to live a good life to avoid chaos.
Governor Gu sent someone to take a message to the Black Mountain Restaurant, asking what else Liangmin Village was considering collecting besides cotton, and he could call on the entire Xunzhou to supply raw materials.
Liangmin Village quickly responded:
"In addition to cotton, we also need tung oil and manpower."
Governor Gu had a greater influence than Magistrate Song.
He summoned the county magistrates of all counties in Xunzhou and asked them to encourage each village to grow cotton and tung oil if they had spare capacity, while ensuring basic grain production. This would allow the village to increase its extra income and also allow them to work as short-term helpers in the workshops of Liangmin Village.
When this news got out, all the villages in Xunzhou were eager to try it out.
Lingnan is not rich, and everyone wants to try any opportunity to make money. Now is the slack season for farming, so cotton cannot be grown, but tung oil can be pressed.
Some villages tried to take the existing tung oil to Heifei Mountain to sell, and unexpectedly they got a very good price.
When other villages heard about this, they all started pressing tung oil.
Even outside Xunzhou, a few people in Hengzhou and Binzhou heard about it and transported tung oil and cotton to Baiyun County to sell.
Liangmin Village no longer needs to press large quantities of tung oil on its own, and the manpower saved can be used to expand production.
It just so happened that some new houses had been built at the foot of the mountain, so the ink-making workshop was simply moved from the top of the mountain to a flat land near the foot of the mountain, which had more space and was convenient for transportation.
The cotton spinning workshop was moved to the foot of the other side of the mountain and extended to the west.
The foot of each mountain on both sides is connected to another mountain, so there is ample space for further extension and expansion in the future.
Some people do not know how to squeeze tung oil, but have the strength to work, so they come to Heifei Mountain to do odd jobs, earning some wages to have a good New Year.
They don't have to go up the mountain to the village, they just need to work in the workshop at the foot of the mountain.
Hao Ren fulfilled his promise to the new villagers that he would pay them wages when the village's industry grew and generated more profits.
Whether they are villagers or outsiders doing short-term labor, their wages are calculated on a daily basis, and their daily meals and accommodation are provided.
It’s just that temporary workers can only squeeze into the big bunk bed temporarily, and their happiness index is not as high as that of the villagers.
The villagers of Liangmin Village have their own small houses, can work three days a week and rest one day, learn to read and learn kung fu; the temporary workers can only work, eat, sleep and make money.
But even so, the temporary workers were very happy.
Because they don't have to be exposed to the sun and rain, don't have to spend money on food and accommodation, and the food is plentiful, and they can taste meat every day. It's much better than working as an apprentice in a small shop in the county.
Some people come alone at first.
After a few days, he quickly asked someone to pass on a message, asking his wife and children at home to come and do odd jobs, otherwise the good opportunity would be gone if it was too late.
Most people plan to take the money home for the New Year after finishing their short-term work, and then come back to work during the slack season next year.
But some people also have the idea of staying and working for a long time.
Not everyone has good farmland to farm when they return home.
Some people are already worried about their livelihood. If they can stay and work for a long time, their annual income may not be worse than farming.
Moreover, the security in the Black Bandit Mountain area is good. The villagers are very good at martial arts. There are patrols on the mountain every day. Ordinary evil people dare not come to cause trouble.
As a result, some outsiders built their own houses near the foot of the mountain and on both sides of the mountain road, hoping to settle down.
Village Chief Hao expressed his support for this:
"Although they are not our villagers, we are happy to see long-term workers settle down near the foot of the mountain. If they encounter any difficulties in life, we can lend a hand."
In this way, some workers built simple small houses on the roadside and lived in them. Some even set up small stalls in front of the houses to sell groceries.
The path that had been deserted for a long time gradually became a little more lively.
Liangmin Village also plans to build houses on both sides of the road.
However, they are not building small houses for villagers to live in, but planning to build an inn and restaurant.
Hao Ren and Wu Yingniang discussed it:
"Now that Black Mountain Ink and Black Mountain Cloth are both in demand, more and more merchants from other places want to come and buy them. It's not convenient to let outsiders into the village, so why not build a larger inn at the foot of the mountain?"
"Firstly, it can provide a place for merchants from other places to stay. Secondly, they can conduct business and deliver goods directly at the foot of the mountain. Thirdly, the inn's revenue is also a source of income."
"Then let's open a branch of the Black Mountain Restaurant. The restaurant business in the county is also good."
Wu Yingniang did not change the name of the Heishan Restaurant in Baiyun County or expand the store. Instead, she opened a new restaurant called Heishan Restaurant in a more central location.
Just like the classification of Heishan Mo, Heishan restaurants offer high quality food at low prices and large portions, making them suitable for ordinary people to dine out; Heishan restaurants are decorated in a grand and bright style, making them suitable for wealthy local families or foreign businessmen to entertain in a grand banquet.
The Black Mountain Restaurant also provides superior guest rooms for business travelers to rest.
Although a new store has been opened, Wu Yingniang no longer has to cook by herself every day. The kitchen team on the mountain can allocate staff to the restaurant and pay them according to the same labor.
As for the kitchen team on the mountain, if it is short of manpower, we will select another group of people to join the kitchen team and continuously train kitchen staff.
The kitchen team is an ideal job. No one would be unwilling to go as long as they are selected.
The Hewang Restaurant, which was originally the most magnificent restaurant in Baiyun County, was overshadowed by the Heishan Restaurant.
This winter, scholars in Xunzhou use Black Mountain ink.
The people wore black mountain cloth.
Villagers press oil for Montenegro.
Temporary workers work in Montenegro workshops.
The rich were drinking and chatting happily in the Black Mountain Restaurant.
At the end of the seventh year of Zhaoqing, in a remote and backward place thousands of miles away from the capital, the word "Heishan" became increasingly famous.
Gold and silver formed a river, flowing endlessly towards Black Bandit Mountain and the cave where Hao Ren stored his money.
The original cave was already full, but fortunately there were many caves on the mountain, so two huge caves were added to store gold and silver.
The stars and the moon are bright on winter nights.
The wind was strong on the mountain, and the damp winter wind lifted up my clothes and long hair.
Hao Ren, Wu Yingniang, Bai Xun, Old Man Qin and Hua Erniang counted the last box of gold in the cave and sealed the entrance and exit with poison.
Hua Erniang was shocked:
"If this trend continues, it will really become a gold mine and silver mine. It can support the entire Xunzhou."
Hao Ren's cotton coat was crumpled into a desolate light gray by the darkness. A mist surrounded him, but his eyes were as sharp as a blade.
It's time to find a way to spend the money.
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