The village at the foot of the mountain is a little dilapidated. It looks just like Xiabai Village, but far inferior to Shangbai Village where life is better.
Especially for the new population, those who come early can be allocated old houses (houses of dead bandits). Those who come late can only build their own, and have to work hard to earn wages. The thatched houses they build look like
very bad.
"It's very poor here." Mrs. Yan muttered.
It's not that she dislikes it, she just expresses it out of emotion, fearing that it will be detrimental to her grandson's growth.
Zhu Ming said with a smile: "You will be poor this year and rich next year. It only takes one year to catch up with Shangbai Village. Once the big truck is built and the canals are dug, half of the paddy fields in the village can be irrigated. Half of the mountainside is still there.
Dig weirs and ponds, dig one this year and two next year, and strive to solve the problem of irrigation in the mountainous areas within three years."
Hearing this, Mrs. Yan also laughed: "Da Lang is very ambitious and is doing big things. I haven't dug irrigation canals in Shangbai Village for many years. I dug them once when I first got married."
The boat docked, not far from the drum truck construction site.
Zhu Guoxiang was discussing something with the carpenter over there. After talking for a while, he came over and then they carried the sweet potatoes up the mountain together.
Back at the village, Dean Zhu handed over a stack of paper.
Zhu Ming took it and took a look and saw it read: Daming Village Three-Year Development Plan (Draft).
The plan is written in great detail, down to the details of how much manpower, material resources, time, and general data are required for each project.
"Okay, Dean Zhu." Zhu Ming himself doesn't know how to plan, or he has a more casual personality and has never been in the habit of doing this kind of thing.
Zhu Guoxiang said: "I didn't make detailed plans before because I didn't have enough understanding of ancient productivity. For example, digging a weir and pond can be done in a few days with an excavator, but I don't know how long it will take to rely solely on manpower. After the actual construction, I realized that I was too optimistic.
, the actual construction period was longer than expected. Only after accumulating experience did I dare to make this plan."
Ju Ming sat down and looked through it carefully, and there was actually a tea-fried project for next spring.
There are several tea-picking periods in spring. In Zhu Guoxiang's vision, steaming tea will be the main focus next year. While steaming tea, some second-grade tea will be used for tea-frying experiments, and four or five people will be mobilized to do this.
It is also clearly written on which land should be planted next year with corn and sweet potatoes.
When new crops are harvested, the whole village will be basically self-sufficient, and two more weirs and ponds can be dug next year. There will be no need to engage in corvee when the construction starts, and only food will be used to pay wages.
After the summer grain harvest in the third year, a simple wharf can be built on the riverside.
The villagers on the riverside asked them to grow more vegetables and raise more poultry to provide food and accommodation services for passing merchant ships. It is only half a day away from the county town along the river and more than half a day against the river, so it can be used as a docking point for supplies.
Zhu Guoxiang said: "I haven't written the five-year plan yet, but I already have an idea. Within five years, the whole village will not only have enough food and clothing, but also form a small riverside dock. Seventy percent of the merchant ships passing by will be in Daming Village.
Let’s rest and settle down. The wine made from corn and sweet potatoes will not be produced enough at the beginning, so we don’t need to export it, and we can only provide it to those caravan partners.”
"Haha," Zhu Ming laughed, "by that time, I'm afraid Daming Village will become the richest village in the county except near the county seat."
Zhu Guoxiang said: "There is no government oppression here. Daming Village is richer than the villages on the outskirts of the county. It must be the richest village in the county. When the time comes, your militia team must be formed. Otherwise, the new county magistrate and the subordinate officials will
I am 100% jealous, and I might come one day to clear out the land and conduct a population census."
Ju Ming said: "I plan to train troops after the harvest next summer, but I will only train a few dozen elite soldiers. After the autumn harvest, I will select strong men on a large scale and use the slack time for training. This is your plan to dig the second and third weirs.
, I’m afraid there may be some conflicts.”
"Then change the plan. The third weir and pond will not be dug for the time being," Zhu Guoxiang said. "I finally understand that in this hellish age, the rich can only be slaughtered as pigs, and must be equipped with corresponding armed forces."
Zhu Ming once again immersed himself in reading the planning document. After reading it, he basically felt confident.
The first two years were the construction period, and funds were obtained by selling tea and collecting grain, but most of it was used for village construction, and there was basically not much grain left.
The third year is the period of development, which can free up manpower and material resources to build the wharf.
Moreover, it is a black dock and refuses to be sent by the government to set up barriers (tax dispatch agencies). Once the government intervenes, half of the dock will be destroyed, and force may be used.
Ju Ming closed his eyes and thought, he had more ideas.
After the third year, Daming Village will definitely have enough money and food. At that time, it can cooperate with passing merchant ships and let them recruit poor people along the way and continue to absorb a small amount of immigrants.
It only needs to add more than 100 people every year to open up wasteland along the river and continue to develop downstream. In a few years, Ju Ming's actual control area is estimated to reach 15 square kilometers. At the intersection of the tributary and the Han River,
Forming a T-shaped waterside force.
You can even develop upstream and swallow up the other side of Xiabai Village. The arable area there is not large and the population is extremely sparse, but after it is occupied, it can be connected with Shangxiabai Village.
By that time, the Zhu family was an absolute status quo household, and no matter how jealous the new county magistrate was, he had to treat them with caution.
Once an attack is launched, the county town will be captured in minutes!
Thinking of this, Zhu Ming said with a playful smile: "Dean Zhu, you are really my Kong Mingye. This planning document can be regarded as a rural version of "Longzhong Dui"."
"What a mess!" Zhu Guoxiang was too lazy to talk nonsense with his son, so he got up and went out to accompany his wife.
The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were tidying up the room, and Meng Zhao's wife Yu Shanwei also came to help.
There is also Yao Fang's widow Jiang Erniang. She has gradually adapted to the "new environment" and lives in the same house as Zhang Guangdao. This widow has an admiration for Zhang Guangdao and is also mixed with a mentality of dependence on the strong.
Unfortunately, Zhang Guangdao was very dull in terms of relationships and always treated Jiang Erniang as his sister-in-law.
Bai Sheng's wife Li Youniang also came. She was originally Bai Sheng's sweetheart, but was snatched as a concubine by Xiao Bai's son. Bai Sheng was snatched back again, and she didn't care about anything. She got married the next month and even adopted her.
Li Youniang's son (grandson of member Xiaobai).
A three-year-old child doesn't even know shit. If you raise it well, it's no different from your own son.
"There are wells on the east and west sides of the village," Yu Shanwei said while busy. "It's very convenient here, but the trip down the mountain is quite tiring. There are also some mulberry trees planted on the mountain, so you can raise silkworms in the spring."
Shen Yourong smiled and said, "Third sister came early. Please take care of me more from now on."
Yu Shanwei said: "I have only been here for a month, thanks to Jiang Erniang for taking care of me."
Jiang Erniang said flatteringly: "It's more lively when there are more people. Don't tell who takes care of whom."
Li Youniang has been silent all the time, only immersing herself in helping with the work. Because she was quite handsome, she was taken away from the rent to be a concubine. She was bullied by the eldest wife in the family of a novice member, and her courage became less and less.
Although he remarried Bai Sheng with his son, his temperament is still weak and he usually doesn't talk much.
A group of young ladies were busy, but Mrs. Yan was free. She looked at the house carefully and felt very satisfied: "There are nine rooms here. Although they are not very grand, they are also very open. Who lived there before?" ?”
Jiang Erniang quickly introduced: "This is the house of the bandit leader Xu Da. His family used to be the tenant of Yang Village Master, and two generations of people have been bandits here. There are bigger houses in the village, but they have all been burned down. "
Grandma Yan went out for a stroll and found burnt ruins everywhere. She felt very sad.
The ruins have been cleared, and the wood that can still be used has been moved down the mountain to build barrel trucks.
On the occasion of the housewarming, there was a sumptuous meal that night. Zhang Guangdao, Bai Sheng and others came to celebrate. Zhu Ming valued Deng Chun, Deng Xia and Shi Biao very much and invited their whole family to dinner.
In the evening, Jiang Erniang hugged her child and followed Zhang Guangdao back.
The two of them lived in the same house, but slept in separate rooms, and there was a room between them to avoid suspicion.
"Sanlang, can you come in and talk?" Jiang Erniang said standing at the door of the bedroom.
Zhang Guangdao was a little embarrassed: "It's not convenient for me to go in. Sister-in-law, please go to bed early."
Jiang Erniang could only test in a roundabout way: "Sanlang is not young anymore. If you have a girl you like, I will help you be a matchmaker."
Zhang Guangdao said: "I haven't thought about it yet."
"How can this be done? When a man gets married, he should also start a family and pass on the family." Jiang Erniang said.
Zhang Guangdao had been thinking about rebellion and was afraid of damaging his family. He shook his head and said, "It's not urgent. We'll talk about it in a few years."
"well!"
Jiang Erniang sighed.
Zhang Guangdao asked: "What's wrong with sister-in-law?"
Jiang Erniang said: "Brother Qi Yao is gone, my family are all thieves, and they were escorted to the government. If I am left alone as an orphan and a widowed mother, life will be difficult in the future."
Zhang Guangdao said: "As long as I am taking care of you, sister-in-law, don't be afraid."
It's strange that Jiang Erniang isn't afraid. She has no relatives except her son, and only Zhang Guangdao can rely on. He hinted many times before, but Zhang Guangdao is a fool, so he just put it aside now: "Sanlang, I miss a man."
"Ah?" Zhang Guangdao couldn't keep up with the rhythm.
Jiang Erniang said: "I miss a man and want to remarry. But I can't trust other men and I'm afraid that he won't be good to Brother Yao's son. I've been thinking about it for a long time, so I might as well marry Sanlang."
"This, this, this...how can this happen?" Zhang Guangdao was already panicking. He had never touched a woman before and his emotional experience was completely blank.
Jiang Erniang said: "If I remarry Sanlang, Sanlang will be good to my son, right?"
"Brother Yao's son, I will definitely treat him as my biological son. It doesn't matter whether my sister-in-law marries her or not." Zhang Guangdao said quickly.
Jiang Erniang made a desperate move and threw herself directly into Zhang Guangdao's arms, opening her arms and hugging him tightly.
Zhang Guangdao became stiff and lost his ability to think.
When he regained consciousness, his sister-in-law's soft body had already caused him to have a physiological reaction. He was so frightened that he quickly pushed Jiang Erniang away and hurriedly ran away, saying, "I'm going to bed, and my sister-in-law should also rest early."
"Idiot!" Jiang Erniang stomped her feet angrily.
Zhang Guangdao was an old virgin for more than 20 years. When he lay in bed, he felt hot all over his body. He tossed and turned for most of the night and couldn't sleep. Whenever he closed his eyes, he thought of his sister-in-law.
It was almost winter, so Zhang Guangdao picked up a bucket in the middle of the night, filled it with well water and poured it directly on his body.
I was shivering from the cold, but I finally woke up completely.
After that, the two of them got along without even making eye contact. Jiang Erniang regretted being too impulsive that night.
The effect was still there. Zhang Guangdao occasionally peeked at his sister-in-law, and the more he looked at her, the more he liked her. He had never had such an idea before.
Yu Shanwei was very smart and full of ideas, so he quietly went to Shen Yourong and said: "Zhang Sanlang is highly regarded by the village chief, but he has never had a family. I see that he and his sister-in-law are in love, so it is better for the second sister to come forward to bring them together. Zhang Sanlang must be completely devoted to the village chief."
!”
The social atmosphere in the Northern Song Dynasty was open, not to mention that the relationship between the two was not really uncle and sister-in-law.
Shen Yourong was moved by the words. She wanted to be a virtuous wife. She couldn't take care of external affairs, but she could help with the marriages of her subordinates. She must not distract the men from the family.
She called Zhang Guangdao over and asked, "I feel that Jiang Erniang is an orphan and a widowed mother, and her life is inconvenient. I plan to find a matchmaker for her to remarry. What does Brother Zhang think?"
In the past, Zhang Guangdao didn't care about this. He was only worried about Brother Yao's son. Now he was a little reluctant and felt empty. He bit the bullet and said, "Let's wait for two years."
Shen Yourong felt that it was funny and said with a smile: "That's it. Let the second sister Jiang remarry the third brother Zhang, so that you can take care of each other."
"How...how could this happen?" Zhang Guangdao was suddenly overjoyed, but acted even more coyly. His heart beat wildly when he thought of his sister-in-law, and he felt that he was sorry for the dead brother Yao.
But thinking about it again, it seems to be the best solution, otherwise my sister-in-law will remarry one day, which will be very detrimental to Brother Yao's son.
He was squirming and hesitant, completely unlike the usual bold and free-spirited Zhang Guangdao.
Shen Yourong took the initiative and helped arrange the marriage, Zhang Guangdao half-heartedly agreed, and finally married his sister-in-law. He had no worries at all and could work with peace of mind in the future.
Immediately afterwards, Shen Yourong began to contact other family members to straighten out the situation of the village leaders.
She found that the father and son thought highly of Shi Biao, and Shi Biao was not married. He only had his mother and younger sister at home. So she called Tian Er and Tian San to ask about suitable candidates. She must be an honest and reliable woman.
Within a few days, I found one in the village.
The two parties met soon, and Shen Yourong also took out some money to help Shi Biao give the betrothal gift.
The woman was average-looking, even a little ugly, with a blue birthmark on her forehead. But she was hardworking and down-to-earth. She went to Shi Biao's house and helped with the work.
Shi Biao liked this very much. He was stupid and clumsy, and he didn't know how to say thoughtful things. But when he got something good, he always thought about his wife first, wishing he could offer her to him as his ancestor.
My mother is also happy from ear to ear. She likes her daughter-in-law so much and she is as willing to work as she was when she was young.
The old woman said to Shi Biao: "Xianggong Zhu and the village chief are both good people. They took us in without saying anything, and even asked for your wife. From now on, you must work hard and listen to what Xianggong Zhu and the village chief say."
Shi Biao touched the back of his head and kept giggling: "I will definitely be obedient. I will do whatever you are told, even beheading me."
Shen Yourong not only arranged the marriage, but also went to the construction site to express condolences and help deliver meals and water to the workers.
Gradually, when women in the village had any disputes, they began to come to Shen Yourong for mediation.
Meng Xiucai's wife Yu Shanwei helped Shen Yourong come up with these things behind his back.
"Dean Zhu, your female apprentice is not simple." Zhu Ming has been observing silently and has not interfered in these matters.
Zhu Guoxiang said: "I asked Meng Zhao to help keep an eye on the construction site over the weir pond, and it was Yu Shanwei who was helping her husband with ideas. When the riverside dock is built, Yu Shanwei can be asked to manage the inn."
Because his wife was so outstanding, Meng Zhao became an incidental addition.
In the Tang Dynasty, women could not hold a household alone, but in the Song Dynasty, female households appeared, and there were a large number of female household heads across the country.
These female heads of households have some assets, because it is difficult for women without money to survive independently.
It was not uncommon in the Northern Song Dynasty for female heads of households to take care of the family business, manage properties and shops, and even manage large businesses.
The Northern Song Dynasty was far more open than imagined.
(I may not have made it clear about sweet potatoes. Cut the sweet potatoes into pieces first and plant them in the ground to grow vines. The vines from one pound of sweet potatoes can be cut into 50 to 100 potato seedlings and used for cuttings.)