Chapter 93: Not in Chang'an for a long time
"Sir, please!" Old man Yang asked County Magistrate Hu to start eating.
"Then I won't be polite!" County Magistrate Hu picked up a piece of konjac with chopsticks. It was chewy, spicy and refreshing.
"Well, not bad! It's a delicious dish! I didn't expect that the konjac that everyone fears is so delicious!" County Magistrate Hu nodded continuously.
Hu Erlang, the lawyer, and the household clerk also started to attack Konjac.
Su Ying used hot pepper grass to replace the spiciness. Although it was not as delicious as chili peppers, the spiciness was special, and with the addition of soy sauce, it was simply amazing to everyone present.
Even the Yang family, who had eaten konjac before, were amazed.
"Aying's cooking skills are still the best!" Old man Yang praised.
"No, it's just that I'm willing to add oil and seasonings! If you do the same, it will be delicious too." Su Ying said with a smile.
"I've walked and seen a lot today. Huanggou Village is great! The villagers are united. If they continue like this, I believe it will prosper in no time.
"If we can do the same with other villages in Wu County, they should be no worse than your Chang'an in a few years, right, Mr. Su?" County Magistrate Hu was full of anticipation.
"With Lord Hu leading the way, the people of Wu County can hope to live a good life!" Su Bucheng praised.
"With so many things to do in such a short period of time, how are you and the more than thirty households going to plan?" County Magistrate Hu looked at Su Ying.
None of these old men could say anything new, except for the new father and daughter of the Su family. Not to mention County Magistrate Su, who was a practical man like himself, but this girl had many ideas and thoughts.
"Uh, we..." Su Ying pondered and sorted out her thoughts.
"First, we need to plant winter wheat as soon as possible. A good harvest is the foundation and guarantee of our development. Everything else depends on it..."
In Su Ying's idea, while sowing winter wheat, some beans, such as soybeans, mung beans, peas, etc., should be interplanted to loosen the soil while increasing soil nutrients.
Mulberry trees are planted in the corners of fields in preparation for silkworm breeding in spring.
A village school was opened to gather children together for education.
Dig up fern roots, kudzu roots, and konjac, produce fern root, kudzu root, and konjac vermicelli, build a vermicelli factory, and sell the vermicelli in several nearby state capitals as soon as possible.
Build an oil mill to squeeze out tea oil, and later squeeze out soybean oil, radish seed oil, sesame oil, cabbage seed oil, etc.
Build apiaries and scale up artificial beekeeping.
Rebuilding the lime kiln and eliminating the rotten soil after the spring requires a large amount of lime.
Digging ponds in high areas to store water will save a lot of effort during irrigation, and we will consider cultivating paddy fields and growing rice in the future.
Survey the road, determine the route, and start construction as soon as possible. The minimum width should be enough for a carriage to pass through.
"Hiss!" The village elders thought it was too outrageous.
They all felt it was amazing that they had accomplished three things: building a vermicelli factory, setting up a village school, and raising bees.
Ah Ying actually had to plant mulberry trees and raise silkworms, build an oil mill, repair roads, rebuild lime kilns, and even dig ponds to cultivate paddy fields.
They also want to do these things, but there are only a few strong laborers in the village, so it is too unrealistic!
"Aying, there are only about thirty households in our village. Can you handle it?" asked old man Yang.
"Of course it is possible. Village schools and beekeeping do not require labor. The vermicelli factory does not produce every day. Mulberry planting, silkworm breeding and oil mills will not officially start until the spring.
The actual manpower invested was in rebuilding lime kilns, digging reservoirs, and building roads.
When surveying the road, we can split the reconstruction of the lime kiln and the digging of the water pond into two groups to carry out the work simultaneously, and then concentrate the manpower on road construction."
Su Ying had arranged everything so clearly that the village elders could not utter a word to refute.
Everything is done for the development of the village. Who wouldn’t like it?
"Aying, can the traffic on that road be slowed down a bit?" someone asked.
"We can slow it down, but if we want to sell our products like vermicelli, tea oil, and honey, the inconvenience of transportation will make us lose the opportunity!"
Su Ying said.
"Why?" Old man Yang was puzzled. They had only one of these things!
"Because Lord Hu and his men will promote the cooking and eating methods of fern root, kudzu root, and konjac to the entire county, other villagers will also produce them. With more products, there will be competition, and it will also attract many merchants to purchase goods.
If you were a merchant, would you rather purchase goods from a place with convenient transportation or from a place with difficult transportation?"
Su Ying's words left everyone silent. When the county magistrate came to visit, they had vague guesses.
It is hard to say how capable County Magistrate Hu is, but to be fair, he is a down-to-earth and hardworking grassroots official.
Wu County is already poor, and these methods can not only prevent the people from starving, but also help them get rich.
Any official with a conscience would have carried it out.
The pleasant atmosphere at the dinner table became a little awkward.
"Don't be too anxious, everyone. The roads in most villages are difficult to travel. Not only will we ship all our products ahead, but we will also build roads ahead. At least the first two to three years will be enough for us to make money." Su Ying encouraged everyone.
"If everyone does this, can we still make money?" asked a village elder.
"Why not? In the future, when people see vermicelli, tea oil, and honey, they will think of Wu County. Our entire county produces them on a large scale, so the cost is definitely low, the quality is high, and the price is low. Who wouldn't want them?
In a few years, maybe we’ll have new products coming out.”
"I'm so old, but I can't see things as clearly as a girl!" sighed the village elders.
"Village elders, don't rush to say old! Once things are implemented, whether they can be completed depends on you!" Su Ying smiled and said, "There is another thing I forgot to mention."
"What's the matter?" asked the village elders.
"We're still missing the most crucial tools for making vermicelli noodles: a large iron pot and a strainer. I mentioned this to Hu Langjun when I came here, and he's willing to get involved. What do the village elders think?"
"Really? That's great!" The village elders smiled happily.
It's great to have someone to share the financial burden with; they've spent everything they have to put this tool together.
In this way, the county magistrate's family also got a share of the vermicelli, which provided them with a protective umbrella.
"Girl, will anyone really buy this vermicelli?" County Magistrate Hu was a little worried.
"We definitely can't sell to the poor! We're targeting the rich and powerful with our vermicelli, tea oil, and honey!
"Sell it in the provincial capital first, and then find a way to sell it in Chang'an and Jiangnan!" Su Ying said.
"Chang'an, Jiangnan?" County Magistrate Hu thought that was too much. "Erlang, can we do it?"
"Let's give it a try! As long as a few nearby state capitals gain a foothold, we can expand outward little by little." Hu Erlang chose his words carefully.
He never thought of growing his business so big. His initial goal was just to have more groceries that were different from other stores.
How much power can a son of a small county magistrate in Xiaxia County, Lingnan, have?
Now Su Ying was carried up high and couldn't come down, but it didn't want to spoil everyone's fun.
"My dear, at this rate, aren't you afraid that others will find out and steal your business?" Su Ying shook her head. This Hu Erlang was too honest.
"What do you think, young lady?" Hu Erlang asked humbly.
"The village elders present here were once figures in Chang'an City. I think many of them are still in Chang'an City. I wonder if all the village elders..." Su Ying looked at everyone.
"This is a good idea, young lady. But we haven't been away from Chang'an for a long time. We know nothing about the situation over there, and sending a letter may not produce any results." Old man Yang pondered.
"Most of them may fall on deaf ears, but not all of them will disappear without a trace. This letter is just a way to test the waters. If one or two people who remember our past can lend a hand, our business will flourish in Chang'an City."
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