PFC Chapter 228 Conquering the Salt Field
Chapter 228 Conquering the Salt Field
Xie Ling frowned, knowing that she was misunderstood, and immediately explained: "So you probably haven't eaten yet, I brought some rice, if you haven't eaten yet, just cook and eat first and then talk about other things."
All the salt workers were stunned.
Cook for them?
Did they hear it correctly?
They are just salt workers, and their employer actually wants them to cook for them?
Xie Ling waved her hand. "Why are you standing there? Go and load the rice onto the carriage."
The salt workers came to their senses and realized that she was really cooking for them. They had misunderstood fairies!
Everyone felt a sense of guilt.
The new owner is so kind!
They were just making malicious assumptions.
Gao Wanhua was deeply moved when she saw how hard these salt workers worked, their faces full of wrinkles and they didn't even have decent clothes. She volunteered to start a fire, but the wind was strong at the seaside and she couldn't light the fire after trying several times with a tinderbox.
Another old lady came over and lit a fire by rubbing two sticks together.
The old lady smiled innocently: "Thank you, little girl."
Gao Wanhua scratched her head.
The salt workers have lived in the salt fields for a long time and have formed a fixed village with men, women, young and old.
Soon, the largest and best iron pot in the village was brought out and placed on the fire with two rocks.
The weak flames swayed left and right in the sea breeze. A group of children with dark faces and patched clothes held hands and gathered around the fire to block the wind, fearing that the fire would be blown out.
The salt workers came over carrying bags of rice and placed them next to the fire.
Seeing Shi Shaowen cut the rice bag open, revealing the crystal white rice, all the salt workers' eyes lit up in an instant, and some even swallowed their saliva.
The children's eyes turned green, and they exclaimed one after another: "It smells so good!"
They have been eating coarse grains since birth and have no chance to eat white rice.
Some rice grains fell to the ground and the children all bent down to pick them up. After picking them up, no one was reluctant to eat them and they just held them in their hands and looked at them.
"Rice is so white and fragrant."
"Show me, show me."
The children took turns holding and looking at five or six grains of rice.
Gao Wanhua turned her face away, her eyes blurred with tears.
Shi Shaowen grabbed a handful for each child and said in a deep voice, "Take your time to look. If it's not enough, there's more."
The children's eyes were bright and clear, and they said thank you to Shi Shaowen in a low and solemn voice.
The adults around him also widened their eyes and stared at Shi Shaowen eagerly.
Shi Shaowen had no choice but to give each adult a handful of rice.
“You can look at it and eat it, but don’t waste it.”
No one ate it. After looking at it carefully for a while, they put it carefully into their sleeves, like a family heirloom.
In the distance, a tall man brought a bucket of water and poured it into the iron pot that had been smoking for a long time.
The salt workers stared at it eagerly.
Shi Shaowen quickly added the rice.
After a while, the rich rice aroma wafted out, making people feel itchy.
A diligent woman had already prepared the dishes and chopsticks, and specially picked out the cleanest and most beautiful ones without any cracks for Xie Ling and the other two.
The three of them took it with a smile and ate the tasteless white rice with everyone else.
The salt workers were even more shocked.
They gave them bowls, but they were just pretending. They thought they wouldn't want to eat with them, but they didn't expect that they didn't mind the dirt at all and ate the same pot of white rice with them?
Many salt workers shed tears after eating this meal of white rice.
You know, they haven't eaten such good food since they entered the salt field.
Some young people almost grew up in the salt fields and have never seen what white rice looks like in their lives. They only heard from their elders that it is the most delicious thing in the world.
Those domineering supervisors were fed with delicious food every day, and they would not even feed the leftover bones to their dogs, and they were unwilling to give them anything.
Seeing that it was not enough, Xie Ling moved half a sack from the carriage to cook.
Xie Ling spoke only after all the salt workers had eaten their fill.
"Everyone, come over here and form six rows."
The salt workers were very obedient. They rushed over to stand in front of Xie Ling and stared at her seriously.
Xie Ling said in a gentle voice: "From now on, this salt field will be called Yunnan Salt Field. Yun means sunshine. I hope your future life will be as bright as sunshine."
The salt workers have low educational levels.
They racked their brains to come up with some difficult and flowery sentences.
"Thank you for your kindness, sir. I will certainly work hard to repay you."
Xie Ling chuckled. "From now on, you will work three days and rest one day, combining work and rest, and you will have rice to eat every day. You must work hard."
After these words were spoken, all the salt workers fell silent.
I was both shocked and overwhelmed with joy.
Someone boldly asked Xie Ling.
"What? Boss, did we really hear it right?"
"I can eat white rice every day and rest?"
"I am not dreaming, please pinch me!"
The salt workers asked questions one after another.
Xie Ling curled her lips and patiently answered their questions. Her voice was as warm as the rippling water in March.
"Yes, work three days and rest one day, and eat white rice every day, no kidding..."
The salt workers could no longer hold back and became seething with anger.
"Oh my god, I met the fairy boss!"
"I'm so happy. I'm so happy to eat white rice every day!"
.......
Xie Ling tilted her head and told Shi Shaowen that the supply of white rice came from Gu's house, and asked him to come to the warehouse to get it every day.
Gao Wanhua hugged Xie Ling's arms tightly, her eyes full of admiration, "A Ling, you are so kind, you are the fairy sister."
Xie Ling pointed at her forehead and said, "Stop joking. Where is the task assigned to you?"
Gao Wanhua stood up straight in an instant, "I've been ready for a long time!"
She took out a blueprint from her bosom, opened it and placed it in front of Xie Ling proudly.
There are easy-to-understand simple drawings on the drawing. There is not a single word on it, but you can tell what it means at a glance.
The task that Xie Ling gave to Gao Wanhua was to ask her to draw the new method of salt making using simple drawings so that the salt workers could understand it at a glance.
The traditional salt-making process includes the steps of absorbing tides, making brine, crystallization and salt mining.
Tidal drainage is the process of driving seawater with high salt content into the repaired salt fields.
Making brine means letting seawater evaporate through the sun. When it reaches a certain concentration, the brine is transferred to a crystallization pool for further evaporation. The raw salt will slowly settle at the bottom of the pool, forming crystals. When it reaches a certain level, it can be collected.
Making salt in this way is not only slow, but it is also difficult to control the concentration of brine and often fails.
If the concentration is not controlled well, half a month's work will be wasted.
The concentration of brine can only be determined by a master chef.
But people make mistakes and horses stumble, and even a master craftsman cannot succeed every time.
Xie Ling's new method uses stepped salt pools, with a drop in the middle of each pool, which are dug lower one by one.
On the first day, seawater entered the highest brine platform.
The next day, put seawater into the second brine table, and then fill the high brine table with seawater.
On the third day, put the seawater from the two-halogen platform into the three-halogen platform, and the seawater from the high-halogen platform into the two-halogen platform, and fill the high-halogen platform with seawater again...
Similarly, using sunlight to evaporate water can increase brine concentration and reduce labor costs.
As for measuring brine, lotus seeds are used.
This was told to Xie Ling by a salt worker when she was playing at the beach at the end of her life.
She lived by the sea for a while and made her own salt using this method.
The brine is divided into 10%, and 10% is saturated.
Take two lotus seeds, one is 5% and the other is 10%.
If the lotus seeds rise in the brine, it means they are 5% to 2% marinated. If they float on the surface of the brine, it means they are 3% marinated.
When 10% lotus seeds float obliquely in the brine, they are 7% to 8% marinated. When they float flat on the surface of the brine, they are 10% marinated.
Only when the brine reaches 10% can it saturate and crystallize into salt.
This method is very precise and there will be no mistakes.
Xie Ling read it once and said, "Go over there and show it to the workers and teach them how to understand it."
Gao Wanhua took the drawings and even before she taught them, the salt workers understood what they meant just by looking at the drawings.
After all, I work in this field, so I have to be more sensitive.
That day, the salt workers began to dig the pond according to the drawings.
Xie Ling had already brought the lotus seeds and handed them to a master craftsman who usually measured the concentration of brine, and explained in detail some details that are easy to overlook.
The old master listened very carefully and seemed to understand, so Xie Ling felt relieved.
This method can greatly increase the salt production. Now we just have to wait for the salt to be ready.
Xie Ling named the salt field on the Feng family's side Xinan Salt Field.
It is under the care of Fengjian Qingli and Wu Zhengqing, and the same rules apply: one day off every three days, rice is provided every day, and salt is made using the new method.
The salt workers worked very hard for rice and rest.
Xie Ling calculated that if the two salt fields were put into operation, the monthly output should be around 150 dan, while the original total was less than 80 dan per month.
No, it's too little.
At most in half a year, Lin Qianzhong and Caiyi would bring a caravan here. She had to give them enough salt so that their trip would not be in vain and it would also help her create a market for her future products.
The reason why these two salt fields produce little salt is that there are too few salt workers and the site is too small.
At the nearby Changshou military settlement, the salt field can produce a minimum of 800 shi of salt per month, and this is a conservative estimate.
There were many prisoners and salt workers in Changshou Military Station, and the area was wide and flat, making salt production very convenient.
Xie Ling was itching to try it.
The salt field of Changshoujuntun originally had a share in Sinan County, but the old fox Wang Shouyi was reluctant to give it up and monopolized it for so many years.
Xie Ling wrote the four characters "Chang Shou Juntun" on the paper and drew a big red circle around it.
----
Autumn is approaching. Although the daytime is still hot, the nights are getting colder and colder. The coldness penetrates into the bone marrow. The coldness of Lingnan winter has begun to show, revealing its sharp fangs to outsiders.
Pei started to change autumn clothes for Rujie, Gu Wei and Yunchuan.
Song was also busy making thick winter clothes and shoes for her family. She didn't know at the moment that Xie Ling had brought her a big business.
It was the same for other families. The women made winter clothes, while the men went up the mountain to collect firewood or bought cheap charcoal and stored it.
In the Gu Mansion, the lush osmanthus trees outside the windows of each courtyard and room began to form buds. Clusters of small golden flowers gathered together, surrounded by emerald green leaves, and a slight sweet osmanthus scent was already wafting out.
The entire mansion is immersed in the fragrance of osmanthus. One can already imagine the rich aroma of autumn rising to the sky and the whole courtyard covered with golden armor.
Xie Ling sat at the desk, with cold wind blowing in from the window. She was immersed in her work and didn't think about anything else. Her fair wrists exposed by her wide sleeves were covered with goose bumps.
It was not until a thin blanket fell on her that Xie Ling came back to her senses and looked at the person who came. "You're back?"
Gu Wei nodded, stretched out his bony hand, and touched the tip of Xie Ling's nose. "Why is it so cold? Wear more clothes, and don't sit by the window all the time next time."
As he spoke, he walked forward and closed the window, letting in the sweet scent of osmanthus flowers.
Xie Ling propped up her chin, looked through the screen window at the bright white full moon outside, and asked, "When do you think my mother, uncle and others will arrive in Sinan County?"
"How about I send the Bifang bird to take a look?"
Xie Ling shook her head. "Forget it. Even if Bifang goes to see them, she can only know when they will come, but she can't speed them up. Bifang birds are precious, and it's autumn now, so I'm afraid it will be in danger. Let it have fun with Gungun in space."
Gu Wei pinched the tip of Xie Ling's nose and said, "You miss your family."
Xie Ling nodded, "Mid-Autumn Festival is coming soon. I was thinking about spending it with my mother and uncle, but it seems there is no hope now."
Gu Wei sighed softly, "There are still countless Mid-Autumn Festivals to come, don't be afraid, and what if it comes before the Mid-Autumn Festival?"
Xie Ling sat up straight, "Yes, maybe. I'll send someone to clean the house I bought for them again."
Gu Wei pulled Xie Ling aside, staring straight into her eyes with his deep peach blossom eyes, "Come with me to the county government office tomorrow."
Xie Ling was puzzled, "Why?"
"You will know when you go."
On the second day, Xie Ling was pulled out of bed by Gu Wei and went to the county government office in Sinan.
Unexpectedly, as soon as she reached the entrance, she heard two yamen runners shouting, "Thank you, Lord!"
Xie Ling was puzzled and looked around, but didn't see anyone else.
Gu Wei put his arm around her shoulders and said, "I'm calling you."
Xie Ling's eyes widened. "Call me? Are you kidding?"
Gu Wei said seriously, "I'm not kidding. You have made an invaluable contribution to the reconstruction of Sinan County. You deserve the position of Chief Clerk."
Xie Ling frowned, "The chief clerk is in charge of the staff of the government. What do you think the scholars, staff, and Xu Xingzhi of Sinan County will think?"
Gu Wei shook his head, "Originally I didn't want to give you an official position, you have to look after the land and salt fields, and you have to manage the industry, I'm worried that you will be burdened.
It was Xu Xingzhi and the others who strongly recommended you, saying that you are as talented as any man, and that with you, Sinan County will become more prosperous, so I made this decision."
The morning sun shone on Gu Wei'ya's blue official uniform, making it seem as if it was covered with clear frost, making him look dignified and noble.
He said in a gentle voice: "Xie Ling, I, Gu Wei, Gu Shijin, formally invite you to become my companion and join me in my great plan for the country. Are you willing?"
Before Xie Ling could answer, he bent down, and his cold eyes and brows revealed an indescribable, gentle and soft taste, like a piece of elegant jade, gentle and affectionate.
"If you don't agree, then be my wife. I will protect you for the rest of your life and bring the country to you."