novelaction Chapter 331 Learning to Spin and Weave
Chapter 331 Learning to Spin and Weave
"Don't worry, Wan Ning. Even if they go to Beijing, I will have people protect them secretly. Besides, no matter what they say, they are just ordinary people. No one should target them." County Magistrate He comforted.
"I'm not worried about that, but the emperor's wrath can lead to the death of millions. My parents and my nephew have never seen the emperor, and I'm worried that their rude words might anger the emperor. So I have an unwelcome request..."
"Wan Ning, you can talk as much as you want."
"I'm thinking, Brother He, can we send someone to Daqing Village to learn spinning and weaving? When the spinning wheel and loom are delivered to the capital, that person can go to the capital together to demonstrate the spinning and weaving methods to the emperor." Shen Wanning put forward her idea.
County Magistrate He smiled and said, "This is all trivial. I will select two people and take them with me when I go to Daqing Village."
"Thank you, Brother He." Shen Wanning thanked him sincerely.
Since she had to go back to the village with County Magistrate He, Shen Wanning stayed in the county town that night and did not return to Daqing Village with County Magistrate He until the next morning.
Before entering the village, County Magistrate He lifted the curtain of the sedan chair and looked out. From afar, he saw many people still working in the fields.
"Look, are those people in the fields digging sweet potatoes?" County Magistrate He asked, pointing outside.
Shen Wanning took a look and nodded with a smile, "That should be it. There's not much other work to do in the fields right now. The wheat has all been harvested, so the only ones left are the sweet potatoes!"
"This year must be a year of bumper harvest, and the people are much better off this year." Thinking of the scene when he came here last year and saw refugees everywhere on the road, County Magistrate He couldn't help but sigh.
"Yes, things will get better slowly." Shen Wanning said.
After getting off the carriage, County Magistrate He first greeted the Lin family, and then suggested that he wanted to go and take a look at the sweet potato field.
Lin Jingce and Shen Wanning accompanied him. Just as they walked out of the house, the village head who got the news hurried over and didn't even have time to wash the mud off his hands.
"Sir He, are you here to see sweet potatoes and cotton this time?" The village head asked with a smile, bending over.
"Yes, how is the sweet potato harvest this year?" County Magistrate He asked as the group walked.
"The sweet potato harvest is good this year. Although not all of them have been dug out, they seem to be bigger than last year. I estimate that the yield per mu may reach 6,000 kilograms." The village head reported on the sweet potato situation in Daqing Village.
"Wow! There are so many! This year's production is really good."
"Yes, every household is digging sweet potatoes now. I estimate that they will be finished in a few days." The village head continued.
Looking at the sweet potatoes in the field, County Magistrate He was very satisfied. "The county magistrate should have told you, right? These sweet potatoes cannot be sold privately. They are purchased by the imperial court."
The village head nodded quickly and said, "Don't worry, sir. I've already told them all about this. Everyone knows about it. I've also asked two villagers to patrol the village to ensure that no one is selling sweet potatoes privately. But, sir, I wonder what the selling price of the sweet potatoes is...?"
Shen Wanning was here, and thinking that the county magistrate would not blame him, the village head swallowed his saliva and boldly asked the price of the sweet potatoes.
"I have already told your county magistrate all this. The court will definitely not treat you unfairly. Sweet potatoes are 20 cents per pound, and cotton seeds are 3 taels of silver per pound." County Magistrate He said slowly.
"Twenty... twenty cents! My God, isn't this almost as expensive as refined rice? Cotton seeds are three taels per pound, which is almost as much as our monthly salary!" The headman opened his eyes wide, unable to believe his ears.
"This year is the first year of planting, and the emperor is grateful for your contributions to the Great Xia Dynasty, so the price this year will be higher. By next year, I guess this price won't be there," explained County Magistrate He.
"The Emperor has been so kind to us, thank you!" The village head clasped his hands together and bowed towards the capital. "I must tell the villagers about this great news as soon as possible so that everyone can be happy!"
After looking at the sweet potatoes, the group walked back happily.
When they arrived at the Lin family's house, the two people brought by County Magistrate He were already surrounding Aunt Zhang, learning how to spin yarn.
County Magistrate He and a few others also squeezed over. He watched Aunt Zhang spinning the thread and exclaimed in surprise, "Spinning like this is much faster than twisting it by hand!"
The two people beside him said bitterly, "Sir, we are stupid. We have tried twice but still haven't learned it."
Shen Wanning said something for them, "It's okay. Spinning is not easy. You'll just have to practice later. As the saying goes, practice makes perfect."
After watching it for a while, County Magistrate He was still not satisfied and tried it himself. Unfortunately, the thread broke as soon as he turned the handle.
He sighed, "It seems that spinning is not that simple. You two should stay in Daqing Village for the time being. Once you learn how to spin and weave, you can return to the county town!"
After saying this, County Magistrate He looked at Shen Wanning. Shen Wanning smiled and said, "Of course that's no problem. We have plenty of guest rooms at home. They can just stay there."
"Thank you for your help! By the way, I heard there is a loom that can be used to weave cloth. May I take a look?" County Magistrate He continued.
"Yes, yes, sir, look, that is a loom." Aunt Zhang stood up, walked to the edge of the yard, and pointed at the loom.
When Magistrate He first came in, he saw the huge thing, but he didn't think about the loom. After all, it was too big, and he thought it would be difficult to weave cloth.
Now that I look closer, I realize there's still thread on the loom, plus some unfinished cloth.
"Is this a loom? It's so big, can one person weave it independently?" County Magistrate He expressed his doubts.
Aunt Zhang waved her hand and said, "Of course, I'll show you."
As she spoke, Aunt Zhang sat on it and demonstrated the weaving steps in slow motion.
Magistrate He stared at the cloth and found that this loom could indeed weave cloth quickly and well. He praised it without hesitation, "Excellent, absolutely wonderful!"
Aunt Zhang was so happy that she wove faster and faster.
One of the men Magistrate He brought with him said, "Aunt Zhang, I wonder if I can come up and give it a try?"
Aunt Zhang stood up and made room for me. "Of course, weaving should be a little easier than spinning. Why don't you give it a try?"
The man sat on it, and Aunt Zhang began to teach him. After a while, the man exclaimed in surprise, "This can really be woven into cloth. It's really great. This is so useful!"
The other person was also eager to try, and under Aunt Zhang's guidance, both of them learned how to weave.
When County Magistrate He came to Daqing Village this time, he not only saw the bumper harvest of sweet potatoes, but also the spinning wheels and looms, and was in a good mood.