97 Cotton
"Mining."
During the days that Shen Suqin spent along the Shule River, she would follow Xiao Pingchuan down into the river to catch fish, roll around in the sand, and wait for dawn in the darkness.
Autumn was already in the air when we left the Shule River.
The wheat along the road has turned yellow, and the wind rustles through the wheat fields, turning the once barren land into a place full of life.
Back in Ningyuan, Yan Lin mentioned before she left that some merchants wanted to move north, and now several families have already moved up there.
They originally wanted to move into Guzongfang, but because Shen Suqin was not there, they could not get approval, so it was delayed.
As soon as she returned, Yan Lin pulled her aside, opened a map of the western suburbs, and pointed out the areas one by one to her, saying, "This is where the greenhouses used to be. Now the greenhouses have been demolished, leaving a large empty area. Even if you want to build a brewery, you won't be able to use it all. I want to designate a section specifically to accommodate merchants heading north."
"And it would be easier to put them together and assign someone to manage them, don't you think?"
Shen Suqin traced the map with her finger, thought for a moment, and asked him, "Is the problem solved?"
"Anyway, we've already shown our attitude. What can those county officials say? They can't stop people, so we can only accept it."
"What do we get in return? We can't just give them the land for free, can we? I paid for this land. And they can't use the cobblestone paths, guards, streetlights, food and lodging, and all the other facilities in the ward for free, can they?"
Yan Lin knew she would say this. "They will definitely charge money. We'll discuss the price and see if they're willing to pay."
"I think it's a good idea."
"Then I'll go and discuss the price with Su Yubai."
"Go."
"By the way, your flour mill in the eastern suburbs is almost finished, and we've recruited enough people for you. It'll start operating as soon as the wheat is harvested. You can go and take a look when you have time."
"What about the cotton-padded clothing workshops?"
"That's still a little something missing. We haven't found a weaver yet, but there's still time."
"Okay, I understand."
Soon, the wheat was harvested.
The people of Daliang were used to harvesting millet, so they were not unfamiliar with wheat, which looked similar, and knew how to dry it and how to thresh it.
They just had never eaten this kind of thing before, and always thought it was too precious and difficult to eat.
When the sun is at its hottest, the dried wheat and straw will emit a fresh, sweet aroma.
Shen Suqin liked the smell and would often go to the fields to watch them harvest wheat.
Each time she visited, those who knew her identity would give her an extra melon or a jar of sweet water. She would accept it with a smile, squat by the field, and eat while watching them work.
Above us was the deep blue autumn sky, vast and boundless, with clear sunlight and a peaceful atmosphere all around.
Looking back, she realized that this was the most peaceful period of her life, one she never experienced again.
Unfortunately, at the time, it seemed like nothing special.
As autumn approached and the wheat was almost ready for storage, Shen Suqin began to purchase large quantities of wheat for flour mills.
Because wheat was being planted on a large scale for the first time this year, not many people knew about it, and even fewer knew how to use it, so the price was not set high.
Shen Suqin was unwilling to dampen the farmers' enthusiasm, so he bought the millet at a price higher than the market price and took it to the flour mill in the eastern suburbs for processing.
When it comes to processing, Daliang only has stone mills for processing: peeling, grinding, and powdering the bark, then bagging it and transporting it to various places for sale in Chenji Zhenhuofang.
However, Xingyuan Restaurant was the first to sell its products.
He bought flour from a workshop in the eastern suburbs and, under Shen Suqin's guidance, kneaded the dough to make noodles and pancakes. Later, he fermented the dough to make steamed buns and dumplings, and developed more than a dozen kinds of food.
Regular customers have been very supportive of Xingyuan Restaurant since they learned about the new dishes, and they want to try everything.
When I first tried steamed buns and mantou, I thought they were some new kind of snack. Later, I found out they were eaten as a staple food, and I became addicted to them. I no longer wanted corn rice and only liked steamed buns and mantou.
Moreover, it's not expensive. Except for steamed buns with fillings, which are a bit more expensive, steamed buns are about the same price as millet.
Noodles are also popular; it's very comforting to eat something with soup.
Gradually, as various kinds of noodles and pasta dishes were introduced to Xingyuan Restaurant, people slowly learned about the role of wheat flour and also realized that Shenji Zhenhuofang had recently added flour to its menu.
Old Man He from Yuzhou was a constable in his youth, but now that he's old, he just likes to look for food everywhere.
He was a regular customer at Xingyuan Restaurant. In his youth, he was proud of his braised pork rice soup. In his old age, he preferred Xingyuan's reunion hot pot. He would often take his money and order a few plates of vegetables and a few plates of meat to eat slowly by himself.
I heard these past few days that Xingyuan Restaurant has come up with a new dish: a dumpling filled with meat filling wrapped in dough, steamed over a fire, resulting in a plump, white dumpling.
He bought it first; it was tender and juicy, with a wonderful aroma of meat and oil—delicious!
Steamed buns are fine too; they're slightly sweet when eaten plain, refreshing and pleasant to the taste buds. Noodles in meat broth are also good, smooth and slippery.
Later, everyone said that these foods were made from wheat flour. He knew about wheat; the county had asked them to grow it last year, saying they would provide the seeds for free.
Some people planted the seeds because they were free, and the harvest was later taken by some unknown person from the north. The price was not low, and it was more profitable than planting millet. Many people regretted not planting them and said they would definitely plant them next year if they had the chance.
So it turns out that wheat was indeed grown for human consumption; isn't it tastier than millet?
Later, Old Man He started buying flour like everyone else, kneading the dough and making noodles himself, eating a variety of different kinds of noodles for three meals a day.
In Ningyuan, wheat is the most widely cultivated crop.
The stone mill in the flour mill in the eastern suburbs has been turning non-stop since the wheat harvest, producing several hundred bushels of flour every day.
Even so, demand still exceeds supply.
They can't even keep up with the demand at their own Xingyuan Restaurant, let alone Chenji Zhenhuofang; running out of stock is a frequent occurrence.
Shen Suqin was delighted with the result, thinking that next year's figure should be several times higher than this year's.
On the other side, at the firearms workshop, the muskets could not be mass-produced for a long time. The quality of hand-polishing varied too much, and there were frequent cases of barrel explosions. This made Shen Suqin hesitant to send them to the Shule River for them to use.
But as the autumn harvest began, the Shatuo, still harboring treacherous intentions, began to stir again.
In the middle of the year, Ju Tao sent back a message saying that the former king of Shatuo, Zhu Xiezhikun, had abdicated and the new king was named Zhu Xietuo, Zhu Xiegebo's cousin.
Shen Suqin had heard Xiao Pingchuan mention Zhu Xietuo before, saying that he was quite capable, which was evident from the fact that he was able to injure Xiao Pingchuan.
Therefore, Shen Suqin felt an unusual sense of urgency and, for the first time, took the initiative to urge the firearms workshop to speed up the research and development.
"There hasn't been a breakthrough in firearms, but we've seen an increase in the number of weapons made with gunpowder," Yan Lin said.
"What's extra?"
"There are those that explode when thrown, but you have to be extremely careful when transporting them, as they can explode with the slightest bump."
Shen Suqin said helplessly, "Isn't that digging a hole for ourselves? The roads in Daliang are never smooth. When transporting goods by carriage, it's bound to be bumpy. If it explodes because of the bumps, are we just asking for trouble?"
Yan Lin waved his hand: "Don't worry, they will figure out a solution slowly."
Shen Suqin realized that her attitude was problematic and softened her tone, saying, "I'm sorry, I wasn't targeting you."
"I know."
"I don't know why, but I've been feeling uneasy these past few days, as if something important is about to happen."
Yan Lin comforted her, "Don't overthink it. Xiao Pingchuan and Shatuo have been locked in a stalemate for so many years. Now it's just a change of king, and there haven't been many changes in the people under him. He won't pose much of a threat."
Shen Suqin: "I know, let's not talk about this anymore, you can continue what you were saying."
“Hmm,” Yan Lin opened the blueprints, “This was designed by the people at the firearms workshop. The ammunition contains multiple iron balls, which explode when fired, causing widespread damage. It’s guaranteed to slow down the enemy’s offensive, and you don’t even need to aim; it will hit a large area as soon as it’s fired.”
"That's a very short range, isn't it?"
Thirty steps.
Shen Suqin said, "That's enough. If it can really cause widespread casualties, this thing is even more frightening."
"I plan to send it over as soon as the first batch is produced."
"The sooner the better."
"I know."
Unusually, even though all the grain has been stored this year, there has been no movement from the Shatuo people.
Shen Suqin spent an entire autumn in fear and anxiety, but finally she could relax and devote herself wholeheartedly to working with cotton.
Picking cotton is a delicate task because cotton grows inside a hard shell. When it matures, the shell cracks open, and the snow-white cotton bursts out. People need to use their hands to pull the cotton out from the inside.
During this process, be careful not to prick your fingers with the sharp, hard shell.
A cotton plant usually produces six or seven cotton bolls, each of which needs to be picked by hand. The picked bolls are then placed in bags that are carried around with you, making them heavy and cumbersome as you move around.
The picked cotton needs to be dried in the sun, the seeds in the middle need to be pulled out, and then it can be twisted into fine thread and spun into cloth.
Luo Su and his team worked in Liangzhou for more than half a year, from planting seeds to pruning and topping mature trees, and then to fertilizing and catching insects, almost personally guiding the local people in planting.
He had lost a lot of weight after not seeing him all summer.
When Shen Suqin led her people to collect cotton, she almost didn't recognize them.
"Brother Luo, you've worked hard," she said sincerely.
Luo Su smiled and said, "It's not hard work. Look at this endless cotton field. The sense of accomplishment is immense."
Shen Suqin followed his gaze and looked out. In front of her was a vast expanse of white cotton, like snow falling on the branches. Against the backdrop of the scattered greenery around her, it looked particularly stunning.
"Don't worry, Brother Luo. I've already found people for the cotton clothing workshops in Ningyuan. They will treat every cotton boll well and make the most of it."
"With your words, what else could I possibly worry about?" Luo Su beckoned to the men who worked with him. "Boss, give the order, and we'll start harvesting."
Shen Suqin glanced around and saw that everyone around her was looking at her with clear eyes.
She knew very well that with this order, the Great Liang would officially enter an era where people could wear cotton-padded clothes, which would rewrite the history of the Great Liang.
She took a deep breath, her gaze sweeping across the faces of everyone present. She raised her arm and swung it down forcefully: "Mining."
The crowd cheered and plunged into the cotton field.
Shen Suqin also reached out and tried it a few times. The cotton on her fingertips was soft, a little damp and a little fishy. The hard shell that wrapped the cotton was indeed very prickly, and sometimes it would draw blood.
She picked up a flower and held it to her cheek, truly feeling its warmth.
The cotton purchases didn't actually begin until mid-October. According to the price previously agreed upon with those wealthy and powerful families, it was five times higher than that of millet. One acre would be much more profitable than growing millet.
The only drawback is that cotton cannot be eaten or used to fill an empty stomach; it can only be sold for money.
At the end of October, cartloads of white cotton were transported from the official road to Guzongfang. The convoy stretched as far as the eye could see, and wherever it went, people lined the streets to watch, curiously asking what it was.
Shen Suqin replied invariably: It is winter clothing.
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