After traveling through time, she still led the villagers to make money as a county magistrate

Chapter 25 Workshop

Gu Niannian looked at the numbers on the paper, "Ten kilograms of raw chili peppers will be delivered every day, and twenty kilograms of chili powder will be delivered every month."

These raw peppers are easy to get, just pick them and deliver them. However, if you want to deliver them every day, you need a bullock cart. But this is not difficult to do, as long as you have money. Gu Niannian looked at the ten taels of deposit in her hand.

"It's time to set a price for chili peppers. Green vegetables are two cents per pound. Green peppers are only available in our county right now, so five cents per pound is about right. One pound of red peppers only yields two ounces of dried chili peppers. Chili powder needs to be made manually, and that requires a workshop...

Gu Niannian picked up the charcoal pencil and calculated on the paper for a while: "Thirty cents per pound is about right, what do you think, mom?"

Mrs. Bai took a look and said, "That's too little. Each person can make two pounds of chili powder every day, which means ten pounds of raw chili peppers. One pound is five cents, which is twenty-five cents. And the time for drying in the sun is not included, so add another five cents. How about thirty-five cents?"

"Mom's skill in settling accounts is indeed well-deserved." Gu Niannian praised

……

The first thing to do when opening a workshop is to choose a location, and it must be a place close to the pepper fields.

"Peppers grow best in Taiping Township. My daughter and Brother Li will go there tomorrow to see if there's a suitable location."

In the past month, Gu Niannian has been learning horse riding whenever she has nothing to do. Now she can ride quite well. Although she can't ride too fast, it is still much faster than a carriage.

When the two passed by the rice fields and saw the dense rice seedlings, Gu Niannian felt relieved and thought, "It's working."

The village head bowed to the two of them and said, "Greetings, gentlemen."

Gu Niannian dismounted and looked at the thin man in front of her, "Take us to the pepper plantation."

Zhang, the village chief, said, "Yes."

Village Chief Zhang also got on his donkey, and the three of them quickly arrived at the pepper plantation. It was a vibrant green scene, and the peppers weren't fully grown yet. Gu Niannian looked around for a while, "Village Chief, who's that family?"

Village head Zhang said, "That is Zhang Lai's home, and that is the pepper field they planted. Mr. Zhang Lai should know this. It was he who signed up for the study there, and when he came back he divided out an acre of rice field to plant this large pepper field."

Gu Niannian, "That will have an impact on his family's rice."

Village Chief Zhang shook his head. "His family is small, just his parents and him. With the two mu of chili fields, they have a total of six mu of land. There's one mu of vegetable plot, and the rest are rice fields. It's enough for food and paying taxes."

Gu Niannian raised her foot and said, "Let's go to his house and take a look."

Zhang Lai was buried in a book at the time. The book was none other than the one written by Gu Niannian. Hearing a knock on the door, he closed the book and stood up to open the door, looking surprised. "My Lord County Magistrate! My Lord County Deputy, my Lord Village Head, why are you here?"

Gu Niannian still had some impression of this man. He was dark and thin, and usually didn't talk much, but he was the most serious when doing things. So Gu Niannian still had a good impression of him. "How is it going? Have you encountered any difficulties?"

Zhang Lai's dark, thin face flushed slightly, and he reached out to scratch the back of his head. "I've really run into some problems. I was just looking them up in a book."

Village Chief Zhang patted Zhang Lai's shoulder and said, "Why don't you let the two adults come in first and sit down before asking questions? Are you planning to leave us standing at the door?"

Zhang Lai reacted and his face became even redder, "Oh, adults, come in, I'll go pour tea."

Village Chief Zhang shook his head and smiled, "This child is a bit introverted, but he is indeed a rare honest person." As he said that, Village Chief Zhang took Gu Nian Nian and Li Jing to the yard to sit down.

Gu Niannian looked around. Although the house was simple, it was clean and tidy. Gu Niannian was quite satisfied.

Zhang Lai brought the teapot and bowl and said embarrassedly, "We don't have teacups at home. Can I drink from a bowl?"

Gu Niannian waved her hand, "It's okay, the guest should follow the host's wishes, whatever is convenient for you can do."

Zhang Lai very honestly poured a full bowl of boiled water for each person. They were indeed thirsty after walking for such a long time, so they drank half a bowl in one breath.

After recovering from the shock, Gu Niannian asked, "What problem did you encounter?"

Zhang Lai was naturally very happy that a pillow had appeared when he was sleepy. He quickly asked his questions and took the book as well.

Gu Niannian answered in simple and easy-to-understand language, and Zhang Lai suddenly realized, "So that's it."

Gu Niannian, "I see that you have two acres of peppers, which is unique in Qingshan County. Why do you do this?"

After all, this pepper is a new variety. Even if it is not a new variety, it is just a vegetable. Which farmer would use two acres of land to grow only one variety of vegetables? So Gu Niannian is still a little curious.

Zhang Lai picked up the teapot to fill their bowls with water. "That day, I ate the pork belly made by the county magistrate's mother and dipped it in this chili pepper. Just one bite and I fell in love with the taste. I came back and discussed with my parents about growing this chili pepper."

Gu Niannian, "Will your parents agree?"

Zhang Lai smiled bitterly, "Yes! They refused to agree at first, but later I promised them that if the peppers couldn't be sold at a good price, they would go to the city to find a job, and they agreed."

Gu Niannian certainly understood what farmland meant to farmers, and she also understood Zhang Lai's parents' concerns. "Your parents are not wrong. Why don't you want to work in the city?"

According to Gu Niannian's understanding, most people in the village like to go to the city to find work. First, the wages are high and the work is not so tiring. Second, it can broaden their horizons. Of course, for parents, it is also good to say that their sons are working in the county town! In the countryside, they can only face the loess and back to the sky for their whole lives.

If you work hard enough to buy a small house in the city, you will be a legitimate county resident.

Zhang Lai, "Sir, I'm not afraid of you laughing at me, but I have loved farming since I was a child. I feel free and happy when dealing with the fields. My parents sent me to school so that I could find an easy and promising job in the city, but I really don't like doing the accounting work, so I quit my job after working for two months and came back."

"I was beaten at that time, but I really didn't want to do it and they couldn't do anything to me."

"I took the initiative to sign up for the study organized by the adults. Fortunately, I signed up and I really benefited a lot from it."

"At first, the villagers didn't believe we could grow another rice crop. Now they see that my family has started planting rice and it's growing well, so they come to ask how to plant it. But time has passed and there's nothing I can do." Zhang Lai spread his hands.

Gu Niannian nodded and said, "The villagers' knowledge is indeed limited. It is difficult to make them believe things beyond their own knowledge. Only real cases can be the best persuasive force."

"Now that my parents see that the rice is growing well, they no longer mention me going to the city to work. This is really thanks to you, sir." Zhang Lai stood up and prepared to kneel before Gu Niannian.

Li Jing quickly picked the man up and said, "No need for private matters."

Every time someone knelt down in front of Gu Niannian, she frowned tightly, and Li Jing saw it all.

Gu Niannian looked at Li Jing gratefully and thought, "The one who understands me is Brother Li."

Gu Niannian turned to look at Zhang Lai and pointed at the stool next to her with her chin, "Please sit down. Where are your parents? I need to discuss something with you."

Zhang Lai, "They went to the rice fields, which are right by the roadside. They must have passed by when the adults came. There is nothing much happening in the rice fields now, but they said they have never seen them grow so well, so they go to take a look every day."

"It's time to come back..." Zhang Lai looked up at the sun in the sky.

Zhang Lai had just finished speaking when he heard a creaking sound and a middle-aged man and woman walked in with smiles on their faces. "Dad, I think the seedling has grown taller than yesterday!"

The man grinned so hard that his teeth showed, "Yes! This year, our family can harvest one more crop of rice than other families. That's a lot of food!"

"Dad, Mom! The county magistrate and his men are here." Zhang Lai came running over.

The smiling faces of the Zhang couple froze instantly, and Zhang's father's voice trembled a little. "What is the county... county magistrate doing here?"

Zhang's mother said, "Ah! Old man, you are not here to increase taxes on our family!"

Zhang Lai was helpless, "Mom, the master is not that kind of person. Why would he increase taxes on our family alone?"

Zhang's mother said, "Silly child, what could you possibly want from my family? I'm just an ordinary citizen."

Zhang Lai scratched his head and said, "I don't know. The adults said to wait until you come back to talk about it."

Gu Niannian's face was filled with black lines, thinking to herself, "Do you think I can't hear? And am I really that bad?"

Gu Niannian put her hands on her face and turned to ask Li Jing, "Do I look like an official who only knows how to collect taxes?"

Li Jing's nose was bleeding all over the floor, but he appeared calm on the surface. "It doesn't seem like it. You are a good official, a good official who cares about the people."

Gu Niannian felt relieved after hearing these words.

Zhang Lai said, "Sir, these are my parents."

The Zhang couple wanted to kneel down again, and Li Jing went to rescue them again, but Li Jing said the same thing again, "Not necessary in private."

Gu Niannian didn't waste any time and went straight to the point, "I want to open a workshop in your house."

Gu Niannian had observed that the rooms in his house were definitely enough.

Zhang Lai, "What is the workshop used for?"

Gu Niannian pointed to the chili field outside and said, "Make chili powder."

"By the way, it has to be made with your own chili peppers."

Seeing that the three of them were silent, Gu Niannian explained, "Don't worry, the chili peppers are two cents per pound, and the rent for the house is one cent per month. How about that?"

These prices were decided by Gu Niannian at home. Houses in the countryside are worthless, and being able to pay one cent a month is already considered high.

"What? She heard it right! Not only did the adults not let them pay more taxes, they also gave them money. Is this a good thing? Am I dreaming?" Ms. Zhang secretly pinched her arm.

"Shhh, it hurts, old man, we are not dreaming, this is real"

"Mother, I told you that the county magistrate is not that kind of person, but you still don't believe me." Zhang Lai scolded

"Sir, you gave me these pepper seeds and taught me the technique. There's no reason for me to ask you to pay for them. The peppers are free, and we live in the house ourselves. One cent is a bit too much. Just give me a few cents as a token of my appreciation."

Hearing this, Zhang's mother slapped her prodigal son and said, "What nonsense are you talking about?"

He turned around and smiled at Gu Niannian, "Just do as you say, sir. Whatever you say is what it is. I have no objection."

Although interests win people's hearts, Zhang Lai still sticks to the bottom line, "Mom, the adults are good people, we can't just focus on money..."

"Sir, I have no say over the house, but I grew the peppers by myself, so I can make the decision on this without you having to pay for it."

Gu Niannian picked up the water bowl and drank half of it, "Hey, I have to pay for the peppers and the rent for the house. These peppers are definitely not enough. You need to plant more."

"Of course there is. Please ask Village Chief Zhang to inform other villages in the township that if they have any peppers, they can send them here. We will buy them at the price of two cents per pound."

Chili powder needs to be dried and then ground into powder, and it can be stored for a long time. Make more at this time to prepare for emergencies.

Besides, this good thing cannot only be circulated in Qingshan County, but also sold all over the country.